the Prophet to commune or talk with him. The Prophet afks the interpreter, what was the meaning of the vifion he faw, of the horfemen in the Valley of Myrtles? The Angel who communed with him, was preparing to explain to him the vifion, when the Angel among the Myrtles gives the Prophet a short account, That they were miniftring An gels. The Angels themfelves give this farther account, ⚫ that upon their view of things, all were in great peace and ⚫ quiet in the world, and therefore it was a proper time to fet forward the building of the Temple, which was the great care and concern of Zechariah. Upon this the Angel who talked with the Prophet, farther to encourage him, and by him the Jews to go on with the Work, addreffes his prayer to God, the Lord of Hofts, Jehovah Zebaoth: and by the ¿ Jewish law and religion it was not lawful to pray to any one elfe. In this prayer he defires God would reveal to the Prophet, how long his anger should remain against Jerufalem, and the cities of Judah; or when their re-establishment, peace, and fecurity fhould be accomplished? Now as this prayer was thus addreffed to God, the Oracle from the Shekinah gives an anfwer, probably from the Myrtle Valley ⚫ where the miniftring Angels ftood, with good and comfortable words. Upon this the Angel who talked with Zechariah, gave him inftructions how he should prophecy for the en couragement of the people: Thus faith the Lord, I am returned to Jerufalem with mercies, my houfe fhall be built in it, faith the Lord of Hofts; and a line fhall be stretched forth upon Jerufalem, or the streets and the walls of it fhall be regularly rebuilt.'

In the conclufion of this fecond Effay, our Author makes fome obfervations on the foregoing appearances of the Shekinah, to explain the intentions and uses of it. I. These appearances were of early ufe, and long continuance. They began with our firft parents in Paradife, and continued as a perpetual evidence of Revelation. 2. It discouraged Idolatry, all images being forbid, and the frequent appearance at first, and afterwards the fixed refidence of the Shekinah in the Temple, rendered them ufelefs. 3. It fhewed that the prefence of Jehovah among them, was the prefence of an holy God that hated iniquity. All the worship of the Church was directed and offered to the glorious prefence of Jehovah, or the Shekinah.

In the third Tract are the texts of Scripture mentioned in the title-page, relating to the Logos. Mr. Lowman, in his explications

explications of thefe texts, generally expreffes himself in an obfcure manner; and appears ftrongly inclined to the hypothefis of Socinus: many of his pofitions cannot be well reconciled with the reft, but upon fuppofition that his real fentiments had a tendency that way. He fays, the Word was with God, and the Word was God, or GOD WAS THE WORD; that the Word was made Flefh, by dwelling or shekinizing, in Chrift; and that the Word, at the creation of the world, in giving the law, and as the object of divine worship in the Temple, did appear in all the majesty and glory of Jehovah, the Supreme God and Sovereign Lord of the creation.among

We are greatly at a lofs to fix a clear and confiftent sense on these, and other fimilar paffages, in this concluding Effay. For the WORD is fometimes represented as the individual perfon of God the Father, and fometimes, as a mere mode or quality of Being. But it fhould be confidered, that the Word was with God, and, therefore, diftinct from him with whom he was, That the word God, is a term expreffive of Dominion; and that as the Dominion of Chrift, who is never called Almighty God, is derived from his Father, fo may his Titles; and, confequently, that he is not equal with the unbegotten, underived, or neceffary exiftent God and Father of all. And this feems to be confirmed by the expreffion, that all things were made by him, and through whom God made the worlds, for this feems to imply a minifterial or fubordinate agency. We chufe rather to fay, this feems to imply fubordination, than to determine abfolutely concerning the meaning of these words. We are Reviewers, and, as fuch, are of no Party, that is, in other words, 'of no Herefy.

UR amorous Poets may, with propriety, be divided into the heroic, the claffic, and the witty. The firft, as the name denotes, are thofe who have derived all their ideas of this pleafing paffion from the paftoral or heroic Romance. To them, wretchedness is felicity; bondage, freedom, &c. The fentiments of their Heroes and Heroines are unnatural, and their actions frantic. Their Caffandras, and Cyruses, are equally extraordinary. To talk to the former of Love, is a capital

capital offence. Their rigour must be melted by the blood of Giants, Necromancers, and paynim Knights. They are familiar in defarts, where they fubfift on nothing; and make light of fcampering over impaffable mountains, and riding through unfordable rivers: they are always difguifed; and adventure is the business of their lives. The Paftoral Lover is a fubordinate fpecies of this clafs. The Swains are mighty good-natured, and never do mifchief to any, but themselves: a leap from a rock, or a plunge into a river, being their ufual catastrophe. The Shepherdeffes are vaftly coy, and mighty huntreffes. They wield the crook and the javelin with equal dexterity; and, although terrified at the voice or appearance of a lover, they make nothing of lopping off the head of a wild boar, or of thrufting a fpear into the jaws of a lyon.-The fentiments of both are either far fetched fuftian, or infipid conceit. Pan may favour them, but Apollo never. They are familiar with Pales, and the Dryads, but know nothing of Minerva. They are always wretched, and deferve always to be fo. They write Idylliums, Eclogues, Sonnets, Favole Bofcorechie, and Paftoral Tragi-comedies, which have every requifite of a poem but common sense. We are always forry when thefe inamoratos are prevented from fuicide, and pleafed when the farce ends in a marriage: fuch phantaftic Beings are only worthy of one another.

