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meet with no levity or frivolity of remark, but a fpirit of franknefs, candour, and good fenfe, anxious at the fame time. neither to violate the dignity of truth, nor to be fubject to the fufpicion of mifreprefentation and prejudice. It would have much pleafed us to have inferted the whole of M. Laborde's obfervations on the Spanish character, which is certainly delineated with a masterly hand; but we must content ourselves with inferting what he fays on the Spanish women, which is thus introduced.

"The Spaniards are generally rather below than above the middle ftature. They are taller in the provinces near the ocean and the Pyrenees, efpecially in Catalonia, Aragon, and Galicia; provinces which furnish a weil made, large, and well proportioned race of men, and fmaller in the two Caftiles and Leon.

"The Spaniards are ufually reprefented as lean, dry, meagre, and of a yellow and fwarthy complexion. They are not indeed of the grofs habit ufually obferved in the inhabitants of the north; but their thinness is neither exceffive nor difagreeable; it is fuitable to their ftature. Their complexion is fwarthy in fome provinces; thofe, for inftance, of the fouth; it is fo alfo, but in a lefs degree, in the Caftiles, though a fhade brighter in New than in Old Caftile. It inclines to yellow or olive in the kingdom of Murcia, but white skins are ftill very common in Spain, especially amongst women and children.

"The general appearance of the Spaniards is ufually very good; the fhape delicate, the head beautiful, the countenance in. telligent; their eyes are quick and animated, their features regu lar, their teeth even.

"The Caftilians appear delicate, but they are strong. The Galicians are large, nervous, robuft, and able to endure fatigue. The inhabitants of Eftramadura are ftrong, ftout, and well made, but more swarthy than any other Spaniards. The Andalufians are light, flender, and perfectly well proportioned. The Mur. cians are gloomy, indolent, and heavy; their complexion is pale, and often almoft lead-coloured. The Valencians are delicate, flight, and effeminate; but intelligent, and active in labour. The Catalans are nervous, ftrong, active, intelligent, indefatigable, and above the middling ftature. The Aragonefe are tall and well made; as robuft, but lefs active than the Catalans. Bifcayans are ftrong, vigorous, agile, and gay; their complexion is fine, their expreffion quick, animated, laughing and open; the Roman hiftorians defcribe them as brave, robuft, endowed with conftancy and a firmnefs not to be shaken; fierce in their difpofition, fingular in their customs; always armed with daggers, and ready to give themfelves death rather than fuffer themselves to be fubjugated or governed by force; roufed to oppofition by obftacles, and patient of labours and fatigue. In fact, the Calabrians

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXVII. MARCH, 1811.

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were the Spanish people, who longest refifted the arms of the Ro man republic.

"The Spanish women here deferve a feparate article; compared with the men, they feem to form a different nation.

"The females of Spain are naturally beautiful, and owe no. thing to art. The greater part are brown; the few that are fair are chiefly to be found in Bifcay. They are in general well proportioned, with a flender and delicate shape, fmall feet, well fhaped legs, a face of a fine oval, black or rich brown hair, a mouth neither large nor fmall, but agreeable, red lips; white and well, fet teeth, which they do not long preferve, however, owing to the little care they take of them. They have large and open eyes, ufually black, or dark, hazel, delicate and regular features, a pe culiar fuppleness, and a charming natural grace in their motions, with a pleafing and expreffive gefture. Their countenances are open, and full of truth and intelligence; their look is gentle, animated, expreffive; their fmile agreeable; they are naturally pale, but this palenefs feems to vanifh under the brilliancy and expreffive luftre of their eyes. They are full of graces, which appear in their difcourfe, in their looks, their geftures, in all their motions, and every thing that they do. They have ufually a kind of embarraffed and heedlefs manner, which does not fail, however, to feduce, even more perhaps than wit and talents. Their countenance is modeft, but expreffive. There is a certain fimplicity in all they do, which fometimes gives them a rustic, and fometimes a bold air, but the charm of which is inexpreffible. As foon as they get a little acquainted with you, and have overcome their firft embarraffment, they exprefs themfelves with eafe; their dif courfe is full of choice expreffions, at once delicate and noble; their converfation is lively, eafy, and poffeffes a natural gaiety peculiar to themselves. They feldom read and write, but the little that they read they profit by, and the little that they write is correct and concife.

"They are of a warm difpofition; their paffions are violent, and their imagination ardent, but they are generous, kind, and true, and capable of fincere attachment.

With them, as with the women of other countries, love is the chief bufinefs of life; but with them it is a deep feeling, a paffion, and not, as in fome other parts, an effect of felf-love, of vanity, of coquetry, or of the rivalries of fociety. When the Spanish women love, they love deeply and long; but they alfo require a conftant affiduity, and a complete dependence. Naturally referved and modeft, they are, then jealous and impetuous. They are capable of making any facrifices; but they alfo exact them. On thefe occafions they difcover all the energy of their character; and the women of no other nation can compare with them in this point. The Caftilian women excel all the reft in love. There are many fhades of difference in the manner in which this paffion is difplayed by the females of different provinces.

Thofe

Thofe of Caftile have more tendernefs and fenfibility; the Bif cayans are more ardent; the Valencians and Catalans more impetuous; the Aragonese most exacting and imperious; the Andalufian women moft adroit and feducing; but the general difpofition is pearly the fame in all.

