Lo, by a fine ethereal spirit led, Mid olive groves we trace Ilyffus' ftreams; Each monument of early youth, that teems This extract, we think, will fpeak to the hearts of our rea ders in a pleafing and affecting manner. Yet, could our prefent limits allow us, we would willingly hold up the fecond part to our readers in the fame manner. We thould love particularly to dwell upon our author's old Devonian peafant, the fair counterpart of Virgil's Corycian yeoman; his Highland Chief, delineated from the colours and with the pencil of nature; and his tale of Danvert and Ellen, recited with many touches of agreeably romantic defcription. In defcription, indeed, this author peculiarly excels. He has an eye that catches the various tints at once, and a judgment that afterwards difcriminates them with precifion; and his prefent poem fhows him to have a fine taste, a warm fenfibility, and an elegant mind. Moved by a propenfity depending on the fame principles of affociation, men of ingenuity, enamoured of the Mufes, traverse the regions they frequented, explore every hill, and feek their footsteps in every valley. The groves of Mantua and the cafcades of Anio, are not lovelier than other groves and cafcades; yet we view them with peculiar rapture. We tread as on cnofecrated ground; we regard hofe objects with veneration, which yielded ideas to the minds of Virgil and Horace; and we feem to enjoy a certain ineffable intercourfe, with thofe elegant and enlightened fpirits. Richardson's Essays on Shakspeare's dramatic Characters. P. 182." BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 15. An Accurate and Impartial Narrative of the War, by an Officer of the Guards; in Two Volumes. Comprising the Campaigns of 1793, 1794, and the Retreat through Holland to Weftphalia, in 1795. Introducing alfo the Original Poetical Epifiles from HeadQuarters; with Copious Notes throughout. Circumftantially detailing every Material Occurrence that has taken place upon the Continent. The Third Edition, enlarged. Crown Svo. Price 10s. in Boards. Cadell, &c. 1796. The first part of this poetical narrative, appeared in 1795, and was noticed in our filth volume, p. 641. It has now changed its form from from quarto to octavo, and received fo much augmentation, as to extend to two small volumes. It has gained also fome embellishments, fuch as two coloured frontispieces, reprefenting an Auftrian foot foldier, in two different attitudes; and four etchings, entitled, Favourite Amusement at Head-Quarters; A Council of War interrupted; How to throw an Army into Confufion; and Perils by Sea. With these additional attractions, and a narrative, now continued, in one form of another, from 1793 to 1795, it cannot be wondered that this publication proceeds through feveral editions. The verfe, if not of the firft excellence, is in general agreeable and eafy and the lit le traits of fatire interfperfed, are fo free from malignity as only to enliven, without the chance of giving offence, even to the objects of them. We can only add a fhort fpecimen of the manner in which the continuation is executed; which we take from the part illuftrated by the print of "How to throw an Army into Confufion." Our troops were compell'd the Chauffée to forsake, Each fiend had apparently flown from his fhade, So jet-black an atmosphere round us was fpread, 'That I fcarce could difcover e'en Brunswick's* white head. Save at times, when loud peals of harsh thunder between, Broad flashes of light'ning illumin'd the scene. Then the heavens feem'd to open, and awe-ftruck we view'd Our deplorable ftate, which before was conceal'd From our knowledge, at intervals thus was reveal'd. Here, a batt-horfe was feen in the mud holes to flounder, With foldiers and waggons the ditches were cramm❜d, *The author's horse. BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VIII. JULY, 1796. NOVELS. NOVELS. ART. 16. Edington. A Novel. By Richard Hey, Esq. In Two Volumes. 12mo. 6s. Vernor and Hood. 1796. The facility of combining extravagant events in the fhape of a hiftory, is a circumitance of which novel writers feem fcarcely aware. To judge, from the variety of rorit:ous productions which affume that name, it would be natural to fuppofe, that the mind exulted in the power of inventing fome extraordinary conceits, and clothing them with fome femblance of machinery and fable. A more improbabie and incongrucus tilue of events can fcarcely be imagined, than that which fills the prefent volumes. George Eynesbury lofes his property by fire, and confoles his family in their reduced circumitances by his induftry. One of his daughters, Lucy, conquers the heart of Edward Campley, who, on a visit at the village of Eddington, had obtained a fight of her. He applies to his father, a man of fortune, for permition to marry her, who refufes, Edward now dreffes Fimfelf like a labourer, and, by wondrous circumstances, makes his way into the fervice of Lucy's father. Here he labours in the field, &c. till he thinks he has conquered Lucy's affection, and then returns to his former condition. His father disinherit. ing him, he returns to George Fynefbury, who falls ill, raves in a delirium through a dozen pages, till his daughter Lucy--who had given him a phial of poiion by miftake, infiead of his medicine-raves in her turn through a dozen more. Eynesbury at length recovers, Lucy in procefs of time recovers her health and fenfes, Edward marries her, and, by fome great firoke of autho fhip, a title and eftare are brought to light for George, who iflues from the novel, Sir George Eynefbury. The whole of this hiftory is very defeatively connected; and the fmaller incidents are equally deftitute of intereft and fimplicity. Our duty to the public obliges us to toil through thefe fatiguing rhapfodies, from which we rarely emerge without a fentiment of difguft at that vitious tafte, which can feek amusement in fuch grofs deviations from nature and truth. ART. 17. DIVINITY. A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of St. Alan's, at the Vifitation, bela May 20th, A. D. 1796. By Jofeph Holden Pott, A. M. Prebendary of Lincoln, and Archdeacon of St. Alban's. Published at the Requeft of the Clergy. 4to. IS. Rivingtons. 