Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

Not think it hard?-Burst into tears, my Soul;
Gush every pore of my diftracted frame,
Gush into drops of blood!-But one; fave one,
Or guide to Canaan's reft ?—when all thy Views
In better days were dedicate alone

To guide, perfuade to that celestial rest
Souls, which have liften'd with Devotion's ear
To Sion's fongs enchanting from thy lips,
And tidings fweet of Jef's pardoning Love!

But one, fave one?-Oh, what a Reft is this!
Oh what a Sabbath in this dungeon's gloom,
This prifon-house, meet emblem of the realm
Referv'd for the ungodly! Hark, methinks
I hear the chearful melody of Praise

And penitential Sweetne's! 'Tis the found,
The well-known found, to which my Soul, attun'd
For year fucceeding year, hath hearken'd glad,
And fill with fresh delight: while all my powers,
In bleft employ, have preft the faving truths
Of Grace Divine, and Faith's all-conquering might,
Cn the fure Rock of Ages grounded firm.

Thofe hours are gone! and here, from Heaven fhut out,
And heavenly works like thefe, on this lov'd day,

Reft of my GoD,-I only hear around

The difmal clang of chains; the hoarfe rough shout
Of diffonant Imprecation; and the cry

Of Mifery and Vice, in fearful din

Impetuous mingled; while my frighted mind
Shrinks back in horror! while the fcalding tears
Involuntary starting, furrow down

My fickly cheeks; and whirling thought confus'd
For giddy moments, fcarce allows to know
Or where, or who, or what a Wretch I am!

Not know?-Alas! too well it strikes my heart,
Emphatical it fpeaks; while dungeons, chains,
And bars and bolts proclaim the mournful truth,
"Ah what a Wretch thou art! How funk, how fallen,
"From what high ftate of blifs, into what woe!"
Fallen from the topmost bough that plays in air
Ev'n of the tallest cedar; where aloit
Proud Happiness her towering eyrie built;
Built, as I dreamt, for ages. Idle dream!
And yet, amongst the millions of mankind,
Who Jeep like me; how few, like me dece.v'd,
Do not indulge the fame fantastic dream!

Give me the Angel's Clarion!-Let me found,
Loud as the blaft which fhall awake the dead;
Oh let me found, and call the flumberers forth
To view the vifion, which delufive charms;

Referring more immediately to the Duy of the Magdalen-Chapel. MILTON. Par. L. B. 5. 540.

Ta

[ocr errors]

To shake the potent incantation off;
Or ere it burst in ruin on their Souls,
As it has burst on mine.-Not on my Soul!
Retract the dread idea: Righteous GOD!
Not on my SOUL! Oh Thou art gracious all,
And with an eye of pity from thy Throne
Of Majefty Supernal, Thou behold'it

The creatures of thy hand, thy feeble fons,
Struggling with Sin, with Satan, and the World,
Their fworn and deadly foes: and, having felt
In human flesh the trials of our kind,

Know't fympathetic how to aid the TRIED!
Rock of my hope! the rafh, rafh phrafe forgive;
Safe is my SouL; nor can it know one fear,
Grounded on Thee Unchangeable! Thee firft,
Thee laft, great Cleanfer of all human fin!
But, though fecure the veffel rides in port,
Held firm by Faith's ftrong anchor,-well it fuits
The mariner to think, by what strange means
Through perils unconceivable he pass'd;

Through rocks, fands, pirates, ftorms, and boisterous waves,
And happily obtain'd that port at last.”

It is in this ftile, the writer proceeds through the feveral pages of this extraordinary production, throughout the whole of which he appears to poffefs a confidence and prefence of mind, altogether wonderful to thofe who are unacquainted with the powerful fupports of hope and vanity. We would willingly impute thefe florid effufions to the beft caufe; and therefore fhall fupprefs the reflections, which might juftly be made on the conduct of the too fanguine friends of this celebrated convict, in buoying him conftantly up with hopes of pardon, and at laft even with that of life, after the execution of his fentence *.-We hope it was not owing to fuch hopes that the Doctor found himself fo much at eafe, as he feems to have been in dictating fome of the paffages, contained in this work. Let this delinquent divine alfo have been as fincere a believer, as he may, it is with an ill grace that in his circumftances he cafts cenfure on infidels of any kind, particularly on fuch characters as the late Mr. Hume. There appears farther fomething egregiously vain and felf-important in his writing a long prayer the night previous to his fuffering, if indeed he can be Tupposed at such a time to have amused himself with fcribbling.

[ocr errors]

So at least it has been faid by the celebrated writer, who is well known to have aft fted him in fome of his productions after his confinement.

The

The Hiftory of Mifs Temple. By a Young Lady. 12mo. 2 vol. 5s. Wallis.

