heir
kitchen tables. As for literature in general," said he, "the Santa Sede
is not particularly partial to it, it may be employed both ways. In
Italy, in particular, it has discovered that literary men are not always
disposed to be lick-spittles."

"For example, Dante," said I.

"Yes," said the man in black. "A dangerous personage; that poem of his
cuts both ways; and then there was Pulci, that Morgante of his cuts both
ways, or rather one way, and that sheer against us; and then there was
Aertino, who dealt so hard with the poveri frati; all writers, at least
Italian ones, are not lick-spittles. And then in Spain,--'tis true, Lope
de Vega and Calderon were most inordinate lick-spittles; the Principe
Constante of the last is a curiosity in its way; and then the Mary Stuart
of Lope; I think I shall recommend the perusal of that work to the
Birmingham ironworker's daughter; she has been lately thinking of adding
'a slight knowledge of the magneeficent language of the Peninsula' to the
rest of her accomplishments, he! he! he! but then there was Cervantes,
starving, but straight; he deals us some hard knocks in that second part
of his Quixote; then there was some of the writers of the picaresque
novels. No, all literary men are not lick-spittles, whether in Italy or
Spain, or, indeed, upon the Continent; it is only in England that all--"

"Come," said I, "mind what you are about to say of English literary men."

"Why should I mind?" said the man in black, "there are no literary men
here. I have heard of literary men living in garrets, but not in
dingles, whatever philologists may do; I may, therefore, speak out
freely. It is only in England that literary men are invariably
lickspittles; on which account, perhaps, they are so despised, even by
those who benefit by their dirty services. Look at your fashionable
novel writers, he! he! and above all at your newspaper editors, ho! ho!"

"You will, of course, except the editors of the --- from your censure of
the last class?" said I.

"Them!" said the man in black; "why, they might serve as models in the
dirty trade to all the rest who practise it. See how they bepraise their
patrons, the grand Whig nobility, who hope, by raising the cry of
liberalism, and by putting themselves at the head of the populace, to
come into power shortly. I don't wish to be hard, at present, upon those
Whigs," he continued, "for they are playing our game; but a time will
come when, no