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Tanjore to its former fovereign. He fubjoins fome general remarks on the impropriety and injuftice of making conquefts for the Mahometan princes in India: and concludes with a wish, in which all true friends to the rights of humanity, without deciding to which party the guilt of oppreffion belongs, may concur: It is hoped that the active partizans of oppreffion, by officiously bringing these matters into difcuffion, will roufe the humanity and juftice of his Majefty, this nation, and the Company, in favour of the unhappy nations, princes, and people, who are under our protection, and from whom we derive infinite benefits.'

ART. VII. Poems, by a young Nobleman, of distinguished Abilities, lately deceased; particularly the State of England, and the once flourishing City of London. In a Letter from an American Traveller, dated from the ruinous Portico of St. Paul's, in the Year 2199, to a Friend fettled in Bofton, the Metropolis of the Western Empire. Alfo, fundry fugitive Pieces, principally wrote whilft upon his Travels on the Continent. 4to. 2s. 6d. Kearfly. 1780.

TH

HE Nobleman, who is fuppofed to have been the Author of thefe Poems, was fufficiently notorious. Nature had beftowed upon him confiderable talents: thefe talents, under the care of a moft excellent father, had met with the highest cultivation. Such were the advantages with which he entered into life. Unfortunately both for himself and for the world, there was fomething ftill wanting to give a proper direction to thofe abilities for which he was foon diftinguished. Devoted, unhappily, to the purfuit of pleasure, he feems to have been one of those who emancipate themselves from every principle which opposes the gratification of their ruling appetite. A mind enflaved by vice, and enfeebled by a conftant attention to low and fordid enjoyments, feems incapable of that dignity and elevation which are fo effential to true poetry. Hence it may be that we meet with fo few marks of thofe diftinguished abilities which are announced in the title-page of thefe poems. Though we indeed expected not the "dignity of verfe," we yet looked for brilliancy and wit. In this refpect, however, we are also difappointed. The firft poem, the State of England in the year 2199, is heavy and unanimated. Neither force of genius nor grace of fancy are difplayed in it. A Boftonian is supposed to vifit the ruins of London; a poor emaciated Briton, who officiates as Ciceroni, is his attendant. After expatiating on the different objects that had engaged their attention, they

proceed into a field
O'ergrown with rank and noisome weeds, and here
The noneft Briton wiping from his eye
The Itarting tear, in broken fobs of grief,

And

And mingled indignation thus exclaim'd.-
"In this unwhole fome fen, by the foul toad,
"And eyelefs newt inhabited, once stood

The Bank and Treafury of England, fill'd
"With fhining heaps of beaten gold; a fum
"That would have beggar'd all the petty flates
"Of Europe to have rais'd, here half the wealth
"Of Mexique and Peru was pour'd, and hence
"Diffus'd in many a copious stream, was spread
"To diftant towns, and cities, and enrich'd
"Induftrious commerce through the polished land.
"But now, alas! not e'en a trace remains,
"Not e'en a ruin of the fpacious pile,
"Raz'd even with the duft, by the joint hand
"Of the avenging multitude; what time
"The fall of public credit, that had long
"Tottered upon her airy base, involv'd
"In fudden and promifcuous ruin all
"The great commercial world -Then fell,
"Struck to the heart by dark Corruption's arms,
"The British Lion-then the Flower de Lis
"Wav'd high on London's tower, and then funk
"Beneath the tyrant's bloody hand, the last
"Remaining fpark of LIBERTY.-A dire
"And dreadful revolution! O my poor,
"My ruin'd country! long thou waft the pride
"And dread of nations; far above the rest

Happy and great, nor would the envious foe
"Subdue thy warlike fons, but 'twas thyself
"That kill'd thyself. O memory, that wounds
"My agonizing breaft-O grief of heart
"That overturns all patience!"-Thus much
His plaintive voice was heard; the reft was choak'd
By fighs and groans, that would have mov'd the heart
Of favage rage to pity, much I griev'd

At Britain's downfall.

