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Spring in the wild; anoint his eyes to see
In heaven his home, and every friend in thee!

But when, mid list'ning crowds the preacher stands,
Heaven's high behest in his uplifted hands,

Give him, unfolding all his bright design

In the full stream of eloquence divine,
To bend obedient nations to his call,

Firm, faithful, zealous, emulous of Paul: pp. 16-18.

Art. XVI. A New Version of the Psalms in Blank Verse. With a Latin Version of the Eighth Psalm in Alcaic Verse. By the Rev. Thomas Dennis. 12mo. pp. 272. price 10s. 6d. boards. White, 1808.

A Specimen of this Version will be an ample review of it; we have selected the version of the twenty third psalm, as one of the shortest, and indeed as one of the best..

God is my shepherd; near refreshing streams,
In pastures verdant with eternal spring,
He feeds me, and in safety makes me dwell.
He shall restore my soul, shall lead me forth
In paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Should I e'en pass the gloomy vale of death,
I would not be afraid, thy rod, thy staff,
My comfort and support: mine enemies
Shall see my table spread; with purest oil
Mine head anointed; and with gen'rous wine
My cup replete; thy goodness and thy mercy
Shall ever dwell with me, and I will dwell

With thee, and in thy house for evermore.' p. 34.

Art. XVII.Characteristic Anecdotes of Men of Learning and Genius, Natives of Great Britain and Ireland, during the three last Centuries; indicative of their Manners, Opinions, Habits, and Peculiarities, interspersed with Reflections, and Historical and Literary Illustrations. By John Watkins, LL. D. 8vo. pp. 552. Price 10s. 6d. bds. Cundee, 1808.

TO the lovers of story-books, who skip through a volume, alighting

only on proper names and whimsical events, and jumping over all reflections and disquisitions, this amusing compilation may be acceptable. But to those who would require a portion of judicious and useful observation, and to those who would either be disgusted or injured by erroneous sentiment and indelicacy, we cannot very warmly recommend it. The book is incorrectly printed, which may relieve Dr. W. from the dis grace of several egregious errors; yet we do not see how he can be excused for suffering such a passage as this to appear in a work professedly of his own manufacture; we refer to his account of Sir Nicholas Bacon's motto," Mediocra firma, firm in the middle state!" It is not neces sary to enumerate the lives that make up this series; it begins with Sir Thomas More, and closes with Dr. Johnson. Some of the most interesting characters, as, for instance, the immortal Philip Sydney, are dispatched with very unsuitable haste, because they furnish no entertainment

to the lovers of oddity and fun, for whose edification Dr. W. has mani❤ fested so laudable an anxiety. We should also remark, that the anecdotes are not characteristic ;" they consist chiefly of ban-mots and humourous incidents, which might be ascribed, to any one out of a dozen wits, without changing or perverting the idea we form of their character.

Art. XVIII. Musa Seatoniane: a Complete Collection of the Cambridge Prize Poems, from the first Institution of that Premium by the Rev. Thomas Seaton, in 1750, to the year 1806. To which are added Three Poems, likewise written for the Prize, by Mr. Bally, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Wranghani. 2 vols. cr. 8vo. pp. 730. Price 12s, bds. Longman and Co. 1808.

AS

S the occurrence of a few objectionable phrases in this publication, should not suppress our esteem for its general tenor, so the insertion of several poems unworthy both of print and premium, should not deprive it of that praise, in respect of poetical merit, to which a large proportion of its contents is unquestionably intitled. The efforts of several recent competitors, for good Mr. Seaton's prize, have redeemed the contest itself from that neglect into which it had fallen, during a strange blight, commencing about thirty years ago, on the faculties of the Cantabrigian muse. One may judge of the extreme scarcity of poetic talent at that period, from the fact, that the prize was adjudged on seven different occasions to a writer, one of whose poems opens with a debate what muse his muse should invoke; which is pretty much like being at a loss to know what pen his pen should write with; the lines crawl thus: ، Whom shall the Muse, glowing with fervent zeal To trace the watchful care of Providence,

And vindicate His mystic way, whom shall

The pious muse invoke? Not you ye nine,' and so forth.

