Poems chiefly on Slavery and Oppreffion, with Notes and Illuftrations. By Hugh Mulligan. 4to. 55. fewed. Lowndes. The greater part of these poems, epiftles, picturesque sketches of the feafons, fongs, fonnets, odes, &c. have but little to recommend them, and as little to excite difapprobation. The four eclogues are rather more deferving attention. The first and fourth appeared in a periodical publication fome years fince, and we agree with the author in opinion that they furnished the hint to fome publications which have fince appeared.' At leaft, the Weft Indian Eclogues, which we reviewed in our laft volume, p. 434, both in ftyle and manner greatly resembled, or rather improved upon them. The fcene of the firft is laid in Virginia, the time morning, the other in Guinea, the time midnight; each contains fome ftriking and appropriated images. The fcene of the fecond is laid in Indoftan, and the time, though we have no characteristic defcription to mark it, faid to be mid-day. The two Rohilla princeffes, who are the interlocutors, recall to our mind that eclogue of Collins, in which the two Georgians are introduced as flying from, and describing the ravages of the Tartars. The recollection is not to the advantage of the prefent work. The third dialogue is supposed to take place between two Irish herdsmen in the evening. Some thing characteristic is difcernible in the following lines, fpoken by an old man contrafting, as is ufual, the virtue and happiness of former times with modern degeneracy,

Oppreffion then withheld his heavy hand,

Nor bade the focial virtues quit the land;
Boldly her rights then fais Hibernia claim'd,
And tyrant rulers fhrunk, abash'd, afham'd.
Then ripen'd fruits the cheerful cottage grac'd,
And plenty thro' each fmiling vale was trac'd.
Yon rushy lake had banks that well might please,
Where shepherd girls reclin'd at rural cafe;
And to the ruftic pipe at eve were seen,
Frolic and gay, to trip the daify'd green.
This paftime o'er, the minstrels would relate,
Of Derg the wonders, or the warrior's fate,
And name the bard, whofe magic harp and fong
Pale ghosts could raife-their midnight fpeils prolong;
Who oft refponfive to the founding strings,
Echo'd the fall of Danes and Danish kings;
Or from the primrose dell, or panfy'd plain,
With sweetest touch could lure the fairy train.
Till call'd to reft the fage was cirel'd round,

Each word was caught, nor loft the weakeft found; .
All spoke their thoughts, they fcorn'd to ufe difguife,
The tales believ'd, and held him wond'rous wife.
Thy youthful days, O innocence! were bleft,
Ere dreadful war or tyrants broke our rest ;

From

From camps return'd, no former friends I found,
For defolation filent stalk'd around;

Thro' diftant climes my fad companions roam
In fearch of freedom, lost, alas! at home.'

The lines we have quoted are no unfavourable specimen of this performance, which, though not entitled to unqualified applaufe, contains feveral bold and fpirited paffages.

DRAMATIC.

A Match for a Widow; or, the Frolics of Fancy. A comic Opera. As performed at the Theatre-Royal, Dublin,

In three Acts. 8vo. 15. 6d.

Dilly.

This is a Dublin edition of the Widow's Vow; but, unlike the editions which appear from the other fide of St. George's channel, it is increased in bulk, and not diminished in elegance in reality, L'Heureufe Erreur is lengthened to three acts, by an underplot united to the original one, with fufficient addrefs, and decorated with mufic.-The plot of the episode is not, however, new; it is the tale of the Scholar, who conjures up a fupper from the repofitory, in which he faw it crowded, on the coming of the husband. But the whole is fufficiently Jaughable; and, though the treaty of commerce with Ireland is not yet concluded, it may be received on the terms of reciprocity.

The only character which has any pretenfions to novelty, is the native American; but it is not thoroughly difcriminated, or at least the peculiarities are not very entertaining. In fome refpects, the caricature is below the region of farce, particularly where he fays that he ftaved the barrel of beer, because it worked on a Sunday. Of course, he is a fanatical Boftonian.

The Prince of Angola, a Tragedy, altered from the Play of Oroonoko; and adapted to the Circumftances of the prefent Times. 8vo. Is. 6d. Lowndes.

