pleafure, the fecond edition, with fome important additions and neceffary alterations. The author refided, during the last fummer, at two of the flave-ports in this kingdom, for the pur pofe of procuring information; and he has added two new chapters, which contain the ftate of the trade at this time, In the third part, the chapter which relates to the treatment of the flaves on board of the fhips deftined to carry them to the American islands, is extended to three chapters, in order to give a clearer view of the subject, and to convey more circumftantial information.

Mr. Clarkson promifes, that this edition fhall be foon followed by another Effay, in which he defigns to fhow, that the flave-trade is as impolitic as it is unjuft. After fo extensive an account as we gave of the first edition, we need not add any other particulars of this which lies before us; especially fince the new chapters, though the narrative be more clear and circumftantial, do not materially differ from the information which we have received from other hands,

Letter to the Treafurer of the Society inftituted for the Purpose of effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Robert Boucher Nickolls, Dean of Middlebam.

From the Rev.
A new Edition

with confiderable Additions. Small 8vo. 4d. Phillips.

The fecond edition of this Letter contains a variety of additional facts, and a confirmation of fome of the former remarks, The facts, well fupported, are the very important ones that, by proper care, the race of negroes from the present stock may be increafed fufficiently to anfwer all the exigencies of extended plantations; and that from the labour of free men, fugar might be raised fufficient to fupply any demand. But for the laft confideration, circumftances are not fufficiently matured i and the abolition of importation, though we have recommended it, cannot, we fear, be yet adopted confiftently with nas tional faith and real juftice. We with, however, that the planters would act as if this measure impended over them; for it muft, at fome future period, be put in execution,

POETRY.

Brother Peter to Brother Tom. An Expoftulatory Epiftle. By Peter Pindar, Efq. 4to. 35. Kearney.

The fun of Peter feems declining in the weft; and though it fets with a glowing fplendor, yet it wants the vivid fire of its meridian beams. He expoftulates with brother Tom, on his confining all the panegyric of the last year's Ode to Windfor, and omitting to celebrate the virtues of his majesty. Peter once likened himself to the cook, who'difhed up royalty,' and perhaps he expected that Tom fhould fupply the garnish. In the prefent inftance, the fubject palls on the fenfe'-toujours perdrix ne vaut rien. We fhall, however, according to our good cuftom, extract a few lines, and let this fon of genuine wit and real humour speak for himself. We fhall felect the following, to remark, that however excellent Handel may be,

to confine the national attention to one compofer, is furely granting an unfair monopoly of fame'-Why fhould I, fays. Peter,

Hate him, becaufe, untir'd, the monarch pores
On Handel's manufcript old fcores,

And schemes fuccefsful daily hatches,
For faving notes o'erwhelm'd with scratches;
Recovering from the blotted leaves

Huge cart-horse minims, dromedary breves ;
Thus faving damned bars from juft damnation,
By way of bright'ning Handel's reputation?
Who, charm'd with ev'ry crotchet Handel wrote,
Heav'd into Tot'nam ftreet each heavy note:
And forcing on the house the tunelefs lumber,
Drove half to doors, the other half to flumber?',

The following fimile concludes Peter's expoftulation on a fimilar exclufive attention to Mr. Weft.

Thus have I feen a child with smiling face,

A little daify in the garden place,

And ftrut in triumph round its fav'rite flow'r;
Gaze on the leaves with infant admiration,
Thinking the flow'r the fineft in the nation,
Then pay a visit to it ev'ry hour:
Lugging the watt'ring pot about,

Which John the gard'ner was oblig'd to fill;
The child, fo pleas'd, would pour the water out,
To fhow its marvellous gard'ning skill;
Then staring round, all wild for praifes panting,
Tell all the world it was its own fweet planting;
And boast away, too happy elf,

How that it found the daify all, itself!'

This fimile is, in many refpects, excellent; and indeed Peter, with all thy faults, we feldom leave thee but in good humour: we wish that thou wouldeft change thy fubject, if it be only for the fake of a little variety. There are, however, better motives for the advice.

