The odes are of very different merit. Mr. Wraxal's geographical fpeeches are humorously fatirized. Some of the imitations are indifferent, and fome excellent; but it is needlefs to be particular in analyzing the beauties of this fummerfly, which vanifhes, and is forgotten before it can be fully examined. We fhall add the following, for the fake of the parody only. It is felected from the ode attributed to Dr. Prettyman: the reader will not want our affiftance to decide on the fubject; for it is probable that his feelings, if not warped by party, will outstrip his judgment. Recitative for the celebrated female finger from Manchester, Poor Manufacture, tax-lamenting maid, Now, dreading Irish rape, • With vifage hard, and furnace flush'd, In furly-penfive mood. Air, accompanied with double baffoons, &c. The anvil mifs'd the wonted stroke; In air fufpended hammers hung, While Pitt's own frauds came mended from that tongue. Air. • Sooth'd with the found the priest grew vain, And added hundreds more; And then the whole forfwore, Criticisms on the Rolliad. Ν IN Part I. Corrected and enlarged. 8vo. 35. 6d. Ridgway. our Fifty-eighth Volume, page 473, we reviewed the firft edition of thefe Criticifms. Is is but juftice to own, that they are fince much enlarged and improved: the ridiculous parts are are heightened, the perfonages are more accurately difcriminated, and fome collateral circumftances added, which greatly improve the fpirit of the whole. We have, in the former article, given our opinion of the tendency of these publications, and are forry to be obliged again to remark, that illnature and difappointment are ftill too confpicuous, and diminish the pleasure we should otherwife receive from lively wit and pointed humour. The parts too, which relate to Mr. Rolle, are not equally diftinguishable for their spirit and their juftnefs. The Scrutiny is now almost forgotten; but our readers will yet feel the force of the fatire in fome parts of the following diary: Lord Melcombe's Diary has become fo universal a theme of polite criticism, that it seems many of our young courtiers intend to follow the example, by keeping a register of fuch parts of their conduct as they think moft worthy of being transmitted to pofterity. The following fpecimen of this new mode of Mifcellaneous Memoir, though well known in the fashionable world, may perhaps be new to our country correspondents: Lord G- -'s Diary, during the first week of the new Parliament. May 20. Went down to the houfefworn in-odd facesafked Pearson who the new people were he feemed cross at my asking him, and did not know-I took occafion to infpect the water-closets. N. B. To tell Rofe that I found three cocks out of repairdidn't know what to do left my name at the duke of Queenf berry's dined at White's the peafe tough-Lord ApЛley thought they ought to be boiled in fteam-Villiers very warm in favour of hot water- -Pitt for the new mode-and much talk of taking the sense of the club-but happily I prevented matters going to extremity.' 23. Hyde Park-Pitt-Hamilton, &c.-Moft of us agreed it was right to bow to lord Delaval-Pitt won't to any one, except the new peers-dined at Pitt's-Pitt's foup never falt enough-Why muft Prettyman dine with us?-Pitt fays, to-day he will not fupport fir Cecil Wray-Thurlow wanted to give the old toaft-Pitt grave-probably this is the reason for letting Prettyman stay. May 24. Houfe-Westminster election-we fettled to always make a noife when Burke gets up-we ballotted among ourfelyes for a fleeping committee in the gallery-Steele always to call us when Pitt fpeaks-Lord Delaval our dear friend!Private message from St. James's to Pitt-He at last agreed to fupport fir Cecil. 25. Bankes won't vote with us against Grenville's billEnglish obftinacy-the duke of Richmond teazes us-nonsense about confiftency-what right has he to talk of it ?-but muft not not fay fo-Dundas thinks worse of the Westminster business than-but too hearty to indulge abfurd fcruples. 26. Court-King in high fpirits, and attentive rather to the duke of Grafton-Queen more fo to lord Camden-puzzles us all-So it is poffible the duke of Richmond will confent to leave the cabinet?-Dinner at Dundas's too many things aukwardly ferved-Joke about Rofe's thick legs, like Robinfon's, in flannel.' The extracts from lord Mulgrave's fuppofed Effay on Eloquence are highly humorous, and the epigrams addreffed to lady Wray, in the ftyle of the author, are entertaining and characteristic. Those on Dr. Prettyman are too much on the fame fubject, and we have given a fufficient fpecimen of it in the extracts from the Probationary Odes: every language is employed in accumulating ridicule, and diverfifying the fame idea. Since this article was written, a new edition of the Rolliad has been published, to which a new dedication, fome additional lines, and two entire numbers have been added. The Supplement to the former edition is fuppreffed, for the present, and feems defigned to make part of a new publication. FOREIGN ARTICLES. Mon Bonnet de Nuit. Par M. Mercier. T chatel. 2 Tom. 12mo. Neuf HERE are ftrong marks of good sense and reflection in this work, but the popularity of the author has affifted its fale; and we own, that we are fomewhat difappointed, when we confidered that the fame pen had produced the Tableau de Paris.' Yet, confidered abftractedly, thofe volumes poffefs fome fhare of merit; and it is fufficient not to know the work juft mentioned, to receive much pleasure from them. M. Mercier tells us, that he has contracted the habit, on returning home or retiring to reft, to write down the reflections which the adventures, or the ftudies of the day have excited. How pleafant is it, fays he, to converfe in our clofets, by means of our pen, with a night cap on our heads.' From this circumstance the volumes are called MY NIGHT CAP. A work of this mifcellaneous kind cannot be abridged; it might have been ftyled a philofophical dictionary, if it had been arranged alphabetically; and if it fell fhort of