And all regardless of the fcenes it leaves,
Skimming o'er bending blooms, and ruffet fheaves,
MATILDA fled! the clofing Night pursued,
And the cold INGRATE fcarce I longer view'd;
Her form grew indiftin&t-each step more dim,
And now a diftant vapour seems to swim,
Her white robe glistens on my eye no more,

Its flrainings all are vain -THE FOND DELUSION'S O'ER.
MY SONG SUBSIDES, yet ere I clofe
The ling'ring lay that feeds my woes,
Ere yet forgotten DELLA CRUSCA runs
To torrid gales, or petrifying funs,
Ere bow'd to earth my lateft feeling flies,
And the big paffion fettles on my eyes;
O may this facred fentiment be known,
That my adoring heart is ANNA's Own;
YES, ALL HER OWN, and tho' ANOTHER claim
Her mind's rich treasure, ftill I love the fame ;
And tho' ANOTHER, O how bleft! has felt
Her foften'd foul in dear delirium melt,
While from her gaze the welcome meaning sprung,
As on her neck in frantic joy he hung,

Yet I will bear it, and tho' Hell deride,

My pangs fhall foothe, my curfe fhall be my pride.
Nor can He boaft like me; O no, He found
The tranquilizing balm that cures the wound;
He never knew the loftier blifs, to rave,
Without a pow'r to aid, a chance to fave;
He never bath'd him in the Nightfhade's dew,
Nor drank the pois'nous meteors as they flew,
Nor told his rending story to the Moon,
Link'd with the demons of her direft noon;
He never fmiled Diftra&tion's ills to fhare,
Nor gain'd th' exalted glory of despair.

Then be it HIS, for many a year t'enfold
Thofe charms, and wanton in her curls of gold,
Drain the sweet fountain of her eye's fond stream,
And fancy fuff'rance but the wretch's dream;
While I will prove that I deferve my fate,
Was born for anguish, and was form'd for hate,
With fuch tranfcendent wce will breath my figh,
'That envy'ing fiends fhall think it EXTACY,

And with fierce taunts my cherish'd griefs invade,

Till on my pow'rlefs tongue the laft MATILDA" fade.” Two portraits, one of Della Crufca, the other of Anna Matilda, are additions to thefe volumes.

Art. 28. The Deluge: a Poem. By the Rev. John Roberts, M. A Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. 4to. pp. 16. 1 s. 6d. Cadell. 1789.

Mr. Roberts was the fuccefsful candidate for Seaton's prize, in the university of Cambridge. We naturally attend, with fome de

grec

gree of expectation, to the effufions of the Laureat of this favoured feat of the Mufes; and though we have often been disappointed, we ftill hope for better things from genius thus voluntarily coming forward; actuated, too, by the view of other reward, than merely that of fame. We can not, however, fay much in commendation of the prefent performance, which, throughout, is full of turbulence and agitation. The author appears to be labouring to make his verfe, like his fubject, vaft and profound. He wishes to be great, and he becomes unwieldy.

On the cloud-piercing hill,

Offa or Pelion, why has Ocean left

His produce, vermeil coral, blanched shell,
And weed? why fleeps the tyrant of the Nile,
Arm'd with thick fcales, like ferried plates of fteel,
In dank Pannonia's marfhes?".

In the fame ftyle, it is asked,

• Whence that shout,

Herald of Riot's orgies?

From Eastern Nod

This laughing bevy came; anon the lute,
And timbrel's dulcet cadence floats around,
Unhallow'd minstrelfy!' &c.

We afterward learn that,

With these the fhepherds dalliance held: too foon
By wanton fmiles, by mincing delicate airs,
And words, than oil more fmooth, eftranged.
- from fmould'ring luft

Connubial Love caught inaufpicious fire,
And veiled his facred myfteries in blood.
Then did rank Inceft, and Polygamy,
Unnatural pair, rush forth; a giant brood,
(Such as Typhæus, feign'd of ancient bards,
Or Otus, fprung from Neptune,) deeds atchieved
Of puiffant prowess, and rough hardiment.'

