before us.
Edwin the Fair is an historical drama, in which no one
character is dramatically painted, no one scene is dramatically wrought.
All is reflective, didactic; and, to use a slang expression which clearly
conveys our meaning, particularly "slow." "Isaac Comnenus was a
youthful attempt, of which its author himself speaks lightly, and
which we will therefore leave to its uncut obscurity, for we do not
think that many who have waded through "Edwin," will have found
courage to yawn over its elder but less pretending brother. To
"Edwin" then will we confine our strictures, and these, for the present,
must be brief. Indeed it is not special weakness in special passages
which we would lay to the charge of Mr. Taylor,—but a continued ab-
sence of vivifying power. The fable, it is true, is weakly told, and
thus there are few dramatic situations. Yet one was there supplied
by history, which Mr. Taylor would not miss. We allude to the
severance of the royal consorts by Dunstan and his allies, here
treated in the last scene of the second Act and that, how weakly,
how wretchedly! Here the gentle love of Elgiva, the fierce zeal of
Dunstan, above all the noble anger of the youthful monarch might have
been finely wrought out. The latter's rage when Elgiva was borne away
might have become appalling in a master's hands. In Mr. Taylor's, it
has only served to remind us of what it should have been. There is
sometimes good intention in this half-poem, half-play, but this is all
but invariably marred by weakness of execution. The opening scenes
are perhaps the best, because we there expect the least. As we advance
further, the sense of weariness weighs us down, and that precisely in
those scenes and passages which if finely written might have all but
electrified the reader. All the appurtenances of a play are here, many
characters or would-be characters-kings, earls, bishops, ladies, monks,
swineherds, jesters, fortune-tellers, and what not; but the primary
essential is wanting, power to set all these springs in action. Lament-
able failures are the female characters, Elgiva, a coquetish shrew, and
Emma something still worse; witness the former's ungentle language
to the Queen Mother and Dunstan, and the latter's converse with
Ernway. Then the same position is absurdly repeated. Thus Elgiva
loves Edwin, Earl Leolf loves Elgiva, Emma loves Earl Leolf, and
Ernway loves Emma. All the characters are shadow-like, indistinct,
void of true individuality. The language, too, is weak as well as the
versification. Occasionally there is a Shakspearian twang about the
former in separate lines, but this is evidently the result of reading,
not of inward power. As instances of this, we may quote (Dunstan
addresses a man counterfeiting Satan by cries):-

"Enough! come down. The screech-owl from afar
Upbraids thy usurpation."

And again, Leolf's speech,

"The time

Forces conclusions, and necessity

Sits in the seat of counsel."

But even this resemblance, valueless as it is, is rare. Dunstan's character is perhaps not absolutely ill conceived. Yet there is no reality about the man. He is but a spokesman of Mr. Taylor's views of monkery. The King is worse than a shade. Earl Athulf and Earl Leolf are meant to be very different, but seem almost precisely the same. The songs introduced are beyond all description vapid. Perhaps the best of them is,

"He was true and he was bold,

Full of mirth as he could hold—”

But we refrain. After all," Edwin the Fair" will be deemed a harmless work. Harmless in itself it is. Had it languished in obscurity we should have been the last to drag it forth. We have now performed, though somewhat carelessly, a needful duty. Once more we say, to look for absurd or specially weak lines would be an invidious task. There are even some pleasing passages, especially one respecting the wind and the trees, (which of course has not the slightest bearing on the play,) but the whole work is naught, and worse than naught. Rather would we be condemned to read a thousand "bad" productions, than one such "excellent" mediocrity as this.

ART. XVII.-Rhymes and Recollections of a Hand-Loom Weaver. By William Thom, of Inverury. Second Edition. London: Smith & Elder.

Nor the least interesting portion of this delightful volume, are the "Recollections," which are at once harrowing in their reality of pathos, and striking from their force and nature; and yet the "Rhymes" are also truly valuable, inasmuch as they positively deserve the name of "Poetry." Before reading this volume we had conjured up in our minds the spectres of a series of "fade" imitations of Burns, only distinguished by their Gaelic unintelligibility from the host of mediocrities of the day. And we are not of those who encourage wonders simply as wonders. We test a child's playing or a weaver's writing by the very same test we should apply to all other works of art. A thing is either good or bad in itself. The system of allowance-making is at once offensive to the author, and injurious to public taste. William Thom, however, is a true poet, and gladly do we hail him as such. Nay, we are not backward to own (this preliminary being settled,) that the fact of his having surmounted the enormous difficulties which lay in his way, bears most honourable witness to his possession of power and genius. We have drawn increased horror of our present godless factory-system, from the preface of the volume before us. no doubt will our readers. Some change must be effected in this state of things, or all the generous and ardent (however strong Churchmen and Conservatives,) will feel all but ready to join in any revolution

So

which could give something like well-being to the poor. Of this at present no more. We cannot even allude to all the charming poems in this volume, but will name as a few of our favourites, "The Blind Boy's Pranks," "The Lass o' Kintore, "The Mitherless Bairn," "Oh, that my Love was so easily won!" "The Stricken Branch," "The last Tryst," "Whisper Low," &c. Of this last sweet song we will quote two verses, the first and last.

