The Project Gutenberg EBook of The English Spy, by Bernard Blackmantle

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Title: The English Spy
An Original Work Characteristic, Satirical, And Humorous.
Comprising Scenes And Sketches In Every Rank Of Society,
Being Portraits Drawn From The Life

Author: Bernard Blackmantle

Illustrator: Robert Cruikshank

Release Date: December 3, 2006 [EBook #20001]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ENGLISH SPY ***

Produced by David Widger

THE

ENGLISH SPY:

An Original Work

CHARACTERISTIC, SATIRICAL, AND HUMOROUS.

COMPRISING

SCENES AND SKETCHES IN EVERY RANK OF SOCIETY,

BEING

PORTRAITS

DRAWN FROM THE LIFE

BY BERNARD BLACKMANTLE.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS DESIGNED BY

ROBERT CRUIKSHANK.

By Frolic, Mirth, and Fancy gay, Old Father Time is borne away.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY SHERWOOD, JONES, AND CO.

PATERNOSTER-ROW.

1825.

[Illustration: Cover]

[Illustration: Frontispiece]

[Illustration: Titlepage]

BERNARD BLACKMANTLE{*} TO THE REVIEWERS.

"But now, what Quixote of the age would care
To wage a war with dirt, and fight with air?"

Messieurs the Critics,

After twelve months of agreeable toil, made easy by unprecedented
success, the period has at length arrived when your high mightinesses
will be able to indulge your voracious appetites by feeding and
fattening on the work of death. Already does my prophetic spirit picture
to itself the black cloud of cormorants, swelling and puffing in the
fulness of their editorial pride, at the huge eccentric volume which
has thus thrust itself into extensive circulation without the usual
_cringings_ and _cravings_ to the _pick fault tribe_. But

I dare defy the venal crew that prates,
From tailor Place* to fustian Herald Thwaites.{**}

* The woolly editor of the Breeches Makers', alias the
"Westminster Review."

** The thing who writes the leaden (leading) articles for
the Morning Herald.

Let me have good proof of your greediness to devour my labours, and I
will dish up such a meal for you in my next volume, as shall go nigh to
pro