Oh moft lame conclufion!

In the next page, we find that,

- bright fpots of ruddy fire

Flecker the azure vault, with dusky hue
Deep-fkirted, couriers of the ftorm-anon
With furious expedition falls the rain,

Darting impetuous down; the cowling Sky
Darkness invefts, deep doleful fhade, one night,

Night palpable!'

After much more to the fame purpose, the Spirit of the waters' is introduced, driving the winds before him; not, however, without receiving a blast in return;

The Spirit of the waters stalks abroad,
Exulting in the ftorm, and drives the winds
AEV. OCT. 1790,
e

Tranfverfe

Tranfverfe along heaven's champaign, which 'gin blows
In hardy oppofition. He with arm

Gigantic, and grim joy, troubles the deep,

Which rofe from earth to heaven: the lathing furge
Impetuous rolls, and had a fhip been there,
Devouring winds had torn the crackling maft
To atoms piecemeal,' &c.-

Oh moft lamentable conclufion, again!

"Ceafe rain," pronounc'd th' Almighty; the rain ceas'd. We fear that this imitation of a beautiful and fimple expreffion in fcripture, will not imprefs the mind of the reader with that fenfation of fublimity, which it, doubtlefs, was intended to produce. Perhaps Mr. Roberts has fucceeded better in the following inftance of correspondence between the found and the fenfe. Who can deny that the fudden and jarring ftoppage of a fhip running aground, is finely defcribed by the jolt in the verfe:

• The waves

Subfiding, funk as if by gentle ftealth
Infenfible. On Ararat the Ark

Stopt.'

Our minds are here jerked forward, as our bodies would be, in the ship.

Art. 29.

1790.

The Prifon, a Poem. 4to. PP. 52. 2s. 6d. Printed for the Author, and fold by Staiker, &c. The writer of thefe verfes has informed us, in a private letter, that his fituation in life is not elevated; and that he poffeffes no advantages from education.-Such, however, is at prefent the diffufed ftate of learning and knowlege, that almost every one comes in for a fhare; and, in general, a little fhare is fufficient to enable its poffeffor to fet up as an author. It happens, nevertheless, that fometimes they who call themselves unlettered, have in reality read a number of volumes; and here we are in a manner tricked into giving a degree of applaufe, which arifes only from our furprize. The author of the Prifon' fhews more learning than we could have expected, as he quotes from books which are not ufually confulted by perfons who move in his inferior fphere. Still, however, as he cannot imagine himfelf qualified to inftruct, his motive for publishing can only be to amufe. Now, as he has asked our opinion on this cafe, we will honefly fay, that if, by publishing, he injures his pecuniary circumstances, he had better defift, fince it would be unreasonable to diftrefs himself in order to add to the public amusement: nor would he gain this end, fince his books could not be read if they were not fold. On the contrary, if neither his finances are injured, nor his time is mifemployed, in the fervice of the Mufes, we can have no objection to perufe verfes, which, though faulty, are fuperior to thofe of many of his rhyming contemporaries.

* A livery servant, if we mistake not.

We

We add the four following ftanzas, as a favourable fpecimen of

By fiction rais'd, the legendary tale

Refounds with caftles drear, and giants fell;

With famith'd knights, whom brazen walls impale,
And virgins fair, entranc'd by magic spell.

In real life too oft the like was fhewn;

Too oft our annals teem with just complains,
That violence here has into fetters thrown
The patriot, the hero, and the faint.
And when contending chiefs th' imperial claim
Suftain'd by feudal clans and barons bold,
An iron rod the fceptre's felf became ;

The throne a portal to fome death-fraught hold.
AUGUSTA's fort* can ample proof fupply,

Where maffacre and treafon center'd then ;
And still a type appears, to fancy's eye,

Of regal bondage in the lion's den.'

Art. 30. A Complimentary Epistle to James Bruce, Efq; the Abyfa finian Travelter. By Peter Pindar, Efq. 4to. pp. 39. 2s. 6d. Kearfley.

1790.

