Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

Gallia's pale genius ftands aghaft,

The lilies wither in her hand)
Her fleets receive the favouring blaft,
But dare not feek the adverse land.
On England's thick embattled fhore
She hears th' awaken'd lion roar.'

The poet, fi des nominis bujus bonorem, makes good ufe of the beautiful duchefs of Devonshire's being a defcendant from the martial duke of Marlborough

We would take the liberty to hint that neither Pindar nor Shak peare, whofe joint infpiration our ode-writer intreats, would have advised him to hitch Coxheath or Warly-common in a rhyme.

Bellona; or, the Genius of Britain; a Poetical Vision. 4to..

Greenlaw.

Happy Britain! who has a genus for almost every day in the week. Good intentions will excufe much worfe lines than thefe. We are told, in the preface

To roufe the dormant fpirit of my countrymen, to animate them by the example of their ancestors, and the fenfe of their own danger, this little poem is intended. In the breaft of the candid critic, the intention will in fome measure palliate the execution. Temporary productions rather claim the indulgence, than provoke the cenfure of the judicious. Poetry resembles painting, a hafty fketch may exhibit a bold and matterly outline; but it is time and induftry alone can mellow the colouring, and give grace and elegance to the compofition.'

In poetic vifion, our author difcovers the genius of Britain, with proper infignia and attendants, upon the Kentish fhore, contemplating her guardian fleet; and beholding at a distance her warlike encampment-The lines which follow may ferve as a fpecimen of the Poem

Close by his fide, her golden arms unbound,
In graceful pile adorn the flow'ry ground,
The gift of Volcan; and of heav'nly mold,
With living sculpture rifing on the gold;
In mimic life here armies tread the field,
The wars of Britain graven on the shield;
Heroes, who fierce invading hosts withstood,
Martyrs, who feal'd their freedom with their blood;
Courageous kings, in well-fought fields approv'd,
By fubjects reverenc'd, and by Heav'n belov'd;
Patriots, who for their country dar'd to die,
And chiefs applauded by pofterity!'

This performance concludes with a speech from the Genius of Britain, with part of which we shall close this article.

"Nurfe of heroic deeds and daring men, Genius of war! defcend on Britain's plain ;

F 4

warm

1

O warm my fons with more than mortal fire!
Nerve ev'ry arm, and ev'ry breast inspire!
And thou, Bellona! mount thy blood-ftain'd car,
High poife thy helm, and meditate the war;
Nor fpurn thy thirfty fpear and blood-flain'd robe,
'Till Fame fhall hail me miftrefs of the globe;
'Till Britain's flag fhall awe the fubject main,
'Till the freed Corfican contemn his chain,
And humbled Bourbon bleed at ev'ry vein."
She faid and ceas'd-then high difplays in air,
Th' hiftoric fhield, and waves her martial fpear;
Heroic ardour flies from band to band,

And war re-echos thro' the joyful land."

America Loft. A Poem of Condolence. 4to. Is. 6d. Lewis. This Poem is addreffed to Britannia, poor defolate lady! to whom the lofs of America could hardly prove more painful than the condolence of fo mean a poetaster.

POLITICA L.

The Subftance of General Burgoyne's Speeches on Mr. Vyner's Motion, and upon Mr. Hartley's Motion. 8vo. Is. Almon. Copied from the public papers, in which it is probable thofe Speeches have been perused by the greater part of our readers.

A Glance at the Times: with a comparative View of London and Glafgow. 8vo. 1s. Becket.

The vifual organs of this writer appear to be variously actuated, by contemplating the feveral objects of his attention through the medium of politics. He feems to view the prof perity of the city of Glafgow with a sheep's eye, and to examine the characters of fome of the patriotic leaders with a reflecting telescope. There is however fo much good humour in all his glances, as afford no ground to fufpect the fmallest degree of fafcination.

