excited by the delicacy of his conftitution, was promoted and increased by his ftudious purfuits. From Norwich he removed, in 1782, to Oxford, where he became a member of Trinity College; and to this circumftance we probably are indebted for the two interefting volumes now before us in a fecond edition. Thomas Warton was then refident as fenior fellow of the college, and Headley naturally became acquainted with The Hiftory of English Poetry. This gave, or rather confirmed, the bias of his mind, and the ftudy of old English poetry fuperseded every other literary purfuit.

He left Oxford after a residence of three years, in which interval he loft his father. Mr. Kett informs us, that the enquiries of his friends could not for fome months learn the place of his refidence; but that at length it appeared that he was married, and had retired to Matlock in Derbyshire. We are able here to fill up a chafm in Mr. Kett's narrative : the truth is, that during his occafional vifits from Oxford to his friends in Norfolk, he formed an attachment of the tendereft kind to a very beautiful woman now alive, but of no fortune. Many of the moft charming and interefting of his poetical compofitions were addressed to this lady. The connection appeared to their common friends to be indiscreet, and the object of his affections married a deferving man, with whom fhe is now happy in a lovely family. The writer of this article has the frongeft reafon to believe, that he married haflily in the anguifh of difappointment; more it is not neceflary to fay, nor would thus much have been introduced, if the perfon whom he married had furvived him. From Matlock he went to refide at Norwich, and in a short time the confumptive tendency of his conftitution rendered it advisable to make trial of the climate of Lifbon. Thither he accordingly went, and forry is the writer to add, that he went alone. The malady had already made alarming pro. grefs, and he furely wanted perpetually the tender attentions of a fympathetic friend. He returned from Lifbon only to die, which he did at Norwich in November 1788.

What Headley might have produced, had health been given him to perfevere in the line of ftudy in which he had engaged, may çafily be conjectured from the examination of thefe two volumes. With the exception of the very few poetical collections of the kind, from the Paradife of Dainty Devifes to the Mafe's Library by Mrs. Cooper, this mifcel Jany by Mr. Headley may be faid to have led the way to all the beautiful compilations which have fucceeded; to have

given a new direction to the public tafte, and to have pointed out lefs familiar objects of refearch to collectors. The volumes foon became popular, and of late exceedingly fcarce, and they well deferved fuch diftinction. They poffefs various claims to attention, whether we confider the tafte and judgment with which the selection was made, or the neatnefs, point, and felicitous difcrimination of character with which the biographical sketches introducing them are univerfally marked.

We may very properly give a fpecimen of Mr. Headley's poetical talents, as the fmall volume which he printed was in fo very few hands, that it can hardly be faid to have been before the public. We accordingly fubjoin the following:

THE BEGGAR'S DOG.

"Ye pamper'd favourites of bafe mankind,
Whether with riches poor, or learning blind,
From your distracted views O pause awhile!
And hear a brother's tale without a fmile;
And let contrition note how much is due
To all the generous cares I owe to you.
Whilft fatt'ning pomp fecure in cumb’rous flate
His fcanty crumbs withheld, and barr'd his gate,
Nor fullen deign'd with fcorn's averted eye
The cheaper tribute of a selfish figh,

The needieft fuppliant of Sorrow's train

For bread I hungering fought, and fought in vain ;
Each petty folace thus by you denied,
With fleepless watch Fidelio fupplied;

When winter wet with rain my trembling beard,
My falling tear he felt, my groan he heard,
When my grey locks at night the wild rain rent,
Like wither'd moss upon a monument ;
What could he more? Against the pitiless storm
He lent his little aid to keep me warm:
Even now as parting with his latest breath,
He feels the thrilling grafp of coming death,
With all that fond fidelity of face,
That marks the features of his honeft race,
His half-uplifted eye in vain he moves,
And gafps to lick the helpless hand he loves.

ROSALIND'S DYING COMPLAINT TO HER SLEEPING
CHILD.

"Alas! my dearest baby,

I grieve to fee thee fmile,

I think upon thy rueful lot

And cold's my heart the while.

Ii 2

"'Gainft

"'Gainft wind and tide of worldly woe,

I cannot make my way;

To lull thee in my bofom warm,

I feel I must not stay.

"My mother will not hear me fpeak,

My father knits his brow;

Sweet Heavens! were they never young,
That thus they treat me fo?

"Ye fouls unkind, a fate like mine,

Oh! never may ye prove;
Nor live to find how bitter 'tis
To mifs the man ye love.

"My friends they all forfake me,
Nor comfort will afford;
They laugh while I am thinking,
My true-love broke his word.

"May God amend their cruel hearts,
For furely they're to blame;
They little know what 'tis to feel
The heavinefs of shame.

