While villains so often assume diff'rent scowls,

And glare with their goggles; they needs must be

owls.

Add misses most constant in caverns and thickets,

Who, drench'd, ne'er catch colds, though without change of smickets.

Young knights that on love are so constantly think

ing,

They scorn the stale fashion of eating and drinking. With these ably hash up dark tall waving trees, High ramparts, watch-turrets, cloud-capp'd Pyre

nees;

A horde of banditti; a mysterious monk;

Their readers, by heavens, are all in a funk.

Lo! such prov'd the spells whereby publishers

sweated

For profit, first paying those hundreds Ann netted. We next turn to Lewis, of monkish renown, (j) Who tickled the fancies of girls of the town;

(j) Having previously commented Mr. Lewis's productions under the head of poetry, I shall content myself by stating,

To whom let's subjoin female sprig of Jew King, That makes her lewd heroine act the same thing(k)

that, from this writer's horrific predilection, he would not have found a bad auxiliary in Mr. Urquhart, of the navy department in Somerset House, whose taste, as a book and print collector, is further extended to a predilection for the ropes which have ended the career of all our notorious malefactors; which relics might have afforded ample scope for the production of the terrific from Monk Lewis's pen. Strange, however, as this branch of collecting may be deemed, I do not see but much good may result from the same; as upon reviewing each life-bereaving cord, the possessor cannot fail to recur to the particular crime of the man whose career it was instrumental in terminating; and from thence a train of reflections, no doubt, occupy the mind of Mr. Urquhart, as to the baleful effect of indulging, to excess, certain passions of the hunian heart, which more or less contributed to the disgraceful exit of the criminal. From this it is evident that circumstances, however trivial to appearance, may act as a most beneficial lesson to the contemplative and well-informed mind.

(k) The lady now under review, who cherishes, I believe, all the extravagant notions of Mary Wolstonecraft, has apparently endeavoured, also, to adopt her vigorous mode of expression. All this may be excusable in a female, but any mind tinctured

As she with Zofloya the Moor plays at evil,
Who proves in the sequel none else but the devil.
On a par with the last now her sister behold,
Whose morality's cast in the very same mould;
I'faith, in perusing their works, without slander,
Each breast, it should seem, must enshrine sala-
mander:

Descriptions so luscious-such pictures of passion-
That prudes, ta'en with furor, to ruin might dash on.
Scenes wrought to a pitch worthy famous King's
Place,

While sentiments breathe new philosophy's grace;

with morality can never for a moment tolerate the giving publicity to such scenes, heightened by the most florid descriptions, as are delineated in the progress of Zofloya the Moor. It is universally allowed that the existing state of society is sufficiently depraved; wherefore, let such writers take shame to themselves who not only labour to increase the existing evil, but willingly pervert those talents which, if applied to the purposes of virtue, science, and morality, would not fail to insure

E'en such is the witchery us'd by this pair;
Preserve me, good Heaven, from any such Fair! (1)
To overthrow modesty roads there are twain,
One wily and specious, the other quite plain.
Libidinous themes will awake foul desires,
And, banishing decency, light lustful fires:
While sentiments specious pure truth undermine,
Like gold-coated snake, crushing prey in its twine.
From Ida of Athens these principles flow,

Just varnish'd like Eloise, fam'd of Rousseau.

As censor, Sir Noodle can ne'er accord praise

To themes thus subversive, though writer shou'd blaze

to the possessor the respect and admiration of every praiseworthy member of the community.

(1) As the last annotation applied to the sister of the above lady also conveys my opinion respecting the present personage, I shall dismiss the subject with this remark, that, to the conclusive line of Sir Noodle's stricture, I, from my very soul, exclaim Amen.

A dame of high fashion, with beauty and learning,
Since science should show greater store of discerning.
To the dame, then, in question, Sir Noodle advises
That, if present fame and the future she prizes,
And again should commit lucubrations to press,
They may greet public eyes in a different dress;
For, to circumvent morals in man is a curse;
But, from ladies, such works are ten thousand times
worse. (m)

A

corps of romancers I now mean to call out,

So skill'd at the long bow, there's no fear they'll fall

out.

(m) The compositions of Miss Owenson (now Lady Morgan), I must candidly allow have delighted me; and I will therefore refrain from any further animadversions than are couched in the above couplets, as it would be ungallant in the extreme to follow up the two preceding comments by a third attack upon a female's productions, whose good sense will, I am convinced, in future, prevent the necessity of using the language of reprehension, should her fancy commit any further lucubrations to the ordeal of public scrutiny.

L