eye,

With ftrained fmile and tortur'd
That fparely throws the glance from high.
How impotent fuch efforts prove,
To warm the tender heart to love!
It fcorns the glofs, and cold recoils
From fuch prepofterous, wreathed wiles.
-O fweet Simplicity! what art
Can thee forego and catch the heart?
How vain the lifelefs, flowery lays
Bedaub'd with cumbrous foreign phrafe,
By foppish Fancy trimly wrought,
To hide her want of burning thought!

• Difdaining now thy precepts plain,
How rambles rude th' Hefperian strain,
That once, when owning thy control,
With fimple note could melt the foul!
Now rais'd aloud, with trilling pride,
Of paffion and expreffion void,
It drives with idle, mad career,
Grates harfhnefs on the tingling ear.
How loft the artlefs powers of fong,
Unknown fave woods and vales among!
Yet oft, by Art's fubmiffive aid,
Thy charms more pleasing are difplay'd;
When by thy rule, the works unknown,
Nor claims the merit as her own.
Thou, deck'd by her, art more admir'd
She pleases more, as more retir'd.
Thy manner fpeaks the noble mind:

And hollow Art, the little foul confin'd.'

This Ode ends rather abruptly: and void and pride are bad rhymes. We would advife this young author, whofe faults his age will in fome measure excufe, and which, therefore, we shall not point out, not to publish every thing which he writes; but, for the future, notwithstanding what a circle of flattering friends may say, to remember that a few verses well-written, and carefully corrected, will give him more reputation than half a dozen fuch volumes as that which he has already produced.

Walter.

A Poetical Epifle from Petrarch to Laura. 4to. Is. The author of this Epiftle has rather imprudently taken upon him the name of Petrarch, one of the most elegant Italian writers; and, in confequence of fo bold an attempt, has addreffed his Laura in a ftyle very different from that which she had been fo long ufed to from the pen of her enraptured poet. When a gentleman, inftead of fculking in a domino at a masquerade, chufes to affume a character, he fhould always confider whether he has parts and genius to fupport it. That our poetical incognito could never be mistaken for Petrarch, will appear from

· the

the following lines, which we meet with in the beginning of the Epiftle.

Say, lovely Laura, can my foul forget
Thy fplendid form in this ferene retreat?
Can Reafon's voice my ardent love restrain ?
Can Reason teach me that my love is vain?
Not all the powers of abfence can impart
Relief, or foothe to reft my wounded heart:
Thy beauteous image haunts this ftill abode,
And fighs for Laura mix with prayers to God.

Yet, why fhould I the glittering pile destroy
Of fond illufions which my foul employ?
From memory's tablet raze the form divine,
Where winning grace and rigid virtue fhine?
No, in the deep receffes of my heart,
With joy I'll cherish each deftructive dart ;
Recall each dear idea of my love,

And all the sweets of meditation prove.

• Within those walls where Clara's virgin choir
With warbled strains the facred flame inspire,
And each glad heart its thankful tribute
pays
Of hymn, harmonious in its Maker's praife:
There (whilst I liften'd to the mattin lay,
That feem'd to gratulate the dawn of day)
I first beheld the fource of each delight;
There first my Laura blefs'd my ravish'd fight.
Wild, as a flag untam'd, I erft had rov'd,
And often thought, but never found I lov'd;
Defires compos'd each cold affection rear'd,
Whofe gelid influence banish'd warm regard:
But every nerve, in that propitious hour,
Own'd in reality love's mighty power;

That heart then felt the force of each bright charm,
Which long had baffled every foft alarm.
What keen emotions then awak'd my foul!
My eyes entranc'd alternate glances stole;

They now devour'd the beauteous fmiles that grac'd
Each lovely feature:-now with rapture trac'd
The lines expreffive of a fofter fense,

And looks that beam'd with fweet benevolence.
The auburn treffes love had wove to warm,

With nature's fhade adorn'd each glowing charm.
The violet form, in richest purple dreft,
With pleafing luftre deck'd the verdant veft;
Whilft every elegance of air, betray'd
Celestial limbs in heavenly robes array'd.'

In thefe lines the reader will be able to find very little refemblance of the render, pathetic, and ingenious Italian bard; as they are all

feeble,

feeble, languid, and miferably inferior to the great exemplar in diction, fentiment, and every requifite of true poetry: the idea of cherishing a dart, and baffling foft alarms, even borders on the burlefque and ridiculous; and the phrafe which our author introduces of in reality, is certainly, to fay no worse of it, very unpoetical. We must beg leave also to observe, that this writer's rhymes are extremely incorrect and unwarrantable, as there is very little fimilarity of found in wild and fill'd, beam and flame, good and road, with many others, which feem as cross to each other, and to answer as unkindly, as Laura did to her faithful Petrarch. We fhould advife this gentleman therefore, who, in our opinion, has not enough in him either of the lover or the poet to pafs for a Petrarch, to affume, at the next literary masquerade, fome character which will fuit him better; and in which we heartily wish him more fuccefs.

Poems, by the rev. Mr. Logan, one of the Minifters of Leith. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Cadell,

In thefe Poems, written by the ingenious Mr. Logan, there is a fine flow of numbers, and great command of language; the verfe is, in general, very correct; and the fentiments and reflections much fuperior to what we generally meet with in love fonnets. The following lines, extracted from an Ode on the Death of a young Lady, are remarkably elegant and pathetic. • O from thy kindred early torn, And to thy grave untimely borne ! Vanifh'd for ever from my view, Thou fifter of my foul, adieu !

