In fo arduous an undertaking it would be no way furprising or unpardonable that errors and blemishes fhould have crept into it; but these are so few and fo trifling, that, like spots in the fun, they are loft in the general refulgence. Why fhould we cenfure the agreeable and learned author for the decided partiality he beftows on the Spartans in preference to the Athenians? This is a matter of taite which non eft difputandum. He who prefers the Tuscan order of architecture to the Corinthian loves folidity better than ornament; the ftrong unadorned virtue of the Lacedemonians had found its way into the bofom of M. Barthelemy, and has kept its place against all the talents and focial qualities of Athens, tending to effeminacy and corruption. His fondness for Lycurgus leads him to fhew that the hunting of the Helots was an abufe, and did not spring from that legiflator; and that the Cryptia was originally but an exercife of the most hardy nature. Though the author does not attempt to juftify the cruelties imputed to the Spartans, he fufpects the account of them to be highly exaggerated. The beauties of this work have prolonged our attention to it; but in concluding we must not omit to notice that the language is in general eafy and familiar, often elevated; and that gaiety hath smoothed the ruggedness of learning. MONTHLY CATALOGUE For MARCH 1790. MISCELLANEOUS. ART. 18. Alfred; an Hiftorical Tragedy: to which is added a Collection of Mifcellaneous Poems, by the fame Author. 8vo. 4s. fewed. Robinfons. London, 1789. TH ~HIS author must be ranked in that very numerous catalogue of modern poets who have failed in attempting tragedy. From His Mifcellaneous Poems he deferves, however, a more favourable fentence. The following verfes will be thought not deftitute of merit. The TEAR of SYMPATHY. TO MARIA [on reading to her Sterne's beautiful Story of As Sterne's pathetic tale you hear, Tears Tears which lament another's woe, Does not yon crimson-tinted rose, Whofe opening blush delights the view, When brightly gemm'd with morning dew? Dreft in more pleafing charms appear, Of Pity's fympathifing tear.' The rest of these poems may be read with pleasure. ART. 19. The Botanic Garden, Part II. containing the Loves of the It is with much pleasure we announce to our readers a fecond edition of this elegant performance. The author has made a few additions, which have the fame fpirit as the original work, and a few alterations, which we confider as improvements. In the fecond interlude he has done us the honour to adopt our opinion of the fource of pleasure arifing from scenical diftreffes; and though he has incorporated it with his own, he has not failed to give us the credit of it. We wish he had availed himself of our other hint, and produced a little more variety in his third canto, which, notwithstanding a small alteration, ftill abounds too much with horror, not fufficiently relieved by tenderness, or any other paffion. But the plea prefixed in the advertisement is a fufficient excufe for this and every other deficiency that may be found in fo truly poetical a performance. We ftill wait with no fmall impatience for the firft part, or, Economy of Vegetation. For our review of the first edition of this poem, fee Vol. XIV. p. 1. ART. 20. Matilda; an original Poem, in Seven Cantos. Infcribed to the Hon. George Fulk Lyttelton. By Mr. Beft. 4to. 2s. 6d. Stalker. London, 1789. In this original' poem we have the old ftory of a frail maiden and a falfe fwain, told without novelty or originality. The author might have dispatched Matilda and her father much more handsomely in one canto than he has done in feven, at least almost any other person could have done it. But, instead of giving them the coup de grace in proper time, he compels them to languish on the wheel, and tires by the length and aukwardness of the execution. A few good lines like the following are to be met with; but ap- • Thus fome hage rock, amidst the roaring waves, Securely ftands, nor dreads the angry skies.' P 2 How How far Mr. Best might have been indebted to Dryden's Virgil for the hint, we will not determine; we here produce the lines we allude to, and leave the reader to judge for himself: "A rock that braves The raging tempefts and the rifing waves: If dull, common-place declamation, without incident, can please, then Matilda will be bought and read; and the author did well in fecuring his property by entering the publication in Stationers-Hall; but, in the prefent cafe, we rather fufpect that the precaution was unneceffary. ART. 21. Elegy written on the Author's revifiting the Place of his for mer Refidence. 4to. Is. Law. London, 1788. On revifiting his former abode, the remembrance of paft pleasures, of a wife and children that are now no more, excited in the mind of the author the train of melancholy ideas which are expressed in the elegy before us. It is the effufion of a feeling heart, though not the production of fuperior genius. The following fhort fpecimen will fufficiently characterise it: • How oft with tranfport was my bofom fir'd, With sweetness unaffected, foft, and meek. And hear the watch dog barking at the gate. Pleas'd to anticipate with fond defire (Whilft all around was dreary, cold, and wild) The circling pleafures of the ev'ning fire, Where friendship met, and love connubial fmil'd.' Here the imagery is well felected, and the fimplicity of elegy is not deftroyed by the gaudy and unfuitable ornaments with which the is but too often decked by modern rhymers. ART. ART. 22. Poems, by the Rev. Joseph Sterling. 