But oh! when thou forfak'st his breast, The failor on the watʼry waste, While boift'rous waves terrific roar, The wretch whom keen Remorfe affails, When Life prefents her closing fcene, Thou bid'ft the mind her greatnefs know; The editor affures us that the poems are the genuine and fole productions of E. Bentley; that neither correction nor addition has been made nor fuggefted but by her; and he concludes his preface with obferving, that fhe is not lefs refpectable for her modeft virtues, than for her fuperior abilities. The general eftimation of her worth may, with fome certainty, be inferred from the very long lift of fubfcribers. A portrait of the poetefs fronts the title; by which any one would guess her to be forty years of age, at least, when, by the account, fhe is only twenty-four. ART. XI. Celeftina. A Novel. By Charlotte Smith. 8vo. 4 Vols. 12S. Boards. Cadell. 1791. THE HE forms of Nature, being infinitely diversified, afford an inexhauftible fund for the exercife of the imitative arts; and as long as those who practife thefe arts, whether painters or poets, felect their objects of imitation with tafte, and copy them with fidelity, the world will never ceafe to be delighted with their productions. Poetry, in particular, though its cloathing may vary, will, in its effential characters, ever remain the fame, and will always continue to be a fource of elegant pleasure; and under the general term, poetry, we comprehend, with the firft ancient critics, all thofe literary productions, in which fancy collects, judgment combines, and tafte expreffes in fuitable language, images furnished by nature; whether the expreffion be, or be not, fubjected to the artificial reftrictions of metre. The modern Novel, well executed, poffeffing the effential characters of poetry, perhaps even more perfectly than the ancient Romance, certainly deferves a place among the works of . genius :-nor ought the multiplicity of infignificant or contemptible pieces, which are poured forth under this title, to preclude from notice fuch as poffefs fuperior merit. This cir cumftance rather furnishes a reafon for taking fome pains to bring them forward out of the promifcuous crowd, in which they first appear, and to give them that distinction, to which, in every walk of literature, genius is entitled. Such diftinction we judge to be due to the author of the novel now before us, who has already given feveral pleasing proofs of her ready invention and elegant tafte. We fhall therefore make no apology for allowing a larger portion of our journal to this novel, than we ufually think it right to devote to productions of this clafs. Celeftina, the heroine of this interefting tale, makes her firft appearance, at five years of age, in a convent at Hieres, on the coaft of Provence, where fhe had been placed, when only a few months old, as a child whofe birth it was of the utmost confequence to conceal. Here he is obferved by Mrs. Willoughby, an English widow, who, with her daughter, a child fomewhat older than Celeftina, had taken up a temporary refidence in this place. Pity and affection induce Mrs. Willoughby to take Celeftina under her protection; and, having procured her releafe from the convent, the receives her as an adopted daughter. On their return to England, to the family eftate at Alveftone in Devonshire, Mrs. Willoughby's fon (George) forms an early attachment to Celeftina, while his mother fettles a plan for his marriage with Mifs Fitz Hayman, the daughter of her brother, Lord Caftlenorth. Mrs. Willoughby, finding her health declining, communicates the plan to her fon, and, on her death-bed, extorts from him a promise not to marry Celeftina. Mifs Willoughby, foon after her mother's death, marries Mr. Molyneux, the fon of an Irish baronet; while George Willoughby, according to the promise made to his mother, forces himself from the object of his affection. Celeftina, who, from Willoughby's apparent coldness, concludes that his marriage with his coufin is determined, and who finds herself flighted by the vain and haughty Mrs. Molyneux, retires into lodgings near Sidmouth. Willoughby, in the mean time, is perfecuted with the importunities of the Caftlenorth family, and, refolving at all hazards to unite him felf felf with Celeftina, vifits her, with his college friend the gay Vavafour, and fixes the day of the marriage. Lady Caftlenorth, who had watched his motions, in order to prevent the match, follows him into Devonshire; and, fending for him to Exeter, informs him, on evidence which he knows not how to controvert, and which feems to be confirmed by what had passed in his mother's last moments, that his beloved Celeftina was his fifter, the offspring of an illicit amour. Willoughby, diftracted by this unwelcome intelligence, immediately goes abroad, in hopes of detecting the falsehood of the story, by means of information which he might obtain at the convent of Hieres. While he remains abroad, vainly attempting, by various expedients, to unravel this mystery, Celeftina becomes a refident in the house of Mr. Thorold, a worthy clergyman. His fon, Montague Thorold, a romantic college-youth, falls in love with her, and pursues her with his troublefome importunities; while, at the fame time, Vavafour visits her, and declares himself a candidate for the honour of fucceeding to his friend's place in her affections. In hopes of freeing herself from thefe unwelcome fuitors, Celeftina leaves Mr. Thorold, and takes a tour into Scotland with a female companion. Hither the is followed by her romantic admirer Montague Thorold, and by the roving Vavafour. On their journey, Celeftina, at an inn on the road, accidentally meets with Lady Horatia Howard, formerly a friend of Mrs. Willoughby; who, hearing her story, requests her, after her return from Scotland, to make her a vifit. Celeftina accepts the invitation, and, after a confiderable interval, becomes a stated refident in the house of this lady. Still, however, fhe is purfued both by Montague Thorold and by Vavafour; the former of whom is countenanced by Lady H. Howard, who endeavours to perfuade Celestina to banish from her mind the hopeless remembrance of Willoughby. Willoughby, in the mean time, continues wandering about Europe without any fixed plan; till at length he returns to England to fatisfy himfelf concerning the truth of a report which had reached him, that Celeftina had transferred her affections to another lover. Many circumstances concur to confirm the report; and his jealousy converts every thing into a proof of her