:

POLITICAL.

Art. 43. Thoughts concerning the prefent critical Situation of Europe, addreffed to the King, and both Houses of Parliament. By a Friend to his Country. 8vo. PP. 31. IS. Hookham. 1791, From the above momentous title, and fuitable motto, prefixed to this fmall pamphlet Blame where we muft, be candid where we can,' we fet our mufcles in due order to receive fome important information but we are to remark that the author has marred the application of the motto which he adopted, by an injudicious alteration: the poet wrote 66 Laugh where we muft;" and truly had he prepared the line purpofely for the prefent occafion, he could not have expreffed himself more happily: for we never experienced a ftronger temptation to yield obedience, than in attending to a whimfical political fchemer, who undertakes to fecure us from the effects of the family compact, when the other dominions of the Bourbons, gradually modelling their governments on the improved plan and liberal fpirit of that of France, will present an affociation dangerous to the rest of Europe, and in the first inftance, probably fubversive, if not of the existence, at least of the profperity and power of this country. To counteract this formidable confederacy, when inspired with a liberal fpirit, he makes fhort work with the European potentates, by carving out their dominions after a new fanciful allotment, for which however we do not understand that he has yet obtained the confent of any one; that would quite derange the prefent fyftem. Moreover, to confolidate the general harmony,' he couples all the young princes and princeffes that he can name, in like manner, according to his own inclinations, without confulting those of the parties them felves, their families, or the countries to which they belong.

N. Art. 44. Political Tracts: confifting of I. A Propofal for the Liquidation of the National Debt-An Explanation of the Propofal-An Appendix, containing a Narrative of Proceedings at various public Meetings. II. The Efficacy of a Sinking Fund of One Million per Annum.-The Propriety of an actual Payment of the Public Debt.-The true Policy of Great Britain. III. The Abolition of Tithes and the Reform of the Church Revenue. The Doctrine of Prefcription confidered.- A Narrative of Proceedings at a County Meeting held at Morpeth, December 22, 1784, refpecting the Payment of Tithes.-A Letter to the Freeholders of the County of Northumberland on the fame Subject. By Sir Francis Blake, Bart. 8vo. PP. 355. 5s.

Boards. Debrett.

The tracts claffed under the three heads above cited, have been already noticed in the Rev. on their firit appearance*. They are now collected by the refpectable author, for his own fatisfaction; after having failed to attract due attention at the times of their publication, and after finding his plans unfupported by public meetings of the gentlemen in his own county of Northumberland: but Sir Francis Blake muft, by this time, be convinced, that uprightness

* See Rev. vol. lxviii. p. 444. lxxiv. 461, &c.

of

of intention will never fanctify the prophaneness of difputing the claims, and daring to queftion the divine right, of tithes! Under the difappointments which he has encountered, he muft, as the whole body of the clergy will deny his pretenfions to thinking right,' put up with that kind of confolation to which virtue is often reduced, the consciousness of meaning well.' N. Art. 45. The Hiflory of the Revolution 1688; giving an Account of the Manner in which it was accomplished, and its happy Effects particularly to the Kingdom and Church of Scotland. By the Rev. Alexander Duncan, D. D. Minifter of Smalholm. 8vo. pp. 111. Creech, Edinburgh. 1790.

This pamphlet is a centenary fermon, preached in commemoration of the Revolution, and fince enlarged into its prefent form. As a Revolution fermon, it appears rather out of feafon; but as a general view of the causes and circumftances of this memorable event, it may be of ufe to thofe who have not leifure, nor opportunity, to perufe larger works. The fubject is, perhaps, treated with more minutenefs of detail than was neceffary: but the narrative is related in a very plain and intelligible manner; and pertinent reflections are fubjoined, well deferving the attention of all, who wish to preferve and extend the bleffings of civil and religious liberty. E. Art. 46. Confiderations on the Approach of War, and the Conduct of his Majefty's Minifters. 8vo. pp. 40. 1s. 6d. Debrett. 1791. A fpirited remonstrance against every principle of the unpopular war between this country and Ruffia, for which the most vigorous preparations are now going forward. The animated writer declaims with vehemence against the Minifter, on account of the meafure here confidered but in the midst of declamation, he does not forget argument; and there are many Confiderations' in his pamphlet, which, in our opinion, highly merit the immediate and ferious attention of the public.

Art. 47.

POETRY and DRAMATIC.

G.

The Loufiad, an heroi-comic Poem. Canto III. By Peter Pindar, Efquire. With an Engraving by an eminent Artist. 4to. PP. 43. 2s. 6d. Evans. 1791.

