beft authorites, of the remarkable events exhibited upon the frontiers of the two kingdoms, is, in the following work offered to the public. "The relations of the military tranfactions are compiled from the most authentic hiftorians of England and Scotland, and all along connected with fo much of the hiftory of both nations, as feems neceffary for understanding their circumftances, caufes, and confequences; and for conveying to the reader, a knowledge of the characters of the principal perfons concerned in thefe fcenes of ftrife. Aware of the preju-. dices of the hiftorians on both fides, the author has been upon his guard, and has endeavoured to conduct his narrative of the borderwars with the ftricteft impartiality. And indeed it required all his caution and prudence, qualities which he eminently poffeffed, to avoid giving offence to either people, and to fleer with safety through fo uncertain and difficult a period. "With regard to the civil tranfactions that happened upon the marches, the author's account of them is chiefly taken from the valuable collection of archives, published by Mr. Rymer. This colledion contains a series of treaties and original papers relating to the borders, many of which have been but imperfectly confidered, and in various inftances mifreprefented, even by the more acurate and voluminous inquirers of both kingdoms, whofe negligence in this refpect leems to have arifen from their attention to objects of a more general and interefling nature. The above-mentioned treaties, and those published by Dr. Nicholson in his border-laws, the author did therefore perufe, with the greateft care, and gives, it is hoped, a more accurate and better connected account of them than hath hitherto appeared; by which several mistakes committed by the moft exact compilers of the Scottish and English hiftories are corrected, and many of their defects fupplied, The author hath all along illuftrated his narrative with notes, in which he has taken great pains to adjuft dates and to remove doubts and difficulties; and hath likewife enlivened them with anecdotes relating to remarkable perfons and antiquities, which could not with any propriety be received into the text.. These fhort difcuffions and anecdotes, may probably appear to many readers, the moft entertaining, and not the least useful part of the work." As a fpecimen of the style and manner, in which this work is executed, we shall give an extract, from the author's account of the state of the borders, on the death of Queen Elizabeth, and of the entrance of James the VI. of Scotland, into Berwick, on his acceffion to the crown of England. "In the last winter of Elizabeth's life, when her health, which had formerly been very vigorous, was fuffering a vifible decline, James was folicited by fome of his friends in England, and in particular by the earl of Northumberland *, who was then efteemed the noft power ful The prefent [then] earl of Northumberland was Henry Percy, the e Jeft for and fucceffor of the earl of the fame name, who died in the Tower ia 1583. The present [then] earl went on board the queen's fleet to oppose the Spanish A ̃mada ful of the English nobles, to fecure his fucceffion to Elizabeth's crown, by endeavouring to feize it while fhe was yet alive, and before any other pretender appeared, It was much to the honour, and probably not lefs for the intereft of James, that he rejected all fuch counfels. He thanked Northumberland for his friendship and offers of fervice, but difapproved his dangerous advice, and defired the earl to fend him no more letters of that ftrain. Soon after, the continuance of the queen's diftrefs brought to a period her long and glorious life and reign? and her death opened the way to the peaceful fucceffion of James as the heir of her crown and dominions. "The first information of queen Elizabeth's death, was brought to king James by Sir Robert Carey. This gentleman, after attending almoft five years his wardenfhip of the middle march, made a visit to the English court in the laft winter of the queen's life. Perceiving her to be in a declining ftate, he waited the iffue; and when her death was evidently approaching, he formed the refolution of being the firft mel-' fenger of it to the king of Scotland, which purpofe he made known to the king by a letter. He was prompted to make this offer of fervice by the particular favour which James had fhewn him, when employed at his court; and the certain profpect of his office on the borders, which produced the principal part of his revenue*, coming to a period at the death of the queen, made it highly expedient for him to court the favour of her fucceffor by the moft early demonftration of attachment. Having therefore had the addrefs and good fortune to make his escape from the lords of the council of England, who did not intend to employ him as their meffenger, he fet out on the forenoon of the day on which the queen died, and, purfuing his journey with great speed, arrived on the night of the following day at his houfe at Widdrington. He there gave proper directions to his deputies for preferving the quiet of the marshes, in