originally colonized by adventurers from the east. The notion was worked up with no small degree of ingenuity, and with that glow of colouring which a poetical imagination can lay on in such a manner as to convince those of its truth, who are more apt to pronounce according to their feelings than their judgment. The fondness which Mr. Polwhele evinced for this favourite but fanciful hypothesis, has proved of considerable disservice to his reputation as an antiquary, and by drawing down upon him the attacks of the critics, it has certainly done no good to the credit of his history. Since the publication of his second volume, the former part of the first has appeared, which has, we believe, given much more satisfaction. In this, however, he has betrayed strong symptoms of dissatis. faction at the conduct of many Devonshire gentlemen, particularly of some who have published descriptive accounts of particular places. We conceive that the author had no just reason to complain of this conduct, unless those gentlemen professedly published with a view of injuring the general history of Devonshire; and this does by no means appear to be the case. Every one has a right to give to the public an account of his own town or parish, in a small form, without being under the slightest obligation to ask permission of an author who was compiling a ponderous history of the county, or of communicating their collections to be moulded into his work. To this part of the history is prefixed, by permission, a neat dedication to the King; and we sincerely hope hope that the ingenious historian will experience some substantial marks of the royal bounty, to which, on many accounts, he is certainly entitled. The remainder of this important undertaking has not yet made its appearance; but notwithstanding this, with a precipitancy which can hardly be deemed prudent, the author has announced a "History of his native County." It The rank in which Mr. Polwhele stands the most distinguished is undoubtedly that of a poet. Some account has already been given of his juvenile performances, and his subsequent labours sufficiently prove that he that he possesses all that liveliness of imagination, fertility of invention, variety of literature, and command of language, which are necessary to those who wish to cultivate the muses with success. must, however, be allowed that all his productions are not equally vigorous or elegant. His translations of Theocritus, Bion, and Moschus, ought certainly to be distinguished as among the best versions of ancient poets in our language. Mr. Polwhele, in respect to these, has shewn herein as much poetical feeling and judgment as sound learning. The notes, which make up the entire of the second volume, are appropriate, curious, and entertaining. Among his original performances, the English Orator is the principal in point of magnitude; but it possesses different degrees of merit. As a whole, however, it is not likely to secure any lasting degree of fame. The rules are in general judicious; but rules for eloquence are read to better advantage in Quintilian S 3 Quintilian, Fenelon, or Blair, than in a didactic poem. The examples adduced to illustrate the precepts are by no means delineated with that accuracy or beauty which are necessary in poetical description, to relieve the tediousness produced by formal rules. There are, however, some fine touches in this work, and the whole manifests a truly classical taste and judgment. The author's description of his academical life, in the fourth book, is one of the best passages in the whole poem. "O'er-arch'd a BAGOT,* (proud to embower such worth, "Such virtues in their venerable shade) "There, musing oft on future scenes, he form'd "The prospect of ideal good to flow "From his impassion'd preaching. Nor unmark'd The collection of " Poems by Gentlemen of Devon and Cornwall, in two volumes, 8vo." was, as we understand, edited by our poet, several of whose pieces enrich the work, which does great credit to the respective authors, as well as to the editor. But by far the best of Mr. Polwhele's poetical productions is that entitled "The Influence of Local Attachment," concerning which, as a descriptive and a philosophical poem, there was but one opinion among * The late worthy Bishop of St. Asaph, at that time Dean of Christ Church. the the different periodical critics who pronounced judgment upon it. This charming production, which appeared in 1796, came out anonymously; and though it had previously received the strong approbation of such writers as Dr. Darwin, Mr. Hayley, and Miss Seward, the author, in his advertisement, dated from Oxford, called it the production of " an unfledged poet." There seems to have been some degree of affectation in this timidity of expression; for the author had often ventured openly into the literary world with his name affixed to performances which he could not but know were far inferior to this. We shall here pass over the rest of Mr. Polwhele's poetical pieces, with just observing, that in his sonnets and his odes, particularly that to the "Genius of Danmonium," in the volume of " Essays by a Society of Gentlemen at Exeter," he has succeeded most happily. The mention of this volume of essays obliges us to take notice of Mr. Polwhele's concern in it, and of the squabble that unfortunately ensued. A very agreeable literary society was formed at Exeter, consisting of some gentlemen of that city and neighbourhood, eminent for their talents. At their head, we believe, was the very respectable and ingenious Dr. Downman. Among other rules of the society, one was, that each member should produce in his turn a paper on some moral or literary subject, to be read at the meeting. In course of time these pa. pers accumulated to a considerable number, and it was resolved to select from them a sufficient quan tity to compose a handsome octavo volume. The volume accordingly came out in 1796, but by some means or other a pretty severe critique upon it appear. ed in one of the periodical journals, before the work was actually published. In this performance the essays of Mr. Polwhele were highly spoken of, while those of others were as strongly censured; and one gentleman in particular, who had contributed some papers on Devonshire scenery and antiquities, was reproached as having acted treacherously to Mr. Polwhele, to whom he had promised these communications. This produced disagreeable altercations in the society, and Mr. Polwhele being marked as the reviewer, though in fact he was not, withdrew himself in great dudgeon. Some communications passed upon the subject in the Gentleman's Magazine, and Mr. Polwhele, who has the pen of a ready writer, printed a pretty sharp letter addressed to a college friend, in which he animadverted on the president and some other gentlemen by name, in a manner which shewed that he had for some time considered himself as ill-used by the society. In 1795, the late Bishop Buller, of Exeter, presented our author, without any solicitation, to the vicarage of Manaccan, near Helston, in Cornwall, where he now resides. He is also in the commission of the peace for that county, and both as a parishpriest and a magistrate, we are assured his conduct is most exemplary. In the course of the same year, Mr. Polwhele married the daughter of Captain Robert Tyrell, of Exmouth, the cure of which place he |