Mr. Northmore. The moralift is laying down rules refpecting reproof: Old Verfion. "In the next place, let us free our difcourfe from all contumelious language, all laughter, mockery and fcurrility, which Spoil the relish of our reprehenfions. For, as a Chirurgion makes an incifion in the flesh, he uses decent neatness and dexterity in the operation, without the affected and fuperfluous gefticulations of a quack, or mountebanck: fo the lancing the fores of a friend may admit indeed of a little humour and urbanity, but that fo qualified, that it fpoil not the seriousness and gravity requifite to the work. For boldness, infolence and ill language destroy its force and efficacy. And therefore the fidler reparteed handfomly enough upon Philip, when he undertook to difpute with him about the touch upon his inftrument: God forbid that your Majefty fhould be fo unhappy as to understand a fiddle better than I do. But Epicharmus was too blunt upon Hierom, who inviting him to fupper a little after he had put fome of his acquaintance to death, replied, Ay, but you could not invite me the other day to the facrifice of my friends. And fo was Antiphon too rude in his reflection upon Dionyfius, who on occafion of a difcourfe about the best fort of brafs, told him that was the best in his opinion of which the Athenians made ftatues of Hermodius and Ariftogeiton. For thefe fcurrilous abufive jefts are most certainly difagreeable, and pain, to no purpose, being but the product of an intemperate wit, and which only betray the enmity and ill-nature of him who takes the liberty to use them, which whosoever allows himself in, does but wantonly sport about the brink New Verfion. In the fecond place, let us purify our reprehenfions of f every unpalatable feasoning, and banish from them all expreffions of reproach, fcorn, ridicule, and fourrility. For as a furgeon ought to be very attentive to preferve neatnefs in his operations, and as every kind of unfteady, wavering, fuperfluous motion should be far removed from his hand; fo freedom of reproof, provided its refpectability be preferved, admits of a proper degree of humour and urbanity; but on the approach of the leaft impudent, fcurrilous, or opprobrious language, all its purpofes are defeated. And therefore the musician very fhrewdly and pertinently filenced Philip, who was beginning to difpute with him about notes and founds, by telling him; "God forbid, O King! that you should ever be fo unfortunate as to know thefe things better than I do." Epicharmus, the Pythagorean philofopher, acted very imprudently, when, upon being invited by Hiero to a dinner a few days after he had put to death feveral of his companions, he replied; "But you did not invite your friends to your late facrifice." Nor was the refponse of Antipho at all better judged, when, the difcourfe turning upon the best fort of brafs, and Dionyfius inquiring which it was, he told him; " That, with which the Athenians made the ftatues of Harmodius and Ariftogiton." For neither is this bitterness and feverity of any fervice, nor are thefe fcurrilous jefts at all agreeable; but fuch language bears rather the appearance of intemperance and animofity blended with contumelv and malice, and of Rr 3 But they of that pit, which one day will fwallow him up and ruin him. For Antiphon was afterward executed under Dionyhus: and Timagines was in difgrace with Auguftus Cafar, not for any extravant freedom in his difcourfe, but only because he had took up a foolish cuftom of repeating these verses at every entertainment and walk where the Emperour defired his company: For nothing else but meerly to make fport, Amongst the merry Greeks they did refortalledging the pleasantnefs of his humour, as the cause of his favour at court. "Thus you fhall meet with feveral smart and fatyrical reflections in a comedy, but the mixture of jeft and fool in the play, like ill fauce to good meat, abates their poinancy, and renders them infignificant. So that upon the whole, the poet acquires only the character of a fawcy and foul mouth'd buffoon, and the auditors lofe that advantage, which they might otherwife reap from remarks of that nature. "We may do well therefore to reserve our jollity and mirth for more fuitable occafions; but we muft by all means be ferious and candid in our admonitions; which, if we be upon important points, must be fo animated with our geftures, paffion and eagernefs of voice, as to give them weight and credit, and to awaken a tender concern in the perfons to whom they are addreft." they who indulge in it often bring on their own ruin, plainly dancing, according to the proverb, on the brink of a well. Thus Antipho was put to death by Dionyfius. And Timagenes loft the friendfhip of Auguftus Cæfar, not for the freedom of his reproofs, but because he would fcatter his abuse and flander in the public walks and convivial meetings for no ferious purpose, But to excite the laughter of the Greeks; alledging the cause of friendship as a pretext for calumny. Thus too our comick writers often introduce upon the stage