of England from being tarnished by the baneful practice of permitting timber-trees to outlive their vigour, and either to fink ill-fated into gradual decay, or, what is equally humiliating, to feel the murdering axe, and ignobly to fend their hollow, unfound, and mutilated trunks to feed the flame of a baker's oven.

Though to the notes, which difplay much legal and hiftorical knowledge, we are bound to give the palm of praife, the poetry contains many mifcellaneous and curious topicks; and the following fublime invocation of, and apoftrophe to, the Goddels of Liberty, may be claffed among the beauties of didactic poetry. They please the imagination, and improve the mind.

"Goddess of Liberty, my Mufe Illumine, thou who canft infufe Thy heaven-born joys, with pureft grace, And elevate the human race: Without thee! what is tranfient man? Fleeting his hours, his life a pan; The dancing hours midft forms of life, In fotul cafe, or favage Arife, Dize to unfold-are all mis-fpent, Deep buried bes the talent lent, Withont improvement, or difguife, His life-a blank, without a prize: No fimulus, no f cial joy, The cemen, Anarchy employGo anarchist, and Freedom's foe, To fait Pomona docile go; The Goddess will thy fancy fire, And with thefe truths thy breaft infpire. When the four Crab tree gives delight, Let Afric wash her Ethiops white; By grafting, by the pruning koife, The tree's improv'd, affumes new life, By culture nourish'd, kindly plac'd, Gives fruit delicious to the taste "

The following is an analyfis of the contents of this extraordinary poem:

"Cadle Park, in the county of Stafford, has for many ages given notriment to a venerable oak, which, from its fize and fymmetry, is fuppofed to have been planted there several ages before the diffolution of monafteries, and to have lived in five or more centuries. Its circumference near the parent-foil is 14 feet 7 inches; and at the commencement of its wide-fpreading arms the circumference is The diffolution of monafteries leads to the difcuffion of tithes, and the prominent features of commutation.-The landing of King William in South Devon, and the happy confequences flowing from genuine liberty, are contrafted with the dire effects of anarchy.-Hooker' fublime definition of law. An addrefs to Britanpia, as the empress of the main, the proteeks of merit, and the promoter of

16 feet.

equality among men of fcience, concludes the first book.”

"The fecond branch, or divifion of the British Oak records the marriage of the firft Duke of Newçaftle with the fole daughter and heir of William Beffett, of Blore, efquire, whofe ancestors were for feveral centuries lords of the manors of Cheadle, and Cheadle Park.-The addrefs the affumed character of guardian of the of Hymen, and of the age-worn oak, in wood.-A picturesque view in the moorlands of Staffordshire in a fummer evening.

And a loco-defcriptive view of the fmall yet rapid river Churnet. The Druids are fuppofed to have refided in this wild part of Staffordshire.-A monody on the death of a friend concludes the fecond book."

"The third and lait divifion of the British Oak opens with the wonderful appearance of a floating Druidical Temple, conducted in a stately barge, many miles along the ri ver Thames. This antient temple was removed, at a confiderable expence, by General Conway, from the Ife of Jersey to Park-Place, near Henley, where it is carefully preferved, and of which a correct view has been taken by a celebrated Anti--. quary.-Wetley Rocks are defcribed.The Honourable Mrs. Damer, fole daughter and heir of General Conway, having, with a pure fpirit of loyalty and praifeworthy liberality, offered to prefent the City of London with a portrait of the magnanimous Lord Nelfon, either in bronze or marble; this pleafing and uncommon effort of her genius introduces the animating fuhjet of the gallant admiral's victory. An apostrophe to the Lords Saint Vincent and Nelfon, the favourite fons of Neptune, the British Nifus and Euryalus, fucceeds. And the third divifion terminates with an adju dication by old Father Thames of the prize of merit to Strawberry-fill, the unique,

picturefque, and elegant feat of Mrs. Da

mer."

3. A concife View, from Hiftory and Prophety, of the great Predictions in the Sacred Wr tings that bave been fulfilled, also of thofe that are fulfilling, and that remain to be accomplished. By Francis Dobbs, Efq Member for the Borough of Charlemont, in IrNoland. In Letters to his eldeft Son.

