Who that has perused the BAVIAD and the MæVIAD, with a judgment capable of appreciating the merits, and a tafte fufficiently refined to enjoy the beauties of those poems, can read this memoir without exclaiming, "Was fuch the origin of Gifford !-Was fuch the theatre in which his first ideas were formed, his first impreffions ftamped !" It is, indeed, almost impoffible to conceive a station, among civilized men, more remote from every thing allied to intellectual fenfe, to polished manners and cultivated tafte, than the birth of a cabin-boy in a coaster: nor can the fhop of a prefbyterian fhoemaker be confidered as a sphere of existence much more elevated. In this latter fituation, however, Mr. Gifford paffed feveral years of that critical period of youth, when in general thofe habits are acquired, and those propenfities are imbibed, which characterize the man. How then has it happened, that light and shade are not more oppofite to each other, than is the character of Mr. Gifford to that, which a fimilar deftination in life would have formed in almost every fubject? To the properties of GENIUS alone can fuch a preservation of mind be attributed. That rare ingredient among the gifts of Nature to her children was mingled in the lot of Gifford. 'It was the consciousness of GENIUS which made him spurn the labours of the plough and afterwards, when chilled by poverty and depreffed by forrow, he fullenly and filently fubmitted to be bound apprentice, is it not difcernible, from his own pathetic description of that act, that it is the captivity of GENIUS which is recorded! The apathy, the temporary annihilation of mind, which was the con fequence of this mental bondage, will be eafily accounted for on the fame grounds by the most fuperficial inquirer. In a clime fo uncongenial, genius became torpid. Gifford still had eyes and ears, but they beheld no object, they imbibed no found capable of conveying to fuch a mind any impreffion of fufficient force to roufe its energies, or even to excite its attention. Happily, for the honour of our age, the lethargic influence of fuch an atmosphere was not permitted to be permanent. We have seen that the discrimination and benevolence of a Cookesley released imprisoned genius, and we have feen, with gratitude to Cookesley, its fubfequent career. And though the distance is immenfe between the eminence of the author of the Baviad and the obfcurity of the cabin-boy of the Two-Brothers, yet we shall ceafe to be furprised at the achievement, when we reflect, that it is not more natural, that the eagle, liberated from a prison ftake, fhould dart on daring wings to meet the fun, than that genius, freed from mifery, poverty, and care, fhould foar towards the fummit of distinction. The Baviad, to which we have fo often alluded, though Mr. Gifford does not once mention it in his own memoir, is unqueftionably the best fatire that has iffued from the prefs fince the Rofciad of Churchill. The epidemic malady of Della Crufcan poetry, which gave rife to the Baviad, must be in the recollection of most of our readers.* A fitter fubject for fatire never → For the information of those readers, who are yet strangers to this admirable fatire, we abridge the preface to the first edition. "In 1785, (Mr. Gifford says) a few English of both sexes, whom chance had jumbled together at Florence, took a fancy to while away their time in scribbling high panegyrics on themselves, and complimentary canzonettas on two or three Italians, who understood too little of the language to be disgusted with them. In this there was not much harm; but as folly is progreffive, they foon wrought themselves into an opinion that they really deserved the fine things which were mutually faid and fung of each other. About the fame period, a daily paper called the WORLD was in fashion, and much read. This paper was equally lavish of its praise and abuse, and its conductors took upon themselves to direct the taste of the town, by prefixing a short panegyric to every trifle that appeared in their own columns. The first cargo of Della Grufcan poetry was given to the public through the medium of this paper. There was a specious brilliancy in these cxotics, which dazzled the native grubs, who had fcarce ever ventured beyond a fheep and a crook, and a rose-tree grove, with an oftentatious display of "blue hills," and "crashing torrents," and " petrifying funs." From admiration to imitation is but a step. Honeft Yenda tried his hand at a de-^ fcriptive ode, and fucceeded beyond his hopes; Anna Matilda followed; in a word, -contagio labem Hanc dedit in plures, ficut grex totus in agris Unius fcabie cadit, et porrigine porci. While the epidemic malady was spreading from fool to fool, Della Crufca came over, and immediately announced himself by a fonnet to love. Anna Matilda answered it, and the "two great luminaries of the age," as Mr. Bell calls them, fell defperately in love with each other. From that period not a day passed without an amatory epistle fraught with thunder, lightning, et quicquid habent telorum armamentaria cali.