Hayes, on Prophecy, vol. ii. p. 1. The poems have been so generally known at their publication, that it is unnecessary to pass judgement on them now. Those of the first two lustrums, including the productions of Smart, Bally, Glynn, and their * venerable survivor, the present Bishop of London, possess real merit, and are established favourites with the admirers of serious poetry. But few of the subsequent poems can endure a comparison with any of these, till we arrive at the time of Messrs. Wrangham and Hoyle. Too many of them were merely dull declamations, which would have been comfortably soporific, if properly delivered from the pulpit, but were so aukward and ill at ease in the form of blank verse, that they quite distressed the attention into vigilance. The poets always took great pains to defend Christianity and its tenets against "the infidel" and "the sceptic," as if nothing had been done in that way before they left school, as if poetry was the best form of defence, and as if all men would not consider it as the trick of a beggared intellect, rather than as the spontaneous effusion of religious zeal. That race is happily succeeded by one, that. prefers the display of imagination and feeling to an exhibition of its early proficiency in theological studies, and the art of chopping logic,

The volumes are neatly, but by no means correctly, printed.

Art. XIX. A Sermon on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. By Edward Pearson, D. D. Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. 12mo. pp. 28. Price 6d. Hatchard. 1808.

AS

S we give Dr. Pearson credit for the best intentions in what he writes, we should gladly embrace an opportunity, which the present sermon unluckily does not afford, of congratulating him on the prospect of his success. The surest and best motive to communion, is a strong feeling of gratitude to God for his mercy in Christ Jesus, and such a heartfelt and lively attachment to the crucified and risen Saviour, as produces a zealous obedience to all his injunctions. As such feelings can only arise from a clear conviction of the need and the value of such an expiation as God hath appointed; and as there is nothing in these pages very evidently calculated to excite it, we have considerable doubts of their answering the writer's purpose. The discourse, being intended for the poor, is not enriched with learning, nor is it marked with any striking originality or force of thought; some of the observations, also, are at least exceptionable from the want of caution and precision in stating them. We may instance the following: "If we be directed in our notions of a Christian by reason and Scripture, instead of custom, we shall certainly find, that attendance at the Communion is as necessary to continue that character to us, as the reception of baptism was to confer it upon us at first. Both sacraments were instituted by the same authority, and both are the appointed means of our receiving that grace without which we can do nothing." p. 6. Many of the remarks, it may be supposed, are of a better sort: Dr. P. says very justly, "It is not a single instance of receiving the Lord's Supper in an alarming illness, and at the end, perhaps, of life, that can, by any mechanical force, or magic charm, produce the good effects, which the reception of this sacrament was intended to produce." p. 27.

Art. XX. A Concise Gazetteer of the most remarkable Places in the World; with brief No ices of the principal Historical Events, and most celebrated Persons connected with them. To which are annexed, References to Books of History, Voyages, Travels, &c. Intended to promote the Improvement of Youth in Geography, History, and Biography. By Thomas Bourn, 8vo. pp. 450. Price 8s. bds. Mawman, Harris, Darton and Co. 1807.

AN intimation is given, in the title of this work, of its specific difference from publications of a similar kind. It includes only a selection of "remarkable places;" but, on the other hand, the account it gives of these places, comprizes many short biographical, historical, commercial, and obituary notices, intended to prevent weariness, to excite curiosity, and to impress useful information. It is therefore an improved geographical school book, rather than a gazetteer for general reference. The following article is a specimen of the work, and will perhaps enable the reader to judge of its practical utility,

Manchester, a large, populous, and flourishing town in Lancashire. It is seated between the rivers Irk and Irwell, upon a stony hill, and is a place of great antiquity. It has been long noted for various branches of the linen, silk, and cotton manufactures, and is now principally con

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spicuous as the centre of the cotton trade*. The manufacture of tapes and other small wares, of silk goods, and of hats, is also carried on at Manchester from which various sources of wealth it has attained greater opulence than almost any of the trading towns in England. Its buildings, especially the more modern ones, are on a proportional scale of size and elegance. Its chief ornaments are the college, (See Europ. Mag li. 88.) the market-place, the exchange, and the collegiate church; which last has a small choir, of excellent workmanship. Napier, the celebrated inventor of logarithms, died here in 1617. Dr. Percival, a celebrated physician, and author of Moral Tales, and various miscellaneous pieces, died here in 1804; and Byrom, the author of a new method of short-hand, &c. died here in 1763:

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A number of short anecdotes and poetical extracts are introduced on various occasions. The morality of the book is unexceptionable; the comparative frequency of references to such works as the Monthly Review and Magazine, Mr. Belsham's Memoirs, &e. &c. is probably indicative of no particular design, but only of the author's habits of reading. The typographical appearance is handsomer than that of most school-books, and the price is of necessity somewhat higher. A very affectionate Dedication is prefixed, to the author's father-in-law, Mr. Butler.'+

Art. XXI, Memoirs of Capt. George Carleton, an English Officer: including Anecdotes of the War in Spain under the Earl of Peterborough, and many interesting Particulars relating to the Manners of the Spaniards in the beginning of the last Century. Written by Himself. 8vo. pp. 470. Price 12s. bds. Murray, 1808.

