would, we conceive, succeed on the Stage. The following lyrical extracts certainly do not discredit the Author of "The Honey Moon:" Song from "Yours or Mine." And shrouds her sweetness up, and keeps "As men, who long at sea have been, With rapture great. But all was horrid stillness,--on the ground Thus three long weeks she nurs'd me, and sweet, And was so apt a scholar learning mine When of the Creeks I was appointed Chief, tantly take our leave of this very "Welcome once more, thou heaving ocean, With breaking heart!" The play of "The Indians" contains many striking passages, and, if compressed into three acts, might, we Several of the songs in "The think, be produced with advantage Fisherman" are in the true spirit of on the stage. The fable is very sim- lyrical poetry. We subjoin the folple:-Raymond, a brave but expa-lowing, with which we must reluctriated Englishman, who has been raised to the dignity of a Chief by the Creek Indians, is surprized and made prisoner by the Spanish Governor, who, resolving to detach him from the Indians by fraud or force, puts a guard on his person, but instructs his daughter to engage his affections. In obedience to her father's injunctions, Almanza visits Raymond, but merely to suggest the means of restoring him to liberty. To light her o'er the faithless wave; Raymond apprizes her of his union with Zoa; and the following passage may be classed with the happiest effusions of Tobin's pen: Raymond. "Hear, then, a simple tale That to the purpose shall speak plain and full: [cause), Some years are past (no matter now the Lake jaring friends, I and my country [Creeks; parted. I sought my fortune 'midst the Indian 'Twas at the close of a long sultry day, Upon a wild Savanna, faint with hunger, Snook with a fever, I look'd round in vain For trace of living object, man, or beast, Sink slowly from the landsman's view; But, woman, he Who trusts to thee, the last century, passed through se'veral editions; and the respectable Re-publisher was so delighted with the orthodoxy of its doctrines, and the pure religion it inculcated, together with the correctness of its language, that he had no sooner read it, than he determined to send it anew into the world. "I have ventured, however," he says, "to make some alterations; they consist chiefly of abridgments. Intending the publication principally for the lower classes of the people, and to be circulated, widely and extensively, at the smallest possible expence, I have omitted those parts which appeared to be too learned or obscure to be readily understood, and others which, though useful, are less material." The Letter, in its present form, is an acceptable present to the Publick, and the more so as it is offered at a very cheap price. 58. On Superstition; a Sermon, preached in the Cathedral Church, Lincoln; at the Visitation of the Archdeacon of Siow, on May 27, 1819. By the Rev. Roger Frampton St. Barbe, A. B. Rector of Sudbrooke. 8vo. pp. 36. Rivingtons. IN a very luminous Discourse, from Psalms xxxi. 7, after observing that "True Religion will not admit of Error and Imposture as her supporters: she bears in her hand the word of life-genuine documents, to which if any man shall add, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in that book; and if any man shall take away from the words of that book, God shall take away his part out of the book of life'." (Revel, xxii. 18, 19.) -and that " Superstition and Infidelity reciprocate, when the direct path of pure Religion is forsaken;" Mr. St. Barbe thus proceeds: "The term Superstition, in its common acceptation at present, has been explained to comprehend unnecessary fears and scruples in religion; an observance of needless and uncommanded rites; the giving of reverence to beings which are not proper objects of reverence; a system of religion without morality *.' This should seem sufficiently broad, for it includes within its scope idolatry, will-worship, and fanaticism; and yet it does not altogether comprehend some of the most distinctive marks of superstition. Perhaps this disease of the understanding and of the affections may be said more generally to consist in some or all of these four * Dr. Johnson. particulars: a vicious faith in the efficacy of unwarranted means to discover the will of the Deity, and to propitiate his regard; -an unreasonable fear of imaginary or at least of subordinate beings;-an excessive scrupulousness in things lawful;— together with a very faulty system of morals. This description will perhaps touch upon most of the superstitious feelings and practices which have been indulged in by the votaries of false religions, or by the professors of that which is indeed true, but corrupted: such as