then meet."

ence, the various reception it may We cannot quite subscribe to the correctness of the next paragraph, in which Mrs. T. says, from those who write only for the interested eyes of friendship, no such indifference can be expected. She hoped, therefore, to be forgiven the egotism that rendered her a..xious to recommend to her readers the tale with which she then presented them, while she endeavoured to excuse in

it all other defects, except the deficiency of genius; and here it is we beg leave to enter our protest, and deny the correctness of her assertion, as no one of her readers can or will admit a deficiency of genius in the work before us; on the contrary, we are persuaded, the memory of this regretted lady will long be celebrated by the admirers of genuine poetry, and unaffected modesty and worth.

In selecting the beautiful antique allegory of Love and the Soul, Mrs. T. observes, she had some fears lest her subject might be condemned by severe moralists:" however," she proceeds, "I hope, that if such have the condescension to read through a poem, which they may perhaps think too long, they will yet do me the justice to allow, that I have only picturɛd innocenti.ove, such love as the purest bosom might confess." Surely an apology like this, would disarm even the rigid Johnson: from the more modern moralists she has nothing to fear, as liberality has long taken the seat of bigotry, whien alone could condemn the conceptions of a virtuous female mind on a subject the most delicate within the compass of those peculiar to Mrs. Tighe's sex.

This lady expressed some regret at the probability that she might not afford the pleasure she wished to those who declare their dislike to allegory, yet she inquires,

"Are not the choicest fables of the Poets, Who were the fountains and first springs of wisdom, Wrapt in perplexed Allegories ?"

But if she found the seductions of the mysterious fair, "who perhaps never appears captivating, except in the eyes of her own Poet," she remembered that her verse could not be worth much consideration, and therefore she endeavoured to let her

GENT. MAG. November, 1812.

meaning be perfectly obvious. The same reason deterred her from making use of the now obsolete words to be found in Spenser's works, and those of his imitators. However, Mrs. Tighe continues to observe, she might be inclined to defend the excellence of her subject, she is yet ready to acknowledge that the stanza she has adopted has many disadvantages," and that it may, perhaps, be as tiresome to the

reader as it was difficult to the author."

She confesses, the frequent recurrence of the same rhymes is not suited to the structure of the English language, and she declares herself at a loss to know whether she had a right to offer as an apology the restraint which she had imposed upon herself of strictly adhering to the stanza, which her partiality for Spenser first inclined her to adopt. We cannot pass by this opportunity of lamenting, that Mrs. Tighe should thus have restrained her Muse, and been compelled to express herself in terms of acknowledged embarrassment and difficulty, which her good sense and refinement have polished as far as practicable, and rendered as near as possible what Spenser would have written had he lived at present, and that fact we consider as no slight degree of praise; but we would wish it to be understood, that our regret is confined to this circumstance alone, and under the conviction that had Mrs. T. adopted the measure her elegant mind naturally prompted, the lines would have equalled those of our best modern poets, without a single instance of that lameness, which in very limited cases, occur through the unconquerable nature of the prescribed rules of the stanza in imitation of our celebrated antient bard.

Mrs. Tighe informs us, that she was indebted to Apuleius for the outline of her Tale in the two first cantos, long a favourite subject for poetical allusion; "but even there the model is not closely copied;" nor has she taken any thing from Moliere, La Fontaine, Du Moustier, or Marino. She had seen no imitations of Apuleius except by the above authors, nor was she aware that the story of Psyche has any other original. The handsome and caudid manner by which she obviates any charges that may be brought against her as a plagiarist, we shall give in her own words:

"I should

"I should willingly acknowledge, with gratitude, those authors who have, perhaps, supplied me with many expressions and ideas; but if I have subjected myself to the charge of plagiarism, it has been by adopting the words or images which floated upon my mind, without accurately examining, or being able indeed to distinguish, whether I owed them to my memory or my imagination. Si id est peccatum, peccatum impruden

tia est

..Poetæ, non qui furtum facere studuerit. TERENTIUS.

And when I confess that all I have is but the fruit of a much indulged taste for that particular style of reading, let me be excused if I do not investigate and acknowledge more strictly each separate obligation."

The most pleasing part of our observations remain: to notice and point out some of the prominent beauties of the productions of our fair Authoress, which are introduced by a Sonnet addressed to her Mother, abounding in traits that do honour to Mrs. Tighe's filial affection.

