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Full text of "The Critical review, or, Annals of literature"

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CRITICAL, review;

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SERIES THE FIFTH.

VOL. II.

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PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS,

AT THE OFnCE OF JOHN CROFT, 8, lUd Utm Sfvan.

PUBLISHED BY W. SIMPKIN AND R. MARSHALL,

(SUCCIUOM TO CBMBT AMD Co.)

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between i . . ii\f.4. . a contraction of thevesseb at their ex- tremities must of course take place, which would have the eflfact ot impelling the circulating fluids in an increased ratio on the heart and lungs, and stimubiting the organs to increased action, tiie fluids wiU then be repelled towanls the extremities, and thus, as fer as it goes, the phenomena of fever wonkl be ac- counted for. There are therefore, according to Hofiiman, tw distinct sets of motions in fever, the first f)K>m the extremities towards the centre, arising immediately ftom the spasm, and accompanied by a small pulse, oppression, and amdcty ; the: second towanls the surface from the centre, which is an efiurt to resolve the spasm, which is commonly mnked by a strong and full pulse, as well as increased heat.

The first of these, sels of motions is baneful andsometiaisa.

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bi0tti'# A^iiottrofiAMn II

A0M be to cDonleniat tiie morbid actims and assist tht |iroces8 of naturew

Men of genius are irrenstibly impelled to tbe their sacred duties so qualify them to inspire.

The prominent objections to our church establishment, are firstly, Its mode of assessment and collection; and secondly, its Inequality of distribution.

The first objection applies to the principle of tythes; which we consider impolitic and oppressive, both in its nature and opeati$n$ m the Stef* ^ tifiiiL

mother J wife, and prince. That this illegai assocntion ought to be suppressed cannot be doubted ; as it presenres an endless animosity, and produces continual irritation amongst the people.

*' If the ISth of July be a day of iQebristed joy to Orange meiij it can be none to the Catholic Irish ; and its lasuitiBg eX( in bition fixes a sting in the sod memory of a vilified people. He who would support or countenance this cruel faction in Ire** land^ which is hateful to all catholics, and contemptible to all rational protestants and dissenters, must be a sensualist in wiek-* edness ; he must love wickedness purely for itself, unless^ as 1 am persuaded, this pregnant cause of discord Ss thought bene* ficial to the English government in Ireland, and that it may be em- ployed to exasperate a rebellion, if the evils of the Union are to he aggravated, or to excite commotions, if an excuse for enacting some hideous law be wanted -y for the tyranny of England ha3 hitherto subsisted in this unhapy country by exasperating factions against each other 3 and the countenance which Orangemen have received by those in power is a part of that weak and vicious system

" Which holds

Eternal anarchy, amidst the noise

Of endless wars, and by confusion stands.*'

We should hope for the honour of human nature, that British ministers are not so thoroughly depraved, so lost, to every sense of virtue and humanity, as to encourage the out- rageous proceedings of the Orangemen for the purpose of ex- citing commotions, or to furnish an excuse for the enactment of sanguinary laws to rivet the chains of the people. Yet the present system of policy justifies conclu^ons not very favourablt^ to government. The Orange institution is altogether illegal : why then should it not he suppressed ? That it produces the niost deadly animQ3ityaniQngst the people is notorious. Whilst pvery attempt is made to stifle the voice of complaint in those who pant for their country's freedom ; thii$ infuriated association is permitted in open violation of the law, to triymph over its opponents^ and goad them by every species of insult, until their sufferings become insupportable- The Irish are a people by no means disposed to suffer injury with impunity ; they have not deserved such treatment; and it? coutinyation wiu only provoke national and determined antipathy towards this country. Unnecessary provocation should at all events be avoided. Surely no censure can be too strong upon a govem- ipaei^t that will sanction so det^tahlc a system as that of the Qrang^ Iivstitution.

*^ Let the Catholics/* says eur author, " assemble on the iSth of

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Mtft Aovgii b]r should not be. teagved by aftecretooth; kt the women wear weepers j lei the men bear cy{>re8Sj let them pla^ Bmy mournful tune, and we shall see if the' judges and the sec^e* twy of the lord lieutenant will treat with the same temper theit iMMTtfeU B^TWwr, as they have done the insolent exultation of thelK

In examining the state of the British nation^ the considera* tioa of its finance is most apalling : nor can we congratulate Ireland upon any great advantage it possesses orer us in thia respect. Each nation appears to have been taxed as heavily as the ingenuity of govemroent could contrive, for the purpose of conducting the holy crusade in favor of the Lord's anointed: and for this inestimable cause a public debt has been contracted trhich neither country will ever have the power to discharge. It fa not surprising, that from the pernicious course pursued by tfaH country, Ireland should bear her portion of its calamitous re* suits, and have the horrors of insolvency entailed upon it aft Well as ourselves. It would indeed be extraordinary, if Ireland suffered no evil to counterbalance the advantage she possessed in bemg governed by our popular Regent y assisted by the wis- dom of oaterdightened Peerage, and by the virtue and patriot- ism of (rdr ttnbougkt and pure House of Commons ! Mr. Ensot las been so unmindful of these singular blessings as to make nb mention of them: although he says enough upon the subject of finance, to shew how fetal our political system has been to the prosperity and independence of Ireland. He observes

'* Mc, FitsgeMdd, in his speech on the Irish budget^ stated 'that At net revenue of Ireland was ^5,350,000 ; he calculated the expenditure for this year, 1814, would amount to j^4,556,68^ that is, the expenditure nearly trebles the repemie in the present year of proclaimed peace' Mr. Fitzgerald having stated the excess, adde at the same time, ' he oould not but reflect that the systeih of indul- gence which up to this time had been adopted towards I inland, had enabled her now the more easily to bear the Weight he #its about to cast upon her.' The system ^Muigmce! What! mingle fiiree with tragedy, and nmke irony minister to panegyric? Oh, the aniMftiiig tendemeas of Bngland in impoeing debl on Ireland ! "

We are equally at a loss with our author to (Bscover in what .this amazing indulgence may eonst. It was unbecoming in the hoDoumbie gentleihan to be jocose upon so iutaiiy-serious a sutnect. What ! tslk of indulgence when he announces to the people of Ireland that the disastrous system of government ha!^ Imposed on them an annual e)q>entliture of above fourteen minions and a half! a sum but two millions short of the amount (ft the expenditufe of Bngfoiid before the war !

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SB Ensor*a Obsendtums on the SMe bflrekmdi

, ** The system of indulgence to Ireland! the chariness of Etig^ land, her gloating fondness for her sister was unconsciously de-** veloped by this ingenious orator and financier, Mr.Fitzgerald, when he stated, ' since the Union, Ireland had made greater efforts thatt she jever did before. For thirteen years previous . to that events her total expenditure was only ^39,000,000 : during the thirteea subsequent years her expenditure was s^l 16,000,000/ Mark this systematic indulgence, and thrice mark, that with the Union she began to expend more than thrice as much as she had done pre* vious to the Union."

* A very suitable subject this surely for exultation! the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer must have committed a wofiil hhknder in selecting this as a pleasing topic* Possibly minis- ters may pique themselves upon our heavy taxation, and we *$haU behold them triumphantly boasting of the rapid encreasc of our national expenditure, and the enormous amount of our public debt. We shall pursue this portion of our subject no further. It is one of the wnmioxdMe grievances of which Ire- land has to complain. An imion with this country must, from the mischievous system adopted by our cabinet, produce irretriev- able ruin to the finances of any nation under its control. Let JUS rather turn our attention to those evils which are more rea- dily susceptible of improvement, and which sooner or later ^mmt be redressed. ^ Our author next discusses the qualities of the Peace Bill,

'*' By this,*' he remarks, *' seven magistrates signifying that a county or barony is disturbed, authorize the Lord Lieutenant to nominate a magistrate with 0^00 a year, with a house and offices> his clerk having ^150 a year, his head constable having sSlOO, and his petty constables parts of Ireland, the offenders with respect to the population, are few. It follows then, that to mulct all for the offence of a few, exceeds the summary vengeance hardly permitted by the usages of war; indeed it inverts i^e judgment of Courts Martial; for as these pu- nish by dechnation when many are guilty, that for the offence of aome^ perhaps included within the decimal number^ punish^

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jEnor*s iXaervaticm en the State of Ireland. 99

tihimsandfl. Suppose a county procbdmed, and that the magiB** trate and his auxiliaries have b^un their ampaign,when may we expect that peace will be restored ? It appears that this aggregate body of laws, and. equity, and magistracy, and constables, are not to be paid by the job like free hands, but that like crown vassals they are to work and be paid by the year 3 at all events, it is to their Annual benefit and superin tendance that this measure is directed. We may conclude then that perfect peace will not be the primary object of these magistrates and constables, when peace is tp |K)und a requiem to their dignity and interest/*

' Otir author does not argue unnaturally in imputing to every 'bodyof men the desire to hold their places as long as they can. No doubt need be entertained, that should any districts be pro- claimed, at the instigation of any trading justices, those appointed to act under the Peace Bill, would be imder no anxiety to deprive themselves of a lucrative employment, in order to relieve the people from the weight of their support.

