accurately expreffed. It is probably the production of a young writer; who appears not defective in genius, but we cannot compliment him on his judgment.

The War of Wigs, a Poem, occafioned by a late Event in Weft minfier-Hall. 4to. 1. 6d. Kearfley.

This poem relates the events of a battle, raised without an object, and determined without either victory or defeat. A late commotion in Weftminfler-hall, from a cafual terror, feems to have fuggeted this wordy war, where ferjeants and barristers contend, with little dignity and lefs addrefs. Yet the battle gives occafion to the poet to defcribe the different perfonages, in fmooth and poetic, often in pointed and well-appropriated language :-this perhaps is all that we should expect; for, as Mr. Bayes obferves, a plot is of little ufe but to bring in good things. We shall felect the concluding lines as a fpecimen,

As o'er the troubled deep when tempefts rife,
And tofs the deafening billows to the skies,
Old Ocean's monarch, while the tumult raves,
Lifts his calm head, and chides his angry waves;
Sudden the clamor of the deep fubfides,
As Neptune fills the hoarfe refounding tides:
Thus rag'd the war, and thus the battle bled,
When M-sf-d rais'd his venerable head,

And hufh'd the ftorm. M--sf---d, in whom appears
New force of genius in decline of years:

Whom Law and Learning's various arts attend,
Aftræa's favorite, and Apollo's friend.

O bleft with all that greatnefs can renown,

The claffic laurel, and the civic crown!

Whofe facred honors ev'n in death shall bloom,

And future ages blefs the fweet perfume.'

An Epifle from the Rev. William Mn to the Right Hon. Wil liam Pitt, Chancellor of the Exchequer; petitioning for the va cant Laureateship. 4to. 6d. Dilly.

The report, whether true or falfe, that Mr. Mn was lately a candidate for the laureate fhip, has given rife to this piece of ridicule; the author of which likewife has proved fo far unfuccefsful as greatly to fail in the imitation of that ingenious gentleman's ftyle and manner.

An Epifle from John Lord Afhburton, in the Shades, to the Right Hon. William Pitt in the Sunshine. 4to. 25. Murray.

A political, doggrel, unpoetic production; in which the author, to fupply the want of wit, has been profufe of fcurrility, The Stone Coffin; or, a New Way of making Love. 4to. IS. Cattermoul.

The fubject of this author's poetry feems to have a fympathetic connection with his genius; for we never read any thing that deferves more to be buried in oblivion.

F 2

Poetical

Poetical Trifles. By Edward Trap Pilgrim, Efq. Smail Svo. 15. 6d. Debrett.

Thefe Trifles are rather calculated to amufe in a new spaper, than for a foundation on which the author's fame may fecurely reft. Some of them are light, eafy, and pleafing; others trifling and infipid.-Thofe who write on temporary fubjects muft neceffarily confine their praife to the uncertain period of the follies which they celebrate or fatirife.

Memoirs of Sir Simeon Supple, Member for Rotborough. Svo. ts. 6d. Kearfley.

:

The author has acted injudiciously, by reminding us of the inimitable and unimitated New Bath Guide. Thefe Memoirs resemble it; but must be arranged at a great distance from the work of Mr. Antey: they poffefs few traits of humour, little knowlege of human nature, and faint fparks only of poetic fire. The two following flanzas, part of the remonftrance of a condemned oak, are the most highly finished lines. Hold ruthlefs peafant! hold thy lifted arm, Nor let thy ftroke my bleeding rind divide; Ah! let my hoary age thy pity warm! Nor dare to pierce my venerable fide.

Thy axe has echoed through the fertile meads,
The diftant vallies fpread wild havock o'er;
And fhorn the mountains of their fringed heads
From yon tall manuon to the winding fhore.'

Of the other parts, the minifler's fpeech at the levee is by far the best; and we shall extract a few lines of it as a specimen.

"Sir Simeon Supple, I'll always contend,
For the honour to call you my intimate friend.
Dear fir, you're a pillar of rock to our party;
I hope you left all at the Grove well and hearty.
For your welfare, believe me, my wifhes are fervent,
And never can change-colonel Cutter, your fervant !
This vifit is kind! my dear colonel your hand;
I'm heartily forry-that vacant command-
'Tis frange, very flrange, that the **** should refufe!
But we foon fhall cut out a new gap in the blues,
Which none but yourself, my dear colonel, fhall fill,
If my voice can prevail-How d'ye do mifter Quill?
Dear fir, your last pamphlet was poignantly quaint;
I hope you've got rid of your ftomach complaint.
I believe we fall want a short eЛlay next week
On the fall of the flocks- dear fir Peregrine Sleek!

I proteft that I did not difcern you before,

And when, my dear friend, do you make the grand tour ? -
I'm glad to meet here my lord vifcount Mac Vane-
Your very obedient, fir Carpenter Plane!

Dear fir, you're a rule for my friends, 1 declare:

How long may it be fince you came from the Square?" The author difclaims any perfonal allufion; yet we fometimes fufpect that he verges towards it. But perhaps the scenes defcribed have been so often acted, that it is not eafy to repeat what may not, in fome degree, be applied.

Elegies and Sonnets. 4to. 35. Cadell.

Though we find not any thing peculiarly ftriking, or indicative of itrong original genius in thefe poems, they are by no means liable to critical cenfure. The language is pure, eafy, and grammatical. We think the Sonnets in general extremely elegant, and thall adduce the following on Love, in vindica tion of our opinion.

Ah! who can fay, to him that fondly loves
How ftrangely various every hour appears?
For roving with the wind his fancy roves,

And now in joys is loft, and now in tears:
If chance one ray of hope his bofom chears,
Defpair too foon the flattering fcene removes ;
Then the feverelt fnares of fate he proves,
Surmifes groundlefs doubts, and jealous fears.
Oh fad refemblance of an April day!

