tion of a practical part, confifting of dialogues, letters, tranflations from the Spectator, &c. to exercife the learner. This avoids the prolixity of the former English German Grammar, and at the fame time furnishes every thing neceffary to introduce the English reader to an acquaintance with the German tongue.-The German of this Grammar is printed with the common German types. The whole, indeed, has the appearance of iffuing from a foreign prefs. POETRY and DRAMATIC. E. Art. 36. The Rights of Kings; or, Loyal Odes to Difloval Academicians. By Peter Pindar, Efq. 4to. pp. 70. 38. fewed. Evans. 1791. The rights of kings, afferted by Peter Pindar, form a jest too obvious to need the pointer's finger. That irony is Peter's forte, is a truth, of which no one who has perused but a few of his numerous fatires, can be ignorant; and irony, from the pen of this humourous and jocular bard, can never fail to entertain thofe readers who poffefs any taste. for lettered pleasantry. The occafion and fubject of this new burlefque of royalty, are thus ftated in the profe addrefs to the reader, prefixed to the twenty odes, of which this publication is composed : The foundation of the following Odes is fimply this-The Prefident of the Royal Academy, happy to be able to gratify our amiable Monarch in the minuteft of his predilections, reported lately to the Academicians his Majesty's defire, that a Mr. LAURENCE might be added to the lift of R. A.'s, his Majesty, from his fuperior knowledge in painting, being perfectly convinced of this young Artift's uncommon abilities, and confequently fair pretenfions to the honour. Notwithstanding the Royal with, and the wifh of the Prefident, and (under the rofe!!!) the wish of Mr. BENJAMIN WEST, the Wind for oracle of Paint, and Painter of Hiftory, the R. A's received the annunciation of his Majesty's with, Sir JOSHUA's wifh, Mr. WEST's wish, with the most ineffable fang froid, not to call it by the harder name, difguft. The annunciation happening on the night of an election of Affociates, at which Mr. LAURENCE ought to have been elected an Affociate (a ftep neceffary to the more exalted one of R. A.) - behold the obftinacy of thefe Royal Mules!-the number of votes in favour of Mr. LAURENCE amounted to just three, and that of his opponent, Mr. WHEATLEY, to fixteen!!!! - Indignant and loyal Reader, the Lyric Mufe, who has uniformly attacked Meannefs, Folly, Impudence, Avarice, and Ignorance, from her cradle, caught fire at the above important event, and moft loyally poured forth the following Odes, replete with their ufual fublimities.' Any attempt to give a specimen of fo mifcellaneous a work as this which now lies before us, would be like fhewing a fingle picture, from the Shakspeare Gallery, to a ftranger who wanted to fee the whole of that multifarious exhibition. To fome of our readers, however, a tranfcript of a few lines from the First Ode, may be ac, ceptable: Q3 • Am ་་ Am I awake, or dreaming, O ye Gods? It fmells of treafon-on rebellion borders! Sdeath, Sirs! it was the QUEEN's fond wish as well, This is another crying fin! What!-not oblige, in fuch a trifling thing, So fweet a Queen, and fuch a goodly King!' Again, in another part of the fame Ode: Bedchamber Lords are all in ire The Maids of Honour all on fire; Nay, though defpotically fhav'd, the Cooks, See MADAM SCHWELLENBERG moft cat-like stare; She cries, " By Got, it fhock and make my hair STANHOPE, perchance, will clafp you in his arms; MUN very juftly thinks the human back O'er which thofe great rough-riders, Kings, may ftraddle.' That there may be in Monomotapa, or fome other parts of Ape and Monkey-land," fuch kings, and fuch courtiers, as this fatirift bodies forth," we difpute not: but are happy in the reflection, that we know of none fuch in our own country. Art. 37. Stanzas of Woe, addreffed from the Heart, on a Bed of 410. The poetical talents of Mrs. Yearsley are already well known. She here complains of cruel treatment; with what justice, it is not our province to determine. We fhall only fay, that no trifling caufe ought to deprive of the public protection, a humble female who can A young Portrait-painter of fome merit.' write fuch beautiful lines as the following, addreffed to her fon, on his becoming a pupil to Mr. Go much lov'd Boy! a Mother's Care refign, Like fome fair flow'r born in a funlefs fhade, Give thou thy Soul full fcope, to think, to fcan, The Stanzas of Woe were dictated by diftrefs and indignation at the cruel treatment which, according to Mrs. Year fley's account, her children received from the fervant of a chief magiftrate of Bristol. E. Art. 38. Verfes on the Arrival of the great Mufician, Haydn, in England. 