The Eaftern Theatre erected,

An Heroi-comic Poem. In three

Cantos. 4to. 25. 6d. Brown.

The author defcribes the origin of the Eaftern Theatre; but its downfal must be fung by another poet. There is fome comic humour, and entertaining defcription, in this little poem; but the burlefque gravity of the mock heroic is not fufficiently preferved. The merit of this kind of compofition confifts in giving to the most trifling circumftances an air of dignity, by adopting epic images, fimiles, and language. There is nothing perfonal in the fatire; it is general, and pointed rather at folly than at any Individual.

One of the best paffages of this poem is the defcription and Speech of the spectre Davies; fome just remarks occur alfo on

dramatic

dramatic poets and plays. As the former is too long for our purpose, we shall felect a fpecimen from the latter.

• While wits and witlings, round, qur praife affe&t,
Say, fhall the mufe her fav'rite H-
- neglect?
Step forth, great tragic bard, whofe wond'rous verfe
Flow'd on, from good to bad, from bad to worse ;
Whofe fame, (thy brains ftill yielding fomething new,)
Like thy own Scotch fir, taper'd as it grew

Guard thou that fir, whofe Douglas-bafe extends,
Grows gradual flight, and in an Alfred ends.

The lines are unequal; but they are fometimes fpirited and poetical..

The Parriad; addreffed to the Editor of Bellendene, upon his elegant, but illiberal Preface. By W. Chapman, A. M. 4to. 15. 6d. Bew.

Mr. Chapman reprehends the editor of Bellendenus for the virulence, and often the injuftice of the political opinions, in the preface. We have already given our opinion on this fubject, and need now only add, that Mr. Chapman's poetry fometimes rifes above mediocrity. We fhall quote a few lines relating to Mr. Pit: the dive of the author of the preface:

Should in the crowd & diva's praife be heard,
Who dar'd be wife before he had a beard (a);
Tho' young, declin'd not pow'r (deftructive choice)
Fix'd only by the king's and people's voice (b):
Who broke the promife of his early day,
When from a factious crew he forc'd his way,
And, poor of fpirit, fcorn'd to join that band (c),
Which having injur'd, fought t' enflave the land;
Who can unblufhing in the fenate rife (d),

And while he charms our ears, engage our eyes (e);
We would, fhould S******* receive his praife,
Find fear or art in ev'ry word he fays (ƒ):
Attack, with thee, his unrelenting pride.
With thee, his boyish politics deride;
(Time rolls o'er him his rapid tide im vain,
For ftill, a boy a fhall remain)

Tell, how, fhould war the languid ftate alarm,
Our timid minifter would fear to arm (g);
No longer boaftful, infolent, and proud,
Would view with tearful eye the burfting cloud;
Obfequious bend before the daring foe,

And yield his country up without a blow.'

(a) Pag. 18. (e) Pag. 27.

(6) Pag. 62.
(f) Pag. 18.

(c) Pag. 6r.
(g) Pag. 22.

(d) Pag. 43.

A Letter

A Letter to a Friend, with a Poem, called the Ghoft of Werter. By Lady 4to. s. 6d. Hookham.

In this Letter the character of Charlotte is minutely investigated, and an attempt made to fhew that he was vain, unfeeling, and ungenerous.' The fair author, feems, indeed, to entertain an implacable averfion to her, and wrefts fome of her indifferent actions to a meaning that cannot with candour be attributed to them. Yet fome of her remarks are extremely juft, and where they do not convince, will please from their fhrewdness and the fpirited manner in which they are written. We cannot speak fo favourably of the poetry as of the prose. The Odiad; or, The Battle of Humphries and Mendoza; an Heroic Poem. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Lowndes and Chriftie.

