ever have been without its ufe, in that it has been the means of bringing forward fuch a store of critical erudition as has seldom, if ever, made its appearance in the republic of letters. And very fincerely do I lament the abrupt conclufion of those remarks, when they had gone through only one fifth of their expected course. One confequence will, in all probability, enfue from the critique in queftion; a confequence perhaps not much to be regretted, "If I have not been an example, I fhall be a warning." I conceive that no modern will hereafter attempt to publish a poetical compofition of any length in the Greek language. The impediments will be wifely deemed infurmountable. The door will be closed for ever. Ως ἄρα φωνήσαντος Ερίννυες ἔσχεθον αὐδήν. Your obedient humble Servant, We beg leave to return our thanks to Mr. Glaffe for this letter, and for removing our doubts, with refpect to " nalaσwirdy xoas," in V. 305. fo completely. As to the propriety of ufing te largos, in the fenfe of T e, in V. 50. Mr. G.'s opinion coincides with that of another learned Correfpondent T. T. in praifing whofe tafte and erudition, we should but echo the public voice! It may be readily allowed, that TH Пarges may admit a kind of defence, as well as fome other words, to which we have objected.— * If these had been the only exceptionable parts of SAMSON, they would probably have paffed unnoticed by the Monthly Review, though they would not have been judged strictly correct:-but then-to cenfure would have been captious; and to praife, unneceffary. The ancient writers of Attic Tragedy are the only Models which a modern writer of Attic Tragedy can fafely imitate; and the only Guides, which he can, with certainty, follow. He muft fubmit to be rigidly bound, in every minute refpect, by the LAWS, to which they were fubjected; and which as far as we are able to discover and underftand them, are to be preferved inviolate. Their restrictions admit no diminution: their licences allow no extenfion. Such are the ideas and principles, by which the Review of SAMSON was regulated. On mature deliberation, we truft, that they will not themselves be deemed false nor overftrained, even if the application of them, in the prefent inftance, fhould be judged too rigorous; and if fome of the remarks, to which they have given birth, fhould be found erroneous. THESE PRINCIPLES have, however, been honoured by the affent of T. T. and they are ratified by the approbation of another Correfpondent, who is juftly esteemed the Koguping of Greek scholars, in this country, as well as a splendid ornament to English literature *. The fame learned Correfpondent, T. T. obferves very rightly, that in V. 40. Tauae cannot fignify indies, as Mr. Glaffe has rendered it, but toto die; and that of course, the tragic form for πανημαρ *To these might be added a third Name, and "that of high preeminence," who approves the general principle's laid down in the Review of SAMSON. cannot cannot be καθ' ημας. We are thankful for the difcovery of this mir take, into which we were incautioufly led by Mr. Glaffe's verfion ; and, therefore, the Reader is requefted thus to correft lines 23. and 24. of p. 98. in the Monthly Review for Auguft latt: " Maryuε, however, does not fignify indies, which the Tragic writers exprefs by και ημαρ. We should not have objected to Ila nag disjointly, in the fenfe of per totum diem.” We muft now bid farewel to Σαμψων Αγωνιστης,-and, perhaps, for ever. Yet we cannot fay ΜΑΚΡΑ ΧΑΙΡΕ, without cafting a longing, lingering, look behind!