4to. PP. 14. IS. Payne, &c. 1791. Thefe lines feem to be the effufions of a true believer in the miraculous powers of HAYDN, and of a judge of the rank and merit of other celebrated muficians. After giving a lift of the great mafters which the prefent century has produced, and paying a just tribute of praise to HANDEL, he says, These were the gen'ral fav'rites of their days, Were heard with languor, like an oft-told tale, At length great HAYDN's new and varied ftrains Of habit and indiff'rence broke the chains; Rous'd to attention the long torpid fenfe, With all that pleafing wonder could dispense.' What is faid of HAYDN's inexhaustible powers of invention, is fo juft, that no able and candid mufician will think it hyperbolical. His compofitions, long before his arrival in this country, had been diftinguished by an attention which we do not remember to have been bellowed on any other inftrumental music before: but at the concerts in Hanover Square, where he has prefided, his prefence feems to have awakened fuch a degree of enthufiafin in the audience, as almost amounts to frenzy. Welcome, great mafter! to our favour'd isle, While fkill for each fantallic whim provides, With full fruition, to a diftant hour, Of all thy magic and creative pow'r! D.B....y. And bleffing, with thy talents, all mankind!' Art. 39. Mifcellaneous Poems, by Samuel Rofs, Trinity College, Dublin. 12mo. pp. 71. 35. 3d. Printed at Londonderry. 1790. This fmall pamphlet contains a few light poems, chiefly of the elegiac kind, that are not without merit: but the price at which they are charged, confidering the quantity, and neither the print nor the paper deferving any encomium, feems calculated to confine the purchafe to the fubfcribers, of whom a lift is prefixed. N. Art. 40. The Thefpian Oracle; or, A Key to Theatrical Amufements. Containing the new Prologues and Epilogues; with a felect Collection of thofe celebrated for their W, Humour, Beauty, and Entertainment. To which is added, a Collection of Soliloquies, &c. from the moft admired Dramatic Performances; and an Introduction on Oratory and Acting, with Rules for acquiring the fame. 12mo. pp. 11II. IS. Barker: Collections of this kind are frequently offered to the public, with little difference in point of merit. The most obfervable circumftance attending the prefent publication, is the curious figure, prefixed as a fiontifpiece; which it is impofiible to view with a grave countenance, on the fuppofition that it is intended to reprefent a human being; an actor, perhaps, repeating a prologue: but this ought to have been expreffed underneath, like a Dutch fign, to guard against the mistake of imagining it to be borrowed from Gay's Fables, and to ftand for "The Monkey that had feen the World !" N. Art. 41. The School for Arrogance: a Comedy. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden. By Thomas Holcroft. 8vo. pp. 103. Is. 6d. Robin fons. 1791. This comedy, which is formed on the plan of Le Glorieux, by M. Nericault Deftouches, is fuperior to many of the dramas which have lately been tranflated or imitated from the French. Mr. Holcroft tells us, that he deviates confiderably from his original, particularly in introducing the character of Lady Peckham, who is op pofed 1 pofed to the Count, in order to fhew the contrast between the pride of rank, and the pride of riches: but Lady Peckham's character is too extravagant; it takes from the scene that appearance of reality, which alone can give complete fuccefs to theatrical reprefentations, On the whole, however, this play poffefies many requifites to render it a favourite with the public. NOVELS. Art. 42. Plexippus; or the Afpiring Plebeian. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5s. fewed. Dodiley. This is a modern ftory; though, by the ftiff name under which it is ufhered to the world, it might be fuppofed to be adapted to ancient Greece: but the name Plexippus is adopted from a nickname given to the hero of the tale at school, becaufe his father had been a dealer in horfes: though Philips is faid to have been his real name, if the word can with any propriety be applied to fiction. He a ftudent in the Temple; and is the afpiring Plebeian, because he fell in love with a lady of noble blood; which affords the author an opportunity of giving fome fmart retorts to the childish pretenfions formed by worthleffnefs decorated with titles, over true merit undignified by ribbands and honorary additions. After the ufual machinery in this line of writing, however, of a fecret marriage, and myfterious birth, luckily explained by a gift medal, and the unexpected bequest of an ample fortune, the writer warps his story till it bends to the pretenfions, which he expofes, of the family, who then condefcend to the alliance. Thefe volumes are not fo full of bufinefs as fuch stories generally comprehend: but they contain an unexceptionable decent tale; which is allowing as much praise as thofe publications deferve, where little beyond amufement is in tended. N. Art. 43. The Philanthropic Rambler. By Jane Timbury. 12mo. * Rev. vol. lxxx. p. 60. + Rev. New Series, vol.iv. p. 229. has |