tally unworthy of publication: fome others likewife fhould have been omitted; but the following, which we shall quote for their thortnefs, will ferve to fhew that thofe at least who are fond of light reading, will here meet with entertainment. Rondeau. By two black eyes my heart was won, * An Expoftulation. When late I attempted your pity to move, Verfes addreffed to a Gentleman who had wrote bad Poetry, abufing the Author, and procured a Lady to tranfcribe it. By the Rev. Mr. Hutton, • Stella tranfcribes what you compofe; A poor contrivance Ned! It only fhews how much her hand Is better than your head. Stella can no fuch virtue boaft For whatfoe'er that monarch touch'd, Thy leaden lines, from Stella's hand, Will no fuch change admit; Henceforth a diff'rent method try;. The concluding part of the volume is taken up in critical remarks on the Rolliad, not unlike thofe annexed to the Dunciad. When we can difcover the likeness, though evidently dictated by fpleen, they are truly laughable; and probably the uthors' hearts in the midft of mirth were forrowful." a The Spartan Manual, or Tablet of Morality.. Small 8vo. Dilly. Is. 6d. This little work will be found to comprise the fentiments of ancient wifdom upon a variety of the most interefting fubjects of human action. Thefe are either their apophthegms, maxims, or precepts. Precepts are fentences conveying, with ftudied brevity, fome moral rule for the conduct of life. Such, for for infance, are thofe of Chilo: Know thyself, and defire nothing overmuch; which, together with his maxim that mifery is the conftant companion of debts and differences, were thought worthy to be engraved in golden characters on the temple of Apollo, at Delphi: the first of them, according to Juvenal, having been fent down from heaven. Precepts and maxims were either written by the authors themselves, or uttered in their fet fpeeches or ordinary converfation. Apophthegms, of the nature of our repartees, were generally spoken in reply to fome question, or in confequence of fome obfervation by another, from which many of them cannot easily be detached, and are not on that account here given; unlefs, now and then, at the bottom of a page. Every fentence in the collection may be referred to one or other of these three defcriptions.' This is the editor's account of the collection, extracted from his fenfible, well-written Preface; but, as ufual, the value of this Manual is fomewhat exaggerated. Of many ancient wife men we know little, and feem to have received their fum of wisdom fometimes in a trite, fometimes a judicious and comprehenfive precept. In others, we perceive more accurate knowlege of the heart, and a fententious brevity, highly commendable. Thefe different kinds are collected and arranged according to their subjects. Perhaps the beit have been often repeated in more connected forms; and the others we could well have fpared. But fomewhat is due to the good intentions of the editor; and he deferves praife, from his attempts to inculcate found morality. This little Manual is certainly calculated to. convey instruction, if thofe for whom it is defigned can overlook the form to obtain the fubftance. Indeed, the form itself may be calculated for those defultory readers, who will catch a fentence, though they cannot purfue an effay. 1 La Triomphe de la Raifon; ou Lettres de deux jeunes Dames de 12mo. 35. Though reafon triumphs in this tale, yet the triumph will be of another kind to the reader of this volume. He muft poffefs the refolute perfeverance of a Reviewer, to enable him to purfue thefe pages of inanity, without a fingle observation, witheut one reflection which deferves attention; and, what is of more confequence to fome readers, very few adventures. The dedication approaches near to that fiyle which Addifon calls the cæleftial: this kind, he obferves, is generally the language of one lady to another; they adore as they with to be adored. The Letters are written in French, though the idiom is frequently English. It has lately been remarked, that the French themfelves think their language improved by a little mixture of our's, and that it gives force and precision. As we cannot offer any remark which will be more favourable to the work, we fhall conclude with leaving this advantageous impreffion." The " The Modern English Fruit-Gardener, and Practical Wall-Tree Pruncr. I 210. 25. ferved. Fielding. We will felect the author's own account of his work, for it is very juft and candid, fince he has performed all that he has promifed. The plan is calculated to communicate and explain a regu lar and improved practical fyftem, for the culture of fruit-trees, according to the most fuccessful modern practice; pointing out the utility, and various modes of training, either for ftandards, walls, or efpaliers and to lay down practical directions for raifing them from feed, grafting, budding, layers, cuttings,fuckers, &c. with, their progrefs of training in the nurfery, in the feveral orders required for the garden and orchard. To thefe are added, a full explanation of the different modes of training. And as the different fpecies, together with their refpective varieties of fruit, are feparately arranged under different heads, the qualities and merits of each fpecies is difcriminated; with the methods of propagation, and order of training, peculiar to each fort. The proper fituations, and orders of planting are alfo fully explained, and the modern improvements introduced, whereby the whole procefs of pruning and training are particularly and familiarly defcribed, from actual practice; including all the other practical operations, in the general culture of each kind, from the earliest period till they arrive at maturity, &c. To which are added, plain and familiar inftructions for