whom you mention with fuch familiarity always appeared naked, if we may judge from a view of the exquifite ftatues of them by Greek and Roman artifts, except Hercules, indeed, who is fometimes clothed in the skin of a Nemean lion, an animal, I fuppofe, that a man of your profeffion is little acquainted with. Apollo, we may fuppofe, as a poet, was not a very well dreffed perfon, as thefe fort of gentry, Mr. Callico, have no great intereft with their taylors, I prefume, and that the meafure which they pique theinfelves upon, is very different from that employed by artificers like yourself, Mr. Callico. Jupiter, indeed, who was called the Cloud Compeller, might, according to the differ ence of weather and climate, have fometimes appeared in a dark, and fometimes in a gay coloured cloud! I was talking thus in a bantering way to Mr. Callico, when with great gravity of countenance, he affumed his turn to speak. "Dr. Singleton, I have feldom met with a more learned man than yourself, though I have lived among them, as I may fay, with fome credit and familiarity; I will therefore intruft you with my history, Saying this, he, in a very folemn manner, put a very foiled manufcript into my hand." Had we not already exceeded our limits, we would willingly ex hibit a tranfcript of this history: it contains a happy fpecimen of bur. lefque on that tinfel glitter of ftyle which deforms the effufions of our modern poerafters and novelifts. We haften to inform our readers of the farther progrefs of Mr. Callico : "Your friend," said Seldon, "the great political, taylor, is bankrupt, and has left the kingdom. The fellow has been detected in handing about feditious hand-bills, and his own party has turned evi dence against him, and in the true fpirit of modern theophilanthropy, and democratic patriotifm, they have deferted him in his utmoft need; and this very political club have chofen a new prefident, a rich grocer, who is as eloquent, conceited, and wrong-headed as Mr, Callico, if poffible. This Mr. Fig, the Sir-would-be politic,' had been refufed fome city honours on account of the turbulent spirit, and indefatigable love of talking, which alarmed the fober men of the various committees on bufinefs, and they have rejected him. So Mr. Fig is turned patriot, and is determined to tell the world that thofe honours which he lately fought are in a moment become impofitions on the public, and great encroachments on the Rights of Man." ART. XXI. The Rebel: A Tale of the Times. By a Lady, 2 vols. Law. London. 1800. "THE Authorefs of the two little volumes, now offered to the public, intreats for the indulgence of the critical literati of the "times, as having been written folely as a fource of amusement, to "detach the mind from reflection in a folitary fituation. She is con"fcious of their numerous errors, as not having been even revised, or "corrected by any one but herself; but infpired with (perhaps, the "prefumptuous) hope of their being acceptable to her friends, to "whole "whofe patronage the trufts (and of their meeting with no feverity "from the world) fhe offers them as a trial for marked indulgence." So modeft, fo unaffuming a deprecation is well calculated to difarm the critic of his severity; but we cannot refrain from expreffing a wish that the author had confulted fome judicious friend, who could not, we think, have failed to convince her of the improprieties of adopting purfuits, for which she has no one qualification. A redundancy of epithet, and of defcriptive imagery, frequently appear, particularly in the first volume. The falfe concord of, "thoughts bas," runs through the performance: Ye, is injudicioufly fubftituted for You; and the extreme incorrectness of the punctu ation frequently renders the sense confused and indiftinct. The only part of thefe volumes entitled to praife, is the poetry. Some of the poetical pieces have confiderable merit. THE DRAMA. ART. XXII. The Step-Mother: A Tragedy. By the Earl of Carlifle, K.G. &c. 8vo. PP. 100. Evans. London. 1800. HE noble author of this tragedy tells us, in his preface, that he was induced to undertake it to recal the attention of the public to our own refources, to rescue the British ftage from the German drama, and to discover whether our native mines of poetry are exhaufted. The attempt is laudable, and it must be very gratifying to the reader to fee a nobleman of high rank and affluence actuated by a patriotic defire of fupporting the poetical dignity of his country. The tragedy before us contains much strong poetic imagery, and exhibits a creative fancy; but, we think, the author, doubtlefs, with a view to render his play more natural, has injudicioufly introduced comic characters and many figures drawn from fubjects much too familiar, if not too low for the ferious drama, particularly as he has brought into action the