The authenticity, and pathetic incidents in the story of Oroonoko, as the author obferves in his preface, make it a proper vehicle for the reflections and arguments which an advocate of the oppreffed negroes would wish to urge in their favour. For this purpose, it appears in its prefent ftate. The underplot of Southern's tragedy is with propriety rejected, as it was indeed by Hawkesworth, in his alteration of it for representation in 1775. Many paffages, however, retained by him, are here omitted; and we think with no fufficient reason. The paffages fubftituted for them by no means atone for their omiffion. In his critical capacity, this gentleman certainly wields the defperate hook too rafhly: and we do not think he always very accurately diftinguishes between blemishes and beauties. More than one of the beft fcenes in Southern's play,' fays he, is dif

graced

graced by a burst of unnatural and rifible bombaft.' Such is Oroonoko's preface to his hiftory:

• Thou God ador'd! thou ever-glorious Sun!

[Kneeling and kiffing the earth

If the be yet on earth, fend me a beam
Of thy all-feeing power to light me to her:
Or if thy fifter goddess has preferr'd
Her beauty, to the fkies, to be a star,
O tell me where the fhines, that I
Whole nights, and gaze upon her!

may

ftand

Critics have long complained that poets will needs convert Turks, Tartars, Africans, and Indians, into learned mythologifts how Oroonoko came to believe the doctrine of the apotheofis, will not be easily understood by those who know, that an African's highest religious myftery is the Mumbo Jumbo.

:

But the most furious fally occurs in that scene where Aboan engages his prince in the confpiracy, by presenting the horrible profpect of an enflaved progeny: we expect to discover every feeling of a prince and a warrior, convulfed by this excruciating idea; we look for all the agitations of Ariofto's hero, in that beautiful and furpaffing imitation,

Or quinci, or quindi il volta, or lo raffume,
Tutto in un luoco, e non lo ferma mai.
Qual d'acqua chiara il tremolante lume,
Dal Sol percoffa, ò da notturni rai,
Per gli ampli tetti va con lungo falto,
A deftra, ed a finistra, a basso ed alto *.

Orland Furiofo, C. 8. S. 71. 'But Southern's angry man, with high difdain of every natural emotion, fprings off with an unexpected metaphor, and only returns to think of himself in the middle of his declamation: we lofe fight of decency, when he bellows forth,

Ha! thou haft rous'd

The lion in his den, he talks abroad,
And the wide foreft trembles at his roar.

'We naturally apply Old Falstaff's adjuration, to this alarming blusterer; Prithee Jpeak a little like a man of this world.'

This appears to us a piece of very ill-grounded criticism. Oroonoko's apoftrophic addrefs is undoubtedly extravagant; but we must confider it is put into the mouth of one who, like Zanga, was

A foul made of fire, and offspring of the fun :' and that an African fhould look upon that luminary as an object of adoration, is certainly neither unnatural nor improbable.

* Atque animum nune huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc,
In partefque rapit varias, perque omnia verfat.
Sicut aquæ tremulum labris ubi lumen ahenis
Sole repercuffum, aut radiantis imagine Lunæ,
Omnia pervolitat late loca; jamque fub auras
Erigitur, fummique ferit laquearia tecti.'

VIRG. EN. VIII. V. 20.

We

We have no objection to the paffage taken from Virgil by Ariofto; it is elegant, and poetically juft. We have likewife a tranflation of it in Addison's Cato. Portius thus addresses his miftrefs.

Thus o'er the dying lamp th' unfteady flame
Hangs quivering on a point, leaps off by fits,
And falls again, as loth to quit its hold.'

But what is there excruciating in this idea? How does it agitate or affect the mind? When Oroonoko's paffion fwells into metaphor, there is a grandeur and propriety in the figure, (fuch at least is our opinion) that ftrikes forcibly on our hearts: we are hurried away with the fublimity of the idea, which will not permit us to attend to the dogmas of frivolous and frigid criticifm. Some of this writer's obfervations are undoubtedly juft; but we cannot, on the whole, think very highly either of his critical tafte, or dramatic abilities. But the goodnefs of his intention commands our refpect: Charity will cover a multitude of faults,' and candour will excufe fuch venial defects as occur in this performance.

