We almost imagine we perceive in the above little poem fome marks of the ftyle and fentiment of a former Lord Lyttelton. What, in fome measure, favours our conjecture, is, that we find nothing in the prefent collection that bears any refemblance to it. Befide the pieces already taken notice of, there is a tolerable imitation of the firft Elegy of Tibullus. The remaining part of the poems we pafs over as, in general, poor, contemptible, and vulgar. Prefixed to this collection, is an apology for its noble Author, by a Gentleman who had been his intimate companion many years. From this intimate companion we learn, that no man ever experienced more illiberality; few men deferved it lefs." And fpeaking of the obloquy and reproaches which his Lordship met with for his licentious and unprincipled conduct with refpect to women, this Apologift adds, there is no fituation in life which will admit of an avowed contempt of vulgar prejudices. We think this friend had acted more judiciously had he paffed over his Lordship's vices in filence, than thus by a feeble an ineffectual effort to excufe them, be the means of keeping up the memory of what, it might be hoped, would foon have been loft in oblivion. c..t. ART. VIII. Letters on Patriotifm. Tranflated from the French Original printed at Berlin. Small 8vo. 2 s. fewed. Conant. 1780. HIS work is introduced to the English reader by the following extract of a letter from Berlin : TH "The letters which accompany this, are at prefent read with the greatest avidity throughout Germany; they were lately published at this place in French, and are the production of our great northern hero. "You will give the tranflation of them to the Public in whatever form you please. At this period, every incitement to patriotism is laudable; though the general conduct of your nation, which has juftly excited the admiration of the world (I mean the general proofs of patriotifm), fufficiently fhew how little fuch incitements are wanted. "In the translation, I am apprehenfive, some traces may be dif covered of a pen difused in its native language; but however it may fall fhort of the beautiful fimplicity and fpirit of the original, I believe it will be found no unfaithful copy of the illuftrious Author's meaning." The above extract affords, in general, a pretty just account of the work before us. As to the authenticity of the Letters, we are difpofed to believe them genuine, when we view them in connexion with the other productions of the royal Author; but if we compare the generous, humane, and patriotic fentiments contained in the K 2 present prefent work, with the life and actions of his Pn My, we fhall find as little reafon, perhaps, to afcribe it to him as to any other perfon in his dominions. The Letters are fuppofed to pafs between Anapiftamon* and Philopatros; the former of whom is inftructed by the latter, in the duties which he owes to his country. Thefe duties are enforced by every confideration (excepting thofe of RELIGION and LIBERTY) that can influence the minds of men. It is not in republics only that the virtues of the citizen ought to prevail. Good monarchies, founded on principles of prudence and phi lanthropy, conftitute in our times a fpecies of government approaching much more to aristocracy than to defpotism; in fact, it is the LAWS only that reign in fuch a government. Let us confider this matter a little :-If we reckon up the perfons who have a share in the feveral councils, in the administration of juftice, in the finances, in foreign miffions, in commerce, in the army, in the interior police of the nation; add moreover all those who have votes in the provinces; all thefe in fome degree partake of the fovereign authority. The Prince, in fuch a ftate, is far from a defpotic and arbitrary governor, acting only from his caprice; he is only the central point in which all the radii of the circle concur. In this form of government only, it is poffible for deliberations to ⚫ be managed with a fecrecy unattainable in republics, and for the different branches of adminiftration to proceed, like the quadriga of the Romans, marching abreaft, and concurring equally to the general welfare. If the Prince is endued with firmnefs, there will be much less room for faction than in republics, which are fo often ruined and fubverted by the iniquitous intrigues and confederacies of the citizens against each other.' The Author, perfonating the Mother Country, fums up, in a few words, the principal arguments employed in the course of the work: "Ah! ye degenerate and ungrateful children, indebted to me for your existence, will ye for ever remain infenfible of the favours which I heap upon you? Whence are your ancestors? It is I who gave them birth.-Whence did ye both receive your nourishment? From my inexhaustible fecundity; they were indebted to me for their education; their eftates and poffeffions are my ground, my foil. Ye yourselves were created in my womb; in fhort, ye, your parents, your friends, and whatever is deareft to you in this world, it is I who gave them being. My tribunals of justice protect you against iniquity; they defend and vindicate your rights; they guard your poffeffions; the policy which I eftablished, watches for your fafety; when ye walk the town, or ramble the fields, ye are equally fecure against the furprise of thieves, and against the dagger of affaffins ; *We leave it to our learned Readers to determine whether it is from ignorance of the Greek that the fecond and fourth fyllables of the word alluded to, are erroneously written throughout. and and the troops which I fupport, protect you against the violence, rapacity, and invafion of our common enemies. I not only provide against your neceffity, but my care extends even to the cafe and Convenience of your lives. If ye are defirous of inftruction, ye will find afters of every kind; if defirous of rendering yourselves useful, and employments are waiting for you; are you infirm or unfortunate, my affection has provided fuccour, and prepared affiftance: and for all the favours which I daily lavish upon you, I demand no other acknowledgment, than that ye entertain a cordial affection for your fellow-citizens, and intereft yourselves with a fincere attachment in whatever may be of advantage to them.