-Again then we bestow our warmelt teftimony of praife, on the uncommon general merit of the work again we are defirous of directing the Reader's attention to the very unusual diffculties, with which the Author was furrounded, as well as of ftating, with how much tafte, and with what great learning, he has fubdued them, in various parts of the tranflation. Frequently, indeed, is this tafte exerted, and often is this learning difplayed, with a luftre, which might dazzle even the penetrating eyes of criticism; and avert them from the contemplation of minute errors, against which her arrows might be pointed with fuccefs. Let the Reader perufe the Dialogue between Samfon and Dalilah, and dwell on the beauties, with which the fcene is decorated! Let him then accept, as a genuine produâtion of the Mέσων καπυρών σίμα, an extract from the narrative of Samfon's death, in the fpeech of the ΑγΓέλος. The Meffenger relates the arrival of Samfon at the Temple, Act V. 1829, in Milton, 1614-when Ἐκραύγασαν ξύμπαντες σε Ω Δάγων, Δάγων, Οντως ἐνίκας· Φευδός ἐσιν Ισραήλο Παραυτίκ' ηλάλαζε παντοῖον μέλος, 46' Αλλ' «ς *Αλλ' ἐργασείω, θαῦμ ̓ ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ φόβον Ἐπίπισεν ἐτιτάχισθ ̓ ὁ πας δόμος Στελλαῖς ανάγκης ἄρκυσ ̓ ἐγκεκλεισμένος, Of this paffage, to ufe Dr. Johnfon's words, in his Life of Gray, we will not, “ by fight objections, violate the dignity.” To the Critic, who is difpofed to examine it rigorously, the Author may boldly exclaim : Π ίξευς, και συ ποιες ὁμοιως. [Luc. x. 37.] To the Reader of folid learning and refined tafte, the variety of its excellencies and the fplendour of its verfification will be fufficiently obvious. To HIM we refer our final fentence, and our decided opinion. We call on his judgment to unite with us, in afferting, chat, in defiance of mistakes, the expectation must be idle and hopelefs of feeing any modern writer of Greek Iambics furpafs Mr. GLASSE's tranflation of Milton's SAMSON AGONISTES! We call on his erudition to affent to us, when we declare, that every Poet in the Greek language, fince the revival of letters, might proudly, and, with juftice, rejoice to rank, as the FIRST of his most valued productions, Mr. GLASSE's tranflation of SAMSON AGONISTES! ενθα -av θεμα δε χρυσο φλέγει, τα μεν χερσοθεί, απ' α γλεων δενδρέων, ύδωρ δ' αλλα φερβεια Pindar, Olymp. 6'. Antiftr. y. 130. .* The Author of The Expoftulation, an Epifle, &c. (See Rev. for July, p. 84.) imagines that his poem has met with unfair treatment in our Review. This, alas! is too common a cafe, when a publication fails of fuccefs; and this inftance reminds us of the following true anecdote : Some years ago, a gentleman printed, at his own expence [which, luckily, he could well afford], a poem, of confiderable fize; and put the impreffion into the hands of a Bookfeller, for fale. When the work had been published some days, the Author, who had been fondly dwelling on the idea of a second edition, called on the Publifher-and the following conversation passed: "AUTHOR. Well, Mr. Title-page, how go we on? TITLE-PAGE, Why, Sir! I cannot fay that we have done much, yet. * AUTH. "AUTH. Much! why, is not the impreffion nearly fold off? "TIT. P. [A shake of the head!] "AUTH. Are half fold? "TIT. P. Half, Sir! I wish I could fay that half a quarter, of the number that you fent in, were gone off. "AUTH. What can be the caufe of fuch a flow fale? Many good judges, to whom I fhewed the MS. told me, that my poem was excellent.-I fancy, Mr. Title-page, you have not fufficiently advertifed it. "TIT. P. I have paid fix pounds thirteen fillings and fix-pence for advertisements. Here is the account; and I fear we shall never fell enow of the books to discharge it. "AUTH. I believe the truth is, the present tafte of the Public is not for poetry. "TIT. P. Why, Sir! with fubmiffion, I should think otherwife, if I might judge from the fuccefs of Mafon, Gray, Young, Akenfide, and fome others. "AUTH. As you fay,-but, perhaps, the price of my poem is too high. "TIT. P. Sir! the Night Thoughts, and the Pleafures of the Imagination, and Mr. Cambridge's Scribleriad, are put at an higher price; and yet you fee how they take! "AUTH. All this is to me very myfterious; but, there must be fome caufe for fo great a difference in the fale. "TIT. P. Yes, Sir! to-be-fure, there must be a reason for every thing. "AUTH. No doubt, Mr. Title-page; and I believe I now clearly fee how the cafe ftands; the Public are all Jacobites *, and they cannot bear the Whig fentiments which abound in my poem:D-n them! they fhall never have another line from my pen!" [Exit, out of bumour. Thus it ever is with difappointed authors, whether they write for pelf, or for praise! Like the unfkilful Oxford gunner, whofe piece always hung fire, or the powder was bad, or, as the old fong+ has it, tho' he, for ever, was wont to miss aim, - "Still fomething, but never himself, was to blame." Omega-Ferri-Eveshamenfis. We have received, from our affociate abroad, the following answers to the letters with the above fignatures : Omega has noticed an obfcurity in our laft Appendix, of which the Reviewer has fent us this folution: P. 680. 