"It is a matter of much more furprize to me, when I confider things in this light, to find that the Spaniards are advanced so far as they are in arts and science, than to wonder that they are got no farther. If we add to this, the power and uncontrouled licence which the Inquifitors and Dominicans have to cenfure all works printed there, and, if they pleafe, to chaftife and punish the Authors, it would furely make a full apology for Spain in this article. I know not well how many licences a book muft have, before it can actually pafs the prefs, but I think at. leaft three. It is ufually read by as many Cenfors, and is carefully cleanfed by the catholic fpunge, before it falls under the eye of the public. The Inquifition never grants any licence, referving to itself the freedom of condemning or abfolving afterwards, as it may judge expedient. The art of this management is apparent. The Index of the Libri prohibiti publifhed by the Holy Office is now increafed to two large volumes in folio; and a man muft fairly turn over all that work, before he can well know what he dare read. The Claffics that I opened in the royal Library at Madrid, were anathematized in the title, with thefe words, Aultor damnatus; and many whole prefatory difcourfes were erazed and blotted out, because, as the Librarian told me, ils font contre notre religion. I have been told by a Spaniard, a friend of mine, that the Dominican Library, confifting only of books which they have feized, and which of courfe are forbidden, is one of the largest and finest in Madrid. I have heard many of them own, that the prohibited books were generally the moft worth reading. One in particular told me, that as Father Paul's Hiftory of the Council of Trent was forbidden to be read any where upon earth, he took it with him, and read it at fea." Refpecting the Spanish Poetry, our Author remarks, that "there is a wonderful air of fimplicity in their common fongs or fequedillas: that in fome pieces which I read in the Caxon de Saftre, or the Taylor's Drawer of Shreds, there was much sentiment, as well as dignity: vaft variety of measure, all formel on the old Roman profody; and in fome of them a pleafing air of romance; but grave, majeftic, moral, penfive, like the people themfelves. Very few attempts to wit or humour, and, I believe, none of drollery or buffoonry. Many upon love, but all in the drapery of the chaite Venus; no Erycina ridens, no Corinna, no loofe or debauched Euterpe, among that collection of fongs of the Spanish Nine." To this account of the Poetry of the Spaniards, we cannot cmit that of their Theatre. "When I went first to the Spanish comedy, it was the feafon for acting the Autos, that is to fay, plays for the fupport of the the Catholic Faith. I found at my firft entrance a good theatre, as to fize and shape, but rather dirty and ill lighted; and what made it worse, was an equal mixture of day-light and candles. The Prompter's head appeared through a little trap-door above the level of the ftage, and I first took him for a ghoft or devil, just ready to ascend to the upper regions: but I was foon undeceived, when he began to read the play loud enough for the actors and the boxes too, who were near him. The pit was an odd fight, and made a motly comical appearance, many standing in their night-caps, and cloaks; officers and foldiers intersperfed among the dirtieft mob, feemed rather ftrange. That which anfwered to our two-fhilling gallery, was filled with women only, all in the fame uniform, a dark petticoat and a white woollen veil. The fide and front boxes were occupied by people well dreffed, and fome of the first fashion. "When the play began, the actors appeared much better attired, that is, in richer cloaths, than thofe in England; and these they change perpetually, in order to let you see the expenfive variety of their wardrobe. After fome fcenes had paffed which were tedious and infipid, there came on an interlude of humour and drollery, defigned, I fuppofe, for the entertainment of the pit. But to quit this interlude, and return to the play: in procefs of time, and after fome fcenes had paffed, which were long, tirefome, uninterefting, and full of fuftian and bombaft, the grand scene approached; an actor dreffed in a long purple robe, appeared in the character of Jefus Chrift, or the Nueftro Senor, as they call him; immediately he was blindfolded, buffeted, fpit upon, bound, fcourged, crowned with thorns, and compelled to bear his crofs, when he kneeled down and cried Padre mi, Padre mi! My father! my father! why haft thou forfaken me?' After this he placed himself against the wall, with his hands extended, as if on the cross, and there imitated the expiring agonies of his dying Lord. And what think you, my friend, was the conclufion of this awful and folemn scene? why really one every way fuitable to the dignity and seriousness of the occafion: one of the actreffes immediately unbound Chrift, divested him of his crown and scarlet robes; and when he had put on his wig and coat again, he immediately joined the rest of the actors, and danced a fequedillas.After this one of the actreffes, in a very long fpeech, explained the nature, end, and defign of the facraments; you must know alfo, that the Spaniards admit a great number of foliloquies, full of tirefome, and uninterefting declamation, into their plays. In the laft fcene, Chrift appeared in a fhip triumphant; and thus the play concluded. I forgot to tell you, that Chrift before his paffion, preached to the four quarters of the world; Europe and America America heard him gladly, and received the faith; but Asia and Africa remained