The poem concludes with a moft animated apoftrophe, in which it is declared, that the realm must stand or fall, as linked with the arts. "Beaumont! (the Arts thus fpeak) oh urge thy aim : Trade, freedom, virtue, vindicate our claim" and in which the most exalted, but not more exalted than deferved, tribute of admiration is paid to the Sovereign. "And thou whofe firmness ftill'd a nation's fear, Patron of Commerce! who, from pole to pole, Point his high courfe, and all his pow'rs expand!" P. 29. We have been highly gratified by the perufal of this spirited compofition, and earnestly recommend it to all lovers of true poetry and the fine arts. There is one fmall oversight, which we are furprised thould have efcaped fo accurate a writer of verfe as the tranflator of the Georgics; at p. 13, world is made the rhyme of two couplets, immediately following each other. But this, which feems almoft the only defect, is of little importance. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 13. Remonftrance, with other Poems. By Catherine Hood. 12mo. 35. Longman and Rees. 1801. There is a neatness and fimplicity in these Poems which entitle them to praife, although they may not pretend to any fuperior vigour, or diftinction of original genius. The following is at least well ren dered. "The Clock and the Dial. From De la Motte. It happen'd on a cloudy morn BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVIII, JULY, 1801. A Dial On this, the Dial calmly faid, (More prompt t'advife than to upbraid) Thou anfwer'ft without hefitation; Obferve my practice, fhun pretence, Blufh not to fay, "I cannot tell;" ART. 14. The Vernal Walk. A Poem. Letterman. 1801. 8vo. 16. Crafby and This is probably the compofition of a young writer; but there is evidently much vigour of intellect, extenfive obfervation on the scenes of nature, and a degree of tafte, which wants only the pruning of a maturer judgment. Severer critics might call the language often turgid, and the fentiments often too expanded; but we willingly make allowances for the fervour of youthful imagination. ART. 15. Signs of the Times, a Poem, or the Downfal of the Pope and the Papal Hierarchy, with Obfervations on Six Hundred Sixty-Six, the Number of the Roman Braft; also a Contrast between the Numbers Six and Seven By William Scott. 8vo. 6d. Crosby and Let terman. 1800. What could poffibly induce this feemingly well-meaning man to fancy himself a poet? Texts of Scripture forced into rhyme, of which the object is explained in the four following lines, which will ferve as a specimen. "Frenchmen fulfil your atheistic cup, For this fame purpose God hath rais'd you up, God's fervent wrath by you on them pour'd down.” ART. 16. The Sweets of Society, a Poem; and a few Mifcellaneous Poems. By the Author of Melody the Soul of Mufic, an Effay. 12mo. Brath, Glafgow. 1801. Why should we be obliged to quote fuch lines as these? "Oft will the hand of memory retrace, Playing the fool is a phrafe of moft fignificant and extenfive import; for, alas! fome play the fool with themfelves, fome with the public, and not a few with paper and critics. ART. 17. Bardomashia Poema Macaronico-Latinum. 4to. 14 PP. Is. Johnson. 1800. ART. 18. Bardomachia; or, the Battle of the Bards. Tranflated from the original Latin. 4to. 16 pp. 1s. Johnfor. 1800. If any perfon fhould have a curiofity to fee, what the most miferable depravation of the human intellect can poffibly produce most dull, under the vain imagination of being witty, let him look at this macaronic Poem; and fince, as Boileau truly fays, Un fot a toujours un plus fot qui l'admire, the wife translator who follows," was fo amufed with its humour, that, through the medium of his book feller, he obtained the author's permiffion to give it an English drefs."-Et cantare pares. To exclude all poffibility of its having merit or utility, in any shape whatever, this nonfenfe contains, as a narrative, not one particle of truth. The beaten Peter is made the conqueror; and every step of the tranfaction, between him and an antagonist whom he thould be proud of having roufed to notice him at all, is completely falfified. F 2 Thefe Thefe wife authors too, like Peter himself, confound Mr. W. Gifford with the reputed editor of the Anti-Jacobin Magazine. Thus the one fays, Noftronem fex magna volumina MAGAZINORUM; and the other, Six volumes of our ANTI-JACOBINE. It is not improbable, after all, that the author and the translator are the fame perfon, None but himself could be his parallel ! DRAMATIC. ART. 19. Julian and Agnes; or, the Monks of the Great St. Bernard. A Tragedy, in Five Acts, as it was performed at the Theatre-Royal, Drury Lane. 8vo. Is. 6d. Wright. 