Voltaire's celebrated work in wit and acutenefs, it would have exceeded it in morality and religion. In thefe refpects, it is unexceptionable. It is however certain, that the work, in all its parts, is not very confiftent with its title. A dream may be fuitable to a night cap; but it is not related in confequence of the adventures of the day, though it may have arisen from them. Fables are ftill lefs connected with a night cap; yet this volume confiits not only of reflections, but of dreams, fables, epiftles, and difcourfes. It is of no confequence; we are generally entertained, and he must be a faftidious critic, who diflikes a work, because it is not quite confiftent with the title. We know not when we have been more perplexed to select a fpecimen we have again looked over these volumes, and feetn to have fixed, when fomething more fprightly, or more new, has attracted our attention. Is it for this reafon, that we select a paffage near the end, when we could meet with little to induce us to change? Let metaphyficians tell us; for it is enough that we ftop at the Mongolfier balloon, and select from the conclufion the wonderful difcoveries of the year 1783. Our author is not however very correct in his epochs. The year 1783 has been a year of wonders: we make We imitate the forwater without air, and air without water. mation of hoar-froft and fnow; we fee how a leaf of a tree perfpires: we fpeak with knowledge of the electricity of vegetables. Comus has conquered the electrical fluid, and applied it to the cure of our difeafes with fuccefs. The Abbé Spalanzani has published his new experiments on digeftion, and hinted at those on generation, not lefs new, and fill more furprising. Dex-, trous philofophers have made fubtile remarks, and nice experiments on the hygrometer. An Englishman, called Wright, has walked under the waters; and, if the hope of procuring pure air be realized, we fhall reach the bottom of the fea, and draw thofe rich curiofities, that its greedy bofom has hitherto concealed. up We have grafted on the old flocks of the vine, and this we have found in the stalks method has many advantages; of mallows, a thread more foft than hemp, and more ftrong than flax. Mesmer, armed with a new medicine, which astonishes the faculty, is returned. By a furprifing trick, a child's doll has spoken: an ingenious philofopher, with all the air of a magician, has enabled us to fee the whole progrefs of vegetation. In an obfcure corner, which will be celebrated by the difcovery, the doctrine of affimilatory fermentation has begun to be perceived. Water may be changed into vinegar, wine, or any other liquor, without preffing through the complicated fibres of wood, or the flow capillaries of vegetables. The change is fudden, by the great law, aut fuperat, aut fuperatur ; ubi virus, ibi virtus. Who will understand the force of these words? This discovery, yet in its infancy, will make a revolution in chemistry. I am confident of it. Another phænomenon of the fame year! This is a brazen head, imitating the human voice, articulating and pronounc ing like ourselves, words and phrafes. If the ancients had made fuch, and they had reached us, there would have been no dead I languages; languages: they would have lived in brazen mouths, which would have taught diftant generations founds and accents, and we fhould have known how Greek and Latin were spoken. You, who traverse the salt plains of the ocean, fear no more the most cruel misfortunes, the want of water: the fea-water will become fit for your ufe, by a fimple and eafy process. Add to the prodigies of an aerial navigation, the extraordihary events of the fame year; the earthquakes which have overturned Meffina, and defolated Calabria; the volcanos of Iceland; the peace which has established in America a kingdom, compofed of ftates, which will grow, expand, and difplay to the whole world the enfign of liberty; the crefcent, alarmned at the preparation of two powers, who, uniting their forces, seem to be aiming a blow, which fixes the attention of Europe, keeps it in fufpenfe, and embarraffes the politics of nations. Add also, the fingular crifis of the English government, the fituation of Holland, always irrefolute; the city of Dantzic blocked up and kept within its own walls; the death of celebrated mathematicians: laftly, fome strange commotion raifed in the minds of people in general, which difpofes them to the most dangerous undertak ings, to the most uncommon fituations. All ought to make the year 1783 the most remarkable and aftonishing. 6 Age of Auguftus, of the Medici, of Lewis the XIV. fo celebrated by painters, fculptors, orators, architects, and poets; you may well vanish before an age, marked by fo many memorable epochs! The impatient genius of my contemporaries, claiming its free range, requires permiffion to expand it would manage the univerfe, in fpite of the obstacles which cold, contracted fpirits would put in its way it would filence detrators, and be fubfervient for this purpose, even to thefe little gloomy, envious, jealous, and wicked characters, who are pleafed with ftopping the progrefs of fcience: it would wish that the prefent reign, fince it protects and rewards the arts, fince it is illuftrated by the most brilliant discoveries, may be for ever celebrated. And why fhall not the paffing transactions of the prefent age be related a thousand years hence? The glorious conquefts of genius, of the arts over the dark incommunicative pages of the book of nature. The Lord has opened it before our eyes, let us learn to read it. O philofophy! O chemistry! O kings, protect these important fciences !" The attentive reader will be pleased with the account of various circumstances, concerning which, perhaps, his opinion will be very different from that of M. Mercier. He will be furprised too, at having never heard of thefe important difcoveries; but we must wait, for we are told that fome of them are yet in their infancy. May they foon advance to maturity! Report |