MENT. Let me embrace my Prince. I'll not offend TEL. No: dare not for thy life. Retract thy flanderous charge that wounds my foul, MENT. TEL. Glory! I reck not of it. 'Tis a light What thou calleft wisdom; the froward envious zeal MENT. Then, bafe degenerate boy, I leave thy youth to infamy and fhame, The fcorn of earth, the avenging wath of heaven. TEL. Stay, I conjure thee, Mentor; leave me not. To leave my beauteous Love To live despised- I fee the danger now; I feel its terrors 3 [Going Harrow Harrow my foul. Now then, old man, rejoice, As would even touch thy rigorous favage virtue, In confequence of this converfation, which is too long to be quoted here entirely, Telemachus is prevailed upon to leave the island of Calypfo. Minerva, who had all this white been concealed under the difguife of Mentor, conducts the young Hero to the fummit of a rock, from whence he had a view of the sea, and of the veffel that was to convey him. From this rock the throws him into the fea, and he fwims to the fhip. Explebit Numerum, et reddetur Tenebris. The Magdalens, an Elegy. By the Author of the Nunnery. W 4to. 6d. DodЛley. E have once before had occafion to observe, that there is an imitative as well as an original Genius for the fine Arts. But this is more particularly true in Poetry and Painting. A mind not fufficiently daring or creative, may yet be fo capable of fenfible impreffions, as to catch and reflect the features of an object it has contemplated, with great exactness. The Author of the poem before us appears to be of this class. The Nunnery (fee Review, vol. XXVI. p. 358.) was a parody on Mr. Gray's Elegy written in a Country Church-yard, and the marks of imitation (as Ariftotle terms them) were very ftriking. This we took notice of, and at the fame time obferved, that the poem was, in fome places, fufficiently poetical and harmonious; and in others, feeble, quaint, and inelegant. The fame character, totidem verbis, will do for the Magdalens. The spirit and manner of Gray, the ftructure of his verfification, and the fober melancholy of his imagery and fentiment, are closely imitated. The Copyift fails chiefly in expreffion. He is not deficient in the Pathos; for in this little Elegy he has exhibited almost every circumftance of affecting Distress, that his fubject was capable of; but (what, indeed, is a prin al ciple article in poetry) he is unable to gain a paffage through the ear to the heart, being unhappily defective in melody and eafe. He deferves, however, to be treated with all poffible tenderness, being modeft enough to acknowlege that he is little fkilful of poetic ftrain, Whole pleasing music takes the tuneful ear. It is remarkable enough, that he should be fo very fenfible where his defect lies. A rare virtue this in Authorism! There are some ftanzas, however, in this performance, that may be read with approbation, if not, with pleafure. Among thefe the following contain natural reflections, and agreeable defcription. Are these the Fair that wont with confcious grace, Proud Ranelagh's refplendent Round to tread ? And vie in beauty with the high born Maid? The smiling scenes of pleasure they forfake, For fober weeds they change their bright attire, And each well-fancied ornament remove, The Author's attempt to conciliate the world to his unhappy Penitents, is truly humane, and must give pleasure to every Reader. No more compare them to the stately flower, Whofe painted foliage wantons in the gale: Let not the Prude with acrimonious taunt, Some in this facred manfion may refide, Who left their parents in their infant years, And, hapless orphans! trod without a guide The maze of life perplext with guileful fnares. Some, on whom Beauty breath'd her choiceft bloom, Who fled from mifery and a dungeon's gloom REV. Feb. 1763 I Their Id The different fubjects of their diftrefs under the influence of Repentance, are not lefs pathetically defcribed. The following fcene, in particular, muft affect every fenfible heart. The torturing hour of memory this may prove, Left by their father in the time of need, Just in th unfolding bloffoms of their age! She cries; then finks beneath Afiction's rage. We would advise the Author, in his future productions, not to fuffer his expreffion to fall fo low as he has fometimes done in this, particularly in the two verfes printed in Italics. La Chronological Annals of the War; from its Beginning to the prefent Time. In two Parts. Part I. Containing from April 2, 1755, to the End of 1760. Part II. from the Beginning of 1761, to the Signing of the Preliminaries of the Peace. With an introductory Preface to each Part, a Conclufion, and a general Index of the Whele. By Mr. Doblon. 