fatisfactory; and a more interefting, becaufe a more animated, and more compreffed, and ftriking view of events. His dedication of his work is affected (to ufe the mildest term;) it is in these words: "To Emperors, Kings, and others, exercifing fovereign power in the Old World; in hopes that from the example of George Washington in the New, they will learn to avoid war, to promote good-will in the family of mankind, and ufe all the power they poffefs, for the public good; the following pages are moft refpectfully infcribed by the author." The character of General Washington, with which the work concludes, is drawn up with confiderable ability; and the concluding addrefs of the author, although the fit paragraph is too much an echo of his dedication, is written with fpirit, and calculated to be ufeful: allowing, as we muft, for the great partiality of both thefe writers to their fubject. "Citizens of the United States!" he fays, "while with grateful hearts you recollect the virtues of your Washington, carry your thoughts one step farther. On a review of his life, and of all the circumstances of the times in which he lived, you must be convinced that a kind Providence in its beneficence raised him, and endowed him with extraordinary virtues, to be to you an inftrument of great good. None but fuch a man could have carried you faccefsfully through the revolutionary times which tried men's fouls, and ended in the establishment of your independence. None but such a man could have braced up your government, after it had become fo contemptible from the imbecility of the federal fyftem. None but such a man could have faved your country from being plunged into war, either with the greateft naval power in Europe, or with that which is moft formidable by land, in confequence of your animofity against the one, and your partiality in favour of the other. "Youths of the United States! Learn from WASHINGTON what may be done by an industrious improvement of your talents, and the cultivation of your moral powers. Without any extraordinary advantages from birth, fortune, patronage, or even of education, he, by virtue and industry, attained the highest feat in the temple of Fame. You cannot all be commanders of armies, or chief magiftrates, but you all may refemble him in the virtues of private and domeftic life, in which he excelled, and in which he moft delighted. Equally induftrious with his plough as his fword, he esteemed idlene fs and inutility as the greatest dif grace of man, whofe powers attain perfection only by conftant and vigorous action. Washington in private life was as amiable, as virtuous, and as grat, as he appeared fublime on the public No 4 theatre theatre of the world. Living in the discharge of all the civil, focial, and domestic offices of life; temperate in his defires, add faithful to his duties! for more than forty years of happy wedden love, his high example ftrengthened the tone of public manners. In the bofom of his family, he had more real enjoyment than in the pride of military command, or in the pomp of fovereign power. On the whole, his life affords the brighteft model for imitation, not only to warriors and ftatefmen, but to private citizens; for his character was a conftellation of all the talents and virtues which dignify or adorn human nature *. "He was a man, take him for all in all, Both thefe works may be advantageoufly con'ulted by those who wish to form right opinions on the conduct of America, in the memorable events which have occurred fince the French Revolution. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 13. The Mufes Bower, embellished with the Beauties of English Poetry. 12mo. 4 vols. 11. 45. Piercy. 1809. The editor tells us, that the works of the British poets are now fo voluminous as to demand a selection, in order to make the beft pieces acceffible. Who would expect, after this, a felec. tion of the commonest poems of the commoneft authors, which have been put together by every compiler for the last half cen. tury? The names of Collins, Gray, Shenftone, and others recur fo frequently, that all the poems of the two former are inferted, without any advantage but that of being disjoined by an arbitrary claffification. The firft volume is faid to contain "Lyrical and Pathetic Pieces," the fecond, "narritive, humorous and epiftolatory," the third, "defcriptive and facred poetry," the fourth, "felections from tranflated claffics." This is very idle work and a strong hand, with a fharp pair of fciffars, is all that is neceffary to prepare fuch a publication. It is, however, neatly printed; and this is the beft that can be faid of it. His merits were great, but this praife is furely exaggerated, and might be lowered by a reference to facts. Rev. ART. ART 14. Iberia's Crifis; a Fragment of an Epic Poem, in Three Parts. 8vo. 66 pp. 5s. Miller. 