with zealous and laborious ministers; many of those who have deserved that character have not been duly patronized by their superiors, nor encouraged by their brethren:-they have rather been branded with some reproachful epithet, and treated as enemies to that church of which they were in truth very bright examples.

If, however, we desire that the church should be preserved, we must implore the great Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into the harvest, we must honour those that are such, and use our utmost endeavours to promote the success of their labours.

We must also, oppressed as we are by our other public bur dens, be willing to raise an adequate fund for the support of an additional number of clergymen in populous districts, and for the more adequate remuneration of those who are serving large parishes without deriving from them the means of comfortable subsistence. Upon the necessity, and the mode of making this provision, we refer our readers to a very useful pamphlet entitled, "Substance of the Speech of the Earl of Harrowby, June 18, 1810." They will there find briefly, but clearly discussed, the moral and physical wants of the church, and we think that they will agree with us in thinking that the arguments are no less conclusive against the crude opinions of another noble lord, than demonstrative of rational and enlightened zeal in forwarding the true interests of the established church. The late returns to the legislature show how numerous are the parishes whose vicarages or perpetual curacies have been deprived of the original maintenance of the minister by the abuse of lay impropriation. To attempt an alienation of the tithes subject to impropriation (particularly those held by laymen,) would be, in the present state of things, an unwarrantable invasion of the established rights of property; but in many cases, if a fulfilment of the fundamental condition enjoined by the laws of the land were required, namely, that every impropriator should afford a convenable maintenance to the officiating clergyman, a considerable diminution of the evil would take place. In many instances, if the public repositories of ancient ecclesiastical documents were carefully searched, endowments of vicarages, which have long been lost, would be brought to light, or such papers discovered as would cause the detection of many frauds committed by the ancient patrons on the benefices of which they had the disposal.

In many such parishes there is a large proportion of waste land, from which, if a small allotment were assigned by the authority of parliament to the minister, his income might be augmented without an increase of national expenditure, and without any VOL. I. New Series. S

material sacrifice on the part of his parishioners, who ought cheerfully to consent to a measure so likely to increase the usefulness as well as the comfort of their minister, where his provision is evidently too small for his station.

In addition to such measures as it might be thought expedient to adopt for encreasing the number of places of worship and augmenting the incomes of ill provided ministers, a revival of primitive discipline and an increase of episcopal vigilance* is highly to be desired. By this is not meant an enforcement of obsolete canons, or an exertion of vexatious interference, but an active and personal examination of the state of parishes and the characters of clergymen, an encouragement of the diligent, a reprehension of the negligent and worldly, an endeavour to promote unity and mutual concord, and a frequent consultation concerning those means which might best promote the prosperity of the church in general, and the improvement of each district in particular. A system of this sort is said to have been established in the diocese of St. Davids, which is highly worthy of imitation. To this should be added, earnest endeavours on the part of the clergy to explain to their parishioners, in a familiar manner, the nature and excellencies of our establishment, and the high claims which it has to their respect and adherence.

In a word, if we would defeat the designs of those who meditate the overthrow of our ecclesiastical polity, we must resort to a system of active but amicable counteraction. We must, as it was once said by a pious prelate, out-preach, out-pray, and out-live our dissenting brethren.-We must refrain from all intemperate language, and all unkind conduct; we must endea vour by gentle means, to draw back to our communion those who have departed from it, whilst we use our utmost exertions to remove all pretence, and obviate all necessity for further separation. Unity among churchmen, increased zeal on the part of the clergy of all ranks, a more abundant supply of places of worship, and permission to ministers to take such means as appear best to them for the edification of their own parishioners,

The late Bishop Porteus (as we find in his nephew's publication) never held a confirmation without following it up with a forcible address to the young persons assembled; and if we consider the imposing nature of the ceremony to their young and innocent minds, fresh from the simple objects and ideas familiar to the age of childhood, and just impressed by the ministers of their parish with the religious responsibility they are about to assume, we can conceive no practice more likely to create that lasting conviction of the duty and importance of a religious life, which must always arise from the combined operations of the feelings and the judgment. It is with great regret, then, that we see this practice so uncommon in the church; the omission appears to be no part of a sound system.

subject always to vigilant and reasonable, but not vexatious episcopal superintendence. These seem to be the only measures, or at least the most important of those, by which the growth of schism, and the consequent downfall of the church, is to be prevented.

Should these observations, imperfect as we fear they are, contribute in any degree to so important an object, we shall be most humbly and sincerely thankful; and shall rejoice in having rendered even the slightest service to that excellent church, to which we glory in belonging, and for the preservation of which our earnest prayers will, we trust, never cease to be offered.

Irish Melodies, with Words, by Thomas Moore, Esq. Four Numbers. London, 1812.

[From the Quarterly Review, for June, 1812.]

We offer no apology to our readers for stepping a little out of our track to review a series of poems published with music; because, as they bear the name of Mr. Moore, it will at once be perceived that they can have no affinity to those well-bred effusions, which Lauretta and Rosabella are perpetually prevailing upon their music masters to print with a tune.

