Half of thyfelf, I claim my lawful share ; Yet, would to heaven, that I the whole might bear! "Wretch that I am! who thee to fhield from pain, Too gently-meek, with doubts, or fears to ftrive, As the more polifh'd mind's chief ornament, "Thou weep'ft; where did my tongue profanely rove? My foul, in languid trance, diffolves away." P. 12, The above fpecimen will, we conceive, excite, in the lovers of poetry, a defire to perufe the whole; and they will find it well worthy the reputation of its author. In a few of the Elegies there is, perhaps, rather too much of the common-place language of paftoral. Dr. Johnfon probably would have laughed at hearing the following lines from a phyfician in a great city: "No merit could I boast, but how with skill To pen my flock, and drive it to the field, My fallow lands in ftated courfe to till, Uncultivated was my mind, and mean," &c. &c. Blemishes of this kind are not, however, very frequent; and they are more than compenfated by many beauties, by much tendernefs in the thoughts and expreffions of this author, by the general elegance of his language, and the melody of his verfification. ART. ART. 19. A Poetical Epifle to the Right Honourable William Pitt. 4to. 23 PP. 28. Gd. A most furious poetical philippic against the minifter; in which all the common-] -place topics of abufe, fo often reforted to, and fo often refuted, are again brought forward and enforced in lines undoubtedly not void of fpirit or energy. The author feems to be one of the old oppofition; for he goes back to the conmencement of Mr. Pitt's adminiftration, and reproaches hin vehemently for meafures, of which Mr. Fox's prefent friends were the chief fupporters. He alfo renews the abfurd and exploded fophiftry of thofe who pretended that the enormities of the French Revolution, and its progrefs from anarchy and mifrule to military defpotifm, were owing to the oppofition it experienced from England. Not the blindeft dupe of French artifice in France now believes this, which never had, in truth, a fhadow of probability. When this author again boasts of the predictions of Lord Lanfdown and Mr. Fox, let him call to mind thofe of Mr. Burke; who, on very dif ferent but far more juft grounds, foretold, that the ferocious anarchy then prevailing in France would, in time, produce the defpotifin of fome fuccessful general. But we will not argue with a writer who, profefling patriotifm, yet reproaches Mr. Pitt for not having employed minifterial influence to carry the abolition of the flave trade; a queftion above all others that called for the unbiassed opinion of every British fenator; a queftion which the minifter argued not only with a fervency of zeal, but with a cogency of argument, which must have convinced every unprejudiced hearer of his fincerity. A fimilar charge of infincerity on the fubject of parliamentary reform (as it is called) is brought against the minifter. We are among those who heartily rejoice that he has laid afide that vifionary and dangerous fpeculation. Though the fubject of this epiftle, and the notes fubjoined to it, have led us to confider it as a political pamphlet rather than a poem, we readily admit the lines to be vigorous, though by no means unexceptionable; and we fhould be glad to fee the author's talents employed to better purposes than that of enforcing dangerous and exploded paradoxes, and attacking (as he has done in feveral inftances) refpectable individuals with coarfe, illiberal, and unmerited farcafins. DRAMATIC. ART. 20. Sacred Dramas: Intended chiefly for Young Perfons. To which is added, an Elegy, in Four Parts. By John Collett, Mafter of the Academy, Evesham, Worcestershire. 8vo. 224, PP. 6s. Longman. 1805. The perufal of Mrs. More's admirable volume of Sacred Dramas infpired, as he tells us, this author with an earneft de fire of producing one of the fame kind, and gave rife to the work before us. He certainly does not follow her paffibus æquis; but when the intention is fo good, we can pardon many defects in the execution. The three ftories here dramatized are thofe of Ehud (from the 3d chapter of Judges); Naboth (21ft Kings); and the well known ftory of Queen Efther. Of these three dramas, the laft is comparatively the beft, and indeed the ftory is moft ca. pable of dramatic ornament and effect. The fpeech in which Efther avows herself a Jew, and requests a reverfal of the cruel decree against her nation, has fpirit and eloquence. In general, however, the author is not very forcible in his language, or happy in his verfification. He feems indeed, by many of his lines, not to have a correct idea of the ftructure or rhythm of blank verfe. The four parts of the Elegy are refpectively dedicated to the memory of a beloved brother and three fifters, whom the author was fo unfortunate as to lofe at early periods of their lives, and whom he laments tenderly, piously, and not unpoetically, as the following stanzas, addreffed to one of his fifters, will evince: "Ofay, who taught thee to defpife the joys Who taught thee to reject life's glitt'ring toys? 