Thus Sense shall with Stupidity engage, Describing the advantages of commerce, this book thus closes : "Thus Commerce, roving still from place Blends, softens, and refines the human race, And Custom fasten'd on the free-born Assists the press to spread each useful art, heart, While wrath was from his eyes in lightning And on his cloudy brow defiance lower'd, And in redoubled gloom involv'd his head. Sense in his features spoke, and speaking smil'd Attemper'd with a spirit soft and mild; Till men, the land and ocean compass'd round, Wing'd with light scrolls of ridicule and wit. Hail friends and brothers still where men are found; Till equal Law and Virtue in her train, BOOK V. THE ARGUMENT. The Goddess having dismissed a part of the Sylphs, commands the rest to shew ALFRED, one by one, those celebrated personages from whose labours mankind have derived the greatest benefit-The leaders of the Reformation appear, LUTHER, ERasMUS, MELANCTHON, ZUINGLIUS, and CRANMER-The reformers hostile to the fine arts-Those arts find a powerful and zealous patron in LEO X.-The great eminence of M1CHAEL ANGELO in sculpture, and. of RAPHAEL DEL URBINO in painting-The peculiar excellencies of many other painters The book concludes with some remarks on painting. The account of the Reformation, and its champions, is thus introduced. "Mean time of aspect grim and stature vast, Deep-pierced, the spectre oft with sudden ment and progress of the Reformation The British Scævola! Though Nature's voice is thus described: Persuades to make this transient world his "First in impetuous eddies from the North Thy spirit, Reformation! issues forth Where the broad Elbe along the Saxon plain In various windings draws his sinuous train, Or the rough Baltic, with outrageous roar, Heaps the big waves on Pomerania's shore. O'er Swabia then across the Rhine it flies, Diffusing incense grateful to the skies, Till the huge Alps, with snows eternal crown'd, Lift their high ridges, and its progress bound. There ZUINGLIUS* all its mighty force imbibes, And rolls it back upon the Switzer tribes. Exalted breast! that double views engage, Freedom and Truth, the soldier and the sage! In language as thy native torrents strong, Though rude, thou now haranguest the circling throng, And now in fields unsheath'st the glittering blade, Guard of the proselytes thy voice has made. "Nor less the renovating influence speeds Along Batavia's swamps and beds of reeds. Nor there is stay'd, but o'er Britannia's vales Glides with the cheering warmth of vernal gales; Fann'd by its breath the kindling soul shall glow With such a flame as only martyrs know; Disdain the present life with all its toys, Rapt in the hope of never-ending joys; And undismay'd by stripes, or fire, or steel, Nought but the imperious sense of duty feel. "Full in the front, see CRANMER + lifts his form, Like a tall rock amid th' inclement storm, * ZUINGLIUS was a native of Switzerland, and born in 1487. He was curate of Zurich, and a principal instrument of the separation of the country from Rome, soon' after LUTHER began to spread the Reformation through the North of Germany. Though eager to promote what he conceived to be the true religion, he appears to have been still more zealous for the interests of liberty. His opinions were liberal beyond the age in which he lived, for he supposed a virtuous life, independently of religious persuasions, to be sufficient for the attainment of future happiness. He acted as general of the protestant forces, and was slain in an engagement with those of the catholic cantons in 1531. He was undoubtedly a man of merit, possessed of learning and capacity, and adorned with candour, sincerity, and beneficence, and all those virtues which were fitted to render him useful and amiable in society. His moral qualities procured him universal respect; and the courage of his martyrdom, though he fell short of the rigid inflexibility observed in many, made him the bero of the Protestant party. Hume's History of England. Notes, pp. 229, 230. The Goddess resumes her speech, and relates that poetry begins to be cultivated at the same period with painting The poets of greatest celebrity arise successively in visionFirst, those of Italy; PETRARCH, ARIOSTO, TASSO and afterwards those of Great Britain and France; SPENCER, SHAKSPEARE, JONSON, CORNEILLE, RACINE, MILTON, and others-The Goddess makes some observations on music, and