terrific powers of witchcraft. To venture, indeed, upon the weird fifters, after the wondrous fkill of SHAKESPEARE, was a very bold attempt, and we do not conceive that it has been attended with proportionate fuccefs. Many of the lines in this piece are not marked by metrical regularity. The fentiments are fometimes noble and awful; but they are alfo fometimes even ludicrous. Upon the whole it is evident, that the noble author poffeffes poetical genius, and if he wrote more, he would probably write much better. ART. XXIII. The Dafb of the Day: A Comedy in five A&ts; as it was performed with univerfal Applaufe, by his Majefty's Servants of the Theatre-Royal, Norwich. By Francis Lathom, Author of Men and Manners, Myftery, &c. &c. THOUGH the title-page informs us that this play was received with universal applaufe, yet we should be inclined to put little confi. P 4 dence dence in the affurance if there were not fome merit in the piece itself, which was likely to obtain favour, at leaft, upon a provincial stage, There is nothing very novel in the plot, though it is not without in tereft. The characters are fuch as are familiar to the stage. Sir Fre derick Floricourt is a diffipated young man, and with his half-friend, half-footman Modifh, has often been seen in modern comedies. There is fome livelinefs in the dialogue, and the piece concludes with poeti cal juftice. It may be added, that pieces of much inferior merit often find their way to the London stage, ART. XXIV. Streanshall-Abbey or the Danish Invasion. A play of Five Aas: As first performed at the Theatre in Whitby, Dec. 2, 1779. Written by Francis Gibfon, Efq. 8vo. Pr. 102. G. G. and J. Robinfon, London. 1800. CONSIDERED in the light of a dramatic poem, this piece pof feffes merits that entitle it to critical praife. The author, we under, ftand, commanded the first battalion of volunteers raised fince the commencement of the prefent war, and, conceiving it his duty to in, culcate the fentiments of loyalty to the King, reverence for religion, and obedience to the laws, he compofed the prefent work to forward thee important objects. There is much dignified declamation in the piece; and, though in the language we often trace many expreffions derived from our old dramatic writers, they feem the unavoidable effort of poetical reading, not intended plagiarisms. The speeches, and the general caft of the dialogue, are too much extended for thea trical reprefentation; but the piece is calculated to amuse in the closet, If the author were to attend more to incident and fituation, we have no doubt that he could produce a work which might well deferve an introduction to the public on the boards of the London theatre. POLITICS, ART. XXV. Anti-Revolutionary Thoughts of a Revolutionary Wri ter: from "The Secret Hiftory of the Revolution of France." By Monfieur François Pagès. 8vo. Pr. 134. 35. Wright, London, 1800. HE anonymous Editor of this publication has performed an useful the of M. Pagès, almost the only facts which are worthy of preferyation, as grounds for argument, or materials for hiftory; and by prefenting them in a narrow point of view, unencumbered with the vapid decla mation, and fuperficial remarks of the author, whofe talents, by the bye, the Editor appears to us to rate too highly. The facts are ju, diciously felected, the notes are appofite, and the observations, in the well well-written introduction, betray much good fenfe and found judgment, as the following extracts will fufficiently demonftrate. "That a great nation fhould be induced by the intrigues of afpiring individuals to throw off the restraint of law, that link which connects the loofe multitude; and should fall a victim to every deception, by which artful ambition can practife on popular credulity; is an event, in the contemplation of which, horror, pity, indignation and contempt, alternately take poffeffion of the mind: and, whether we confider the crimes, or commiferate the fufferings of France, it remains equally difficult to determine, if the people of that country are more atrocious than they are deluded; or their leaders more flagitious than they are futile. To a perfon impreffed with these fentiments, it will be readily conceived, that the perufal of a work, entitled, The Secret Hiftory Revolution of France, could not afford matter of great entertainment. However, chance having put the book into our hands, and it being known to us that the Author, who fome years ago published an Account of his Travels round the world,* had acquired reputation as a man of confiderable talents and information, we were induced to read the work; and found, that the reasonings it contained offered a corollary of a nature entirely different from that, which might be expected, or that which Mr. Pagès intended fhould be drawn from it, "The reader must not expect