enim etiam ingeniofis adolefcentibus frequenter, ut labore confumantur, et in SILENTIUM ufque defcendant nimia bene DICENDI cupiditate. The Tranflator gives us, For it often happens, that even some young perfons of pregnant parts, fuffer themfelves to be confumed by a ufelefs labour, and are at length obliged to condemn themselves to a fhameful filence, through a defire of doing too well.'-Now to say nothing of the flovenliness of the language, where themselves is introduced twice in the compafs of two lines, in filentium defcendant nimia bene dicendi cupiditate, they become filent through too great a defire of speaking well, is fadly tranflated indeed, when instead of speaking well, doing too well is fubftituted; for where is the contraft between doing and filence? But if the Tranflator has drawn from the French verfion of Rollin's edition, we should no longer be surprised at his infidelity; and, indeed, been obliged to condemn themfelves to a fhameful filence,' has much more the air of a fe livrer a une filence honteuse, of the wordy Frenchman, than of the fimple in filentium defcendant of the close Quintilian. In the fame extract, wreaked inftead of racked his invention,' is an impropriety;-but in the above quotation we meet with nothing more that is very exceptionable: and, in general, the Tranflator has confulted the ftructure of his own language, by properly breaking and dividing the periods of the original. Upon the whole, we can by no means pronounce him to be a good writer, or this to be an elegant or meritorious translation. ART. II. An exact and circumftantial History of the Battle of Floddon, in Verfe, written about the Time of Queen Elizabeth, in which are related many particular Facts not to be found in the English History. Published from a curious MS. in the Poffeffion of John Askew, of Palinsburn in Northumberland, Efq; with Notes, by Robert Lambe, Vicar of Norham upon Tweed. 8vo. 4 s. fewed. Berwick upon Tweed printed, and fold by Dilly, &c. in London. 1774. AHE battle of Floddon was one of the moft ftrenuous, interefting, and decifive that was ever fought between the English and Scots. Henry the Eighth, at that time profecuting his wars in France, had the greateft part of the regu lar forces in his suite, and the Earl of Surry, under the direction of the Queen, was left to protect the realm against the fufpected Scot, with fuch ruftic auxiliaries as he could muster. James the Fourth, urged by a restless ambition, on the one hand, and by the manoeuvres of the court of France, operating on that ambition, on the other, did not long leave the invafion of England in fufpence. The confequence is well known. The Earl of Surry met the Scottish King at the head of the flower of his nobility, and almoft all his forces, at Floddon. Z 3 The The latter fell in the battle, and his army, after a moft obfti nate and bloody engagement, was put to the rout. But a variety of circumftances attending this important bat tle, which are not so well known, are here recorded in verfe, and farther illuftrated by the notes of the Editor. Mr. Lambe supposes the Author to have been a Yorkshire school-mafter, and there is probability in the fuppofition; for the impreffion made by this battle on all that region is, even in its traditionary effects, fo great, that, wherever a village-fray is talked of, the people fay, there is Floddon-field: From the compofition, as an history in verfe, nothing extraordinary could be expected, though the era were in its favour, But the old bard feems to have been no stranger to the fire or Spirit of the claffical epic, for, on his fetting out, he affumes the Os magna fonaturum : A fearful field in verfe I'll frame, If you'll be pleas'd to understand, And of Surry he fays, What banners bravely blazed and born, That forrow in Scotland yet doth found. Lord Hume's addrefs to James the Fourth, previous to the invafion, fhews what a curious opinion the Scots entertained of the defenceless state of England in the absence of Henry : For England's King, you understand, To France is past with all his Peers; Or ragged ruftics, without rules, Or priests prating for pudaing fhives, Surry's apology for calling a council of war before the battle is pathetic: It is not I am fright with fear, Nor for myfelf fuch thoughts I take, Such fortunes fall through fights, doubtless, And many a fervant mafterlefs, And mother of their fons bereft. And And the next ftanza does equal honour to his humanity and good fenfe : This is the cause I counsel crave, The only caufe I caft such doubts, There is something romantic and pleafing in the topical account of the levy of the English forces, not unlike what has been remarked as a beauty in thofe lines, "All men of pleasant Tividale," &c, in the poem of Chevy Chace : And they that Craven coafts did till, With him did wend all Wenfledale And all that climb the mountain Cam, * All lufty lads, and large of length, Which dwelt on Seimar-water fide. The following ftanzas record an anecdote of importance enough to have been mentioned in the History of England, but it is not to be found there. The extraordinary perfon who is the fubject of it had a principal concern in moft of the border disturbances between the two kingdoms in thofe times. He was at last killed upon an incurfion into Scotland; The army preffed thus to proceed, At first his face his helmet hid, The army marvelled at this man, When he the Earl of Surry faw, From off his steed, he leaped there, In little time he filence brake, My Lord, quoth he, afford fome grace; For now you are in King Henry's place. Quoth the Earl then, Tell us thy name: My Lord, my crime it is not fuch; No man for treason can me touch. I never hurt man, maid, or wife, At least I have bereaved of life. Wherefore, good Lord, my life now grant, Thereto Thereto experience hath me taught, He perished through the peftilence. Thofe raging wars for to renew. He died of the plague, to prove, And therewith did unfold his face: But, hark, what I wrought by the way. I nothing but the truth fhall note: That time in many a town and borough, The peftilence was raging hot, And raging, reigned all England thorough. So coming to a certain town, I faid I was infected fore; And in a lodge they laid me down, But my own fecret fervants three, Who, fraid of townfmen, careful watched; So in that ftead no more staid I, But homeward by the dark dispatched. My fervants fecretly that night, And |