Propertius were the qualities he least admired; but the tender simplicity of Tibullus affected him with the liveliest delight, as it was most congenial to the gentleness of his disposition, and exhibited the purest model of elegiac poetry. Time was not allowed him for going deep into French, Italian, and German literature; but he had read the best authors in these languages, in English versions. From the gentleness of his disposition, the elegance of his fancy, and the classical simplicity of his taste, the style of his poetry took its character, which has more tenderness than sublimity, more elegance than dignity, more ease than force. Prompted generally by incident, and impatient of design, he wrote with more happiness than care. But all his compositions are distinguished by marks of genius and poetical feeling, with numbers animated and varied according to the subject. His thoughts are often striking, and always just. His versification, though not exquisitely polished, is commonly flowing and harmonious. His language is, in general, chaste, correct, and well adapted; in elegy, frugal of epithet and metaphor; in blank verse and burlesque heroic, swelling and pompous, but not stiff or obscure. In some passages, he has not been so careful as might have been wished to choose perfect rhymes, or to avoid prosaic diction. All his pieces were written with surprising facility; most of them, as occasion suggested, being the production of an evening in bed, before he went to fleep, and, as his custom was, committed to any scrap of paper, or blank leaf of a book that came in his way in the morning. As these scraps received the first effusion of thought, unsubdued by the reiterated castigation of judgment, so they com. monly remained, for he seldom could be brought to submit to the trouble of revising them. His last production was always his favourite; but it continued to please him no longer than it was new. The piece that dropped from his pen in the morning, after having been presented with eagerness, and read with transport to the present writer, was forgotten in the returning meditation of the evening, like the production of the preceding day. Of the incredible number of pieces he composed, the printed collection contains only thirty-eight elegies, and somewhat more than half that number of miscellaneous poems and translations; being all he designed for publication, or of which any complete copies have been preserved. His Love Elegies, the most finished and the most pleasing of his performances, are mostly written in alternate rhyme, in the style of Hammond, whose simplicity and tenderness he has judiciously imitated, without adopting his Roman imagery derived from Tibullus, whom for the most part he translates. But as love is of no particular country, and its language universal, he confesses in his admiration of Hammond, the sympathetic feelings of passion and of nature, so forcibly expressed in his elegies; a confession common to every reader of sensibility, whose sentiments have not been corrupted by literary prejudice, or perverted by the unmerited censure of Dr. Johnson. Sincere in his love, almost without example, he wrote to a real not a fancied mistress; and as he felt the distress he describes, he has few ambitious ornaments, but expresses the simple unaffected language of the tender passions. To his sincerity it is also owing, Ca that that the character of his elegies is but little diversified, presenting chiefly a recurrence of the querulous ideas of grief and disappointment, a repetition of the soft distress of ill requited love, and a series of pathetic comparisons of the pretensions of birth and wealth,. with the happiness and security of humble fortune, in which the preference is constantly ascribed to the latter, and the rights of sensibility asserted with persuasive energy. Sublimer happiness can titles yield, Can wealth or grandeur greater meed bestow? And every finer feeling answers, No!' Of his Elegies, moral and descriptive, the sentiments, in general, are pleasing and pathetic, and the imagery picturesque and beautiful. The Elegy on the loss of the Aurora, the elegy written at Cuthally Castle, October an Elegy, and the elegy on Mr. Fisher, deserve particular commendation. They unite poetical beauty with that plaintive tenderness which is the characteristic of elegy, The amiable humanity, and tender simplicity which distinguish the Linnet an Elegy, are attractive and affecting in the highest degree. Though the palm of merit in this species of elegy be chiefly due to Jago, he has not adopted into his performance the identical circumstances of fictitious distress employed by that poet, in his "Blackbirds," nor followed him in the train of his thoughts, or in the structure of his stanza. The sentiments arise spontaneously from the subject, which is new and happily imagined, and the pathetic touches and delicate strokes of nature are such as would not discredit the pen of the humane and ingenious "poet of the