12mo. 3s. Robinfons. London, 1789. We noticed the Dublin edition of these poems in our Review for October 1787, and now can only mention it as a republication; for the author, though he feems to fay that fome additional poems appear, has not pointed them out to the reader, and we have not the Dublin copy at hand. The preface, however, is new; and, as it is addreffed to us, perhaps this irritable bard would take it amifs fhould, we pass it over in filence. We had faid that he bestowed extravagant praife on Ariofto, when he called him firft of poets.' He maintains that there is no extravagance in the cafe, and that he has all the readers of that divine poet on his fide. Should he die in this opinion we cannot help it; we have generally found the converfion of authors a very hopeless undertaking. He is angry that we call, fome of the rhymes we found fault with Hibernian,' and fays it is a national reflection.' Here the ire of Mr. Stirling has prevented him from attending to matter of fact. We faid very modeftly, we thought, and we are fure very truly, that the Irish pronunciation of the words receive and fream (resave, ftrame) injures the effect of the following defcription;' nor will our opinion, we imagine, be controverted; but we did not give them the appellation of Hibernian. Mr. Sterling admits they are bad rhymes, nay more, has corrected them in the prefent edition; and yet this ungrateful bard abuses us for the good advice which he has followed! Inftead of correcting that folitary example, it would perhaps have been better for him to have kept our remark in view throughout the whole revifal of his poems, we should not then have met with the fame fpecies of fault fo frequently in this corrected edition. The following inftances of what our author calls weak rhymes,' which he falfely alledges we denominated Hibernian,' and which we only venture to fay are owing to the Irish pronunciation, are all to be found in p. 15 and 16, care, appear, share, severe, cease, face, sway, fea.' Were we to enumerate every rhyme of this kind to be found in the work, the lift would be a long one indeed; but as the tafk is difagreeable, and the author has been ungrateful for what we have already done in this way, we shall leave them for his own difcovery. We still maintain that to wail in Speechless woe is what is called a bull;' and we now farther fay that it is not the bull of Mofchus, who only tells us that Echo lamented among the rocks, becaufe fhe could no more imitate the fongs of Bion. If the author will reconfider the paffage, he will find that we have attended to the original, fully as much as himself. . He has endeavoured to make fomething like a defence for his deep Aönian rill;' but, after all, wifely abandons it, and substitutes a fountain in its place. The exchange meets with our approbation. With our profound obfervations on expletives,' &c. he declares he will have nothing to do, he leaves us in full and undifputed poffeffion.' Now, had we been to give him friendly advice on this occafion, we should have counselied him to keep the obfervations, as he has done our other remarks, for use, and to part with the expletives, &c.; but on fome people advice is thrown away. P 3 The The nerves of the Reviewer have not been affected by any part of this angry preface, except by the last sentence; that he confefles has alarmed him. As a friend,' fays Mr. Steiling, I would advise him never to go to Ireland; there he will meet with no mercy; there Bulls roam at large, and butt at all mankind.' He will, however, take Mr. Sterling's friendly advice, and avoid, if poffible, these butting bulls, of whom, he fuppofes, the bulls of Bafhan were only a type. He cannot, however, avoid remarking that St. Patrick ftopped fhort in his work of extirpation, and that he undoubtedly should have deftroyed this terrible race of bulls along with the other noxious animals of Ireland. ' ART. 23. The Contraft; or, A comparative View of France and England at the prefent Period. A Poem. Addressed to the Right Hon. W. Pitt. 4to. 2s. Cadell. London, 1790. This poem, as its title profeffes, is addreffed to Mr. Pitt; but, left an opportunity fhould be loft of bringing forward the virtues of another illuftrious character, we have a dedication to the Duke of Dorset His Grace is also treated with an apostrophe in the poem itself: Here, too, while civil rage and tumult ftorm'd, We thought he had left Paris on the occafion, and always admired his prudence for keeping clear of a quarrel in which he was no way interested. The following defcription of Mr. Pitt the reader will admit has fomething more than poetry to recommend it: Born with that great and comprehenfive mind, Thro |