And, fpite of all his candid declarations,' Art. 7. The Earl of Warwick; or the King and Subject. A Tragedy. 8vo. 1s. Kearfly. This piece is tranflated, taken, or manufactured, from M. de la Harpe's tragedy, which was lately reprefented with fo much applause on the French theatre, and of which we gave fome account and fpecimens in our last Appendix. It appears to have been intended, in its prefent dress, for the English Stage, but was rejected by the Managers; on whom the Translator, or Imitator, is, therefore, not a little severe. Foreign grotesque Dancers, (fays he) Eunuchs, or Italian burletta Strollers, fwept from any part of Europe hither, can get on at either houfe, now distorted entirely for pantomime, dumb fhew, outrageous fqualling to a numerous orcheftra, or the exhibiting a monster, made up of coarse cloth, timber, and other trash: while the hearing a rational Speaker is now almost defeated, in the more confiderable part of both theatres.' What the Writer means by this paffage, we cannot very well tell; but if he intends by his pantomime, dumb-fhew, outrageous Squalling, &c. to cenfure the clumfy attitudes, or bad voices of the Dancers and Singers, or even the Managers for employing fuch, we have nothing to fay against it. But, for goodness fake, why fall foul on the poor, dumb elephant? Elephants, good Sir! are not monflers and tho' that which is at the play-houfe, may not be fo compleat in all its parts, as the other lately exhibited near Buckingham-gate, the former is bigger, and will, in all probability, live much longer. This, at least, is certain, that it is a better copy of a real elephant, than your performance is of that of the ingenious M. de la Harpe. Art. 8. Ingratitude. A Poem. Infcribed to the most grateful of Mankind. 4to. Is. Williams. A moft fevere and bitter fatire, on a certain great military Ag-t. The Author professes, that it is the product of an infant Mufe. We may therefore hope for better and more finished productions from him hereafter. Art. 9. The Patriot Poet: A Satire. Infcribed to the Rev. Mr. Chll. By a Country Curate. 4to. 25. Wilkie. Not a Country Curate, in all probability, but a Town-Scribler, fifhing for a dinner in the dirty pool of Politics. He has taken off his Patron, Mr. Chl's gaping profification pretty well in the following couplets : Teach me to twist a thought a thousand ways, Art. 10. Faces facre, five Epithalamium cœlefte Solomonis. Interprete Cafpare Barlæo. 4to. 2 s. 4to. 2s. Henderson, &c. There is just as much propriety in printing a Latin paraphrase of the Song of Solomon, on occafion either of our Sovereign's marriage, or that of his fifter, (both which are here taken notice of, in an introductory Latin poem, figned And. Henderfon,) as there would be in oper.ing a birth-night-ball with a pfalm tune.Not that the impropriety arifes from the facred import of that Song, for to fuppofe that it means any thing about Chrift and his church, can only be in the wild dreams of fanatic prejudice; but to attempt to reduce the greatnefs of the Oriental images and poetry, within the measured precifion of Latin verfe, was abfurd in the defign, and the application of it alone is more so. Art. 11. Report, or the Political Lyar, a Satirical Epifle. 4to. Is. Roberts. If the Author of this jumble of ftale political nonfenfe, received a fheep's-head for his copy, he was paid in kind, and might justly acquit his Bookfeller for more than value received. Art. 12. An Effay on Satire and Panegyric. 4to. Wilfon and Fell. Is. 6d. This Author deferves to be diftinguifhed; for it must certainly require no fmall degree of genius and invention, to write, as he has done, thirty-four full pages about nothing. As to the title, it is all gratis didum, and the poem might, with the fame propriety, be called a Dif Jertation on Dumpling, or a Compleat Detection of Archibald Bower, as an Efay on Satire and Panegyric. Art. 13. A Poem on Chefs. 4to. IS. Hawkins. This little poem is written in fuch a very elegant and agreeable strain of verfification, that it may be read with confiderable pleasure, by thofe who have any knowlege of the game it celebrates. The King being difplaced by a Rook, produces the following humourous fimile: As when an afs, that from the common ftrays, The Author of this performance is undoubtedly capable of much greater productions.Ex pede Herculem. Art. 14. Nature. An Ethic Epifle. Infcribed to the Honcurable Mrs. Dy. 4to. Is. Flexney. As a teftimony of filial duty, we cannot blame this poem. but are forry that the Author did not chuse some lefs injudicious method to graREV. Mar. 1764. R tify tify the fondnefs of an affectionate parent: for this, confidered as an Ethic Epifle, is a very poor performance; the numbers are feeble, the moral trite, and the philofophy narrow and fuperficial: witnefs the following line: The world is made for man, and man for God. Art. 15. On BENEFICENCE, a poetical Effay. 4to. Is. The Author of this poem informs us, that it was written last winter, during the hard-frolt, with an intent that it might open the hands and the hearts of all good Chriftian people, to relieve and pity the Poor ;. but, that, unluckily, the froft diffolving, all thoughts of its publication were laid afide. This diffolution of the froft would have been a terrible Broke, indeed, to the poetical world, but for the reverse of weather, which has happened this winter, and which has brought this inimitable poem to light. Thus it begins: Awake, Beneficence, kind Power, awake Each fleeping plant The fleep of plants is a doctrine now univerfally received, and certes, as our friend Scriblerus fays, it was a right pleasant thought in the Author, to make Beneficence call them up in the morning. Otherwife very cruel and difagreeable confequences might have happened; a Taylor's wife might have fallen upon a cabbage before its nap was out, and the poor plant might have been drawn, quartered, and potted, without knowing any thing of the matter. Before the Poet has fpun out ten verfes, he has foared quite out of fight, and you might