A King, a Painter, an Architect, a Poet-Laureat, a Printer, a Reviewer, or even a fmaller object than any of thefe, a poor, little, crawling Loufe, for instance, will ferve Peter for a theme, or, rather, for a title page, when he has a mind to treat the world with a new poem; and it matters not whether the contents of the piece bear much, or little, or no relation to its title. Thus, in the prefent digreffive and droll performance, [for Peter is ever digreffive as well as diverting,] every thing finds a place that feems, in random fucceffion, to have occurred to the multiferous mind of the playful poet, when he fat down to write.-The work, in short, refembles a necklace, compofed of a great variety of glittering beads, to which the creeping thing that gives denomination to the whole, bears no natural reference, but ferves only as the ftring that ties the beads together. Of the appofitenefs of this allufion, the following bill of fare, as made out by Efquire Pindar himself, may be given in proof:

4

• A fub

A fublime, natural, elegant, and original defcription of Night -Modesty of the ftars-Slumbering fituation of their M-j-s, with a compliment to their conftancy-The charming Princeffes afleephigh compliments beftowed on them-A prophetic fuggeftion of a courtship between one of our Princeffes and fome great German Duke-An account of Mr. Morpheus, vulgarly called the god of fleep-his civility to the people, in giving them pretty dreams, by way of compenfation for fhutting up their mouths, eyes, and ears, for a dozen or fourteen hours together-The folemn amufement of Silence A night-picture of London-The palace, a night-fceneThe goodness of certain Court Lords to the Maids of Honour-Kind embraces placed in a new light, and vindicated - More account of the palace; containing a thirty fly, a hungry cat, a ftarved bulldog, and froft-nipped crickets-An account of Madam Fame's journey to the den of Madam Difcord - An account of Madam Discord-An inventory of her cell-Account of her excurfions-her pictures and mufic-her fudden flight to Buckingham houfe-affumes the shape of Madam Scherellenberg-whifpers his Majeftythe fpeech to Majefty-Majefty's fine anfwer in his fleep-Difcord quits Majefty-takes the form of Madam Haggerdorn-and goes to the Major's bed-fide, and whifpers rebellion to him-Her fpeechThe Major fits upright in his bed-handles his pig tail-The Major's most pathetic curfes-his fenfible foliloquy on wigs-his attack on Kings in general, and praife of our most gracious King in particular-The Major frikes a light-a rich comparison-vifits a mafter cook-Vait difference between a battle fought in a field, and in a news paper-The defcent of the cooks to the kitchen-A great and apt comparifon-The cooks look about for day-light with hor ror-The fituation of their fouls defcribed-finely illustrated by a great Woman's apprehenfions for her fine diamond ftomacherLord Egl-t-n and an old maid-A most tender and just apostrophe to the frail Fair ones of the Town-a tear dropped on their unhappy condition-their part taken by the poet, and, in a great measure, vindicated-The poet's thunder-bolt launched at a certain great limb of the law, by way of palliation-A fhort, yet most charming reflexion on the female heart, when in love-The poet returns to the cooks-continues to defcribe their dread of day-light, by more apt comparisons of hungry authors-General conflagration-Sir William Chambers and the Bishop of Exeter-Some allufion to his Majesty's journey to Exeter-Extracts from a manufcript poem of a Devonshire humourift, one John Ploughfbare-The Major vainly endeavours to banish his fears by whittling and humming a couple of tunes-The names of the unfuccessful tanes-The Major's choice of them only known to the great Author of Nature.”

As a taste of what is here provided for the public entertainment, we shall help our readers from one of the dishes which has the leaft of the haut goût, and will give no offence to the nicest stomach; The Charming Princeffes afleep.

Now Morpheus o'er each Princess stole,
And clos'd those radiant eyes that vainly roll!

Eyes!

Eyes! Love's bright ftars! but doom'd in vain to shine;
For, ah! what youth fhall fay "thofe orbs are mine?"
Then, what are eyes, alas! the brightest eyes,
Forbid to languish on a lover's fighs?

The pouting lip, the foft luxuriant breaft,
If coldly fated never to be prefs'd?

Ah, vainly thofe like dew-clad cherries glow;
And this as vainly vies with Alpine fnow!
The breath that gives of Araby the gales,
The voice that founds enchantment, what avails?
The Juno form, the purple bloom of May,
Gifts of the Graces, all are thrown away.'