We have given a full outline of the Peace Bill, in order that those who think with Mr. Fitzgerald, that a system of in- dulgence has been pursued towards Ireland, may judge whether this act be not sufficient to keep the people in subjection. No sooner had it passed the British legislature, than the cause of humanity was outraged by the introduction of another and more violent measure, namely, the Insurrection Biix. The Peace Bill was brought forward at the close of the session, when the Irish members, jaded by an irksome and nugatory attendance, had dispersed. This too was the period chosen by Mr. Peel for introducing the Insurrrection Bill. The Peace ill was introduced on the 27th of June, and had no sooner passed than the Insurrection Bill followed, which was proposed by the Irish Secretary on the 8th of July. It is rather extraor- dinary, that in the short period of eleven days, the state of Ire- 'land should have so materially altered; or, that the opinions of government should so change, as to occasion the introduction of this second measure of severity. The observations of Mr. Peel in moving for his Peace Bill were of so opposite a tendency^ that no such apprehension could be entertained; he observed, ** that the laws were already strong enough in Ireland, and that to enforce their execution was all that was necessary.'^ He then enumerated the White Boy Act; the act for sending -^^trangers out of the country who cannot give account of them- .^Ives; the searching for arms act; and the act for making the .^davit of a dead man evidence upon trial for murder. Does .thi evince any brooding necessity, any necessity for recurring to MSf^re hwBl Jbirectly &c reverse :f-*und surely if severity could

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80 Emar^s Obien^aUffM m ihe SMc qftrdeofti.

prevail^ this catalogue of coercive statutes would be suAeient \Ye wUl eiKiuire into the ground for this sudden alteration of opinion, which we cannot do more judiciously than by extract-* ing the words of our author. He observes

*' Mr. Peel founded the revival of the Insurrection Act xtpan recent information. He said^ * since he had last addressed the House on this subject^ he had endeavoured to collect information fipom every quarter as to the state of Ireland, and it was with particular pain he had now to state, that the disturbances which existed were of a most alarming description.* Mark, ^he last ad- dressed the house the ^7th of June, and this alarming account waa delivered the 8th July, the dates are most material. Mark, also, that having introduced his Peace Bill to the House of Commons, he then, and not before, as it should seem, proceeds to collect information from all quarters. And what wds the amount Of Mr. Peel's newly colletted information on the alarming disturb* ances in Ireland } a letter from a magistrate in the county of Roscommon, anonymously introduced to inatmct the House of Commons, and ' a letter from a magistrate of equal authority^ Mr. Maycock, of the county of Westmeath j and a third ktter of Mr. Wilkes, which stated that four persons were carded ; after which relation, Mr. Peel explained the process of carding, to quicken the sensibilities and the decision of the House. He also mentioned a sort of story, rather old to be sure, of some two or three alarming rebels who had sworn allegiance to Bonaparte. But the most capital part of these just-imported documents, which proved the present alarming disturbances in Ireland, he thn introduced, ' he had in his hand a memorial, dated November S9th, 1813, signed by thirty-six magistrates of the county of Westmeath, stating that the most daring outrages were commit- ted in open day,* and this was followed by ' a series of resolutions passed at the lent assizes in March last)* and what had ettfaer the memorial or resolutions to do with the alleged instant disturbed state of Ireland } Yet, to ground the passing of the Insurrection Act, these resolutions in November 1813, and those which fol- lowed them in March, were purposely displayed as evincing ' that the disturbances which existed were of a very alarming description.* **

No one will say, that these were sufficient motiTes fer the adoption of so formidable a measure as the Insmrrection Bill^ brought forward too at the close of a session, when many of the Irish members were returned to their homes* Mr, Bnsor oooan plains With great justice on this occasion; the Bill having been introduced but twenty-two days before the prorogaliony and passed even after the Helstone Election Bill had been post^ pooed to another session^ for want of time to dkcuaa its mefito.

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BMAr'i ObHrmiianig on th^ State qf keland. 3 1

Sttdi^ he my^i k the stale of Ireland in consequence of the UnioDy wUch has o degraded his coiintry in tiie concerns of Ibe eaapirf^ diat the pretensions of a corrupt bcM'ough in England are treated with mrm(ck'9AccoimioftheAb9Mm^Fima^

the reason and humanity of tile thiaking part of the emfSi^^ Ireland must yet work her gradual but certain emsBcipafcioii.

Mr. Elisor is so universally respected ftom tike celebrity of his former pttblicattons, that our tribute of praise for the exeri* lence of the work before us will be unnecessary. We trust he" will not relax in his noUe and well intentioned eiSoits for the deKverance of his country. In oloring our lemarks on the work before us^ it must be observed^ that no mention has been made of the great questbn of religious tolenttion^ which generated (he system of oppression we have justd^cted. We shall, however^ in our next call the reader's attention to an excellent pamphlet written upon that division of thia subject by the same eloquuit author. a.

Art, III. Accownt of the Abolition of Female Infantidde m tlie Gvtzurat} with Considerations on the Question ^promoting the Gospel in India, By John Cormacr^ A. 31. Minister of Stow. Pp. 427. Black and Co. 1815.

SuRBLY the Recording Angel has made honourable mention in the Heavenly Book of the people who snatched the millions of Africa from the gripe of Slavery : and if he cannot inscribe our seizure of Indian sovereignty on the same resplendent page^ still our abolition of the monstrous crime which fcHrms the prin-* dpal subject of the work before us will, we hope, mitigate the severity of the Divine Verdict, and at the termination of Time, incline the God of Mercy to listen in our behalf to the pleadings of those who will have owed their past existence to British hu- manity.

It is yet, perhaps, unknown to many of our readers, that in certain parts of the East, India and China* more especially, thousands of female children were, in the latter country are still, annually devoted to destruction. These murders were usually perpetrated in Hindustan by casting the inftint victims into the consecrated river,* in parts to which the crocodile and sharic were accustomed to resort, in expectation of their hmnian prey.

Infanticide is said to have originated among the Jahrqahs, who, rather than that their daughters should become the vic- tims of Muhammedan licentiousness, put them to death with their own hands. On the invasion of Hindustan by the Gaz- navide Dynasty, the Mflslinis demanded the daughters of the

The Ganges. Thii stream is supposed by tbe Hhidtui to flew from tb^ mouth of a Cow-^oix holy aoimal^ th Jfyit of India.

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Onrnack's Jcc(mntqf the AlH>Utim of Female Infa^^ 3S

Kajahs in marriage. A demand of this nature, in a country where matrimonial connections between the various tribes are so- lemnly interdicted by religious law, could not but fill tlic Rajahs with grief and horror. Fearful that violence might be em- ployed to extort what was refused both by inclination and the sacredness of custom^ they replied^ that th^ did not rear daugh" ters. They assembled a council of their priests (Raj-gurs), and consulted them on the best means of securing themselves and their posterity from alliances so odious to their feelings and policy. Their priestly advisers counselled the death of the female children as soon as born, and took upon themselves the responsibility of the guilt incurred by so unnatural a crime. Be this true or false, certain it is, that infanticide existed in India till it was at length suppressed by Providence through the agency of an Englishman. This worthy individual, Colonel Walker, being called among these barbarians in 1807} by his official duties, received among other accounts the following re- lation from a Nagur Brahmin.

