3 ART. 18. Idyls: in Two Parts. By Edward Aikyns Bray. Smal 8vo. 133 pp. 4s. 6d. Rivingtons. 1800. ⚫ Paftoral poetry, once perhaps the eafieft, is now become one of the moft difficult paths to poetical diftinction and eminence. So changed are all our manners and cuftoms, fo apt are we, at leaft in this country, to eftimate the merit even of poetry by the ftandard of common sense, that Arcadian fhepherds and fhepherdeffes, their crooks and their lambs, their quarrels and their reconciliations, can fcarcely be preserved from ridicule by the greatest beauty of language and harmony of verification. Even Pope thought it neceffary, in his more advanced age, to apologize for his Paftorals, as a facrifice of fenfe to found. The volume before us contifts of what the author calls Arcadian Idyls; the fecond Part (which is to confit of English Idyls) not being yet published. These little Poems, he informs us, are written in the plan of Geffner's Idyls; but they are far from difplaying the richness of imagination, or foftness of description, which diftinguish that writer. On the whole, however, they are not unpleafing, and, if not entitled to very high praife, may be read by thofe who are fatisfied with tolerably fmooth and flowing verfification. We would gladly extract the thirdIdyl, as founded on circumftances more ftriking than most of the others, but that it is too long for infertion. In the first Idyl, the following apology of a capricious, lover for his conduct, whatever we may think of its morality, is not bad poetry. AMY NTAS. On you I call, Immortals! to attest How once young Glicera fway'd my subject breast ↓ Mr. Bray published Junevile Poems in the year 1799; and appears undoubtedly to be an improving writer. ART. 19. The Valley of Llanherne, and other Pieces, in Verfe. By John Fisher, A. B. 12mo. 5s. 6d. Hatchard, 1801. Llanherne is a village on the north-weft coaft of Cornwall, and by the plate annexed to this elegant little volume must be a most interesting and beautiful spot. This place, now the refidence of fome Carmelite Nuns, is celebrated by the author in smooth and agreeable verfe; but the the Poem of moft merit and interest in the collection is the Shipwreck, a fcene with which the inhabitants of this part of our island are too familiar. The ridiculous Parody of the thirteenth Book of Ovid's Metamorphofis, might as well have been omitted; as alfo might the tale of the Priest and his Neighbour, in which we meet with fuch abfurd phrafes as beery looks," for a man seemingly drunk with beer; unabandoned drift"-" more decence"; &c. &c. There is some merit in the first part of the work; but, to eke it out, the author has inferted fowe pieces, from which he cannot poffibly derive any credit. A ART. 20. Nautical Odes, or Poetical Sketches, defigned to commemorate the Archievements of the British Navy, 410. 160 pp. liams. 1801. 128. Wil There is much more of patriotic than of poetical spirit in thefe Odes; in which almost all the diftinguifhed naval actions, during the American and the late war (as we truft it may now be termed) are celebrated. When we fo much approve a writer's defign, we are concerned not tọ be able to cominend his execution of it. But there is fcarcely an Ode in this collection that does not abound with ludicrous paffages; fuch as the following in the Ode on Lord Rodney's Victory over Don Juan de Langara. ""Tis now a difmal-filence all, As if the foes his fire diflike; While Rodney's loudly heard to call, " Why this dull filence? do you ftrike?" Shrill from the fhrouds a feeble cry Trembling attempts a faint reply: "Yes, mercy on our wayward luck! We poor trounc'd Spaniards long have firuck." Yet this Ode, and that which follows it (on the victory of the 12th of April, 1779) begin with a fpirit that feemed to announce, better things. Nor is the Ode on Lord Howe's action of June 1, 1794. wholly deficient in vigour. Yet in general the familiar and (furely without defign) the ludicrous prevails, more especially in the Ode on the fucceffes of the flying fquadrons under Sir J. Warren, Sir Edward Pellew, &c. &c. performances which would difgrace the bellman. Some moral tales, for the ufe of feamen, are fubjoined: and they certainly would be useful, if feamen could be perfuaded to read them. DRAMATIC. ART. 21. Mary Stuart. A Tragedy. By Frederick Schiller. Tranf lated into English, by J. C. M. Efq. 8vo. 224 PP. Efcher. 1801. 45. 6d. The hiftory of the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots is too well known to be repeated here. The outlines of it are, we think, fuffi * Printed fo by miftake for 1782. ciently ciently preferved in this drama; which commences immediately after her condemnation, and to the well known circumftances which attended it, adds fome of an interefting nature, which, though unwarranted by hiftory, are not fo revolting to probability as to infpire difguft. The chief of thefe additional circumstances is an interview between the two Queens, in which Elizabeth exhibits a ftudied haughtinefs and unfeeling barbarity, even beyond her real character, and Mary difplays a fpirit and vigour which gentle minds, when roufed by great provocation, are often found to poffefs. Some of her reproaches, however, we cannot approve, In an ingenious Preface, we are told that the original was performed in Germany with general applaufe, but that particular parts were cenfured. The only general fault we have obferved, namely, the great length of the drama, and indeed of many of the fpeeches, might be eably obviated. Of particular objections, the most effential, in our opinion, are the character of Mortimer, who, though he appears interefting at first, at laft proves little better than a madman, and the administration of the Holy Sacrament on the stage; which, notwithtanding the apology offered, we deem, and an English audience certainly would deem, wholly indefenfible. The characters are, for the moft part, as the tranflator has observed, delineated with skill and judgment; though, we think Mary's confeffion of her guilt at conniving at the murder of Darnley, if expedient at all, fhould not have been