1809. The writer of this Fragment feems infpired by a juft indignation against the atrocious ufurpation of Spain, by Bonaparte; but that he has no notion of poetry, or even of verfe, the following extract, taken at random from the beginning of part 2d of the Fragment, will fufficiently teftify. "The chivalry Spain's crifis now reviv'd, With ferpent's arts, fhould be perfonified 'Midft rage of tumult, toil, and war compos'd." P. 33. Some of the foregoing lines are indeed "very irregular;" but the author's intentions appear to be good; and the notes and appendix contain interefting information refpecting the late events. in Spain, with defcriptions of fome of the principal provinces, and a very favourable character of the Spanish nation. ART. 15. The Conqueft of Canaan, a Seatonian Prize Poem. By George Pryme, Efq. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 4to. 3s. Cadell and Davies. 1810. The Seatonian Prize Poems have not of late years exhibited any thing remarkably brilliant, for which various caufes may be affigned. Among others, it is difficult to find a fubject which has not been exhaufted to the very dregs. The Conquest of Canaan, though fraught with every noble and animating material, can hardly be prefented with any charm of novelty. The beft poem on the fubject, we ever remember to have seen, was by a Trans Atlantic writer of the name of Dwight, and printed at Hartford, in New England, and afterwards reprinted in London, by Johnfon. That poem was in rhyme, this is in blank verfe, and has certainly confiderabie merit. It is occafionally very vigorous. The concluding apoftrophe on the Jewish nation will ferve to convey an idea of the whole poem. "Il-fated race! a name alone remains Of all thy dread, magnificence, and strength, For For fcorn to point at, and relentless power While barbarous hordes poffefs thy much-loved feats, Ages on ages roll away, and still Thy bitter Cup of mifery is full. Still must thou drain the unexpected draught, We object to proud in the fourth line as an epithet to endearments, as the two words prefent ideas, that are incongruous. Would any one fay proud embraces, or proud tenderness? Neither can the concluding line be confidered as ftrictly correct. ART. 16. Selection from the Poetical Works of Thomas Carew. 12mo. 3s. 6d. Longman and Co. 1810. This is a chafte, elegant, and claffical publication. We have always encouraged works of this defcription, and fhould be glad if the editor would extend his critical labours to the works of many of Carew's contemporaries. Mr. Headley's volumes are, we understand, about to be reprinted, but there is ftill ample room for Mr. Fry, for fo we understand the editor is named, to exercife his tafte. Lovelace, Herrick, and Habington, prefent an abundant harvest. We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of inferting a fpecimen. MEDIOCRITY IN LOVE REJECTED. "Give me more love or more difdaine, The temperate affords me none; Like Danae in that golden fhowre, Of Heaven, that's but from Hell releaft. Give me more love or more difdaine." ART. 17. Faction. 8vo. 85 pp. 35. 6d. J. J. Stockdale. 1809. As we hold it to be a most important public fervice to attack and expofe Faction, and as the writer of this poem appears to have in general very correct views of the principles and practices of of that public difturber, we regret that we cannot more highly commend his poem than by faying that it feems to fhow at once the power of writing well, and a total disregard for the rules of it: unless the author be, as from his notes we should strongly fuppofe, rather too young to have learned them. Such a flow of loofe, rambling, profaic verfes we have feldom feen, with fometimes an offence against metre, and fometimes against the accen tuation of our language. Yet of the young poet, if fuch he is, who could write the following lines, much may be hoped, especially in union with good principles. "Ye fpirits, then, who o'er the boiling deep, The picture of the fall of Switzerland, through the agency of Faction, has many merits, and much truth to recommend it. NOVELS. ART. 18. Nubilia in Search of a Hufband. 4th Edition. A fecond Article. (See our Review for Auguft laft, p. 187). We should always be ready, on a proper remonftrance, to revife any decifion we had given; for we fet up no pretences to infallibility. Attention will fometimes flag, or the neceffity of con cluding a task will produce precipitancy; or, from various other caufes, a critic, we confefs, may err like another man. But, after having made this candid confeffion, we have nothing material to retract refpecting this book, A violent remonftrance from a correfpondent, coupled with fome obfervations dropped in private fociety, led us to fear that we had inadvertently given praife to a book of immoral tendency. But it is no fuch thing. We have indeed given it more praife than it deferves, for we have mentioned it with Calebs!!!-Alarmed, however, at the fufpicion above-mentioned, we have read the book with careful attention. A heavy talk indeed it was! For a more tedious tiflue of empty declamations was never encountered. The author is extremely ambitious of being original, but is fo very feldom. He is, we pronounce, very young and very conceited. He has no style, but an endless effufion of founding words, fometimes incorrect; which, when he would raise them to fublimity, fall into blank verset; Hence fuch monfters of words as "fécundating," p. 42, "indécorously," p. 60, and a few more. + See p. 291, 4th Edit, which is full of verfes and nonfenfe. one |