'' When the wives of Jah-rejah Rajaputes are delivered of daugh- ters, the women, who happen to be with the mother, repair to the oldest man in the house. This person desires them to go to him who is the father of the infant, and to do as he directs. On this the women go to the father, who desires them to do as is cus- tomary. The women then repair to the mother, and tell her to act in conformity to their usage. The mother next puts opium on the nipple of her breast^ which the child inhales with the milk, and dies.'*

We are told of an Indian chieftain, whom Colonel Walker visited, named Hootagce, who, in defiance of this custom, pre- served his children. This man was a professed robber fero- cious in aspect a being, to conclude, in whose heart all the softer virtues might be supposed extinct. Nevertheless, he possessed a superior mind, and exquisite feelings: ^in fine, Hootagee would have conferred honour on a high rank, even in a civilized nation. He presented his two daugh^t^, between six and eight years of age, to Colonel Walker, who carried them to the camp of Kittywar. By their father's consent they were vaccinated. The colonel was deeply afiected by the fond- ness displayed by Hootagee for these, his rescued children, and observed with emotion the vivid demonstrations of the chief- tain's parental love and exidtation. Yet Hootagee appeared to adhere outwardly to the long-established custom of his country. His daughters wore turbans. They were clad in male attire, and were considered as the sotis of the chief. They appeared

Crit. Kbv. Vol. II. July^ 1815. E

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34 CAmnacVs Accmirtt of the AboliiMn of Female Infanticide.

fearful of a disclosure of their sex, of which they seemed ashamed. They seriously and earnestly assured Colonel Wal- ker that they were not girls ; and appealed to their father in support of their allegation. Thus did Hootagee, by a pious fraud, at once preserve the lives of his children, and apparent obedience to the institutions of his country.

It may be naturally inquired how population can be con- tinued, where the infimt females are destroyed? Perhaps an artifice similar to that recorded of the chieftain, Hootagee, was frequently employed for the preservation of so large and im- portant a part of the nation. Yet this, if not generally had re- course to, would scarcely supply a sufficient number of females. Perhaps, the principle that urged the Jah-rejahs to destroy their children, rather than yield them to the embraces of their invaders, might suggest intermarriages with other tribes, which, though fbrbidden by law, was justified on the score of neces- sity.

The consummation of Colonel Walker's humane endeavours is well described. It is simple, truth needs no ornament.

" Towards the close of 1809," says our author, " Colonel Wal- ker made, a halt at Dherole, where such an investigation was in- stituted as circumstances admitted. The instances reported in his list, ' fell,* says he, ' under ray own direct observance. On my halt at Dherole,' he adds, ' I had all those in the immediate neighbour- hood, who were capable of attending, brought to my tentj and many were too young to be brought any distance. It was ex- tremely gratifying, on this occasion, to observe the triumph of nature, feeling, and parental affection, over prqudice and a horrid superstition i and that those who, but a short period before, would, as many of them had done before, have doomed their infants to destruction without compunction, should now glory in their pre- servation, and doat on them with fondness. The list referred to contains the names of thirty-two families, who had daugliters born to them within that period, to which the engagement ex- tended, and then alive. It is peculiarly gratifying to add, that they have been all preserved, and that no instance of a contrary nature had been discovered. The knowledge of the fact of course acquired publicity, and collected to this interesting spectacle such English officers and gentlemen as were then in the neighbourhood. An approximation may be made by imagination to what followed, but it is beyond the power of description. To say that parents, accustomed to murder their female infants without compunction at their birth, * now gloried in their preservation, and doated on them with fondness,' is still an inadequate account of the actual sbene. The rapturous bursts of parental feeling and tenderness, the transports of maternal affection for the little babes^ torn, as it

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Brown* s Historical Enquiry. 35

were, from the jaws of death, acquiring immeaaurahle excitement from seeing now, for the first time, the person who had conferred on them so many benefits, constituted altogether something truly grand and aifecti ng. Overcome with affection and gratitude, the mothers brought forward their children, and placing them in Col. Walker's hands, called them his children, for that to him they owed their existence, and invoked Heaven and him to protect them. The female children of some families were taught, sm the first ar ticulate sounds they uttered, to say, ' Colonel Walker saved vie,' "

The difficulties which the Colonel encountered in the exe- cutioa of his benevolent purpose are too numerous for us to analyse. Suffice it to remark, tliat his labours were eventually crowned with success; and that there is every reason to sup- pose this unnatural practice no longer exists in India.

Mr. Cormack is sanguine in his hopes, that the law of Christ will supersede the doctrines of Brahma. However greatly this is to be desired, insuperable difficulties, we think, are interposed between the wish and its accomplishment. The prejudices of the Hindds, and the fear of forfeiture of caste, form, we fear, objections scarcely to be overcome.

We have felt much interest in the perusal of Mr. Cormack's work. The volume contains much pleasing information, and frequently exhibits striking originality of remark. a.

Art. IV. An Historical Inquiry into the Ancient Ecclesiastical Juris- diction of the Crown: commencing iclth the Period in which Great Britainformed a Part of the Roman Empire, By James Baldwin Brown, Esq. of the Inner Temple. Author of ' An Historical Account of the Laws enacted against the Catholics, both in England arid Ire- land: Vol. I. Part. I. The Reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great, 8vo. Pp. 236. Underwood. 1815.

X HIS volume forms the foundation-stone of an elaborate su- perstructure intended both as a repository of the various events scattered in history relative to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the crown, from the commencement of the reign of Constan- tine the Great to the period of the Reformation, and as a synop- sis of the evidence calculated to prove the invariable exercise of spiritual supremacy by the sovereigns of England, ante*- cedently to the parliamentary recognition of the king as head of the church, by 26 Hen. 8, c. 1. The motive inductive of the undertaking is stated, in an advertisement subtixed to tlie present part, to be *' to convince the Catholics, that the secu- rity required of them, in reserving to the crown a veto on the

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36 Brown's Historical Enquiry.

appointment of their bishops^ and a proper controul over their communications with the Papal see^ m matters of external regu- lation^ is quite consbtent with the interference of the supreme secular magistrate in the concerns of the church, from the period at which it was first united with the state, under their favourite Emperor Constantine the Great, to the moment when the Roman Catholic Faith ceased to be the established religion of the country.'*

The question of Catholic Emancipation, a question on the equitable decision of which depend some of the first interests of the state, and the tranquillizing of the bitter heart-burnings which have long distracted a considerable portion of our fellow countrymen, has so ineffectually though so frequently been sub- mitted to the judgment of the legislature, that we are by no means at a loss to account for the persevering exertions of those, who,- equally zealous in the cause of national security and sectarian liberty, feel that neither can rest on a solid basis, until prejudice yield to reason, and persecution to toleration. We say **per- secution,'* because where privation of civil rights, rights gua- ranteed to all by the constitution, is made a consequence of the overt profession of a certain system of theology, a system which has been solemnly proved not inimical to the welfare of society, there it is cruel mockery to assert, that there exists any thing approximating substantial toleration.

Were this activity on a subject so momentous, to experience decline ; were the spirit of tnie patriotism which animated a Fox, a Burke, and a Grattan, to advocate a question of such national rectitude and importance, to cease to operate ; little indeed should we think of the state of public morals, little indeed of the permanent stability of our own most valued pri- vileges. Any thing, therefore, having a tendency to straighten the crookedness of impolicy and shorten the reign of prescrip- tive bigotry, we hail as indicative of the action of that whole- some energy, which in the persons of those eminent characters stood as a check to oppression, and under the auspices of which, the triumph of justice over injustice, of the soundness of truth over the rottenness of advantageously-posted fallacy, must ulti- mately be achieved. And though, for our own parts, we should at all times be disposed to discuss this topic simply on its intrinsic and individual merits, on the broad and general ground of its real justice and expediency, it is nevertheless our opinion, that labours like those of the author before us are highly mere- torious, and well adapted to assist in the accomplishment of the end in view; because we are fully aware, that, in all measures of state-policy, particularly in those in which are

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Brown's HUtcrical Enquiry. 37

embodied considerations of a religious nature, notliing is more anxiously regarded than the punctilios of precedent, notliing on which the partiality of the disputants on either side more pertinaciously fiisten, or has greater share in the eventual suc- cess or rejection of the proposition, than the conduct pursued on similar occasions by our ancestors.

