lution, and the fettlement of the Crown in the time of Queen Anne; for there can scarce be any great question, on which there is not fome law in one of thefe places. "Let what begins be introductory to what follows, and always make what follows enforce and illuftrate what went be fore. "Firft an expreffion familiar and with periphrafis; then an. elevated and a pointed one. "Afk yourself on all controverted questions, whether it is on the general principle or the particular diftinction. "When you admire any thing yourself, or obferve any thing to be admired by others, examine it thoroughly, and fatisfy yourfelf what is the thing which occafions that admiration; whether in fpeaking, writing, behaviour, or conduct. It is the knowledge of the principle alone, that will enable you to imitate it truly. "For the principles and management of the paffions, fee riftotle's RHETORICK. A" Eloquence depends upon conceiving in the mind, expreffing in words, and CONFORMING TO THE AUDITORY; which laft, depends on the vast variety of times, of perfons, of places, and of things. "Rhetorick is the power or faculty to confider in every sub ject what is therein contained proper to perfuade. "Reafon is to be convinced by three ways; the character of the fpeaker, the difpofition of the hearer, and the mere force of demonstration." P. 63. The conclufion of this extract will show how unavoid.. ably rhetoric was mixed with logic, in the contemplation of the writer. It will certainly be regretted, that the famous maiden fpeech of Mr. H., on which the higheft encomiumst were palled by Mr. H. Walpole and others (fee p. xix.) has not been preferved. The fpeeches in the Irish Parlia ment, here printed, have merit, but by no means propor tioned to thofe reports. A few poetical fpecimens, fubjoined, ferve to fhow the claffical elegance of Mr. Hamilton's mind, if no more. The Confiderations on Corn, by Dr. Johnson, form a cu rious addition to his works. and ftrongly prove the wonder ful acuteness and verfatility of his extraordinary mind. A very well engraved portrait of Mr. Hamilton is pres fixed to this volume, which will certainly fiad a place in every gentleman's library. ART. XIV. Dialogues on Eloquence in general, particularly that Kind which is fit for the Pulpit, by M. Fenelon, late Archbishop of Cambray, with his Letter to the French Academy concerning Rhetoric, Poetry, Hiftery, &c. Tranflated front the French by W. Stevenson, M. A. A new Edition, revised and corrected, with additional Notes, by the Rev. James Creighton, B. A. Crown 8vo. 332 pp. s. Baynes. 1808. THIS HIS is a new edition of an old tranflation of a very cele brated original. We are not ftrictly called upon, perhaps, to do more than exprefs our opinion of the manner in which the laft editor of the work appears to have acquitted himself, and to whom we need not fcruple at once to give a large proportion of praife. Among the notes, none seem to be added but fuch as are properly felect, very applicable, and very confiftent with the fentiments of the amiable and truly elegant Author. The book is beautifully printed, and deferves a place in every claffical library. As to the utility of fuch a work, we could fcarcely exprefs what we feel upon the fubject; or how much we should wifh to promote its cir culation, for the improvement of the tafte of the times, ast well as for the vindication of ourselves, whofe ftrictures upon many occafions, however juft and unavoidable, are apt to be very ill received, and fometimes even with rudenefs relented. A declamatory, affected, bombaft ftyle of writing, we can never confent to praife or approve; and yet how much of this kind of writing is daily obtruded upon the public, merely to dazzle, perplex, and confound the readers, and to excite undue notions of the author's talents and abilities. Even among those who should know better, we fometimes find too little regard paid to the chafte fimplicity of writing, fo much recommended in this elegant work. The illuftrious Fenelon does' not content himself with laying down, in a dry didactic manner, mere rules for good writing, but he expreffes himself fo feelingly upon the fubject, that we may be certain we have the genuine and forcible dictates of his heart and foul. He feems to be in love with fimplicity, and to abhor nothing fo much as empty declamation, or want of perfpicuity. "Bright and over-wrought compofitions," fays he, “ dazzle and delude the fancy, but they have fo fine an edge that they are quickly blunted. I value neither what is difficult, nor uncom mon, nor wonderful: the fimple, natural, eafy beauty hits my taste. If the flowers we tread upon in a meadow be as pretty as thofe thofe in the finest garden, I love them better. I do not grudge fuch enjoyments to any one. Beauty could lofe none of its worth. Though it were common to all mankind, it would rather be the more excellent. Scarcity is a defect and a want in nature. I love a beauty fo natural that it should not need the advantage of novelty to furprife me." P. 262. And again "There is much gained by lofing all fuperfluous ornaments, and confining ourselves to fuch beauties as are fimple, eafy, clear, and feemingly negligent. That which ferves merely as an ornament is fuperfluous: lay it afide, there will be nothing wanting: vanity is the only fufferer by the lofs. An author that has too much wit, and will always fhew it, wearies and exhausts mine. I do not defire so very much. If he fhewed lefs, he would give me time to breathe, and be far more agreeable. So many flashes dazzle me. I love a gentle light which refreshes my weak eyes, I prefer what is amiable to what is wonderful. I would have a man who makes me forget he is an author, and feems to converfe with me upon the level." P. 259. We cannot omit another paffage to the same effect :-- "We ought never to run the hazard of ambiguity. I would even have Quintilian's rule generally obferved, fo as to avoid fuch expreffions as the reader may indeed understand, but which he could not underftand, if he did not fupply fomething that