1. 1. from the bottom, for funk two degrees,' read, funk 126 degrees: and p. 682. 1. 13. for 232d degree of natural cold,' read 200th degree, which was intended to exprefs 200, below (o). It will now appear that the greatest extreme of natural, or atmospheric cold, that has been really afcertained, was 126 deg. below the freezing point, anfwering to Fahr. fcale, and not, as Omega had reafon to conclude. Apprehenfive that this aftonishing state of the atmosphere would fcarcely be credited, Unluckily for the gentleman's conclufion, the Whig-intereft was at that time uppermoft. + The Friar and the Snipe. Frof. Prof. Zimmerman is willing to confirm it by the narrative of M. Pallas; who afferts that, at Kraffnoyjarfk, the mercury not only funk to, which is but 14 deg. higher than the degree of cold at jenefeisks, but that, fome days afterward, it froze in the ball. a defect in the thermometer rendering it impracticable to ascertain the degree of intenfenefs, the Profeffor attempts to give his readers fome ideas of it by obferving that Brewer's experiments required no lefs than completely to congeal mercury. Accordingly, he thinks himself authorised, when he states the two extremes of natural heat and cold in which man is able to fuftain a healthy existence, to affume, that the cold of Kraffnoyjarsk, at the period in which the mercury was no longer fluid, might be at about, which gives a space of 330 deg. Ferri remarks that, at p. 619, of the above mentioned Appendix, weftated the produce of the iron mines in Sweden to be 400,000 Schifps, and if a Schifp be equal to 16 lbs. the total would be only about 2856 tons. The annual imports of Swedish iron into Great Britain exceed this at least five times; and the exports from Sweden to other nations are confiderable, befide the quantity annually used in Sweden, which much exceeds 100,000 Schifps.' In the firft edition of the work, from which our estimate was extracted, the author only faid, what we tranfcribed, that a Schifp weighs 16 lbs. ; but in a second edition, which we have fince feen, he adds, "Le Schift eft de differens paids: celui du mineral, celui de fer de fonte, celui de vittuailles, &c. different. Il fagit ici du Schifp de fer de fonte, qui péfe 16 Lis lbs." "Now, a Lis-pound is the 20th part of a fhippound, according to the continental weights; and a ship-pound, we believe, is 256 English pounds. The Lis-pound, then (the zoth part of 256), will be nearly 13 pounds. The Schifp de fer de fonte, then, which is here meant (being 16 Lis-pounds), will be found to be 208 pounds; and 400,000 Schifps will now produce a much larger quantity than the fmall fum which excited the astonishment of Ferri. We are sorry that we cannot give this Correspondent any information, from his imperfect data, concerning the work about which he enquires. Eveshamenfis is perfectly right in his correction: therefore, our readers are defired to make the following alterations: Appendix to vol. lxxx. p. 614. line 14. for M. DE LA COUR,' read M. DE MEERMAN; ib. line 17. for M. DE MEERMAN,' read M. DE LA COUR. This unlucky tranfpofition of names arose from fome diffi culty and obfcurity in the copy of the Reviewer, which could not be rectified in England. ttt A real Well-wisher and Admirer' fuggefts fome alteration in the plan and conduct of our Review; particularly, that the opinion delivered of every publication fhould be fupported by at least one extract from the performance characterized. We are obliged to this Correfpondent for the hand fome terms in which he has communicated this hint; but after having fo long tafked our best abilities This name was, before, printed Brown, by mistaking the handwriting of the Reviewer. to |