by the illuftrious author, on various occafions, and fubjoins them to the fermons and charges, not to improve the value, but the bulk. Even here, he begins aufpicioufly. The "Reasons for Contentment," which follow, were a publication well-timed and judicious; and were, among many fimilar effufions, from various pens, calculated to allay the unnatural ferment of men's minds, which prevailed about the years 1792 and 3. But when we proceed to a tract, of which Paley was confeffedly only the compiler*, which is nothing more than a Spelling-book for the Sunday-Schools at Carlisle, what are we to fay? Is this to be prefented as inftruction for the enlightened readers of Paley's works in general? But this is not all. Not contented with giving us A a, B b, &c. the publifher has actually treated us with the Ten Com mandments, with feveral parables, verbatim, from the New Teftament; all very proper to be given to the children of the Sunday-School, but certainly no part of Paley's works. But will it be believed, what, however, a mere infpection of the book will prove, that the publifher has had the confcience alfo to infert the whole of the Church Catechifm, verbatim ? and foon after, in another tract, the whole offices of the Church for visiting the Sick, for the Communion of the Sick, and for public and private Baptifm? That thefe fhould be added to the original tracts, intended for practical ufe, was reafonable and right; but to compel the purchafer of Paley's posthumous works to buy them, is beyond all stretch of impofition. In this large volume, from p. 181 to p. 517, which is the end, there is nothing whatever of Paley's, except a "Short hiftory of our bleffed Saviour," at p. 207. But even all this was not enough. When the volume was in part, or wholly printed, the publisher heard of a certain tract, on "Subfcription to Articles of Faith," attributed, perhaps with good reason, to Paley. This was too precious a morfel to be omitted, as it might make the volume popular among a quite diftinct clafs of purchafers. This therefore is prefixed, in a feparate order of pages, marked with afterifks; (p. 1*, **, &c.) but without one word of information when or why it was produced, how known to be Paley's, or any thing elfe. Mr. Meadley, who has alfo reprinted it, in lus Appendix, (p. 219) has thought it right, as certainly it was, to give fome account of it. He has alfo printed the tile-page, in in a way which alone explains a great deal, Thus: * See his' own words, in Meadley's Life, p. 158. "A "A Detence of the Confiderations on the propriety of requir ing a Subfcription to Articles of Faith. [By Edmund, Lord Bishop of Carlisle.] In reply to a late Anfwer, [By Thomas Randolph, D.D. Prefident of C. C. C. Lady Margaret's Profeffor of Divinity, and Archdeacon of Oxford.] from the Clarendon Prefs. By a Friend to Religious Liberty. [William Paley, M. A. Fellow and Tutor of Chrift's College, Cambridge.] Lon don, firft published in 1774" Here is fomething told. But the editor of the "Sermons and Trafts," tells nothing, probably knew nothing, but that the tract was likely to fell. We cannot too ftrongly reprobate fo grofs an impofition upon the public, as the whole of this volume, with the exceptions above specified. At the fame time, not to be unjuft to Paley, we must allow, that the Sermon on the Ufe and Application of Scripture Language, (p. 1); that addreffed to the young Clergy, (p. 19); the Charge on local and occafional Preaching, (p. 63); and that on the Dangers incidental to the Clerical Character, (p. 99) are ftrongly marked with the characteristic excellencies of this author's productions. The latter, in particular, exhibits an intimate and accurate knowledge of human nature, which few writers have ever poffeffed in a higher degree than Dr. Paley. To have collected thefe Sermons and Charges alone, would have been to render an excellent fervice to the world, and particularly to divines. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 13. Dunkeld; the Prodigal Son; and other Poems; including Tranflations from the Gaelic. By Petrus Ardilenfis. 12mo. pp. 186. 63. Baldwin. 1811. The firft of thefe poems, Dunkeld, is wholly defcriptive, and, to perfons unacquainted with the place defcribed, not always in telligible, The lines, however, are not wanting in fpirit, "The Prodigal Son" is an expansion of the well-known parable, which bears that name. We will extract the concluding paffage, as a fpecimen of the author's ftyle, which the reader will fee is not unpoetical; but we think the remonftrance of the elder for, with the father's reply, fhould not have been omitted. "His flow approach the anxious father eyes, Affur'd Affur'd at length, he cried, with rapture wild, 'I own,' he said, my crimes with grief and flame, The humbled youth, then rais'd, and gladly cried: Unnumber'd harps the feraph choir employ, And Heaven's glad manfions ring with fongs of joy." P. 68. The tranflations from the Gaelic are not (to us at least) very interefting. They confift of three tales; one of which is re. Jated in a confufed manner; and all the three are highly impro.bable. Upon the whole, this author cannot be faid to rife much above mediocrity, nor often to fall below it. ART. 14. 