theatre was terminated by the exprefs which brought the news of the Duke of Monmouth's landing. Had it not died thus violently, it could not, in all probability, have lingered long.

Dryden lamented the lofs of his royal mafier, for he could hardly be termed patron, in an ode entitled, Threnodia Anguftalis, and foon took a ftep likely to recommend him to his new fovereign, that of adopting the Roman Catholic religion. To fay he changed his creed, would perhaps be too much; for, fuffering his excellent judgment and guiltless mind to be fwayed by the manners of his age, Dryden had adoped a ftyle of libertinifin and irreligion, which he difplaved without tafle or eafe, and fhut himfelf out from those religious and moral contemplations, which, in his earlier years, would have been both becoming and advantageous to him as an author. His late readings and efforts in controverfy piedifpofed him toward the Romish faith, a faith which has many allurements for one who has long neglected his religious duties, and probably the certainty that it would promote rather than impede his views at court, lent its aid to other motives in determining his choice. The act itfelf occafioned much difcuffion, both in his lifetime and afterward. Dr. Johnfon, a man never difpofed to apologize for any thing that appeared like making a traffic of religion, attaches no blame to the conduct of Diyden; Mr. Malone adopts the fame charitable mode of thinking; and Mr. Scott, giving an able and fatisfactory review of the poet's flate of mind and courfe of ftudy, and aided by inferences drawn from his poem called Religio Laici, does not diffent from the judgment of his predeceffors.

"The converfion of Dryden did not long remain unrewarded, nor was his pen fuffered to be idle in the cause which he had adopted. On the 4th of March, 1685-6, an hundred pounds. a-year, payable quarterly, was ad led to his penfion; and probably he found himfelf more at eafe under the regular and economical government of James, than when his fupport depended on the exhaufted exchequer of Charles. Soon after the granting of this boon, he was employed to defend the reafons of converfion to the Catholic faith, alleged by Anne Hyde, Duchefs of York; which, together with two papers on a fimilar fubject, faid to be found in Charles the Second's ftrong box, James had with great rafhnefs given to the public. Stillingfleet, now at the head of the champions of the Proteftant faith, published fome fharp remarks on thefe papers. Another hand, probably that of a Jefuit, was employed to vindicate against him the royal grounds of converfion; while to Dryden was committed the charge of defending thofe alleged by the Duchefs,"

The

The Hind and the Panther foon followed, a poem now generally difregarded, although high and merited compli ments have, in all times, been paid to it as a compofition, and although it was affailed at its appearance by a formidable hoft of angry wits, in all the forms of fatitical invective.

"The verfe in which thefe doctrines, polemical and political, are delivered," fays Mir. Scott, is among the fineft fpecimens of the English heroic flanza. The introductory veríes, in par. ticular, are lofty and dignified in the higheft degree; as are thofe, in which the fplendour and majefty of the Church of Rome are fet forth, in all the glowing colours of rich imagery and magnificent language: But the fame praife extends to the verifica. tion of the whole poem. It never falls, never becomes rugged; rifes with the dignified ftrain of the poetry; finks into quaint familiarity, where farcafin and humour are employed; and winds through all the mazes of theological argument, without becoming either obfcure or profaic. The arguments are in general advanced with an air of conviction and candour, which in thofe days muft have required the Proteftant reader to be on his guard in the perufal, and which feems completely to afcertain the fincerity of the author in his new religious creed."

The criticism and notes on this poem do great credit to Mr. Scott's tale and industry; but on this, as on a former occafion, his obfervation in the Life of Dryden is at variance with that in the introductory effay on the piece. In the former he fays, "Stillingfleet is, however, left perfonally undiftinguished; but Burnet, afterwards Bifhop of Salifbury, receives chaflifement in his flead." In the latter, "Stillingfleet, the perfonal antagonist of our author, in the controverfy concerning the Duchefs of York's pofthumous declaration of faith, is perfonally and ferocioufly attacked." Perhaps when he has leifure to recollect himself, and is not obliged to write fo fast to pleafe the book fellers, Mr. Scott will inform his readers, with certainty, whether Stillingfleet is or is not perfonally attacked in the Hind and the Panther?

Unwilling to change our plan of reviewing fo extenfive and important a work as this edition of Dryden, we muft here again fufpend our account, to make room for other matter. Our readers, who, we truft, feel an equal interest in the fubject, may be affured, that it will now be concluded in another article.

(To be concluded in our next.)

ART.

ART. V. Obfervations on Madness and Melancholy, including Practical Remarks on thofe Difeafes, together with Cafes, and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on Diffection. By John Haflam, late of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Apothecary to Bethlem Ifpital. The fecond Edition, confiderably enlarged. pp. 345. 9s. Callow.

Svo.

1809.

THE malady which forms the fubject of this volume is peculiarly interefting. The frequency of its occurrence, and the derangement of civil affociation which it occafions, render an acquaintance with its characterifics effential to people of every condition. How frequently are men, totally ignorant of the laws of organic being, and of the human mind, called upon to decide whether an individual fhall be torn from his family and his friends, to be immured within the walls of a lunatic afylum! How frequently have the eloquence, the argumentative fkill, and the ready wit of an advocate, determined the fate, the fortunes, and the character of a man of found mind, but of eccentric habits; or on the plea of madness have fet afide the intentions of a teflator! How frequently have madmen been fuffered to perpetrate acts of monftrous impropriety, becaufe no one would pronounce them infane; and how many inilances of fuicide have been committed, becaufe the friends of the unfortunate victim of rafhnefs were not apprized of the diftinguifling figns of the diforder, which poifoned all his fources of happinefs! We were therefore gratified with the appearance of this publication. The author, in his capacity of apothecary to Bethlem Hofpital, has long enjoyed extenfive opportunities of inveftigating the complaint, and he poffeffes many requifites for fuch an undertaking.