When we contemplate the genz/ine spirit of our constitution, a spirit well worthy the noble exertions of the admirable men who gave it birth^ when we meditate on the various enlightened meliorations which successively distinguished its progress^ from the Petition of Right to about the middlp of the present reign when the rapid diffusion of liberal principles, the steady advance of general knowledge, and the inquisitiveness into po- litical science which marked the whole course of that period, pass in review before our minds, we find ample matter for unmixed eulogy. Far different however is the result, when we direct our attention to the other side of the picture, when we look on those pages of our statute book, which, setting the seal of infamy and proscription on whole classes and deno* minations, not only exclude them from the honourable distinc- tions of public trust and state dignity, (all of which are acces* sible to the other orders of the community, however hete- rogeneous their religious persuasions,) but inflict on them cruelly- vindictive penalties for performing the most endearing social as well as civil duties.* ,. , , ii I . I , ,1,

* That the reader iny be capable of foBy nppreriatin j this remark, we

?uote from Mr. Brovvn's ** Historical Account of tho Laws enacted aj^ainst the !atholies in England and Ireland/' a compendium of their still existing dUabiiitieg.

" Cwliolics" (sayhp) *< cannot sit la Parliament; or (wnr) hold any office in or under the gfovernment : be admitted into any corporation ; or CnorJ present to any ecclesiastical Ijenefice. Their priests are not allowed the celebration of their rites, but agreeably- to the restrictions of the English Act 31 G. 3. c. 31. and the correspondent provisions of the Irish statute; nor can (Catholic schoolmasters take Protestants scholars. The professors of this religion are prevented from makhig any endowment of a School or college, for the purpose ofedncatmg children in their faith. Catholic soldiers by the snnnal mutiny acte refusing to frequent the church of ]ngland worship, when ordered to do so, are liable to the penaltv of one shilling, and for the second offence to the same fine, and to be laid in irons for tWetve hDar6.(l) These disabilities are common to England and Ireland ; but in addition to them the Catholics of this kingdom are prevented from voting at elections for Members of Parliament, a privilege which those of the sister kingdom enjoy on their producing a certi-

(1.) jf th second section of the Articles of PFar, any soldier ^^ if he should disoJtey atuf lawful commatid of his superior officer, sJtoll staffer death, or suck oilter punkkmenl as by a general coitri meuikU shall he awarded** Heuce U will appear^ ibtU the refuwtg to freyuemi the estabUehed churchy (which would be considered a lawfuX command) may subject the Catholic sotdier to ity: punishment of death, merely for refusing to attend t?i* k>ati expertes et validos, qui sese Nobis offerunt, Remiges ad frangendos Pelngi naufragium Nobis et exitium quoris momito minitantis fluctus respneremus.

'' Tot^actaatts rationummomentis^tamque gravibuscausis anium Nostrum moventibus id exequi tandem stivtuhnus, quod in ipso Pontificatus Nostro exordio Tehementer optabamns. Postquam* igitur Divinum auxilium ferventibus precibus imploravimus, Suf- fragiis et Consiliis plurium Venerabilium Fratrum Nostrorun^ Sancts Romante Ecclesifle Cardinalium auditiv, ex certa scientia, deque Apostolicae Potestatis> plenitudine ordinare et statueredecre* Yimus, uti revera hac nostra perpetuo valitura Constitutione or- dinamus et statuimus, ut oranes Concessiones, et facultates aNobof pro Russiaco Imperio, et utriusque Siciliae Regno unice dats, nund , extensse intelligantur et pro extensis Imbeantur, sicut rere eas ex- tendimus^ ad totum Nostrum Statum Ecclestasticum, que ac ad onines alios Status et Ditiones.

" Quare concedimus et indulgemus Dilecto Felio Presbjtero' Thaddeeo Borzozowshi moderno Pneposito Generali Societati* Jesu, aliisque ab eo legittime deputatis omnes necessarias et.op^ portunas facultates ad Nostrum et Sedis Apostolicae beneplacitum,. nt in cunctis preefatis Statibus, et Ditionibus omnes iUos, qui. Regularem Ordineni Societatis Jesu admitti et co^optari patent^

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^dsoiltoe et co-plre libere ae ticite TslaMii : qui in una, vH pluribus domibus> in unp, vd pluriUua CoUegils, in una, yci plttribus Frovinciis sub Fnapositi Generali pro tempore exieten- tu obedientia coiuuntii et prout rev feiret, ditribuli, ad pracrip turn Reguls Sancti If natii de Loyola Apo6toiicia Fault Tertii CoDstitutionibus a^^robaUe et confirmatie suau accomodent vi*- vei^di rationem : coftcedimus etaam^ et declaramufi^ quod pariter Juventuti Catholicse Religionis rudimentis erudiendse^ ac probit moiibus infttituend qjeram dare^ nee non seminaria et Collegia ngere, et coaientientibuft atque adprobantibus Ordioariia Loco-* cum in quibuaeos dc^erecontigerit^ Confeasiones audire, Verbum Dei pffftdicare^ et Sac^ramenta admioiatrare libere et licitevaleant: oBUiia era Collegia^ Donaudi Frovinciaa^ S^cioaqueaic eot^iunc- tfM, et quoa in poalerum coiviungi et aggregajri oontjgerit, jaia nunc sub immediata Nostra et bujua ^^atolicae Sedia tutela^ pMBsadio, et obedientia reeipimna ; Nol^ia e( Romania Ponliflcibua aucceaaoribus Noatris veaervantea ac prseacribere> que ad eawdeu^ Societatem magia aaagiaque oonatabiliendam et conununiendaai*. et ab abuaibua, si forte (quod Deua avertat) irrepserint, r^uigan* dam^ atatuere ac pnescrlbere visum fuerit expcdire.

> " Omnes vero et singulos Superioress Preepositoa^ Rectorea, Sodos^ et Alumnos qualescumque bi^jus restitute Societatia quan turn in Domino possumus commone facimus, et exhortamur^ ut in omni loco ac tempore seae iidelea Aaaeclaa et imitatores tanti sui Parentis et Tnstitutoria exhibeant^ Regulam ab ipao condjtam et [MTSfeacriptam accurate observent^ et utuia monita ac conailia qnm Filiiaauis tradidit summo studio exequi conentur.

** Denique dilectis in Christo filiis Ulustribus et Nobtlibus Viris^ Principibua^ ac Dominis temporalibus^ nee non Venerabilibua Fratribua Arahiepiacopia et Epiacopis, aliisque in quaria Dig- nitate conati^utia s^peiclictam Societatem Jesu^ et singulos iUiua Socioa plurimum in Domino commendamus^ eoaque exhorta-. mur^ ac rogamua non solum ne eos inquietari a quocumque per- mittant^ ac patianturj aed ut benigne illos^ ut decet^ et cum cbarif iate suscipiant.

" Decernentea prsesentes Litteras, et inf eis contenta qusecum- que aemper ac perpetuo firma^ valida^ et eflicacia existere et fore^ auosque plenarios, et integros efifectus sortiri et obtinerci et ab 31is, ad quos spectat, et pro tempore quandocumque spectabit inviolabiliter observari debere, sicque, et non aliter per quoscum- que Judicea quavia potestate. fungentes judicari et detiniri pariter debase j ac ihitum^ et inane si secus super his a quoquam quavia auctoritate scienter vel ignoranter contigerit attentari.

. '' Non obetantibua Constitutionibus et Ordinationibua Aposto-* hda, ac praeaertim aupramemoratia Litteris in forma Brevia felicia veeofldationia Clementia Decimiquarti incipien: Daminus ac Ae dan^xter No$ter aub Annulo Piscatoria expeditia die vige;ima prim% {uUi Aani Don^ini miileaimi aeptingentosimi septuaigesimi tertii^

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4 AcrrV Mi^pc qf WltalA.

Silbnsad pnsmlMKmtiii effvsctuin expreflse ac ftpeeiatim intentliniif^ rogave, cseterisqae contrariis quibnsenmqtte.

*' Volumus antem, ut eanuidem pnesentium Litterarum Trait- nunptis^ sive exemj^s^ etiam impressis^ maim aliciyus Notarii public! dubscriptts^ et sigillo Peraonse in Ecclesiadtica Dignitate constitutas munitis eadem prorsus fides in Judicio et extra ad- hibeatnr, qus ipsis pnesentibus adhiberetnr^ fti forent exhibits vel Mtensse.

*' Nulli ergo omnino hominum liceat banc paginam Nostrsa Ordinationis^ Statuti, Extenslonid, Concessionifl^ Indulti, Deela- tationis, FacuHatis, Receptionis, Reservationis^ Moniti, Exbor- tationts, Decreti^ et Derogationis infringere vel d amu temeiarlo eontraire; si quis autem hoc atlentare pnesumpserit indigna-' tionem Omnipotentis Dei ae Beatorum Petri etPaoli Apostc^onim ^9 se noverit incursurum.