divinations, auguries, and ordeals; charms, amulets, and relics; human sacrifices, self-inflicted torments, bodily maceration, and pilgrimages; enforced celibacy and compulsory seclusion from the world; enthusiastic experiences and ecstacies; to these may be added the nice performance of the lesser religious ordinances, to the utter neglect of the main duties of life enjoined by God. In short, Superstition arises from a misapprehension of Scripture, or from obedience in matters spiritual to suggestions of no divine authority." tion, from the idolatry of the reThe rise and progress of Superstimotest ages to the Emperors of Greece and Rome, and thence to the Papal Throne, and to the absurdities of modern Fanaticism, are well described, and illustrated by several appropriate and well-selected notes. 59. Guide to Youth; or Religion incul cuted upon Youth, from the Example of our Redeemer, and illustrated by a Biography and a particular Account of the last Hours of Henry Kirke White and William Langley, both of Nottingham; being the Substance of a Sermon, originally preached in the Parish Church of St.Mary, Nottingham, on the early Death of these two Pupils of the Author. By the Rev. S. Piggott, A. M. Domestic Chaplain to Viscount Lord Carlton, Curate and Af ternoon Preacher at Clerkenwell, and Sunday Evening Lecturer at St. Antholin's, Watling-street. Third edition, enlarged. 8vo. pp. 88. Seeley. "THE Author's object, in this third edition, is to diffuse among young people, more generally than could be done in a volume, a Biography of two amiable and accomplished Youths, well known to him in the two-fold character of his Pupils and Friends." An affectionate and well-meant tribute to the memory of two excellent young men; one of whom, Mr. Henry Kirke White, is well known to the publick by the Biography of Mr. Southey. Of the other, Mr. William Langley, ley, little more is told than that he was born at Nottingham, and educated partly there, and afterwards at Leeds, with a view to the University, and to Holy Orders,-that his piety and his modest humble deportment endeared him to many highly respectable friends; and that he died of a fever in the prime of life. ment between him and Leonora. During a campaign in Sicily, the gallant youth is recognized by a maternal relative, on whose death he succeeds to considerable estates in the kingdom of Naples. Under his new title of Chiaramonte, he gains the favourable regard of his commander Lord Trelawny, who, on their return to England, undertakes to advance his fortunes. The death of his Lordship's immediate successors, and certain political considerations, induce him to strengthen his influence by an alliance of the younger branches of his house with other noble families, and he discountenances the union of the plight arts of an intriguing lady of fashion, is on the eve of marriage with her, when a disagreement with his patron releases him from both engagements. A singular occurrence at length clears away the delusion which had alienated his parents from Lord Trelawny; the treachery of the intriguante is exposed, and the eclaircissement is attended with those consequences to the lovers which were devoutly to be expected. 60. Leoliu Abbey, a Novel. By Alicia Lefanu, Author of Strathallau" and "Helen Monteagle." Three vols. 12mo. AFTER attentively perusing this Novel, without pausing to detect particular blemishes; without staying to enquire whether certain parts might not be improved by curtailed pair. Alured, inveigled by the ment, and others by extension; and without taking exception to some of the episodes as usurping too large a share of the interest that should attach to the main story, we freely pronounce a summary decision in its favour. Most readers will frankly acknowledge the delight these Volumes have afforded them, which are constructed with that dramatic skill which prevents the slightest anticipation of the catastrophe, and are related in a strain of fervid eloquence, alternately serious and gay, according to the changeful complexion of the incidents. It is a tale which caunot be twice told, and which must greatly suffer, if divested of the animated language in which the Author has presented it. We shall therefore content ourselves with a concise sketch. The time of the action may be supposed to include a period of some years, terminating about the close of the late war; and the scene, though principally in England, changes occasionally to Sicily, Greece, and the Ionian islands. The leading characters, or in the customary phrase, the hero and the heroine, are Alured Vere and his cousin Leonora Montresor; but the personage on whom their fate, and inuch of the interest of the story may be said to depend, is their