obtaining early fruits by artificial heat, in hot-walls and forcing houfes; illuftrated with a plan and elevation, upon the most modern and approved conftruction.' Among the varieties of apples, we find the London gardeners are not acquainted with fome valuable kinds, very frequent in the Weft; fuch as, for instance, the red and white quarenton (probably charenton), and the ftubbard. The white quarenton is faid to be of a delicate flavour and confiftence, to come early to maturity, and perhaps to be excelled by neither of the other kinds. Authentic Narrative of the Treatment of the English who were taken Prisoners on the Reduction of Bednore, by Tippoo Saib. By Captain Henry Oakes. A new Edition. Svo. 2s. 6d. Kearney. To the new edition of this melancholy Narrative is added, a Correct List of the Commiffioned and Non-commiffioned Of ficers and Privates, of his Majefty's Troops, who furvived the Series of Hardships, and joined the Efcort at Socrapatam and Bonaveram, the 27th of March, and zd of April, 1784. Printed from the List published by the Order of the Directors of the Eaft India Company. THE CRITICAL REVIEW. For JUNE, 1785. A Tranflation of the Inferno of Dante Alighieri, in Englifo Verfe. SOME OME detached parts of this extraordinary poem have been rendered into English verte by different authors. The moft confiderable undertaking of the kind, the prefent excepted, is that of Mr. Hayley; who has inferted in the notes to his Effay on Epic Postry, a clofe but fpirited tranflation of the three $first cantos. He there intimates fome intention of giving an entire verfion of it, hould his fpecimen meet with a favourable reception. We know not whether he has dropped his intention; but if he has, there is the lefs reafon to regret it, from the abilities displayed in the prefent performance. We are first prefented with a fummary view of Dante's poem, entitled Commedia, extracted from Mr. Warton's History of English Poetry, which contains no lefs than one hundred cantos, giving a defcription of hell (that part which is now offered to the public), purgatory, and paradife. Its title has been ridiculed by Voltaire, and we think not well accounted for by those who have vindicated it. Some fay it was given because it begins with diftrefs, and ends with felicity.' But neither the diftrefs nor felicity are of the comic kind. Martinelli afferts, that in Dante's time Commedia fignified a defcription of the manners of common life,' but even then we cannot discover its propriety. No human being, the author excepted, is introduced. Angels, devils, and departed fpirits, are the principal actors with them are joined, in the prefent performance, All monrous, all prodigious thingsGorgons and hydras, and chimeras dive.? It fignifies however but little why fo peculiar a title became annexed to this poem, which has deservedly, in spite of all its abfurdities, entitled Dante to the honourable appellation of Father of the Italian Poetry.In the next place is given a Vot. LIX. June, 1785. D d Com Comparative View of the Inferno, with fome other Poems relative to the original Principles of Human Nature, on which they are founded, or to which they appeal.' The tranflator obferves, that It is now grown familiar to appeal to the fentiments of nature from the dictates of Ariftotle, and poets who were ignorant of his rules, or did not chufe to plan their works according to them, may at laft expect a fair hearing; after having been long deemed criminals in the eyes of a law to which they were not amenable. Nor is there any danger of unworthy claimants pleading admittance into the rank of claffics in confequence of the laws of criticifm having taken a more liberal turn. Though the reward of literary fame or difhonour be no longer at the difpofal of an arbitrary judge, but, with the other facred rights of Englishmen, are depofited in the more liberal hands of a jury, yet the verdia of the heart which admits the claim of genius, will, by the fame facred iaftinct which gives a ftamp to merit, be led to reprobate the production which does not fall in with its fentiments, or appeal to the conclufions of reafon. The venerable old bard who is the fubject of the prefent enquiry has been long neglected, perhaps for that very reason, because the merit of his poem could not be tried by the reigning laws of which the author was ignorant, or which he did not chufe to obferve: he always indeed was a favourite with fuch as were poffeffed of true tafte, and dared to think for themfelves; but fince the French, the reflorers of the art of criticifm, caft a damp upon original invention, the character of Dante has been thrown under a deeper fhade. That agreeable and volatile nation found in themfelves an infuperable averfion to the gloomy and romantic bard, whofe genius, ardent, melancholy, and fublime, was fo different from their own, and it is well known how foon they became the fovereign arbiters of tafte, and how univerfally the French school of compofition fucceeded to the Italian.' To thefe remarks we have nothing to object. However acute and even ufefel the Stagyrite's obfervations may be, pedantry alone can allow his decifions infallible, and his rules exclufively excellent. Not the cold approbation of the head, but the feelings of the heart, muft decide poetic merit. is cafy to obferve the artificial rules of compoñtion, but to affect the mind by the bold fallies of genius is given to few. The French therefore, unable, from the nature of their language, and probably the co-operation of other caules, 10 excel in the fublimer kinds of poetry, availed themfelves of critical preferiptions, fanctified by claffical authority.. Entrenched behind thefe works, which time, at leaft in their opinion, rather has ftrengthened than impaired, they behold, |