riety of those characters who have "fretted and ftrutted their hour" on that stage of bustle and confufion. Mr. Adolphus, the author, is by no means favourably difpofed towards them, and, therefore, having dragged them forth to the eye of his readers, treats them with an unmerciful severity.

POETRY.

We fhall begin with Mr. SOUTHEY's Second Volume of Poems, which is not, by any means, injurious to the reputation which he has already gained for elegance and fenfibility. The first part of the volume indeed is Occupied by the Vifion of the Maid of Orleans, which ftands expunged from the fecond edition of the epic poem, and is here given in a form more chaftened, and corrected.

Roscoe's Nurfe, from the Italian, is truly beautiful; and British mothers will do well to regard its admonitory ftrains. The unnatural practice of refufing to nurfe their own infants, is here warmly reprobated, and its evils properly delineated. We notice this fubject the more particularly, because we know it is connected with the welfare and happiness of the rifing gene

ration.

MISS DAYE's Poems, on various fubjects, we have read with pleafure; they are the offspring of tafte and fenfibility.

CHEETHAM'S Odes and Sonnets, particularly the latter, evince ability, and are no unpromifing fpecimens of that young gentleman's genius for poetry.

The poems of Anderfon, Smith, Campbell, and Goodwin, are the productions of young poets; but are nevertheless poffeffed of merit, and may be read with advantage. The fame remarks may be extended alfo to Amatory Odes, Epiftles and Sonnets, the Productions of an uneducated Youth.

MRS. MOODY's Poetic Trifles exhibit a cultivated imagination and a benevolent heart. VOL. VIII.

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Theodora

Theodora; or, the Gamefler's Progrefs, had it been lefs profaic, would receive from us a larger portion of our approbation. The purport of the tale is highly meritorious, and pregnant with moral instruction. Nor muft we quit this department without mentioning Mr. HEPTINSTALL's edition in two volumes of the Sacred Oratorios, as fet to Mufic by George F. Handell. This is a neat and cheap compilation, accompanied by embellishments, which enhance its utility.

NOVELS.

It is not our purpose, under this head, to heap together all the trash which iffues from the prefs, under this denomination. We fhall confine ourselves only to the most popular of these too popular productions.

MRS. ROBINSON's Falfe Friend, though not deftitute of her ufual ability, is a ftrange ftory, and of dubious morality. Such performances ought not to be fanctioned by the public; we are forry to perceive talents fo perverted.

MISS HAY'S Victim of Prejudice, is liable to the fame objections, and, however we may be difpofed to praise this lady's ingenuity, we must, from a sense of duty to our readers, withhold our commendation. Writers of this stamp conjure up, in their imagination, all the poffible evils that can afflict humanity, and then charge them upon the prefent conftituted state of fociety. That many things want amendment we readily allow; but we are not fufficiently fenfible of the bleffings of civilization. Thefe novelifts fall violently in love with their own notions; and then, forfooth! brand every other fentiment with an execrable deformity.

LAMB's Tale of Rofamond Gray and Old Blind Margaret, poffeffes confiderable pathos; we felt much intereft in the perusal of it, and can speak of it in terms of unreferved approbation.

Canterbury Tales, by the MISS LEES, are pleafing

and

and recommend themselves by variety. The third and laft volume is now published. The tales are told by feven different perfons, arrived in two ftage coaches, in the depth of a fevere winter, at an inn at Canterbury. The characters are-a Superftitious old Lady-a Sentimental young Lady-a French Abbé-a queer fort of an English Traveller-an old Officer, and the Author. The tales are told to relieve the tediousness of their detainment at an inn; the whole concludes in this fprightly manner-" The voice of my most favourite companion," fays the author, meaning the clergyman,. fuddenly ceafed, and I awoke; yes, reader, courteous or uncourteous, I really awoke from a fpecies of day dreams to which I have all my life been fubject, and if you should find this as pleasant as I have done, why we may henceforth recite tales without going to Canterbury, and travel half the world over without quitting our own dear fire-fides." From this sketch, the reader will perceive that they are perfuaded on the plan of old Chaucer, of whofe tales we gave an account in the laft volume of our Mifcellany.

·་

MRS. WEST'S Tale of the Times is, on the whole, an engaging compofition.

The Ariftocrat, by the Author of the Democrat, is afcribed to MR. PYE, the Poet Laureat, and is, in many refpects, worthy of his reputation. It is interfperfed with fome lively poetry. The following lines ftruck us as a natural delineation of grief in a perfon who revifits his native country,

"The woods as green, the skies as blue,

As bright the azure billow flows,
As when to cheer my infant view,

The profpect first arose;

But while by grief for pleasures past,
The gloomy fcene is overcast,

The brightest landscape fmiles in vain,
And memory each charm destroys,
And only points to wither'd joys
That ne'er muft bloom again!"

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DRAMA

DRAMA.

This department may include many fingular productions of very various merit and utility. It would be inexcufable in us not to place in the front Pizarro, of univerfal fame! We have, indeed, fo fully explained ourfelves in our Dramatic Register, that here we shall only add, that it does both its author and tranflator, or rather emendator, great credit. Whatever faults may be found with certain parts of it; its fentiment, its language, and its tendency in general, claim high approbation.

When examining this part of our furvey, we cannot help expreffing our aftonishment at the barrennefs of our own authors. The rage is for tranflations from the German; and Kotzebue feems deftined to fupply all our defects.

One curious tragedy has been fent us from America, that on the Death of Major Andre. The ftory is affecting, but the play difappointed us. The Eaft Indian, by LEWIS-the Caffle of Montval, by WHALLEY-Firft Faults-What is She?—Aurelio and Miranda-Votary of Wealth-The Secret-Five ThouJand a Year, and Is it he or his Brother? have been brought forward within this last half year. Their merits are by no means equal; and in our Dramatic Regifter we have already given a fufficient detail of them. The ftage might be much improved, and made more fubfervient to the real welfare of the community.

EDUCATION.

MAVOR'S British Nepos is a good fchool book, containing the lives of the more diftinguished characters of British hiftory in an abridged form. We were forry in the perufal of it, to meet with fo many cramp words, which we hope will be banished from a future edition.

COLLARD'S Praxis of Logic, is very useful to young perfons to aid them in the important task of difcrimination.

MISS MORE on Education, contains many ingenious remarks, and feems to have been written with the best intentions; but forry we are to remark. paffages which will tend to prejudice every rational mind against the work. We however are of opinion, that her observations on the fashionable vices and follies of the age, are deferving of attention. We truft, indeed, that all ranks will foon be brought back to a manly recollection of their duties, the difcharge of which forms the only true bafis for present and future felicity.

The REV. MR. ARMSTRONG's Elements of the Latin Tongue, fhould be put into the hands of every youth whole time is occupied in the attainment of that language. Its ingenious compiler has rejected incumbrances, ftated the most effential parts of grammatical knowledge with accuracy; and by placing the rules of fyntax in English, made them much more intelligible to the claffical ftudent. We with thefe Elements every fuccefs.

Thus have we rapidly glanced at fome of the moft popular performances which, for this laft half year, have been prefented to the public. We have been fevere only where severity became abfolutely neceffary. We have inclined more to praife than cenfure; perfuaded that few books are fo entirely bad as not to contain fomething which is calculated to enlighten the mind and meliorate the heart. We can pafs by many faults in a performance, when its perufal fecures the main obj -INTELLECTUAL and MORAL IMPROVEMENT.