The

reader will not, however, expect that we should accompany Mrs. T. through the whole of her Psyche, as we should thus mar a pleasure we meant to pro

mote.

The first stanza we shall select as a specimen of this lady's superior powers is part of the command of Venus directed to Cupid, the consequence of the envy of the former towards Psyche.

Deep let her drink of that dark, bitter spring, [tal tide; Which flows so near thy bright and crysDeep let her heart thy sharpest arrow sting, [dyed. Its temper'd barb in that black poison Let her, for whom contending princes sighed,

Feel all the fury of thy fiercest flame, For some base wretch to foul disgrace allied,

Forgetful of her birth and her fair fame, Her honours all defil'd, and sacrific'd to

shame."

The description of the ideal palace reared for Psyche, after the oracle had decreed she should be exposed on a tall rock's high summit, is fanciful and rich as a brilliant imagination can well depict; and the magic operations of her attendants are described with an exuberance of taste peculiar to herself, and equal to the manner in

which she relates the impression made upon the heart of Cupid by the charms of Psyche when he executed the harsh commands of his Mother.

"Again the band invisible attend, And female voices sooth the mournful bride; [lend, Light hands to braid her hair assistance Bysome she sees the glowing bracelet tied; Others officious hover at her side, [bring; And each bright gem for her acceptance While some, the balmy air diffusing wide, Fan softer perfumes from each odorous wing [sweetest spring."

Than the fresh bosom sheds of earliest

Psyche having urged Cupid to permit a visit of filial affection to her parents, in order to relieve them from the state of horror and suspense in which her uncertain fate had involved them, receives the desired permission; all which is related with true poetic fire, as is the machinations of her envious sisters, who persuade her, that her bridegroom is no other than a magician. The effect of their arts is exquisitely pourtrayed in the following stanza:

"Oh bave you seen, when in the northern sky [ning plays, The transient flame of lambent lightIn quick succession lucid streamers fly, Now flashing roseate, and now milky rays, While struck with awe the astonish'd

rustics gaze!

[move, Thus o'er her cheek the fleeting signals Now pale with fear, now glowing with

the blaze

Of much indignant, still confiding love, Now horror's lurid hue with shame's deep blushes strove."

The consequences of the advice of the sisters afforded Mrs. Tighe an opportunity for the display of a fancy, seldom excelled, in detailing the caution, terror, and trepidation of Psyche, who at length, by means of the magic lamp with which she had been furnished, sees Cupid in all the effulgence of his celestial nature; and we trust the description of his manly form and features will excite many warm emotions in the breasts of the female readers of this poem. It would be unpardonable were we not to notice the excellence of the transition from the abode of Cupid to the dreary scene where Psyche found herself conveyed, immediately upon the accomplishment of her rash purpose; but it is impos sible we should accompany Mrs. T. through the luxuriant ranges of her

pen,

pen, or follow the persecuted Psyche in the perilous adventures to which she is doomed by the jealousy of Venus, in accomplishing her commands to raise an altar to her power, where perfect happiness had resided in a state of total seclusion, and previously "by foot impure of man untrodden;" we must, therefore, however unwilling, rest our recommendations of Psyche upon the extracts we have made, assuring our readers, they will find our praises beneath the merits of this elegant work.

Amongst the Sonnets written by this lady, and which abound with appropriate imagery, is one written in a copy of Psyche, which had been in the library of the late Mr. Fox, highly complimentary to his genius, patriotism, and critical mildness; most of the remainder partake of that melancholy, pious, and resigned turn of mind, peculiar to a gentle nature, gradually sinking under decayed health and spirits, and which are read with equal interest and unavailing regret for the loss of the fair poetess.

The lines to Pleasure, p. 262, are amongst the few that do not partake of the sombre cast we have above alluded to. The simile at the conclusion of them is particularly happy. After describing the alluring coast of Senegal, and the rich verdure of its shores, she proceeds:

streams,

"From cloudless suns perpetual lustre [beams. And swarms of insects glisten in their Near and more near the heedless sailors [hear. Spread all their canvas, and no warnings See, on the edge of the clear liquid glass The wand ring beasts survey them as they [green,

steer,

pass;

And fearless bounding o'er their native Adorn the landscape,and enrich the scene; Ah, fatal scene! the deadly vapours rise, And swift the vegetable poison flies, Putrescence loads the rank infected ground,

Deceitful calms deal subtle death around; Ev'n as they gaze, their vital powers decay, [away; Their wasted health and vigour melt Till quite extinct the animating fire, Pale, ghastly victims, they at last expire." We shall terminate our Review with the information given in the last page of the Volume.

