the fcenes and paffages in thofe pieces, which a more correce tafle than that which prevailed in the days of the author, has now configned entirely to the closet.

Thefe obfervations must be underflood as applying, not to the Indian Emperor alone, which, however, contains many brilliant paflages, but alfo to his other heroic plays, and particularly the Conqueft of Grenada and Aureng-Zebe.

When the theatre was re-opened, Dryden was bound by a contract with the King's Company, to produce three plays in a year, the probable profits being between three and four hundred pounds. His firft production, under this agreement, was" Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen." In his prologue he made the boaft which was afterwards recollected to caft ridicule upon him, beginning,

"He who writ this, not without pains and thought,
From French and English theatres has brought

The exacteft rules, by which a play is wrought."

Mr. Scott's two opinions on this play, delivered in the life of the author, and the thort note prefixed to the piece, are remarkable for their contrariety. In the firft he fays:

"The tragic fcenes of the Maiden Queen' were defervedly cenfured, as failing beneath the Indian Emperor.' They have neither the ftately march of the heroic dialogue, nor, what we could be more pleased to have found in them, the truth of paffion and natural colouring, which characterized the old English drama. But the credit of the piece was redeemed by the comic part, which is a more light and airy reprefentation of the fashionable and licentious manners of the time than Dryden could afterwards attain, excepting in Marriage a-la-mode.' The King, whofe judgment on this fubject was unquestionable, graced the Maiden Queen' with the title of his play."

In the latter he fays: "The character of the Queen is admirably drawn, and the cataftrophe is brought very artfully forward; the uncertainty, as to her final decifion, continuing till the laft moment. The comic part of the play contains much of what was thought wit in the reign of Charles II.; for marriage is railed againft, and a male- and female rake join in extolling the pleafures of a fingle life, even while the ufage of the theatre compels them, at length, to put on the matrimonial chains."

One paffage in this play we deem particularly worthy of notice, as it probably furnished Goldfmith, who was an avowed admirer of Dryden, with that beautiful thought in the Traveller,

"My

My heart untravell'd fondly turns to thee;
Still to it's brother turns, with ceaseless pain,
And drags, at each remove, a lengthen'd chain."
When I am with Florimel," fays Celadon, "
ftill your prifoner; it only draws a longer chain after it."

my heart

The alteration of the " Tempeft," which Dryden next affifted D'Avenant in making, might be left to find its way to oblivion without a fingle remark, if the incredibly bad tatte of modern managers had not difgraced the prefent age by fubflituting the groffnefs of this abfurd medley for the tendernefs, fimplicity, and fublimity of the original. Pofterity will hardly believe, that at the conclufion of this play in 1808, an actor and manager of undifputed genius and learning pronounced, after Shakefpeare's beautiful and wellknown paffage, "the cloud cap't tow'rs," this wretched jingle,

"The promises of blooming Spring live here,

And all the bleffings of the ripening year.
On my retreat let Heaven and nature fmile,
And ever flourish the Enchanted Ifle.”

Mr. Scott fpeaks of this play with juft cenfure, but uses rather an awkward phrafe, when he fays that D'Avenant's Gondibert has incurred more ridicule and more neglect than its merits deferve.

(To be continued.)

ART. II. The First Book of Napoleon, the Tyrant of the Earth. Written in the 5815th Year of the World, and 1809th Year of the Chriftian Era, by Eliakim the Scribe, a Defcendant of a modern Branch of the Tribe of Levi; a Rabbi educated in the Chriftian Schools of the Sons of the Prophes. 8vo. 146 pp. 6s. Longman, Hurst, Rees,.

and Orme. 1809.

THE quaint title of this work, and the flyle of the facred fcriptures, which is profelfedly imitated by the author, excited in our minds fome fufpicions that the views with which it had been publifhed, were not fuch as could admit of approbation. A very hefty perufal of it convinced us completely that our fufpicions were groundlefs. The object of the author is indifputably of the purest kind; though we

muft

muft ftill be permitted to doubt whether he has adopted the best method for the attainment of that object. We do not recollect to have hitherto met with any attempt to imitate the ftyle of fcripture, but for the purpofe of throwing on that facred volume an air of ridicule *; and there was perhaps little judgment in the author's defcribing himself as a Jewish Scribe and Rabbi, educated in the Chriftian schools of the fons of the prophets! If the title be allegorical, as we fuppofe it to be, the allegory is here inconfiftent with itself.

Let not the reader, however, fuffer himself to be prejudiced against the work, by thefe objections, till he has perufed the whole with fome attention; for he will find every where fufficient evidence of the author's veneration for the oracles of revelation, and in the preface, of which we fhall here transcribe a part, an anxious endeavour to prevent his meaning from being mifunderstood.

"Pious and religious reader! Let not thy feelings be offend ed, and withhold thy cenfure, until thou fhalt find in these pages a fingle fentiment, inconfiftent with the fpirit and principles of that holy religion which thou profeffeft; and condemn not the feebly imitative manner of writing therein occafionally employed, until thou canft point out a language more impreffive, or more appropriate, than that in imitation of which thefe chapters are framed."