incorrigible." After the above fpecimen, the English Reader will not conceive a very exalted idea of the Spanish taste for theatrical entertainments. The diverfion of which the Spaniards are moft fond, is their bull feat. Of this, accounts are in feveral places to be met with; and Mr. Clarke gives a particular narrative of that which was exhibited on the public entry of the present King of Spain. His reflections on this amufement, contain a curious etymologie hiftory of it; which he traces from the Roman Taurilia. The nineteenth Letter contains, among other particulars, a circumftantial defcription of the perfon and manners of the prefent Monarch of Spain; an account of the reft of the royal family, and remarks on the court. On the whole, we cannot but confider this feries of Letters as a very entertaining collec tion; for which the public are obliged to the ingenious Author. The Death of Abel, a facred Poem, written originally in the German Language. Attempted in the Style of Milton. By the Rev. Thomas Newcomb, M. A. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Davis and Reymers. I' F Mr. Newcomb has not fucceeded in this tranflation, he is no lefs unhappy in the apologies he has made for it: thefe are, the merit of the original, his own age and infirmities, and the beauty of the type on which his book is printed. Though we can readily allow that the original has merit, that old men are infirm, and that Mr. Newcomb's work is elegantly printed, yet we cannot fee how any of thefe circumstances fhould entitle him to the indulgence of criticifm. The merit of an original is fo far from affording any excufe for an indifferent tranflation, that it renders fuch a tranflation still more inexcufable. In fuch a cafe, may we not afk the Tranfla or, why he did not avail himfelf of fo many beauties? why he had transfufed to little of the fpirit, tafte, or powers of his Author? and, if he was unable to do any thing of this kind, why he attempted fuch a task ? -The infirmities of age, indeed, afford a plea of a different kind, but even thefe can only be an excufe for not publishing at all; and furely the beauty of the type is exclufively the Printer's praife. The laft new ballad on a bloody murder, or the Ordinary of Newgate's account of the death of Daniel Blake, printed on the elegant type of Dryden Leach, would make as fair fair an appearance as the Death of Abel; and the beauty of the letter would plead with equal force in behalf of either compofition. Mr. Newcomb's poetical powers never rofe far above mediocrity; and they now feem to be verging down to a state of the moft frigid imbecillity: he was, therefore, furely, very unequal to a fubject where pathos and enthufiafm were fo cffential to excellence. He profeffes to have attempted this translation in the ftyle of Milton; but he resembles him in little more than the measure of his verfe, if, indeed, that can be called verfe, which has no other properties of it than a regular number of fyllables, which is neither diverfified by the various modulations of harmony, nor polished by the foftnefs of melody, or air. A dull monotonous measurement of fyllables, is more difagreeable to a judicious ear than the poorelt profe; fince the latter, tho' destitute of every peculiar beauty, would not at least difguft us with that eternal fameness, that unvaried identity of ftructure and cadence, of which the following defcription of Cain's facrifice, may serve as an instance: The fruits he gather'd from his fields were laid The pile a fire was plac'd; while on the ground But, this paffage being merely narrative, poffibly the Tranflator was more confined in his expreffion than he might be in the open and animated fcenes of defcription: the following quotation, however, from Abel's Hymn, cannot be fuppofed to lie under any inconveniences of that kind: Retire, O Sleep, from every drowsy eye; Fly far, ye hovering Dreams; Reafon again O'er O'er all the wide creation, from thy urn We shall make no remarks on the above paffage, but fhall leave it to our Readers either to accept it as a confirmation of the judgment we have paffed upon the whole book, or to draw conclufions from it more or lefs favourable to the Author, as they fhall think proper. Seven Sermons on public Occafions. By the moft Reverend Dr. Thomas Herring, late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Now first collected. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Whifton, &c. I Courice, firft Cererately publifhed, his collate on of the Dif T gave us fincere pleasure to fee this collection of the Dif Herring; Prelate of uncommon virtues, a man of extraordinary accomplishments, a candid Divine, a polite Scholar, a warm lover of his country, a true friend to liberty, religious as well as civil; and, of courfe, a moft fincere HATER OF PERSECUTION. Glorious character! rarely merited-rarely imitated! In the preface to this collection we have fome memoirs of this amiable perfon; by which we learn, that he was born at Walfoken, in Norfolk, in the year 1693; his father, Mr. John Herring, being then Rector of that parish. "He was educated in the fchool of Wifbech, in the Ile of Ely, under the care of Dr. John Carter, afterwards Fellow of Eton college. "In June 1710, he was admitted into Jefus college, in Cambridge: Dr. Warren, afterwards Rector of Cavendish, and Archdeacon of Suffolk, was his Tutor. "While he was a member of this college, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. But feeing no profpect of obtaining a Fellowship there, he removed himself, in July 1714, to Corpus Chrifti, or Benet college, of which he was chofen Fellow in Rey. Apr. 1763. X April |