"Th'ungentle hand of rude mifchance
Has 'reft my heart of reft,
And frighted hope of cheerlefs eye
Lies ftrangled in my breast.

"Twas yefter-eve, at midnight hour,
I waked but to weep;
I kifs'd my baby's pretty hand,
And watch'd it while afleep:

"Its cruel far-off father

My tender thoughts embraced,
And in my darling's infant look
His lovely likeness traced.

"With fmilelefs look a fpectre form
Advancing feem'd to appear,

While Fancy toll'd the death-be flow

Across my startled ear.

"Full well I knew its fearful found,

That fternly feem'd to fay,

Go, fpeed thee to the grafs-green sward,
For thou muft die to-day'."

Mr. Kett has performed his editorial office judiciously: the diftinction of this edition is, that the notes, which before were placed together at the end of the fecond volume, are

here

here found at the bottom of the correfponding pages of the text. The obfervation of the prefent editor at p. 83, on the expediency of modernizing ancient orthography in editions of our early poets, will admit of long difcuffion, and, as het properly remarks, is more fuited to a differtation than a note. To this edition two commendatory copies of verfes on Mr. Headley are prefixed; one by Mr. Bowles, the other by: Mr. Kett, both of confiderable merit. If ftill another edition fhall be called for, which probably it will, perhaps the addition of an index would be found both useful and agreeable to the reader, who will then be able to refer to any particular ancient author, a fpecimen of whole works he may wifh to examine. Would that a good head of Headley could be prefixed!

ART. VII. A Course of Lectures, containing a Defcription and Syftematic Arrangement of the feveral Branches of Divinity: accompanied with an Account, both of the Principal Authors, and of the Progrefs, which has been made, at different Periods, in Theological Learning. By Herbert Marsh, D.D. F.R.S. Margaret Profeffer of Divinity (in the Univerfity of Cambridge). Part I. 8vo. 116 pp. Deighton, Cambridge; and Rivingtons, London. âs. 1809.

WE

E have more than once had occafion to ftate what we think can be accomplished by public lectures in Theology and in fome other fciences, which admit not of rigid demonftration; and to point out the means by which the object of fuch lectures may be moft readily and fuccefsfully attained. If on these topics we have the misfortune to differ in opinion from fome far-famed profeffors in the universities of Scotland, it affords us great fatisfaction to find that we have a profeffor of our own, fo defervedly, famed as Dr. Marth, on our fide. He pretends not, to use the favourite fimile of a late learned author, to pour theological knowledge into the minds of youth "as water is poured into a ciftern." He aims at nothing more than to direct them to the genuine fountains of this knowledge, and to teach them how, with the leaft poffible labour, they may dig and draw for themfelves; and we do not hesitate to fay, that the lecturer who attempts more than this, will in fact perform much less,-will make his pupils either indolent and fuperficial fciolifts or

abfurd

abfurd bigots, or unite the character of fciolift and bigot in the fame individual.

Dr. Marth commences his first lecture with an apology to the univerfity for giving his courfe in English rather than in Latin, and in the university-church rather than in the fchools. For thefe deviations from former practice, we are not fure that any apology was neceffary. It may indeed be faid, that, as in a lyftematic courfe of theology various difcordant opinions must be flated, it might have been prudent either to read the lectures in Latin, which is not intelligible to fuch weak minds as may have their peace difturbed by fuch statements, or in fome place whence the illiterate could have been completely excluded; but this objection is rather plaufible than folid. Dr. Marth can hardly have occafion to flate any opinion, which is not held in fome one or other of the va rious fects into which the diffenters from the established church are fubdivided; and fuch is the zeal of feftarifts of every denomination, that their opinions are obtruded on the public in the pamphlets, magazines, and other journals which iffue daily from the British prefs. By lecturing in English therefore he can do no harm; and he may do much good, by counteracting the influence of these pernicious publications, without entering into formal controverfy with their authors.

We with, however, that he had expreffed his opinion of the practice of his predeceffors, who read their lectures in Latin, in fomewhat different terms; for, though we hope that fuch was not his intention, his language feems to us calculated to imprefs on the public mind the conviction, that the former lectures were read in Latin, for the purpose of converting into a finecure, the moft valuable profefforship in the gift of the univerfity to which he belongs. In an age when our venerable Church and every establishment connected with her, are furrounded with enemies without, and difturbed by falfe brethren within her pale, every expreffion which can be conftrued into fuch a meaning as this, ought furely to be avoided, in lectures delivered whether from a profeffional chair, or from a univerfity pulpit. We have Occafionally met with other objectionable things of this kind, but we must repeat that the general plan and main object of the courfe of Lectures appear to us excellent. It is proper, however, that our readers have an opportunity of judging for themfelves; and therefore we fhall flate this object and that plan in the words of the learned profeffor.

The