It would have been indeed unfortunate, if the victory of Humphries and the prowefs of Mendoza had been celebrated only in the fugitive fheet of the day, or been at best preserved with the precious rarities of a monthly magazine. The Odiad is an heroic poem; and, though not the first in which the combat of the cæftus has been celebrated, it is the firft where the modern contests of fists alone are the fubjects of the lofty rhyme. It is enough to fay, that the poem is worthy of the celebrity of the battle; and that the poet might, like Simoni des, be allowed the title of laureat of the games. We shall extract a fhort fpecimen, no unfavourable one, of the poet's abilities. The alliterations, which the author feems to be fometimes fond of, and one couplet, which is in the true style of the mock heroic, we have diftinguished..

Say, mufe, what first provok'd th' indignant foes
To clinch the fift, and brave each others blous;
For glory-Pella's hair-brain'd madman fought,
For glory and proud triumphs-Cæfar thought;
Grim Jews and Chriftians bant alike for fame,
In faith fill adverfe, but in pride the fame.

What tho' no cannons thunder in my line,
Nor chiefs that glory in their stem divine;
Nor whizzing darts, nor clanging fhields you hear,
Nor glitt'ring blades, nor waving plumes appear;
Dire are the fcenes-the fift by fift repell'd,
Black eyes block'd up, and into mountains fwell'd;
The fhatter'd rib-the nofe's broken bridge,
The head whofe bumps portrude in many a ridge;
Diffever'd lips, whilft rattling teeth around,
Driv'n from distorted jaws beftrew the ground;
Dry drubs and hollow bangs refounds my fong,
Thwack follows thwack, and man drives man along.'

We are not fo well pleafed with the author's profe as with his poetry. To add a prefatory differtation is a little contra

Since this article was written, we recollect, though imperfectly, a piece of P. Whitehead's on the fame fubject, The Gymuafiad.' dictory;

dictory; and the bull threatens, with his destructive horns, in the title page. In this faid fubfequent differtation, which comes before, we find fome things which appear either like errors or blunders. If the author is not mistaken, Some poetry has been employed in the celebration of this art.' Indeed, much very fublime poetry has arisen from the games of Greece, in which boxing held a diftinguished rank. We cannot, how ever, ftyle the wreathes of laurel, &c. given to the conquerors, as inftances of munificent profufion. The coldness and obfcurity of birth-day odes, or the jejunenefs and poverty of genius in the laurelled lyric' fhould now be no longer heard, It is hackneyed fatire at beft, and it is at prefent an unjust accufation, There is humour in propofing that all political and national contefts fhould be determined by boxing; but this ground has been already occupied, with much fuccefs, by Fielding.

The Battle Royal, or the Effects of Anticipation: with Strictures on the Odiad, or Battle of Humphries and Mendoza; an heroic Poem. 8vo. 15. 6d. Symonds.

This pamphlet is filled with quotations, letters from newspapers, &c. for the purpose of deriving every advantage from the cynthia of the minute. The author poffeffes fome hu mour, and we wish that it had been better employed,

DRAMATIC.

The Ton; or, Follies of Fashion. A Comedy. As it was acted at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden. By Lady Wallace. Svo Is. 6d. Hookham.

That Criticifm has fmoothed his brows, and laid afide his fe. verity, when a lady fues at his tribunal, confers more honour on his tenderness than his justice, and may add to his character as a gallant, at the expence of his impartiality. In reality, a literary woman is an Amazon, whom it is no difgrace to oppofe in the field; for, when the affumes martial weapons, the muft fubmit to the laws of war. Lady Wallace has, however, a claim to our compaffion: he has been condemned unheard, or at leaft has been heard imperfectly; and, while we would foften, if it were poffible, the feverity of the critical code, in favour of a lady, and an unfortunate one, we cannot filence the hiffes of the theatre, nor can we condemn, on cool examination, the verdict of her jury.

The male coquettes have a powerful party in their favour, for not one fatire, and we remember feveral attempts, on their follies, has been permitted to live on the ftage. Lady Wallace had, perhaps, too much courage to be frightened with the fpec tres of murdered embryos, or fhe had too much dependence on her own comic powers, and extenfive intereft. Another rock, which proved fatal to her bark, was her own reputation. Wit was expected to flash in every line; every thought was to

be