He talks of Gibbon being "required to bring down the haughtiness of his ftyle to a level with that of vulgar perfons." Nothing can be further from a baughty ftyle than the compofition of Gibbon. It is the extreme of a precife and monotonous affectation. So is that of Darwin, another idol of this writer, to whom he attributes" an eagle wing." Many other remarks of this kind might be made, but we forbear. Though we cannot, for any confideration, praise bad tafte, we admire the intention of this Poem, and in fome refpects the execution. We will give therefore what we think the most favourable fpecimen of it; the fuppofed fpeech of Mrs. Wollstonecraft to her fex. "Go, go (fhe cries) ye tribe of melting maids, What tho' the fine Romances of Rouffeau No more by weakness winning fond regard; P. 13. In fpeaking of the females who do honour to their fex, by their talents, the author might eafily have increased the number. Mrs. Trimmer certainly fhould not have been omitted. We do not pretend to guess at the author of this anonymous effusion. ART. 14. Lodon and Miranda. By Romaine Jofeph Thorn. To which is added, The Poor Boy, a Tale. 12mo. 35. 6d. Longman. 1.799. We cannot approve fuch an apology as the Preface to this work introduces, namely, that this long Poem was written in four months, during the few hours which could be fpared from bufinefs. We are of opinion, that Mr. Thorn had better attend to his bufinefs altogether, than pay his court to the Mufes, who are fly coquettish ladies, and are very apt to lead men of bufinefs aftray. ART. ART. 15. Poetic Trifles. By Elizabeth Moody. 12mo. 5s. Cadell and Davies. 1799. This is a title frequently adopted, and often with the moft critical propriety. The productions here published may not improperly be called Trifles; but they are Trifles of a better order, and indicate much taffe and elegance of fentiment. The following ftanzas may serve as a fpecimen. ON THE WORD LAST. 1. Painful fource, of many a forrow, II. Whate'er is giv'n us from above, Time on his rapid pinions flies, Yet that I may not fhrink from thee, From dread of future and of paft ; ART. 16. Theodore, or the Gamefter's Progrefs. A Poetic Tale. 12mo. "Some friendly voice make every error known, My gratitude, I'll in the next edition fhew." So fays the author in a prefatory Sonnet, but we really cannot deter mine whether he thus expreffes himself in fober seriousness, or whether he intends to be facetious at the expence of his readers. If he is facetious, we can affure him, that he will find it no jeft when he comes to fettle with his ftationer, printer, &c. for a volume of more than a hundred hundred pages rather elegantly printed. If he is ferious, we must tell him in the fober tone which becomes our age and character, that second editions of poetic tales, are a kind of black fwans, not often visible. The moral of this tale is certainly good; and here and there fome animated lines may be discovered. ART. 17. Poems. By Thomas Smith. 12mo. 39. Manchester. 1797. Mr. Smith, affifted by fome friends, produced the contents of this volume, to relieve the languor of a fecluded fituation. Many of the Poems are elegant; and that on the Violet, in particular, breathes an unaffected strain of tenderness. We were also not a little pleafed with the Verfes on a Worm; and we fhall be glad to see the volume, by a member of this fociety, who promifes tranflations from the Latin and Italian poets. ART. 18. The Satires of Perfius tranflated: with Notes. By William Drummond, Efq. M. P. Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh. 8vo. 189 pp. 55. Wright. 1799. Though it is an unavoidable rule with reviewers, for the fake of preventing perpetual repetitions, and retrofpects beyond the reach of any diligence, not to notice fecond editions, unlefs greatly altered; we cannot deny oarfelves the pleasure of mentioning the early reappearance of this very elegant work, in a form well-fuited to its merits, and with the addition of many new notes. The author afferts his previous knowledge of Brewfter, but contends that he does not deferve the encomium palled upon him by us, He has certainly as fair a right to maintain an opinion as we have; ours, however, remains unchanged; and we are well affured, that the learned in general rate Brewster's tranflation very highly. DRAMATIC. ART. 19. Lovers' Vows, or the Child of Love, a Play; in Five As. Tranflated from the German of Auguftus Van Kotzebue; with a brief Biography of the Author. By Stephen Porter, of the Middle Temple, and of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. chard. 1798. 111 PP. 2s. 6d. Hat ART. 20. The Natural Son, a Play; in Five Ads. By Auguftus Von Kotzebue, Poet Laureat, and Director of the Imperial Theatre at Vienna, Being the Original of Lovers' Vows, now performing with univerfal Applaufe at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden. Tranflated from the German, by Anne Plumptree (Author of the Rector's Son, Antoinette, Ec.) who has prefixed a Preface, explaining the Alterations in the Reprefentation, and a Life of Kotzebue. Fourth Edition, revifed. 8vo. 78 pp. 25. 6d. Symonds. 