Fair with my firft ideas twin'd,

Thine image oft will meet

my

mind;

And, while remembrance brings thee near,
Affection fad will drop a tear,

How oft does forrow bend the head,
Before we dwell among the dead!
Scarce in the years of manly prime,
I've often wept the wrecks of time.

What tragic tears bedew the eye!
What deaths we fuffer ere we die!
Our broken friendfhips we deplore,
And loves of youth that are no more!

• No after-friendship e'er can raise
Th' endearments of our early days;
And ne'er the heart fuch fondness prove,

As when it first began to love.'

This is the voice of nature, and the language of the heart. The Ode to Women has great merit. Our readers will be obliged to us for the two laft ftanzas; where the poet, after advifing the ladies to truft to nature, and defpife the fashionable alliftance of art, thus illuftrates his doctrine.

The

The midnight minstrel of the grove,
Who ftill rehews the hymn of love,
And woes the wood to hear;
Knows not the sweetness of his strain,
Nor that, above the tuneful train,
He charms the lover's ear.

The zone of Venus, heavenly-fine,
Is Nature's handy-work divine,
And not the web of art;
And they who wear it never know
To what enchanting charm they owe

The empire of the heart."

The poem in this collection called the Lovers, is extremely well written, as well as the Tale which follows it; but they are both too long. The hymns at the end are, like all other hymns, dull and tirefome.-From the fpecimen, notwithstanding, which. we have given of Mr. Logan's poetry, our readers will perceive that his Pegafus has fire and spirit; and that when he comes hereafter to take longer journies, and mend his pace, he will make no inconfiderable figure in the regions of Parnaffus.

NOVE L.

The Revolution, a Novel, in four Volumes. Vol. I. Small Svo 25. 6d. Fielding.

We are informed by an advertisement, that the author of this production, who died in 1774, was a youth under eighteen; that he never had a claffical education; and that at the time he compofed this work, he earned his bread by hard labour. In fuch circumstances, it cannot be fuprifing, if he should not attain that fame, which, we are told, was the object of his ambition. He had, it seems, defigned the work on the plan of an epic poem, and had at first introduced machinery; but afterwards altered thofe parts. The manufcript, it is faid, would make four fuch volumes as the prefent; and the whole was completed in the fpace of eight or nine months. A work the production of fo young a man, compofed under fo great difadvantages, and deprived of his corrections, it would be hard to judge with any degree of feverity. Suffice it to fay, that the work discovers an invention far beyond what might be expected from the youth and fituation of the author; and which, if employed on a more interesting fubject, under the judgment of maturer age, might have procured his name a monument among those who have been distinguished by genius.

MEDICAL.

An Account of a Method of preferving Water at Sea from Putrefaction, &c. By Thomas Henry, F. R. S.

Johnfon.

8vo.

25.

A method of preferving water free from putrefaction was fome years fince propofed by the late Dr. Alfton of Edinburgh. It

con

confifted in adding to each cask of water a quantity of lime, which by its antifeptic property produced the defired effect. To free the water, at the time of uting it, from the lime, Dr. Alfton propofed the precipitation of the latter, by adding a quantity of magnefia alba. The expence attending this procefs, however, having prevented the doctor's propofal from being carried into execution, Mr. Henry has contrived a method of precipitating the lime by means of calcareous earth and the vitriolic acid, which may be afforded at a very trifling expence. He defcribes with great accuracy, as well as illuftrates by plates, both the procefs and the veffels for conducting it; fubjoining likewife a method of impregnating water in large quantities with fixed air, for the ufe of the fick on board of fhips, and in hofpitals; befides a procefs for obtaining artificial yeaft, Pyrmont water, and Seltzer water; with the following method of preferving Mr. Bewly's julep.

• Diffolve three drams of foffil alkali in each quart of water, and throw in ftreams of fixed air, till the alkaline tafle be detroyed, and the water have acquired an agreeable pungency. This julep fhould not be prepared in too large quantities; and fhould be kept in bottles very closely corked and fealed. Four ounces of it may be taken at a time, drinking a draught of lemonade, or water acidulated with vinegar, or weak fpirit of vitriol, by which means the fixed air will be extricated in the ftomach.'

Mr. Henry has added a Poftfcript, containing an answer to fuch objections as may be made to the method of preferving water from putrefaction. The affiduity with which he has profecuted the fubject, deferves great commendation; and we should be extremely glad to find that his laudable efforts for preserving the health of our seamen, have been feconded by those who have the direction of the naval department.

The Conductor and Containing Splints; or, a Defcription of Two Inftruments for the fafer Conveyance and more perfect Cure of Fractured Legs. Third Edition. By Jonathan Wathen, F. R. Š. 8vo. Is. 6d. Cadell.

Some years ago, the author of this pamphlet, Mr. Wathen, published a description of two machines: one for carrying, and the other for the more eafy cure of a fractured leg. In the prefent edition, he relates fome improvements which he has made on his former invention. We are now alfo prefented with the reprefentation of two new invented tourniquets; conftructed in fuch a manner as to be eafy of application, and capable of being infantly flackened, tightened, or removed at pleasure. The invention discovers mechanical ingenuity, and merits the attention of furgeons.

Account