Art. XI. Mercy and Judgement. Two Sermons, occasioned by the death of Vir. Owen Basil Woodd, eldest Son of the Rev. Basil Woodd, M. A. Rector of Drayton, Beauchamp, Bucks, and Minister of Bentinck Chapel, St. Marylebone, who died March 19, 1811, aged 23. Preached at the above Chapel, on Sunday, March 31, 181, by the Rev. Joshua Mann, Assistant Minister of Bentinck Chapel. 8vo. pp. 80, price 2s. 6d. Hatchard, Seeley. 1811.

WE hardly know how to introduce this affecting publication to the notice of our readers, in any other language than that of the Author himself.

• Mr. Basil Owen Woodd, whose death gave occasion to the following Sermons, and who was the eldest son of the Reverend Basil Woodd, was born July 14th, 1787. His natural disposition was amiable, generous, affectionate, and endearing; his talents respectable, and his manners engaging. At the same time, his temper was so lively, open, unguarded, unsuspicions, and irresolute, that, when exposed to the snares and fascinations of the world, he soon appeared unequal to the trial His father had designed him for the Church; and, with that view, being of opinon that domestic education was least exposed to danger, he united the characters of parent and tutor. But as the time for entering him at the University approached, he had the mortification to find that his son declined the Church, on the principle that his mind was not sufficiently serious for so sacred a profession. From that period he applied himself to Surgery and Physic-a choice which, alas, proved fatal! He by this means became exposed to the snares and temptations with which the Metropolis unhapply abounds, and which his too pliant disposition was little formed to resist; while unavoidable exposure to fatigue, late hours, and the changes of this uncertain climate, added to his own indiscretions, made a serious attack on his constitution.-All this time he retained his respect for religion; and, however inconsistent himself, admired consistency of character in others. His religious principles, exposed as they were to the attacks of sceptics and infidels, remained unshaken. Frequently he resolved to renounce his irregularities and errors, but as frequently violated those resolutions; still hoping, however, one day to gain the victory over himself. Such was the state of his mind-unhappy, irresolute, easily ensnared, stung with guilt, and weeping over his conduct, when, in the beginning of November last, he caught a severe cold, which immediately produced violent inflammation on the lungs, and, in a short time, proved a decided pulmonary consumption. On the 19th of March he died, deeply humbled before God, on account of his sins, and hoping mercy and salvation only through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.' pp. iii. iv.

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The history and death of this interesting young penitent, were made the subject of two very judicious and impressive discourses from the pulpit, (on Ps. ci. 1.) which we are happy to see in print The former is chiefly designed as an exhortation to parents; the latter as an admonition to youth. Both are replete with excellent advice, and important truth delivered in a natural and perspicuous style.

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Mr. Mann enforces the duty of attending to the religious education of children, by this among other encouragements, that if it should fail of preserving the incautious youth from the contagion of vicious example, it will yet probably render the way of transgression peculiarly hard to him, and encrease the probability of essential reformation. On this subject, he is laudably on his guard. Far am I from being sanguine," he observes, on the subject of death-bed repentances.' Let it also be remembered, that sins against light and knowledge have peculiar aggravations; that the holy spirit may be grieved until he withdraw his influence, and that conscience by frequent violations may become seared.' (p. 17). But though it be dangerous,' he adds, to presume upon a death-bed repentance, omnipotent mercy is limited neither to time nor circumstances. It is by grace that a sinner is saved; and that grace may be extended to him, as it was to the thief on the cross in the very agony of death, as well as at an earlier period. Moreover, if a death-bed repentance may considered as hopeful in any instance, it must be in such a case as we are now supposing. The mind is in some measure prepared for it. Important points are gained. The sinner has not the theory of religion to learnHe is not a stranger to the spirituality and extent of the divine lawConscience has, if I may so speak, materials to work upon-He knows where to look for help.'