"The concluding poem of this colJection (on receiving a branch of Me

P

zereon, which flowered at Woodstock, December 1809) was the last ever composed by the Author, who expired at the place where it was written, after six years of protracted malady, on the 24th of March, 1810, in the 37th year of her age. Her fears of death were perfectly remov

ed before she quitted this scene of trial and suffering; and her spirit departed to a better state of existence, confiding with heavenly joy in the acceptance and love of her Redeemer."

A very neat portrait of Mrs. Henry Tighe, by Scriven, is prefixed. The Woodstock where Mrs. T. died, is in the county of Kilkenny, Ireland.

51. A Chart of Ten Numerals in Twe Hundred Tongues; with a descriptive Essay: extracted from the Seventh and Eighth Numbers of the Classical, Biblical, and Oriental Journal. By the Rev. R. Patrick, Vicar of Sculcoats, Hull. 8vo. pp. 51. Sherwood and Co. OF this very curious publication, it would be difficult to communicate any the work, which we strongly recomidea without an actual fuspection of

mend. Mr. Patrick says,

"As one plain indication of the multitude of tongues into which the Holy Bible has not yet been translated, this Chart of Numerals has been collected by me, and is dedicated to the Subscribers and the Committee of the Bible Society, to Dr. Valpy, and to Granville Sharp, esq. as a laborious proof of the Author's high respect for the Society, and his wishes for its success.

"As at least a hundred and fifty travellers and geographers are here alluded to or quoted, in various languages, even the sternest reader will not roughly condemn the author, if he spell twice in a different manner the proper names, as he is a copyist of varied spelling of the same name. Some degree of care has been employed in compiling and arranging

the above Chart. It has been thrice transcribed lately. The collecting of it, with other congenial studies, has consumed twenty-one years of the author's life. During so long a period, new editions have appeared of the Authors who are quoted and their works have been published with new pages, a new orthoepy, and additional chapters, and even volumes.-The learned Periodical Criticks, therefore, it is humbly hoped, will kindly allow for such variations."

Mr. Patrick next exhibits his authorities, extending, to more than three closely printed pages; and after

a warm

a warm encomium on the Bible Society, and on the modern Missionaries, adds this extraordinary paragraph;

"Melancholy is the fact, that if the population of Christian Europe be 180 millions; that of Christian America be 20; that of Christian Afric 3; and of Christian Asia and Tartary 10; the total is merely 213: while Pagan China, Japan, Cochinchina, and Chinese Tartary, boast of 400 millions of souls; India of 100,000,000 Heathens; and Siam, Ava, Aracan, Asam, and Nepaul, of an additional 50,000,000."

52. Letters that have lately appeared in the Oxford and Cambridge Papers, under different Signatures, on the Crusade of the Nineteenth Century; col lected and re-published, and addressed to the Right Hon.Lord Grenville, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and the Christians residing in the Counties of Oxford, Gloucester, Warwick, Northampton, Buckingham, and Berks. By Peter the Hermit. 80. pp. 120.

J. Richardson.

AN expression hastily used by Dr. Marsh, in the warmth of controversy, has been seriously assumed as the title of the present pamphlet, by a zealous advocate for the extension of the "British and Foreign Bible Society;" but the Letters here collected cannot fail of being read with considerable interest by those who may even presume not to go the whole length in opinion with their Editor. Those of Mr. Coker and Mr. Hinton, in particular, are highly creditable to the Writers; and the remainder, by

A. B.; C. D.; E. F.; and Peter the Hermit (probably alter et idem), are characteristic of a zealous attachment to the cause he has so strenuously undertaken to advocate.

"Nothing," he says, "shall divert me from promoting the establishment of a Bible Society at Oxford; and if those who ought to establish such a Society upon a large scale do not come forward for that purpose, before I leave that place, I will devote the utmost of my means to the establishment of one upon a small scale."-Again, "I call upon all those who have been concerned in raising the standard of this glorious Crusade, never to look back till they have planted it on the walls of Jerusalem.