which they found confiderable difficulty t; and by his order, the king of Scotland was proclaimed next day king of England, at Widdrington, Morpeth, and Alnwick. On the fame day, this proclamation was alfo made at Berwick ‡, in confequence of intelligence VOL. III. Ссс Armada in 1588. He was, at the time of the queen's death, by his fpirit, abilities, and intereft, accounted the only man in England qualified to be the head of a party, He was thoroughly attached to James, and fecretary Cecil carried on his correfpondence with this prince by his aid. Carte, from Beaumont's Letters, vol. iii, p. 698. fent His office of warden, with the pay allowed him for forty horse, amounted to more than 1000l. per ann. Mem. p. 191. + Carey relates afterwards, that the caft-border, on hearing of the queen's death, became very unruly, and that the distress he fuffered by the wound in his head, hindering him from going in perfon to appeafe thofe diforders, he employed his deputies in that service, by whose care quiet was foon reftored. Mem. p. 190. Befides the account in Stowe, this is evident from the copy of a letter in the Berwick archives, fent to the king from the mayor, aldermen, and commons of that town, bearing date the 26th of March. It is full of highflown expreffions of duty and attachment to their new fovereign; and informs him, that they had, with prefent expedition, and with what folemnity the leisure of time would afford, published and proclaimed his facred majefty king of England, France, and Ireland; and entreats him to paidon fuch defects as by ignorance, omiflion, or otherwife, by the ftraitness of time, had happened in the performance thereof.' fent to Sir John Carey, marfbal of that place, by his brother Sir Robert; who having fet early out on the morning of that day from Widdrington, came to Norham at noon. On his way between the places laft named, he received a fore wound in his head by a fall and a ftroke from his hoife, which obliging him to move more flowly, he did not reach Edinburgh till the king had gone to bed. This circumftance could make no flop to the admiffion of the bearer of fuch high tidings; and Carey was the first who faluted James king of his new acquired dominions. As James was to enter England by the way of Berwick, he fent on the fecond day after Sir Robert Carey's arrival, the lord Abbot of Holyrood-houfe, to take poffeffion of that place, and to receive the allegiance of the governor and mayor. Thefe officers chearfully gave the required oaths, and delivered into the hands of James's melfenger, the keys of the gates and mayor's ftaff, which were inmediately returned, and affurances given in the king's name, of the chaiters, privileges, and liberties of the town being preferved inviolate. The alacrity and unanimity of the inhabitants and garrifon, in recognifing the king's title, prefented an agreeable omen of the welcome reception awaiting him in his new kingdom. Sir Charles Percy, brother of the earl of Northumberland, and Thomas Somerset son of the earl of Woicefter, were the meffengers fent by the English council to notify to James the death of the queen, and the proclamation of him as her fucceffor at London. And to entreat him to make no delay, in coming to take poffeffion of his right. The king, on receiving this meilage, caufed his new titles to be proclaimed at Edinburgh; and having, on the Sunday following, made a farewell speech to his people, in the principal church of that city, he fet out on the Tuesday towards England. The royal retinue confifted of about five hundred perfons on horfeback; the council of England having advifed the king, for the fake of avoiding difturbances, to content himself with a moderate number of attendants. Of this number, thofe of noble rank were, the duke of Lennox, the earls of Mar, Murry, and Argyle, and the lord The king, on the firft day of his journey, came to the houfe of the last named loid, at Dunglafs, where he lodged, and was fplendidly entertained. In his progrefs next day from Dunglafs to Berwick, Home t. This meflenger of the king did no doubt carry with him the king's anfwer to the town's letter or addrefs, of which aufwer a copy alio remins in the town's archives. It is as follows. Trufty friends, we greet you hear tily well. We render you thanks for your fo dutiful affection, utterit ia afifting and concurring fae willingly with your governour, in putting the town of Berwick in our hands, which we have appointit to be governed in the fame form and manner as heretofore, while we advife otherwife to dis pole upon the fame; affurcing you always to finde us a gratious and loving prince, wha fal be careful to maintaine your wonted liberties and priv leges, and to fee that the fame be nae ways brangillit, nor otherwaies prejudget. Sua we commit you to God.' From Hallirude-house this 27th day of March, 1603. To our truty friends, the mayor and aldermen of our town of Berwick. Sir George Hume ticafurer, and Sir Robert Ker of Ceistord, were dis of this number. Berwick, the cavalcade was joined by many of the kindred, naine, and dependants of lord Hume. Many Englishmen also met him on the