-They are my members; they are myself; ye cannot bear any affection for them without loving me.-But your obdurate and intractable hearts defpife the value of my favours; ye fuffer yourselves to be directed by an unruly madnefs; ye are defirous of living feparate and abftracted from fociety, and of breaking the ties which ought to bind you to me.-When your country is ftraining every nerve for your benefit, will ye do nothing for her?-Rebellious against all my care and anxiety, deaf to all my reprefentations, will nothing be able to foften or move your flinty hearts? Reflect-let the advantages your parents have enjoyed melt you! Let your duty and your gratitude unite! Let your future conduct towards me be fuch as virtue fhall dictate, and my care for your glory and honour demand." Anapiftemon, with the humble deference due to the royal Inftructor, yields a ready affent to the force of this eloquence. But in a country of LIBERTY it would not, perhaps, have been so easy to convince him. It is poffible he would have returned a manly, though refpectful anfwer to the artful demands of his fovereign. "You require," might he reply, my gratitude, my fervices, my fortune, my life itself, in return for the favours which you confer on me. But it is neceffary first to examine whether these favours merit fo great a facrifice. The troops which you fupport, protect me against the violence, rapacity, and invafion of our common enemies.' You forget that thefe enemies have been created by your ambition; and that it is only on your account I have the fmallest reason to fear their refentment. 6 The laws of my country defend me against affaffins but fo will the laws of every civilifed country upon earth. The fame may be said of the other boafted advantages which I derive from her. They are fuch as I may every where enjoy as a ftranger, without laying myfelf under any burdenfome obligations. If my country would deferve my peculiar gratitude and regard, the muft diftinguifh me by peculiar favours. I mean not that he is to prefer me to my fellow-citizens; but the must make me feel the diftinction between citizen and ftranger. She must give me a conftitutional weight in the establishing, as well as in the adminiftration of thofe laws which defend my life, liberty, and fortune. Under their influence I must feel my own rights, and the rights of those who are dear to me, more fafe and fecure in my native country, than K 3 than they would be in any other upon earth. Unaccompanied with the sense of these advantages, the mother country is an empty name; which may be employed by crafty tyrants to varnifh the guilt of their own deteftable paffions, and to mislead the ignorant prejudices of their wretched subjects. ART. IX. The Fatal Falfebood; a Tragedy. As it is acted at the THIS HIS Authorefs feems to poffefs fo many requifites effential to excellence in dramatic poetry, that it would be unnatural, even for obdurate critics, not to be anxious for her fuccefs. She is, we think, a pupil, and no mean proficient, in the school of Otway. Many paffages in this tragedy remind us of their fource in the plays of the Orphan, and Venice Preferved. Like her great mafter, though in an inferior degree, she is endowed with a facility of expreffion, and tenderness of fentiment. But she does not follow him with equal fuccefs in the delineation and prefervation of character, in the management of particular incidents, or the general conftruction of the fable. Her failure in thefe circumftances is, perhaps, in great meafure owing to that very rich and eafy vein, of which we grant fhe is poffeffed. Trufting to the rapidity of her execution, the begins to build the lofty rhime," before fhe has well laid the foundation. A good tragedy, or indeed any excellent production, is a work of exquifite art, as well as genius; which might be proved not only from common fenfe, but even from the works of Shakspeare, whofe example has been fo often cited in fupport of the contrary doctrine. To the want of attention to this art, Horace afcribes the defects of the Roman dramatifts, to whom he imputes no defect of natural talent for tragedy. The fame thing may, perhaps, be truly faid of many an Englith writer, whofe plays have failed on the ftage, merely from an abuse of talent in the closet: fpirat tragicum fatis, & feliciter audet, Sed turpem putat in fcriptis, metuitque lituram. Ariftotle has juftly determined that perfect characters are less adapted to tragedy, than fuch whofe good qualities are tinged with fome frailties: but thofe frailties fhould appear to be congenial, if we may fo term it, with their virtues. Macbeth is ambitious, yet what he would highly, that would he holily." His ambition prevails, yet his veneration for fanctity is never loft, nor can even the most horrid deeds of defperation and cruelty aflimilate Macbeth to the remorfelefs Richard. The Fatal Falfehood is radically defective in this refpect. Such a * Hannah More. man 1 man as Orlando, open, noble, generous, and fenfible, could never be guilty of fuch a falfehood as that on which the diftrefs of this tragedy is founded-a falfehood commencing in the most capricious perfidy, proceeding to the bafeft treachery, and ending in the fuppofed affaffination of his dearest friend. To the truth of this reprefentation let our Authorefs herself bear witness! Early in the play, Bertrand thus, describes Orlando; and it seems to be the idea the Poet herself wishes us to entertain of his natural character; Orlando's noble: He's of a tender, brave, and gallant nature, As charm all womankind. Such is the original draught of Orlando at the opening of the Orlando. Thou know'st I left my native Italy, To ease his father's fears, who thought he fell Engag'd my foul, I know not, but I lov'd her, Fill'd up my vacant heart, and touch'd my foul, Qrl. Oh! too foon she came, Gaz'd, and forgot the gen'rous, trusting Rivers, Forgot my faith, my friendship, and my honour. The complicated bafenefs of this conduct we think we may venture to pronounce unnatural in a man naturally good, though occafionally blinded by paffion. Inconftancy is not supposed K 4 to |