can be no objection to our joining the Poet in the following in: vocation : "O Fame! thy choiceft feats prepare, Grac'd the Auguftan days of godlike Rome, So long in undecaying gold, Thus be their characters enroll'd. Lo! thefe were they, in life, who nobly fought, "To live, and, to be virtuous, are the fame." Art. 18. The Adulterefs. 4to., 1 s. 6 d. Bladon., 1773. From the recent examples of fome lewd females in the fashionable world, this Bard feems to deduce the general character of the âge, with refpect to women. How far this is fair, or just, in re gard to the virtuous part of the fex, which, we hope, will still be found to conflitute a very large majority, we thall not here difpute with him. Perhaps Juvenal ftretched the point as much too far, when he poured the whole fire of his poetic artillery on the Roman' ladies.-Be this as it may, the English fatirift lathes the Meffalinas of modern London, with thofe of ancient Rome in his view: following Juvenal, in a spirited but irregular imitation. His ftyle is bold and manly, but his verses are not always correct. Some of them are worthy the vigorous and glowing original whom he copies; fo that we are the more provoked when we find him writing beneath himself. He is fometimes carcleft, too, with refpect to the rhymes,' Here we have Rewarding Spews Done Nothing is more offenfive to an ear truly poetic, than illegitimate rhymes.This Writer, we are perfuaded, needs but to have a fault of this kind hinted to him, in order to avoid it in his future productions. Art. 19. A Specimen of Elegiac Poetry. 4to. Is. Becket. 1773 Advertisement. These two poems are felected, merely as being the most correct, from a fmall number written in the fame manner, The opinion of the public upon this fpecimen will best inform the Author whether the others merit any further trouble or attention. THO. BOYCE. These poems have fome merit from the harmony of their verifica tion; but the Author wants originality; and his imagination is lan guid. We do not fuppofe that any thing lefs excellent than this fpecimen will be agreeable to the public. Art. 20. The Macaroni: a Satire. By Ferdinand Twigem, Efq. Allen. 1773... 4to. 1 S. Every age has its fops. About twenty years ago we had a gentle race of Fribbles. These were foon frighted away by the bolder Bucks, and the fwaggering Bloods; but now we are got to fribbling again, in the finicking form known by the name of Macaroni. Some droll engravers have humouroufly fatirized thefe gentry, in a fet of cari catured figures, of which every print-fhop window is full. From thefe figures, the Author of the verfes before us hath confeffedly taken the idea of his Macaroni: the fubject is contemptible, but the poem is 'miferable." Art. 21. Six Paftorals. By PN 1773. 8vo. I s. Allen. There is fuch an appearance of native fimplicity and goodness of heart in this Writer, that Ill-nature herfelf could not, without fome regret, refolve to mortify him by condemning his poetry; nothing however is more certain than that other qualities are requifite to form a poet. A man may be an excellent hufband, father, brother, friend, and neighbour, and yet write worfe paftorals than Namby Phillips. Art. 22. The Works of Edmund Waller, Efq; in Verfe and Profe To which is prefixed, the Life of the Author. By Percival Stock-, dale. Izmo. 3 s. 6 d. bound, Davies. 1772. This edition has no peculiar excellence. We have nothing new in the Life of Waller, except, what we could eafily difpenfe with, a verbofe, affected Proemium, çonfifting of five clofely printed pages, and of which it may truly be faid-Vox et præterea nihil. Art. 23 Church-Langton; a Poem. By W. Woty. 4to. 1 s. 6d. Flexney. The fubject of this poem is Mr. Hanbury's famous plantations, and the magnificent inftitutions hereafter to be founded and fupported by the profits arifing from thema fubject which certainly merits the highest celebration; and Mr. Woty feems to have done his utmost towards it. NovEL S. Art. 24. The Tears of Senfibility. Tranflated from the French of Monf. D'Arnaud. By John Murdock. 12mo. 2 Vols. 55. bound. Dilly. 