the taking measures against the paflage of the Pruffian army through Saxony, by affembling an army in the Circles of Bohemia, and ordering Marshal Brown to concert secretly with Marshal Count Rutowski, are cited : as also Count Flemming's an{wer, of July 7, importing, that Count Kaunitz had aflared him, that the Generals who were to comma mand, would be forchwith named ; and that one would be appointed to form the concert with M. Ratowiki. Moreover, that M. Kaunitz had fare ther encouraged the court of Saxony, not to betray any dismay, or uneasiness, but, on the contrary, to fet a good face on their affairs, by providing against the worlt; as he heard, with "pleafure, the King of Poland had begun to do, by the orders 't he had already given to the said Count Rutowski: and cwo passages more are added; one, a piece of advice from M. Flem. ming, to grant a pasiage to the Russian troops ; and afterwards 3. to take fuch measures as should be moit proper ; the other, a Declaration from the Empress-Queen to the said Minister, in 'the terms following:{". That the required nothing, for the pre 3:0 fent, from the King of Poland, as she was very fenfible of his cibo ** ticklish fituation. That, however, the hoped, he would, in - " the mean while, put himself in a good posture, in order to be 56 prepared, at all events. And that in cale any breach should " happen between her Majesty and the King of Prelia, the - would, in time, not be averse to concur, in case of need, in the necessary measures for their mutual security.” 16. Thus we have given such a Review of the principal grounds and reasons afsigned by this great Prince, in justification of his Conduct, as we thought the importance both of the cafe and ('the crisis deserved. And upon the whole matter, we may be allowed, we hope, to say, that Saxony was, on the 'one hand, the dupe of her own avidiiy and irresolution ; and, on the other, of the haughtiness and fifness of the court of Vienna : having enough embroiled herself, by her negociations, to furnith Prufia with sufficient matter of complaint againt her ;. and ye: not perfected any one ftipulation at either of the courts, she had been fo long caballing with, for her own security, or indemnification. As allo, that Prussia, beset on every fide with (nares and danIgers, has acted agreeably to the molt perfect rules of policy, in redeeming time at her enemy's expence, io chusing to make Saxony the seat of war first, and keeping the calamities resulting from it, as long as possible from bursting in upon her.;' But, it may be also here observed, that if ever a powerful diversion on the Continent could be of any signal service to Great Britain, it would be now. If ever it Bould, or could, be worth of four while to pay largely for it, it would be now: Ye', while the onion of the Germanic Body, by which alone it can be cbrained, is thas miserably broke to pieces, the Commodity is not to be had, were we still able to pay the price of it: so ihat which side foever shall be victorious in the present content, France will have as much cause to exult, as cai Britain may ha to mourn. The IV. The Counterpoifa: or, B-g and the My fairly {tated. By a By-Stander. 8vo. Is. Robinson. This By-Stander knows nothing of the matter : his performance is too low, and insignificant, to deferve more particular notice. V. The Memorial of his Prussian Majesty, exhibiting the Conduct of the Courts of Vienna and Dresden, To which are annexed, the original Papers found in the Cabinet of the King of Poland. 8vo. is. 6d. Bizet. This is only another translation of the fourth article of the Four important Pieces, &c. See its title, p.641; the lalt paragraph. POETICA L. VI. The Genius of Britain. An Iambic Ode. Addressed to the Right Hon. William Pitt, Elg 4to. 6d. Cooper. The Mufes are never so amiable as when they appear on the Side of Liberty; in which cause the unknown Author of this Ode is no contemptible Volunteer*, as the three following Atana zas, with which the Genius of Britain concludes this poem, will evince. Look back on ev'ry deathless deed For which your Sires recorded fand; The fops of Toil, a hardy band ; America's sad Genius lies ; And calls on me his fanguid eyes ; His wrinkled brow denouncing war; And Justice drove his airy car ; * In his Dedication to Mr. Pitt, he thas fpeaks of himseife Above Temptation, and unaw'd by Pow'r, Altho Altho" the word Vates fignifies, both a Poet and a Prophet, time can only discover how far the Author is intitled to the latter apo pellation; and, therefore, we shall only remark, that the imagery of the first stanza, is an imitation of an Ode, which was written in the year 1744, on the battle of Preston-Pans, by a Gentleman of Scotland. VII. A Poetical Epistle, occafioned by the late Change in the Adminiftration. Addressed to the Right Hon. William Pitt, Ergs 4to. 60. Hinton. On the perusal of this dull piece, immediately after the foregoing very different performance, we could not avoid recollecting the Fable, wherein the Ass, with his hideous braying, and aukward gambols, takes upon him to caress and fawn upon his owner, in imitation of the favourite Spaniel; but unhappily was repaid with a drabbing ---Whether the Great Man, in this pa. rallel situation, may think of the like means of rewarding a miltaken Panegyrist, is a circumflance best known to himself: but ic is not improbable, that his good-nature may rather dispose him to excuse a well-meant endeavour to please; tho', as in the case of the poor beast in the Fable, Nature may have unkindly barred the way to success. VIII. The Metamorphosis of a Prude. The Author is no Ovid ; yet is his Prude not unpoetically metamorphosed into a Cat. When this Bard enters the poetical lifts again, he would do well to sacrifice to the Graces. IX. The Tenth Epifle of the first Book of Horace imitated. 