The only attempt at any thing like poetical defcription, is in the paffage that immediately follows:

thought revolv'd on thought,

And my rapt mind was held in fix'd fufpence,
And melancholy mufing, but foon rouz'd
By an unusual found;-the whifling wind
Mutter'd a hollow groan, the thicken'd sky,
Like a dark vault portentous food !—a blaze
Of reddeft lightning fhot across the gloom,
The thunder rais'd his dreadful roar, and clofe
Before my aftonish'd eyes a phantom stood,
In shape and gefture like a warrior old,
Of afpect gaunt and grim; his grizzly beard
And fwarthy face was all befmear'd with dust,
And clotted gore, his fable armour pierc'd
REV. Feb. 1780.

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With

With many a fhaft, upon his bruis'd limbs
And aged body feem'd a useless load!

In his right hand he held a broken spear,
And in his left a moulder'd fcroll, whereon
The words of MAGNA CHARTA were engrav'd
In bloody characters.

The poem afterwards concludes with fome rhymes, which, we are of opinion, muft have been added by a very inferior hand, as they are fuch as would confer no honour on the belman.

The fecond piece in the collection is addreffed to Lady Catharine A-nf-y, on her departure for Ireland. This, as well as the poem that immediately follows it, addreffed to a friend from Venice, contains fome tolerable lines. The verfes we are most pleased with are

An Invitation to Mifs WARB-RT-N.

Already wafted from th' empurpled meads
Of bleft Arcadia, with soft vernal airs,
Zephyr had op'd the tender buds, that fear'd
Th' inclement fky, and now the genial fun
His vivid beams o'er herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r
Effufes, and calls forth the wanton Spring
In all her charms-and fhall fhe fpread around
Her honey'd treafures, and delicious bloom,
Whilft in dark cities pent, 'midft noxious fumes,
My Am'ret waftes the rofy hours, nor heeds
Their nectar'd sweets, unmindful how expand
The new-born leaves, or how th' enlivening ray
Paints ev'ry flow'r with green, and native gold?
O! come, thou faireft flow'r, by Nature's hand
Made not to bloom unfeen, where ardent love
Invites; and 'mid the love-infpiring gloom
Of HAGLEY fhades, deign tread the rural haunts
Of univerfal Pan; for there he dwells,

And thofe his lov'd retreats, where shadowy woods
Weave leafy arches 'crofs the gushing rills,
That ever and anon from airy heights

Defcend, and gurgling through the op'ning vale,
Glide fmoothly onward, whilft the Naiads mark
Their calm foft courfe.-Such was the blissful scene
By fine poetic fancy view'd of old,

In Tempe's vale; where the delighted gods
With wood-nymphs danc'd in chorus, to the tune
Of pipes and voices fweet, whofe charming found
The mute herds mov'd, and held their favage hearts
In rapture:-but not the who on those plains
With graceful ftep led on th' eternal spring,
Fair Flora, nor the nymph whom gloomy Dis
Beheld in Enna's grove, and inftant lov'd,

With Thee could be compar'd, nor could their charms
So touch the heart, or raise so pure a flame.

We

We almoft imagine we perceive in the above little poem fome marks of the ftyle and fentiment of a former Lord Lyttelton. What, in fome measure, favours our conjecture, is, that we find nothing in the present collection that bears any refemblance to it.

Befide the pieces already taken notice of, there is a tolerable imitation of the firft Elegy of Tibullus. The remaining part of the poems we pafs over as, in general, poor, contemptible, and vulgar.

