So true within this beating heart I find, Colin alone. And is the gone, the dear, the lovely maid? I love, but oh! I'm wretched and defpair,, Art. 30. Fables; Ancient and Modern. After the Manner of La Fontaine. By William Wallbeck. 8vo. 35. 6d. fewed. Faulder. 1787. M Wallbeck has here attempted that, which with the greatest abilities it would be difficult to perform :-he has endeavoured to transfufe the naïveté and lightnefs of La Fontaine, into a language which will fcarcely admit of it. The Frenchman throws his hand across the lyre with Anacreontic eafe and gaiety, the Englishman ftrikes it with repeated paufes, and affected care. In the one, it is merely the effect of nature: in the other it is wholly the work of art-or, to ufe the language of the mufician, there is a want of grace, a want of tafte, in the performance of the latter, for which a laboured correctnefs will not atone. We are indeed prefented with the pieces entire, and fome of them are in tolerable time; but where, we would afk, is the expreffion, the execution that we were wont to admire? Alas! the hand of the mafter no longer touches the ftrings. In faying this, however, we mean not to detract from the merit of Mr. Wallbeck. Some of his fables may be read with pleasure. But as his vanity leads him to imagine that he has acquired fomething of La Fontaine's manner,' we can only affure him that we think he is mistaken: at the fame time obferving, as we hinted at the beginning of this article, that the fault is not fo much in Mr. W. as in the language in which he writes. The Reader is left to determine whether the following fable is after the manner of La Fontaine, or not: Out of its cage a Goldfinch by good luck Efcaped; and to a neighbouring thicket took "How can you, Goldy, with abroad to range? How will you brook the bustle, noife, and ftrife, "Which 1 "Which you will meet with? Enemies you'll find "A ftranger guest come to devour their meat. This Author, in his Preface, feems to affect a difplay of his reading. There are in it no fewer than twenty-four quotations, or fcraps, from Greek and Latin writers*. However apt the citations may be, we really do not fee the neceffity of employing them in the intreduction to a work which will probably be confined to the perufal of afdren:-we fay, we cannot difcover their usefulness. Borrowing, therefore, one of the paffages adduced by Mr. W. but at the fame time hoping that he will not, on that account, retort on us the charge of pedantry, we bid him adieu A.B. Art. 31. Epiftola Eloifa Abelardo, Latinè reddita. Au&t. J. Wright.. 4to. Is. 6d. Lewis. 1787. Nifi utile eft quod facimus, ftulta eft gloria. Cui bono, is a queftion which a Reviewer has an unlucky propenfity to afk, whenever he opens a new work. What advantage can poffibly be derived to any fet of readers, by a Latin tranflation of Pope's Eloifa to Abelard?-Such a performance may be confidered as a very proper exercife at fchool or at college; but when it appears before the tribunal of the Public, it cannot lay claim to the notice of the unlettered million; and it must poffefs very uncommon merit to attract the attention of the learned, in thefe faftidious days. The verfion before us is fometimes elegant, generally faithful, and in a few inftances happy. Yet we fill think, that Mr. Wright might have employed his time and his talents in more useful, and, indeed, more lucrative exertions. We muft obferve, that the frequent ufage of the fynalapha in the latter part of his pentameters is harsh and in elegant; and his application of Horace's dulciffime rerum does not delight us. The pleafantry, which every claffical reader remembers in the original paffage, will not fuffer a ludicrous expreffion to incorporate with the pathetic fentiments of Pope's Epiftle. -y. Art. 32. The Hiftory of Tobit; a Poem: with other Poems on various Subjects. By Jane Timbury. 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed. Jamefon. 1787. "Tobit and his dog! 'tis an odd fubject-you have read the the poem -is it a good one?"-"O yes, Sir, very good.”—“ Good for what?"-" The Author fhall tell you :" • How tiresome, you cry, are these fcribblers in rhime! "Some, for renown, on scraps of learning dote, And think they grow immortal as they quote." YoUNG. Befides, it may ferve for one purpose at least, DRAMATIC. E. Art. 33. The Distressed Baronet: a Farce in Two Acts. As it is performed at Drury Lane. By C. Stuart. 