** Datum Roms apud Sanctam Mariam Majorem Anno Incar* nationis Dominicie Millesimo Octingentesimo QuartodecimoSep- timo Idus Augusti Pontificatus Nostri Anno quiatodecimo.

'*' A. Cari>. Pro-DatariuSj R. Card. Braschi Honesti. VISA *' De Curia D. Testa

" Loco >J^ Plumbi." '' f, Lavizzarias."

** RegUtrata m Secretaria Brevhtm" v.

Art. Y.The Magic of Wealth, By T. S. Surr. 3 vols. 12mo. Pp. 276, 267, 249. CiideU and Co. 1815.

In the name of Obscurity Obscured^ wliere shall we find a glimmer of classic revelation to direct our taste in appropriating a title to '^This Vehicle of Opinions !"

When the learned author is foiled in his attempt to fabricate a name for the ridiculous whimsicality of the Honourable Mr. Light's ^^unnameable machine,'* his perplexity and ours are somewhat critically parallel. AH we can venture to establish is^ that these volumes are not intended to wear the vulgar cqs- tume of a novel ^No! they profess to be the ^^auxjuaribs OF TRUTH,** bedizened with surprises ! They exhibit * a new form:** they compose '* a drama/' truly, fantastically tricked out in "Scene L'* "Scene IL*' " Scene IIL**-^and so forth.

Precious novelty ! Let it however be understood, that thi$ is a mere literary russe, and that it ought not wholly to weigh' against the merit of "splendid misery;" a work so honour- able to Mr. Surr, that nothing, save his own witful aberratioiiy caa tarnish his acquired fame. But we could quarrd mth ar

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Jim^rM^gmi^JffMA

aes,4li# vwiddriBpfim tkMittmitpA of mmhtdve, to p% thatnttat^in senrii ef Ot petty mtricMkt of t%iinii^. He hai iajorai UkimV k the hope of gtsliiying At town; ferhulmricisnbtednnQaii: ifris not ftvea > fa i ui eechy but' gentle at heart: at his first rising all hiar eroottonrare 4n^ arma on the entrance of a fcnude aenranf . Ifo his eager inquiiy she returns an artiest tale ; and ^^ the ^nt^KGza;*^ wi^ beherdence iu fuH cry, gallops after a re-^ dnced spendthrift, and asentfailental milliner's Miss^ to Uie pa- fish w^eridumae* Iliaaneveotftd:freak; fcoraUttie hoar..pro dticaaiaoaeaiiiprisea than usually occur toman in his adven- tures throi^h life. In the 'eoantraance of the aged portev to the taoridiona%tbesBgaeioui stvangev finds strong ImeamcDtsof de-. cagrcd^gtottityr aad^ in afrwaMineoCs^aseeae of *^ SermbUU^- mion. Vfromr^' k ioftended to awakea the feelings to a delicagy 0t i4gk*waought woe. Tiie sentimental Miss introduees a pbyaiciaoy whoan ikm aeieto by viitueof her tears, as he de-: seended from his carriage, to the couch of her dying lover. *Ehas:lmtiia(ie persontige performs a sort of resorrection of the dead;- and the young female finds a grand* papa in the old pona^n These evente arc so tapid, that no pause is given for reflection: succeeding events, however, keep page with them. Thus far the drawing is in good keeping. From the old per- tar*^ histofy,:ii.djsfiover' him to have been formerly a merchant oCtbe first rssyactability ; and Uutt his soirows ai^l liis poverty oiiginatad Jr. the seotiaciental errors of his beloved dmighter, ' ^hor vml aaovt^ol or stratagem, his person should fiiH into the handstif- his enemies, they will use the artifices of kinikiesSf - and tharreaH* . ties of torturei to obtain finm him aclne4otha iavisiUetraasttres

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m^a'Mig^qrJVeaUL H

i ffwety qiittrter c^ tli0:wprkl> impervi^as to Uk vi^w.of ttit j^ainitial^^/ >. i.

" ' In a moment of high-wrought zeal, with an heroic re^o* Action foreign to his nature, Ricci determined to divest himself of the FOWH of discovery 3 and, therefore, at this hoiir he is actually ignorant of many of the principal depositories of the ac- cumulated riches of the Order, contenting himself with the con- ^rout'of its revenues!

'^'* Who, then, has the keys of this vast treasure? One, who fhm' his at^fMurent hostility to Ricd, in their eyes, his deluded persecutors never wiH suspect I ^I, Emilioi DiSArvim, possesi ihe due to their secret tx^easures; and I, therefQre,-r-I am tha i^wss of the Jesuits! I marvel not at the awe with which auch ft /ev^latlqn haa impressed youl You stand, indeed, before a mighty MASTER, one who does not stoop to ask your love, but who will reward your zeal. Remember error, in his service, is as much a crime as treason; and he assured, that a look of your*s, calculated to lead the most cunning observer to a^ess of the great secret Imparted to you, will be inevitably followed by a death of torture.'

-^ -^^ I heard this speech with sentiments of horror not to be de- ^ribed; Nor could I easily reason myself into a belief of the iMlityofthesoend, as he proceeded to unlock and open a con* ceafedinNi depository, from which he took the curious trunk which you have seen.

" ' Beholdyour charge,' continued the Marquis^ ^ The iiiven- tioo and o^nqiLetion of this peace of mecbianism was the labour ot a Jesuit's UJTe. It resembles in external and internal appear- ance, you perceive^ a 'small eommon trunk, and it is so con- structed thr mkA pirpQeea m ap* p^avf d to my humhle judgment best adapitocl^ 9erve the woee tf ^uth, of justice, reason^ and humanity i

/' In prisona as weU as pelacesjt ii^ wm^ ^od io hMpil(iU fomYk of that period ha4 been passed. ] CQuld barfow i^ tb^ 40ul vM^ horror at scenes of revolutionary ^xm^)a ^ Fam-rof saxiguinary massacres in ungrateful Spain j nor would om^o^ the le$st terrihlt. he, that which UMurked the departure of the spirit of the wretch Effington, of whose immense wealth I fortunately deprived th^ iecret treasury of the InquMum,

'' But here let the curtain drop. Away-^-away with all tho gloopiy scenery and horrid apparatiis of Jesuislicttn a4 of JaetH b^iusm, of Despotism ^d.of AmMt^y!. AfpKXMe th lo^isilmi dungeons the revolutionary guillotines onA eki|r the singe df pasks and chaiu3-"H>f po^spaed cbiLlieed and Upody dass^ci^* *

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am^iM^ 4^wmh. is

^ "^lit fmMftiM of die invfttaioixs trunk eoiiMltlites the stranger eH castroj.who was married to a Lord Budemere, the lady aftet some coirespondeDce, agreed to visit her sister; and aceordf ingly, accompanied by some of those the Decastros had for* merlv deemed among their fnends, the visit was paid.

mrs. D. pleased with the joke bad erected at the park ^te a temporary shop in which Ae received her visitoia in the gaiti and appearance of a country shopkeeper. Ai^ having iatima-' ted to her sister thi their party would be received at the neighbouring mansion by its proprietors whose name she had not given, the party afiter displaying by words that ti^y felt somo pity, and parting with some of their money in order to shew that they were not destitute of that necessary article, proceeded to the mansion under the guidance of an odd character termed Old Comical, who was well instructed in his part by Mrs. D.

The scene at the mansion is well drawn; the parties met--^ ^' there was a deep silence for two or tliree minutes, notwith*- standing there were no less than four women in the room." Dinner succeeded inmiediately, and no one entered on the subject until it was completed; when one of the party asserted that they had been robbed at the park gpite, and stat^ the circum- stances. Mr* D. affected surprise; ^the park was sear^ched, but the shop had been removed, and no traces of it were to be found. Considerable neatness is displayed by the author in the whole of this contrivance, to surprise and mortify those who had expected merely to humble a fallen friend that is, a friend in the fashioaable acceptation of the term. The affidr terminated in an explanation, to the chagrin of most of the party, who were however gratified by the restoration ofi their bank notes.