'Twas He, who feated on the temple's height, Hail then! Triumphant o'er the joys of earth! That gives thee to thy Saviour, and thy King." P. 223. ART. 21. The Will for the Deed. A Comedy, in Three Acts: as performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent-Garden. Written by Thomas Dibdin, Author of Guilty, or Not Guilty-The CabinetEnglish Fleet-Family Quarrels-Thirty Thousand-Few and Doctor-School for Prejudice-Il Bondocani-Birth day-St. David's Day-Mouth of the Nile-Five Thousand a Year-Va lentine and Orfon-Naval Pillar-Horfe and the Widow, &e. c. c. 8vo. 64 PP. 2s. Longman and Co. 1805. The merits of our modern dramatic performances are generally in an inverse ratio to their length; and an afterpiece of three acts has this advantage over a comedy of five, that were it poffible to croud as many abfurdities into a narrower space, we are better prepared for, and confequently far lefs difgufted with them. The piece before us has indeed, at least in the first act, more humour and far lefs extravagance than the farces (nick-named. comedies) comedies) to which we allude. We have not feen it represented, but think we should have joined heartily in the langh, which two or three circumftances in the first act are calculated to produce. In the second and third acts the incidents are rather confufed, the abfurdities too glaring, and the ftage tricks too pantomimical. Yet we confider it (as an afterpiece) not difcreditable to the author, nor undeferving of the fuccefs which, we believe, it met with on the ftage. We must for our convenience) in future abridge the titlepages of this indefatigable writer, and instead of enumerating his fuccessful dramas (not one of which, that we had read, give any title to permanent literary fame) treat him with a proportionable number of et cæteras. Almost any one of our modern dramas, of the comic or farcical kind, is a proper reprefentative of all the reft. Α ART. 22. Family Quarrels. A Comic Opera, in Three Alts: as performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent-Garden, Written by Thomas Dibdin, Author of Guilty, or Not Guilty, &c. &c. &c. &c. 8vo. 74 PP. 2s. 6d. Longman and Co. 1804. From an Opera, which depends, for its fuccefs, chiefly on the mafic, we have not been accustomed to expect fo much regularity of plot, confiftency of character, or vivacity of dialogue, as in a profeffed comedy. But the comedies of our modern writers, like the arms of Cæfar, "have levell'd all distinction." comic opera of the prefent day is (with the addition of fongs) juft as good a drama as the generality of thofe farcical exhibi tions, in five acts, which, under the name of comedies, difgrace our stage; which are applauded during one winter, and forgotten the next. The performance now before us is entertaining on the ftage, and by no means difgufting in the clofet. The quarrels of two neighbouring families (arifing from an extreme pride of anceftry in the one, and the felf-importance of newly-acquired wealth in the other) occafion the feparation of two lovers, and many diftreffes and difficulties to them. They are at last united, and their parents reconciled. The outline of this plot is filled up by feveral laughable, though rather farcical, characters and incidents, and by dialogues, well calculated to introduce the fongs, and fometimes fprightly enough to render fongs unneceffary. MILITARY. ART. 23. Confiderations upon the best Means of ensuring the internal Defence of Great Britain. By Captain Barber, commanding the Duke of Cumberland's Corps of Sharp Shooters, 8vo. 63 pp. 1s. 6d. 1805. Though all apprehenfions of an immediate attempt at invafion have fubfided, yet every fuggeftion that may promote our per manent " manent fecurity ftill deferves the most attentive confideration, The author of the traft before us is, we believe, one of the most active and intelligent of the volunteer officers, and appears lauda bly zealous to give to that branch of military fervice which he has adopted, a more powerful and extenfive effect. After ftating. (perhaps rather too ftrongly) the difficulties and inconveniencies that oppofe the formation of a regular force fufficient for the com pleat fecurity of the country, and producing (both from ancient and modern hiftory) several striking inftances of the utility of light irregular troops, when compofed of fkilful markfmen, and judiciously applied in defenfive warfare, the author proceeds to ftate a plan for our home defence, which provides generally for the regular training to arms, in their respective parishes, of all perfons not exempted by age, or bodily infirmity, or dif qualified by poverty or notorious immorality; and more particularly for establishing, throughout the kingdom, a numerous body of Riflemen, compofed of perfons liable to the duty for killing game, and formed into companies in their refpective parishes, hundreds, or other divifions. This plan is brought forward merely as an outline, and (we are inclined to think) might, with fome changes and improvements, be made the foun, dation of a very efficient and falutary defenfive fyftem, ART. 24. Remarks on the Duties of the Clerical Profeffion, swith refpect to the Cultivation of Learning: in a Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of St. Alban's, at the Vifitation bolden June 10, A. D. 1805. By Jofeph Holden Pott, A. M. Prebendary of Lincoln, and Archdeacon of St. Alban's. Published at the Request of the Clergy prefent. 4to. 32 pp. 28. vingtons. 1805, Ri. Archdeacon Pott, who now for many years has honourably filled that fituation in the diocefe of Lincoln, has ever fhown a laudable anxiety to benefit the Church, by the remarks periodically offered to the Clergy under his jurifdiction. We have often noticed his Charges, and have always found them replete with. found and ufeful matter. On the prefent occafion he confines himfelf principally to the neceffity incumbent on the Clergy to cultivate learning, and particularly, for the fake of exercifing it, when occafion fhall unhappily demand the exertion, in contro. verfial writings. He himself adverts to the opinions of Professor Michaelis, who would exclude from the gift of infpiration, that is, virtually from the canon of Scripture, all works not written by Apoftles. This paffage is well worthy to be copied : "Again, it will be well confidered, I truft, ere we shall be perfuaded to caft out from the Canon of the facred Scriptures every work not written by the pen of, an Apoftle, though com pofed |