There is no wanton feverity in the preceding lines, no bitterness of farcafm; (fuch as this poet is wont to indulge when rovalty comes in his way;) and we here gladly give him credit, though a fatirift, for his humanity and tendernefs: efpecially as he does not abfolutely confign the charming Princeffes to perpetual virginity; for he fuppofes that fome German Duke

And make a tendre of his heavy love!'

A fourth and laft canto, we are told at the end of this part, • will be published in due time;' and when the cooks and fcullions are actually shaved, (for the dreaded operation is not yet performed,) and properly provided with wigs, we hope our magotty bard will fuffer them to eat their pudding in peace.

PP. 24.

Art. 48. No Abolition of Slavery; or the univerfal Empire of Love.
A Poem. 4to.
1s. 6d. Faulder. 1791.
Humanity is the hobby-horfe of the prefent day, and a mot
amiable hobby it is: but many people are apt, when they get on
it, to ride it most bobby-horfically. Our bard conceived the ideas of
thofe gentlemen who fupported the abolition bill, to be a fpecies of
this bobby-borfism, and therefore attacks them with wit rather than
with argument. He has amufed us with this jeu d'efprit; and
though we cannot allow ridicule to be the test of truth, we must
admit his leading pofition, that there are wretched beings every
where. How far the miseries of one part of the world juftify the
extenfion of them in the other, it is not our business to in-
quire, efpecially in reviewing a poem. Slavery muft exist as long
as Love maintains his empire; and if the existence of this fervitude
depended on the existence of Negroe-flavery, we, old as we are,
for ladies' love unfit, should never with for the abolition of the latter:
but there feems a wonderful difference in the two cafes; for the
negroe groans under his lafhes and chains, while the poet, by his
own confeffion, is delighted with the bondage of love, and has no
wish to be free. In addreffing himself to Mifs the lady of
his heart, he fays,

Bring me not maxims from the schools;
Experience now my conduct rules;
O! truft thy lover true,

I must and will be flave to you.

Yet

Yet I muft fay-but prithee fmile,-
'Twas a hard trip to Paphos ifle;
By your keen roving glances caught,
And to a beauteous tyrant brought;
My head with giddinefs turn'd round,
With ftrongest fetters I was bound;
I fancy from my frame and face
You thought me of th' Angola race:
You kept me long, indeed, my dear,
Between the decks of hope and fear;
But this and all the feafoning o'er
My bleffings I enjoy the more.'

The poem has feveral strokes of humour, and will probably obtain fome notice among the light productions of the day. The motto from Juvenal (not Horace) is not very pertinent: Facit indignatio verfum. The countenance of this bard appears to be a countenance more in mirth than in anger.

Moo-y.

Art. 49. The Triumph of Divine Mercy; a Predictive Poem, of the
Revival of pure Chriftianity in thefe Nations, by that popular
divine and Reformer, the Rev. John Wesley, and the late cele-
brated Mr. George Whitfield. Alfo, of the Inftruction of the
poor African Slaves in the Weft Indies, &c. &c. By a Lover of
Peace and Liberty. 8vo. 6d. pp. 48. Parfons, &c. 1791.
It feldom happens that the pious effufions of the Tabernacle and
the Foundery afford employment for the critic's pen. They are not,
ufually, very learned productions: but we doubt not, they may
often boaft a higher value, as being founded in fincere piety, and
good intention, however unadorned with the ornaments of im-
proved taste and polite literature; and this feems to be the just cha-
racter of the prefent performance.

Art. 50. An Epiftle to Warren Haftings, Efquire, late Governor
General of Bengal. 4to. pp. 22. IS. Stockdale. 1791.
The author of this epiftle, in lines of different excellence, pane-
gyrifes the gentleman to whom it is addreffed; and predicts, that,
• When proud oppreffion withers in the grave,

And honors rife to decorate the brave;
Then fhall his name adorn th' hiftoric page,
Infpire the patriot, and inftruct the fage;
While grateful kingdoms reprobate his woes,
And give to end lefs infamy his foes.'

As predictions are best explained after their accomplishment, we hall make no further comment, at prefent, on this prophecy, than by obferving, that although the partiality of friendship may have had fome thare in framing it, yet it may be fully verified. Moon Art. 51. The New Parliamentary Register; in a Series of Poetical Epifties. 12mo. pp. 31. 60. Ridgway. 1791. Thefe epiles are profeffedly an imitation of Mr. Anttey's New Bath Guide; to which gentleman they are dedicated. Their author is either our old friend Simkin himself, or fomebody as like him as

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