munication of fcience may operate against thefe objects as eafily as for them, and the only way to fecure its right operation is one which, though obvious enough in itself, was ftrangely overlooked by Mr. W. and his friends, the communication of a religious education. It is true, that, in most inftitutions for the purpose of education, religion has been made a fundamental part of the fyftem, but this by no means proves a neceffary connection between the objects, it only fhows the pious care of the founders; and fhall the state, Mr. Bowles afks, "neglect the precautions which every private benefactor thinks it neceffary to take?"

66

The tendency of the author's next arguments is to prove that, if religion was to be united with education, the eftablished religion of the ftate had the clearest and most undoubted right to preference: and he reprobates, with the greatest force, that falfe but fashionable liberality, (as it is called), which fcruples to avow a preference. If," fays he, the ftate do not inculcate its own religion, it cannot inculcate any. For it would be prepofterous to expect it to give a preference to any other." P. 20. Nothing can be more fatisfactorily ftated and explained than this pofition is by Mr. B. He then combats more at large the notion of Mr. W. that the mere communication of knowledge will give improvement in morality and virtue: explaining, with diftin&tnefs, the important pofition that mere inftruction is not education. To that useful education which the children of the poor fhould have, to ground them in the principles of the established religion, he admits reading to be neceffary; but by no means allows the fame with respect to writing and arithmetic, (P. 26.) the other cardinal virtues of the gentleman whom he addreffes. An objection which may be alledged against this more limited inftruction, Mr. Bowles thus anfwers.

"It may, perhaps, be faid, that the art of reading being foon and eafily communicated, efpecially with the aid of those facilities which attend the plan invented by Dr. Bell, it will not Occupy a fufficient portion of the time which may be beneficially allotted to the education of the lower orders. It ought, however, to be remembered, that it is not here propofed merely to teach the art of reading, but to make that art fubfervient to religious and moral inftruction, and to religious and moral practice; in short, to an education in our excellent Church; and then, being accompanied with the perufal of the Holy Scriptures, the Book - of Common Prayer, and thofe valuable religious tracts which are adapted to the capacity of children, and with which that Church M m BRIT, CRIT, VOL, XXXI, MAɣ, 1808.

fo much abounds, together with a frequent exercise of the memory in repeating the Catechifm, it will be found to occupy a much larger portion of time than may at first be fuppofed. But care fhould be taken to prevent too much time from being spent in fuch useful occupations, left children be kept too long from acquiring habits of induftry in thofe active purfuits, by which they are to provide for their fubfiftence; nay, left they become difinclined to that manual labour, which is to be the chief employment of their lives. The main defign of the literary inftruction they receive, is to make them good Chriftians, and, confequently, good members of fociety, in order to become which it is neceffary that they learn to read; but they should not fpend more time in reading than is fufficient for the above purpofe. It is defirable, therefore, on every account, that as foon as they have ftrength and ability for manual industry, means fhould be found to furnish them with employment of that kind. And it is prefumed that the two objects may for a time be purfued together, and that, until the arrival of the age, at which youth ought to fpend the whole of every working day in the refpective occupations of their lives, they may, while at fchool, employ a part of every fuch day in preparation for thofe occupations, or, otherwife, in forming habits of diligence, which may easily be tranf ferred even to a mode of labour different from that in which they were originally acquired. It is difficult to lay down any general rule upon this fubject, as the fame means of employment are not equally acceffible in all fituations. But in all fituations it is practicable to find means of adding fome kind of bodily labour to the inftruction peculiar to the fchool; and by fo doing, children, while they are fitted for the moral character which they are to fuftain in fociety, will alfo acquire a relish for the active business, by which they are afterwards to procure the means of comfortable fubfiftence. I understand that Dr. Bell moft earnestly wishes, and, as far as opportunity favours the attempt, endeavours, to introduce this mixed fy item of literary-that is, of Chriftianinftruction and manual occupation, into the fchools which are immediately under his direction." P. 34.

The author then combats the oppofite idea of those who would withhold all instruction from the lower claffes, except that which may be necefiary to qualify them for their bodi labours. To teach their duties, as well as their bufinefs, he rightly contends to be the object of inftruction, and indeed the most important object. In adverting to the example of Scotland, which Mr. W. himself had pleaded, Mr. B. reminds him of the circumftance that the education there

"See the Catalogue of Books difperfed by the Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge.

given is indifpenfably connected with the principles of the Kirk; and concludes irrefiftibly that the fame preference is here due to our own church. It is fhown alfo to have been a part, and furely a wife part of our old English law, that the keeping of fchools fhould be fubject to ecclefiaftical jurifdiction. (P. 45.) Every fchoolmafter was obliged to undergo examination, and to obtain a licence from the bifhop of the diocele, fill fubject to his revifion, at the times of his vifitation. Nor is this law yet obfolete, having been recognized by Lord Kenyon, in a cafe wherein the late Archbishop of York was concerned, fo lately as in 1795. Mr. B. ftrongly and wifely argues for the maintehance of this law, fo effential to the great purposes of edu

cation.

