beauty of the fairest flowers, though appearing irrevocably loft, your frame being diffolved will again unite with your angelic fpirit: and may you now look up to heaven in fuch humble purity and elevation of heart, as will render you acceptable to the great Lord of all, without whose favour there can be no happinefs in either world."

Although the worthy Writer feems to confider this work as not properly a fubject for criticism, we may venture to point out a mistake or two which we think we have obferved in thefe dialogues, and which it may be proper to correct should the volumes reach a future edition. When the honeft farmer relates to his daughter inftances of fome perfons who have yielded to death with great compofure, it was natural to infert among others the famous and well-known ftory of our countryman Sir Thomas More. Trueman is here made to fay of him, he was brought to the fcaffold for adhering to his opinion in religion against the Pope;' whereas perfons who are not greatly versed in history may easily be affured that Sir Thomas fuffered on account of his cleaving fo firmly to the Pope, whom, from the early bias and prejudice of his mind, he could not but confider as head of the church. In another place, when the religious establishment in our country is fpoken of, Trueman alfo tells his daughter, that the church of England never persecuted;' now though we would fpeak refpectfully of our national church, and freely acknowledge the catholicifm and humanity which we hope generally prevails among its members, yet we think the above too. bold and hafty an affertion. Different parties and churches, as they had opportunity, have dif covered too much tendency to a perfecuting fpirit, and among other inftances which have fomewhat of this afpect, what shall we fay to the treatment which Leighton, a Scotch divine, and father of the Archbishop of Glafgow of that name, received from the ftar-chamber under the direction of Archbishop Laud, for his writings against epifcopacy? It may be faid, perhaps, that this is to be regarded as an act of the ftate; yet fince the church has no power to perfecute but as it can engage the state in its caufe, this is juftly confidered as her act. Thorough high-church principles, as well as political religion, must always verge towards oppreffion and perfecution. We therefore ap prehend the above expreffion is too precipitate, and, in fome measure, calculated to convey a false idea.

The dialogues contained in these two volumes turn upon a great variety of important fubjects, on which we find many ufeful reflections and admonitions, enlivened by a number of characters, ftories, fables, &c. adapted to intereft the Reader in the different topics offered to his confideration. Although

it is a kind of work which does not well admit of extracts, we shall present our Readers with one fhort paffage, and two of the fables.

The paffage we fhall infert is in the feventh conversation of the firft volume, where the daughter converfes with her father about opinions in religion: it is as follows:

D. How comes it, my father, that wife men puzzle their brains fo much about religious doctrines and opinions? I have heard that there are millions of books written on fuch fubjects, and that fome are on points which the authors themselves never comprehended.

F. I cannot tell thee much about perfons whom thou calleft wife men; or, as I fuppofe thou meanest, learned men ; only that I think, thou art happier than those who take pains to perplex themselves. Do thou endeavour to please God in that which thou perceiveft to be right; and whenever thy confcience even whispers thee that any thing is wrong; whenever there is any doubt, which affords a prefumption, that what thou art about to fay, or do, will be displeasing to God, forbear and avoid it. I am under no anxiety on thy account, but that thy life be virtuous; the reft will follow: for whilft thou art good, thou never wilt be forfaken of God, or totally rejected by thy fellow creatures: but if thou shouldft become wicked, even though the world fhould fmile on thee with all its blandishments; though all things fhould wear a pleafing afpect, yet in the end, as furely as the wicked will be punished, thou wouldst be miferable.'

One of the fables is against the unwarrantable pursuit of pleafure: Two bees went in queft of honey: one was an epicure, the other temperate; or we may call him a philofopher. At length they found a wide-mouthed phial, hanging beneath the bough of a peach tree. It was enchanting to the eye and to the fmell, for it was filled with honey ready tempered. The epicure, in fpite of the remonftrances of his friend, ventured in to indulge himself. The philofopher, fufpicious of the danger, flew off to fruits and flowers, where the moderation of his meals improved his relifh of the true enjoyment of them. In the evening, returning that way home to his hive, he found his friend furfeited with fweets, as unable to leave the honey as to feast on it; his wings were clogged; his feet enfeebled; his whole frame was enervated and unhinged; he was only able to bid his friend a last farewell, lamenting that he was too late fenfible of the good advice which had been given him; acknowledging that unreftrained indulgence in falfe pleasure, is unavoidable deftruction.'

The other fable is The Farmer and the Lawyer: A farmer came to a neighbouring lawyer, expreffing great concern for H 2

an accident, which he faid had juft happened; " One of your oxen, continued he, has been gored by an unlucky bull of mine, and I fhould be glad to know how I am to make you reparation." "Thou art a very honest fellow, replied the lawyer, and will not think it unreasonable, that I expect one of thy oxen in return." "It is no more than justice, quoth the farmer, to be fure. But what did I fay? I miftake: it is your bull that has killed one of my oxen." "Indeed! fays the lawyer, that alters the cafe, I muft enquire into the affair, and if" "And if! faid the farmer,-the bufinefs, I find, would have been concluded without an if, had you been as ready to do juftice to others, as to exact it from them."-If our Author's fables have not the merit of new invention, they have indifputably that of being well chofen.

The latter part of the fecond volume is called a manual of devotion, confifting of prayers, extracts from fcripture, pieces of poetry, &c. Some of the poetry is borrowed from the volume published by Mifs Aikin, now Mrs. Barbauld.

ART. V. The Regal and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities of England: Containing, in a complete Series, the Reprefentations of all the Englith Monarchs, from Edward the Confeffor to Henry the Eighth. Together with many of the great Perfons that were eminent, under their feveral Reigns. The Figures are principally introduced in ancient Delineations of the most remarkable Paffages of Hiftory; and are correctly copied from the Originals, which particularly express the Drefs and Customs of the Time to which each Piece refpectively relates. The Whole carefully collected from ancient illuminated Manufcripts. By Jofeph Strutt. 4to. Four Numbers, 21. 2 s. fewed. Thane. 1773.