We have mentioned the name of Old Comical as an agent of

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The iRitaty qf Mr: John Jhomtro, ^c. if

If rs^Daoiatm; Ms character aoddesoriiMbn afttoo absurd to be tetnn^ but toobumonroas to be omitted. Jndfced^ it is to thtf droDeiy of tfab odd aortof penonage that the forier is iiw 4ebted fbr a ecmsidemble portion of hb entertaininent. He i^ described as a man of exquisite natural humour, and a gentleman by birth, being the son of Sqmre Mathers, Lord of the MMOf of Coek-*a-doodle Hall, Northamptonshire, a justice of the peace, and a man of wealth ; but John^ alias Old Comieal^ having an elder brother, came in for no share of the fortune^, lind had no other dependance than his wit. Old Comical had, however, one inheritance from his father, lijunely, a cBspositioa to befacetiotts, and an irresistible power of provoking laughter ih others; indeed, the father had expired in a fit of laughter^ occasioned by observing a man about to be married, who was afflicted with the St. Vitus's dance, which produced certaia odd associations of ideas, '' and when the old women laid out the body they all fella laughing, for death had left the laugh upon his face, as fresh as if the joke had been that mon^ent cracked." OU Comical having subsisted for some time by his humour^ and engaged in many ridiculous adventures^ at length found a hpme under the roof of Old Crab, who ^pjpointed him bailiff to his farmand parish clerk,, a cifcumstcLnce to whie]]| Mrs. Deca^tro was indebted for his services in the above advjeii'- tore. The description of his person is so iiumorous and 8c| admirably drawn^ that we shall give it entire, . .

