17 Sir Robert Aytoun.-W. Drummond of Hawthornden. tes from his Tragedies. Tragedy poems poffefs a very high degree of was then a very indefinite word, that exquifite Doric delicacy, which being as often applied to a ballad or we fo much admire in Comus &c. tale, as to a dramatic poem. Thofe thofe of Drummond do. Milton of Lord Stirling are in fact Elegiac may often be traced in him; and Dialogues, for the inftruction of the he had certainly read, and admired great. him. Drummond was the firft who introduced into English that fine Italian vein; and if we had had no Drummond, perhaps' we fhould never have feen the delica cies of Comus, Lycidas, Il Penserofo, L'Allegro. Milton has happened to have juftice done him by pofterity; Drummond, alas! has not been fo fortunate. The reader will excufe my giving one fonnet of Drummond as a specimen. In one or two copies of the London folio, 1637, a good portrait of the Earl of Stirling has been found; which, being very rare, has been lately re-engraved. Sir ROBERT AYTOUN, 1606. This gentleman was private fetretary to Queen Ann of Denmark, wife of James VI. He wrote fome Latin poems in the Delicia Poctarum Scotorum; and fome light genteel pieces in English, two of which are published from a MS. now in the editor's poffeffion in Sel. Scot. Bal. Vol. I. one or two more may be found in a collection of Scotish Poems by Watfon the printer, published about 1707. WILLIAM DRUMMOND of Haw Tell, Death hath triumph'd o'er my here us gave: conjure thee, and by the maids of Jove, To 'grave this fhort remembrance on my grave: thornden, 1610, -a poet of the most amiable and exquifite genius, was born in 1585, and died in 1649, aged 64. Like other great poets, he could not write profe; his Cypress grove, &c. I being pieces of poor tinfel; and his Hiftory of the Famefes, the moft deplorable performance that ever af pired to the name of history, full of falfe orations, falfe brilliancy, faife fenfe, and falfe facts. But his poems amply establish his fame. Philips, who compiled his Theatrum Focta rum, London 1675, under Milton's own eye, and may be fuppofed to exprefs that great writer's opinion upon many occafions, obferves, with regret, the ftrange neglect into which Drummond's poems had even then fallen. But this was no wonder, when Milton's fmaller poems met with the fame fate Now it may fafely be faid, that if any Ver. VL No 31. Here Damon lies, whofe fongs did fometime grace The murmuring Efk. May rofes fhade the place!' The Efk runs by his romantic houfe of Hawthornden. His miftrefs, a daughter of Cunningham of Barns, it appears from his poems, dwelled on the Ora; which I believe is the river fo called in Fife, running from Loch Crr to Leven river, on which, as Pont's Maps done in Drummond's time fhew, were Strath Ora and the Mills of Ora. There is another river Or in Galloway. The firft appearance I can find of Drummond's poetry was C in in his Sonnets and Poems. 1616, 4to *. Edin. thus: 1. Dunbar. 2. Drummond. 3. Douglas. 4. King James I. 5. Barbour. 6. Lindfay. 7. Henry. Perhaps the editor may in time give new editions of the whole of thefe poets; in which labour much remains to be done. Another edition, enlarged by about one-half, was published after his death, with this title, Poems by that most famous wit William Drummond of Hawthornden. London, 1656, 8vo. Both thefe editions are extremely rare. The laft, which is by far the moft valuable, is in the editor's poffeffion, and now lyes before him. It has a curious head of Drummond, by Gaywood, prefixt. All his works have also been collected in one vo- · lume folio, Edinburgh, printed by Watfon, 1711, with portraits. There is a mezzotinto of him lately done; but unlike Gaywood's, which is the first and beft. PATRICK GORDON, 1615. All I know of this author is, that he was a man of property, and wrote the famous Hifiory of the valiant Bruce, in heroic verfe, by Patrick Gordon, gentleman. Dort. 1615, 4to. reprinted at Edinburgh 1718, 12mo. It is a tolerable poem, but imperfect. It is, however, deftitute of invention, or much genius; tho' fome of the ftanzas be equal to Spenfer: and, being but dull upon the whole, will not bear reprinting. Being now arrived at a great paufe in our poetry, and at a period fo diftant, that the reputation of the poets preceding it may now be fafely estimated; it may be proper to point out fuch of our old poets as may be deemed claffic; and whofe works will be reprinted to the end of the English language. Thefe are Barbour, King James I. Henry the Minstrel, Dunbar, Gawin Douglas, Sir David Lindfay, Drummond; in number feven. If we estimate them by real poetical merit, it is believed they will ftand 4. Dunbar's poems to be first collected in one volume, omitting trafh. 