8vo. 1s. Debrett. This piece is dedicated to the Prince of Wales, in a style that muft make his Royal Highnefs either blush or laugh. The Author begins with faying, Sir, you are the phenomenon of your rank,' and he goes on in a strain confiftent with fuch a beginning. The fubject of the faree is, The distress of a young Baronet, just arrived at the age of twenty-one, but already ruined by his follies. He has had dealings with a pawnbroker, of whom he still wants more money. His scheme to repair his loffes is by a marriage with Sophia, the pawnbroker's daughter. This amiable young lady has eloped from her father, and robbed him of money and jewels to a confiderable amount. In order to try the affections of her lover, he pretends to have two infifters, one of whom is all affectation and delicacy, and the other a complete fox-hunter. She mimicks them both in their turns, and the deception paffes with the Baronet. She is at length difcovered by her father, who forgives the robbery, and confents to the match, because the worthy pawnbroker is promifed a feat in Parliament by the Baronet's uncle. Thus the piece ends. In the course of the action, every rule of probability is violated the characters, in confequence of that original defect, are not copies from life, and the dialogue, by aiming at finery, is ftrained and unnatural. M-y. Art. 34. Harvest Home. A Comic Opera, in Two Acts. As performed at the Theatre-Royal in the Haymarket. By Mr. Dibdin. 8vo. IS. Harrison and Co. The fpecies of compofition which is intended to be the vehicle of mufic, and, indeed, to derive its power of entertainment from the fongs interfperfed, ought never to be brought to the teft of ftrict criticifm. Confidered as an Opera, Harueft Home is not without its beauties. The business is fhortly this: Cleora is the daughter of Scandaroon, who went, on the death of his wife, to travel abroad, and left his new-born child in the care of Signora Eftella, a foreign lady, and made fo, as it seems, for the purpose of displaying her skill in mufic. Standaroos, being returned from his travels, and wholly unknown to his daughter, pretends to be in love with her. Cleora, on her part, loves Mr. Glanville, who follows her in a rustic difguife, and mixes with the labourers at harvest-time. His man Trim admires Unah, an Irish girl, who fings a number of Irish fongs, which, probably, give variety to the piece. Scandaroon (which feems to be an odd name) at laft difcovers himself, and, after declaring his intention to marry Eftella in reward of her fidelity, gives Cleara to Glanville, with whofe father he had lived in intimacy. The inferior characters, which feem to be appendages to the plot, may divert in the representation, and the piece all together may be acceptable in the theatre. NOVELS. Art. 35. The Perplexities of Love. 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed. Lane. 1787. This Novel is not ill-written; but its tendency is pernicious. The fcene af it lies in the Eaft, and the ftory is fimply as follows. The heroine, a princefs, refides in the court of the King her brother. She is in love with the fon of his minifter, but reafons of ftate will not admit of her union with him. Like the man in the fable who is mounted on a wild and furious horfe, he gives the rein to paffion fhe allows it to run its career. The miferies confequent on this are many; and fhe at length is tempted to destroy herself, after repeating the following prayer: That the God of Wisdom and Mercy would pity the weakness of his creature, who amidft wretchedness and forrow had fupported her being, only that the might not feem to doubt his infinite goodness; and who now, blind, frail, and err ing, too ignorant to know his will, and too finful to hope for his protection, ventured, trembling, and confcious of her own unworthinefs, to appear before the throne of eternal Majefty.' Now this, we fay, is of pernicious tendency: for to talk of any perfon becoming a fuicide, under the pretence of being ignorant of the will of heaven, is furely impious, in the highest degree. Art. 36. Lucinda Ofburn: by a young Lady. 12mo. fewed. Geary. 1787. A.B. 2 Vols. 5s. Lucinda Osburn is not a first-rate beauty: neither can her air and manner be properly confidered as her own. Some few graces the certainly poffeffes, but they are evidently borrowed from the amiable Clariffa,' whofe acquaintance the appears to have cultivated, but to who perfections and accomplishments fhe could never attain. As her features, however, have nothing difagreeable in them-though nearly the fame with those we meet with every day; and as her prattle-though it amounts to little-has the negative merit of being inoffenfive, the may no doubt meet with powdered admirers who will pronounce her a heavenly creature.' MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 37. The Life of the Count Cagliostro; containing an authentic Relation of the uncommon Incidents that befel him during his Refidence in England, in 1776 and 1777, &c. &c. 8vo. 3s. td. fewed. Hookham. 