SLIGHT as the analogy is, between the British expedition to Spain a

century ago, and that which at this moment expands the heart and inflames the hopes of every Englishman and lover of freedom, the strong general similarity will be sufficient, we suppose, to give some additional interest to this elegant edition of Capt. Carleton's Memoirs. It will afford no foundation for prognosticating the event of this illustrious contest for whom will it induce to hail the British as the deliverers of Spain, while considering with what a Titanian power they contend, and looking around in vain for a resemblance of the intrepid, the subtle, the enthusiastic Lord Peterborough? and whom will it urge to despair of eventual success to the Spaniards, while reflecting that now they fight for themselves, and that the tyrant they oppose is as much more od ous than Philip, as the free constitution we hope they aspire to, is preferable to a despotism under Charles? But if this volume affords but little instruction particularly valuable in reference to existing affairs, yet it describes some of the most brilliant achievements of the British army, and distinctly exhibits the character of one of its chiefs, to whom the history of time can scarcely furnish a superior. If the work, which is indeed but little known, were now published for the first time, we should find many carious anecdotes and remarks to extract, relative to the military transactions, the Spanish manners, the bull-fights, &c. We shall, how

* In 1791, a pound of fine cotton, which cost 7s. Ed. was spun into yarn, measuring 97 post miles, of the value of £22. It was sent to Glasgow, and there made into muslin, which was presented to her majesty.Macpherson's Annals of Commerce

† "
Author of Chronological Exercises," (see E. R. iii. 916.)

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ever, copy two short passages; the first of which may be an important lesson to the British soldiery, who will not only be exposed, by habits of drunkenness, to disaster from their vigilant enemies, but to contempt from their sober friends,

I was one day walking in one of the most populous streets of that city, (Barcelona,) where I found an uncommon concourse of people, of all sorts, got together; and imagining so great a crowd could not be assem bled on a small occasion, I prest in among the rest; and, after a good deal of struggling and difficulty, reached into the ring and centre of that mixed multitude. But how did I blush, with what confusion did I appear, when I found one of my own countrymen, a drunken grenadier, the at tractive loadstone of all the high and low mob, and the butt of all their merriment! It will be easily imagined to be a thing not a little surprising to one of our country, to find that a drunken man should be such a wonderful sight: However the witty sarcasms that were then by high and low thrown upon that senseless creature, and, as I interpreted matters, me in him, were so pungent, that if I did not curse my curiosity, I thought it best to withdraw myself as fast as legs could carry me away. pp. 160, 161.

The surprising effect which Don Quixotte produced on the Spanish people is well known: the following is Capt. C'.s account of it.

'Don Felix Pacheo told me, that, in his opinion, that work was a per,.. fect paradox, being the best and the worst romance that ever was wrote. "For," says he, " though it must infallibly please every man, that has any taste of wit; yet has it had such a fatal effect upon the spirits of my countrymen, that every man of wit must ever resent; for, continued he, before the appearance in the world of that labour of Cervantes, it was next to an impossibility for a man to walk the streets with any delight, or without danger. There were seen so many cavalieros prancing and curvetting before the windows of their mistress, that a stranger would have imagined the whole nation to have been nothing less than a race of knight errants. But after the world became a little acquainted with that notable history, the man that was seen in that once celebrated drapery, was pointed at as a Don Quixotte, and found himself the jest of high and low. And I verily believe, added he, that to this, and this only, we owe that dampness and poverty of spirit, which has run through all our councils for a century past, so little agreeable to those nobler actions of our famous ancestors. pp. 320, 321.

Art. XXII. A Sermon, preached in the Parish Church of St. Paul, Bedford, before Dr. Shepherd, Archdeacon, at the Annual Visitation of the Clergy held on Thursday, May 12, 1808. By the Rev. Joshua Morton, Vicar of Risely, Beds, &c. 4to, pp. 14. Price 1s. Rivington. 1808. THE reader who is acquainted with Mr. Morton's excellent Sermons

(E. R. Vol. ii. p. 824) will share our satisfaction at finding him deputed to address his clerical brethren, and will anticipate our approbation of his discourse. Its text is 1. Pet. iv. 11; we are disposed to complain of its form, as deficient in that clear precise method which tends so much

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