mentions a few of the principal composersThe book concludes with a description of one of the musical performances at Westminster Abbey in commemoration of HANDEL. In this book poetry is thus introduced: "Sweet Poetry the same auspicious hour, With Painting leaves her amaranthine bow'r, Where proudly seated on th' Olympian height She touch'd with ecstasy the sons of light. Lo! to the wilderness of dusky brown, Where shadowy cliffs with vast projection frown, Where cataracts with deaf'ning roar descend, And oaks of giant growth their arms ex tend, Till into fits of sacred frenzy wrought, And labouring to discharge her weight of thought, She calls the aid of numbers, and in song Rolls the full torrent of her mind along." ի. 116, 117. BOOK VII. THE ARGUMENT. The Goddess dismisses the remain. ing Sylphs, and recalling those whom she had indulged with a short suspension of labour, directs them to shew the most celebrated philosophers, natural, metaphysical, and moral-In compliance with this injunction, they cause the likeness of COPERNICUS, TYCHO BRAHE, KEPLER, GALILEO, BACON, DESCARTES, BOYLE, NEWTON, LOCKE, ADDISON, JOHNSON, &c. to appear in successionThe professors of anatomy and medicine, HARVEY, BOERHAAVE, and LINNEUS The princes of modern times distinguished by their patronage of learning and the sciences, LEWIS XIV. PETER the GREAT, and FREDERIC II. of Prussia-The fair sex complimented on their proficiency in literature and the arts. From the venerable assemblage of worthies we select for our readers the following characters: "The Queen her lecture thus commenced again: Know, Prince, the pair that now thine eyes detain, Great teachers of morality, shall rule Shall calmly reason, and the age amend. Sinks into Nature's careless attitude. Ev'n in the height of Passion's wild career, break, While sudden blushes mantle o'er his cheek. But JOHNSON, scorning on a fault to smile, Spurns with indignant frown the lighter style; Vigorous to think, and skilful to expound, He mighty thought shall urge with mighty sound, And pouring periods rapid, strong, and deep, Down the full stream th' astonished reader sweep; Yet always clear and luculent, the flood And a fair mirror in its bosom shows; His shrivell'd visage Avarice shall behold, grace; Fix'd in amazement Slander cease to hiss, And from her hand th' invenom'd shaft disp. 162-164. miss." All the Sylphs at the command of the Goddess assemble around her, and exhibit a view of the wild and mountainous regions of Switzerland, when Liberty descends and enlivens the face of the country by her pre. sence-The connection between Liberty and Science-A view of the United Provinces, with a description of the changes that are there produced by the appearance of LibertyThe arrival of the Prince of Orange in England, and the flight of James ÏI. -The Goddess exhorts ALFRED to fidelity and zeal-The principal mardischarge the duties of a king with tyrs of Liberty in Britain recordedThe cause for which England was separated from the Continent-A prospect of Great Britain in its most improved and flourishing state-The Goddess conducts ALFRED back to Disdains to change with Fortune's love or hate, earth-Her last speech and re-ascent into heaven. The account of the influence of liberty in Batavia finishes thus : "With the grim dogs of arbitrary pow'r, In narrow dungeons barricado'd strong, And view with aching eyes the light again, Nor shall th' aspiring state her commerce To the dull wealth in things material found; For presses* rais'd in every town shall teem At length the sacred light of freedom dawns; From Holland's swamps th' auspicious star ascends Sad when she frowns, and when she smiles elate. And lo! the prince who on his people Yet deem'd the outrage sanctified by GOD, Muttering along the troubled deep he flies, sprung, Are surly Bigotry and tyrant Might; While in his eye heroic virtue burn'd. just, Who Nature's charter tramples in the dust; The Queen replied. These manly thoughts By manly deeds, and thou deserv'st to reign. A conquest only o'er thyself attempt. A description being given of the That gilds the land, and brighter day por- city of London, its population, trade, tends; NASSAU +, a soul that with a noble pride, * An immense number of books in almost every language, ancient as well as modern, was at one period published in Holland, and circulated through the greatest part of Europe. The impressions were