The Claffic Lovers were more common in the two laft centuries, than in the prefent. They are intimately acquainted with the history and adventures of Cupid and Venus; but know nothing of Love. They efteem Propertius more than Tibullus, and would rather have the honour of producing the Heroid Epiftles than the fourth Æneid. They are all Pagans, and talk a language which few Ladies, and almost as few Gentlemen, now a-days, underftand. They may be learned, but they have no paffion. Their compofitions fhew Memory and Fancy, but no fenfations of the Heart. They have a Corinna, because Ovid had one: and the must be inconftant, becaufe Gallus's favourite ran away with a foldier. They are loofe, without raifing paffion; and would rather write a good elegy, than be happy with their mis

trefs.

Your Witty Love-writers abounded in the court of Charles the IId. Like the old Mythogolifts, they reprefented Cupid as blind; and, in confequence of this, make him commit many merry blunders. Thus the poor God has more than once

mistaken

miftaken a citizen's fat wife (a) for his own mother, and Myra (b) in a riding-habit for Adonis. In their hands Love is, indeed, a Proteus; fometimes a God, and fometimes a Fire; now a Dart (c), then a Bird (d), and anon a Captain (e). If the Ladies praife their wit, they are the lefs follicitous about gaining their hearts; and depend upon it, the Witty Lover is always best pleased, when any one elfe would think he had the leaft reafon to be fo.

That the Author of the Ode on Love, which has given rife to the foregoing remarks, belongs to none of the clafes we have been defcribing; but that he is both the Lover, and the Poet, the following quotation will fhew.

Gentle God of loofe (f) defire,

Oft as the tumultuous breaft

Taftes the pure influence of thy genial Zeft,
The jarring paffions ftrait confpire;

And with harmonious fymphony

Unite, and center all in thee.

Stern Ambition drops his wand,

Av'rice opes her niggard hand;

Rage throws his blood-ftain'd falchion by,
And Anger melts with Pity's eye;
Revenge is lull'd, Care's tortures cease,
And all within is Calm and Peace.
STELLA, then come as kind as fair,
And with me Love's riches fhare;

The God himself fhall form the bow'r

With ev'ry fragant green, with ev'ry blooming flow'r.
There will we on the bed of pleasure,

Dying in eftatic blifs,

Deal out with lavish hand the treasure,

Exchanging fouls at ev'ry kifs.

Nor let the fober-footed dame

Caution, intrude upon our gen'rous flame;
Her harsh alloy

Embitters Love's mysterious joy :

(a) Prior.

(b) Lord Landsdown.

(c) Anacreon, Ode 14th.

d) Bion.

(e) An Ode intitled, Captain Cupid, in Dodfley's Mifcellanies, vol. 4th.

(f) We wish the Author had ufed fome other epithet, as this is the only indecent word in the Poem: and does not, indeed, feem quite appropriated to his own idea for it is virtucus love that he celebrates.

:

The God, the bounteous God fhall be our guide;
He fhall each niggard care deride, v

He fhall fupply, th' exhaufted flore; ch

With youth and beauty, by his fide,10 52
What Lover can be poor?

From feveral paffages in this ode, we may apply to the unknown Author, what Quintilian fays of Alcæus, with a very little variation, Si in lufus et Amor es defcendat, Majoribus tamen aptior.

We had almoft forgot to mention, that this Poem is farcaf ftically addreffed to the Lord HC.

The Idea of Beauty, according to the Doctrine of Plato. 8vo. Is. Edinburgh, 1756. Sold by Wilfon, London.

T titled, Phædrus.

A

HIS is an epitome of Plato's famous Dialogue, inThe Author, may, no doubt, be pretty converfant with his original, but he never rifes to Plato's fublimity, and fine turn of ridicule. Some parts he has expreffed with a brevity that becomes obfcure without the Greek text, fome few (a) he has mifinterpreted; others (6) he has omitted,

وا

(a) Thus, for inflance, he has tranflated exopos, advanced, inftead of brought with you, p. 14. variadas, nine million of years, in flead of nine thousand. And you he tranflates willow, inftead of Agnus Caftus.When Socrates had finished what he had to say, in ridicule of Lyfias, and was about to depart, fomething (or, as the Platonifts call it, his Dæmon) warned him, that he had spoken amifs, and that he ought not to be gone till he had expiated his crime. "Dreadful, Phædrus dreadful," fays he, "is the fpeech 64 you have advanced yourfelf, and compelled me to make.”

The

ufe of the word, Love,' (continues our Author) in fuch a fenfe as reproaches human nature, is the fault with which he charges both the difcourfes : But we can fee nothing of this in the original. (6) He omits the pretty tradition concerning the poet Stefichorus, who was punished with the lofs of fight, for his invective against Helen; but recovered it, on his praifing her, in a recantation. Vid. Platon. p. 343. Edit. Ficin. ann. 1590. The fine illuftrations of the perfon who knew the virtues of medicines, but neither the times, nor method of applying them; as alfo of Sophocles and Euripides, P. 353, are overlooked there are likewife many little incidents in the courfe of the dialogue, which he has not mentioned; but which give the originals an happy appearance of reality. Thus, when Socrates wants to be gone, Phædrus tells him, that as it was noon, and very hot, they had better remain where they lay, and chat till the cool of the evening. p. 342 fub finem.