5. 6. To reprint only the Palice of 7. To arrange Drummond's pieces into Sonnets, Odes, Poems, &c. they being now all mingled; and to give all his profe worth preferving at the end. The whole ought to be printed in a crown 8vo; or demy 12mo. of the fame fize and type as the Maitl. Collection; a fmaller fize being childifh and hurtful to the eyes, and ferving no purpose of use, convenience, or pleasure. The old Scottifh Minor Foets ought to form a separate * The Biographer of Drummond in the Edinburgh folio, 1711, fays, this was the Second edition, On Novel-writing, separate volume. I fhall only add, that as my views are wholly difinterested (terar dum profim,) I hope SIR, You 19 the public will fo encourage the defign, that the printer may have no occafion to delift. To the EDITOR, YOU have lately entertained your readers with feveral ingenious papers on romances and novels. Variety is perhaps the most attractive charm of a publication like yours; yet I cannot think the most diffipated reader will be offended at your infertion of the following quotation from a periodical paper called the Microcofm, now publifhing at London. The author, after tracing a fimilarity in many respects between writers of novel and romance, points out a striking difference in one article. "We are now come (fays he) to a very material point, in which Ro mance has but flender claims to comparative excellence; I mean the choice of names and titles. However lofty and sonorous the names of Amadis and Oriardo; however tender and delicate may be thofe of Zorayda and Roxana, are they to be compared with the attractive alliteration, the feducing foftness of Lydia Lovemore, and Sir Harry Harlowe; of Frederic Freelove, and Clariffa Clearflarch? Or can the fimple "Don Belianis, of Greece," or the "Seven Champions of Christendom," trick out fo enticing a title page, and awaken fuch pleafing expectations, as the "Innocent Adultery," the "Tears of Senfibility," or the " Amours of the Count de D***** and L -y not be amifs, to inform all Novelifts, male and female, who under thefe circumftances muft neceffarily wish, with Falstaff, to know" where a commodity of goed names may be bought," that at my Warehouse for Wit, I have laid in a great number of the above articles, of the most fashionable and approved patterns. Ladies may fuit themfelves with a vaft variety, adapted to every compofition of the kind; whether they may chufe them to confift of two Adjectives only, as the "Generous Inconftant," the "Fair Fugitive," -or the name of a place, as "Grogram Grove,"-" Gander Green;" or whether they prefer the still newer method of coupling perfons and things with an "or," as "Louifa; or, the Purling Stream,"-Eftifania; or, the Abbey in the Dale," "Eliza; or, the Little House on the Hill." Added to thefe, I have a complete affortment of names for every individual that can find a place in a Novel; from the Belviles and Beverleys of high life, to the Humphreyfes and Gubbinfes of low; fuited to all ages, ranks, and profeffions; to perfons of every stamp, and characters of every denomina tion." I have not defired you, Sir, to infert this paffage with any view of con,troverting the doctrine it lays down, or difcouraging the design it adver tifes. My fole intention is to communicate a remark, in which perhaps I fhall be anticipated by every reader of tafte, that the fame thoughts, in almoft the fame words, may be found in the 7th number of the Mirror. "It occurs to me, while I am writing this, that as there has beeń of late years fo confiderable a confumption of names and titles, as to have exhausted all the efforts of invention, and ranfacked all the alliterations of the alphabet; it may C 2 We Spectator, a Rambler, or a Lounger, addrefs us happily in the first per fon, we attend to their difcourfes with pleasure, and even form fome fanciful though obfcure idea of their perfons and characters; but many a hard and unpleafing effort of imagination is neceffary, before we can reconcile ourselves to a Mirror inftructing the world in found philofophy and correct tafte. I profefs the higheft efteem for the Mirror, but deeply lament the error of its Godfathers; being of opinion that a good name is better than precious gintment. I am, SIR, Yours, WALTER SHANDY, SIR, To the EDITOR *. I The Banian tree, or Indian fig, is perhaps the most beautiful of Nature's productions in that genial climate, where the fports with the greateft profufion