Note 46 — Chapter VI
Reading edition
His fac-simile, famed Toney.] The Doctor’s abusing poor Toney Pasquin, brought forcibly to our recollection the vulgar cant saying about the pot and the kettle. Perhaps no two of the great poets of the day are more alike, in most particulars, than Doctor Costive and honest Toney. The Doctor is a true poetic blackguard—and so is Toney. The Doctor is an adept in the Billingsgate vocabulary—so is Toney. The Doctor has bespattered many a poor devil who never offended him—so has Toney. The Doctor has written a book—so has Toney. It may be said of each of them—
“We will not rake the dunghill for his crimes,
Who knows the man will never read his rhymes.”
The only particular in which they disagree is, that Toney has occasionally been convicted of saying a good thing—the gentle stupidity of the Doctor being entirely innocent of anything of the kind.
“Oh, here’s another pumpion, the cramm’d son of a starved usurer, Cacafogo. Both their brains buttered cannot make two spoonsful.”—Rule a Wife.