lines fpace, and in the latter from three to four; but in those who died in child-bed he conftantly gained from fix to nine lines.

Both Mr. Sigault and Mr. Le Roy have received diftinguished honours from the faculty of phyfic at Paris, for the zeal with which they have profecuted this extraordinary improvement in midwifery; and it is to be hoped that many lives may henceforth be preserved, by the performance of this operation.

The Hiftory of the Holy Bible. As contained in the facred Scriptures of the Old and New Teftaments. Attempted in eafy Perfe. With occafional Notes. By John Fellows. 4 Vols. Small 8vo. 81. Jerved, Hogg,

THERE is no book in the world, which it is fo difficult to tranflate into verfe, as the Bible. The majefty of the facred writers is almoft incompatible with the levity of the Mufe; especially in the light, airy measure of eight fyllables. This writer, we really believe, has taken infinite pains to render his verfification eafy and harmonious. But whilft he is purfuing the fublime, he frequently falls into the bathos. Thus, in defcribing the deluge, he says,

Seas, ftorms, and clouds, together blend,
Foam, fmoke, and dashing roar and rend,”

In verfifying the story of Balaam's afs, he uses this familiar language.

L

His thoughts on gain old Balaam plac'd,

And burries on his afs with haste.'

But when the angel appeared with a fword in his hand,

-The trembling afs

Dares not draw nigh, or by it pafs;
But burls the rider to the ground.
Soon as his legs the old man found,
To the poor brute in wrath he goes,
And loads bis bide with heavy blows.?

But

བ་

But as we have already intimated, that a poetical version of the Old and New Teftament would be an arduous undertaking for the moft exalted genius, we fhall not attempt to expofe any ludicrous paffage, which might be found in this work, but fhall fubjoin only one extract, in which the author appears to more advantage. We muft however premife, that we do not agree with him in fuppofing, that the devil carried our Saviour on his back, when he is faid to have taken him up to the top of a high mountain in the wilderness. The original word παραλαμβάνει conveys no fuch idea.

The tempter takes

The great Redeemer up, and makes
For a vaft mountain, on the crown
He fets the facred burden down.
Then by his bold delufive powers,
He brings vaft cities, temples, towers,
And all the glorious, glittering things,
Which wait on empires, and on kings,
Full in the fight: all round they lie,
And fwell upon the wandering eye:
To fill the heart the whole combine,
And all the gaudy landscape shine.'

We freely allow, that there are many paffages in this work, which are really poetical: but, upon the whole, we cannot but look upon this attempt as a transformation of the patriarchs, prophets, and apoftles, into modern beaux.

The notes, which accompany this translation, are few and concife. The fecond contains this curious information.→→ About a mile from Damascus, in a valley, by the fide of a hill, is a place, where a house now ftands, which is shewn for the spot, where Cain murdered his brother. The Jewish writers fay, that he was killed by a blow on the head with a ftone. Milton fays, he was flain with a ftone; but fuppofes him to have received the blow on his ftomach.' This note, we fuppofe, is for the amusement of readers:

young

Thefe volumes are neatly printed, and adorned with elegant copper-plates.

The Example: or the Hiftory of Lucy Cleveland. By a Young Lady. 2 vols. 12mo. 5s. Jerved. Fielding and Walker.

WHAT is the fubject of this novel? Love.-What its ftory? Love. What is it calculated to promote? Love, almighty Love.-The dear name of one of its ladies is no

other

other than Delia.-Delia Morley; one of the names of Venus herself!-But then the novel is penned by the hand of a lady, who thus addreffes the reader.

When I attempt to intereft an impartial public in favour of the following work, it is not from a vain hope, that it is deferving of the approbation of the judicious.-No, my hopes are better founded: a candid, a liberal, a generous public, will make the neceffary allowances, for the first attempt of a young female adventurer in letters.

Perfectly ready are we to make every allowance for this lady's first appearance; we wish, however, that he had confulted fome of her friends concerning that appearance: for we will do her the justice to say she discovers fome ability; and much reading, especially among our poets.

But, befide that 'green and yellow melancholy' of Shakspeare, which her fond pencil has thrown over the whole piece; the figures are not fufficiently marked, They have no cha

racters.

Thus did my worthy father delineate the many virtues of a man, whom your poor Lucy already began to find too formidable. My vanity had fuggefted to me at the first interview, that I had made an equal impreffion on him-but when I heard he was already married! I was almoft petrified by the intelligence.'

This is literally falling in love-tumbling headlong into the bottomlefs pit; not, like an engineer, making gradual ap proaches.

A few days after, as I was expreffing my gratitude for fuch difinterested, fuch unmerited friendship, the fervant interrupted me by announcing, "Captain Morley is arrived, fir, and requests half an hour's converfation with you.”—Mr, Smyth left the room, but in a very short time returned, introducing captain Morley to me." There, Frank, faid he, is a young amiable widow ! what say you to her?" "I say, replied Morley, nothing"-Nothing!' reiterated Mr. Smyth, with great quickness, "I thought, fir, you would have faid much -and that to the purpose too, or I would never have introduced you to fo much excellence !"