1798. Having already taken a view of the plot and characters of this drama, in our account of it as adapted by Mrs. Inchbald to the F BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XIV, JULY, 1799. Englis English ftage, it would be fuperfluons to enter into a detail of them as exhibited by the fe tranflations. Both these performances feem, in general, accurate and not ill written; but neither, 'we think, would have pleafed an English audience equally with the play that was reprefented. The character of Amelia, we have already obferved, has been rendered far more interefting by Mrs. Inchbald's alterations : that of the rhyming Butler is raised from infignificance and infipidity to genuine humour; and, in our opinion, Count Caffel is much better adapted to the English tafte, than the Count Von Der Mulde of Kotzebue. We are glad thefe tranflations have been published, as they enable every reader to form the comparifon for himfelf, and to appreciate the skill and addrefs of the ingenious imitator. ART. 21. The Reconciliation. A Comedy, in Five Acts. Now under Reprefentation at the Theatre Royal, Vienna, with unbounded Applause. Tranflated from the German of Auguftus Von Kotzebue. Svo. 120 pp. 35. Ridgway. 1799. This comedy (which has, we believe, been reprefented under the title of The Birth-Day, at Covent-Garden Theatre) reprefents two brothers as having been eftranged from each other by a law-fuit, about a piece of ground of fmall value, but reconciled chiefly by a worthy and benevolent phyfician; notwithstanding the efforts of an artful lawyer, and rapacious female fervant, to foment the difpute. The characters are, in general, well drawn, and the fituations interefting; but the plot is, in one refpect, conducted unfkilfully, for at an early period of the drama we anticipate the conclufion. We know not whether the tranflation before us is the fame which was reprefented on our stage; but if the play produced on this fubject met with indifferent fuccefs in London (which we believe was the cafe) it must have been owing to negligence or want of fkill in the tranflator; for the story is, in our opinion, well calculated to intereft an English audience. ART. 22. A Day at Rome. A musical Entertainment, in Two A&s; as it was damned at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden, on Thursday, Odober 11, 1798. 8vo. 32 PP. IS. Symonds. The form of this title-page, though fomewhat whimfical, is not new; Fielding having adopted it (if we rightly remember) in the publication of an unfuccefsful drama. Certainly, a tragedy (or even a comedy) though ili adapted to the stage, may please in the closet. But appealing from the judgment of the audience on a mufical farce, is difputing de laná caprina. The town indeed fometimes may condemn from caprice, and fometimes from perfonal prejudice. But, on a perufal of this piece, we fee no reason to regret its fate. NOVELS. ART. 23. The Falfe Friend. A domeftic Story. By Mary Robinfon, Author of Poems, Walfingham, Angelina, Hubert de Sevrac, &c. In Four Volumes. 12mo. 16s. Longman. 1799. If we are sometimes diffatisfied with the incidental tendency of Sentiments, which occur in this writer's works, it is impoffible to to deny her the praife of fenfibility and tafte. Her ftyle is generally good, and her language often elegant. The merit of this work, if it does not exceed, is by no means inferior to that of her other productions of the fame kind. But having fo often excercised her pen in this way, the appears, in the prefent instance, to have been somewhat at a lofs in her choice of names, otherwife fuch uncouth appellations as Lady Upas, Mrs. Blouzely, Lord Limingford, Mrs. Ferret, Mifs Afhgrove, would not have been introduced. ART. 24. The myfterious Seal. A Romance. In Three Volumes. By W. C. Proby. 12mo. 9s. Weftley. 1799. This is no means an ill-written or unentertaining performance. There is too great a refemblance in the dangers, efcapes, &c. of the heroine, and in the general catastrophe of the tale to other productions of the kind; but there is by no means any thing inculcated, which can be offenfive to delicacy, or good morals. A pamphlet written by this author, was commended by the British Critic, vol. xi, p. 690. ART. 25. The Natural Son. A Novel. In Two Volumes. Tranflated from the French of M. Diderot, Author of the Nun, James the Fatalift, Ec. Two Volumes. 1200. 6s. Longman. 1799. The productions from this author's pen, alluded to in the title-page of the prefent work, deferved, and from us obtained a character very different from that which we have given to the preceding article. The Natural Son, with refpect to its tendency, is hardly lefs offenfive. The tranflator obferves, that he has omitted what was indelicate in the original, and that he has ufed a licence where attempt was made to palliate a crime. We require no further argument to prove, that the work itself ought not to have been tranflated. ART. 26. The Invafion, or what might have been. A Novel. Two Volumes. 12mo. 75. Symonds. 1799. A melancholy but well told tale, the catastrophe of which is managed with confiderable dexterity. The idea is certainly a very good one, and remarkably well-timed. The language alfo is neat and perfpicu ous, and the fentiments unexceptionable. ART. 27. Rafb Vows; or, the Effects of Enthufiafm. A Novel. Tranflated from the French of Madame de Genlis, Author of the Theatre of Education, Adelaide and Theodore, &c. Three Volumes. 12mo. 10s. 6d. Longman. This is rather a whimfical performance, and has lefs ingenuity of contrivance, than ufually diftinguishes the works of this author. The heroine, Conftance, is for ever over head and ears in love. She parts with her husband because he does not love her enough; they come together again, and again feparate from the fame caufe. The hufband dies, the lady vows never to marry another. She fees another man with whom the falls violently in love; and finally the dies, because her "Rafh " Vow's F 2 |