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LTHOUGH this work is not wholly defigned for the connoiffeur in painting, it may, as the Author hopes, prove in fome measure useful to the artist, as well as pleafing to the curious:-useful, because those that have occafion to reprefent scenes from the ancient English history, may find the drefs and character;-and pleafing to the curious, because they are the most likely to be the exact reprefentation of the customs and manners of our ancestors.

Hitherto, continues Mr. Strutt, our artists have been extremely deficient in their delineations of the early hiftory.-The Saxons are drawn in the habit of the figures on the Trajan and Antonine columns; and the Normans are put into the dresses and armour worn in Edward the Fourth's time, and, indeed, are often made ftill more modern.

It may be faid, perhaps, in their defence, that models, fufficiently authentic for their purpose, are very much wanted.Our monuments, and ftatues, are exceedingly difficult to afcer

Strutt's Regal and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities of England. 101

tain and, even of thefe, there are few of any note of earlier date than Henry the Seventh. And our coins are still of less ufe; being fo miferably executed, as fcarce to bear the refemblance of any thing.-From thele imperfect lights, it was not poffible for artifts to come at the rush, of antiquity; fo that they were obliged to fupply from their own, fancy whatever they thought deficient, by which means errors were frequently made, even when corrections were intended.

By the ftatues of Greece, and the bas-reliefs of the Romans, the character, drefs, and cuftoms of those nations, are become perfectly clear and intelligible to us; but with refpect to the antiquities of this country the cafe is very different; for there is scarcely any one able to determine the fort of habit worn in the time of Edward the First.

Nevertheless, though we cannot come at fuch compleat and excellent remains of our earlier time as are left by the Greeks and Romans, yet I hope that the following work (which contains the most ancient national materials that remain) will be thought capable of removing, in a confiderable degree, the former obfcurity, with refpect to fuch circumstances as the dress, and perfonal appearance of our monarchs.

From Edward the Confeffor, the feries is perfectly compleat, and interfperfed with various paffages of hiftory; fo that it is not only a view of the kings of England, but a reprefentation of part of their tranfactions, and the portaits of many of the great and remarkable perfonages living under their reign.And the authority is undoubted, fince the illuminations were made in, or foon after, the reign of each particular monarch.

'As no work of this kind (viz, in a regular feries) has been yet attempted in this kingdom, the Editor humbly hopes that the indulgent Public will excufe whatever they may find amiss or defective; and he, on his part, begs leave to affure them, that he has done, and will always do, the utmost in his power to render the work a perfect copy of the valuable originals, and the more fo, as many of the figures are undoubtedly actual portraits of the kings, &c. represented.'

While the hiftorian and the antiquary will be gratified by this publication, the admirer of the fine arts will be ftruck with the obfervation how narrow the province of tafle must have been, in the times commemorated in this book; of which we may fairly judge from the numerous and egregious fpecimens here exhibited: and which, we doubt not, are very faithfully and accurately copied. Many of these pictures appear to have been only head-pieces to books; and thefe books nothing but tranflations. And when we confider the subjects of fuch productions, it seems plain that wanting original genius, the tranflator, in thofe days, was confidered as a man of fuch ingenuity and importance, that his la

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bours were to be oblations offered only at the thrines of princes; and at once to compliment his royal patron, and celebrate himfelf, the momentous event of prefenting his borrowed plumes, is (most barbaroufly) delineated. In the explanations which the Editor has given us, of thefe hieroglyphical dedications, we find that the greateft attention was paid to the livelieft hues: which will always be the cafe, when the mind is not fufficiently enlightened to entertain ideas of proportion, grace, and harmony. This is illuftrated by a common obfervation. The greatest coxcombs, in every age, are the weakest men; and the poverty of the head, is ever difplayed in the richness of the dress. Salvator Rofa, one of the moft fenfible artists that ever handled the pencil, always difdained the glare of colouring. He painted Nature, in her fimpleft attire, but he did juftice to her perfections in the elegance of his forms, and the fublimity of his tints.

Notwithstanding, however, the rudeness of these specimens of ancient erudition (for painting may be confidered as a species of literature) the Reader who has a tafte for antiquities, may find ample amufement in this curious publication; and the Editor deferves our most grateful acknowledgments for fetting. us off to fuch advantage: for the prefent age must certainly appear with redoubled luftre, when compared with the gloom which hath been fpread by ignorance over fome particular epochas in the past history of this country.

ART. VI. Ponda Angel-cynnan; or, a complete View of the Manners, Customs, Arms, habits, &c. of the Inhabitants of England, from the Arrival of the Saxons, till the Reign of Henry the Eighth; with a foort Account of the Britons, during the Government of the Romans, By Jofeph Strutt. Vol. I. 4to. 11. 11s. 6 d. sewed, Thane. 1774.

ME

EN of inquifitive minds, and indolent difpofitions (for fuch characters are not uncommon) are much indebted to the antiquary for the difficulties he encounters in exploring the dark recefies of ancient learning; for the toil and trouble he muft undergo in removing the piles of rubbish to come at the literary treasure. Such men, whofe genius is not formed of those patient materials, which are fo neceflary in the purfuit of mural and manufcript knowledge, must confider themfelves as obliged to Mr. Strutt for the information he has given them in his first volume now under review.

Mr. Strutt introduces his work with a preface, wherein we think he recommends rather too much, in fuppofing the figures which he has delineated would be of confiderable importance to the arts. Perhaps this arofe from his being too little acquainted with the temper and genius of artists. From the first rudiments.

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