poffible political arrangement, is now realized, beyond their hopes, in the BRITISH CONSTITUTION. We shall here conclude our account of perhaps the most important book, that has ever demanded our attention as public critics. We have only to lament, that, from the indolence and fuperficial difpofition of the age, too few perfons will probably have patience to confider and to weigh the admirable. doctrines delivered in it; while thofe who make most noise in. the political world, namely, the feditious and turbulent, wilk go on venting their crude and moft pernicious notions, as boldly as if no public refutation, or complete condemnation of them, exifted in the world. ART. XIV. Original Sonnèts on various Subjects; and Odes paraphrafed from Horace. By Anna Seward. 4to. 179 PP.. 6s. 6d. Sael, 192, Strand. 1799. MRS. C. Smith, and Mifs Seward, may be confidered as the leaders of two poetic parties, the one patronizing the irregular, the other the regular Sonnet. The latter poetefs mut certainly be allowed to have refuted the idea (if it were not fufficiently refuted before by the fuccefs of Milton) that the regular Sonnet is not adapted to the genius of our language; fince out of an hundred Sonnets, contained in this collection, the informs us that there are only nine which in any degree depart from the ftrict rule. Nor have we any intention. to affert that her Sonnets, in general, want grace, elegance, fpirit, or any other quality by which fuch poems are recommended. Still we cannot but feel averse to the arbitrary rule, though fanctioned by Petrarch, when no rational account can be given why that particular arrangement of rhymes fhould be preferred to many others that might be devifed. The French Rondeau is equally limited by arbitrary rules, but that has hardly ever found its way into our language, and we hope it never will. What reader of tafte and petic feeling, will conceive it poffible to with that Mrs. Smith's beautiful Addrefs to the Nightingale, and feveral others of the Poems which the calls Sonnets, had been caft in any other mould than that which the has ufed? Whether they are Sonnets or not, is a queftion about a name; if they are as good as Sonnets, and better than moft Sonnets that were ever produced in any language, what occafion is there to fubmit to the defpotic laws of the Italian Mufe On the other hand, if Mifs Seward, or any other qua lified perfon, choofes fo to fubmit, we undoubtedly fhall not fay or think that their Poems are the worfe for the compliance. The best defence we have ever seen of the legitimate Sonnet, is that quoted by Mifs Seward in her Preface to this publication. It was published originally in the Gentleman's Magazine*, and was written by the Rev. Mr. White of Lichfield. To fhow that we are willing to give all poflible weight to that fide of the argument, we will quote that paffage entire. "Little Elegies, confifting of four ftanzas and a couplet, are no more Sonnets than they are Epic Poems. The Sonnet is of a particu lar and arbitrary construction; it partakes of the nature of blank verfe, by the lines running into each other at proper intervals. Each line of the first eight rhymes four times, and the order in which those rhymes fhould fall is decifive. For the enfuing fix there is more licence; they may, or may not, at pleasure, clofe with a couplet. Of Milton's English Sonnets, only that to Oliver Cromwell ends with a couplet, but the fingle inflance is a fufficient precedent; however, in three out of his five Italian ones, the concluding lines rhyme to each other. "The ftyle of the Sonnet fhould be nervous, and, where the fubject will with propriety bear elevation, fublime; with which, amplicity of language is by no means incompatible. If the fubject is familiar and domettie, the ftyle thould, though affectionate, be nervous; though plain, be energetic. The great models of perfection, for the fublime and domeftic Sonnet, are thofe of Milton's, To the Soldier to fpare his Dwelling-place,' and To Mt. Lawrence.' "The Sonnet is certainly the most difficult fpecies of poetic compofition; but difficulty fubdued is excellence. Mrs. Smith fays, the, has been told that the regular Sonnet is not fuited to the nature of genius of our language. Surely this affertion cannot be demonftrated, and therefore was not worth attention. "Out of eighteen English Sonnets written by Milton, four are bad. The reft, though they are not free from certain haiducflès, have a pathos and greatnefs in their fimplicity, fufficient to endear the legitimate. Sonnet to every reader of just tafte. They poffels a characteristic grace, which can never belong to three elegiac ftanzas, closing with a couplet." This is perhaps as good a plea, for the legitimate Sonnet, as can be offered. The remarks are in general found and good, but require fome limitation. Thus the difficulty of the compolition is furely exaggerated, nor is it true, that difficulty fubdued is always excellence. To fubdue unavoidable difficulties is the pride and privilege of Genius, but to raife unnecef For 1786, p. 1110. + This fingle word is, in our opinion, fufficient to delroy its exclufive