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Indeed the proofs of a general change of character, in this young man, appear to have been peculiarly satisfactory though nt attended with those horrors of conscience, or triumphs of hope, which are frequently observable in similar cases,

Marked as his natural temper had been by an almost unbounded levity, yet, during the whole four months of his confinement, though serenely cheerful, this feature of his character never made its appearance. Serious conversation was always welcome to him: none other afforded him any pleasure. He could speak with much feeling and delight, of the promises of the Gospel of the prospects of a dying believer-of the happiness of heaven. He was frequently employed in concerting plans to render his few last minutes as beneficial as possible; expressing his hopes that his death might prove the spiritual life of many, both in his own family connection, and amongst the youth of the schools and the congregation of this chapel. In short, as his outward man decayed, his inward man appeared to gather strength day by day; and that faith and hope which were for a long time weak and wavering, like the tree which takes deeper root by the agitation of the winds, became at length stedfast and immoveable pp. 26, 27.

Among many remarkable expressions is the following.

"God," said the deceased, "has been infinitely gracious to me; but the weakness I feel is very far from being the best frame in which to seek God. Life is the best time: and if we ever expect happiness, it must be in God; there is none in the world.”

A large and interesting account is given of the state of his mind during his illness, and particularly of his last moments: but we must be content to refer to the work itself, which we seriously hope may produce an effect still more extensively beneficial, than the subject of it, or his pious friends ever ventured to anticipate."

Art. XII. Solomon: A Sacred Drama. Translated from the German of Klopstock. By Robert Huish. sm. 8vo, pp. 261. Price 5s. Hatchard.

ACCORDING to Mr. Huish, the dramas of Klopstock are distin

guished by sublimity of thought and excellence of design,'and it may possibly be so: but we apprehend the reader will find some difficulty in believing it, on the credit of the present specimen. The sacred drama' of Solomon' is, in fact, a perfect chaos from the first page to the last. It has neither beginning, middle, nor endneither plot nor interest; and is drawling insipid and unintelligible, to a degree we never recollect to have seen exceeded. Some of these faults are, no doubt, chargeable on the very lald and feeble translation; but enough will remain to the authors share, to prove him in this instance, at least, strangely deficient in dramatic skill. The introduction of Nathan the Prophet produces no effect the presence of the mothers, whose children are to be sacrificed to Moloch, awakens no interest; the incantations before the shrine of blood, excite no horror; and the two inexplicable " hermits," Moloch and Chemosh— who in one page call themselves "mortals, and nothing more," and in another lay claim to immortality, and speak of flying" e'en to the lowest hell-come in and go out without any other effect, than to make us wonder who and what they are.

The subject of this sacred drama,' is the apostacy and repentance of Solomon. We shall not attempt analysis; but that our readers may form some opinion of the style and character of the Translation, we extract the concluding speech of the penitent Monarch.

"My Father and my God! look down upon me→→→→
How far have I to travel to my grave!

But be it far or near,-O leave me my friends!

And wilt thou punish me?—then take them from me.
But thy will be done !-1 will not complain.

Here stretched in death, my faithful Heman lies;
My house is now a house of death, and grief.
Nathan leave me not-and, whilst in life,
Conduct my steps true to the ways of God:
Keep me from sin, from error's dubious path;
And, at my death, let me confide in God.

By the arrangement of the lines, we take it for granted that this is meant for heroic verse. Our readers will probably be of opinion, that it is very indifferent prose.

Art. XIII. A Calendar of Flora; composed during the Year 1809, at Warrington. By George Crosfield, Secretary to the Botanical Society of Warrington. 8vo. pp. 40. Price Is. 6d. Wilkie and Robinson.

1810.

THE influence of climate on man, is, comparatively, but very limited.

He is furnished by his Creator with a constitution capable of sustaining, without permanent injury, almost every vicissitude of heat and cold, to which any part of his habitation, the earth, is liable, and of obtaining nutriment from numberless of its various productions. With the animal

kingdom, in general, the case is different; for, while a few have the power of accommodating themselves to different temperatures, the far greater part are restricted to certain regions, which alone possess a climate adapted to their natures. This observation applies still more forcibly to the vege table creation Plants require a particular soil, and a just degree of warmth, light, and moisture, to support their existence: the concurrence of different modifications of the same circumstances, enables them to expand their blossoms; and, even then, a fresh change is generally necessary to give perfection to their fruit and seed. This is most sens bly the case in the more temperate portion of the globe, where the successive vegetation of the different plants, the order in which they flower and produce their fruit, are the consequences, and the indications of these changes in the soil and atmosphere in which they are placed. They may therefore be looked upon as tokens of the virtual progress of the seasons; displaying the results, not only of the influence of the altered position of the earth and sun, but of winds, clouds, rain, fogs, and a number of phænomena, the aggregate of which form the climate of a place. By comparing correct lists of observations of the progress of vegetation in various places, we may hope to obtain a more complete knowledge of their relative climates, than from merely being informed of their latitude, or furnished with diaries of the heights of barometer, thermometer &c.; and by comparing these last lists with botanical memoranda, we may perhaps be able to discover, more accurately, the respective influence which the different agents,-solar-heat, solar-light, quantity of moisture, agitation of the air, &c-have in promoting the appearance, inflorescence, and ripening the fruit of different plants.