Nothing can be more satisfactorily explained than the high degree of honour acquired by the lyric bards of antiquity. Their poetry had not only sublimity and beauty to strike the soul and win the affections, but enjoyed the farther benefit of musical accompaniments, admirably suited to fan the animation which they kindled. When to this we add the occasions on which the lyrical compositions of the Greeks were usually exhibited, at sacred festivals and public rejoicings, where the splendour and solemnity, the bustle and pride of the scene, concurred to awaken the strongest emotions of taste and patriotism, we shall not wonder that, among so susceptible and polished a people, the odes and chorusses of their great poets were regarded with an enthusiasm at once affectionate and ardent. And, as the elevation of one branch of a family frequently exalts the others, the glory belonging to the sublimer classes of lyric poetry reflected its lustre on those slighter effusions which were allied to them by their common connection with music.

But the changes of manners have wrought correspondent revolutions in taste. The impatience of fashion will endure no piece of music which has not the recommendation of brevity, whatever be the merit of the poetry connected with it. Few

odes, therefore, are now set to music; so that the greatest part of what is called lyric poetry in the works of the chief modern writers is no longer lyric except in its name, having avowedly been written, not to be accompanied by music, but simply to be read. Indeed it was not to be expected that men of genius, ac customed to classic and canonized forms, would often be found willing to curtail their compositions for the sake of musical accompaniment; so little has usually been the reputation attached to the shorter effusions of poetry.

We conceive that song-writing has sunk in popular estima tion far below its just level; but we can scarcely wonder at it, when we contemplate the demerits of those who, through a long succession of years, have addicted themselves to the polite art of making canzonets for the young ladies of their acquaintance. These well-meaning persons, we fear, have brought discredit upon the Muse who has been so unfortunate as to obtain their partiality; and thus, probably, it has happened that lyric poetry has lost so much of its ancient honour. Its character and consequence have been appraised in the gross, and the few good poets overlooked or confounded in the multitude of pre

tenders.

This undiscriminating depreciation is, in cruth, an error much more important than at first sight it may appear; not only as taste is concerned, but as national character may be affected. We do not mean to insist upon the influence which poetry has actually had in forming or improving the minds or manners of the English people; nay, we are afraid that the euthusiasm of taste has but too often overrated the effect of every fine art upon the national character-unless, indeed, the phrase is meant to denote merely the character of the higher ranks of society. This want of effect however must not be ascribed to any inherent inefficacy in the nature of poetry itself; but to the circumstances, which, in this case, have denied it the opportunity of proving its influence. In Greece, where its enjoyments were communicated through the medium of music to all ranks of the people, we have no doubt that poetry had great power in raising as well as refining the general character. Even the wild descants of the rude minstrels of later times, have, in all forms, and most especially when accompanied by music, affected, in a marked and permanent manner, the characters of courts, and even of camps. We cannot but believe, therefore, that similar effects would have been produced by poetry upon our own commonalty if they had enjoyed similar advantages. Certainly, in the only case in which the experiment has been tried, we mean among our sai ors, the result has been signally beneficial; and we should be wanting in justice if we did not add, highly cre

ditable to the talents and feelings of the venerable bard who so patriotically devoted his genius to their service.

We admit that the temperament which disposes the soul to take fire at the beauties of poetry, must, in every state, be limited to a very small number; and we suspect that even these, considered as a body, are not the most moral class of the commu nity. The warmth which makes them so feelingly alive to the charms of verse, is apt to lead them to the indulgence of less innocent emotions; and though they may be capable of a sudden exertion of virtue, yet that very propensity which disposes them to receive impressions so readily, occasions these to be as readily effaced.

It is not however by this romantic kind of impression, that the most important benefits of poetry are usually produced. These, we think, are more essentially promoted by that repugnance to every thing mean and ignoble, which becomes habitual from the study of nature in the purity of her poetical form; by the innocent, and at the same time agreeable direction which the pursuits of taste impart to the idler propensities of the mind; by the influence of generous and pathetic verse in keeping open those hearts which are in danger of being choked with the cares of business, or the still more hardening apathy of wealth; and, most of all, by that suavity of manner which the fine arts create and nourish, and which education and the unrestrained intercourse of good society are daily extending from the higher to the middling classes. It is not, in short, to strong impressions made on particular persons, but to the laudable habits and manners which a prevailing disposition to poetical pursuits insensibly insinuates into the whole social system, that we ascribe the benefit produced by poetry upon national character. That benefit is not a sudden luxuriance engendered by a partial inundation: it grows and ripens like the regular harvest of the season, fostered by the dews and silent rains of heaven.

These are some of our reasons for regretting, that the chief English poets have contributed so little toward a collection of songs worthy to accompany the bold and touching strains of music bequeathed by the bards of more romantic ages. We have stated our opinions rather largely, because we think that the present circumstances of society have given the subject more consequence than it ever possessed before. The abolition of those prejudices which so long condemned the female part of the community to intellectual idleness, has admitted a new and very numerous class to the enjoyments of poetry. Now, of all the poetry which women usually read, the verses that accompany their music form by far the most important portion. If then it be of consequence to form and guide the tastes and pursuits