*' His face was as red as fire, upon which half ar'd(>fteh wartsi as big as red gooseberries, and much of the same oofevr, had dispoMfid themaelTes at certain idistances from one .tinother, :tKt largest of which sat. upon the roof of. his noec} he bsuJ. aikOther on his chin haiigiog; thereat by aslender stalky, like ^he capture of Carricki^ wMch did. not take place for years after the time mentioned a m attaek indeed wasmade, and a considerable advantage gained by The Bruce at the period of his return from Ireland, not againtt Clifford, however, but Earl Percy. Clifford was in tb4 'aetion> under Percy, but was not slain: he fell at Bannoek^ bourn. ^ - * Of the contradictions of channcter it will be suffieient to bring forward one in that of The Biruce. That heroic monarch was, unquestionaUy, of a temper never surpassed fer tte hu^ matiity, nmrnfieenoe, and noUeness; yet, to repvesent him sor* fowiag over tlio deBtfi of the First Plantagenet*^'-arter the re^i* peated andstiemeddous iUs inflioted by that man on Scotland i the patriot W^dhuie morderedby Manto\ as^u^U.as the Roysd raceof Wales; 'andthevietybrothefs^tdo,'of TheBnieeslaugh^ tered by hn command--^to represent Ue just and generous Ro^ btrt, we arepeat^ feding an iDflbmt^ compasmon for the sudden frteof aniiscieaotlike thisy is>.we are coikipdled'to say it^.s0 and, in a Seottiift poeJv so unns^toiaL a y^>latk>u al( Digitized by Google 10 S9f(rtZ4fili^AtUii 0tQ]ihd Ihal the autluMr eoiild Wc MtaiiKflt tbede% voA BM>i tM he cmld s^fict hit pen I0 veeoMl it This wwt ch ed ebmemeiit 00 the pert of The Bruet fiwiher heishtmedl Iqr l|e Kb^'fi bAlf-iepebeiW9D of FirtRoe SAmnirt wefale end etero eKpratsioaof wdyin^ bilred ^gaJMil bis eomtrjr'a epeitar w4 hie fiumljp's MwiisiB. /^ Mr. SooU^ we have mH, eolilradietebuDieif* Hmt mU jhct ^EKpkiin the foUowiog fisiels lo oun ajid Ue rpe4tri* te tirf eetfan g Xhe UArd ewto infonns w thafc^Iaobd accwnpenfaeEdwiwd tta: lif^i^d, there to lemaki till the tcnwietiaii of the .iMr|> end lit 4pMjWl^oftDtOy the aeoond day rfteg her jhpirtri iw 4ieeiq ^rrthe Princeta countung herbewlK and r^Mbff heviimiftlbfi^ dfietef of St. Bride in the iehiiid of Ainol We bmUy beiK^ tbe'Vmg%Jliiiw if>/iv . Of tlie chmcters, Prince Edwaid is ow decided bofomntt^ Of unshaken rescdutioiiy of a valour reeUeea of all dbnge^ lyj^^ niantie and daiiptleM we alwaya find Umt Ae fml^f fieei|r< lieedleM of offomtiat^ and beating dem all refiatanee. ; Q matchless activity, and burning to dieiingMiih Unieeif^ in mr tion, in eouasel, Ednrard is ever thef first te ndweft.4p perfoapi^'v The Bruoe, according to one notionst is. miudi l0O.eaIinp-t has not been aUogetber suoeessfojU The most: eommanding quality in a berois tiiateaefgji wUehtoveeeomesaU dpntachu Now of this qiMdity Edward indispirtaWy powesaea^ a greater degree than histmerbrother^andwe fttqiomitly feel, that the Mge pceparation and fngid mancewrrmg^if The Brann nmiU fail altogether where IIm unhesitating. Hnpetoosityief Edward would command success Ronald is an abortion^ l4wa it admiiaUy drawn, and the character of Torvail of Duok egattthis blnnt honesty, substantial patriotism, and.fnigged- BWgnanimity all bodind forth in a sort of uriUif poeticet spfeoh, very much to the pmipoae thnugb-*-comtilale this.' HebricUan Chief a complete ociginaL We were surpmodi not to find him b the battle. It is notifsdevant to remark 1^ the way, that in his narnitiveof the oonfikst of flannockboum, Mr Scott seems more anadoos to blazon the pomp and valonr of his ountry's ravagers, than to paint theemiqnemig^ herasm of The Bruce and his chieftains, Porone Soottiik name we find 1^ least half a dozen English; and the Ml of De Aegoatine, a brave EnglMi knight, is atomed with mare Digitized by VjOOQIC 0r0leifd6ufliftlitfi6 deM ^^The 'BtHee liBii^/ Of the Ladiaslsobd and Edith we have little to saj, for Ittttela it they do* Itfobel evidently tak^ the veil merely out of poUleneas to ibe Miid of Loniy who^ notwithstanding the prudential fidde- Mat of Ronald, maintains a most diaheartenmg attaebment to diomereaat. The stoty of the dumb pa^e, though occasionally giving birth to situalions of int6is^ w^ tipdn the whole, a mawBth eontrivanoe> a new dMating lip (ff a very old trick. Bdith perfbrms tiodung hi her character of a pa^e that could not have been executed just as well, very likely better, by. aay stoat lad. The chief Ipart of the share which these hdiea pOBSsisipthe conduct of the poem, consists in very tedious and op pi tsi lvo oonvertations about Adbr asutual mishaps; and it' must bo cottftiia^ that they keen up the shuttleoock of chit chat with apersevamMe eKowungty hononthUeto the d*ugh^ temof^B^. One of the most pkasmg and nlu i rt Aaracteira ofthewhcdepoem, AHan, tlMiN^eof Ronald, we just set a ^bBaffie of, only to see him muxdered befof &at eyes mr no. eaithly teasoti that Kill abide a moments examination. The pooT'boy should not have had the task of watching imposed ufwn Imi tender yeanu That was the business of robusler ftmnesr} and ahoidd haive bM^ divided belwtenThia Bruce and his master. &ampletdffmedaBd mieouth dkition iffe Aquent; and' thttd Is ktiAdueed a very respectabte quaatitt of obsolete' tetaMi^ whieK^ our grandfttthers had very prbpeny exiled from; tMr colkMuisI service ' Redff* for eoiBmet-^^* ytoma^ mgh^ < ^Mm/^ wr nmain, to thyme with ^ tnen''-^^^ ers*,*^ for fir^ mmffi a batbarom whkh we are sorry to see so ^neral mth ournhkiem bards: It burns, itniaddens, it constrains! De Bruce, thy sacrilegious blow Hath at God's altar slain thy foe: O>roma8ter*d yet by high behest, I BLESS THEE, AND THOU SHALT BE BLE8S*P I" He spoke, and o'er the astonished throng Was silence, awful, deep, and long. Again that light has fir*d his eye Again his form swells bold and high. The broken voice of age is gone,* 'Tis vigorous manhopd's lofty tone ;* *' Thrice vanquish'd on the battle-plain. Thy followers slaughtered, fled, or ta'en, A hunted wanderer on the wild. On foreign shores a man exWd, Disowned, deserted, and distressed, I BLE88 THEE, AND THOU SHALT BE BLESS'D ; Ble8s*d in the hall, and in the field. Under the mantle as the shield. Avenger of thy country's shame. Restorer of her iiyur'd fame, Bless'd in thy sceptre, and thy sword, De Bruce, fair Scotland's rightful Lord, Bless'd in thy deeds, and in thy fame, What lengthened honours wait thy name ! ^In distant ages, sire to son Shall tell the talc of freedom won, And teach his infants, in the use Of earliest speech, to falter Bruce. ^ Go then, triumphant ! sweep along Thy course, the theme of many a song! f?0sm would haye been a better word, and a better rhyme. Digitized by Google The fqfweit who9t 4Mtf swfU.my tow^^ HaTB BLESS'o THS^ AN9 THOU IHALT BB.BLBS8*D.'* On this transcendant passage we shall onl^ remark, tbat of the gloomy part of the prophecy we hear nothmg more througk the whole of the poem>, and though the Abbot informs m King that he shall be *' On foreign shares a nUin exird,"* the poet never speaks of him but as resident in Scotland^ up to the period of the battle of Bannockbourn. ^ When the King ^'hath won his father's hall/' himself and Ids friends take a shcMrt repast. The Brace, while the wine if' circling, gives the pledge, And met, *mid terror's wild career. The Douglas's redoubted spear ! Two hundred yeomen on that morn The castle left, and none return. The attack of the castle has been assigned to Edward^ and ihe Prince with that customary recklessness wliich ^oft made good. Even by its daring, venture rude. Where prudence might have failed," has marched to the assault before the appointed signal '* Upon the bridge his strength he threw. And struck the iron chain in two By which its planks arose; The warder next his aice*s edge Struck down upon the threshold ledge, 'Twixt door and post a ghastly wedge! The gate they may not close. Well fought the Southern in the fray, Cliford and Lorn fought well that day. But stubborn Edward forced his way Against an hundred foes. Loud came the cry, ' The Bruce, The Bruce !' No hope or in defence or truce. Fresh combatants pour iuj Mad with success, and drunk with gore. They drive the struggling foe before. And ward on ward they win. Unsparing was the voigefulswotd^ And limbs were lopp'd, and lifie Uood por*4. The cry of death and conflict roar*d. And fsarfiil WHS tfae din! Digitized by Google The startling horses plBg'd and flung* Clamour*d the dogs till turrets rung* Nor sunk the fearful cry* Till not a foeman was there found Alive^ save those who on the ground ^ Groan'd in their agony I * * * Then long and loud the victor shout IVDin turret and Arom tower rung out> The rugged vaults replied $ And from U^ doiuoi^ tower on high* The men of Carridc may descry St. Andrew's cross, in blazonry Of silver^ waving wide IV The following stanzas' are, we think, touchingly beautiful^ and breathe a sweet and melancholy tenderness p^ectly suit- able to the sad *tale which they record. In their passage through the Western Isles, The Bruce and Ronald touch at the little bland of Canna, whose tower 'steep and grey. Like falcon-nest o'erhangs the bay. Seek not the giddy crag to dimb^ To view the turret seath*d by time; It is a task of doubt and fear To aught but goat or mountain-deer. But rest thee on the silver beach. And let the aged herdsman teach His tale of former day; His cur's wild elamour he shall chide. And for thy seat by ocean's side His varied plaid display; Then tell, with Ganna's chieftain caa^e. In ancient times, a foreign dapie To yonder turret grey. Stem was her Lord's suspicious mind. Who in so rude a jail confin'd So soft and fair a thralll And oft when moon on ocean slept^ That lovely lady sate and wept Upon the castle-wall. And turned her eye to southern dimes. And thought perchance of happier thneSj And touch'd her lute by fits, and sung Wild ditties in her native tongue. And sHU when on the cliff and bay, PUdi and pale ihe mom beauu fdojfg 4nd eper^ bn$e i$ imae, Digitized by Google IS Setae $ Lard qfihe lOm. Upon the kme Behideaa'i ear Steals a strange pleasure fmsed wsUhjear, While from that cliff he stems to hear The murmur of a luie, And souTids, aeefa captwe kme. That (tohoj mourns her woes m tongue unknown." In tbese enchanting lines^ more particularly those marked in italics^ our readers will doubtlessly discover a cast of idea and tone of expression similar to that of Lord Byion*s exquisite ftble at the conclusion of the ^^ Bride qfJbydos*" The dream and death of Allan struck us as being, both in conception and execution, one of the sweetest passages in the whole poem. When his turn of watching arrives^ the poor page, it will be recollected^ soon begins to feel the oppression of sleep ** Again be rou8*d him on the lake IiOok*d forth, where now the twilight flake Of pale cold dawn began to wake. On Coolin's cliffs the mists lay farl'd. The morning breeze the lake had curl'd^ The short dark waves, heav'd to the land^ With ceaseless plash Idss cliff or sand; It was a slumb'rous sound-*he tum'd To tales at which his youth had burn*d. Of pilgrim*s path by demon cros8*d> Of sprightly elf, or yelling ghost. Of the wild witches* baneful cot. And mermaid's alabaster grot. Who bathes her limbs in sunless well Deep in Strathaird's enchanted cell* ThiUier in fancy rapt he flies, Andjon his sight the vaults arise; That hufs dark waUs he sees no more, ' His foot is on the marble floor. And o*er his head the dazzling spars Gleam like a firmament of stars ! Hark ! hears he not the sea-nymph speak Her anger in that shrilling shriek ? < No! all too late, with AUan*s dream Mingled the captive's wanting scream I As from the ground he strives to start, A ruffian's dagger finds his heart! Upward he casts his dizzy eyes, Murmurs his master's name- and dies!" To each canto are prefixed some introductory verses. Of these the best ai^ those opening the fifst^ fourtht wd fifth Digitized by Google lixis of Caku Asmm PoVio, tfc. ^c* 77 cantos. Those of the second are passable; of the third we may say the same; but those of the sixth are wretched. We quote those of the fomrth: a lofty tribute of admiration to die stupendous and solitary scenery of Scotland. '* Stranger! if e*er thine ardent step hath traced The northern realms of ancient Caledon^ Where the proud Queen of Wilderness hath placed. By lake and cataract, her lonely throne; Sublime but sad delight thy soul hath known. Gazing on pathless glen, and mountain high. Listing where from the cliffs the torrents thrown Mingle their echoes with the eagle*s cry. And with the sounding lake, and with the moaning sky. Yes! 