1801. It is well known that this Tragedy is the production of Mr. Sotheby's pen, and it is no lefs fo that, notwithstanding it poffeffes much fine and animated writing, interefting character, and ftriking incidents, it did not fucceed on reprefentation. The objections seem to have been of two kinds; that the whole is made to depend on one character alone, which is that of Julian, and which was most admirably acted by Mr. Kemble, and that there is a degree of refinement among us, which revolts at the idea of introducing two wives upon the stage. It is certain that all the fine declamation, pathos, and theatrical exertion of Mrs. Siddons, did not avail. The alterations after the first night were exceedingly judicious; and the drama will be preserved as an agreeable companion in the closet, by all who are anxious to possess the bett poetical productions of the day. ART. 20. The Surrender of Calais. An Hiftorical Drama. 8vo. 25. Crosby and Letterman. 1801. It does not appear that this piece has been reprefented on the stage; but we fee no reason why it might not expect fuccefs. The story indeed is become trite; but ftill it can never fail to excite intereft and emotion. The language is unexceptionably good, the fpeeches are perhaps fometimes too long; the characters, however, of the Governor, of Euftace St. Pierre, and in particular of Euftafia, are well fupported. We think it, on the whole, highly creditable to the author. ART. 21. Virginia; or, the Fall of the Decemvirs. A Tragedy. By John Bidlake, B. A. Chaplain to his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence, and Mafter of the Grammar School, Plymouth. 12mo. 18. 6d. Murray. 1801. This Tragedy was performed by the author's pupils in the theatre at Plymouth, and the audience were pleafed to approve and folicit its publication. Mr. Bidlake has often been praifed by us for his poetical exertions; exertions; and this celebrated story in the Roman history is told with great fpirit and ingenuity. The character of Julius is well drawn, and his speech over the dead body of Virginia highly poetical. NOVELS. ART. 22. Belinda. By Maria Edgworth. Three Volumes. 8vq. 11. 15. Johnfon. 1801. The author of this production has obtained fome degree of reputation from her Treatife on Education, and from the tale of Caftle Rackrent, fo much, that we expected to fee her powers exercifed with effect in a general reprefentation of life and manners. We confefs that we have, in fome degree, been difappointed; for although we readily allow this to be fuperior to the common run of works of this kind, yet there does not appear to be the vivacity of defcription, the fuccefsful delineation of living manners, the contrivance with refpect to plot, of the ingenuity with refpect to the catastrophe, which the name prefixed appeared to promife. The cataftrophe is indeed ridiculous, and the character of Virginia seems in its final ending to outrage all probability. ART. 23. She lives in Hopes, or Caroline; founded upon Facts. By This is by no means an ill-written performance; but we are forry to hear that the narrative is founded on facts, as we are obliged to toil through a description of vice in its most odious enormities. Caroline is well drawn; but furely Mifs Milbank and Mrs. Malin must be highly exaggerated, beyond any thing which common life exhibits. After all, we with that young ladies who seem to have fuch refpectable talents as these of Mifs Hatfield, would find fome other fubject for their exereife than fuch performances as the prefent, which if they do no injury, certainly render no benefit to the cause, either of science or of morals. MEDICINE. ART. 24. An Essay on Phlegmatia Dolens, including an Account of the Symptoms, Caufes, and Cure of Peritonitis, Puerperalis, and Conjunc tiva, &c. By John Hull, M. D. 8vo. 368 pp. 6s. 6d. Bickerstaff. 1800. The author, having affixed a new name to the difeafe, forming the principal fubject of the Effay, very properly commences with giving its defcription. "Phlegmatia dolens," he fays, "is a difeafe almost exclufively obferved in lying-in women, It confists in a tense, hot, painful, and elaftic fwelling, generally extending rapidly over the whole of one of the lower extremities; the fkin retaining its natural colour, or even becoming whiter, and prefenting more or lefs of a fhining appearance. |