Now hark ye, beware how you joke me,

If one fact you conceal, from your birth to your burying,
You shall fry till you fumigate like a red herring;

If my questions you parry you'll soon see me furious,

In the ways of old England I'm grown somewhat curious:
They're good customers grown, with their shooting and sticking,
And my imps from a battle-field brought home rare picking!
But should they continue to drive the affair on,
They may founder our trot-barge, and knock up old Charon;
Say their manners, their physic, their law, their religion;
And stick close to the truth, or you're truss'd like a pigeon!

P. 9.

Although our authors, who have assumed the names of Lucian and Juvenal, are no more like them than we to Hercules, yet would it appear that they are actuated by a principle recommended by Diogenes in the works of the wit of Samosata-staμov Xen είναι, και πρασιν, και λοιδορείσθαι πασιν ἕξης, και βασιλευσι, και ιδιωταις. οὕτω γας αποβλεψονται δε, και άνδρειον ὑποληψονται. βαρβαρος δε ἡ φωνη εςαι. LUCIAN! VIT. AUCT.

Thinking, then, that they shall acquire admiration by aspersing every thing, in the most barbarous language, they make the "poor ghost," in his reply to Pluto, censure, indiscriminately, all the arts and sciences, as well as manners and amusements, of mankind. It is true that this is not always done unjustly, but it is almost invariably effected without the aid of wit.

Pluto having heard him out, rewards him, for his information, in a manner suited to his merits, and worthy of the dignity of his infernal majesty:

Grim Pluto grinn'd ghaunt: there with sceptre uplifted;
"Thou varlet atrocious, forget'st I'm a wizzard?

"For this (devill'd with Cayenne) I'll sup on your gizzard :
"What romances you've rounded with all your pure boasting,
"Here, take the rapscallion and skewer him for roasting !"

P. 45.

These gentlemen of " mighty name," who, doubtless, possess most erudite heads, are very modest in the exhibition of their learned stores;-but one instance occurs of any display of this nature, and it crosses us at p. 27-" Let us audi alteram parte!"

Any further extracts from this "poetic tale" we deem unnecessary, and think ourselves well warranted in asserting, that a greater portion of dullness, in an avowedly humorous poem, with notes, scarcely ever came before us.

There is one thing yet to notice, and we do it with fear and trembling-The half title, p. 5, announces this as "Part the first," so that if Pluto does not keep his word with our hero, and sup upor his gizzard, we may have part the second! This alarm is encouraged by the motto to the work—“ When shall we three meet again.” But if Messrs. Lucian and Juvenal mean us to form the third, and our prayers have any avail, we meet no more!

Reflections on Duelling. By Rowland Ingram, B. D. 2s. 6d. 1804.

DUELLING has had its public defenders, and amongst these we find John Selden, who in his "Table talk," expresses himself in this

manner.

"One gives me the lye, 'tis a great disgrace to take it, the law has made no provision to give remedy for the injury (if you can suppose any thing an injury for which the law gives no remedy) why am not I, in this case, supreme, and may therefore right myself. A duke ought to fight with a gentleman; the reason is this, the gentleman will say to the duke, ''tis true you hold a higher place in the state than I; there's a great distance between you and me, but your dignity does not privilege you to do me an injury; as soon as ever you do me an injury, you make yourself my equal, and as you are my equal, I challenge you; and in sense the duke is bound to answer him."

Such arguments were suited to the mind of their author, and might not have been altogether intolerable in a chivalrous age, but scarcely any thing could be more pernicious, than to endeavour to support them amongst such a race as now exist, οἷοι νυν βροτοι εισι. The spirit and the means of duelling are at present disgraceful and inhuman. From the causes of most of the duels which constantly occur, we may rest assured that there is nothing of the noble spirit of honour in them; and for the means, what is it less than murder, when a man who has been shooting at a mark for years, calls out one who probably never pulled a trigger in his life?

Mr. Ingram's work fervently reprobates the custom, and we heartily recommend his energetic pages to the perusal of all classes, for all classes, from the peer to the pedlar, feel themselves bound, as it would appear, by what are called the laws of honour-risum teneatis! Cecily Fitz-Owen; or, a Sketch of Modern Manners. 2 Vols. Vernor and Hood.

THE plot of this novel is simple, natural, and interesting. The language is in general devoid of affectation, and though the author

appears not to be lavishly endowed with wit and humour, his de scriptions often form entertaining pictures, and the moral of his work is unquestionably good. Not wishing, by our anticipation to prevent the reader's discovery, we shall not enter into the intricacies of the narratives, but content ourselves with displaying our novelwriter in his best style, in parts of his sketches of counsellor Fusby and doctor Trollope, the two guardians of the heroine, Cecily FitzOwen.

"Counsellor Fusby was a lawyer of the first eminence at the bar; a long and successful exercise of his profession, had taught him the practice of the courts; of the world he knew little.-From an ordinary school education, he had early in life entered an inn of court-there, in idleness and jollity, his small patrimony was soon expended.-Want is said to be the father of invention-excluded by education from the more laborious and erudite branches of the profession, he determined to commence orator at once. A spouting club rubbed off any natural modesty possessed by the young lawyer ;-the Old Bailey gave the finishing stroké:where most ignorant, most boldly audacious, his character was soon established→ and lawyer Fusby was universally considered-a young man of great attainments and greater prospects-to whom the first dignities of the profession were fast opening.

"From the unavoidable absence of the leading counsel in a smuggling cause, barrister Fusby was called upon to be its conductor; and by terrifying some witnesses from speaking the truth, and others into speaking falsehood, he came off victorious. The prisoners were convicted, and lawyer Fusby arose to the eminence of king's counsel." Vol. 1. P. 2.

Counsellor Fusby was about this time retained in a suit long pending in the court of chancery.

