Like some instrument of sound What a power of pathos is there in the following simple lines, entitled, 66 A FATHER'S GRIEF. "Thou art not dead, my vanish'd one! Of some pure world beyond the sun, "When first I saw thy baby form So soon to blast my May-born flower "The Lord who gives has ta'en away, And feel God's hallow'd claim :- "Pale relic! new enrobed for death, When throbs of suffering o'er thee came "Departed babe! how many a dream That o'er his hours there breathed a spell "With thy soft features round me glowing And with a heart to heaven o'erflowing, "Already Hope's prophetic eye 66 Where truth and grace would be thy guide, I dream'd, if God thy life should spare, To hear thy budding lips declare And watch thy spirit, day by day, Rise into speech, and learn to pray."—p. 119. The last poem in the volume, entitled, "GOD AND THE SOUL," is a striking exemplification of Robert Montgomery, commencing with the following extraordinary stanza : "Alone we live, alone we die, But search'd by Him whose wisdom can Anatomize the inward man." It is almost beyond belief that the author of these strangely infelicitous lines, the first couplet of which contains a bull, and the last is actual doggerel, should conclude with these noble verses, equal in sublimity and power to any thing ever written : "Let God, then, thy religion be, And not religion God to thee : Without Him, worlds would leave us poor, And with Him, who can want for more?"-p. 302. On the other hand, again, take the following equally characteristic passage, the commencement of an extract, entitled, Reverence Due to the Sabbath : "Abhorr'd be therefore that most brutal aim, A rank hyperbolé of godless crime, Which massacres religion at a blow, That ere by riot, lust, or lawless gain, Or by some logic, false as fiends inspire,— Our Sabbaths from their sanctity should fail Or falter." What an ulcer this for the "wee beasties" (as they call such little creatures in Scotland) to fatten and batten upon. We will not say that Mr. Montgomery is to be "abhorr'd" for writing it, since we fully acquit him of any "brutal aim" in so doing; though he has twined "rank" weeds with his poetic wreath, and run "riot" with his imagination, and perpetrated an awful " massacre of good sense and good taste. We have, however, said enough to indicate the character of the volume under review; and shall conclude by quoting a noble stanza, which has caught our eye in turning the leaves over : "Around, above, beneath, 'tis all divine, When faith the grand original can see, And while sense worships in the outer shrine, Know the vast world was once a thought in Thee." Iv.-Prayers for Married Persons; Daily and Occasional. Selected from various sources, chiefly from the Ancient Liturgies. Oxford and London: John Henry Parker. 1852. A WANT which has long been felt; and which is admirably satisfied by this excellent and unobjectionable little book. v.-The Old Oak Chest; a Tale of Domestic Life. By G. P. R. JAMES, Esq., Author of "The Gipsy," &c. In 3 vols. 8vo. London: Newby. MANY are the delightful works which have proceeded from the pen of Mr. James, though it cannot be denied that he has at times rather over-written himself. The present volumes are, however, amongst the most successful which he has ever produced. The plot is well imagined, the characters well sustained, the scenery exquisitely described, the interest never flags, and, withal, there is that charm of sterling Christianity which so happily distinguishes the productions of this author from those of more than one of his most celebrated contemporaries. Then, too, though our feelings are strongly excited, there is nothing harrowing or horrible in the book; so that whilst well suited for a leisure hour of those in health, it is almost invaluable in the sick room of an invalid just recovering from dangerous illness, but still far too weak to bear any undue excitement of the nerves. From the many passing observations with which it is enriched, we quote the following: 66 Every action has its ghost that never dies, but wanders round us in our sojourn upon earth, influencing our fate, affecting our mind, now punishing or rewarding the deed past, now prompting to deeds to come, haunting us as the good or evil spirit, cheering us on the path of difficulty, danger, or distress, or plunging us deeper and deeper into despair and crime."-Vol. iii. pp. 278, 279. Again : "We are accustomed to consider faith, hope, and charity merely as virtues which lead us to eternal happiness hereafter. We rarely think of the infinite blessings which each of them bestows upon us here. How faith endows us with that cheerful confidence which is the basis f all happiness; how hope plucking fruit from every tree, gathers for us vast treasures of enjoyment, which never can be contained in the narrow storehouse of the present; and how charity expands through infinite relations those kindly affections which are the sources of all earthly bliss."-Vol. ii. p. 58. VI.-Devotions for the Sick. Prayers and Thanksgivings, with Instructions for the use of Sick Persons, and their Friends, during Sickness or upon Recovery. Oxford and London: John Henry Parker. THIS is a very useful and excellent manual. We see, moreover, no fault in it, except, firstly, that in explaining the Creed, we find, under the head, Born of the Virgin Mary, "His mother being a holy person, not chosen to this great honour for her wealth or beauty, but by the good will of God, and because she was of rare exemplary modesty and humility." Now that the blessed Virgin " was of rare exemplary modesty and humility," we entertain not the slightest doubt; in fact, we consider her to be the most perfect of those who have ever been naturally engendered of the offspring of Adam; to be a bright example of every virtue, and a peculiar and eminent model of womanly excellence; but we scarcely think that she was chosen to be the mother of our Lord as a reward for these merits, but rather that she was made as near perfection as possible, that she might become a less unsuitable temple for the incarnate God. Secondly, in the directions for self-examination-we think that where the first and second commandments are expounded, it is unwise and almost unreal to omit all allusion to those idolatrous practices and principles, to the influence of which, more or less, so many, so very many, are now subjected. Romanizing is the most perilous temptation, where it is not the besetting sin of numbers of nominal Churchmen. It is scarcely right or safe, therefore, to avoid all reference to it in a work like the present. Notwithstanding, however, these drawbacks, we heartily recommend the book both to the sick and to all those concerned with them. VII.-Adam Gracme of Mossgray. By the Author of "Mrs. Margaret Maitland." 3 vols. 8vo. London: Colburn. THIS is one of the most exquisite books of the kind with which we are acquainted, and fully keeps up the high character which the author has already acquired; there is more poetry, more rich softness both of colouring and of emotion in this than in the previous novels by the same writer, at the same time that there is the same graphic delineation of life and character, and the same delightful playfulness; there is also more of universal Christianity, with less of Presbyterian sectarianism than heretofore. Take it all in all, from first to last, it is a really enchanting work; and one which ought to make those who read it better and kinder. VIII.-English Songs and other Small Poems. By BARRY CORNWALL. London: Chapman and Hall. 1851. WE are glad to see a cheap, portable, and readable edition of these justly popular poems. To most of our readers the greater number of them are probably well known. For the benefit, however, of those who may not be so well acquainted with them, we will transfer one or two of them to our pages. How sweet and graceful is this: "I love him; I dream of him; And all the night I hear him talk, "There's beauty in the morning; "I love him; I trust in him; And so the time flies hopefully, Although he's far away!" Changing to another strain, how striking, how touching, and, alas! how true is the following: "The winds are bitter; the skies are wild; From the roof comes plunging the drowning rain: No one heareth her, no one heedeth her: But Hunger, her friend, with his bony hand, 'What dost thou in a Christian land?' (WITHIN.) "The skies are wild, and the blast is cold; |