grandsire Lord Trelawny, distinguished alike as a warrior and a statesman, and retaining, in the decline of life, the fire and ambition of youth. Alured has been estranged from him through the machinations of a concealed enemy, to whom his parents have already fallen victims, and who thwarts the growing attach This rapid survey affords no glimpse of the multitude of subordinate characters introduced, and of the felicity with which they are delineated. Ia closing these sprightly and interesting Volumes, we have one hint to offer to the fair Author. If it be expedient that her next heroine should be introduced on the scene with an attendant animal, let it be of some gentle kind, a lamb, a fawn, or a greyhound, for instance. The tame lion that escorts Miss Montresor on her first appearance is too formidable, even in his rose-bound chain, to be tolerated in such company. This, and one or two other capriccios that we might mention, seem to have been purposely hazarded; and, indeed, if they are to be regarded as faults, it must be confessed that they have been amply retrieved. 61. Maurice and Berghetta; or, The Priest of Rahery. A Tale. 12mo. pp 306. Hunter. THIS singular Volume (for such it certainly is) common Fame ascribes to the elegant pen of William Parnell, esq. M. P. for the county of Wicklow; who thus concludes a long and interesting introductory address: "If any reader should feel disappointed in the want of dramatic interest in the following Tale, let him consider, that the Author's object is not to write a novel, but to place such observations on the manners of the Irish peasantry, as have occurred to him, in a less formal shape than that of a regular dissertation" How far Mr. Parnell's countrymen may be pleased with his accurate description of Irish mauners, is not for us to determine. There is a strange mixture of excellence and vulgarity in Father O'Brien, one of the most prominent characters. The adventures of the Hero and Heroine are extremely romantic, and even incredible. Still more so are those of Ana, the sister of Maurice; who, from being the orphan child of a poor Irish peasant, becomes a rich Princess, and the Arbitress of Fashion in the haughty Court of Spain. The whole "Tale," however, is entertaining, and many parts of it are excellent, 62, London; or the Triumph of Quackery. A Satirical Poem. By Tim Bobio the Younger. 8vo. pp. 64. Chapple. OUR honest friend Timothy candidly acknowledges, "that his principal incentive in publishing this trifle is the hope of transferring a few pounds from the purses of the readers into his own, which is unfortunately at this moment in a most poetical plight"-and we hope he will not be disappointed. London, which he justly characterizes as "the seat of Science ! The kind Protectress of each sister art! The school for truth and purity of heart! The mart of talent! erudition's focus!" is also "the grand emporium of Quackery;" of which our humourous Bard, in easy and desultory strains, exhibits numberless examples. One stauza may afford an example: "Behold by Tailors, Hosiers, Drapers, And editors of Sunday papers, The standard of empiricism unfurl'd; And each with confidence declares His news or other home-made wares, The very best and cheapest in the world. While Haberdashers forge on Quackery's mint, [and Flint. And chouse us with the names of Todd Spruce Auctioneers when Fortune sends a bidder, To bless their oft deserted mart, ne'er fail Smooth lies to tell, The time may arrive when I may view your fully expanded mind, but if this happiness is denied me, you will cherish this memorial of affection, and remember her, whose fervent prayer is that the fruit of maturer years may not disappoint the hopes that the fair bosom of your infancy created. In the following Letters I have adopted the sentiments and een the language of various authors, when they have expressed my meaning in clearer and more elegant terms than I was myself capable of; but in no one instance have I done this, but where I was convinced by personal experience of their truth; you are, therefore, not to look for originality, but to regard them as the opinions of many (agreeable with my own) brought to a focus, as a stimulus for you to peruse progressively the excellent volumes whence they are derived." Some useful Aphorisms form a good conclusion. 