4to. 1S. Ross. This Imitator knows too little of the Latin to understand Horace, and too little of English, to give any tolerable satisfaction to a Reader in either language. However, by the time he has learnt to spell, he may, possibly, appear to more advantage, as he seems to have youth on his side, and, in some small degree, a natural turn for poetry : cho' what Nature has done for him, is not yet fufficiently cultivated to excuse his presuming to appear in print. X. A New Version of Paradise Lof; or, Milton paraphrased. In which the measure and versification are corrected and harmonised; the obscurities elucidated; and the faults which the Author stands accused of, by Addison and other of the Criticks, are removed. With Annotations on the original Text, to thew the reasonableness of this New Verfion. By a Gentleman of Oxford. 8vo. Is. Baldwin. Altho' we had long laid it down as a maxim, not to be sure prized at any of the literary attempts of the present race of Authors, yet we must confess, that this title-page aftonished us. We could not conceive, what occasion the Paradise Lost had for a Paraphrastical Verfion; its obscure passages had been long ago ex plained, plained, and never were dificult to the scholar : and if our ear did not greatly deceive us, Milton, notwithstanding fome unmulical lines, had carried the harmony of Blank Verse, as far as the Englih language would admit. It is very true, indeed, that Mr. Addion, and the Author of the Rambler, have accused that great Genius of some trivial inaccuracies; but if such are to be lopped off, by every little pretender to Criticism, what author will defcend, unmaimed, to pofterity? Not a second irruption of the Goths and Vandals, would be more destructive to learning, than fuch a critical barbarılm, if permitted to rage with impunity. But let us see, Quid dignum tanto feret hic promiffor hiatu ? We, therefore, attentively perused the New Version and Notes, and soon found, that if the late Dr. Bentley lopped off, now and then, one of Milton's fingers, our Oxford Drawcanfir hews away, not only his extremities, but chops his very head off, leaving Milton a lifeless and disfigured trunk. Bentley every where thewed an Acumen ingenii; and some of his objections are not to be answered. It is true, the Doctor was no poet'; but then our Oxonian, is not only a most wretched verfifier, but his semarks no where discover any critical fagacity : they are ever illfounded, and, in general, display that ill-mannered kind of arrogance so conspicuous in molt of the proficients in the Bathos. But as it would be making this reptile too important, to track him through all his windings of abuse, illiteracy, and absurdity; and as we think it a kind of poetical profanation, to inention Milton and him together, we hall defile our page with no part of his Paraphrase, but refer those who can read such stuff with less indignation than we can, to the pamphlet itself : applying to the Author what Milton said of a much better writer: Gaudete O Scombri, et quicquid est piscium falo, Bonus amicire n'uditatem cogitat.From the title-page, we imagined, that the Gentleman of Oxford had given a new version, as he calls it, of the whole of the Paradise Lost, but were agrecably surprized to find, that he has only fallen upon the firit book. XI. The Levee, a Poem.' Occasioned by the Number of Clergy at the Duke of N 's last Levee. Folio. 6s. Cooper. This short poem is introduced with a very facetious application of Horace's - Qui fit Mæcenas, ut nemo? as a Motto; which happens to be very nearly the cale; as the word Number in the title page appears, in the couclufion of the poem, to fignify but one Ecclefiaftic, whom Horace would scarcely have allowed to say of himselim Nos numeri fumus. Perhaps the only preacher qualified to allume chis style, must be some fair Quaker-Speaker. The verse 2 · verfe is Hudibrastic, and the description of his Grace's Levee, by no unfriendly Muse, is humourous, and not more fatyrical, on the Groupe, than just. The former great resort of the Clergy, from the Prelate downwards, to this weekly Convocation, as the Poet calls it, makes a high contrast to the catastrophe of a poor b. Unit's figuring in the last act of the Levee; which closes with the following just reflection, and certain prophecy. ( By Nature's friendly Inftinét led, 'Those Birds of Passage all are fed ; PORT! And now prepare their throats to fing The Matins of the coming Spring. XII. The Fifteenth Ode of the first Book of Horace imitated, and applied to Mr. F. on his being appointed S-of So, and taking on him the conduct of the Folio, 60. Scot. Yey.In chat Ode, which this writer pretends to imitate, the Venufian Bard artfully anticipates the fatal effects of Anthony's atsu tachment to Cleopatra, by reciting the example of Paris, and the ruinous consequences which attended his passion for Helen. The subject, therefore, made it accep able to i he friends of Au gustus, while the delicate manner in which it is handled, could conot displease even the followers of Anthony. But this Imitation is widely remote from the beauties of the original : Shand Horące are not more different.--The English Ode is by much 10. too personal to be pleasing, to those who bave no connection with seither party; and is too indifferent, in point of versification, to merit any regard from the genuine Critic. MISCELLANEOUS. XIII. A Narrative of the Proceedings of Admiral B-g, and his Conduct off Mahon, on the 20th of May. By ani Officer of the Squadron. 8vo. 6d. Owen. Against the Admiral; but affording no discoveries. XOXIV. The History of Reynard the Fox, Bruin the Bear, &c. 12mo.' 35. Smith. - A Thing which seems to have been written in express contra. diction to the confident assertions usually found in Quack-Bills, concerning Loss of Time, and Hindrance of Business. XV. The Juvenile Adventures of David Ranger, Elmo 12mo. 2 vols. 6s. Stevens, The title of this Novel seems to have been contrived to prepoffefs the public with expectations of its containing anecdotes relating to the celebrated Manager of one of our Theatres-Royal ; but this, to borrow a late fashionable phrase, was all a Humbug. For the rest, however, the work is by no means the most contemptible of the kind we have lately been obliged to perufe: It abounds with adventures, and is not altogether ill-written ; the Agthor 1 |