of the zephyrs. phyri.'

Crepitante fufurro tepidi fuavè fibilant Ze

The following verfes are exquifitely beautiful.

Now from this orb to realms of brighter day,
The car-drawn goddess fpeeds her airy way;
As in gay pomp the harnefs'd cygnets fly,
Their fnow-white pinions glitter through the sky.

Mr. Fenton has entirely deftroyed this beautiful image. which the original-natans niveis per nubila cygnis-placed in his immediate view.

• Sudden, her fwans career along the fkies, And o'er the globe the fair celestial flies.'

The fupreme excellency of poetry confifts in that fine, romantic scenery, which the poet fucceffively presents to the reader's imagination.

KISS II

• As round fome neighb'ring elm, the vine
Its circling branches loves to twine;
As round the oak, in many a maze,
The devious-creeping ivy firays:
Thus let me to your fnowy breast,
My dear Neæra! thus, be preft;
While I as fondly in my arms,
Neæra! clafp thy yielding charms:
And, with one long, long kifs improve
Our mutual extafies of love.

Should Ceres pour her plenteous hoard,
Should Bacchus crown the festive board,
Should balmy fleep luxurious fpread
His downy pinions o'er my head;
Yet not for thefe my joys I'd break,
For thefe! thy vermil lips forfake.
At length when ruthlefs age denies
A longer blifs, and feals our eyes;
One bark fhall waft our fpirits o'er
United to the Stygian shore :

• Vicina quantùm vitis lascivit in ulmo,
Et tortiles per ilicem

Brachia proceram ftringunt immenfa corymbi ;
Tantùm, Neæra, fi queas

In mea nexilibus proferpere colla lacertis ;

Tali, Neæra, fi

queam

Candida perpetuùm nexu tua colla ligare,

Jungens perenne Bafium.

Tunc me nec Cereris, nec amici cura Lyæi,

Soporis aut amabilis,

Vita, tuo de purpureo divelleret ore :

Sed mutuis in ofculis

Defectos, ratis una duos portaret Amanteis

Ad pallidam Ditis domum.

Then

Then paffing through a tranfient night,
We'll enter foon thofe fields of light;
Where, breathing richest odours round,
A fpring eternal paints the ground:
Where heroes once in valour prov❜d,
And beauteous heroines once belov'd,
Again with mutual paffion burn,
Feel all their wonted flames return;
And now in fportive meafures tread
The flow'ry carpet of the mead;
Now fing the jocund, tuneful tale
Alternate in the myrtle vale:

Where ceafelefs Zephyrs fan the glade,
Soft-murm'ring thro' the laurel fhade;
Beneath whose waving foliage grow,
The vi'let fweet of purple glow,
The daffodil that breathes perfume,
And rofes of immortal bloom:
Where Earth her gifts fpontaneous yields,
Nor plough-fhare cuts th' unfurrow'd fields.
Soon as we enter thefe abodes
Of happy fouls, of demi-gods:
The bleft fhall all refpectful rife,
And view us with admiring eyes;
Shall feat us 'mid th' immortal throng;
Where I, renown'd for tender fong,
A poet and a lover's praife

At once fhall gain, and claim the bays;
While thou, enthron'd above the reft,
Wilt fhine in Beauty's train confefs'd:
Nor fhall the miftreffes of Jove
Such partial honours difapprove,
E'en Helen, tho' of race divine,
Will to thy charms her rank refign.'

Mox per odoratos campos, & perpetuum ver
Produceremur in loca,

Semper ubi, antiquis in amoribus, Heroinæ, Heroas inter nobileis,

Aut ducunt choreas, alternave carmina lætæ, In valle cantant myrteâ.

Quà violifque, rofifque, & flavi-comis narciffis,
Umbraculis trementibus

Illudit lauri nemus ; & crepitante fufurro
Tepidi fuavè fibilant

Æternùm Zephyri: nec vomere faucia Tellus

Fœcunda folvit ubera.

Turba Beatorum nobis affurgeret omnis,

Inque herbidis fedilibus,

Inter Mæonidas primâ nos fede locarent:

Nec ulla Amatricum Jovis

Prærepto cedens indignaretur honore ;
Nec nata Tyndaris Jove.'

This beautiful defcription of the Elyfian fields feems to be an imitation of Tibullus, lib. i. 3. This is fo fine a fubject, that an admirer of claffical elegance cannot fail of receiving a fingular pleasure from reading and comparing these two paffages of Tibullus and Secundus with others of the fame kind, in the Greek and Roman writers, viz. Homer. Odyf. iv. 564. Pindar, Olym. Od. ii. Virgil. Æn. vi. 638. Plutarch, Confol. ad Apoll. &c.

:

KISS III.

"One little Kifs, fweet Maid!" (I cry,)—
And round my neck your arms you twine,
Your lufcious lips of crimfon dye
With rapt'rous hafte encounter mine:
Then from my fond embrace you spring,
And fnatch your balmy mouth away;
So from the ferpent's vengeful king
The ruftic ftarts in wild difmay:

Is this to grant the wifh'd-for kifs ?-
Ah! no my love-'tis but to fire
The bofom with a tranfient blifs,
Enflaming unallay'd defire.'