MR. D. has already publifhed, in 8 fmall volumes, price 3s. 6d, each, fewed, the great events that have taken place in the world down to 1715; the ninth will come out in the courfe of this year, and bring and complete the hif tory to the prefent day. In the Preface to the prefent work he tells us, that he intended to have gone at fome length into hiftory and the facred predictions, in the Houfe, when voting for the Union June 7; but confined himself to

Its own name alfo denotes that it is to be the fcourge of a wicked world. The Giant's Cauteway feems an emblem of the ffone of Daniel, it being in fact compofed of pillars of foue, nicely jointed into each other, cut out of the mountain that overtops it without human hand. And, befides all this, the Jews were never perfecuted in any degree in Ireland; and their perfecutors have been, and are to be, peculiarly panifhed. (p. 200-202.)

a

We cannot follow the speaker in his arguments for this happy privilege of Ireland, whofe independence as kingdom is deftroyed by this bill, which can never be an operative law, the independence of Ireland being written in the immutable records of Heaven; yet he means to demand from all who are fprung from him, or over whom he has the leaft influence, to pay it the moft implicit obedience, tilt the Meffiah Shall in perfon demand their obedience. The refult of Mr. D's obfervations on different periods, in his 14 letters to his fon, leads him to give the preference in all improvement to Great Britain, which, "he feels himfelf war- ranted to fay, is not the fecond but the first country on the face of the globe; but I mult add, that fhe is hecome profligate and corrupt when compared with what he was in 1715. The great body of the higher orders are notorioufly unbelievers in Revealed Religion. As to the duties due to their country, to their fellow-creatures, and their God, I appeal to the feelings of any honeft man who reads this work, whether they have or have not performed them.” (p.

fuch paffages as will fupport three pofitions: 1. the certainty of the fecond advent of the Meffiah; 2. the figns and manner of it; and, laft, that Ireland is to have the glorious pre-eminence of being the firt kingdom that will receive him, "Feeling as I do, that we are living in the moft momentous and eventful period of the world; feeling as I do, that a new and better order of things is about to arife; and that Ireland, in that new order of things, is to be highly diftinguifhed, indeed this bill has no terrors for me." The figns of Chrift's near approach are, "the fall of the papal power, and the very high degree of infidelity. The flone, which Daniel foretold was to be cut out of the mountain without hands, and to fall on the feet of the image, and break the whole image to-pieces, cannot be found in any country that is a part of the image! therefore, all the countries that were comprized in the Babylonish and Allyrian empire, in the MedoPerfian, the Grecian, and the Roman empire, are pofitively precluded. The Meiliah, Ifa. xli. 25, is to come from a country North of Judea. The new world is out of the queftion, being no where a fubject of prophecy; and, as the image is excluded, it can only be in the Ruffian empire, or in the kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, or Ireland. That it is Ireland, Mr. D. thinks demonftrated from Rev. xv. 2, where, by the fea of glafs is meant an ifland; xiv. 2, by the harp, the arms of Ire land; xvi. 16, by Armageddon, Armagh, or, as its old name, Ardmagh. The best Hebrew fcholar in the college of Dublin thinks the true meaning of Armageddon is the Mountain of the Gofpel. Now, the English of Ardmaccaddon is the hill or mountain of the great teacher. All the empires of the image rofe Weft of each other, and the laft kingdom that completed the image was Great Britain; and the stone is first to fall on the feet of the image, fo that Ireland feems to be fitted in all refpects for this great purpofe, from its being ftill farther Weft, and from its vicinity to the laft toe of the image. The exemption of Ireland from the ferpent kind is ftrongly emblematic that Satan, the great ferpent, is there to meet his firft deadly blow. The crown of Ireland is the apoftolic crown; and it has been immemorially called the Ifland of Saints, though certainly it has never yet deferved that appellation

109.) He allows, however, that England is infinitely lefs vicious than France; and, in proportion to the extent of her wealth and empire, perhaps, freer from guilt than any other now exifting nation; but her faults are of magnitude enough to make her think and tremble. In letter XV. he compares the prefent age with the Auguftan; and obferves, that nothing diftinguishes the periods we now live in from the ftate of mankind at the death of Auguftus but Chriftianity. But, if we are to truft to outward appearances, that religion is rapidly vanifhing from the earth. How are we to hope that mere human reafoning fhall, in the prefent depraved state of nations and of men, prevent fimilar calamities, ty ranny, ignorance, and flavery, to what filled the Auguftan age? (p. 114.)

