Intent t' improve, and fed'lous to know, I there revolv'd the tomes of useful lore, 1 fancied then, and fancy loves to footh! That when to man's "full zenith" I'd attain'd, Life's tranfient hours would glide ferenely fmooth, And bounties crown my moments unrestrain'd. But fancy's fled-her colours are deftroy'd, Her fmiles feductive now no more appear; Ingulph'd in dark oblivion's " formless void," Like fetting funs they're gone-no more my fight to cheer. THE SHIPWRECK. OUR hours have fled fince like a fiery orb And eve breaks off abruptly into night; But dimly Seen, behold yon female form, around whose Three annual funs have roil'd, Since, for to reinstate th' injur'd fortune Of a much-lov'd parent, he to eaftern Realms did fail-What bodings fatal rush'd on Eleanor's mind! what fecret terrors Then ufurp'd her foul, with what eloquence But the tidings Of a grief-worn father waning to the From morning's Dawn till night with murky veil enwraps the Each coming fail, and in expectance fighs. Had the thrown her, when, fcar'd by the fleeting Up the fpiang-and foon to yon rock, which To fure deftruction on yon pointed Crags-Hark! that fhrick diftrefs'd! the ftrikes! fhe splits! And to the waves the wretched failor flings Behold, on the boiling billows borne, a Youth, who with nervous arm 'gainst death contend; At what a fatal hour to meet-See, from To where life's troublous ftorms are felt no more. Lynn, June 4, 1798. JOSEPHUS. Literary Literary Review. The Works of Horatio Walpole, Earl of Orford, 5 vols. Royal 4to. pp. 2808, with plates. 10l. 1ol. Large paper, 211. Robinfons. HIS voluminous and fplendid work will afford am ple gratification to the literary world. It prefents the man of genius with "the feaft of reafon and the flow of foul." Indeed, no one acquainted with the character of its illuftrious author can open thefe pages without feeling the most pleafing fenfations. With a confiderable degree of pleasure have we examined its contents, and we are eager to impart to our Readers a portion of that fatisfaction which we ourselves have experienced. But it may be firft neceffary to let our Readers into the character of the late Earl of Orford. Some few remarks may not be unacceptable. We mean not to enter into his memoirs, for that is at prefent foreign to our purpofe. We fhall only briefly state the general complexion of his character. Lord Orford was more generally known by the name of Horace Walpole. He was a nobleman of celebrity, for his fine genius and his difinterested generofity. His connexion with literary men was very confiderable for a long feries of years, and hence his anecdotes refpe&ting the Literati were numerous and entertaining. On this account his company was anxioufly courted, and his converfation talents enlivened every company into which he came. His productions alfo were full of anecdote, and very illuftrative of the fine arts. At Strawberry VOL. IV. Hill, R Hill, his favourite refidence, he kept a prefs, whence iffued feveral works written both by himself and by his friends. His known readiness to patronize genius made the unfortunate Chatterton apply to him; but, owing to fome untoward circumftances, the application was in vain. For a time this conduct of Earl Orford towards the unhappy youth was much cenfured. But upon a fair examination, it appears that the Eari was not to blame, and in thefe volumes his conduct is amply vindicated. It is but juftice to mention this topic, and we are happy to fpeak of it in a manner fo much in the Earl's favour. At the time, indeed, fome fufpicions were entertained refpecting the propriety or rather the manner by which Chatterton attempted to introduce himfelf to this nobleman's patronage. Every circumftance has been fince developed, and the failure of the attempt must be afcribed not to the want of generofity in the patron, but to the rafhnefs and impetuofity of the applicant. Earl Orford lived to an advanced age, happy in himfelf, and imparting happiness to all around him. It was at a late period of life he received his title, but in him it excited no vanity or oftentation. In one of his letters he pleasantly remarks to a friend, who had congratulated him on his honours, that he did not like to be nicknamed in his old age. This fhewed his fuperior genius, elated only by thofe acquirements which embellish and perfect the immortal mind. His fprightlinefs even to the laft was remarkable, for he wrote fix weeks previous to his death a curious epiftle to a female correfpondent, which illuftrates his character, and shall be here inferted: "MY DEAR MADAM, "You diftrefs me infinitely by fhowing my idle notes, which I cannot conceive can amufe any body. My old fashioned breeding impels me every now and then to reply to the letters you honor me with writing, but in truth very un-. willingly, for I feldom can have any thing particular to fay; I fcarce go out of my own house, and then only to two or three very private places, where I fee nobody that really knows any thing, and what I learn comes from newspapers that collect intelligence from coffee-houfes, confequently what I neither believe nor report. At home I fee only a few charitable elders, except about four fcore nephews and nieces of various ages, who are each brought to me once a year to ftare at me as the Methufalem of the family, and they can only speak of their own cotemporaries, which intereft me no more than if they talked of their dolls, or bats and balls. Must not the refult of all this, madam, make me a very entertaining corref pondent? And can fuch letters be worth fhewing? Or can I have any fpuit when fo old and reduced to dictate? Oh! my good madam, difpenfe with me from fuch a task, and think how it must add to it to apprehend fuch letters being shewn. Pray send me no more fuch laurels, which I defire no more than their leaves, when decked with a fcrap of tinfel and stuck on twelfth cakes that lie on the fhop boards of pastry-cooks at Christmas. I fhall be quite content with a fprig of rosemary thrown after me, when the parfon of the parish commits my dust to dust. Till then, pray madam, accept the refignation of "Your ancient fervant, " ORFORD." This great man died in February 1797, after a fhort illness, borne down, or rather fairly worn out, by the infirmities of age. He had, it feems, towards the clofe of life meditated an edition of his works, which he never lived to accomplish. He however committed them to the care of Robert Berry, Efq. who has now published them. The author's own advertisement is prefixed, and shall be here tranfcribed. "As I have been an author in various ways and in various forms, fome body or other might think of collecting my works. To prevent this, and at the fame time to avoid having pieces attributed to me which I never wrote, and to condemn, by fuppreffing as far as I can, fome which do not deferve publication, I have determined to leave this collection behind me. The approbation bestowed on fome part, authorizes me to think they are not unworthy of being preferved |