Some fupplementary obfervations annexed to this tract are employed to defend, against certain periodical opponents, a pofition, advanced by Mr. B. in his former letter to Mr. Whitbread, thạt to exclude all the controverted doctrines of Chriflianity from a fyftem of education is, in fact, to exclude Chriflianity itfelf: a pofition which is no more than a plain and obvious conclufion from this undoubted fact, that all or nearly all the most effential doctrines of Chriftianity have been controverted. He proves clearly that fome of his antagonists stand felf-convicted of Socinianifm, which they pretend, as others have pretended, to be the doctrine moft likely to extinguifh religious animofity; but which experience fhows to have no fuch tendency. Who ever difplayed a more rancorous animofity, than the great Socinian teacher, Priestley? Who than Wakefield? &c. Against the Monthly Reviewers Mr. B. fhows with diftin&tnels and force, that effential doctrines are not to be withheld from youth, on the score of their being myfterious; being taught, "not because they can be demonftrated, but becaufe they are promulgated by him who cannot err."

In the clofe of thefe obfervations, Mr. B. adverts to what had been faid against him on the subject of the prefent claims of the Irish Romanifts; and explains the obligation of the coronation oath, in the fenfe in which it has always been understood by the great majority of the country; as a promife to maintain the Proteftant eftablifhment, ag.inft every thing that could have a tendency to endanger it: and he fhows very clearly, not only by the example of all the former conceffions, but by the very nature of the cafe, that the conceffions which are now required as ultimate, and as the price of that loyalty and patriotifm which the applicants certainly owe without them, would not in fact be ultimate, M m 2

but

but would lead to ftill higher demands, with much greater power to enforce them, and confequently much lefs ability in the government to refift. Convinced as we have ever been of these points, we have uniformly regarded the plan of emancipation, as it is moft falfely and infidiously called, as the infallible means of fpreading alarm and diftruft throughout the whole body of Proteftants, without attaining a fingle object for which it was intended, with refpect to the Ro

manifts.

ART. IV. Exodus; an Epic Poem: in thirteen Bosks. By Charles Hoyle, M. A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, and domeftic Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough. 8vo. 400 pp. 9s. Hatchard. Hatchard, 1807.

WHILE poetry continues to be an improving art, and the mechanical part of it remains difficult, attention is naturally paid, and encouragement willingly given to all fuccefsful efforts of the Mufe. But when fuch specimens have been produced, in every department of poetry, that, if they may be equalled, they cannot poffibly be furpaffed; and when the form and harmony of poetic language are fo completely fettled, that every perfon of common fenfe and common ear, can eafily acquire the power of writing fluently, and even with elegance: it is no wonder if the attention of the public become relaxed, and encouragement to poetical efforts much more reluctantly bestowed. These obfervations may folve, in part at leaff, the phenomenon obfervable at prefent to all; that the name of a new epic poem" is now heard, not only by critics, who must read them, but by readers and even lovers of poetry with a kind of spontaneous diftafte. No great credit is given to the author who conftructs an epic fable, of which fo many examples are before him; nor is it at this day thought wonderful, that any perfon fhould pour out the quantity of verfes, ufually allotted to fuch a compofition, even with eafe and rapidity. The only wonder ufually fuggefted is, how readers are to be found to go through fuch long poems; which the more easy they become to write, are found much the more difficult to read.

We more than fufpect, however, that this is not the whole of the matter; and that the very attempt to produce a number of epic poems in one language is injudicious.

Poetry,

Poetry, to be fuccefsful, must be attractive; it is not fufficient for it to be good, or even to be very good; if its form and nature be not fuch as to draw the reader to it, and conduct him onward in it. What then is to attract usto the epic tale? Fine writing, bold thoughts, vivid illuftrations, a noble fubje&t, well drawn characters, interefting fituations. But thefe and much more have been prefented to us in the few eftablifhed epics, with which, therefore, to its infinite difadvantage, we immediately begin to compare a new epic, as foon as produced. It is in vain to exclaim that this is not candid, it is unavoidable. To the established epics, which we have read, we recur for delight, when we are difpofed for that fpecies of gratification; and as life cannot be paffed in reading or repeating of epic poems, we confider the new candidate in that line, as at beft offering fomething fuperfluous; unlefs he has ability to fuperfede fome of our former favourites.-Exclufive of this high pretenfion, what has he to attract his readers? Curiofity refpecting his fubject? -It is precluded, when that fubject is founded in history. Intereft excited by the conduct of the incidents ?-This is of extreme difficulty, when the relult is previously known; and if the incidents are altogether fictitious, how thall they have the probability necellary to create intereft? Perhaps alfo fomething of novelty in its defign or form is neceflary to make a long poem, attractive. An epic poem is a very old invention *. Whoever has read one or two knows what he has to expect in it. An invocation, long fpeeches, battles, forms, a narrative, more or le's interelling, as may happen, continued through ten, twelve, or more long books, The juft fame attached to the two Greek epics, and one Latin, has made every nation, that has fince flourilhed, defirous to have its epic; but when once that point has been obtained, for the glory of their language, the people feemed more difpofed to enjoy thofe well earned laurels, than to seek for further triumphs of the fame kind. The French have not yet had their complete epic, and therefore may ftill be in queft of it; but we may enjoy the indolence of full fuccefs. The truth is, we believe, that fo extenfive a poem is not in its own nature pleafing; and that, to make it fo, requires not only abilities of the very fit rate, but fomething extremely attractive in the fubject, and a favourable acceptance of the defign, on account of its novelty. We adinire a speech of three hours long, when the subject is

So, it may be faid, is a tragedy: but a tragedy is supported by the intereft created by the incidents. Mm 3

important,