There

There is, however, a glorious difference between thefe times and the fummit of the heathen world. There are now on the earth 144,000 true believers and followers of Chritt ready to receive aud obey the commands of their master. Thefe are the falt of the earth, and by thefe it will be faved." (p. 117.) In letters XVI. and XVII. the writer explains the various prophecies; and in XVIII. points out the certainty of a perfonal Antichrift, as well as a perfonal Meffiah. This was the first beaft, or the Roman monarchy, and Antichrift was Auguftus. That emperor was an able, polifhed villain; and under him was the fummit of the heathen or fatanic world. This eighth perfonage, who was of the feven, is alfo to put on exterior appearance of virtue for lies, to have two horns like the lamb, but to act as the dragon." He is of opinion that this fecond beaft and the falfe prophet then to accompany will not a till Chrift again appears on earth. (p. 191.)

In the title of letter XX. it is faid, that all men, both good and bad, how upon the earth have lived before;" and, p. 205, all who compofe the army of Chrift, and who are ftyled the firft fruits by St. Paul, were dead, and have been born again." Thefe are the 144,000 of the Revelations, chap. vii. in the ordinary way literally to be born again." (p. 211.) The perfonal Antichrift will appear in one of the ten kingdoms that compofe the image of the fecond chapter of Daniel, and in one of the ten into which the Weftern Roman empire was broken, and this is France, where that man fhall appear who leads the wicked world." (p. 218.) Mr. D. indulges a fingular opinion that all men who live now have lived before. This he infers of the followers of Antichrift, from Itaiah xiv. 9. "From this paffage we have every reafon to believe that, as all the best men who have ever lived are to be upon the earth, fo are all the worft; and all the mighty villains that have lived, from the creation of the world to the prefcnt day, will unite with the Antichrift. So we find that all who were immediately inftrumental in the death of Christ are to be again on the earth at the fecond coming, from Mark xiii. 30, Matthew xxvi. 69; from which laft he infers, "the high priest must be again upon the earth;" and from Rev. i. 7, that "they who were concerned in his cru

cifixion must also be here. It therefore becomes a like queftion, as to the very wicked and the very beft, in what way they are to be again upon the earth; and I think it is by coming literally through the womb." "Sec Ezek. xxxvii. 11-15, 24, 25, Pfalm xc. 3, 4, Isaiah xxvi. 29, Matt. xi. 23, xxvii. 12, 13. Living more than once in the ordinary way in the cafe of John the Baptift exemplified beyond a doubt. See alfo John iii. 3-12, 1 Cor. xv. 22, 23, 45-49. That men live more than once in the ordinary way of being born again, is ftrongly confirmed by Rev. xiv. 13.

From the reft of that chapter the text applies only to the times of the fecond coming, and thofe events fubfequent thereto; and I think there is no way of explaining it but of living more than once. See alfo Dan. xii. I. I now proceed to point out the plan that I conceive is leading to the great confummation of the purposes of this world. I apprehend no man has lived fince the Flood who was not in exiftence before it; and that all, both good and bad, have been born again fubfequent thereto. The worst were regenerated in the line of Ham, and particularly in his fon Canaan; which will explain that paffage where it is faid, Curfed be Canaan, a fervant of

fervants fhall he be to his brother." The beft were brought again into the world in the line of Abraham and his fon Ifaac, and his grandfon Jacob; and though not then capable of the pure worthip ordained by Chrift, they were able to receive a preparatory to it, and the belief in one God, as revealed in the Mofaic difpenfation; but all but that race were idolaters, and were incapable of being otherwife till another ftage of their exiftence. Agreeable to this order of things, I conceive that all the beft and worft of mankind were ac tually born again, and living at the death of Chrift. At the commencement of the millenium there will be multitudes on the earth of all nations aud languages, who, though not yet capable of that immortality which the 144,000 fprung from Abraham have obtained, yet they fhall live on without disease or mifery, and die with the certainty of eternal life and happiness; and fo will thofe fprung from them, till all who are capable of happiness have perfected their falvation. And then comes up again the generation vipers, and the devil, being then los