In the prefent edition, Mr. Haflam has declined giving a definition of madnefs, and in this we think he is perfectly right. Although medical practitioners may determine that a perfon is mad, it would be utterly impoffible to comprife, in a few words, the characteristic figns of a complaint which appears in fuch various forms. We are lefs fatisfied with the curfory manner in which the author has treated of the mental faculties He deems it peculiarly incumbent on him who undertakes to write of them in their diftempered state, to have a thorough knowledge of their nature, extent, and reétitude; and confiders it important that the medical practitioner fhould be enabled to establish the ftate of the patient's cafe, as a departure from that which is reafon. We admit the

difficulty

difficulty of eftablishing a fatisfactory theory of the human mind, and concede to this author, that it does not poffefs all thofe powers and faculties with which the pride of man has thought proper to invest it." But we utterly deny the latter part of the fweeping conclufion which immediately follows, that " by our fenfes we are enabled to become acquainted with objects, and we are capable of recollecting them in a greater or lefs degree; the rest appears to be merely a contrivance of language." P. 9. According to this fuppofition, the vaft intellectual difference which obtains between men placed in fimilar circumftances, and purfuing fimilar means of acquiring information, would depend folely on the acuteness of their perceptive faculty, and the power of their memory; but we fometimes obferve thefe faculties, in an eminent degree, in men who are not remarkable for wifdom, or for found judgment. We have known an ideot poffeffed of memory, and have feen children wholly devoid of the power of reafoning, who were gifted with an acute perception and extenfive memory; in fhort, we must regard these as fubordinate faculties, by which we are enabled merely to acquire and retain the rudiments of knowledge. The reafoning which Mr. Halam has adduced to fupport his hypothefis is more ingenious than conclufive. If he could not fatisfy himself of the nature and being of the human mind, before he promulgated his fceptical tenets, he fhould have been prepared with more fubftantial arguments than those which he has brought forwards. He thinks, that

"If mind were capable of the operations attributed to it, and poffeffed of thefe powers, it would neceffarily have been able to create a language expreflive of thefe powers and operations. But the fact is otherwife. The language, which characterizes mind, and its operations, has been borrowed from external objects, for mind has no language peculiar to itfelf. A few inftances will fufficiently illuftrate this pofition. After having committed an offence, it is natural to say that the mind feels contrition and forrow. Contrition is from cum and tero, to rub together, which cannot poffibly have any thing to do with the operations of the mind, which is incapable of rubbing its ideas or notions together. Contrition is a figurative expreffion, and may poffibly mean the act of rubbing out the ftain of vice, or wearing down by friction the prominences of fin." P. 9.

We do not profefs to underfland the laft fentence, and are unwilling to renounce our belief, that the mind poffeffes faculties diftinét from matter, because the author cannot difcover that it has any language peculiar to itfelf. If Mr. Haflam can explain that power which wills, and which thinks,

and

and which determines our actions, and regulates our conduct, by any of the known laws of matter, we shall endeavour to refute his doctrine, or to relinquifh our own opinions.

But although we totally diffent from Mr. Haflam's metaphyfical fpeculations, we give him due credit for his able in veftigation and clear account of the diflemper on which he has written. He adopts the ufual terms, mania and melan. cholia, to distinguifh the forms under which infanity occurs, but does not regard them as oppofite difeafes. He thus defcribes the fymptoms:

"On the approach of mania, they (the patients) firft become uneafy, are incapable of confining their attention, and neglect any employment to which they have been accustomed; they get but little fleep, they are loquacious, and difpofed to harangue, and decide promptly and pofitively upon every fubject that may be ftarted. Soon after, they are divefted of all restraint in the de. claration of the opinions of thofe with whom they are acquainted. Their friendships are expreffed with fervency and extravagance ; their enmities with intolerance and difguft. They now become impatient of contradiction, and fcorn reproof. For fuppofed injuries, they are inclined to quarrel and fight with those about them. They have all the appearance of perfons inebriated; and those who are unacquainted with the fymptoms of approaching mania, generally fuppofe them to be in a ftate of intoxication. At length fufpicion creeps in upon the mind, they are aware of plots which had never been contrived, and detail motives that were never entertained. At laft, the fucceffion of ideas is too rapid to be examined; the mind becomes crowded with thoughts, and confufion enfues." P. 41.

"Thofe under the influence of the depreffing paffions will exhibit a different train of fymptoms. The countenance wears an anxious and gloomy afpect, and they are little difpofed to speak ; they retire from the company of those with whom they had for. merly affociated, feclude themfelves in obfcure places, or lie in bed the greatest part of their time. Frequently they will keep their eyes fixed to fome object for hours together, or continue them an equal time bent on vacuity.' They next become fear. ful, and conceive a thousand fancies; often recur to fome immoral act which they have committed, or imagine themfelves guilty of crimes which they never perpetrated; believe that God has abandoned them, and, with trembling, await his punishment. Fre. quently they become defperate, and endeavour, by their own hands, to terminate an existence which appears to be an afflicting and hateful incumbrance." P. 44.

Next follow fome important obfervations on the nature of a lucid interval, which is defined" to be a complete recovery of the patient's intellects, afcertained by repeated examina