to find in these sheets a narrative of the French revolutions, or a regular rehearsal of a fucceffion of events, all which are traced in characters of blood, and marked with the type of folly ;-that is not the object of the following publication. It would be needless to call over anew the melancholy and nauseous body of evidence, on which Europe has had but too much reafon to found its opinion refpecting the feries of revolutions, which have fucceeded each other in France fince the year 1789 :-the teftimony of facts is fufficient. But were it not; we should decline paffing any ftrictures on a subject, which has been treated in fo brilliant and mafterly a manner by fome of the ableft pens in this country. It may not, however, be uninterefting to the Reader, if we bring under his eye the teftimony in foro confcientia of Mr. Pagès, an ardent devotee to French revolutionary principles;-one, who, while under the influence of rapturous enthufiafm, nay, in the middle of a climax of democratic rant, that turgid eloquence of the modern Parifian school, appears at times, as if the fpirit of truth infpired him; and like Balaam, who bleffed thofe he came to curfe, reprobates his countrymen, whom it was his intention to approve. "It is to this man, in whom force of confcience overcomes at times the ftarts of fanaticifm, that we beg to call the attention of a particular part of our Readers. They may fondly dwell, if they pleafe, on fuch congenial paffages as this: Thence fprang, without chief, without project, by the force alone of circumftances, the most ** Travels round the World in the years 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 2 vol,” incredible incredible and aftonishing of revolutions; a revolution, fertile of political wonders ;-a revolution, which, fooner or later, will change the whole face of the globe; will accelerate the establishment of freedom in Afia; expel the English from India; produce the regeneration of Muffulmans; untivet the fetters of the wretched inhabitants of Africa, whom, with mercilefs and tedious fufferings, we confume at the foot of the fugar-cane, only because their complexion is black; which will liberate the Indians, both of Peru and Mexico; and penetrate as far as the extreme limits of Chili and Terra di Fucco. Let them afterwards perufe the following Thoughts of the Jame Author; nor wonder if we ask them, know ye your fon's tunic ? "The vaulting ftyle of eloquence (the offspring of an inflamed imagination) which now prevails in France, will fpare us, we should hope, the cenfure of our Reader, if a want of fimplicity appear in the diction of the preceding paffage, or in that of any of the other quotations, which form the following work. We have endeavoured to foften the touches of the Author, wherever it feemed poffible to do it, without deviating too widely from his text; but the modern French language takes frequently fo great a latitude of expreffion, that it becomes often difficult to follow its flights, and fometimes indeed all tranflation is fet wholly at defiance.-Depravity of tafte in fiterature can, however, only be ranked among the nuge of a revolu tion, in which depravity of morals, manners, and notions combine to convulfe and difgrace the country. Had the infatuation of France hurried her into no greater errors, than fuch as it had been the province of fobered judgment, returning into its natural courfe, eafily to redrefs; then he had not foftered, as a fource of immunity to her exceffes, licentious principles, fubverfive of that liberty, which she profeffed to worship; then had not the most valuable rights of nations been trampled under foot by rapacious individuals; Europe had not been deluged in gore; and the hiftory of mankind had not been blurred with the record of the most artful course of villainy on the part of the leaders of faction, and of the most brute and ftupid compliance on that of the duped multitude that ever difgraced fociety." "Twelve revolutions within the fpace of only feven years: such is the eventful hiftory now before us! fuch the foundation, on which treaties during that period between this country and France could have been established! Among the commotions which have taken place fince the year 1796, and which do not come under our present confideration, is the laft and not leaft heterogeneous revolution, ef. fected at the point of the bayonet by a Corfican adventurer! Whether the foundation for treaty has derived folidity from the circumftance of Bonaparte having ufurped the fovereign power;-his conduct with refpect to the Cifalpine Republic, to Venice, to Naples, to Tufcany, &c. &c. not to mention his tranfactions in Egypt, conftitute a criterion, by which our judgment can hardly be mifled.— Befides; we might fay with the poet Waller, What ufe of oaths, of promife, or of teft, "Although |