'twas sublime, but sad the loneliness Loaded thy heart, the desert tired thine eye 5 And strange and awful fears began to press Thy bosom with a stem solemnity. Then bast thou wished some woodman's cottage nigh. Something that showed of life, tho* low and mean 3 Glad sight, its curling wreath of smoke to spy. Glad sound its cock's blithe carol would have been. Or children whooping wild beneath the willows green. Such are the scenes, where savage grandeur waxes An awful thrill that softens into sighs : Such feelings rouse them by dim Rannoch's lakes. In dark Glencoe such gloomy raptures rise) Or forther, where beneath the northern skies. Chides wild Loch-Eribol his caverns hoar But, be the minstrel judge, they yield the prize. Of desert dignity to that dread shore. That sees grim Coolin rise, and hears Corisken roar." m. Aht. VIII. Lives of Cams Asinius Pollio, Marcus Terentus Farro, and Cneius ComeUus GaUus; with Notes and Illustrations, By the Rev. Edward Berwick. 8vo. Pp. 178. Triphook. 1815. To the editor of the present biography the public is indebted for that of Messala Corvinus and Pomponius Atticus. This gentleman is distinguished by a classic taste, and we ardently desire that his interesting labours may be liberally received by the patrons of literature. C. A. Pollio, one of the most splendid ornaments of the Augustan Court, is celebrated by Virgil in bi^ fourth eclogue* Digitized by Google 78 IJffM^QimJmammPii^ PolUo, t ibat periods filled Ae eoomilar diair at Rome. Hm force of his charader u^ however^ made mcve familiar to the generality of our readers by Pope> who thus displays ila graa* deur '' Statesman^ yet friend to truths of soul sincere^ In action ftiithful; and in honour clear; Who broke no promise serv'd no private end j Who gain*d no title ; and^ who lost no friend : Ennobled by himself; by all approv*d ; And praised^ unenvied, by the Muse he lov'd." We compliment Mr. Benvick for the classic judgment with which he has explored the ancient schools^ and thus reanimated a model for future ages. " In writing the life says our editor of the most accom- plished man of the Augustan age of one^ who will live as long as poetry and good sense are held in estimation by man- kind; it is a matter not unworthy of observation, that the only means left us for ascertaining the year in which Asinius PoUio was bom, arises from our knowing the year of his death, and his age at the time of it. He died, according to the Eusebian Chronicle,* at his Tusculan villa, in the year of Rome 755, at the advanced age of fourscore; and, consequently, if that date can be relied on, was born in the year 675, when Marcus iEmilius Lepidusf and Quintus Lutatius Catulus| were consuls, a year distinguished in the Roman calendar by the death of SyUa. From the rank, wealth, and reputation enjoyed by Pollio, we might have expected to find his birth and early pursuits com- memorated; but poets laureat did not grace the fashion of those days. Indeed, the name of Pollio does not appear on re- cord until the year 709, when he must have been, about thirty- four years of age, and when he is represented to have acquhed considerable command in the ^rmy, His piilitary talents * Pollio AsidIus orator et consularis, qui d Dalmatis triampliavit LXXX tatis 8US anno in villa IXxsculana moritur : nervwA virilitaUs baud pamim eiamptum. Tusculum was the classic air chosen by Lucien Bonaparte for the stady of kis beantiftil poem ; and, in that neighbourhood^ Cicero composed his *^ Q^cs- tioues,** in 6ve books. t One of the triumvirate with Augustui and Antooy aftar the death of .Onar. He was of an illustrious race, and debased bis character bv ambiUoa* He equalled bis eolleag:ues in the cruelty of his proscriptions, and sacrifice^ bis brother. He maintained bis power without dignity ; and died in obscurity. X Q* L. Catulus is celebrated tor his splendid victory over the CarthagioiaMi* Be was, also, remarkable for oratory and epigrammatic compoaitioii. Hia death was memorable. During his consulship he was, by prder of \jm co|t league, shut up in a dose room, and tuSbc^M with smoke. Digitized by Google ventnaUy ranked so high, that we find him among the ocnrndf- f CiBsar, when that great captain halted on the banks of the Rubicon, and said to his friends, ^^ We rrvay yet go back; but if we once pass beyond tUs little bridge, we commt our fate to the dedsUm of arms/' Plutarch, in his life of Caesar, describes the importance of this moment very fully, exhibiting the mind as well as valour of his hero with very animated touches. Poilio was firmly attached to Ccesar, and rendered him eminent services in his African war* " Of his services and attachment Ciesar was so sensible^ that a skMirt time previous to his death, he made him governor of the further Spain, from which he wrote three epistles to Ciceni^ which fortunately still are extant, and serve to throw a light on the early part of his character. These letters were written from Corduba in Spain about the months of April, May, and June, ail within a short time of each other. In 710, the year subsequent to the death of Cssar. In giving them to the public, 1 shall make use of the incomparable translation of Melmoth, who speaks of the writer of them in the following just and appropr^te terms of praise : ' Asinius Poilio was in every respect one of the most aocompUshed persons among his contemporaries. His exten* sive genius was equal to all the^ nobler branches of polite literature^ and gave the most applauded proofs of his talents as a poet, orator^ and an historian. He united the most lively and pleasing vein of wis and pleasantry with all that strength and solidity of understanding which is necessary to render a man of weight in the more serious and important occasions of life: in allusion to which uncommon assemblage of qualities it was said of him, that he was a man omnium horarum,' " ' You must not wonder,* says Poilio to Cicero, ' that you have heard nothing from me in relation to public affairs since the breaking out of the war. Our couriers have always found it difficult to pass unmolested through the forest of Costulo* : but ft is now more than ever infested with robbers. Tliese bandittij however, are by no means the principal obstruction to our inter- course with Rome; as the mailsf are perpetually searched and detained by the soldiers that are posted for that purpose by both parties in every part of the country. Accordingly, if I bul not received letters by a ship which lately arrived in the river 1 should ba^e been utterly ignorant of idiat has been lately transacted in your part of the world. But now that a communication by sea is thus * ** Caatalo a city anciently of ^reat note, situate on the River Boetis. The S mk m Oa ttk le imi tu i> mentioned by Livy t * I^itnr terrestribus quoque copiis Mitit 6dciitRom8nuft usque ad Sahum Castuloueusem progressus est.' " f c TakeU ofU M essengers, eommoiily slaves, by whom the Romans sent their lectan,'aft they had no established posts. Sometimes there was an in- criptioa on the outside of the letter, sometimes not." Digitized by Google to Uou qfCamt^Jimim PoOio, tfc. 9 from the very bottom of his heart, wish to be false. This profession of faiih throws open the gates of Heaven to all sincere inquirei:s, however erroneous and absurd their notions may appear to other ChristSaas. This admits of salvation as ftir as faith is concerned, for all who believe the Christian Revelation; for Trinitarians, Digitized by Google 96 HmiMyGnMoga^n^^ wbellier Athana^tiis, RoiirtB, or Nomiiialiits ; lor Ariaw, higb and low; for femirAriuw, Ui^tanaas, and creiy otiicr deBoa^aa- tioQ of heretics, u they have been called, which the fimhAil oan- troversy of the Trmity has produced. This makes aUowaace lor theinflaences of education and habit, and for that infinite variety of tempers, dispositions, and capacities which we obsenre in the world } and it also provides for that pectdiarUi/, that eccaUndiy of Intellect, which is sometimes seen among the sons of men. Per- haps you will say, that these men are heretics. It may be so: but tdl some guide, more infallible than the Pope, shall answer the difficult question. What is heresy > I cannot, amidst the great va- riety of opinions which good men hold, say who is the heretic. Is it not much better to leave such things to the great Seardter of Abt. 11. Fovr Semums preached in London, at the Twenty ffirtt Gene- ral Meeting of the Miitumary Society, May 10, II, 12, 1815 -, bythe Rev. AngUM M'lnioah, AM. Tain; Reo. Jatnee Boden, Sheffield; Re. John Hyatt, London; Rev. M. R. Hlmh, A.M. Bristol. Also the Report of the Directors, and a List of Subscribers. PubUshei for the Ben^ (fthe Society. Pp. 68, independently of the Re- port and List. Williams and Co. 1815. The SB sermons reflect much credit on their respective authors. Ardent devotion to God, clear exposition of his saving precepts, earnest exhortation in his Son*s name, and pious zeal in the cause of pagan conversion, are their distinguishing features. Our limits will not allow us to give quotations from nJl 3 but we shall cite a passage from the first, which will serve as a general specimeii^ The text is taken from John xvii. 3, '' And this is life eternal, that, they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent/' After commenting on the instructive beauty of this sentence, and its encouragement to the dissemination of the Word, Mr.M'Intosh thus proceeds " But though the reading of the Scriptures is well fitted to pro- duce the happiest eifects, and is often blessed for the salvation of sinners, the institution of preaching seems to be the great mean employed by the head of the church for bringing sinners to the knowledge of the truth, and for building up his saints in their most holy faith. It is his command to those whom he hath al- lowed to be put in trust with the gospel, to preach the gospel to every creature : and the Apostle of tlie Gentiles tells us, that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God preached by those that are sent. And how shall they hear, saith the same Apostle, without a preacher? and how shall they preach unless they be sent? I cannot convey my sentiments on this subject in stronger or more appropriate terms than have been used by one who has lately pleaded the same cause before this Society : * that Digitized by Google I may do fiill justice,* says he# ' to the cauae which I now plead before God> angds, and meo^ I must call the public mind acr riously to contemplate, that the utmost exertions of all the Bible Societies in the world, detached from the living labours of en- lightened and faithful missionaries, would entirely fail as to the effect of introducing and establishing the kingdom of the Saviour in any one heathen country. The Bible may be transited, and aealously conveyed into such countries; it may be received and looked at for awhile as a curiosity; it may operate even to create a pr^odice in favour of Christianity ; it may even be the instm* ment of conversion in a few singular cases, by the more unusual sovereign agency of the Holy Spirit : but where any extensive and permanent effects are to be accomplished, living interpreters and publishers of the truths of the Bible, and examples of dieir power, most be prepared and sent forth, that ' the eyes of the heathen may see their teachers.' This is the way wherein, according to all the past history of the dmrch