Still keeping, as we lately remarked t, his watchful eye on the times, and feizing thofe objects that are most suitable to the tafte of his Mufe, and most likely to answer every purpose of publication, this keen hawk of Parnaffus now fixes his piercing talons on Mr. Bruce; whofe travels have been, for fome months paft, one of the principal topics of public animadverfion. He treats this work as abounding, like the lucubrations of Katterfelto, with "Wonders!-Wonders!! -Wonders!!!" and accordingly, the poem before us is a continued ridicule of the celebrated traveller, and his extraordinary narratives. -We do not think this production of Mr. Pindar's the happieft of his prolific Mufe: but we are of opinion that it contains fome fine ftrokes of humour, and many very laughable paffages. The following extract will fhew our readers in what vein of pleafantry he treats his prefent fubject.

Affecting to compare his own rambles abroad with the travels of Mr. B. he thus points out the mighty difference between his private unexaggerated remarks on the fcenes which he vifited, and the defcriptions which would have been given of them by the explorer of Abyffinia.-As we cannot tranfcribe the whole paffage at length, a few lines from it may fuffice:

O had thy curious eye beheld, like mine,

The ifle which glads the heart with richest wine!
Beneath its vines, with common clusters crown'd,
At eve my wand'ring fteps a paffage found,

*The Tower of London.

+ See his Ode to a future Laureat,' Rev. vol. ii. of the New Series, P. 447. + Madeira.

Where rofe the hut, and neither rich nor poor,
The wife and husband, feated at the door,

Touch'd, when the labours of the day were done,,
The wire of mufic to the fetting fun;

Where, bleft, a tender offspring, ranged around,
Join'd their small voices to the filver found.
But had thine eyes this fimple scene explor'd,
The man at once had fprung a fceptre'd lord;
Princes and princeffes the bearns had been ;
The hut a palace, and the wife a queen;
Their golden harps had ravish'd thy two ears,
And beggar'd all the mufic of the fpheres ;
So kind is nature always pleas'd to be,
When vifited by favourites like thee!

Strange! thou haft feen the land, that, to its fhame,
Ne'er heard our good -----'s virtues nor his name!
I've only feen thofe regions, let me fay,
Where his great virtues never found their way.

Alas, I never met with royal scenes!

No vomits gave to Abyffinian queens!
Drew not from royal arms the purple tide,

Nor fcotch'd with fleams, a fceptre'd lady's hide :
Nor, in anatomy fo very flout,

Ventur'd to turn a princefs infide out;

Nor, blushing, ftripp'd me to the very skin,
To give a royal blackamoor a grin.

I never faw (with ignorance I own)

Mule-mounted monarchs feck th' imperial throne ;
Which mule the carpet fpoil'd--a dirty beast!
Firft ftal'd; then-What?-Oblivion cloud the reft.
I faw no king, whofe fubje&s form'd a riot,
And, imp-like, howl'd around him for his quiet.
Nor have I been where men (what lofs, alas!)
Kill half a cow, and turn the reft to grafs.'

Those who have perufed Mr. Bruce's Travels, or even our extracts from them, will be at no lofs to judge of the propriety of Mr. Pindar's allufions to particular paffages in them, in the lines above quoted.

The poem concludes with a brace of very pretty odes; in the first of which, the mirthful bard again * glances at Mr. Bofwell; fuggefting an idea of the travelled merit of that gentleman, placed in comparison with that of Mr. Bruce.

Art. 31. Selec Poems on various Subjects, with an Introduction, wherein is briefly stated fome Obfervations on the Progress of Aftronomy among the Ancients. By Jane Smith. 12mo. pp. 71. 2s. 6d. Printed for Mrs. Smith, Norfolk-ftreet, near Bandyleg Walk, Borough.

Poems from Bandy-leg Walk! Were we to be biaffed by names, we should fay there was fomething ominous in this title, and, like

See his Congratulatory Addrefs to J. Bofwell, Efq; on his Jourmal of a Tour, &c. mentioned in the 74th vol. of our Review, p. 307.

II

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