tolled; and which is thus, in other terms, the Reign of JUST EQUALITY; where the empty scales are always EVEN, and, of the full, that consequently always preponderates, which ought to preponderate. I have said this to clear EQUALITY from the obloquy of the English.' These extracts perhaps are enough for readers of ordinary, unenlightened intellect;-those who are blessed with a knowlege of the correspondences, and desire a more intimate acquaintance with the sublimities of Mr. G., we refer to the work at large. In the poem itself, some beauties occur: but the effect of them is often counteracted by lines written in defiance of all the rules of metre, and by a stiffness of phraseology which in some places renders the meaning scarcely intelligible. Art. 29. Retribution, and other Poems. By H. Hughes. 8vo. Clarke. 25. The author of these poems appears to be of a gloomy and melancholy cast of mind, somewhat tinged with religious enthusiasm. In the poem intitled Retribution, he predicts the downfall and destruction of Great Britain, with as much confidence as if he were really inspired! Conversant as we are with the vanity and self-sufficiency of young authors, we own that we could not read this com. position without some degree of astonishment. -The following lines may serve as a specimen : • Should all the suns that flame in boundless space Or at his nod retiring from their place, Worlds heap'd on worlds, drop from their summit down; Should all those worlds to fierce volcanos turn, Virtue serenely might behold them burn, Might hear them burst, nor tremble at the sound." When additional years have matured the writer's judgment, his poetry (for he is not destitute of genius) will probably merit a larger share of critical approbation than that which he seems likely to acquire from his present adventure. We would advise him, however, to limit his ambition to the honours of the Poet's wreath, without aspiring also to the higher and more sacred dignity of the PROPHETIC character. Art. 30. The Crisis, or the British Muse to the British Minister and 2s. 6d. Nation. By the Author of Indian Antiquities. 4to. Faulder. 1798. In warm and energetic strains, the Poet here seizes, as a proper subject for the loyal muse, the present crisis of British honour and British safety; and he accordingly suggests every principle and every consideration that occur to a lively and vigorous imagination, in the view of animating his countrymen, as Tyrtæus of old did the Spartans, to unite as patriots and heroes in our common national defence, againt an inveterate, ambitious, and unprincipled enemy. It appears, indeed, that Mr. M. had the courageous Grecian Bard in his eye, when he sate down to the composition of this public-spirited call to arms *: but it is happy for us that England is not circum stanced as were the desponding Lacedemonians when the poet roused and led them to battle and to victory; for, unquestionably, our ever undismayed warriors, on either element, and of every denomination, have proved to the world that they want not the excitements of poetic enthusiasm, nor the stimulus of eloquence, to prompt them to those manly exertions which they owe to their country and to themselves, as citizens, as men, and as Britons. -The author, however, merits not only our warm approbation of his good design, but our thanks for the pleasure that he has afforded us in the perusal of his ingenious performance. NOVELS. call A very few lines may be deemed a sufficient specimen of an effusion on a subject of this kind; the thoughts and poetic embellishments of which will be easily pre-conceived by every reader of the advertisement which announces the work, or of its title, as it stands at the head of the present article. Adverting to the military ardour and spirit which, through the course of the war, appear to have animated all orders and degrees among us, the poet thus exultingly and distinctly regards them according to their ranks in society : -Britain's bright ensigns blaze from shore to shore, Conqu'rors on shore, and sov'reigns on the main." The poet's introductory address to Mr. Pitt ( Th' immortal son of an immortal sire!") is elegant and nervous:-it reminds us, together with the whole poem, of Prov. ch. xi. v. 10. "When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; and when the wicked perish there is shouting." * In the exordium, he alludes to the Heav'n-born Muse • When fir'd in virtue's cause, she pours along The thund'ring torrent of Tyrtæan song.' Art. 31. Henry Willoughby. 2. Vols. 12mo. 78. Boards. Kearsley. Misanthropy is, too often, the voice of age, but very rarely that of youth. On our first entrance into life, we generally view the prospect before us through the bright and flattering medium of hope; expectation is vivid; and we can scarcely credit the representation of experience, that the world is a scene of vanity and sorrow. If we are to believe the short preface prefixed to these volumes, the author, who is but just of age, is an exception to this remark. He sees the world through the most gloomy optics, and finds in civil society nothing but vice and misery. The characters of a philanthropic philosopher, (who, like the benevolent Howard, explores and relieves the miseries of prisons); of a negroe woman; and of a Quaker; hẹ holds up to admiration: but, excepting these, he makes his hero meet with only the most odious and detestable; so that at last he resolves, with a friend, to abandon Europe and unite himself with a Quakerestablishment in America. We may say indeed of this Novel, in the words which the author has put into the mouth of one of his characters, that it is a gloomy picture of man, [in civil society, calculated to inspire the attentive beholder with sentiments of disgust and abhorrence.' The Devil, says an old proverb, is often painted blacker than he really is; and a similar remark may be applied to this author's view of society. He must have painted from imagination, and not from experience: his characters are unnatural: they never did nor could exist; and his system, which he gradually developes, in regard to the renovation of society, is as impracticable as his representation of the present state of it is incorrect. There are many vices and evils to cure among us; yet not enough to make it necessary, in order to the enjoyment of happiness, that we should abandon our country for the deserts or savannahs of America. Novels have lately been the vehicles of certain speculative principles, in which these are artfully exhibited as established truths, essential to the improvement and happiness of man; and human nature in her present state is blackened beyond reality, in order to give them effect. We protest against this as an unfair proceeding; and no system can be good that wants such aid. Art. 32. Statira, or the Mother. 