Prefixed to this collection, is an apology for its noble Author, by a Gentleman who had been his intimate companion many years. From this intimate companion we learn, that no man ever experienced more illiberality; few men deferved it lefs." And speaking of the obloquy and reproaches which his Lordfhip met with for his licentious and unprincipled conduct with respect to women, this Apologift adds, there is no fituation in life which will admit of an avowed contempt of vulgar prejudices.' We think this friend had acted more judiciously had he paffed over his Lordship's vices in filence, than thus by a feeble an ineffectual effort to excufe them, be the means of keeping up the memory of what, it might be hoped, would foon have been loft in oblivion.

ART. VIII. Letters on Patriotifm. Tranflated from the French Original printed at Berlin. Small 8vo. 2 s. fewed. Conant. 1780. HIS work is introduced to the English reader by the following extract of a letter from Berlin :

T

"The letters which accompany this, are at prefent read with the greatest avidity throughout Germany; they were lately published at this place in French, and are the production of our great northern

hero.

"You will give the tranflation of them to the Public in whatever form you please. At this period, every incitement to patriotism is Jaudable; though the general conduct of your nation, which has jaftly excited the admiration of the world (I mean the general proofs of patriotifm), fufficiently thew how little fuch incitements are wanted.

"In the tranflation, I am apprehenfive, fome traces may be dif covered of a pen difused in its native language; but however it may fall fhort of the beautiful fimplicity and fpirit of the original, I believe it will be found no unfaithful copy of the illuftrious Author's meaning.".

The above extract affords, in general, a pretty just account of the work before us.

As to the authenticity of the Letters, we are difpofed to believe them genuine, when we view them in connexion with the other productions of the royal Author; but if we compare the generous, humane, and patriotic fentiments contained in the

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prefent

prefent work, with the life and actions of his Pn My, we fhall find as little reafon, perhaps, to afcribe it to him as to any other perfon in his dominions.

The Letters are fuppofed to pafs between Anapistamon* and Philopatros; the former of whom is inftructed by the latter, in the duties which he owes to his country. These duties are enforced by every confideration (excepting thofe of RELIGION and LIBERTY) that can influence the minds of men. It is not in republics only that the virtues of the citizen ought to prevail.

Good monarchies, founded on principles of prudence and phi lanthropy, constitute in our times a species of government approaching much more to aristocracy than to defpotifm; in fact, it is the LAWS only that reign in fuch a government.

Let us confider this matter a little :-If we reckon up the perfons who have a fhare in the feveral councils, in the adminiftration of juice, in the finances, in foreign miffions, in commerce, in the army, in the interior police of the nation; add moreover all those who have votes in the provinces; all these in fome degree partake of the fovereign authority. The Prince, in such a state, is far from a defpotic and arbitrary governor, acting only from his caprice; he is only the central point in which all the radii of the circle concur. In this form of government only, it is poffible for deliberations to be managed with a fecrecy unattainable in republics, and for the different branches of adminiftration to proceed, like the quadriga of the Romans, marching abreast, and concurring equally to the general welfare. If the Prince is endued with firmness, there will be much lefs room for faction than in republics, which are so often ruined and fubverted by the iniquitous intrigues and confederacies of the citizens against each other.'

The Author, perfonating the Mother Country, fums up, in a few words, the principal arguments employed in the course of the work:

"Ah! ye degenerate and ungrateful children, indebted to me for your existence, will ye for ever remain infenfible of the favours which I heap upon you? Whence are your ancestors? It is I who gave them birth.-Whence did ye both receive your nourishment? From my inexhaustible fecundity; they were indebted to me for their education; their eftates and poffeffions are my ground, my foil. Ye yourselves were created in my womb; in fhort, ye, your parents, your friends, and whatever is dearest to you in this world, it is I who gave them being. My tribunals of justice protect you against iniquity; they defend and vindicate your rights; they guard your poffeffions; the policy which I established, watches for your fafety; when ye walk the town, or ramble the fields, ye are equally fecure against the furprise of thieves, and against the dagger of affaffins;

* We leave it to our learned Readers to determine whether it is from ignorance of the Greek that the fecond and fourth fyllables of the word alluded to, are erroneously written throughout.

and

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