But not the clouds, the meteor, or the flower, More swiftly fleet than youth's exulting hour. At p. 58, there are two unskilful imitations of Pope: the one, of a passage in his " Elegy on an unfortunate Young Lady," and the other of his well known lines expressive of filial piety in the Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot. We do not think that the second part of this poem is so well executed as the first. "We will give, however, the author's concluding narration, in which his theory is comprehensively exemplified, and in which the reader will find one line most ungracefully dragging its slow length along." Then MEMORY cease, and cease enchantress this its brevity precludes it and in bright, Your airy visions yield not now delight; But what are humble charms in hours like Here, at this moment, would I take my stand, My ANNA's here, I press her yielding hand; chee s; Sweet sound, or ever vibrate in my ears! so sweet? SHE'S HERE nay, tell me not of JOYS IN STORE the most legitimate form of that mode of composition, the necessity of oftrecurring rimes too frequently forces an author upon bad or foolish ones. Single images are dilated into insipi confusion: if one idea be diffused dity, or several are condensed into through fourteen lines, what can be expected but weariness; if several be compressed into the same space, it is seldom that any are distinct. To be pretty, must be the highest ambition fourteen lines: but that which is of a poem which begins and ends in merely pretty soon tires with repetition. Boileau, indeed, has said, and Miss Johnson quotes the line as the epigraph of her volume, that "a faultless sonnet is worth a long poem;" but by this he surely ineant to insinuate that the thing was to be estimated in proportion to its impossibility, as we From these extracts the reader will should certainly value a breathing probably concur in opinion with us, statue beyond a living man. But, if that Mr. Verral possesses judgment, the taste of Boileau would actually fancy, and an easy versification. The have preferred whatever he considered poem is unequal, but it has sonie as a fauldess sonnet" to a long poem, good parts: and we hope it will find the Eneid, for example, we can only that encouragement which may in- say, what has been said a hundred duce its author to complete his ori- times already, De Gustibus not est ginal design, which is not done in the disputandum. present volume. We will add, in conclusion, that it is neatly printed, and ornamented with two pleasing engravings. E'EN NOW SHE'S HERE-I hope, I wish no more; I ask no FUTURE, I regret no PAST, Before we proceed to consider the poetical contents of Miss Johnson's volume, we must pay a just tribute to her knowledge of human nature, which she so deeply displays in her all love the ascription of qualities to preface. We all love praise: and we ourselves, which tend to produce an amiable character. But this love of praise, and this love of implied virtue never so pleasingly as when the incense is offered by a female hand. The wisest and the bravest of mankind, the philosopher and the hero, have yielded to the potency of adulation when flowing from the lips of woman: and what then can be the armour of a crine which he can oppose to such an attack? We ask this question with great sincerity, and leave the solution of it to Miss Johnson herself, who has passed such eulogiums on the candour, equity, and ability of reviewers, as most surdy disarin them of that ferocity which they are allowed to possess. After this preface, which is written with a degree of ingenuousness and the one ending with a trochee and the spirit which does credit to the feelings other with an amphibrach, instead of of the writer, follows an "Advertise- terminating, as they should have done, ment," from which we learn that with an lambic foot, which is essenMiss Johnson understands what a son- tial to the dignity of serious rimes. net should be when regularly composed. But, let us now turn to what she has done. To-morrow's pledge so credulously trust? Deceitful as to-day will she depart, Like her to ev'ry previous vaunt unjust. Yet Hope's enchantment robes the distant scene, Fair seems To-morrow in perspective view, False will she be, as former days have been, But though the dream deceive, its bliss is true: And still shall expectation fondly say, As a contrast to the above, the reader will be pleased with the ensuing one : "SKETCH OF AN OUTLAW. These noiding battlements the dusk em browns, And that huge fractur'd and impending Miss Johnson divides a part of her volume into what she denominates "Personification:" but we fear she has not a very accurate idea of the usual employment of this figure. We will quote the first: 66 If our fair authoress replies that this is personification, because it ascribes to abstract ideas the qualities and actions of sensible objects, we will not deny her assertion, for certainly it is one branch of the prosopopeia: but, we must ask, in retura, why she has not distinguished many of her other sonnets by the same appellation which have an equal right to it? For instance, that at p. 25, might be so termed, where the "Day is pictured as dancing in beamy vest,' and the "Night wrapping a weary world in silent rest," &c. Now all this is as much personitication as that which she exclusively denominates such. In fact, there are three modes' of using this figure. The first and the qualities of action and sensation to inlowest consists in attributing certain animate objects: as the "wind roars, the storm threatens," &c. : but this scarcely deserves to be mentioned, as it does not rise beyond the common fication, yet it has no more claim to But, though this is strictly personi being exclusively classed as such than the Infant Spring," at p. 12, and others, which Miss Johnson simply denominates sonnets; and it was from observing this defective classifi cation which led us to think that our authoress had no very distinct notion in her own mind of the precise limits of the prosopopeia. If what we have written therefore shall tend to rectify shall be pleased with the success of her opinions upon this subject, we our endeavours. From the "other poems," which are appended to the volume, we select the following pleasing and partir sportive effusion: "To A BLUSH. Which lurks to wound the heart in un- Officious tell-tale of Emotion, why, due praise. While Vanity, exulting, looks around, Of the third degree of this figure which approaches to apostrophe, and is often confounded with it, as it consists in addressing inanimate objects, as if they could listen to us or participate in our feelings, Miss Johnson also affords us some examples, from which we select the following: "DEATH. Thou Death' eternal sleep! the great man's grief! The low one's hope! th' inevitable end! The close of light and life! th' unsated Thief, In whom all things in dissolution blend! From thee I shrink not, world-subduing chief Yet spring'st thou not from these, and these alone? One passion to thy pencil lends A constant, yet a varying flush; Nor from thy certain shafts this breast Yet, ready Blush! whatever source be thine, Save those of consciousGuilt and Shame And save, perchance, among the rest, That one perturber of the breas', That passion with a tender namemine!" Sybol of Feeling, be thou ever To the sly exception in the last stanza we do not attach much credit. Miss Johnson must forgive us for disputing her assertion; but really, when a lady renounces love, we always suspect her sincerity. In this age, when eight syllable lines are accounted the highest exertion of poesy, the reader may bę pleased to see how a female manages so difficult and various a measure: "LOVE OF LIFE. Whence is it man desires to live, Say, why the cup he fondly drains, When Pleasure Appetite entic'd, With this our extracts must conlude; and we have nothing more to Iduce this work to the knowledge [T is with pleasure that we intro of our readers, as a useful, interesting, and valuable record of transactions and events which the silent tide of time would have swept away from the memory of man. As a register to be referred to, it will always retain its importance; and, as a library book, every one will be convinced of its use who but slightly inspects it. Though novelty cannot be the leading feature of such a work, yet it is not altogether excluded, as communications are solicited, in the preface, upon various topics connected with the object of the publication. Its great merit must therefore consist in the selection and arrangement of the materials, rendering them as valuable and copious as possible, and giving them all necessary perspicuity. This, we think, has been considerably obtained already, and will, no doubt, be more so in the progress of the work. A great quantity of information is certainly brought together. We do not know that we can convey a better notion of the merits of this Register, than by extracting the account of a single county, the arrangement being the same in each. We cannot answer for selecting the best, being necessarily influenced by brevity: |