it appears in a form worthy of the sublimity and beauty which these holy strains display. It was partly or wholly written by poor Smart, while he was confined in a receptacle for lunatics; and being denied the use of pen and ink, he is said to have indented it on the boards of the room. It must be owned, that it betrays in some parts the incoherence of a mind not under proper regulation; but the redeeming beauties outweigh the unintelligible portions of "the Song." Sacred poetry is too often deficient in spirit and gracefulness, but this specimen abounds in these qualities; and it is a great pity that the unhappy Author's condition did not allow of a more thorough revision of the whole. As the title imports, it is an Address to David, and exemplifies the great qualities of that sacred character. There are nearly a hundred stanzas. We give two or three as a specimen; some of the best cannot be produced, as they have too intimate a connection with the preceding and subsequent ones, and would make the quotation too long. The Poem opens thus: "O thou, that sit'st upon a throne, To praise the King of kings; Clear as a clarion rings."-St. 1. A BARD in the Forest of Dean, is Pan among the Satyrs; for, as our Author describes that black smithing and colliering part of the kingdom, "its inhabitants have only approached the first stage of civilization.” But there are spots in it of exquisite picturesque beauty, which it requires sentiment to enjoy. Though this has been often perverted into a kind of cynical fastidiousness, or insipid affectation, we consider it in its genuine purity, as tending to soften the heart, and produce an amiable and interesting character. Without sentiment, men are mere sensualists, and females mere gossips. We are happy, therefore, to see that the coarse rock of the Forest is capable of being carved into a pleasing statue, and glad to hear the pipe of the shepherds of Virgil relieving the harsh creaks of the steam-engine. The good which He afterwards describes the great persons of refinement may do in barKing as a sacred poet: "His Muse, bright angel of his verse, Gives balm for all the thorns that pierce, For all the pangs that rage; Blest light, still gaining on the gloom, The Abishag of his age. He sung of God-the mighty source On which all strength depends; St. 17, 18. 32. The Vale of Stanghden, a Poem, in five Cantos. By James Bird. 8vo. pp. 116. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy. THIS is a love-tale told in harmonious versification, interspersed with pleasing songs and images, drawn from the Edda. Numerous ideas of happy conception occur. We shall specify two: barous regions is considerable; and it may not be less, because Mr. Wickenden " is a youth, whose situation in life is totally incompatible with literary pursuits." His instruction, advice, and example, may thus be more efficacious, because more accessible. We prefer making our selections from the grand melo-drama (for such it is), and we do not doubt but that our readers will admit the descriptive powers of Mr. Wickenden. The misfortune is, that it is not in general considered how much taste is concerned in fine description. They who have stood over an abyss, will feel the merit of the following paragraph: "They were suspended over a gulph so awfully deep, that it almost harrowed the very soul. Above, glittered the very canopy of Heaven, cloudless and serene. Immense clouds rolled beneath their feet, from which issued vivid flashes of light ning, followed by tremendous peals of thunder, which reverberated with astounding fury along the dark sides of the mountain. Sometimes the thunder-cloud, rolling asunder, displayed an immense aperture; awful lightning would then flash from each side of the parting cloud, which impetuously closing again, presented a chaos of interminable gloom." P. 42. The description of the Glaciers by moonlight is equally good. "The Moon arose in cloudless majesty. The Glaciers reflecting its beams, presented the appearance of immense columns of silver, with millions of glittering icicles pendant from their sides, of every shape and colour the imagination can conceive. Beneath, appeared one solid sheet of gems, varying from red and purple to yellow, until it mingled with the distant atmosphere. Above, glittered immense masses of snow, which threatened every moment to bury them in its ruins ; rendered more probable, as the terrific roar of distant avalanches reverberated at intervals along the deep chasms of the rugged precipices: to this were added, the deep-toned murmurs of a mountain stream, which, rushing with impetuous violence o'er the indented rocks, seemed like the roaring of distant thunder." P.14. All this is exceedingly good, as written by an "Author continually engaged in pursuits which 'grate the soul of Harmony,' and who could only devote a few nocturnal hours to the cultivation of his mind."—Pref. Novels are now become things so respectable, and are so sure of readers, that we are glad to see men of abilities engaged in this form of writing. But gentlemen who, like Mr. Wickenden, write without literary tyrocinia, should be cautioned in reference to their taste. The successful Novels of the present day do not turn so much upon incident as character, national and individual. brity; and as he is the only Poet likely to be generally read in that district, we shall be glad to see Mr. Wickenden's talents more advantageously directed. 34. A Refutation on the Claims preferred for Sir Philip Francis and Mr. Gibbon to the Letters of Junius. 