plea to preference. Rev. 3 fary fary difficulties, for the fake of vanquishing them, is the trick of the rope-dancer. It is as valid a plea for the Acroftic, and all the conundrums of poetry, as for the Sonnet. We apprehend alfe, that the licence of interweaving the lines may eafily be carried too far; and we think that it is fo in feveral of thefe Sonnets; particularly the feventy-ninth, which from that caufe approaches very nearly to profe. SONNET LXXIX. While unfufpecting truft in all that wears Which while it polishes the manners, veils We infert this Sonnet merely to exemplify our obfervation, not by any means to give an unfavourable idea of the collection; in which, we do not hesitate to fay, there are many beau ties, and much genuine pory. To exemplify this remark aifo, we turn to a Sonnet, in which every judicious reader will find just thought and poetic imagery, conveyed in harmonious and appropriate language. SONNET XCII. Behold that tree, in Autumn's dim decay, Stript by the frequen, chill, and eddying wind; Shivering they cling to life, and fear to fall! Among many kindred images of human life, this receives a novel afpect from the fancy of the poet, and is in a high degree appofite and ftriking. The Sonnets, of which, Mifs Honora, Sneyd an Sneyd is the fubject, have great pathos and beauty; and those alfo, where the author defcribes the declining life of her father, on which the is known to have attended with affection truly filial. She appears alfo, throughout the collection, enthufiaftic admirer, and accurate obferver, of the forms and varieties of nature. Mifs Seward, however, feems very angry with the Critics. But the Critics will not return her anger. For, though the rebels in fentiment, and bites upon the critical bridle, the obey's in fact much better than in fome prior publications, and introduces very few unauthorized and unneceffary words. She even condefcends to ap logize for the word guft, in the fenfe of pleafure, and fays, that the was doubtful of ufing it, till the recollected it in Pope. (p. 152) This is real reformation, and weighs much more than the Forty-ninth Sonnet, which is exprefsly aimed against the reftraints of criticism on innovation; and concludes with an obsolete phrase, which has no merit to demand revival, though belonging to the language of our darling Shak fpeare, and his tuneful brethren. Every Critic who has read Horace (and who can be a Critic that has not?) will allow to real poets the privilege of reviving old words, or even inventing new, if exercifed very fparingly, and with very found judgment; but a language fo rich, fo various, and fo ennobled by poetic ufe as the English now is, cannot often require it. We could with therefore to be delivered from indurate, approvance, timeless, and a few more, notwithftanding all that the ingenious poetefs can plead. When the rifes, in the Twenty-first Sonnet, to vindicate the Genius of the age, though we know not whom the means by her "Lyric Galaxy," of which the is proud, we acknowledge that the does what the has a right to do; and we accord in general in the fentiment, which we actually expreffed alfo in our laft Preface, accounting, at the fame time, for the oppofite prejudice. With respect to fome Sonnets and Notes, we regret that any affront or flight from the living Johnfon, thould urge the poetic lady to perfecute his memory. We now come to the fecond part of this publication, more extraordinary as proceeding from a lady, the paraphrases and imitations of Horace and we are happy to find, by a test given in a little Preface to them, that we are not pedants; for, inftead of regarding the fex of the writer" as an unpardonable crime," in fuch an undertaking, we confider it as a strong additional claim to admiration. Mifs Seward has, in our opinion, displayed great taste and genius in her manner of imitating Horace; and her fentiments refpecting the advan tages of expanding a poet, whofe original merit is rather ver bal felicity and charms of ftyle,' than richness of imagery (p. 166) (p. 166) are critically juft and good. She exhibits alfo fagacity and judgment, in fome of her remarks as a commentator. In reading her paraphrafes throughout, we find much to admire, and very little to object; and, in taking the following Ode as a fpecimen, are aware that we have passed by several nearly, if not entirely, equal in merit. To BARINE. BOOK THE SECOND, ODE THE EIGHTH. By one grey hair upon thy polish'd brows; A nail difcolour'd feen, Then might I nurfe the hope that, faithful grown, But ah! no fooner on that perjur'd head Than lovelier grace thy faithlefs beauties fhed; Their public care;-and murmur'd praises rife Each God, that lift'ning bows, And Cupid whets afresh his burning darts On the ftone, moilt with blood, that dropt from wounded hearts, For thee our rifing Youth to Manhood grow From the gay roof of their false Mistress go, The wife refolve; and ere they reach the door Thee the fage Matron fears, intent to warn Brides from the Fane with anxious fighs return, Ere fades the marriage torch; nay even now, While undifpers'd the breath that form'd the nuptial vow. |