TRADE.

AFRICAN SLAVE Scriptural Refearches on the Licitnefs of the Slave Trade, Shewing its Conformity with the Principles of Natural and Revealed Religion, delineated in the facred Writings of the Word of God. By the Rev. R. Harris. 8vo. 15. 6d. Lowndes.

Audi alteram partem is a maxim to which candour induces us to attend, and a love of truth will teach us to revere. When we recommended an abolition of the importation of flaves, we were not aware that we oppofed either the letter or the fpirit of the Scriptures, and were much startled at finding ourselves furrounded by a hoft of foes, in the form of citations, and various paffages from the Old and New Teftament. Arguments of this kind will, at firft, appear fpecious, and, if urged with art, may feem formidable; a flight reflection will draw off the delufive covering, and difarm them of their danger. The data are drawn up with great addrefs: let us take the fifth as a ípe

cimen.

• That no perfon can be fuppofed to acknowlege in fact, that the Holy Scriptures are the infallible word of God, uniefs he acquiefces without referve in every fcriptural decifion, however incomprehenfible the reafons and motives of thofe decifions may be to him.'

This paffage is fomewhat remarkable, and will require a little attention. Is it neceffary to follow every Jewish rite, commanded by the Lord under the Mofaic difpenfation? Are the feaft of the paffover, the holiness of the feventh day, the ark and the covenant, of indifpenfible obligation at this time? The Jews had bond flaves: if the author pleafes, flavery was allowed of in thofe times; but he will want farther arguments to fhow that it is now our duty to enflave the Africans, because Hagar

was

was an Egyptian; or to mifufe them because she was dealt hardly with by Sarah.-If a fyftem once eftablished, and not directly declared impious by the Old and New Teftament, muf not be overthrown, we fhall have fufficient reafon to blame the Reformation and the Revolution.

But, when the author comes to the decifions of our Saviour, and to confider the Chriftian difpenfation, he is much at a lofs. Slavery was clearly and pointedly abolished, by the liberal and benevolent precepts of the Gofpel. Love your neighbour as yourfelf:-Do good unto all men :-Love even those who perfecute you and defpitefully ufe you.' Is this the language of the fupporter of flavery; the precepts of the task-mafter? Per haps it is from love that we must drag the peaceful African from his home: benevolence raifes the whip; and kindness directs the stripe. If it be fo, flavery is in the true fpirit of the Gospel.

It is true, Chrift told us that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it. He came to fulfil the prophecies; to complete the Mofaic difpenfation, by a more perfect revelation of the divine will. He came to comfort the afflicted, not to add to the afflictions infeparable from human nature: he came to heal their fickness, not to countenance a practice worse than the worst disease.-There is not the flightest hint of his counte nancing cruelty, oppreffion, injuftice, and tyranny: there is not the flighteft fuggeftion that, in fulfilling the law, he fup ported the illiberality, the intolerance, and the perfecuting fpirit of the Jews. We are afhamed to dwell on what is fo evident: if it be a political motive which has dictated thofe pages, let it reft on its own ground; much may be faid for the practice in that view; but let not the fair page of Christianity be fullied by commendations of cruelty and oppreffion. Let the trade be once freed from thofe ftigmas; let the African migrate voluntarily, and be treated as a man and a Chriftian, and we will join in the commendation of the method of employing negroes. As it is, we wish only to fecure to them humane treatment, by enhancing their value. To return to Africa, if it were poffible, would not, we know, be confidered as a benefit.

Obfervations upon the African Slave Trade, and on the Situation of Negroes in the Weft Indies. By a Jamaica Planter. 8vo. Is. Law.

The Jamaica planter joins to candour and liberality an extenfive acquaintance with his fubject. Subordination we admit of; but the inferior perfon is not to be treated with cruelty; and to transport our fellow-creatures, without their confent, is equally criminal; whether the foldier is taken from the plains of Germany, or the English recruit kidnapped to thofe of In2 doftan. Slavery is, however, but a name, if the privileges of mankind are preferved; if labour is not urged beyond the trength, and the bed of fickness be foothed by the neceffary

comforts.