From the dedication of this work, to Mr. Aikin of Warrington, we learn the author's name to be Mifs Rogers; of whofe literary talents we are given to understand this is the first public fpecimen. By fome accident or other, an account of this novel, which should have appeared fome time ago, has been miflaid, or we fhould have done earlier juftice to the merits of a work, whofe elegance of tile, delicacy of fentiment, and propriety of character, do great honour to the genius and good fenfe of fo young a writer.

The Thoughtless Ward. A Novel. By a Lady. 12mo. 3s.

Lowndes.

A novel, written fome years ago, under the title of Betfy Thoughtless, feems to have afforded a hint for the present performance. The former, however, was better written, and more entertaining; although the work before us is not without a tolerable fhare of merit.

The Mutability of Human Life; or Memoirs of Adelaide, Marchioness of Melville. 3 vol. 12mo. 7s. 6d. Bew.

An ill-written tale, full of mutabilities, improbabilities, and impoffibilities; and yet it is neither impoffible nor improbable that it will afford entertainment and find admirers among your lovers of mutabilities. We are not among thote, however, who are fo much "given to change."

The New English Theatre. Containing the most valuable Plays; which have been acted on the London Stage. 12mo. Lowndes,

The old proprietors of the plays, ufually performed o the ftage, have here given a proof of the r difpofition to fpare no expence in giving the public an-embellifh d edition of them at an eafy expence. Their plays, of which ten volumes are

a.ready

already publifhed, are fold at the ufual price of fix-pence each, although the frontifpieces reprefenting the favourite actors in capital parts, muft have coft them a very confiderable fum for the defign and execution; in which they have employed the beft artists. We wish we could fay as much in favour of the letter-prefs; to whofe greater accuracy we would recommnend the editor's future attention.

A New poetical Translation of all the Odes of Horace. 8vo. 6s. fewed. Johnson.

After Creech, Francis, and Duncombe, we were in' little want of new tranflations of Horace; except, indeed, of a more poetical one; which if this tranflator had given us, he would have merited our thanks. But, alas! if theirs were fometimes too profaic, that of the prefent verfifier is ten times worse. Take, reader. a ftanza or two from the fixteenth ode, on which he has profeffedly taken uncommon pains.

"Prometheus, when he first began

("Tis faid) his clay created man,"
With principles of life endow'd
From every favage brood,

And from the lion's fiery heart,
He thrust too much ' th' peccant part,
Into his ftomach proud.

From wrath what train of evils flows?
By thee, Thyeftes' royal house

In defolation rent,

And late imperial cities now
O'erwhelm'd, the victor infolent.
Turns with his hottile plough.
Allay thy rage-to fay the truth
I too have telt, in fervid youth,
Too much of this fame (pleen,
Which fet me first in rage accurft,
On there Iainbics keen;
My peevish vein to placid ftrain
I change repentant calm,
If you recall your angry part,
Relent, and give me back your heart

In whilom kindly flame!

What lay you, Reader? Have the Gods made our translator poetical, think you, or not?-If not, let it be remeinbered the poor man cannot help it, and therefore candour may excufe him.

The

The Trial, at large, of John Horne, Esq. upon an Information filed ex officio, by his Majefty's Attorney-General, for a Libel, before the Right Hen. William Earl of Mansfield, in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, July 4, 1777. Published by the Defendant, from Mr. Gurney's Short-hand Notes. Fol. 1. 35. Kearfly.

The libel which gave occafion for this trial, was an advertisement publifhed by the fociety at the Standard Tavern, in 1775, requefting fubfcriptions for the Americans, who were then firft oppofed by the king's troops, in the province of Masfachufets. This advertisement, charging those troops with having murdered the provincialifts in the affair of Lexington, was figned, it feems, by Mr. Horne, who avowed the fignature, and pleaded his own caufe on his trial. This is too long and too diffufe to admit of abstract: a confiderable part of it being foreign to the point in queftion; confifting of a mere perfonal fquabble between the judge, the attorney-general' and the defendant: a fquabble beneath the dignity of the court, and which we wonder it entered into, as fuch a defence was evidently defigned to fere no other purpofe than to render, if poble, the pleader a little popular. Whether it will have that effect or not, time will fhew.

Hiftorical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Res William Dodd, LL. D. from his entrance into Clare-hall, Cambridge, in 1745, to his fatal exit at Tyburn, June 27, 1777. 8vo. Is. 6d. Fielding and Walker.

This writer pretends to a particular knowledge of the unhappy fubject of his memoirs; affirming that he has afferted nothing but from perional knowledge, or, the most authentic information. In fome particulars, however, he is, on our own certain knowledge, miftaken; in other refpects, his Mems are ex.& and entertaining.

The Apparition or Dr. Dodd's left. Legary. Addreffed to 4to. is. Beil, in bell-Yard...

Lord

This is not the Cork-lane ghot, but the Bell-yard ghoft; which Mr. Dell has here sailed to the tune of the Bell-man's

[ocr errors][ocr errors]
« ElőzőTovább »