In this view, the modest pamphlet before us deserves notice. It gives us dates of the inflorescence of vegetables at Warrington in Lancashire,a part of the country having few peculiarities of soil or situation, except perhaps humidity from its western exposure, and the vicinity of the estuary of the Mersey. The observations were made in 1809, a year rather unfavourable to plants, both on account of the severity of the spring, and the superabundant moisture of the end of summer, The rare plants are not numerous; among them we notice-Saxifraga Hirculus, of Knutsfordmoor; Ophrys spiralis, and Bartsia viscosa. In the names, Mr. Crosfield has followed Dr. Smith's Flora Britannica.

Art. XIV, Familiar Letters, addressed to Children and young persons of the middle ranks. Darton and Harvey. Price 3s. 1811.

E have read this little elegant and useful production with great pleasure. It consists of a series of letters on subjects connected with intellectual, moral, and religious improvement. The sentiments are of the purest kind, and the language uniformly correct; sometimes, indeed, elaborated to stiffness, but not unfrequently animated and flowing. The design of these letters is well stated in the following extract.

The present attempt aims only at instructing a lower order, and combining a few plain but important truths in a form less offensive to the young than that of a systematic treatise, and less seductive than that of an alluring tale. Notwithstanding the number of excellent sentiments scattered throughout the many ingenious fictions intended for youth, not a few judicious parents disapprove the frequeat recurrence to such works; con

sidering them as a species of novels, read with avidity on account of the incident, but discarded when the event is known; and tending chiefly to amuse the fancy, and excite a taste for adventure.'

A brief extract must suffice as a specimen of the author's manner.

We probably should pass a slender, insignificant plant, very common in Ireland, without notice-Point lace and fine cambric are amongst the most beautiful stores of the wardrobes of princesses: but for that plant, the point of the cambric had never been seen -You write, perhaps you write a book, which may be read hundreds of years hence the birds of England, and the insects of Asia furnish you with the materials.'

The poems which are occasionally introduced are not without merit. We insert the following stanzas from an invitation to early rising.

See what crimson glory shines,
Through the curtain, on thy bed;
Kindly all those radiant lines,
From the pillow's lure thine head.
Fling thy long closed casement wide,
Hark! what soft, melodious lays,
On mine ear these accents glide,
"Rationals, arise and praise.'

Health sits waiting on the hill;
Fly and drink the morning air;
Pleasure shall thy bosom fill,
Whilst thou seek'st the goddess there
See what numerous beauties shine,
Wheresoe'er the eye can rove;
Presents from a hand divine

To the children of his love.'

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If a second edition of this work be called for, we would recommend the author to revise a few passages and turns of expression, which now bear somewhat too much the appearance of affectation.

Art. XV. A Letter, respectfully addressed to the Lord Bishop of London, after a perusal of the Charge, delivered at his Lordship's Primary Visitation, in 1810. By an Episcopalian. Second edition. 8vo. pp. 64. Price 1s. 6d. Black, Parry and Kingsbury. 1811.

THI

HIS letter is not distinguished by much vivacity of manner; but the reverend prelate to whom it is addressed, will find in it some homely truths, and may avail himself, if he pleases, of some profitable suggestions. The 'episcopalian' calls him to account, in the first place, for what he has omitted;' viz. for having neglected a very favourable opportunity of doing justice to the bright and exalted character of his predecessor for expressing no dissatisfaction at the claims of the catholics (the worthy letter-writer himself being seriously alarmed, in consequence of perusing certain performances, which he specifies, of Dr. Duigenan, and the Rev. Peter Roberts,)-and far passing over so very slightly the important subject of pastoral duties.. The rest of the epistle is devoted to a refutation of what his Lordship has 'asserted-in reference, chiefly, to the schismatic clergy, within the pale of the establishment.”