and the other upon his goods.' The pedigree of this John Lloyd will appear in that of Lloyd of Rhosferig, from which it will be feen that his male iffue failed with his grandfon.

"Notwithstanding the diftance from markets, the badness of the roads, and the inclemency of the climate, during the greatest part of the year, a gentleman, of the name of Jones, poffeffed of confiderable property, real and perfonal, and a magiftrate in the commiffion of the peace for the county, has built a handfome houfe, called Llwyndrw, or the oak grove, in this parish, where he refides, and pays his attention principally to rearing theep, of which he is fuppofed to be the greateft proprietor in South Wales, if not in the principality; he is faid to have upwards of ten thousand, worth upon an average ten or twelve fhillings each. The Leicestershire farmer will fmile at the individual value of each of thefe diminutive animals; but let him introduce his rank, overgrown ftock to thefe mountains, and fee what his profit will amount to at the end of the year.

"The river, which gives name to this and the adjoining parish, fhould correctly be written Gwefin, a ftreamlet, being the diminutive of Gwês, that which moves on or-goes, (Owen sub verb.) as the Welth feldom if ever double the letters which always bear a hard found; I have, however, to accommodate English eyes, written it Gweffyn or Gweffin; after running a very few miles it lofes itself in the Irvon.

The nomination to this curacy, to which there is neither augmentation, parfonage house, or glebe, is in the vicar of Llangamarch.

"There are, as I apprehend, errors both in Ecton and the printed return of the commiffioners in the time of Queen Anne, as to the certified value of the curacy. In the latter, Llanvihangel Abergweffin is faid to be of the annual value of 181. and Llanddewi Abergweffin is omitted in Ecton; Llanddewi Aberg. weffin is faid to be 181. and no value is annexed to Llanvihangel Abergweffin, and in both Llanddewi'r cwm is faid to be of the annual value of five pounds, though the united curacies of Builth and Llanddewi'r cwm are valued in one fum at 10l. per annum, fo that probably for Llanddwei'r cwm, thus feparately calculated at Sve pounds, we should read Llanddewi Abergweffin.

The regifter commences in 1740, and the curacy is not in charge." P. 229. P. 229. Vol. II.

The execution of these volumes is very highly honourable to the state of provincial typography. They are remarkably well printed, and we have not had occafion to notice many errors. The work itself is one of the best of the kind we have perufed. The ftyle is vigorous throughout; the information of the author on all fubjects various and extenfive; his arrangements perfpicuous; and his diligence indefatigable. If we have any fault to find, and indeed we have very little, it is that he fometimes is apt to dilate upon matters of little relative

relative importance; and fometimes goes out of his way to animadvert on opinions of cotemporary writers unworthy of his notice. As Mr. Jones will neceffarily have reputation from his work, we truft he will also have, what does not always accompany literary reputation, emolument.

ART. II. British Georgics: by James Grahame. 4to. 350. pp. 11. 11s. 6d. Longman & Co. 1809.

HAVE not attempted,"

fays Mr. Grahame, "to exhibit

"I aimed, not

as to amufe; not to teach a science but to recommend the study of it."

This is the legitimate object of didactic poetry, which, when it heaps precept upon precept, in dry monotonous fucceffion, fails as completely of its object as it departs from the example of Virgil.

Mr. Grahame apologizes alfo, with equal modefty and good fenfe, both for the title of his poem, and for the attempt itfelf, after those able writers who have preceded him. It would be injustice to him not to lay the whole of this paffage of his preface before our readers, who will in general, we truft, become his also.

"If the title which I have chofen fhould be deemed an affum. ing one, I beg leave to obferve, that the word Georgics, though the title of the most beautiful and complete of Virgil's works, is as much the appropriate term for a poem on husbandry, as the word Tragedy is for a particular fpecies of dramatic compofition.

"In having chofen a theme that has been illuftrated by the genius of Virgil, I truft I fhall be acquitted of temerity, when.. it is confidered that the British ifles differ in fo many refpects from the countries to which Virgil's Georgics alluded;-in foil, climate, and productions, in men and manners, that the art of agriculture, in reference to the one, may well be confidered as quite a different fubject from what it is in reference to the other.

"That I have been preceded by Thomson, is a confideration of a more ferious kind. He no doubt, with a genius and felicity which none of his followers need ever hope to equal, has described many of the most striking appearances of Nature, and many of the moft poetical proceffes, fo to speak, of husbandry. though he has reaped, why may not others be permitted to glean?

But

"On the topics of that faithful and amiable painter of ruftic life, Bloomfield, I have rarely encroached; his allufions refer to a diftrict of the island, and to appearances and customs, very

different from those which I have had in my eye. My allufions relate chiefly to Scotland, to Scottish husbandry, scenery, and manners. At the fame time, I will venture to fay, that the modes of cultivation which I recommend are not, ftrictly speaking, local. That the scenery and manners are local, or rather national, is true; but the rules of agricultural improvement which I have inculcated, whether by defcription or direct precept, are equally fuitable to both divifions of the island. It may here be remarked, that the crops, in many diftricts north of the Tweed, are at least equal to any that England can boaft of; and that, in truth, Scotland has found a compenfation for the inferiority of her foil and climate, in the skill and enterprise of her husband. men." P. 3.