made in a mere converfation with her fervant, or in the early part of the piece. Upon the whole, however, this Tragedy is, in our opinion, as interefting as moft, and lefs exceptionable than any of the German dramas which have fallen within our notice. The following paffage, which exprefles the feelings of Mary when, after a ftrong though falfe hope of deliverance, fhe hears the fcaffold railing for her execution, will afford a fair and not unfavourable fpecimen of the Tragedy. "Mel. O God in Heav'n! O tell me then, how bore The Queen this terrible viciffitude? "Ken. [after a pause, in which she has somewhat collected herself,] Not by degrees can we relinquifh life; Quick, fudden, in the twinkling of an eye Himfelf for her: the deep, the heartfelt anguish Her own, 'twas other's woe which forc'd them from her. " Mela Mel. Where is the now? Can you not lead me to her? She now enjoys The tranflation appears to he fpirited and harmonious, and though we have not feen the original, we conclude it to be faithful, having been, as is intimated, performed under the infpection of the author; but, to please a British audience, it would be neceffary that many parts thould be altered, and the whole yery much curtailed, NOVEL. ART. 22. Lætitia; or, the Cafile without a Spectre. By Mrs. Hunten, of Norwich. Four Volumes. 12mo. 11. is. Longman and Rees. 1801. This performance ought rather to have been entitled the three Lætitias, for there are no less than circumftantial memoirs of three heroines of that name. The author poffeffes confiderable merit as a writer, as well as an obferver of human life and manners. Her difcriminations are just and accurate; and there is a variety in her epifodes, which, at the fame time that it fhows great vigour of imagination, fatigues the attention. The first volume is undoubtedly the best; but the whole is fuperior to the majority of fimilar publications, MEDICINE. ART. 23. A Treatise on the Cow-pox, containing the Hiftory of Vaccine Inoculation, and an Account of the various Publications which have appeared on that Subject in Great Britain and other Parts of the World. By John Ring, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London. Part I. 8vo. 496 pp. 85. J. Johnfon, St. Paul's Church-yard, London. 1801. We have here a full and comprehenfive account of the principal publications that have appeared on the fubject of the cow pox, from its first introduction by Dr. Jenner to the prefent time; at least fo it feems to us, as we do not recollect any work on the fubject being omitted; but without doubt the author has further materials, as he only calls this part the first. Throughout, the author or compiler is very liberal, and even diffufe in his comments and elucidations, and we will add, in his cenfures on those who have ventured to diffent from the general, and we think juft, opinion of the value of the difcovery. Thefe cenfures might have been fpared, or if thought neceffary, fhould have been conveyed in lefs offenfive language. Perfonal abuse is not likely to make converts. The objections to the in troduction troduction of the cow-pox, are either founded on reason, and the na ture of the thing, or on prejudice and mifinformation. If on the former, time, and multiplied experiments with the difcafe, will eftablish them; if on prejudice and mistake only, left to the fame teft, their fallacy will be detected. The bufinefs is now fairly before the public, and experiments are making, by inoculating with cow-pox matter, in all parts of the globe. All reafoning, therefore, on the power of the difeafe in fecuring the conftitution from the small-pox, or of its leaving any ftain in the body, rendering it liable to fcrofulous or any other disease, appears to be fuperfluous. The author is an entire convert to the opinion given by Dr. Jenner, that the difeafe is originally produced by the matter of the greafe taken from a horfe's heel. We are aftonished to find that this opinion, founded on fuch equivocal and defective evidence, and fo highly improbable in itself, defended with pertinacity; as it certainly does not contribute to remove the principal, and perhaps only prejudice remaining against the general diffufion of the cow-pox. Thole perfons who think it wrong, perhaps criminal, to infert a particle of a limpid fluid, taken from a puftule on the nipple of a cow, whence proceeds that falubrious draught which forms fo large a part of the food of our children, will not be cured of that prejudice by being told, that the puftule was produced by the filthy matter of the greafe taken from a horse. We fhall only add, those who are defirous of poffeffing a full account of all that has been published on the fubject of the cowpox, either in feparate pamphlets, in letters and differtations, in various magazines, medical journals, reviews, &c. will here find them collected together, with abundant commentaries, as we have faid before, by the collector, who will not, we truft, be offended at finding we have indulged ourselves in a temperate use of that liberty, of giving our opinion of the errors he has committed, which he has fa freely taken with others. DIVINITY. ART. 24. A Difcourfe delivered at the Vifitation of the Right Worshipful Robert Markham, M. A. Archdeacon of York, at Dancafier, June 5, 1801. By John Lowe, M. A. Curate of Wentworth, and Domeftic Chaplain to the Right Hon. Earl Fitzwilliam. Published at the Requeft of many of the Clergy. 8vo. 18. Mawman. 1801.. This is a very manly and emphatic addrefs to the hearers, who may be fuppofed to have been principally clergymen, on the fubject of preaching the word." The various branches of their profeffional duty are pointed out with much energy and precifion; and the preacher endeavours to imprefs his brethren with the important and folemn conviction, that they are to preach the word faithfully, earnestly, with plainness and fimplicity, and that the ftability of their faith fhould be evinced by their conduct, as example is the life of precept. This excellent difcourfe concludes with a fuitable exhortation to fuch part of the audience as were not clergymen. ART. |