as well attempt to look for one of Jupiter's Satellites, with the naked eye, as endeavour to trace him. It is in vain, therefore, that he calls upon the Marquis of Granby, to take a peep at him while he is in the upper regions; Then, then, O Granby, might thy heav'n-bent eye, But if that noble Lord fhould have any violent inclination to reconnoitre this thirteenth fign, we would recommend to him the newly-improved telescope. The Triumvirate who wrote the profound treatife on the Bathos, have not, in all they have quoted, and in all they have invented, exhibited a fner inflance of it than is to be found in the following defcription of the diverfion of footing: Haik, th' explofion dire, The dog, quick-icented, and high bounding now But, for magnificent imagery-here we have it : Lo with vaft mountain fpread, whofe fides immense, Beard Beard ftiff with icecles, rock-built his fides; What can this huge Plinlimmon, this horribly monftrous object be? NOVELS. Art. 16. Maria: The genuine Memoirs of an admired Lady of Rank and Fortune, and of fome of her Friends. 12mo. 2 vols. 4 s. few'd. Baldwin, &c. A pretty, decent, interefting romance. The Author, indeed, dif claims the title, and would have us confider the work not as a romance, but as a relation founded on fact, and free from all mixture of the marvellous or extraordinary. This pretence, however, is fufficiently overthrown by the many furprising adventures contained in the book:→→ which is, nevertheless, what we have ftyled it, an interefting performance. The fentiments are friendly to virtue and goodness, the language is easy, though unequal, and the style elevated above the common rank of modern novels. In a word, we conjecture that the Author has been in a hurry to finish the work; and that he is capable of a better production, if allowed more time to finish it. Art. 17. The Memoirs of Mifs D'Arville; or the Italian Female Philofopher. In a series of Adventures, founded on fact. Translated from the Italian. 12mo. 2 vols. 5$. fewed. Prid den, &c. An old-fashioned, unpleafing, uninterefting tale, of a female's adventures in breeches: deftitute of character, fentiment or language. It may poffibly appear to more advantage in the original; but the tranf lation is very poor:-and we much question if the book was worth tranflating at all. Art. 18. Family Pictures; a Novel: Containing curious and inte-. refting Memoirs of feveral Perfons of Fashion in W By a Lady. 12mo. 2 vols. 4 s. fewed. Nicoll, &c.. -res This Lady is a moral, though not a first-rate painter. Her pictures are not very ftriking, but then they are decent, and will make proper furniture for the apartment of a novel-reading young lady. Art. 19. The Life and Adventures of Mr. Francis Clive. 2 vols. 5s. fewed. Lownds, Low, dull, and abfurd. The Author feems to poffefs neither the powers of genius, nor the manners of a gentleman: yet he boldly ventures into the higher ranks of life, where he makes a moft woful figure indeed! He fucceeds beft in defcribing mean and worthless characters, not with bumour (for in that way of writing he gives no fpecimen of his abilities) but as they probably are found in real life. However, the R 2 fcenes fcenes he draws of this fort, are fo disagreeable, that we fearce remem ber to have perufed a work of the kind, with fo little fatisfaction. Art. 20. Memoirs of the Chevalier Pierpoint. Vols. 3 12mo. 4s. fewed. Dodfley. and 4. We expreffed our fentiments of the two former volumes of this performance, in the 28th volume of our Review, p. 78; and as yet we fee little reafon to change our opinion of the work-which, nevertheless, as we before intimated, will probably have its admirers. Art. 21. The History of Charlotte Seymour. 12mo, 2 vols. 5s. fewed. Burnet *. Echo. Burn-it! Art. 22. The Hiftory of Lady Louifa Stroud, and the honourable Mifs Caroline Stretton. 12mo. 2 vols. 5 s. Noble. We have obferved nothing very great in this novel; but there is fomething agreeable in fo fimple, decent, and moral a tale as is here related, in a series of entertaining letters, written in a natural and easy file; and even with a degree of elegance, notwithstanding feveral marks of careleffnefs, and fome ftrange words, which feem to be the coinage of a female mint. Indeed the Editor tells us, that the work was compiled by a lady, from original papers. THEATRICAL. Art. 23. Midas: An English Burletta. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Kearfly, &c. As the Editor of this piece affures the public it is written in the true fpirit of the mock-heroic,' it may be thought not very polite to tell him, he may poffibly be mistaken. We do admit that 'BURLESQUE, in all times, from the ftage of ATHENS down to the DRAGON OF WANTLEY, has been esteemed one of the provinces of the drama; and, that its humour principally confifts in making dignified perfonages raife in our minds, trite and ordinary ideas, or elfe in giving to trivial objects a ferious air of gravity and importance.' Is the Editor, however, very fure that the Author has fucceeded, even according to his own idea of the true Spirit of the Burlefque? It is to be obferved, that this species of writing, depends, more than any other, on that influence and connection, which, the learned fay, prevail reciprocally between languages on opinions, and opinions on languages. And, it is certain, that both opinions and languages take a very different complexion at different æras. It is not impoffible that the ingenious Author (for fuch we allow him to be) is mistaken with regard to both. He may have falfely conceived, that the heathen deities would appear dignified perfonages on a London theatre; where, in their very best cloaths, they always convey the most trite and ordinary ideas. It is impoffible to burlesque what is conceived to be, in its own nature, ridiculous. We should otherwife give our Author credit for many fine ftrokes of humour in this work; which the claffical Reader, who may be able to preferve in idea, the imaginary importance of the perfonages of the drama, will undoubtedly |