8vo. pp. 52. Reed. THE plausible case made out for Sir Philip Francis by his "Identifyer," is here completely overturned, by strong evidence, both external and internal. Mr. Gibbon is dismissed with as little ceremony: "No two compositions can present a more complete contrariety in manner than the letters and the history. Junius is terse, direct, and inartificial, or possessing the art of concealing all art. Gibbon is gaudy and verbose, obviously and unremittingly bent on display, and sacrificing to that vain purpose all simplicity and purity of diction." Of the character of Junius we shall extract a few lines, as applicable to the present important crisis: "His Letters are replete with sound and practical illustrations of the polity of If the factious imitators of England. Junius, who have libelled equally his language and opinions, had ever studied his works, they would have seen with what decided condemnation he speaks of measures which the advocates of popular liberty, at this period, assure us are essential to restore the constitution to its pristine purity. He deprecates all sweeping schemes of reform in the representation of the people, and exhorts Wilkes to banish the idea of an annual parliament. The right of universal suffrage was too absurd, or too refined, for the mob of that culations, unless it lurked under the terms, period, and had no footing in their speA full and free representation of the people'." Mr. White have a better end in view -the temporal and the eternal hap. piness of a hopeful Son. "They are written," (we are told), "at a period of the Author's life, when his heart was not without hope that the time past of his afflictive experience might yield the fruit of happier promise. It has pleased the Supreme Disposer of all events to withhold from him this consolation; yet still to strengthen in him that submission to His Divine dispensations which softens the severest pang of sorrow, and tranquillizes the mind under the inost disquieting agitations." As a Divine, the Author of these Letters has long been eminently distinguished; and the present Volume will not derogate from that fair fame which he has so justly acquired. We shall take one specimen from a Letter on the regular division of a young man's time: "Business, study, and recreation, make up the sum of a young man's occupation of time. In the first rank of his engagements ought to be placed the pledge which he has given to his employers, to fulfil the duties attached to his situation. This, therefore, constitutes the first division of his time, and this division will comprebend the official hours of attendance. That it may not trench upon the regularity of his system, he will take care to accomplish all he has to do within the given period; and that he may effect this, he will not allow any unseasonable interruption which he can prevent, to interfere with his purpose: he will reflect that he is of no other importance in his office, than as he fulfils the duties of his peculiar department; but that while he continues to perform these, he secures to himself the truly important character of a young man who can be depended upon. In office-hours, therefore, he must have no other concern than that which relates to his official business-and every other object must be rejected as an irrelevant intrusion upon his attention. "Now, my dear G―, you are thus occupied six hours in a day, and you are solemnly bound, by an honourable sense of your compact, to apply them to the service of your engagement. It seldom happens, I believe, that, in your office, the pressure of business exceeds the opportunities which the hours set apart for its execution afford for its completion. You may, therefore, reckon upon the entire possession of the rest of the day for your independent application of it to your own peculiar purposes. Whatever these purposes may be, therefore, do not suffer them to distract your thoughts, or divert your attention from that official direction of both, to which both ought to be conformed; but content yourself with the conviction that you have time enough in the rest of the day to attend to them. By this arrangment, pressure will not produce burry; nor will burry, should it occur from any extraordinary cause, implicate you in irregular or inaccurate performance of your duty. By dividing your time, you reduce all you pursuits into a regular system of action; you prevent their interfering with and confounding each other; and, what is of greater consequence than all this, you effectually obviate all that long train of disabilities which invariably follow from procrastination, that thief of time,' as Young very aptly calls it. "Your hours of business, therefore, must be applied to business only; and [ should advise you not to fall into that custom which prevails among young men who are employed in public offices, of making appointments with their young acquaintance to meet them at their place of business upon the most trifling occasions; of having their private letters directed to them at their office; and carrying thither books either of frivolous im. port, or of a less justifiable description. "This caution, unnecessary as it may appear, will assume some shape of importance, when it is recollected that every interruption produces delay in business. The value of your time will never be duly appreciated by those who take no account of their own; and while they think they have hours to spare, they will not reflect that you have not a moment to lose. Such impertinents you should brush away as you would the fly that drops upon the paper on which you are writing. "Your private letters also are just as much out of place, if you are in the habit of reading and answering them at your desk-and books which have nothing to do with the affairs of your office, should not be admitted among your public papers; the mixture does not bespeak the man of business; and this is the only character in which you should be known at such hours: here, also, I would protest against that idle practice of many of your brother-clerks, who are in the habit of keeping publications of light or licentious reading in their desks, with which they waste many a half-hour that might, and ought, to be otherwise employed. Such a practice is apt to produce an estrangement of thought that detaches them from their occupation, and unfits them for that deliberative part of it which is at all times requisite, even in its most cursory claims upon their attention." 