birds." They, who may think the supplemental stanza, offered by the present writer, unnecessary, are at liberty to reject it; as well as the pieces of the same class, under his name, the comparative inferiority of which cannot escape observation. For the sentiments, he flatters himself he fhall find an easy pardon. Sylvia and Clara were not the phantoms of his mind; but his life has been protracted till they have sunk into their graves, and his pity and his praise are but empty sounds. • Of his Miscellaneous Poems, the Night Piece, Hymn to the Eternal Mind, Fit of the Spleen, Abra, The Student, Alexis, Verses to Mr. Hamilton, and Major White, are chiefly distinguished for felicity of invention, seriousness of subject, and strength and elegance of com. position. The poem on Curling, a winter amusement peculiar to North Britain, abounds with picturesque description and original imagery. But the subject being local and little known, the di dactic and technical allusions, which are numerous, can only be understood by those who are acquainted with the manly diversion of Curling. His Epifles, Songs, Anacreontics, &c. display invention, and no small portion of that ease, vivacity, and delicacy, essential to success, in the lighter and less elevated productions of faney. His Hero and Leander is for the most part a translation from the Greek poem of Mufæus. Several passages in the original are omitted; others paraphrased, and some entire speeches and new circumstances introduced. Following, in some measure, a new plan, he Are laboured under several disadvantages, of which, in justice to himself, he gives the following account, in a familiar dedication to the present writer, omitted in this edition. "Ovid is far from being explicit. Had I known at what time the lovers lived, I might. have introduced some of the public transactions of that period into the poem, and given it a greater air of probability. But all I could learn from him was, that they lived after the Trojan war. Perhaps my account of the matter may scarce appear an ingenious one, but I could positively give no better without running into novel intrigue, which the dignity of my numbers would not allow. Even where Ovid is explicit, I did not always find it convenient to follow him. Ovid has the Nurfe in the secret. I, out of pure regard to Hero's tranquillity, have given her no knowledge of the matter. Ovid makes Leander, at the approach of winter, intermit his visits, which was absolutely necessary to his plan of epistolary correspondence. I had no such view, and therefore drowned him in the first storm I could conveniently raise.-The reasons I give for the catastrophe, or in other words, the moral of the poem, may probably awake a laugh in a modern fine gentleman, but if you don't join him in it, a fine gentleman's laugh won't put me out of countenance." His version is in many parts happily executed, but is extremely unequal; the metre was, perhaps, injudiciously chosen, for a tale so romantic in itself, swelling with all the pomp of blank verse, is apt to grow into the idea of burlesque. But an easy flow of numbers, and a pleasing harmony of expression, make considerable amends for the diffusion which this occasions. Some of the speeches are exquisitely delicate and tender, and the description which opens the second book, is animated and poetical in an uncommon degree. The moral of the poem contains a fine eulogium on conjugal love, which does honour to his sensibility and his virtue. The celebrated love-tale is not the production of Mufaus of high antiquity, but of a grammarian of that name who lived in the 5th century. It was partly tranflated by Marlow, in his admirable performance entitled "the Sestiad," 1593, which was finished by Chapman, 1606, and highly merits republication. It was afterwards translated by Sir Robert Stapylton, 1647. The subsequent versions are too numerous to be specified. To expatiate farther, in the strain of friendly panegyric, on the moral and intellectual character of Græme, would be neither difficult nor unpleasing. Juvat usque morari Et conferre gradum▬▬▬▬▬ Virg. V. 487. But to accumulate yet more instances, of his amiable worth and poetical genius, would extend this preface to an undue length. The present writer is loth to part with his subject; which, there are a few who know, is by no means exhausted. To Græme, and to every thing connected with him, he acknowledges he is partial; and they who have experienced the loss of a beloved friend, will not think the worse of him for having this infirmity. He can gain, alas! but Hittle from his praise; but in stating his pretensions, and estimating his worth, he finds a pleasing, though a melancholy subject of r C 3 membrance. His mind is painfully soothed by a tender recurrence to those events which helped to fill up the vacuum of youthful studies and amusements, by the reciprocal exchanges of confidence and friendship. To him, his memory and his fame will be ever dear and precious, till his own