"Dear fir, faid Morley, you are so hafty, that you interrupt me most unfortunately. I was going to fay, Nothing, that could be fpoke with propriety in the lady's prefence-my fentiments respecting her, fhall not long remain a fecret, but when I have not been half an hour in the room with her, to fay more would be indelicate to the highest degree."

Yet, in this half hour, more bufinefs it feems was tranfacted than common folk can credit.-Again

• Mr.

Mr. Delmont vifited us yefterday, and unless I am greatly miftaken, intirely deprived my fifter of her heart.'

Happy Delmont, to make a conqueft in a very firft vifit, before many commanders would have thought of opening the campaign! But all the ladies and gentlemen here are as cómbuftible as gunpowder. Our authorefs had previously paired all the drooping inhabitants of her paftoral grove; and it did not occur to her, that any reader would think that unnatural or fudden with which fhe had been long acquainted; or would endeavour to put afunder those her invention had joined to gether.

To unravel the whole complicated web of this entangled love-tale is impoffible. The lady, who gives it the name of Lucy Cleveland, is rather fingular in the article of her history. Her modefty falls in love, at firft fight, with Mr. Bofwell whom the understands to be married. As bigamy is not yet introduced into novels, fhe marries Mr. Arlington, because the could not marry Mr. Bofwell. But, as foon as the bas married Mr. A. he finds fhe might have married Mr. B. fince his fuppofed wife was only his miftrefs. She is doomed, however, to the arms of Mr. A. who, at leaft, is indifferent to her; and Mr. B pines in vain for his lovely Lucy. This knot of difficulties is at laft cut by the feythe of death. Mr. A. moft obligingly dies; and that, as fuddenly as the heroes and heroines of the novel fall in love. Mr. B. changes his name to Seymour for a little fortune of 2000l. a year, and LucyTM Cleveland changes her name a fecond time to Seymour.

As to the influence which this novel may have upon the morals of its readers, the authoress indeed fays—

All I intreat of those who may think it worth their while to form a judgment of the following work, or, who may be inclined to criticife on it, is, that they will recall to their remembrance the motive that firft induced the undertaking: that of holding out a good example to my female readers.'

If, to put together a bundle of incidents which the wildest child of romance can never believe if to draw an extravagant picture which would foften the heart of the fofteft beholder-if to tell a tedious tale of love, with the perusal of which Love herself would be fatigued-if thefe be to ' hold out a good example to female readers,' then is Lucy Cleveland the moft complete example of morality, wrapped up in the most en-. gaging dress, which we remember to have seen,

Friend

Friendship in a Nunnery; or, the American Fugitive, 2 vols. 12mo, 51. ferved. Bew.

THE two volumes before us, like many of our modern novels, confift of a series of letters.Our American fugitive fhould not complain of any want of her favourite liberty, in the nunnery in question, fince the and her friend must have been permitted to divulge by letter all the fecrets of the pri fon-house, and more perhaps than imagination ever formed of gorgons, hydras, and chimeras dire or we should never have perufed the prefent performance.

Its ftory is this-Mifs Gerrard's widowed mamma, thinking the young lady too tall for her own fchemes in life, fends her to a convent. An intimacy foon commences between her and Mifs Smith, who is driven to board in the fame convent by the American troubles. Mifs Gerrard, upon her mother's marrying again, takes the veil, in a fhort time after Louifa, a moft beautiful French lady. An English nobleman, upon his travels, had been enamoured of Louifa, previously to this fatal ftep, and did not afterwards drop his hopes. Louisa and Mifs Gerrard become exceedingly intimate. By virtue of constant letters from Mifs Gerrard and the American fugitive, to Mifs Freeman in England, we are made acquainted with the vices `and allurements of convents, with the dangers which virtue and religion run within their holy walls. This intelligence is not new to the world, nor all of it perhaps agreeable to truth; but mothers and guardians may profit by what cannot easily be exaggerated, by what they cannot be told too often.

In a little time lord D-, Louifa's lover, vifits the lady abbefs in a female disguise; and, by the friendship of a cardinal, he and his friend, Mr. Venols, are foon made priests, and confeffors to the convent. They bring with them from Rome a dangerous and infectious fever, which foon obligingly thins the fifterhood, and gives opportunity to the two difguifed fathers to convey the dead bodies of two other nuns into the cells of Lovifa and Mifs Gerrard; and to convey them, in disguise out of the convent. The unfortunate American has before quitted it, upon gaining a trifling prize in the English lottery of 20,cool. The civil fever never prefumes to approach the parties concerned in this novel; the two confeffors foon follow the ladies, and leave the infection to devour the few remaining nuns.

Upon the arrival of all the parties in England, Louisa dif cards her titled deliverer, and goes off with an enfign, who made love to her in the paffage from Calais.-Lord Dnotwithstanding his difappointment, for marriages there muft

be