Obfervations on the Scheme before the Parliament for the Maintenance of the Poor, with occafional Remarks on the prefent Syftem, and a Plan propofed on different Principles. 8vo. 1s.

Wallis.

A performance which would deferve our praife, even if it were executed with lefs ability, and if it discovered lefs knowledge of laws and men. It is thus, by a patriotic communication of ideas, that the legiflature of any country gains information. The plan this fenfible writer propofes merits the ferious confideration of parliament.

A Letter to Sir George Saville, Bart. upon the Allegiance of a British Subject. 8vo. Is. Robfon.

The defign of this Letter is to unfold the principles of allegiance, and conftitutional fubmiffion to government, as the

bafis of the late act of parliament in favour of the Roman Catholics. The author, who appears to be of that perfuafion, writes in a fenfible and fpirited ftrain, equally expreffive of the generofity of the legislature, and the gratitude of thofe who have been the objects of its indulgence on this occafion.

A Serious Letter to the Public, on the late Transaction between Lord North and the Duke of Gordon. 8vo. 1s. Hooper.

The tranfaction on which this Letter is founded is, we believe, fufficiently known to the public. The author's defign is to vindicate lord North; but though in the execution of this province he difcovers a confiderable degree of zeal, he is greatly inferior, in point of compofition, to Junius, whofe fignature he

affumes.

A Letter to Lord George Germaine, giving an Account of the Origin of the Dispute between Great Britain and the Colonies, &c. 8vo. Is. 6d. Whieldon.

The author of this Letter defends the feveral measures which have been purfued by adminiftration fince the commencement of the difpute with America; and, as the bafis of an amicable accommodation, he proposes certain terms, which however appear to betray a coercive rather than a conciliatory spirit. Authentic Memoirs of the late Earl of Chatham. 8vo. 25. Wenman.

A zealous, unlimited panegyric, in which the author's admiration is more confpicuous than his accuracy.

DIVINITY.

An Inquiry after feveral important Truths; efpecially concerning the fubftantial Truth, the Son of God, the hidden God, the Saviour. And the moft rational mode of Worship. Taken from the Scripture only, &c. By J. W. E. a German Proteftant. 8vo. Bew.

[ocr errors]

The following declaration feems to be perfectly ingenuous: 'Not hearing at this prefent writing (Nov. 1776) of any publication against them [Mr. Lindfay, and Mr. Williams] and not choofing to liften to a known voice of delufion, I began first of all, to examine myfelf, what I could fay, in cafe one of them was to argue in my hearing. Am I myself well founded in the truth, fo as to answer their objection? Why, I am not quite clear myself, was the refult. I therefore refolved on an enquiry, in order to come at fome certainty in this point, &c.'

By this it appears, that the author has not been long converfant in theological ftudies: for in November 1776, when he fat down to write this pamphlet, he was not much acquainted with the fubject, or, as he fays, not quite clear:' and from the perufal of it, we find no reafon to question his veracity.

The

[ocr errors]

The Duty and Intereft of every private Perfon and the Kingdom at large at the prefent Jandure. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Buckland.

This writer gives us a general view of our national vices, and confiders their natural and inevitable confequences. He ftates the most obvious arguments in favour of a fuperintending Providence, and fhews the propriety and wildom of a conftant application to the great Governor of nations, and the fupreme Difpofer of all events. He then addreffes himself to the libertine, the unbeliever, the gamefter, the duellift, the drunkard, the felf-murderer, &c. feiting before them the fatal effects of their immoralities. In the last place, he infifis on the abfolute neceffity of a reformation; and fpecifies the virtues, which are indifpenfibly required of Christians,-A plain, pious, and ufeful treatise.

A Sermon prea bed at the Anniversary Meeting of the Sons of the Clergy, in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Thursday, May 15, 1777. By the Hon. and Rev. James Cornwallis, Dean of Canterbury. 410. 15. Bathurst.