8vo. Though thefe poems are faid to be only collected by Mr. Hob. houfe, it appears upon examination that he is the principal author concerned and as : we are ever defirous to encourage rifing genius, we would willingly fay all that fincerity will permit in favour of his efforts. Yet we cannot but intimate, that on the whole he has been rather tog hafty in collecting and publifhing; and that, mot probably, the M. A. will hereafter be diflatisfied with the collection of the B. A. There is nothing more juvenile in the volume than the preface, in which the author, by way of a new topic, ridicules the excufes made by poets for publication: a thing a thing which has been done again and again, for 150 years past, and fo commonly, that writers, properly called modern, now ufually avoid the fnare. In the verification of Mr. H. there is facility, and what the French call verve, that is, a natural flow, proceeding from genius; but his Imitations appear to us too lax, and remote. We must fay too that the imitator of the Manciple's Tale, of the Tale from Boccace, and the editor of fome of the Amatory poems in this collection, has little reafon to fatirize Mr. Moore, alias Little, for the tendency of his effufions. The verfes on the Buft of Voltaire (p. 246) feem to imply a defiance of all principle, which, from fome other paffages in the book, cannot we hope justly be imputed to the author. Their tendency however, is very mif chievous, fince they hold up as a model of perfection, a writer who was never more truly characterized than in this couplet, "Thou art fo witty, wicked, and fo thin, Thou serv❜ft at once for Milton, Death, and Sin." After all, we must give a fpecimen of Mr. H.'s talent, and we give a fhort one, becaufe it is perfect in its kind. "IMPROMPTU TO A LADY. "With fuch a form divine, and heav'nly face, What need that beauty fhould enchant us too?" P. 82. To conclude, we fhall be glad to meet Mr. H. again, when time and academical ftudies fhall have formed his judgment, and fettled his principles; and we entertain no flight expectation of meeting him with unmixed fatisfaction, when that period fhall arrive. ART. 15. Petrarch Translated, in a Selection of his Sonnets and Odes, accompanied with Notes, and the original Italian; alf with the Head of Petrarch from an Antique Bronze; by the Tranf lator of Catullus. 8vo. 268 pp. 10s. 6d. Miller. 1808. This volume, elegant both in form and in its contents, ought not to have been fo long overlooked. The author has made a very judicious felection. of feventy fonnets, and ten edes (or Canzoni) out of the very copious collection, (more than 300) left by the Italian Bard. Among the most beautiful of the original fonnets are thofe that form the fecond volume, which were all written after the death of Laura. Among thefe we will take as a specimen that which pleafes us moit; notwithstanding the high encomiums paffed by fome authors upon others, and the fault justly pointed out in the tranflator's note, which we fhall alfo tranfcribe. It is the 56th of this collection, the 261ft of the original. "My "My fancy bore me to that region, where To the third heav'n, lefs haughty, and more fair. Still fhalt thou dwell with me, if hope prove kind, My fair veil caft on earth, thou didst fo love.' Had nearly render'd me heav'ns lafting gueft." P. 193.. The note is this: "La Ceva beftows the most enthufiaftic en-" comium on the prefent fonnet: the conclufion," fays he, "is of celeftial caft; hà un non fo che di celefte. Yet he, with great propriety criticifes it, for having improperly blended the Chriftian [doctrine] with the pagan mythology. In the beginning, our poet places Laura in the third heaven, or fphere of Venus, ac-3 cording to the Platonifts; and in the first terzetto, he makes her fpeak, as a Chriftian, of the refurrection of the body." P. 255. Though we have been obliged to mark a grammatical inac curacy in the fecond line of this fonnet, and the omiffion of a very neceffary word in the note, we have no wish to fuggeft that the author is often incorrect. In the first fonnet, we would propofe to read "my prefent felf," for "the prefent man," which, as, it ftands, is rather obfcure. The notes are generally about the length of that here inferted, but they are judicious and inftrue. tive. The tranflator fuggefts, and we believe correctly, that a good collective edition of the works of Petrarch, Latin and Italian, is yet wanting to literature; and that there are even unpublished works in foreign libraries. Who the author is, from the defignation of Tranflator of Catullus," we do not now recollect, if we ever knew. But he has chofen his patron well, in dedicating to Mr. Heber. DRAMATIC. ART. 16. The Traveller; or, the Marriage in Sicily. In Three Acts. 8vo. 50 pp. 2s. 6d. Richardfon. 1809. This is one of the most whimsical dramatic pieces that have come within our notice. It appears by the dedication, and indeed from the ftyle and language throughout, to be the work of a foreigner, and is altogether the most unmeaning mixture of fcenery |