64. Essay on the Madras System of Education, its Powers, its Application to classical Schools, and its Utility as an Instrument to form the Principles and Habits of Youth in the higher Orders of Society. To which was adjudged a Premium of Fifty Pounds, by the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge and Church Union in the Diocese of St. David's. By the Rev. Harvey Marriott, Rector of Claverton, Chaplain to the Right Hon. Lord Kenyon, and Author of a Course of Family Sermons, Homilies for the Young, &c. pp. 64. Taylor and Bessey. THOUGH we are of opinion, with our Northern brethren, that life, when when advanced to a business age, may be much more usefully employed than in dissection of verbs in μ, yet we fully acquiesce with the warmest eulogist of classical education in its necessity, as being the best creatrix of taste, upon the difficult points of fine writing and sound judgment. We know that we have often at least seen in the writings of persons not classically educated, a clumsiness of execution, and more especially such a lack of precision in their ideas, that the sense is lost in vague generals; nor do such writers seem to possess that versatility and range of capacity which distinguish those who have drunk deep of the "Castalian spring." But abstracted from these advanlages, the mind, habituated in early life to the steady attention requisite in school-business, is found to possess the useful quality of being able to devote itself at any time afterwards to such close application as particu lar situations in life may demand. And that this is a most important qualification, it would be absurd to deny. Now, though we have no faith in the Madras or any other system adding much improvement to classical knowledge, in the present defective state of the English part of our Latin Dictionaries, yet we sincerely think that the desirable object of habits, of order, and close attention, are better secured by the Madras plan, than by any other. We perfectly coincide with Mr. Marriott in the following obser vation : "In that system there is an undoubted tendency to produce those habits and order in conduct which are legitimate subjects of education among the children of the rich, equally as among the children of the poor. If, therefore, the only objection against the introduction of that system among the higher orders, the incompetency of boys to do justice to the office of teacher to their peers, has been shown to be at least premature (inasmuch as to the elementary parts of classical education, few are now disposed to say it will not immediately apply,) a very strong additional motive may be hereby urged for the adoption of the Madras School in every seminary wherein the regulation of the conduct, early habits of good order, and the purest practices for self-government, are recognized as essential foundations of a Christian education." Pp. 42,43. GENT. MAG, March, 1820. The grand evil of classical educa tion is its tediousness. In Germany we are told that proficiency is ac quired in three years, chiefly by means of conversation in Latin.. Our grand desideratum in this country is a Dictionary, which would render all our English modes of expression in the pure Latin corresponding idiom; as "in my opinion," me judice; so the matter stands, "sic se res habet;" and many other such colloquisms, which are baldly rendered in our present promptoria parvulorum; because, in the greater part, they are mere transcripts of books, edited in an age when Monastic or Law Latin was only used. Horne Tooke said, we believe, that in Johnson's English Dictionary were no less than sixteen thousand words, which were never used in speaking or writing. We have seen small school English vocabularies which reject all such superfluous words, and we conceive that were there Latin Dictionaries simply confined to such words, and the idiomatic phraseology before mentioned; and were short English sentences orally delivered by the teacher or monitor to be extem poraneously translated, instead of writ ten exercises, the Madras system might be most usefully applied, as a more expedite method of acquiring the copia verborum and grammatical con struction. Declination and parsing, as interrogative, fall per se within the plan. We think also, under correction, that were the commencement of classical education to be limited to these modes of acquiring Latin, which the Reader will see proceeds exclusively upon the plan of rejecting at first the conversion of Latin into English, or construing, only supplying the grammar, idiom, and copia verborum, that then the succeeding labour of translating the Classicks would be reduced to almost nothing, because little or no Dictionary work would be wanting. The Reader will observe, that Mr. Marriott gives us no details of the processes used in classical seminaries, conducted according to the Madras plan; and all we know on the subject is, that Mr. Edgeworth has been most zealous in his endea vours to introduce it. But every reflecting person must see, that on account of the Dictionary labour, or acquisition of the copia verborum, re duction |