The fenfible and judicious author of this discourse recommends the charity, which provides for the fons of the clergy, to the protection of his auditors, upon this general principle, that whatever tends to the promotion of religion and virtue, ought to have a precedence among our good works: fhewing, that the charity in queftion has the ftrongeft claims in its favour, is free from the objections made to others, and has the purity of moral conduct for its great obje&t,

To this Sermon is added an account of the annual contributions to the charity fince the year 1720. By which it appears, that the collection in 1777, which amounted to 1000l, was greater than any former one fince the year 1766; and that the highest was 12241. 149. in 1763. In the present year the collection, if we rightly recollect, was about 6ol. more than that of the last year.

This article fhould have appeared in 1777; but has been inadvertently overlooked.

The Excellence of the Liturgy of the Church of England; a Sermon at the Church of St. Mary le Bow, on St. Mark's Day, 1778, pursuant to the Will of Mr. John Hutchin. By East Apthorp, D. D. 410. 15. Robfon.

This learned writer introduces his difcourfe with fome ge neral obfervations on the ufefulness of prefcribed forms of prayer in public worship; he then gives us an hiftorical account of the origin of our Liturgy, and a general view of its principal parts.

Two or three fhort extracts on the compilation of the Li -turgy may not be unacceptable to fome of our readers.

The compilers of the first English Liturgy had no models before them but the Latin breviaries of barbarous ages in monaftic rhythm. The firft outline of this noble work is ftill to be

difcerned in the Litany and other prayers, published by the authority of king Henry VIII. in 1535...The two Liturgies of Edward VI in 1548 and 1551, with confiderable variations from each other, approached nearly in effentials, especially the latter, to the prefent form... In the reign of queen Mary the Liturgy was repealed.. But the fecond Liturgy of Edward VI. was restored at the acceffion of queen Elizabeth in 1558, and continued through that glorious reign with few variations... In the first year of James I, after the conference at Hampton-court, it was reviewed; fome thanksgivings were added at the end of the Litany and the catechifm was enlarged with the doctrine of the facraments: its outline having been drawn long before, in king Henry's book of the Inftitution of a Chriftian Man, published in 1537, and 1543... It was again reviewed in 1661, after the conference of the Savoy; when feveral leffons were changed, fome collects altered, and the judicious prayers for the Ember weeks, for All Conditions of Men, and the very beautiful General Thanksgiving, were added.'

To this difcourfe is annexed an account of a Catechetical Lecture, firft established in 1622, which is to be regularly continued in Bow Church, on the firft and third Sundays in every month, at fix o'clock in the evening. The firft course is to be preached by the rector.

Providence and Free Agency. A Sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, April 17, 1778, being Good Friday. By Samuel Horfley, LL. D. 40. 15. Payne,

is.

In treating on this difficult fubject, providence and freeagency, the learned author obferves, that we must not imagine fuch an arbitrary exercife of God's power over the minds and wills of fubordinate agents, as would convert rational beings into mere machines, and leave the Deity charged with the follies and the crimes of men, which was the error of the Calvinifts; nor, on the other hand, muft we fet up fuch a liberty of created beings, as, neceffarily precluding the divine foreknowledge of human actions, would take the government of the moral world out of the hands of God, and leave him nothing to do with the nobleft part of the creation' To avoid these extremes, and to fhew, that the foreknowledge and providence of the Deity, and the liberty, which properly belongs to man as a moral agent, are perfectly confiftent, and naturally connected, he proposes the following hypothefis :

A moral motive and a mechanical force, are both indeed causes; and equally certain caufes each of its proper effect. But they are causes in very different fenfes of the word, and derive their energy from the most oppofite principles. Force is only another name for an efficient caufe; it is that which impreffes motion upon body, the paffive recipient of a foreign impulse. A moral motive is what is more fignificantly called the final caufe, and can have no influence but with a being that proposes to itfelf an end, chooses means, and thus puts itself in action. It is

true,

« AnteriorContinuar »