Again, we will quote one verse as a specimen of our author's English duties. He is maintaining the possibility of second love.

We canheartily recommend this volume to all our readers.

ART. XVIII.-The Wisdom and Genius of Edmund Burke, illustrated by Extracts from his Writings and Speeches; with a Summary of his Life. By Peter Burke, Esq., of the Inner Temple, Barristerat-Law. Moxon. 1845.

Of all the studies that engage the attention and exercise the understanding of mankind, there is none that requires for success more commanding faculties, and a more penetrating spirit, than political science. A master in it had need have a mind not merely world-deep,

but world-wide,'-not merely the heart to feel and to conceive, but the understanding to direct, and the intelligence to penetrate; otherwise, what becomes the keen sword of the parliamentary or literary disputant but a good blade in the hands of ignorance or inexperience? The duty of the patriot, and the peculiar difficulty of the statesman,i. e. the art of judging of the opportuneness of a particular line of policy for a given time or country, are well pointed out in the following extract, a comment upon the text, Spartam nactus es, hanc

exorna."

"I cannot conceive how any man can have brought himself to that pitch of presumption, to consider his country as nothing but carte blanche, upon which he may scribble whatever he pleases. A man, full of warm, speculative benevolence, may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true politican, always considers how he shall make the most of the existing materials of his country. A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman. Everything else is vulgar in the conception, perilous in the execution."

And amongst the names that have graced the annals of political science, whose sounds loftier than that of Edmund Burke, whom the hour of trial found not wanting, who united a comprehensive mind to a large and an active benevolence?

"Nor number, nor example with him wrought,

To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind,
Though single."

The professed object of the present selection, one long wanted, is to give, under a systematic arrangement, the finer parts of the works of Burke, those most remarkable for eloquence, argument, or style, the result has been a useful and pleasing manual of the beauties of the great Orator and Statesman attainable at a reasonable price, whereby science has been made to stoop to enter the poor man's door. Considerable care appears to have been expended upon the Life prefixed, to which our limits do not permit us to attempt to do justice.

ART. XIX.-History of the Marprelate Controversy. By the Rev. W. MASKELL, M.A. Pickering. 1845.

IN disputation no mode of proceeding is more insulting and contemptuous than the bare reiteration of an objection already candidly and thoroughly answered: our own times have witnessed hardly less injurious treatment applied to the ecclesiastical institutions which were purified and cemented not merely by the ink, but by the blood of the great Anglican divines of the sixteenth century. Arguments and objections are daily reproduced, with which Mr. Maskell has here

dealt, certainly not in the worst mode, i. e., by writing the history of a corresponding controversy in a bygone era. Martin Marprelate! How does the name recall that period of ardent enthusiasm, intolerant zeal, and, too often, of wilful misrepresentation, scurrilous abuse, flexible casuistry, and vacillating religion! With such elements of discord at work, and in a rough and violent age, what wonder that the good and eloquent Hooker was driven to despair for the stability of that ecclesiastical polity, the history of which (imperfect, alas !) remains an imperishable muniment of the Anglican Church as by law established. In the preface he professed to write," though for no other cause, yet for this, that posteritie may know we have not loosely through silence permitted things to passe away as in a dreame, there shall be for men's information extant thus much concerning the present state of the Church of God established amongst us, and their careful endeavour which woulde have upheld the same."

In

Mr. Maskell has here collected instructive notices of twenty-three tracts which formed part of the great Marprelate controversy; several are now rarely to be met with, even in the great libraries. Elizabeth's reign they were after a short time strictly prohibited, press and printers were seized, their authors were ridiculed upon the stage, and one of them (Penry) was afterwards hanged for sedition. But still the poison had been absorbed, and paved the way for future mischief. In the early part of the great rebellion several of the tracts were reproduced, as has been the case in England and America within a few years.

The abuse of Latin in puritanical works leads our author to the following anecdote. "A clergyman concluded a long speech at a meeting, held four years ago at Southampton, to the admiration of the ladies present, by the words Magna est veritas et prævalebit.' The last word he pronounced prevail-a-bit:' whereupon another clergyman rose, and after complimenting him for his eloquence, said 'that he was sorry to differ from him, but he could not help believing that truth would not merely prevail a bit, but that it would prevail a great deal.'"