Ah no, alas! when, proftrate on the straw, But fuch remonftrance to your guests were vain, Is hard to be remov'd; one inftance this, A tempting liquor, poisonous, and fweet, Quick rofe refentment, in Arpafia's breaft, Howe'er to unobferving eyes they feem, To view, at once, the objects all around, And quick escape their foes: which inftance fhews, Why then, by fubtle ftratagems, oppofe Thefe purposes, and counteract his will? She, pleas'd to fee them brush themselves, adroit, As on her hand they fafely fit, fecure, And fip the balmy nectar from the pores, Was fhock'd, to hear the cruel, bafe device, Of murdering fuch multitudes for pay. And, furely, every humane mind will aid, To execrate the fordid caitiff wretch, And hold him up to fcorn, if he perfifts, And just deferved deteftation. But, in this delicate, refined age, When notions of the dignity and worth And fentiment, than cherishing the fenfe, Whom fhall the Mufe addrefs, with any hope, Alas! we do not know; and therefore we think that the Mufe might fave herfelf all farther trouble! There are fome good remarks in the notes, which are here collected from various writers on the philofophy of natural history. N. Art. 35. Poems on various Subjects. Confifling of Meditations, Contemplations, Soliloquies, Poetical Epifties, Moral Reflec tions, Hymns, and Paraphrafes of feveral Parts of Scripture, &c. By T. May. 8vo. pp. 162. 35. Dilly. It is not a fufficient apology for publishing ill-written poems, to fay that they were "compofed by a boy." Several of the pieces in this volume, to which the author has fubjoined-whether from vanity or modesty we do not prefume to determine-Etat. 14. Etat. 16. &c. might have been fpared, without diminishing the value of the collection; which, indeed, measured on the fcale of poetical merit, will not be found to be very confiderable. The reader may fometimes meet with juft fentiment and tolerable verfification; but he will commonly find the language profaic, and often inaccurate. The following lines, on a fummer evening, may be taken as a fpecimen: Hail, grey clad eve! in earth's brown honours dreft, A breathless calm hangs o'er the filent deep! And to the devious vale faint day is given. Where latent beauties are to men difplay'd, And various landfcapes catch the parting blaze.' How much are thefe ftanzas preferable to fuch doggrel as the following! • Let none diftruft the grace of God; The powers of life explore, When ftrong temptations croud the mind, Thro' CHRIST we baffle every form, And Satan's aims fruftrate; Faith be our fhield, our rock the LORD, And victory's compleat.' It should be recollected, however, that the genius of Young, and even of Milton, fometimes funk under the weight of celeilial themes. NOVELS. Art. 36. The Baroness of Beaumont. By a Lady. A Narrative founded on Obfervation. The Object of it is a perfect Acqui efcence E efcence in the Will of the Great Difpofer of Events: whilst it fhews Virtue in different Characters, it will, it is hoped, not be found deftitute of Amufement and Originality. Small 8vo. 2 Vols. 6s. fewed. Robin fons. 1792. If we are not able to introduce this novel to the attention of our readers as a work of first-rate merit for originality of invention, variety of character, and elegance of language, we may, however, without hazard, recommend it as a natural reprefentation of affecting fcenes, and as adapted to leave no other impreffions on the mind of the reader, than fuch as the author has expressed in her title. In the first volume, a young woman, named Violante, whom the Baronefs of Beaumont, during her refidence at Montpelier, had taken under her protection, relates the ftory of her former life, containing interefting particulars of promifing, but at length dif appointed, profpects, a tender attachment, hazardous fituations, and fortunate efcapes. In the fecond, Violante accompanies Lady Beaumont to Naples, where Lady B. finds her long-loft grandfon, and Violante her faithful lover, united in one perfon. Soon after, Violante, who had no other knowlege of the history of her infancy than that fhe had been a deferted child, is difcovered to be the daughter of a man of noble rank. The narrative of the circumstances, which occafion the feparation of Lord Beaumont from his family, and of Violante from her father, form very interesting parts of thefe volumes. The moments of fufpence and difcovery are well defcribed; and the termination is fuch as leaves the reader perfectly satisfied. The author concludes with a wish that, fhould this tale fall into the hands of fuffering innocence or diftreffed merit, the hour may foon arrive when their forrows will be remembered only as a "tale that is told." We cannot finifh our brief account of this pleafing novel without adding, that it is dedicated to the widow of a man whom we recollect with a mixture of veneration and affection, as one of the first and brigheft ornaments of our board. We fhall be pardoned this teftimony of refpect to departed merit, when we have faid, that it is paid to the memory of that penetrating philofopher, accurate critic, and excellent man, WILLIAM BEWLY, of Great Maffingham, Norfolk. E. Art. 37. The Modern Miniature. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. fewed. Hookham. 