"Da mihi Suaviolum (dicebam) blanda puella !"
Libâfti labris mox mea labra tuis.

Inde, velut preffo qui territus angue refultat,

Ora repentè meo vellis ab ore procul.

Non hoc Suaviolum dare, Lux mea, fed dare tantùm
Eft defiderium flebile Suavioli.'

The claffical reader will eafily difcern a beauty in this expreffion-PRESSO territus angue refultat-which is loft in the tranflation. The moft fignificant circumftance in the comparifon is the preffure of the ferpent alluding to the preffure of the lover's lips.

The feventh line fuggefts an abfurd idea. Serpents have no fling. This expreffion, which we frequently meet with, both in profe and poetical writers, is founded on a vulgar error.

The laft line in the original-Dare defiderium flebile Suavioliis inimitably concife and expreffive.

We will, however, venture to affirm, that the author of this new tranflation has far exceeded his predeceffors., He generally expreffes himself with grace and fpirit, and poffeffes a very confiderable fhare of the fire and fancy of Secundus.

VI. An exact and circumftantial Hiftory of the Battle of Floddon. In Verfe. With Notes by Robert Lambe. 8vo. 51. ferved. Dilly.

THE

HE metrical narrative was not an unusual compofition among the British annalists of former times, who decorated with verse the truths of hiftory, as well as the fictions

of

of romance. From the eleventh to the fixteenth century, we meet with feveral productions of this kind, the fubject of which is commonly either a particular battle, or a feries of military exploits performed by fome illuftrious hero. The battle which is celebrated in the hiftory under confideration, was one of the most important ever fought between the English and Scottish crowns. It happened during the co-temporary reigns of Henry VIII. and James IV. the latter of whom, inftigated by the court of France, invaded England, while his brother-inlaw, the monarch of that country, was engaged in a war on the continent. The earl of Surrey, commander of the English, met the invaders at Floddon, a field lying a few miles within the borders of the kingdom, where the king of Scotland, who was accompanied with the flower of his nobility, and almost all his army, was killed in the engagement, and, after an ob ftinate conteft, his forces were discomfited.

Mr. Lambe, the editor, fuppofes this Hiftory to have been written by a Yorkshire fchoolmaster; a conjecture which is not improbable. But whoever the author was, he seems to have had fome knowledge of the ancient poets, and to have poffeffed a portion of the epic fpirit, though the nature of the compofition did not admit of giving fcope to his fancy. Yet even while under this restriction, his exordium is not unpoetical.

* 5. For what is he, with haughty ftyle, Such deeds of honour could contrive No, not the learned Virgil great,

If that on earth he was alive,
6. That could reveal in volume short

Great Howard's deeds, who did excell
Though lovely print made no report,
Fame would not fail the fame to tell.
7. Or thou, O Stanley, wonderous man!
Thou fon of Mars, who can proclaim
Thy matchlefs deeds? Tell me, who can
Paint thy jutt praife, on wings of fame ?
8. Thy doleful day-work ftill fhall be

In Scotland curfed with an outcry :
For Hector's match this man was he
Who climbed the mount of Floddon high.
9. What banners bravely blazed and born
What ftandards ftout brought he to ground,
What worthy lords by him forlorn,

That forrow in Scotland yet doth found!
10. Ye heavenly powers, your aid I crave;
My flender mufe help to awake;

VOL. XXXIX. Feb. 1775.

Grant, this work, which in hand I have,
A fine and lucky end may make.'

The warlike preparations of the Scots for the expedition are defcribed in a natural and lively manner.

71. Then every lord, and knight each where,

72.

And barons bold in mufters met ;

Each man made hatte to mend his gear,
And fome their rufty pikes did whet.
Some made a mell of maffy lead,

Which iron all about did bind;
Some made ftrong helmets for the head,
And fome their grifly gifarings grind.
73. Some made their battle-axes bright;

Some from their bills did rub the ruft;
Some made long pikes and lances light;
Some pikeforks for to join and thrust.
74. Some did a fpear for weapon wield;
Some did their lufty geldings try;
Some all with gold did gild their shield;
Some did with divers colours dye.

75. The ploughmen hard their teams could take,
And to hard harnefs them convert,

Their fhares defenfive armour make,
To fave the head, and fhield the heart.

76. Dame Ceres did unferved remain,

The fertile fields did lie untilled;
Outrageous Mars fo fore did reign,

That Scotland was with fury filled.'

The author appears not to have been deftitute either of genius or judgment. When he is relating the ravages of the Scots, he makes the following fudden tranfition, in the animated form of an apoftrophe, and immediately returns to his fubject.

83. But happy Harwood-church on the hill,

Thou always 'fcaped their barbarous rage;

As thou wert once, fo art thou ftill,

The wonder of the prefent age.

83. There judge Gafcoigne, once wifely grave, With his fair dame entombed doth lie; And there lies Rudimond fo brave,

In armour, by his family.

84. With other noble perfons too,

For valour famed, and piety;
Their monuments you now may view,

Moft fweet and lovely to the eye.

85. But to return, for I have digreft.'

Our British bards feem to have copied the epic poets of antiquity in defcribing the levy of an army. This expedient not

only