The truth is, that Mr. Grahame must always hold a refpectable place among rural poets; and though the equable and moderate ftyle of his Mufe, feldom reaches the heights attained by fome of his predeceffors; yet so pleasing is the picture of real nature which he has exhibited, (as poetical pictures of real nature always are) that every lover of nature and of poetry will contemplate it with pleasure, and return to it with frequent fatisfaction.

The poem is in twelve books, because the author does not, like Thompson and Bloomfield, take the feasons, but the months for his divifions. Nor is this difference without its advantage. It produces a more frequent change of character in the fubject; and the books, being proportionably fhort, do not fatigue the attention of the reader. Each book has a few notes; not ambitiously accumulated, but usefully fubjoined, either to confirm the author's opinions or illuftrate his allufions. From thefe, as well as from the poem itself, we shall colled a few specimens.

As the Georgics here given are those of Scotland, a part of their merit is that of delineating the manners and customs of that divifion of our island. The fcenery alfo is often improved by it. In the first books, after a folemn and poetical apoftrophe to Night, the author thus defcribes the wel come given by his countrymen to New Year's Day.

"Long ere the lingering dawn of that blithe morn
Which ushers in the year, the roofting cock,

Flapping his wings, repeats his laurum fhrill;

But on that morn no busy flail obeys

His roufing call; no founds but founds of joy
Salute the year,-the firit-foot's* entering ftep

*The firft vifitant who enters a houfe on new-year's day is

called the firft-foot."

That fudden on the floor is welcome heard,
Ere blufhing maids have braided up their hair;
The laugh, the hearty kifs, the good new year
Pronounced with honeft warmth. In village, grange,
And burrow [borough] town, the fteaming flaggon, borne
From house to houfe, elates the poor man's heart,
And makes him feel that life has still its joys.
The aged and the young, man, woman, child,
Unite in focial glee; even ftranger dogs
Meeting with briftling back, foon lay afide
Their fnarling afpect, and in fportive chace,
Excurfive fcour, or wallow in the fnow.
With fober cheerfulnefs, the grandam eyes
Her offspring round her, all in health and peace;
And, thankful that she's fpared to fee this day ́
Return once more, breathes low a fecret prayer,
That God would fhed a bleffing on their heads." P. 4.

In the fame book we have a lively description of the Scottish game of Curling, a game fimilar in its rules to Quoits, but played with large ftones on the ice. In this game, neighbouring parishes hold contefts of rivalry, as in England at Cricket, in a different feafon.

"Now rival parishes, and fhrievedoms, keep,
On upland lochs, the long-expected tryst*
To play their yearly bonfpiel t.. Aged men,
Smit with the eagerness of youth, are there,

While love of conqueft lights their beamless eyes,

New nerves their arms, and makes them young once more.
"The fides when ranged, the distance meted out,
And duly traced the tees t, fome younger hand
Begins, with throbbing heart, and far o'erfhoots,
Or fideward leaves, the mark: in vain he bends
His waist, and winds his hand, as if it still
Retained the power to guide the devious stone,
Which, onward hurling, makes the circling groupe
Quick start afide, to fhun its reckless force.
But more and ftill more fkilful arms fucceed,
And near and nearer till around the tee,
This fide, now that, approaches; till at laft,
Two feeming equidiftant, ftraws or twigs
Decide as umpires 'tween contending coits .

* "Appointment.

ice.

The marks."

A match at the game of curling on the

"In fome parts of Scotland, the ftones with which curlers play are called cooting, or coiting ftones.

C

BRIT. CRIT. VÒL. XXXVIII. JULY, 1811.

"Keen

"Keen, keener ftill, as life itself was ftaked,
Kindles the friendly ftrife: one points the line
To him who, poifing, aims and aims again;
Another runs and fweeps where nothing lies.
Succefs alternately, from fide to fide,
Changes; and quick the hours un-noted fly,
Till light begins to fail, and deep below,
The player, as he stoops to lift his coit,
Sees, half incredulous, the rifing moon.
But now the final, the decifive fpell,
Begins; near and more near the founding ftones,
Some winding in, fome bearing ftraight along,
Crowd juftling all around the mark, while one,
Juft flightly touching, victory depends
Upon the final aim: long fwings the ftone,
Then with full force, careering furious on,
Rattling it ftrikes afide both friend and foe,
Maintains its courfe, and takes the victor's place.
The focial meal fucceeds, and focial glass ;
In words the fight renewed is fought again,
While festive mirth forgets the winged hours.-
Some quit betimes the fcene, and find that home
Is fill the place where genuine pleafure dwells." P.

23.

This book concludes with a proteflation from the author that he paints

-no tale which fabling poet dreams,

No fancied picture of fome former age

When truth, and plain though ufeful knowledge dwelt
With virtue, pure religion, fimple joy,
And innocence, beneath the ruftic roof:
No, 'tis a faithful portrait, unadorned,

Of manners lingering yet in Scotia's yales."

A part of this general picture is the love and practice of reading, among the loweft orders, arifing from that admirable inftitution of parifh schools, the benefits of which have been fo long and widely felt in that part of the island. On this fubject, the profe reflections of the author being fill more important than his poetical effufions, we fhall introduce them in this place. Who is there that dares, he afks, "Deny the right of Englifamen to read."

On this he fubjoins the following reflections

"It is perfectly plain, that without the inftitution of parish fchoolmafters, fupported partly, as in Scotland, at the expence of the public, a great proportion of the children of the lower claffes of the people of England muft, for want of the means of inftruction, remain unable to read. I am far from afferting, that

the