That house, the highest in the ancient world, With narrow windows and vast buttresses, And in an evil day, nor long ago, - By violent men when on the mountain-top 'On the same rock beside it stood the church, The vesper-bell, for 'twas the vesper-hour, As tho' all worldly ties were now dissolved; way, Tho' the barred windows, barred against the wolf, In the following sketch, the writer seems to emulate the familiarity of Wordsworth: but we shall close our article by quoting it, because it is by no means deficient in feeling and in taste. Jorasse was in his three-and-twentieth year; Had caught their starts and fits of thoughtfulness, The The Savans, Princes, who with him had crossed Through the rough day and rougher night conversed Once, nor long before, (Thus did his tongue run on, fast as his feet, And with an eloquence that nature gives breaking off by starts To all her children Into the harsh and rude, oft as the mule Winding beneath that solid crust of ice; With here and there a rent that shewed the stars! Shot Shot thro' his soul. Breathing a prayer to her Glittering the river ran; and on the bank When his dark eyes flashed fire, and, stopping short, But now the thread was broken; He tracked their footsteps. By a cloud surprised, Where the next step had hurled them fifty fathoms, Each guarding each the while from sleeping, falling. "My sire, my grandsire died among these wilds, And his words Were soon fulfilled. Within a little month Art. Art. 18. Chinzica; or the Battle of the Bridge, a Poem, in Ten Cantos. By Henry Stobert. 8vo. pp. 271. Warren. 1822. 12s. Boards. If the author of this volume has wasted a great deal of good paper and printing, it is no reason that we should be equally prefuse of our readers' patience. Such verses as the following would satisfy the most fastidious: Thy lips that were once ruby bright When understood in a proper sense, we think that the author's prayer at the commencement of the tenth canto is very sensible. O Heaven, sustain, sustain my song; Still sway the power that wakes my lyre; O grant my muse to bear along, And reach the goal on wings of fire.' We wish that we could give Mr. Stobert's note on moval and physical comets : but we have not room. Art. 19. Retrospection; with other Poems. By Arthur Brooke, 12mo. pp. 130. 6s. Boards. Warren. 1822. We understand that Mr. Arthur Brooke, like Mr. Barry Cornwall, here appears not for the first time under a poetical name, as well as in the poetical character. If this fashionable rule obtains, we wish that these coy poets, affecting concealment only that they may be sought, and pretending to fly from public gaze only that it may pursue them, would assume somewhat more lofty and high sounding appellations, to distinguish them from those of mere ordinary mortals, to lessen the probability of actual deception, and to give zest and dignity to the inquiry," Ubi, ubi est, diù celari non potest." 6 In his style and manner, the author of Retrospection' assumes much of the philosopher, and of a philosophical recluse: but his doctrines are delivered with the air of a man of the world, rather vainly intended to be agreeably relieved by free thoughts on religion, jovial songs, and warm stanzas on love. Did these school, boy effusions comprehend the whole of this author's writings, it would save us some trouble, inasmuch as we should quickly consign him to "the tomb of all the Capulets," and take our revenge by oblivion. Mr. B., it seems, is infected with that species of the free thinking disease, which renders the patient desirous of communicating the contagion of false principles to others, as if he could thus relieve himself: but he shews a vanity and a littleness in all this, which we feel ourselves bound to reprove; and the more because he appears to possess a heart and understanding which, with all his errors and affectation, may be worth cultivation. Briefly, we would advise him, then, to refrain from obtruding crude opinions in religious matters on the public in his poetry, or in notes to his poetry: for he ought to recollect that it is as unpolite and absurd to do this, as it would be to pour them forth when sitting in a mixed party, or in good company. It is, besides, so hacknied a custom, such a poor joke, if it be meant as such, that it would now be far "more honored in the breach than the observance." With all this perilous stuff," that weighs down the genius of his poetry, the author has redeeming points about him, as we have formerly had occasion to observe, which in some measure atone, by their spirit and their power, for much tedious and insipid common-place, both poetic and prosaic. We think that he has the elements of greater and better things in him, if he knew how to frame a poetical mind out of them, and could be brought to give up his scepticism, at least his poetical scepticism, and the vain attempt of reconciling it to the art of poetry. In the leading composition of the volume, the writer discovers evident traces of poetry, and passion breathing the soul of poetry, united to some definite object and meaning; - a quality of compar. atively rare occurrence among the mass of our modern versifiers. Taking a review of past ages, and a comparison of the various stages of society with the present, he endeavors to shew the probability of such increased and increasing wisdom and happiness, that the time will arrive when perfect freedom, peace, and prosperity shall become inseparable. Though here his sentiments are sometimes bold and paradoxical, they are liberal and free; and they are written in that spirit of inquiry which evinces a vigorous and original power of thought. On this account, perhaps, the poem is embellished with fewer poetical images than we should have liked: but considerable fancy is discovered in some of the minor pieces. TRAVELS. Art. 20. The Tour of Africa. Containing a concise Account of all the Countries in that Quarter of the Globe, hitherto visited by Europeans; with the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants. Selected from the best Authors, and arranged, by Catherine Hutton. Vols. II. and III. 8vo. 12s. each, Boards. Baldwin and Co. 1821. When the first volume of this entertaining and in many respects judicious compilation was noticed in our Number for December, 1819, we ventured to suggest an improvement to the fair compiler, namely, that of placing her authorities in the margin. She acknowleges, in her preface to Vol. 2., her deference for our opinion, but thus states the impracticability of adopting it. 'I can assure my friends and critics, that in those countries where there have been different travellers, one paragraph is often extracted from several, and sometimes one sentence from two; and that the authors are so mingled, in order to form a regular whole, that like the tub of feathers prepared by the fairy, it would be almost impossible for any bird to find his own. I must, therefore, content myself |