I for one

hold a worthless life, and a scanty income, to the very last breath of the one, and farthing of the other, at the service of so heroic an enterprise; and when

there are thousands in the counties surrounding us whose hearts pant with the same moral chivalry, are our higher ranks, our magistrates, and gentlemen, so utterly selfish, so insufferably degenerate, that not one can be found who will lead us to the bloodless conquest?"

58. Rejected Addresses; or, the New Theatrum Poetarum: small 8vo. ; pp. 126. J. Miller.

THIS temporary effusion of "wicked wit" is publicly attributed (we know not how justly) to two young gentlemen, brothers, of the name of Smith, the sons of a respectable Solicitor; and the manner in which the task is perfo med, gives indication of such superior genius, that we hope soon to meet them on higher ground, in works of taste and originality.

The subject which gave rise to the work is too generally known to need even further mention; but it is barely justice to observe, that the imitations are so exact, that he who runs may read; and, with the exception only

of one instance (the first in the volume) they are such, that the persons imitated may cheerfully join in the laugh.

Ar

The "Loyal Effusion, by W. T. F." is unmercifully severe. The "Cui Bono (in Spenserian stanzas) by Lord B.;" the " Hampshire Farmer's Address (in plain prose) by W. C.;" "A Tale of Drury Lane, by W. S. ;"" B.; "The Theatre, by the Rev. G. chitectural Atoms, translated by Dr. C. the younger," are among the most C." and "Punch's Apotheosis, by G. prominent features of the work. these Herods are out-Heroded by the terrific ideas in "Fire and Ale, by M. G. L."-Ecce signum!

But

"Omnia transformat sese in miracula VIRGIL.

rerum.

"My palate is parch'd with Pierian thirst, Away to Parnassus I'm beckon'd: List, warriors and dames, while my lay is rehears'd,

I sing of the singe of Miss Drury the first, And the birth of Miss Drury the

second.

The Fire-king one day rather amorous felt;

He mounted his hot copper filley; His breeches and boots were of tin, and the belt [melt Was made of cast iron, for fear it should With the heat of the copper colt's

belly.

Sure

sued a blast,

(Nota bene, I do not mean swearing,) But the noise that it made, and the heat that it cast, [surpass d (I've heard it from those who have seen it) A shot manufactory flaring.

He blaz'd and he blaz'd as he gallop'd to snatch

His bride, little dreaming of danger; His whip was a torch, and his spur was a match,

And over the horse's left eye was a patch To keep it from burning the manger. And who is the house-maid he means to enthral

In his cinder-producing alliance? Tis Drury lane Playhouse, so wide and so tall, [fall Who, like other combustible ladies, must If she cannot set sparks at defiance. On his warming-pau knee-pan he clattering roll'd, [have taken, And the housemaid his hand would But his hand, like his passion, was too hot to hold, [of gold And she soon let it go, but her new ring All melted, like butter, or bacon.

of Ale,

With uplifted spigot and faucet, and pail,

Thus chided the Monarch of-Fire: 'Vile Tyrant, beware of the ferment I brew, [o' me! 'I rule the roast here, dash the wig "If, spite of your marriage with old Drury, [ing the new, 'Come here with your tinderbox, court'I'll have you indicted for bigamy'."

you

INDEX INDICATORIUS. Mr. HUNTER'Ss very kind "Corrections" shall appear in their proper place; as shall also those of Mr. DOWLAND. The View of WOODCOTE HOUSE shall We shall be much appear very soon. obliged by the other Drawing our Friend mentions.

A. W. C. (in answer to one of our Cor respondents, who inquired if Jerusalem ever had any other name) refers to the 11th chapter of 1 Chronicles, 4th verse: "Jerusalem was Jebus-The Jebusites were the Inhabitants of the Land."

In Answer to an Inquiry in Part I. p. 544, respecting W. B.'s intention of collecting into a Volume or two some Manuscripts of his on different Subjects under the title of "The Pensive Rambler,” that intention is not relinquished, but probably will not for some time take place, as the papers are not yet selected or arranged for publication.

P. E. B. is referred to Brand's "Popu lar Customs," for Solution of his Queries. H. W.'s Seal shall appear, when opportunity serves.

W. B. in our next; with an "Account of the Parish of Maer," &c. &c. &c. SELECT