36. A De 36. A Description of Hadleigh, in the County of Suffolk, and the adjoining Villages; with some Account of Dr. Rowland Taylor, the Rev. John Boyse, and the Rev. Isaac Toms, &c. 12mo, pp. 37. Raw, Ipswich; Hardacre, Hadleigh. A LATE skilful Heraldic Antiquary, the Rev. Philip Parsons, in his "Monuments and Painted Glass of upwards of a Hundred Churches, chiefly in the Eastern Part of Kent, 1794," a work now become exceedingly rare, has given a full account of the fine old Church of Hadleigh in Suffolk, which the Compiler of this pretty little Volume has improved, by the addition of some pleasing historical particulars, which did not fall within the plan of Mr. Parsons. With Dr. Rowland Taylor, our Readers have been lately made acquainted (see vol. LXXXIX. ii. p. 390). "Hadleigh, like many old towns, affords some curious specimens of antient architecture, the beams of the lath and plaster houses are ornamented with rude and grotesque carving, the different stories projecting oue over the other,―here are several old brick mansions, or rather the remains of them, which prove that when the woollen manufactury flourished here, the inhabitants enjoyed considerable wealth and consequence." A few of the seats and villages in the neighbourhood are briefly described; concluding with the seat of Sir William Rowley, bart. M. P. for the county of Suffolk. Tendring Hall is situated in the parish of Stoke by Neyland, and stands on the side of a hill which commands one of the most extensive prospects in the country. The present Hall was erected about 26 years since, by Mr. Soane, the architect; the chief rooms, though not large, are fitted up with great taste. A curious old brick tower, venerable from age and clad with ivy, forms a pretty object in the grounds; this was part of the old Hall, built in the fifteenth century; it was purchased of Sir John Williams, knt. by Admiral Sir William Rowley, Knight of the Bath, and one of the Lords of the Admiralty, grandfather to the present Baronet. The Park, which consists of upwards of 200 acres, is finely wooded, possesses great variety, and the farm below, on the banks of the Stour, is kept in a high state of cultivation." 37. Prospectus and Specimen of an intended National Work. By William and Robert Whistlecraft, of Stow-Market, in Suffolk, Harness and Collar Makers. Intended to comprise the most interesting Richard the First has had his story told, What hero's fame was ever carried far- In Canto II. we are told, "The great KING ARTHUR made a sumptuous Feast, And held his Royal Christmas at Carlisle, And thither came the Vassals, most and least, From every corner of this British Isle ; And all were entertain'd, both man and beast, stable, According to their rank, in proper style; And therefore, from the original in prose By hundreds, and by dozens, and by scores. And here in town we'll breakfast on hot rolls, And you shall have a better shawl to wear; These pantaloons of mine are chaf'd in holes ; By Monday next I'll compass a new pair: And take away the things you hung to air, 38. English Finance, with reference to the THE object of this Work is to prove the absolute necessity of regraduating the paper-money standard, before an attempt is made to resume Cash Payments at the Bank. The subject embraces a variety of the ost important topics: standard of value-bullion and paper-Commerce -Trade and Industry-Poor Laws— Revenue-Taxes-Contracts-high and low prices-financial, moral, and Hogsheads of honey, kilderkins of mustard, political fallacies, &c. swine; Muttons, and fatted beeves, and bacon A few Strictures will be found on the Financial observations of the Earls of Liverpool and Lauderdale, Lord King, Right Hon. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Brougham, Mr. Western, Mr. J. P. Grant, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Frankland Lewis, &c. The Author most respectfully challenges enquiry; and only requests to have judgment suspended, till the whole of his arguments (in regard to this comOn opening the Third Canto, the plex and difficult question) have been Plam puddings, pancakes, apple-pies and And wherewithal they drank good Gascon wine, With mead, and ale, and cyder of our own; For porter, punch, and negus, were not known." Poet's prospects brighten : "I've a proposal here from Mr. Murray, He offers handsomely-the money down; My dear, you might recover from your dispassionately and critically weighed. 39. Latin Prosody made Easy. The Third Edition, enlarged, materially improved, and accompanied with the Poetic Treatise of Terentianus Maurus, De Metris. By John Carey, LL.D. Classical, French, and English Teacher. 12mo. pp. 444. Longman and Co. EVER alive to the painful duties of an useful but laborious profession, Dr. Carey has given the Publick a new edition of a Work which has al ready been well received; and is now so improved and enlarged, that, in fact, it may be considered nearly as an original publication. We are glad to find, at the end of this Volume, the very curious poetic treatise of the "Centimetrous" Terentianus Maurus, de Metris. "I regret, |