—The fever turned to prefented itself to the poet's lafh; and we are almost heathens enough to say, that Apollo, through the agency of the generous Cookefley, fingled out Gifford as the champion of his caufe against the mad rebels, who threatened to overturn his empireupon earth, or at leaft in Britain. Be this as it may, we will af fert that the poet's connexion with the god is distinguishable in every line; and that the defeat of the Crufcan phalanx could not have been more complete had the mufes and their master fought in perfon. And though Mr. Gifford himself observes in a note to the Mæviad, that "the contest was without danger, and the victory without glory," from the impotence of these Afkaparts, we must diffent from this obfervation. It surely required no flender degree of skill or courage to attack a host, however puny in themselves, who had the current of popular applause for their intrenchment, and columns behind columns of prostituted and venal journals ready to repel the attack. Accordingly the champion of fenfe and poetry was in his turn affailed, by the "angry ebullitions of folly unmasked and vanity mortified." In the approbation and applaufe of the good and wife, however, Mr. Gifford found folid caufe of felf-congratulation, while the imbecile attacks of fools or knaves passed by him like "the idle wind." The MAVIAD appeared in the year 1795, and may be deemed a fecond part of the BAVIAD. The fatire of the former was particularly restricted to the fonnetteers and ode-mongers of the Crufcan school; but the latter embraced Cruscan and Harlequin dramatists. As there has existed but one opinion upon the merits of these poems, our criticism would be ufelefs. They are of a nature to perpetuate the memory of their author; and the tranf frenzy: Laura-Maria, Carlos, Orlando, Adelaide, and a thousand other nameless names, caught the infection, and from one end of the kingdom to another, all was nonfenfe and Della Crufca. Even then I waited with a patience, which I can better account for than excuse, for fome one (abler than myself) to step forth to correct this depravity of the public taste, and check the inundation of absurdity that was bursting upon us from a thoufand springs. As no one appeared, and as the evil grew every day more alarming, (for now bed-ridden old women, and girls at their sampler, began to rave) I determined, without much confidence of success, to try what could be effected by my feeble powers; and accordingly wrote the following poem." lation of Juvenal, which Mr. Gifford has recently given to the world, would have confecrated his name to the homage of remote posterity, even had no other production ferved as its precurfor to fame. The fatires of Juvenal are juftly ranked among the best productions of the ancient poets, and, "taken for all in all," are not inferior to any. Yet it was not until the beginning of the feventeenth century that a complete tranflation of Juvenal was attempted; and even then the versions of Sir Robert Stapylton and Barten Holyday were the only means by which an unlearned reader could obtain a glimpse of the literary treafures of the Roman fatirist, for a period of nearly an hundred years, when Dryden's tranflation appeared. With the character of this tranflation every reader must be fufficiently acquainted. Dr. Johnfon has said of it, "that it preferves the wit, but wants the dignity of Juvenal!" Without inquiring whether the Doctor meant to convey praise or cenfure by this character, we are clearly of opinion that a want of Juvenal's dignity, cannot be atoned for by any other merit in his tranflator. But it is not neceffary to difcufs the merits of former translations for a deduction of the neceffity of Mr. Gifford's, as we have seen that other motives than the public fervice firft urged him to the task, ftimulated its progress, and decided its publication. It might be deemed arrogant in us to pronounce judgment on a performance fo lately in the hands of the public; we will therefore reftrain thofe expreffions of admiration and applaufe which would flow "trippingly from our tongue," fenfible that the judgment of pofterity will do ample juftice to the "Juvenal of our age." Since this article was begun to be written, the nobleman to whom Mr. Gifford perfonally, and on his account the British public generally, owe boundlefs obligations, has left our world. We could wish it were engraven on his tomb"HERE LIES THE PATRON OF WILLIAM GIFFORD." Alas! how few among our degenerated and degenerating nobles can claim so proud an epitaph! ONE however remains, of whom the poet himfelf has thus fung: "Yet one remains, ONE NAME forever dear, Vol. I. No. 4. It is needless to add, that the nobleman alluded to was Lord BELGRAVE, now the Earl of Grosvenor. Blessed with such a friend, the subject of these memoirs is safely fheltered from the ftorms of life, in an harbour which affords him competence, tranquillity, and respect. In the fociety of the first characters in this country for rank, talents, and taste, does the ci-devant cabin-boy of the Two Brothers mingle, as in a fphere for which nature evidently defigned him. Contrafting, therefore, the origin of William Gifford with his present eminence in fociety, we may describe the emancipation of his genius in the fame words as Pope defcribes the liberation of the foul by death, and say, "As into air the purer spirits flow, And fep'rate from their kindred dregs below, So flew the foul to its CONGENIAL PLACE." For the MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY. A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF POCAHONTAS. IN the wildeft fcenes of nature have been found her most engaging beauties. The defert fmiles with roses, and favage fociety fometimes exhibits the graces of humanity. Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, with the colour and the charms of Eve, at the age of fifteen, when nature acts with all her powers, and fancy begins to wander, had a heart, that palpitated with warm affections. At this time, Captain Smith, one of the first fettlers of Virginia, was brought a captive to her father's kingdom. Smith was by nature endowed with perfonal graces, that intereft the female mind. He mingled feeling with heroifin, and his countenance was an index of his foul. Pocahontas had never before beheld fuch a human being, and her heart yielded homage to the empire of love. In the first interview fhe looked all the felt, and like Dido, hung entranced on the face and lips of the gallant man. An interesting occurrence foon afforded an opportunity of exhibiting her affections. Powhatan and his council of Sachems |