was written. Now, the law upon the point of minority we hold to be
perfectly clear. It is a plea available only to the defendant; no
plaintiff can offer it as a supplementary ground of action. Thus, if
any suit could be brought against Lord Byron, for the purpose of
compelling him to put into court a certain quantity of poetry, and if
judgment were given against him, it is highly probable that an
exception would be taken, were he to deliver FOR POETRY the contents
of this volume. To this he might plead MINORITY; but as he now makes
voluntary tender of the article, he hath no right to sue on that
ground for the price in good current praise, should the goods be
unmarketable. This is our view of the law on the point; and we dare
to say, so will it be ruled. Perhaps, however, in reality, all that
he tells us about his youth is rather with a view to increase our
wonder, than to soften our censures. He possibly means to say, 'See
how a minor can write! This poem was actually composed by a young
man of eighteen! and this by one of only sixteen!' But, alas, we all
remember the poetry of Cowley at ten, and Pope at twelve; and, so far
from hearing with any degree of surprise that very poor verses were
written by a youth from his leaving school to his leaving college
inclusive, we really believe this to be the most common of all
occurrences;--that it happens in the life of nine men in ten who are
educated in England, and that the tenth man writes better verse than
Lord Byron.

"His other plea of privilege our author brings forward to waive it.
He certainly, however, does allude frequently to his family and
ancestors, sometimes in poetry, sometimes in notes; and while giving
up his claim on the score of rank, he takes care to remind us of Dr
Johnson's saying, that when a nobleman appears as an author, his
merit should be handsomely acknowledged. In truth, it is this