remarkable for their superiority of elegance, for the ingenuity and skill of the Dutch letter-founders was unrivalled: they supplied the most celebrated presses of other nations with types. Nor was the paper manufactured in this country held in less estimation, as it was distinguished by the closeness of its texture and the purity of its whiteness. The praise of equanimity may be justly claimed by William III. but to this our encomium must be bounded. He neither pos and edifices, the Goddess thus addresses ALFRED: sessed the sensibilities of a humane mind, the discriminating taste and delicate perceptions of a man of genius, nor the liberal spirit of a hero. James II. was endowed by nature with qualities fitted to make a good king; but his mind was unfortunately depraved by early impressions of bigotry. He wished to render his people happy, but conceiving the re-establishment of popery necessary to the attainment of this object, he had recourse to such measures of violence as, if endured without resistance, would have changed the limited prerogatives of monarchy into a complete despotism. p. 247, 248. The praise of all the wonders now in view The roads and aqueducts, the temples, tow'rs, And navies bounding o'er the deep, are ours. Crush, and destroy them in her foul embrace. air, Address by stealth to mammon ev'ry prayer. But short Corruption's reign. Indulgent Fate From the fell demon soon relieves the state. I see stupendous changes through the cloud, In this work the notes form a detached part of the volume, which in the whole contains 248 pages. CI. A Specimen of Persian Poetry; or, Odes of Hafez: with an English Translation and Paraphrase; chiefly from the Specimen Poeseos Persice of Baron Revizky, Envoy from the Emperor of Germany to the Court of Poland. With Historical and Grammatical Illustrations, and a complete Analysis, for the Assistance of those who wish to study the Persian Language. By JOHN RICHARDSON, F. S. A. A New Edition, revised, corrected, and enlarged. By S. Rousseau, Teacher of the Persian Language. HIS work, which is again laid that time the study of the Persian language was not considered of that importance which it has since been found to be, to those gentlemen who had occasion to reside in the honour able Company's settlements in Hin. dostan, either in a civil or a military capa ity; but on their arrival in that country, they immediately perceived they had been greatly mistaken, and that no transaction or negotiation of consequence could possibly take place, or be carried on, without a knowledge of the court language of that extensive empire. They were therefore compelled, before they could enter on the duties of their functions, so as to acquit themselves like men, and give that satisfaction to their employers which every honest person feels a peculiar pleasure in doing, to apply to a native monshee for assistance in the acquirement of that necessary tongue, which they had neglected before they quitted the shores of Britain. In consequence of this infatuation, this pamphlet was long ne the few copies that had been taken glected; but when by length of years of it became scattered among the libraries of the curious, and it was not to be obtained without difficulty, it was sought for with avidity. There not being a grammatical praxis of this nature has been long cause of regret; and those gentlemen who have studied Sir William Jones's Grammar, have universally lamented that their labours were rendered extremely tedious by the want of an analytical work, like that which is now again presented to the public. It remains only to say, that it is printed in a size proper to bind with that Gentleman's Grammar, which, by the addition of this Praxis, will be rendered doubly useful." The Editor then acquaints us, that the Rev. Mr. Weston, author of "A Specimen of the Conformity of the European Languages, particularly the English, with the Oriental Languages, especially the Persian," (which work we took notice of in our last, p. 263,) has favoured him with several excellent notes, with which he has embellished the various pages of the work. From the Preface we shall make the following extracts: "Among all the arrangements, sug "The wethe public, we are in- gested by the wisdom of parliament, formed in the advertisement, "was originally published in 1774, but at for the government of our settlements in those distant regions, few perhaps |