12mo. 3s. 6d. Lane. 1798. This volume may communicate little interest to the reader, but will convey no injury to his morals. The design is to exhibit the fatal effects of jealousy, as exemplified in two tragical but improbable stories. Is jealousy the epidemical vice of this age and country? We should not be sorry to perceive a certain degree of it somewhat more prevalent. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 33. Dr. Johnson's Table-Talk: containing Aphorisms on Li terature, Life, and Manners; with Anecdotes of distinguished Persons: selected and arranged from Mr. Boswell's Life of John son. 8vo. pp. 446. 6s. Boards. Dilly. 1798. REV. OCT. 1798. R We We have formerly been gratified by the beauties of Johnson culled from his works, and we have now his aphorisms collected with a certain degree of arrangement, from the exquisitely circumstantial account of his friend Boswell. The advantage of the present publication seems to consist in bringing together detached conversations and desultory remarks under general heads, and with the title of "Table-Talk;" evidently borrowed from the first and not the least valuable book of the kind in our language, (formed on the French Anas,) the TABLE-TALK of the shrewd and learned Selden. Dr. J.'s credit in conversation had become almost oracular. • He related, that he had once in a dream a contest of wit with some other person, and that he was very much mortified by imagining that his opponent had the better of him. "Now (said he) one may mark here the effect of sleep in weakening the power of reflection; for had not my judgment failed me, I should have seen, that the wit of this supposed antagonist, by whose superiority I felt myself depressed, was as much furnished by me, as that which I thought I had been uttering in my own character." • People (he remarked) may be taken in once, who imagine that an author is greater in private life than other men. Uncommon parts require uncommon opportunities for their exertion. In barbarous society, superiority of parts is of real consequence. Great strength or great wisdom is of much value to an individual. But in more polished times there are people to do every thing for money: and then there are a number of other superiorities, such as those of birth and fortune, and rank, that dissipate men's attention, and leave no extraordinary share of respect for personal and intellectual superiority. This is wisely ordered by Providence, to preserve some equality among mankind.' • Sir Joshua Reynolds having one day said, that he took the altitude of a man's taste by his stories and his wit, and of his understanding by the remarks which he repeated'; being always sure that he must be a weak man who quotes common things with an emphasis as if they were oracles; Johnson agreed with him; and Sir Joshua having also observed, that the real character of a man was found out by his amusements, Johnson added, "Yes, Sir; no man is a hypocrite in his pleasures." "London (said Johnson) is nothing to some people; but to a man whose pleasure is intellectual, London is the place. And there is no place where economy can be so well practised as in London. More can be had here for the money, even by ladies, than any where else. You cannot play tricks with your fortune in a small place; you must make an uniform appearance. Here a lady may have well furnished apartments, and elegant dress, without any meat in her kitchen."— • He said, "The duration of Parliament, whether for seven years or the life of the King, appears to me so immaterial, that I would not give half a crown to turn the scale one way or the other. The babeas corpus is the single advantage which our government has over that of other countries." What would the sage commentator have said had he lived to these days? Perhaps not that the Habeas Corpus is the single advantage which our government has over that of other countries." Art. : Art. 34. The Lounger's Common-Place Book, or Miscellaneous Anec dotes. A Biographic, Political, Literary, and Satirical Compilation: which he who runs may read. Vol. III. 8vo. 58. 6d. Boards. Kerby. 1798. We reviewed the preceding volumes of these anecdotes, &c. as they respectively issued from the press; and we have recommended, the work as the amusing production of a man of sense, reading, and observation. For our account of the ist volume, we may now refer to the viiith vol. of our Review, N. S. p. 403. Of the 2d volume, some account was given in the Catalogue part of our vol. xii. p. 113, &c. For a new edition of both the volumes, those readers of our Review who may not immediately recollect our former remarks may, if they object not to the trouble, turn to the M. R. vol. xxi. p. 117. -On the subject, therefore, of this entertaining production, there is little or nothing left for us to add, farther than that the author's design seems to be completed in this 3d part; the general contents of which are not inferior in value to those of the former volumes. As a farther specimen of this miscellaneous collection, we now se lect the article "DAILY ADVERTISER." A Gentleman's house in Stanhope-street having been broken open and robbed, the following singular account is said to have appeared in the Daily Advertiser: but the date of the paper is not given : "Mr. R, of Stanhope-street, presents his most respectful compliments to the gentlemen who did him the honour of eating a couple of roasted chickens, drinking sundry tankards of ale, and three bottles of old Madeira, at his house, on Monday night, "In their haste they took away the tankard, to which they are heartily welcome; to the table spoons and the light guineas which were in an old red Morocco pocket book, they are also heartily welcome; but in the said pocket book there were several loose papers, which consisting of private memorandums, receipts, &c. can be of no use to his kind and friendly visitors, but are important to him; he therefore hopes and trusts they will be so polite as to take some op. portunity of returning them. " For an old family watch, which was in the same drawer, he cannot ask on the same terms; but if any could be pointed out, by which he could replace it with twice as many heavy guineas as they can get for it, he would gladly be the purchaser. W. R." • A few nights after, a packet, with the following letter enclosed, was dropped into the area of his house, " Sir, " You are quite a gemman. Not being used to your Madeira, it got into our upper works, or we never should have cribbed your papers; they be all marched back again with the red book. "Your ale was mortal good; the tankard and spoons were made into a white soup, in Duke's Place, two hours before day lite. The old family watch cases were at the same time made into a brown gravy; and the guts, new christened, are on their voyage to Holland, "If they had not been transported, you should have them again, for you are quite the gemman; but you know, as they have been. christened, Ra |