inconftancy. This determines him, without farther delay, to offer himself to Miis Fitz Hayman, and he is accepted. However, an intimacy, which he difcovers between this lady and an Irish officer, Capt. Cavanaugh, foon furnishes him with a good pretext for breaking off an engagement, to which his heart had never aflented; and he again leaves England with a full perfuafion that Celeftina would foon give her felf felf to another. Travelling over the Pyrenean mountains, he arrives at the Vallée de Loufon, where he is hofpitably entertained at the Chateau de Rochemarte, by the Count Bellegarde. This French nobleman's fifter, Genevieve, had been formerly married to an English gentleman, Capt. Ormond; on whofe abience and death, on military fervice, his infant daughter had been configned, through the cruelty of Genevieve's father, to a convent. This child is, by indifputable proofs, found to be Celeftina. Willoughby, in a tranfport, returned to England. On inquiry, he finds that Celeftina is gone to Exmouth with Lady H. Howard. He impatiently haftens thither, not without apprehenfion that he is by this time married to Montague Thorold. Appearances cherish the apprehenfion. Celeftina, too, believes him married to his coufin. A pathetic interview brings forth an éclaircissement, which produces mutual transport; and the whole terminates in their happy marriage. This, with a few fubordinate incidents, and two or three affecting epifodes, is the ftory of Celeftina: it is natural, and well conceived; and the whole business is so artfully conducted, as to give the narrative a general air of probability. Some few circumstances are, perhaps, liable to objection. Particularly, it may be thought,-at leaft by those who have never heard, or who have forgotten, that it is one of the characters of love "to hope, though hope itfelf were loft," that Montague Thorold's inflexible perfeverance is improbable ;-that the fudden transfer, which he makes of his affections, from Celeftina, after her marriage, to her cousin Anzoletta, on account of her likeness to Celeftina, is incredible ;-and that there is no foundation for fuppofing fuch a likeness, as Celeftina's father (to whom her resemblance was fo great as to ftrike his fifter Lady H. Howard, at their cafual interview,) was not related either to the father or mother of Anzoletta: but, notwithstanding thefe and a few other trivial defects, the incidents of this novel are happily imagined, and judiciously difpofed. The characters, particularly thofe of Willoughby and Celeftina, Vavafcur, Montague Thorold, Lady Caflienorth, and Mrs. Molyneux, are diftinctly marked and well fupported: the fentiments are fuch as could only have been dictated by true fenfibility: the defcriptions of natural fcenes are elegant and picturefque; and the language is natural, eafy, and, as the subject requires, familiar, ornamented, or pathetic.-We give, as a fpecimen, the following defcription of Celeftina's cafual view of Alvestone, the family feat of Willoughby, after an abfence of feveral years. (Vol II. p. 207.) The road they were travelling led along the fide of Alvestone Park for near a mile and a half.-On looking up, the faw one of REV. Nov. 1791. X the the park gates, and cried-" Alveftone! is it not? oh! yes I fee it is: there is the houfe!" Cathcart [her companion] answered that it was."I have a ftrange fancy," faid Celeftina, "to get out, and go up to that tuft of beech trees on the brow of the hill: it is not far. I fhall not be gone long. Will you wait for me?" They then went into the park over the ftepping-stile, and walking about half a quarter of a mile, reached the group of beech trees which fhaded a high knoll in the park; from whence the houfe, half concealed by intervening wood, appeared to great advantage. It was now the beginning of May, and the trees under which the flood were juft coming into leaf, while others scattered over the park were many of them of the most vivid green, contrafted by the darker fhade of fir and cyprefs mingled among them, One of the trees of this clump was marked by Willoughby with her name, his own, and his fifter's, and the date. It was five years fince; and the bark had grown rough and knotted round the fears," but the letters ftill remained. It was to revifit this well known memorial that Celeftina had been anxious; and now he could hardly bear the thoughts of leaving it. She recollected every trifling circumftance that happened when Willoughby cut thofe letters; the cloaths he wore, and his very look were again prefent to her; while, in the breeze that fighed among the trees, the fancied fhe heard the found of his voice, and that he pronounced the name of Celestina. In this ftate of mind he had almoft forgotten that Cathcart waited for her, till a herd of deer ran bounding by her; and looking op fhe faw following them in mimic race feveral horfes which grazed in the park. There was among them a favourite little mare, which Willoughby had been fond of from a boy it had always carried him to Eton, and been the companion of all his boyish fports; and when it became old, had been turned into the park in fummer time, and carefully fheltered in winter. While Mrs. Willoughby lived, it had been accustomed to be fed with bread once or twice a day from her hand, from her daughter's, or Celeftina's; and since her death, the old fervants in the houfe, with whom it was a fort of cotemporary, had accustomed it to the fame indulgence, to which it had become fo habituated, that on fight of any of the family it went towards them to be fed. This creature, therefore, no fooner faw Celeftina's cloaths fluttering among the trees, than it left its companions, and came neighing towards her. • Celeflina fancied the animal remembered her. She careffed it fondly, and, with tears in her eyes, and a deep figh, cried-" Ah! Fanchette, you recollect then your old friend, when perhaps your ftill beloved mafter is trying to forget her, and may already have fucceeded but too well." She found herfelf too much affected with this idea, and turning her fwimming eyes towards the house, the contrast between what the now was, and what hardly a month fince the expected to be--the fearful apprehenfion that Willoughby had become a convert to avarice and ambition, and that Mifs FitzHayman, who had the power to gratify both thofe paffions, would foon poffefs the place, where the had fondly hoped to conftitute the happinefs of his life whofe happiness was dearer to her than her own-all crowded with cruel force on her mind and feeling hér fenfations 9 become |