many grave and falutary remarks, but the ridicule and buffoonery which are mixed with them, like bad feafoning with a good dish, vitiate the whole and render the admonition ufelefs and infignificant; fo that the speakers acquire only the reputation of being fcurrilous and abufive, and the audience derive no advantage from what is faid. At other times indeed we fhould relax in our feverity, and indulge with our friends in the cheerful jest and laugh, but in our admonition and cenfures we should carefully obferve a proper degree of gravity and decorum; and if the fubject be of more ferious importance, our paffions, geftures, and tone of voice fhould be fo regulated as to give weight and energy to our fentiments,' Numerous remarks are added, in the way of notes, at the end; chiefly for the purposes of illuftrating the moral doctrine of the effay, and of bringing it into comparifon with Cicero's treatise on Friendship, tranflated by Mr. Melmoth. In the courfe of the fe notes, many juft obfervations are made, and many elegant quotations are happily introduced. The author does not at prefent enter on verbal criticism, but referves his philological remarks till he publishes the original, of which he intimates an intention. ART. E. ART. XXIV. Walks in a Foreft: or, Poems defcriptive of Scenery and Incidents characteristic of a Forest, at different Seafons of the Year. Infcribed to the Rev. William Mafon, of Afton in Yorkfhire. 4to. pp. 52. 35. White. 1794. POETRY produces its effect, chiefly, by means of the impref fion which it makes on the imagination of the reader by calling up forms of nature, or phantoms of fiction, adapted to excite emotion. Unless it awaken fome kind of paffion or fentiment, refulting from the view of what is grand or beautiful in inanimate nature, or from an interefting fympathy with the manners or fituations of animated beings, it leaves the mind in a ftate of cool contemplation, attended with only a languid perception of pleasure. Hence the neceffity, in works of fancy, of attending to the nature of the objects prefented before the imagination, as well as to the difplay of ingenuity, skill, or patient attention in the artift. It is not enough that the copy be exact; it must be the copy of fomething which will intereft the fpectator. Had the author of this defcriptive poem paid a ftrict attention to these principles, he might perhaps have rendered his performance more pleafing. His defcriptions of natural objects are elaborately accurate, and difcover a fcientific knowlege of nature and a close attention to her various forms: - the changes which take place in woodland tracts, both in the vegetable and animal world, through the several seasons, and at different parts of the day, are marked with nice difcrimination: -the language is chofen with the utmost propriety, so as to convey to the mind an exact and full image of the objects which the poet means to describe:—as a copyift of nature, the writer has great merit, in correctly delineating those objects and scenes which he undertakes to describe: - but, after all, it may be regretted that he has relied fo entirely on his talents for defcription, and has not taken more pains to give animation and intereft to his performance by a more frequent introduction of fentiment, character, and incident. Of the merit of the poems our readers may form fome judgment, from the following specimen, taken from the poet's first walk in fpring: Even yet with ruddy spoils from Antumn won Loaded, the beech its leng:hen'd buds untwines. Its knotted bloom fecured, the ash puts forth The tardy leaf: the hawthorn wraps its boughs In fnowy mantle: from the vivid greens That fhine around, the holly, winter's pride, Recedes abafh'd. The willow, in yon vale, Its filver lining to the breeze upturns, And ruftling afpes fhiver by the brook; While the unfuilied ftream, from April fhowers Refined, each fparkling pebble fhews that decks Its bottom; and each fcaly habitant Quick glancing in the fhailows, or in queft Rr 4 Of plunder flowly failing in the deep. Now blushing with faint crimson; changeful Spurge t That warms the mother cowering o'er her young, Meanwhile the tuneful race their brooding mates Their pinions, in fhort flights their ftrength to prove, This author, notwithstanding the defects which we have • Wood anemone. Anemone nemorofa Linn. + Wood ↑ Wood forrel. Oxalis The Welsh confider this bird as the forerunner or fervant of the INDEX E. INDE X To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume, N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, fee the A Armstrong, Dr. account of, and of AIR, carbonic acid, fuccefsfully Arrowsmith, Mr. his geographical applied in the cure of ulcerated cancer, 308. Airs, factitious, directions for pro- Allies, their impolicy during the prefent war, 542. North, the prefent con- Anderfon, Dr. his obfervations on Anian, Streights of, inquiry into the origin of that name, 22. labours commended, 22. Atwood, Mr. G. on the theory of B Bank-notes, and bills of exchange, Beauvois, M. De, obfervations on |