1792. Though the tale of this novel be neither fufficiently original to deferve, nor fufficiently regular to be capable of, particular analyfis, we think it entitled to general commendation. The incidents and fituations are fometimes interefting: but its chief merit confifts in the easy and lively fketches of character, fome taken from lower and fome from higher life, which are given in miniature in the courfe of the tory. The humour of the work is often low, but it could not have been written without a confiderable degree of acquaintance with life and manners. A lift of fubfcribers, among people of the first rank and fashion, is prefixed to this novel. POLITICS E. POLITICS and POLICE. Art. 38. A Word in Seafon to the Traders and Manufacturers of This feems to be caft in the fame mould with, "A fhort Addrefs to the Manufacturers, &c." reviewed in the fixth vol. of our New Series, p. 353, and with, "A Letter to the Farmers and Manufacturers, &c." noticed in the Review for Auguft last, p. 463. What was faid of thofe publications will ferve very well for an account of this. The writer greatly exaggerates the troubles, and much mifreprefents the affairs, of France, in order to difcredit the Revolution. On the contrary, he draws fuch a flattering picture of the state of our own country, that we fincerely wish it were literally true; and yet, ftrange to tell, he feems to dread a general infurrection of the people! How can these things be? For our part, though we do not think that every thing in our government is quite fo perfect as our author would have us believe; though we are perfuaded that feveral things might be altered for the better; yet we are far from thinking matters fo bad as to furnish any ground for apprehending an immediate revolution. What may come in time, if abufes and defects are obftinately continued, we cannot pretend to predict. It may, however, be fafely faid, that whenever a people feel themselves wretched under a bad government, a few imooth words in a fhilling pamphlet, telling them that they are happy, will not keep them quiet and contented. If the governors would have the people believe themfelves happy, their only fafe and certain way is to make them really fo, by reforming that which makes them difcontented. Pear. Art. 39. A Differtation on Government, with the Balance confidered; or a free Inquiry into the Nature of the British Conftitution, and the probable Effect of a Parliamentary Reform. By William White, Efq. 8vo. pp. 56. 15. Ridgway. 1792. This pamphlet is rather too abftrufe and metaphyfical to please the generality of readers: but it will amply repay the labour of thofe who will take the pains to understand it. Mr. White fhews, that the principles of thofe who reft civil government on any other foundation than that of natural rights, if confiftently purtued, directly tend to confound force with right, to promote tumult and anarchy, and to fubvert all order and fubordination; whatever the fupporters of fuch principles may think, or fay, to the contrary. He affirms that 5700 electors chufe the efficient majority of the House of Commons; and that confequently, as our reprefentation now ftands, there is no conftitutional check to prevent the interefts of the nation from being facrificed to the private advantage of this infignificant number; who, if they were even difpofed, when left to themfelves, to confult the common good of the community, can hardly be fuppofed to be proof against the immenfe patronage of the government, which is more than fufficient to corrupt double the number. He juftly ridicules the idea of a virtual reprefentation, and adds, that if all matters, and especially the creation of peers, go on in the fame train, and with as much rapidity, for the next ten years, years, as they have proceeded for the laft ten, the Commons will be completely reprefentatives, not of the people, but of the Lords. In this differtation, alfo, will be found many ingenious obfervations well deferving the ferious attention of thole who confider the British form of government as compofed of three independent branches, balancing each other. Greater notice, and a more durable existence, are due to this little pamphlet, than commonly await the fugitive productions of the prefs. Pear. Art. 40. The Correfpondence of the Revolution Society in London with the National Affembly, and with various Societies of the Friends of Liberty in France and England. 8vo. pp. 275. 5s. fewed. Johnfon. 1792. What impudent rogues thefe members of the Revolution Society must be! After being convicted by Mr. Burke, of having engaged in a confpiracy with the enemies of their country," for a purpose nothing short of fubverting the whole conftitution of Great Britain," they have the effrontery, not only to avow, but to justify, their wicked plot, and to publish their correfpondence in the face of day! From this correfpondence, it appears, that the members of a vile faction at home have combined with a faction no less vile abroad, and that they have mutually bound themselves, by the most folemn promifes and declarations, to expofe, by every argument in their power, and to ufe their utmost intereft and influence in difcountenancing, all tyranny, corruption, bribery, intolerance, war, and bloodshed, in their refpective countries: from which it is manifeft, if they fucceed in their daring attempts, that three very ancient and notable crafts, viz. that of the politician, that of the priest, and that of the warrior, are in no fmall danger of being fet at nought. 6 Such is the evil brought to light; and who knows how much more may fill remain behind? for we obferve that they have not published their whole correfpondence. It is true they fay they have not kept back any one letter addreffed to or written by them, except fuch as contained mere repetitions of fentiments expreffed in former letters, were conveyances or notices of prefents of books, charts, &c. and communications of circumstances and facts, which happened in the progrefs of the French revolution.' Even thefe letters fo kept back, they tell us, may be feen by the public at the houfe of their fecretary. This is what they fay: but who takes the word of a confpirator, or who will truft himself to turn over the fociety's books at the fecretary's, when he recollects that "no man can touch pitch without being defiled?" We obferve alfo, that very few of the letters from France are tranflated, that they are all moft incorrectly printed, and that one in particular, from the fociety of Saintes, printed at page 194, and which the Revolutionifts, in their anfwer, fay is written in their own native language, is neither French nor English. We have been able to make out enough of this unknown tongue, however, to fee that fomething very bold and daring is in agitation. In spite of the 10 difguife, |