1787. This work is given as the production of a female pen. Prefixed to it, there is a dedication to Caglioftro's wife, who is called Madame La Comteffe. The defign, we are told, is to vindicaté an injured character, which has fuffered by the malignant fhafts of calumny. In the narrative, however, we find nothing that answers the intention of the writer. The facts are faid to be taken from Caglioftro's publications in England, and his other memoirs. Of thefe vouchers we gave our opinion in our Review for the month of May laft, and as we find in this apology for the life of Caglioftro almoft the fame facts, we see no reason to retract our obfervations. The fame obfcurity hangs over the birth of the Count, and the whole ftory is too romantic even for the weakeft understanding. To the affair of the jewels, and the part which the Cardinal de Rohan acted on that occafion, á ĉir cumftance cumftance is added, wholly deftitute of probability. The Cardinal, it feems, was uneafy under the difpleasure of the Queen of France, but was again to be received into favour. To this end, the Queen was to meet him in a garden at an hour appointed. The Cardinal goes, and is impofed on by a woman dreffed up to perfonate the Queen. Could fuch a deception pafs on a man fo high in rank, fortune, and quality, as the Cardinal de Roban? This tale is told to vindicate injured innocence. An injudicious advocate too often ruins his caufe. The effect of all that follows counteracts the writer's defign. Cagliostro, it appears, was in London in the year 1777. At that period, he, who was fo prodigiously refpected abroad, brings with him no credentials to introduce him to good company: on the contrary, we find him in an obfcure lodging, and immediately connected with fuch people as one Sachy, from Strafburg; a Portuguese woman, of the name of Blavary; a man, called Vitellini, a pretender to chymistry; Lord Scott, an adventurer; a Mifs Fry; Reynolds, a fheriff's officer; Priddle the attorney, and several others. A scene is carried on, in which the Count pretends to calculate the fuccefs of lottery tickets, by the aid of a book, containing cabaliftical operations. After various dealings, Mifs Fry brought an action against the Count for 2001. This came on to be tried before Lord Mansfield, -the late Mr. Wallace counfel for the plaintiff, and Mr. Dunning for the defendant. The matter was referred to Mr. Howarth, who unfortu nately, in a few years afterwards, loft his life by the overfetting of a pleasure-boat. After hearing all parties, that gentleman made his award in favour of Mifs Fry, for the whole fum in queftion, and cofts. Caglioftro, for the fecurity of his perfon, took lodgings in the houfe of one Saunders, a fheriff's officer. Where, at this time, were the bankers that fupplied him with money in every part of Europe? That fiction appears now too ridiculous; as we hinted in our Review for May, p. 387. The Count was furrendered by his bail, and lodged in the King's Bench prifon. To release himself, he pawned foup-ladles, candlesticks, filver caftors, and other articles of that kind. There is, moreover, reason to believe that Caglioftro had been in London in 1772, under the name of Balfamo. A bill of costs was due to an attorney for bufinefs done for him in that year, and under that name. An action to recover the money was commenced against Balfamo, alias Cagliostro. Inftead of difputing the fact, the Count left effects in the hands of an officer of the King's Bench to anfwer that demand, and fled the kingdom. He went to Strasburg, where the farce of diftributing medicines, and having money at command, is again repeated. The ftory of the necklace follows, with all its abfurdities already noticed in our Review for May. p. 385. Cagliostro was ordered to depart from France, and to return no more. On his arrival in England, Priddle fues him for a bill of cofts amounting to 60%. The demand is referred to the Mafter, and the report made in favour of Priddle against the innocent Caglioftro. More actions are brought against him. He pawns his jewels and other trinkets; and, after fecreting himself for fix weeks in the houfe of Mr. de Loutherbourg, he filed once more out of the kingdom. We are forry that fo eminent an artist as Mr. de Loutherbourg fhould be the dupe of fo much grofs impofture. Caglioftro's wife remained for a few weeks, to fell off S 4 the |