they want. We should ufe a fimple, exact, eafy ftyle, which lays every thing open to the reader, and even prevents his attention. When an author writes for the public, he should take all the pains imaginable, to prevent his readers having any. All the labour fhould be his own; and he should leave nothing but pleasure and inftruction to his readers. They should never be put to the trouble of finding out his meaning. None but those who deal in riddles are allowed to puzzle people. Auguftus would rather have frequent repetitions ufed, than that there fhould be the leaft degree of obfcurity in a difcourfe. Indeed the first care of one who writes only to be understood, is to eafe his readers by expreffing himself clearly." P. 257. These paffages, it is true, are taken from the Author's letter to the Academy, and from that section in which he is treat. ing of the French poetry; he is, however, quite as great an advocate for fimplicity of ftyle in the pulpit, and upon all other occafions, * "Quare non ut intelligere poffit, fed ne omnino non intelli. gere curandum." Inftitut. 1. viii. c, 2. We We do not think ourselves called upon to go at large into the merits of the original work, and fhall beft fatisfy our own feelings, by recommending the prefent publication to the perufal of all whom it may concern; that is, all who have occafion or inclination, from the pulpit, or the prefs, or otherwife, to deliver their fentiments in public; for this is of im portance not to themselves only, but to thofe whom they are engaged, or whom they voluntarily undertake to inftruct and enlighten. Falfe tafte we regard as a public misfortune, efpecially when those who offend against the pureft principles of eloquence and rhetoric, obftinately perfift in making their own judgment the fole criterion of propriety. Much more than this indeed is to be learnt from the works before us; but it would be prefumption in us to recommend then to perfons of good tafte, and claffical learning. To all fuch they muft be already known, and probably without the medium of a tranflation. More elegant pieces of criticifm, perhaps, do not exift in any language. In their prefent English drefs, whatever they may owe either to the labours of Mr. Stevenfon, or Mr. Creighton, they furely appear to great advantage. Both the fpirit and elegance of the originals feem to be happily preferved, and the notes are certainly a valuable accompaniment, BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY, ART. 15. Poemata Selecta Italorum, qui fæculo decimo fexto Latine fcripferunt, nonnullis adnotationibus illuftrata. 8vo. 398 pp. 1os. 6d, Oxon. Longman et Co,, Londini. 1808, Though we much approve the form and execution of this work, we cannot but complain of the very injudicious nature of its plan. Every Englishman who has any kind of collection of modern Latin Poetry, must infallibly poffefs Pope's "Selecta Poemata Italorum." Any new collection, therefore, ought completely to have avoided the ground pre-occupied by that. So very different has been the plan of this anonymous editor, that in the whole volume only fixty-nine poems, including epigrams and the shorteft compofitions, are here published, which were not already there: and two very long poems, the Syphilis of Fracaftorius, and the Poetics of Vida are here repeated. What is to be done? To buy the fame things twice, over is not. defirable defirable to a real fcholar, who collects for reading's fake; and yet to deny himself, many that are here is painful. How easy would it have been, and how extremely proper, to have made this collection fupplemental to that! The notes here fubjoined, are indeed an acquifition, but they can only be a fecondary confideration. Thus have we three fimilar collections, all in great measure repeating each other. The Abort, or Selecta Poemata Italorum" commonly, but falfely attributed to Bishop Atterbury; Pope's collection; and this. With refpect to Pope's, though it contains much more than the Anthologia, yet there are ten Poems in the former which he did not repeat. Why, it is not easy to guefs, The prefent volume is very neatly printed. ART. 16. The Georgics of Publius Virgilius Maro, tranflated into English Blank Verfe. By James R. Deare, LL. B. Vicar of Bunes, in the County of Suffolk, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty. Crown Svo. 138 pp. 75. Longman. 1808. Confiderable is our regret, when we contemplate an ingenious" man and a scholar employed in a fuperfluous and unprofitable task. That Mr. Deare deferves the above epithets, we fee no reason to doubt, and his fituations in life imply it; but that any ingenuity can give fuccefs to a new tranflation of the Georgics, in blank verfe, is what we utterly defpair to fee. The original poem, the moft correctly elegant compofition, perhaps, exifting in the world, is-fupported every where by the wonderful skill of the author in expreffion and verfification; and the artifices, peculiar to his language, by which he has contrived to give dignity even to the loweft fubjects. A very large part of Virgil's poem, indeed, is employed in ornamental digreffion, beyond the proportion ob served in any other poem of a didactic nature*: thefe parts, we admit, may be rendered in blank verse. But what is to be done with thofe parts, ftill neceffary to be tranflated, which give mere precepts of hufbandry, and rural arts? Thefe muft, of neceffity, unlefs fupported by fome verfification more artificial than our bank verfe, fall into fomething very like profe. We do not give a fpecimen of this tranflation, because we would not feem to infinuate, that Mr. D has not performed his task as well as the cafe would admit. We muft, however, completely deny his pofition, that there has been a "general improvement in the language of English poetry, even fince the date of Warton's tranflà. We are happy when, as in this poem, we do not fee a dẹ. terioration. We shall only remark, that even in profe, it is no tion." A mark of judgment ftrangely overlooked by every other didactic poet. U 4 improvement |