That the language adopted will be peculiarly impreffive on the minds of thofe pious Chriftians, in humble life, who are accustomed to read and revere their Bibles, we readily admit; but fuch perfons ftand, perhaps, in lefs need of the admonitions contained in this volume than any others; while the price at which a volume fo elegantly printed, can be fold, muft prevent it from falling into their hands. We really regret this circumftance, because the book gives, in language with which they are beft acquainted, a juft view of the principles which led to the French revolution, to the elevation of Buonaparte to the throne of the Bourbons, and to all the miferies under which the continent of Europe has fo long groaned; contrafting thofe miferies with the happinefs which Britons, here denominated Albions, enjoy under the mild government of our excellent and amiable fovereign.

We do not admit Franklin's far famed parable to be an exception; for he ftole that parable from Bifhop Taylor, who tran. fcribed it from what he calls the Jews book.

As

As a fpecimen of the author's manner, we tranfcribe the following parable of the Bear and Monkey, by which are obviously meant Ruffia and France.

"1. Now a riddle is put forth, and a parable is spoken, unto the people of the earth.

"2. A great bear with brawny paws, and covered with long briftles, is brought forth in the north.

3. He stretcheth himself over many lands, and with much people, over whom the hail and the fnow continually do pass.

6. Fierce is the bear, and not to be conquered by fear or force.

66

7. Now in the western regions there liveth an animal, which is fafhioned fomewhat after the image of man, and is endowed with cunning, fawning and deceit; and lo! this animal is called a monkey.

8. Now the bear and the monkey having met each other, the bear was pleafed with the monkey, who careffed and foothed him, and told him what a mighty beast he was.

9. So the bear allowed the monkey from time to time to play and frisk around him; but it came to pafs, that the monkey having fcratched the bear, he thereupon raised his briftles, and threatened to hug the monkey to death.

"10. Nevertheless the monkey contrived yet again to foothe the bear, and he fawned upon him and careffed him, and whispered foft and pleafing things in his ear.

"11. And the bear and the monkey became exceeding great friends, and met and communed together, and finally agreed to divide the north and the west between them.

"12. So they went on paw in paw; and the bear grinned fmiles to the monkey, while the monkey played in sportive mirth around the bear.

13. Now it fo happened, that the bear was lulled afleep by the foft fawnings of the monkey.

"14. And in his fleep he dreamed a dream, and behold the dream was, that the monkey had put out one of his eyes, and bit in twain the strongest finew in his moft powerful paw.

15. So he awoke with a mighty growl, and rofe in his wrath to destroy the monkey.

"16. But lo! when he awoke from his dream, he beheld before him no longer the feeble fawning monkey, his former friend and favourite; but a fierce and furious tyger, who at one dart devoured him, and feized as his prey the lands over which he had been in ufe to rule.

"17. And the tyger tore the bear into pieces, and feattered his flesh and his bones to the winds of heaven.”

That fuch will be the conclufion of the prefent unnatural

alliance

alliance between Ruffia and France, is extremely probable; and there is certainly a numerous clafs of readers, to whom this probability could not be ftated in terms more affecting and impreffive than thofe which have been employed in this parable. There are, however, various paffages in the volume, which, though too long to be tranfcribed, are greatly fuperior to this, and convince us that the author of the first book of Napoleon, the Tyrant of the Earth, is capable of much better things.

ART. III. An Effay An Effay on the Identity and general Refurrection of the human Body; in which the Evidences in favour of these important Subje&s are confidered, in relation both to Philofophy and Scripture. By Samuel Drew, Author of an Effay on the Immateriality and Immortality of the Human Soul. 8vo. pp. 439. Price 10s. 6d. Hamilton. 1809.

MR.

R. Drew is one of thofe inflances of felf-taught genius, which not only excite wonder at their firft appearance, but continue to attract our attention and engage our regard, as they make their progrefs through the hemifphere of literature. Many literary phænomena pafs rapidly by us, they are hardly obferved before they difappear: but Mr. Drew continues to engage our notice in the progrefs as well as the commencement of his courfe. We spoke of him in our preceding volume; (p. 501.) but, as the majority of our readers probably know little of him, before we enter on the confideration of his work, we will give them his own account of himself.

"I was born (fays he) in the parish of St. Austell, in the county of Cornwall, on the third day of March, 1765. My father, who was a labouring man fupported his family, which confifted of a wife and four children, in creditable poverty, by dint of application, induftry, and frugality. But though neither of my parents was ignorant of the importance of education, fuch were their circumftances that it was not in their power to afford me any, except that which was acquired at a little reading fchool, in which I merely learned the knowledge of my letters. Here my education ended, for to a writing fchool I never was pro moted. At the age of feven, I was obliged to go to work, and for my labour, my parents received two-pence per day. The