remembrance, and other faculties, shall fail him, "And o'er his head close the dark gulf of time!” From the general commendation bestowed, by the partiality of friendship, on the compositions of Græme, particular criticism may make many deductions. Many of his performances, written hastily, at the age of eighteen, and of which his promiscuous studies and early death had prevented the revisal, can scarcely be inspected with all the severity of criticism; and there is no reason to fear that it will ever be exerted against them. But, when every deduction is made which criticism requires, the general poetical merit of his compositions will be allowed to be considerably above mediocrity. That he had great force of genius, and genuine poetical feeling, cannot justly be denied; and there are scarce any of his performances that do not display a tenderness of sentiment, an energy of expression, a vivacity of description, and an apposite variety of numbers, which evince the vigour of his imagination, and the accuracy of his taste, and reflect much honour both on his heart and his understanding. • Whatever rank may be due to Græme, among the poets of our nation, his correctness of taste, variety of erudition, vivacity of imagination, tenderness of sentiment, felicity of invention, and facility in numbers, will be allowed to afford indications of a poetical genius, which, when matured by years, and improved by practice, might have produced something considerable, and to furnish an example of unnoticed ingenuity aspiring to literature and to poetry under the pressure of indigence, sufficiently interesting to learning and to benevolence, to justify the bringing his compositions forward to the attention of the readers of poetry, which may be the means of doing justice to his merit, and of preserving his memory. His saltem accumulem donis, et fungar inani Virg. VI. 815.? MunereWe were surprised to find that the Athenaid of Glover was omitted among his works: we have observed similar omissions in other instances, and we mention this circumstance to prevent the public from expecting all the productions of those poets who have been admitted into this collection.-Of the remaining lives in this volume we must shortly remark, for we have extended the article beyond our intention, that they appear to be carefully and judiciously compiled from other publications. This observation is not confined to the facts which are related, but extend to the criticisms which are passed, and not unfrequently to the very expressions in which those criticisms are conveyed. Of the life of Dr. Johnson, which has been published in a separate volume, we gave an ample account in our 20th vol. N. S. p. 18. From From what we have already said on the subject of this work, its general character may easily be inferred. It appears to us an useful and comprehensive collection of English poetry; and the editor has uniformly evinced diligence and judgment in collecting and arranging his materials;-where the subject admitted, he has also frequently discovered taste and ingenuity. We must not omit to inform our readers, that the twelfth and thirteenth volumes are entirely filled with translations; nor to intimate that sufficient care has not been bestowed on the correction of the press,-the errors of that description being numerous. IN ART. III. Dr. Bisset's Life of Mr. Burke. [Article concluded from p. 387.] N 1782, the opposition recommenced their attack on the miniftry, by Mr. Fox moving an accufation against Lord Sandwich. Mr. Burke supported the motion; and, though it was lost, the minority appeared so strong as to indicate the speedy fall of the minister. General Conway, a few days afterward, led on another assault, by moving for an address to his Majesty to put an end to the war. Burke supported this motion also with all his powers, and it was lost by a majority of ONE only. Five days afterward, the same motion in a different form was moved, and carried by a majority of nineteen : the minister then resigned, and a new administration was formed, of which the Marquis of Rockingham was the nominal and Mr. Fox the real head. Burke was appointed Paymastergeneral. Of the new ministry, the first step was to offer peace to the Dutch, which they received very coldly; the next was a message from his Majesty recommending a retrenchment of expences, which was followed by an adoption (with several modifications) of Mr. Burke's economical reform bill,—The proceedings of the House on the Middlesex election were expunged from the Journals, and the legislature of Ireland was declared independent. The head of this popular administration lived not long to enjoy the thanks of his country; the Marquis dying July 1, 1782. The celebrated inscription on his Mausoleum, in Wentworth Park, was the composition of Mr. Burke. On the death of the Marquis, it was supposed by the party that the Duke of Portland was to succeed him. Lord Shel burne, however, without consulting the other members of adminiftration, C 4 |