1773. The Cruel Father the Rival Friends ; A work confifting of four feveral novels, viz. -Roletta, or the Fair Penitent rewarded; Sidney and Silli, or the Man of Benevolence, and the Man of Gratitude. The Author aims, for the moft part, to keep his Readers on the rack. He deals only in thofe virtues and vices which astonish and exercife our fenfibility in the extreme. He therefore defeats his own purpofe. A tale made up wholly of wonders, never excites admiration; and a novel, which in every page is to harrow up the foul, leaves it in great quietnefs. We mean not, however, to fay, that there are not several affecting paffages and excellent moral hints in thefe volumes; and we may add, that the whole would, perhaps, for we have not feen the origi nal, appear to greater advantage, if delivered in an easier and purer ftile than that of the prefent tranflation. Art. 25. The Viciffitudes of Fortune; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Sedley. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Jones. 1773. Whoever has the ill fortune to throw away their time in the perufal of this nonfenfical production, will find it to be a ftrange jumble of incoherent incidents, vilely detailed in about one hundred of the worst-written letters that ever difgraced the prefs. But the press is pretty well even with the pen. Between the wretched writing, and the miferable printing, it is as difficult to discover the meaning as the fenfe of the Author, except where the Reader would with not to understand him: but the indecent and even fhocking freedoms which are taken with that name which fhould ever be facred, are every where too obvious. Art. 26. The Teft of Friendship; or the Royal Adventurers. izmo. 3 s. Allen, 1773. A tale truly romantic, and narrated in the unnatural, bombast ftyle of the old chivalry books. We cannot conceive what could be the Author's view in adopting this antiquated mode of writing, which has been exploded ever fince fringed gloves and basket-hilted fwords went out of fashion; and we are the more puzzled to account for the appearance of fuch a phænomenon, as he seems capable of producing fomething better. Two youths, coufins, and kindred geniuses, the fons of Kings. of very diftant countries, contrive, fomehow, to meet, and fet out fecretly together, on a fcampering party, in fearch of adventures. On this wife plan they make the tour of Africa; and they return at laft fafe and found, to their refpective homes, with a Princefs apiece: whom they, with becoming propriety, convert into wives. There is, however, nothing fingular in the Friendship of thefe heroes; the teft of which is to be found only in the title-page. Art. 27. 'Twas wrong to Marry him; or, the Hiftory of Lady Durfley. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6 s. Noble. 'Twas wrong to write it, would have been a title as fuitable to the merits of this Novel, as that which it bears is to the moral of the ftory. The work contains many things which will difguft the fenible and delicate mind, and yet it will afford very little to interest or entertain thofe Readers who are lefs difficult to please. Art. 28. The Hermitage; a British Story. 12mo. 3 s. Bell, &c. 1772. The Author of the Hermitage deals fo much in fupernaturals, and writes in fuch a fuflian ftrain, that it was impoffible for us, on perufing his work, not to recollect the famous dramatic piece, entitled Hurlotbrumbo, written about thirty years ago, by, one Johnson, a mad dancing mafter. This British ftory' is the very Hurtothrumbo of Romance and like Johnfon's performance, too, it contains fome fentiments, and exertions of imagination, which would do honour to more rational and more regular productions. Art. Art. 29. The Friends; or original Letters of a Perfon deceased. We fuppofe thefe letters are really what the Editor seems to mean by the term original; for (though the Writer was not destitute of abilities) we have found nothing very furprizing or interesting in them. POLITICA L. Art. 30. The Debates and Proceedings of the British House of By the declaration, in the foregoing title-page, that the prefent compilement of parliamentary proceedings is made by, the Editors of the former Collections,' we fuppofe nothing more is meant than the five preceding volumes of Debates published by Mr. Almon: fee Review, vols. xxxv and xliii. In mentioning the two volumes which began the prefent feries, we adopted the Editors' remark, that works of this kind are effentially ufeful to every member of parliament, and every lover of conftitutional history: they certainly are fo, in proportion to their authenticity. With refpect to the authenticity of the fpeeches printed in Mr. Almon's Collection, the public cannot expect entire fatisfaction, in that point. Names and vouchers are not to be looked for in publications of this nature, and therefore we muft chiefly refort to internal evidence. We have perufed the volumes now before us with attention, and we think the internal evidence