road, with their tributes of duty and congratulation. On his arrival at the Berwick boundary, he was received with every demonftration of reverence and welcome by the marshal Sir John Carey, accompanied by the officers of the garrifon, at the head of their feveral bands of horfe and foot. While thefe difcharged vollies from their mufquets, the cannons thundered from the walls, and loud acclamations of joy were raised on all fides. "As the king entered the gate, the keys of the town were delivered to him by William Selby, the gentleman porter; on whom the king conferred at that inftant the honour of knight, and returned to him the keys. Proceeding to the market-place, through the armed bands of the garrifon, he was there received by Hugh Gregfon the mayor, and his fellow-magiftrates. The mayor prefented to him a purte of gold and the town's charter, and Chriftopher Parkinson the recorder addreffed him in a folemn congratulary speech; all which honours he received very gracioufly, reftoring the charter, and affuring the town of his favour and protection. The king proceeded next to the church, to give public thanks to God for granting him a peaceful entrance into his new kingdom. Toby Matthews, bishop of Durham*, was there to receive him; and preached on the occafion an eloquent fermon. From the church the king went to the palace, the cannons were again fired, bonefires kindled, and the town refounded with cordial and loud expreffions of joy." In point of tile, the critical reader will fee there is not much to admire in this production; in the industry and the impartiality of the hiftorian he will probably find more to approve. M. The Spleen: or, the Offspring of Folly. A Lyri- comi-tragic Tale. In four Cantos. Cum notis variorum. Dedicated to George Colman, Efq. Author of the Spleen, A comic Piece, performed with wonderful fuccefs at Drury-Lane Theatre. 49. 2s. 6d. Bew. De te fabula narratur. Fondly miflaking Spleen for it, No author ever fpar'd a brother, GREEN'S Spleen. So was it in the days of Dan Gay, and fo it feems ever likely to be while the fame phyfical caufe, which infpires vivacity of genius, proportionally inflames the violence of the paffions." The poets in particular have been for ages ftigmatifed as a genus irritabile. In many modern inftances alfo, they appear to be not only Ccc 2 • Johton in Rer. Brift. Hift. calls him fuitemporis difcretiffimus, p. 363. only irritabile but implacabile; in which circumftance they differ from the generality of mankind, among whom the most irritable and readily provoked are, for the most part, the most placable and easily appeafed. But we will fupprefs our furmife of the real author of this fplenetic retort, to attend to the nominal one, Mt. John Rubrick. Our readers may remember, that, in our Review for April laft, we gave fome account of Mr. Colman's laft new dramatic piece, entitled the Spleen, or Iflington Spa: in which that writer had unjuftifiably and wantonly attempted to throw ridicule on certain worthy and refpectable characters of the Rubrick family, from whom he had never received offence. The prefent Lyri-comi-tragic piece, entitled the Spleen, or the Ofspring of Folly, appears to have been written on the princi ple of the lex talionis, by way of retaliation. Indeed, our Ma thematical Cantab feems to be more than a match for the Claffcal Oxonian, at his own weapons.-Our readers will judge.Mr. Rubrick is perhaps the first that ever made the here of a fatirical poem the patron of the poet: Yet thus fingular has he chofen to be in the following dedication. "Sir, As you have done me the honour to make me the subject of your dramatic fatire in doing which, you have flown off in a direct tangent from the circle of fcience. You will excufe me, if, in returning the compliment, I have at any time apparently deviated from the line of mathematical truth, in modelling the figures of poetical fiction. The force of metaphorical expreffions is not to be estimated fo precisely as the momentum of mechanic powers: and yet there may be as much veracity couched under the moral of an allegory as in the most demonftrable propofition of Euclid. Of this, at least, I am certain, that my characters are as juftly drawn and my allufions as apt and applicable as yours: fave and except, indeed, your incomparable parallels, which, at the fame time as they preferve their parallelism, diverge, with a true poetical licence, like rays from a common centre. Happy Qxoni ans, to whofe fuperior privileges even lines and figures pay obfequious attention! Congratulating you as one of the firit of thefe highly-fa voured geniuses, permit an humble Cantab to fubfcribe himself, * Under particular obligations, your unparalleled admirer, JOHN RUBRICK." The argument of the poem is contained in the following abftract: WIT and FOLLY beget the hero of the piece-The Genius of Britain disgufled at their piepofterous union-SPLEEN adopts the embrio in the womb-Accompanies the mother to France and Italy-Our hero prematurely dropt on the road-Modern Italy apofirophizedFLORENCE, • See the Spleen, or Islington Spa. A&t. I. Alfo the London Review for April last. |