and variety. Some of the trees are of amazing fize and vaft extent, as they are continually increating, and, contrary to most other things in animal and vegetable life, they feem to be exempted from decay. Every branch from the main body throws out its own roots; at firft, in fmall tender fibres,feveral yards from the ground; thefe continually grow thicker until they reach the furface; and there ftriking in, they increafe to large trunks, and become parent-trees, fhooting out new branches from the top: thefe in time fufpend their roots, which, fwelling into trunks, produce other branches; thus continuing in a ftate of progreffion as long as the earth, the first parent of them all, contributes her fuftenance. The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of the Banian tree; they look upon it as an emblem of the Deity, from its long duration, its out-ftretching arms, and over-fhadowing beneficence; they almoft pay it divine honours, and Find a fane in every facred grove." Near thefe trees the most esteemed pagodas are generally erected; under their fade the Brahmins fpend their lives in religious folitude; and the natives of all cafts and tribes are fond of recreating in the cool receffes, beautiful walks, and lovely vistas of this umbrageous canopy, impervious to the hotteft beams of a tropical fun. Cubbeer Burr, the tree now exhibited, and fo called in honour of a famous faint, was once much larger than at prefent; but high floods have carried away the banks of the island where it grows, and with them fuch Addreffed to the Publisher of the Gent. Mag. parts Cuftoms and Character of the Syrians. parts of the tree as had thus far extended their roots; yet what remains is about 2000 feet in circum ference, measured round the principal stems; the over hanging branches, not yet ftruck down, cover a much larger space. The chief trunks of this fingle tree (which in fize greatly exceed our English elms and oaks,) amount to 350; the fmalter stems forming into ftronger fupporters, are more than 3000, and every one of thefe is cafting out new branches, and hanging roots, in time to form trunks, and become the parents of a future progeny. This tree grows on an ifland in the river Nerbeldą, ten miles from the city of Baroche, in the province of Guzerat, a flourishing fettlement,. lately in poffeffion of the East India Company, but ceded by the Government of Bengal, at the treaty of peace concluded with the Marattahs in 1783, to Mhadajee Scindia, a Marattah chief. Cubbeer Burr is famed throughout Hindoftan for its great extent and furpaffing beauty: the Indian armies generally encamp around it; and, at ftated feafons, folemn jattarahs, or Hindoo feftivals, are held there, to which thousands of votaries repair from various parts of the Mogul empire. I have heard that 7000 perfons find ample room to repofe under its fhade, and I believe it. The English gentlemen, on their hunting and fhooting parties, ufed to 21 form extensive encampments, and fpend weeks together under this delightful pavilion, which is generally filled with green wood-pigeons, doves, peacocks, halbuls, and a va riety of feathered fongfters; crouded with families of monkies performing their antic tricks; and fhaded by bats of a large fize, many of them meafuring upwards of fix feet from the extremity of one wing to the other. This tree not only af fords fhelter, but fuftenance, to all its inhabitants, being covered amid its bright foliage with fmall figs of a rich fcarlet, on which they all regale, with as much delight as the lords of creation on their more coftly fare, in their parties. I fhall conclude this account with Milton's poetical defcription of this tree, in his 9th book of "Paradife Loft," equally juft and beautiful. So counfel'd he, and both together went Into the thickeft wood; there foon they chofe The fig tree: not that tree for fruit re- Bet fuch as at this day to Indians known The bended twigs take root, and daugh- tween ; [heat, There oft the Indian herdfman, fhunning Shelters in cool, and tends his pafturing herds At loop-holes cut thro' thickest shade. Obfervations on the Customs and Character of the Inhabitants of Syria*. F all the fubjects which any country can prefent to an Hiftorian the most important is certainly the moral conduct of the men who inhabit it, though it must be confeffed that this is also the most difficult. It is not a bare enumeration of facts that we defiderate; but an investigation of their caufes and relations, and a difcovery of thofe fprings, * Translated from Voyage en Syrie et en Egypte. Par M. C— F. Volney. |