is greatly in favour of a confiderable part of the materials here collected. The first and fecond volumes, indeed, have much of the air of a compilation; which was, perhaps, unavoidable, as there were no notes taken (as we are informed) during that period, except the few which are here preferved. The third and fourth volumes appear to have fuperior merit; they are not only very well executed, but there feems fufficient reafon to conclude that the common report of the Editors' being really affifted by certain publicfpirited members of the Houfe of Commons, is not groundless. On the whole, we are satisfied that this work is not a mere compilement from the news-papers, &c. in which long fpeeches are printed that never were spoken, and wherein many interesting debates pafs entirely unnoticed. Art. 31. Letters concerning the present State of Poland. Letter IV. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Payne. 1773. We have now obtained the fatisfaction of perufing the promised fourth and laft Letter on this very interefting fubject. The claims of his Pruffian Majefty on the unhappy republic of Poland, and his arbitrary proceedings with respect to Dantzig, are the grand objects of difcuffion in the prefent letter. The pretenfions of Pruffia to the territories of Pomerellia, &c. are here fo compleatly and totally refuted, as to leave the rapacious Invader no other argument in fupport of his claims, than the ultima ratio regum; of which he is confeffedly a mafter. The The fecond object of our Author's difquifition, is the violent feizure of Dantzig; which is here proved to be a most outrageous act of tyranny and oppreffion: in direct and barefaced defiance of the guarantees of almost every power in Europe, including not only that of Great Britain, but alfo of the King of Pruffia's prefent ally, the Czarina, and even, virtually, of his own as one of the powers confederated in fupport of the Polish Diffidents.-But from thefe premiffes it fhould feem, as this Writer obferves, that the character of this Prince appears to have been truly delineated in the sketch which his Majefty has himself drawn of the Emperor Leopold: He knows no right but his own; no pretensions but those of Brandenbourg; no other rule of justice but his own pride and ambition ".. The ultimate aim of this animated and penetrating Writer is, if we mistake not, (and as we have elsewhere + obferved) that: of roufing the British Nation, which, he thinks, hath too long remained fupinely, and, perhaps, fatally, inattentive to the motions of this dangerous Encroacher. He here opens to our view an alarming profpect, indeed! Among other things, he insists on the impo licy of fome of our prefent alliances, and points out the precarious ftate of our commercial intereft, in many respects; particularly the! certain ruin of our trade to Poland, in confequence of the late revo. lutions in that country.--The Author's political remarks take a wide and comprehenfive range,, and we are greatly mistaken if what he offers to our confideration, as to the part we ought, to take in the prefent critical fituation of affairs in Europe, does not highly merit, the attention of our Government. Art. 32. The Utility of Mobs; or Neceffity beating up for Vor lunteers. By a Gentleman of the Inner Temple. 8vo. I S. Allen. 1773. Seriously afferts the utility of mobbing, and vaguely declaims about the corruption of the age, and the fcarcity of provifion. From the flyle in which this rhapfody is penned, we thould rather fuppofe to be the work of a Porter than of a Gentleman of the Inner Temple.! Art. 33. Obfervations on the prefent State of the parochial and vagrant Poor. dvo. 2 s. Dilly. 1773. Thefe obfervations flow from an enlarged understanding and the warmest humanity, feeling for the diftrelles of the deftitute poor; the riferics of whom, under the present system of poor laws, the Writer pathetically enumerates, with an accuracy that fufficiently fhews him to be well informed in every part of the fubject. After explaining why the warrant act, of the 17 Geo. II. is not fufficiently carried into execution, (which he accounts for from the indifcriminating feverity of it) he enters into an examination of the caufes of vagrancy, with a fenfibility that does him honour, as a man pleading the caufe of men like himself; though unhappily diftinguished by a want of the means of fubfiitence, and of courfe of due regard from their fellow creatures. The inhumanity of some. Mem. of Erandenburgh. + Review for March, in our account of the third Letter. |