not," he continues, "give the particular Strokes of his Ingenuity a
Chance to be remembered, by reciting them; it may be enough to say, in
general Terms, they were so openly flagrant, that the Wisdom of the
Legislature thought it high time, to take a proper Notice of them."

Fielding was not the man to leave such a challenge unanswered. In the
_Champion_ for April 22, 1740, and two subsequent papers, he replied
with a slashing criticism of the _Apology_, in which, after
demonstrating that it must be written in English because it was written
in no other language, he gravely proceeds to point out examples of the
author's superiority to grammar and learning--and in general, subjects
its pretentious and slip-shod style to a minute and highly detrimental
examination. In a further paper he returns to the charge by a mock trial
of one "Col. _Apol._" (i.e. Colley-_Apology_), arraigning him for that,
"not having the Fear of Grammar before his Eyes," he had committed an
unpardonable assault upon his mother-tongue. Fielding's knowledge of
legal forms and phraseology enabled him to make a happy parody of court
procedure, and Mr. Lawrence says that this particular "_jeu d'esprit_
obtained great celebrity." But the happiest stroke in the controversy--
as it seems to us--is one which escaped Mr. Lawrence, and occurs in the
paper already referred to, where Charon and Mercury are shown denuding
the luckless passengers by the Styx of their surplus _impedimenta_.
Among the rest, approaches "an elderly Gentleman with a Piece of
wither'd Laurel on his head." From a little book, which he is discovered
(when stripped) to have bound close to his heart, and which bears the
title of _Love in a Riddle_--an unsuccessful pastoral produced by Cibber
at Drury Lane in 1729--it is clear that this personage is intended for
none other than the Apologist, who, after many entreaties, is finally
compelled to part with his treasure. "I was surprized," continues
Fielding, "to see him pass Examination with his Laurel on, and was