1796. The fubject of this charge is the most important that can intereft the attention. It exhibits, in a compendious view, the chief confiderations upon which the plenary infpiration of the scriptures may be naintained, and it is brought forward with very feasonable regard to fome opinions which tend to degrade the character of the facred writings, and to weaken our confidence in Revelation. From From fome preliminary remarks on the danger refulting from a pertinacious adherence to established abufes of opinion and practice, as particularly illuftrated, in the church of Rome; and on the mischief which, on the other hand, arifes from a too great facility of conceffion on controverted queflions, tending to the facrifice of effential points, the archdeacon takes occafion to recommend the facred writings, as conftituting a rule which applies to the two oppofite fources of abufe; a rule to whj. no additions must be made, and from which no deviations must be fuffered. Having fixed this ttandard of appeal, he proceeds to vindicate the artion of a divine and infallible authority attaching to the feriptures in all particulars, to the total exclufion of error and defect; and demonftrates, from the teftimony of the facred writers, the existence of a certainty in their communications, refulting from a true and proper infpiration, in points wherein no previous knowledge coul i exifts a certainty arifing from an uniform and unremitted fuperintendence and direction in things to which the memory might fuffice. A certainty fpringing from an abfolute prefervation from all error arifing from all loofe accommodations, and from all inconfequence, where argument was needful. The texts which are employed in fupport of thele affertions, are judiciously felected and ably urged; and the inconvenience which would arife from the admiffion of any partial exemption from the fuperintendant influence of the fpirit, is well explained and illuftrated. The principal objections to the total infpiration of the fcriptures, are then briefly noticed; and fome confiderations which fubftantiate the authority of the received canon, and the authenticity and uncorrupted tincerity of the original texts, are adduced. In connection with this fubject, the author, with great candour and gentleness, adverts to fome very exceptionable conceflions which he thinks have been made by a diftinguished writer of the prefent age, in his View of the Evidences of Christianity," with regard to the character of the facred writings: the importance and tendency of which are very ftrongly expofed. It is perhaps extraordinary, that the paffages here noticed fhould have paffed fo long without animadə verfion, as proceeding from a writer fo highly and juftly esteemed, and inferted in a work fo generally known and approved. The charge, though dedicated only to the clergy of the Archdeaconry of St. Alban's, merits the attention of the whole order, and the folidity of the reflections, as well as the temperate language in which they are conveyed, are particularly entitled to approbation. ART. 18. A Sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Hereford, October 25, 1795, being the Anniversary of his Majesty's Acceffion to the Throne of thefe Kingdoms, by Hugh Morgan, M. A. Canon Refidentiary of the Cathedral Church of Hereford, and Chaplain to his Highness the Duke of Gloucefter. Published at the request of the Lord Bishop of the Diocefe. 4to. 17 pp. 1s. Payne. 1796. "My fon, A plain and rational difcourfe upon Prov. xxiv. 21. fear thou the Lord and the king, and meddle not with thofe that are given given to change." The preacher fpeaks thus, as others have, of our conftitution, alluding to the mixture of the three forms in it. 66 That perfect form of government, which an ingenious hiftorian of antiquity could combine only in his imagination, but of whofe actual existence he defpaired, is prefented to the heart and understanding of every Briton, as the bulwark of his rights, and the boundary of his duty." P. 11. But the purport of this difcourfe is, (as the author well expreffes it) to perfuade his countrymen to "bear with magnanimity evils of determinate extent, till they can be remedied with fafety, nor to cease being fubjects, from the vain fear of becoming flaves." P. 17. MEDICINE. ART. 19. Hints on the proposed medical Reform. By a Member of the London Corporation of Surgeons. 8vo. 61 PP. Warrington; Johnson, London. 1796. Is. 6d. Eyres, These hints are addreffed to the Royal College of Phyficians, the Corporation of Surgeons, and the Pharmaceutical Affociation of London. The latter, which we have before noticed*, is an affociation of apothecaries for the purpofe of obtaining a reform of certain abufes that have crept into their body, and a redrefs of certain grievances of which they complain. For remedying the firft, they propofe that the legislature fhould grant them a power to prevent perfons from being apprenticed to apothecaries, who have not had a competent education, or any one being employed as an affiftant, or commencing practitioner in pharmacy, who has not ferved a regular apprenticeship, and paffed an examination, or produced teftimonies of his fobriety, difcretion, and diligence. These are certainly useful regulations, and from the account this writer gives of the ignorance of many of the apothecaries in the country, they appear to be much wanted. But he fhould have recollected, that the company of apothecaries in London, are poffeffed of, and have long exercifed a fimilar power over their members, with great advantage, as far as their jurifdiction extends. That other parts of the kingdom fhould enjoy fimilar advantages, feems very defirable. But for this purpofe, it does not feem neceffary, that a new corporation fhould be formed. It would be fufficient that the mayor or other magiftrates of towns, with the clergyman, phyfician, and fome refpectable apothecary fhould be empowered to perform this office. Similar arrangements are not uncommon in other countries. In the difpenfary of the College of Phyficians of Louvain, printed in the year 1687, there are fome regulations for the conduct of the apothecaries, that merit attention. "Neminem pofthac, pharmacopcum in urbe noftra admittendum effe, nifi coram e magiftratu delegatis per duos medicina doctores, totidemque pharmacopacos pervices ab hifce delegatis hunc in finem nominandos, prius examinatum, infu * See vol. vii. p. 316. perque |