"There is a freedom in the manners and converfation of the Spanish women, which caufes them to be judged unfavourably of by ftrangers; but on further acquaintance, a man perceives that they appear to promife more than they grant, and that they do not even permit thofe freedoms which most women of other coun tries think there is no harm in allowing. A modern traveller, who is fometimes fevere, often hafty in his judgments, has anticipated me in this remark; but he deduces from it an inference unfavorable to the Spanish women. "Feeling," fays he, "their own weakness, and knowing how inflammable they are, they are distrustful of themfelves, and fear they fhould yield too eafily." This is fuppofing them very abandoned, and very calculating, and they are neither one nor the other. This referve belongs to their notions and manners; it fometimes proceeds from the embara ment, of which we have fpoken, and oftener from their ideas of love, which forbid them to grant their favours by halves, or to employ that

tries.

coquetry fo common among the women of other coun.

"If the Spanish ladies are agreeable, if they are sometimes well-informed, they owe it only to themfelves, and in no degree to their education, which is almoft totally neglected. If their native qualities were polished and unfolded by a careful inftruction, they would become but too feductive." Vol. v. Vol. v. p. 265.

It might have been very poffible to have fubftituted other extracts ftill more creditable to the original author, and exhibiting ftill more fatisfactory evidence of elaborate research, combined with circumstantial detail and elegant observation. But enough, it should feem, must have been done to convince the reader that the tranflator has introduced a work into our language far above the ordinary level. He is on this account entitled to our thanks, even if he had not merited, which he certainly does, much and great commendation for the fpirit, elegance, and we queftion not the fidelity of his verfion. We learn that fome few, but very pardonable liberties, have been taken with the original. The English ear has not been difgufted with the fulfome panegyrics on a Jo. feph Bonaparte. A chapter comparing the Spanish and French languages has been judicioufly abridged; and a chapter on Natural Hiftory has received fome additions and corrections. Some notes alfo, of neceffary explanation, have been added. The Atlas has the merit of great perfpicuity and neatnefs; and the whole is a useful and agreeable addition to English Literature.

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ART.

BRITISH CATALOGUE.

POETRY.

ART. 11. Select Pfalms in Verfe, with Critical Remarks, by Bp. Lowth and others, illuftrative of the Beauties of Sacred Poetry. Crown 8vo. 288 pp. 8s. Hatchard. 1811.

There is fomething peculiarly pleafing in the plan and execution of this little volume, which judiciously unites the love of facred poetry, with the tafte for English lore, and the liberal curiofity which feeks for information refpecting all men of talent. "It was the original intention of the compiler," he tells us, "to have given a complete metrical translation of the Book of Pfalms, felected from all the different verfions which he could meet with.” This, however, he relinquished, being convinced by diligent. investigation, that "a very large proportion of the Pfalms have never yet had juftice done to the beauties of their poetry." Inftead of this, therefore, he gives a felection of fuch as he deemed moft worthy to meet the public eye, whether published before, or remaining till now in MS.

To the Pfalms themfelves the compiler prefixes fhort biographical notices, of thofe English authors who have tranflated the whole Book of Pfalms. in English verfe. Thefe are elegant and fatisfactory. Other biographical accounts appear alfo in 'the' notes, relative to authors who tranflated only particular Pfalms. The illustrations of the Pfalms themselves are felected with tafte and judgment from various authors. The fiftieth Pfalm, of which the tranflator is faid to be unknown, may perhaps be attributed to the compiler himfelf. On the chance of that being the cafe we fhall produce it. Its own merit will speak fufficiently for it.

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"Than floods of oil, or floods of wine
Ten thoufand rolling to thy fhrine,
Or than if, to thine altar led,

A first-born Son the victim bled.

"Be juft and kind,' that great command
Doth on eternal pillars ftand:

This did thine ancient prophets teach,

And this thy well-beloved preach." P. 102.

Whoever may be the author of this, it is not furpaffed by -any in the collection, for fimple elegance. We very much long to tell the compiler's name, but not being authorized fo to do, we forbear. If our commendation can remove the hesitation of diffidence, we very cordially bestow it. We have feldom feen a compilation of the fame extent, by which we have been more gratified.

ART. 12. The Goblin Groom; a Tale of Dunfe. By R. O. Fen wick, Efq. 4to. 125 pp. 155. Lawrie, Edinburgh; Ridg way, London. 1809.

A joke may be rather too expenfive; and fuch we should ima gine would be deemed the entertainment contained in this volume It is an evident ridicule of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, and of the introductory verfes to Marmion. We have a little doubted whether to give, as a fpecimen, the firft appearance of the Goblin or his difappearance; but decide for the latter, as being more poetical. At the end of a tremendous chace, defcribed in what is intended as an imitation of Mr. Scott's ftyle,

"Down from his poney jumped the elf,
When lo the poney difappeared;

And now the Goblin Groom himself,

Has ta'en the brush, the hounds has cheered;

Has bowed his head to Chiviot gray,

And vanished from the light of day:

And when the diftanced horfemen neared

The bloody fcene on Flodden's plain,

No veftige of the elf appeared;

The poney too was fought in vain.
Loud howl'd each hound; I will prefume,
They howl'd at lofs of Goblin Groom;
And well they might, for fuch a fay
Ne'er rode before on hunting day;
And hounds, like ladies fair, I'm told,
Dote on the daring and the bold;
And than the Goblin we'll agree,

A bolder there could never be." P. 75.

The reader will fee that there is fpirit in the ftyle of this imitation. The story is avowedly taken from one which appears in

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Lord

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