8vo. 5s. Printed at the Clarendon Press, Oxford, and fold by Dodfley, &c. in London. TH HE public are here prefented with a chronological detail of the most remarkable occurrences of the War; as a proper introduction to which, the Annalift gives a general reprefentation of the ftate of the belligerant Powers at the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle; proceeding to thofe later circumftances which gave rife to the War between the King of Pruffia and the Emprefs-Queen, in Germany; and between England and France, in America. In doing this, he enters into a pretty full investigation of the refpective. claims, of the houfes of Brandenburg and Auftria, to the difputed dutchic3 in Silefia. In his introduction to the fecond part of the work, Mr. Dobfon gives a concife narrative of the negociations entered into with France in the year 1761; expatiating on the political effects of the famous Family Compact, and on the circumstances of our rupture with Spain. He dwells ftill more particularly on the infamous breach of the Spaniards with Portugal, and takes a curfory notice of the catastrophe of Peter the third of Ruffia. In his conclufion, our Annalift hath thrown together a number of mifcellaneous obfervations, tending to give the Reader an an idea of the prefent political state of Europe, and particularly of this nation, which he reprefents as having been in the moft imminent danger of being totally ruined by the war, and as providentially fnatched from the jaws of deftruction by the peace. To thefe obfervations he hath added a recapitulation of the principal articles of the Preliminaries, comparing them (we think, a little invidioufly) with thofe propofed to the French in the former negociation. It is, indeed, the evident defign of the Annalift, whenever he fpeaks of this fubject, to extol the merits of the present Administration, at the expence of the last; his very encomiums on a late popular Minifter being couched in terms fo equivocal, and expreffive of fuch a coldness of approbation, that if they do not really conceal, they feem near akin to, actual fatire. "I defire to be ranked, fays he, in the number of those who refpect a late adminiftration. I confefs with pleasure, that we were awakened from a lethargy of defpair; that a new life animated our measures, to the amazement of ourselves, and the confufion of our enemies; that the Gentleman who took the lead at this critical feafon, formed and executed his defigns with the fame fpirit; that he was neither ftartled at difficulties, nor intimidated by expence; that during the entire continuance of his activity, fuccefs attended, like an obedient handmaid, upon his vigorous councils: to him, therefore, I may address myself with propriety, in the words of a Panegyrift, Initium laboris mirer, an finem? Multum eft quod perfeverafti; plus tamen, quod non timuifli ne perfeverare non poffes. If this be not to damn with faint praife, it is furely fomething worse. But, admitting the terms of peace to be as advantageous, and the prefent adminiftration as worthy of national confidence as this Writer would reprefent them, we think he hath gone unwarrantable lengths, in condemning the conduct of those who, being deeply interefted, may have expreffed themselves warmly on thefe important occafions. His remarks on the Liberty of the Prefs; fpecious as their appearance may be at first fight, are big with the most pernicious infinuations. Nay, we will venture to declare it, as our opinion, that the propagation of fuch flavish and unconftitutional principles, as this Writer inculcates, would foon be more fatal to Britons than the worst peace they could make with their profeffed enemies, or the most flagrant errors of their pretended friends. The blunders of a bad Minifter may poffibly be repaired, and the ill effects of a bad peace remedied by time and induftry; but when a people fhall have once imbibed notions destructive to their natural freedom; when they fhall have exchanged their boafted principles of li berty and independence, for thofe of paffive obedience and fervitude, tho' they may be too abject and infenfible to gall under I 2 the |