"In a case so important, every exertion was to be used. Counsellor Fusby was retained for Sir Jerningham Fitz-Owen, now proprietor of the estate. Counsellor Fusby talked! Counsellor Fusby blustered! Counsellor Fusby fumed! But all was going wrong, till, on cross examining the adversary's evidence, three witnesses were leered out of their testimony by the wily glance of his eye, and three more were sunk to the bottom of the witness-box, by the dignity of his frown.

"Sir Jerningham gain'd a verdict, and counsellor Fusby a friend." P. 5. "Such was the history of one of Cecily Fitz-Owen's guardians. -In court he knew every thing; out of it, nothing." P. 6.

The doctor's success in life was equal to the counsellor's, but eating a plentiful supper of roast ducks, fricasseed veal, and scalloped oysters, on the night previous to his being installed dean of R, he was suddenly hurried off to a feast, where he did not eat, "but was eaten." Supper over, our author thus describes the event: "The cloth was at length removed---beaker followed beaker, hot and hot. Twenty years of the dean's age were dropped ;---Fancy re-seated him in the 3 D-YOL, XVIII.

common room at Queen's College. Such an one of the canons was third wrangler of his own year,---he had been a gay boy, noted for his love of oysters and porter; but an excellent scholar, and now a sound divine. Another was first medallist of the year above him---a dull man, but indefatigable, and of a prodigious memory. A third succeeded him, and, on Dr. Trippleshaw's marrying his bedmaker, and taking a college living, had become head tutor. The dean's good humour and college stories were both inexhaustible; and at length he worked hiniself up to such a pitch of gladness, that he determined, on Mrs. Trollope's retiring, to indulge himself in a long-forbidden luxury---a pipe.

"Mrs. Trollope, meanwhile, sat profoundly wrapped up in her own cogitations. All the family of R, and its neighbourhood, passed in review before her ;---their arms---their quarterings---their descents---their alliances were scanned over; and if there were a blot in the escutcheon, that blot was sure not to be forgotten!

"At the hour of twelve the dean (whisper it, my Muse, in accents soft and low) staggered up to bed---heavy in stomach--light in head. The six brown bays were ordered to be in waiting at nine, precisely, the next morning. The hour of nine arrived---the six brown bays were in waiting :---for a while they stood quietly---then began to neigh, to prance, to curvet, eager to commence their journey. The dean was already called another way---had already commenced another journey. In the middle of the night the gout had seized his stomach; and, at half past eight o'clock in the morning---he died!" V. i. p. 207.

Some just and sensible remarks on the advantages of" promiscuous society," are delivered by Mr. Delamere, in cap. 19. vol. 2. but we have no room for further extracts, nor have we any inclination to point out the weaknesses and imperfections of works of this motley nature, when they, on the whole, deserve recommendation-deserve it; because, as we give children coral, who will otherwise rub their gums with the first thing at hand, so we recommend such innoxious volumes as the present to those literary babies, novel-readers, who might, if we did not, until they cut their dentes sapientiæ, use what would, probably, not even have the merit of being harmless. Adversity; or, the Miseries of the Seduced, a Poem; interspersed

with Narratives. To which is subjoined a Military Tale, founded on a real Occurrence, called Henry and Eliza. By W. H. Poulett. 4to. 3s. 6d. Darton and Harvey. 1804.

If we were inclined to jest, we should say that there was no little literary misery in being seduced to buy this poem, with the compulsion which we have suffered of being obliged to read it through, The kind and charitable disposition of Mr. Poulett speaks warmly in his favour, but the "damning proof" of his poetry, pleads "double tongued" against him, Mr. P. appears to be one of the best hearted men, "with the worst humoured Muse," always intending well, even in his poetry; but what may be in his intention, in this last

instance, seems far removed from the possibility of ever being in his practice.

An Ode, entitled the Humorous Convocation, alias the Barber's Shop, on Saturday Evening. By W. H. Hitchener. 4to. 1s. 6d, Ledger. 1804.

MACKLIN'S farce called "The true-born Irishman," succeeded admirably in Ireland, but when he brought it forward at Covent Garden theatre, under the new title of "The Irish fine Lady," it entirely failed. The veteran's remark on this occasion ran thus:→→→ "I believe the audience are right-there's a geography in humour as well as in morals, which I had not previously considered."

Mr. Hitchener will, most probably, have the same cause to think, with regard to his ode, what Macklin thought respecting his farce, and he will, if he may be suspected of as much good sense, confess, that the true and only latitude of his humorous convocation was "the barber's shop," from which it should never have strayed:

Goliath slain, and the Philistines put to flight. A Sermon, preached at Cirencester, by the Rev. J. Bulman, Chaplain to General Phillipson's late Regiment of twentieth Light Dragoons, on Wednesday, October nineteenth, being the Day appointed for a general Fast. 4to. 1s. 6d. Turner. Cirencester.

In the slaying of Goliath, no allusion is here made to the stone expedition, which was hurled at the Goliath of France from the sling of Mr. Pitt; but matter more ridiculous, irrelevant, and unfit, is occasionally introduced into this discourse, which decency and the time required to be serious, solemn, and impressive. Horace says, it is true,

ridentem dicere verum

but we hold it neither prudent nor profitable for either the preacher to deliver his truths, or his congregation to hear them, with a smile. Honorina; or, the Infatuated Child. A Novel. By James Barton. 2 Vols. 7s. Lane. 1804.

Ir has been said that "it's a long Lane that has no turning," but if we may be allowed a pun on the publisher's name, we should observe that this Lane seems to have none, and is without end. In vain we cry, we'll "see no more!" for Honorina now 66 appears, who bears a glass," i. e. a list of novels, printed, and in the press," which shows us many more horrible sight!"