Gay fmiles the morn, deceitfully ferene,
Yet while it flatters, yields a dubious ray,
And clouds, and fudden darkness intervene,
Defraud the promife of approaching May,

And blast with ruthless forms the beauteous fcene.' Verfes on the Death of Dr. Samuel Johnson. 4to. 15. 6d. Dilly.

Dr. Johnfon has not been very happy in his paneygyrists: nor is the prefent author much more fuccessful than his predeceffors. He tells us, that a friend, whofe reputation is great in the literary world, and had a better knowlege of the fubject than he can pretend to, induced him, with a few additions, to Jay them before the public.' His friend muft furely be either infincere, or have acquired reputation very undefervedly. We found our opinion chiefly on his permitting the concluding lines of the poem to appear in their prefent state.

• Soon as the mind exerts a wish to stray
To learning's heights from custom's beaten way,
Hafte to the fun of fcience, wing thy flight,
Catch every glympfe of her directing light.
Then when Perfection's tedious goal is won,
And the eye opens to the mental fun,
Then if that fun her every ray fupplies,
Unmixt nor broken by Opinion's dies,

Then must thou own that ber informing beam,
Which nature lent in childhood dubious gleam;

"

And thofe pure lights which revelations throw
On all that human nature needs to know,
To genuine Science all ber hints convey,
As the clear fun-beam fires the lunar ray;
But if thy genius owns an humbler sphere,
Or weakly paufes in the bright career,
Let modeft Virtue on his life rely,

Or view him in the Chriftian hero die.'

Whether Dr. Johnfon is intended by this feminine fun of fci ence,' we can no more conjecture, than how its beams can fet the light of the moon on fire.' The author, or his learned friend, fhould have favoured us with a comment on this paffage. It is caviare 'to the million,' and will never be understood by the vulgar.

6

Death improved. An Elegiac Poem, occafioned by the Death of the Rev. T. Gibbons, D. D. By Richard Piercy. Svo. 6d.

Buckland,

The poem opens with the never-failing obfervations made ufe of by a long train of fucceeding bards in their funereal elegies. The author firft expreffes his furprize at Death's wide devaftation; that he fpares neither age nor fex,' neither weak nor ftrong in fhort,

Nor ought (aught) fuffices but the lives of all.'

Thefe deep reflections, on which funeral fermons have rung all the changes the fentiment could poffibly admit, naturally lead him to afk Death why he does fo?whence proceeds his thir of blood why blend the good and bad together.'

Why muft the kind, the gen'rous, the devout,

The brighteft lamps be all by thee put out.'

This of courfe introduces the principal fubject of condolence, as if he ought, on account of his great virtues, to have been exempted from the common fate allotted to all,'

Is not this earth already too obfcure?

Canft thou no chearing beam of light endure?
Muft Gibbons be extinguifh'd, whose mild rays

Shed gentle luftre on our gloomy days?

How various, how important his employ,
Let thofe attest who did his light enjoy;
Let Homerton, and Haberdashers-hall

To mind his learning and devotion call.'

After the catalogue of his virtues we have likewife the following cuftomary exclamation.

But now too late, too late 'tis to complain:
Gibbons the great, the good, thy hand has flain.'

The next lines however tell us, that we ought rather to blame
Sin than Death on this affecting occafion;

As all have finn'd, fo all for fin muft die.'

Thus

Thus concludes the fecond page, and with which we shall conclude our critique. What follows is much in the fame ftrain, and gives a higher idea of the author's piety than poetical abilities.

An Elegy on the much lamented Death of William Shepherd, Efq. Merchant, of Plymouth, who died, May 25, 1784. By the Rev. Herbert Mends. 4t. 6d.

An Elegiac Poem, &c. on William Shepherd, Merchant of Plymonth, who died, May 25, 1784. 4to. 6d.

Au Elegy on the much-lamented Death of William Shepherd, of Plymouth, Efq. an eminent Woollen-Manufacturer and Merchant: who, after bearing a very tedious Illness, with a moft ChriftianFortitude, died May 25, A. D. 1784, aged 54. By J. Macey, School-Mafter. 8vo. 3d.

The authors of thefelachrymofa poemata' feem rather to have eloped from Bedlam than Parnaffus. The first lays his fcene ultra flagrantia mænia mundi,' on the coaft of blifs;' and afterwards removes it to the third heaven,' where

Seraphs arrive

*

At the blue throne, and reach the topless height." However irreconcilable this expreffion may feem to common fenfe, the poem is precifion itself, when compared with that of the fecond bard's, which feems to have been dictated by the genii, if fuch may be fuppofed, of opacity and confufion. The author firit addreffes the diffenting preachers of Plymouth, to ' accept of his books, and purchase fmall Bibles with the amount thereof, and diftribute them as they may judge proper.' He then gives us another title-page, and another dedication to the reverend the clergy.

My friends, here take the law of laws !—a tafk,

O, ye priests of God,

Mofes, with his rod,

To quench the thirit of jew,
Made rocks to weep a flood;
So, to feed the poor,
With thefe books, allure
Them to their good! do you

Salvation preach;- Chrift's blood!

With hands impartial, give to all that afk'

Of the verfes we shall fay nothing; they fufficiently fpeak for themselves. But we cannot help expreffing fome degree of furprize, how the diffenting clergy are to purchafe Bibles with the fale of books they are defired to accept as a prefent: or how the author could forefee that Mr. Shepherd's death would oblige

*Bibles (purchased by a thousand of these poems, &c.) given to the poor to fulfil a facred promife made of fo doing on the fafe return of a friend from fa. "I have fworn and I will perform it." Pfalm cxix. 106,'