"upon the face of ALL THE EARTH; and they left off to build the city: therefore is the name of it called Babel, becaufe the Lord did there confound the language of ALL THE EARTH; and from thence did the Lord fcatter them abroad upon the face of ALL THE EARTH."

To conclude the fubject of this refpectable and learned work, which we praised warmly at firft, and ftill praife for the defign and in a great measure for the execution. The ftyle is pleafing, the matter learned, and the intention uniformly religious. If in two or three inftances we have found it neceffary to thow that the author has been feduced by hypothefis, or encouraged by authority, to defert or distort the infallible narration of Scripture, we have done it with undiminished refpect for him, to whom, for the fake of his liberal purfuits, we should be defirous to render a fervice rather than give the leaft uneafinefs. To fuggeft additional caution, and correct unintentional error, In fuch enquiries, is to render an effential fervice; and in this light, we truft, even our strongest animadverfions will be feent.

BRITISH CATALOGUE.

POETRY.

ART. 15. Petrarchal Sonnets, and Miscellaneous Poems. By William Dimond, the Younger. 12mo. 5s. Cadell and Davies. 1800. These Sonnets and Poems are introduced to the world under the aufpicious patronage of her Royal Highnefs the Duchefs of York; to whom they are dedicated, in an address much more creditable to the author's feelings of gratitude than to his fkill and dexterity in compofition. We meet for inftance with the expreflion deeply enfouled veneration, and other high-flown epithets. The following is an ex ample of the poetry:

Gen, xi, 8-9.

While our critique has been going on, we have received a very handfore letter from the author, thanking us for our commendations, but defiring us at the fame time to recollect, that his work profelles only to be an Effay. He communicates alfo a confirmation he has lately found in Kircher, of his conjecture that there were fifteen gene rations before the flood. (p. 168-180) We cannot conveniently infert his communication at length; but it is certainly of a curious nature. " SO ET

“SONNET IV.

To MAY, 1799.

Alas, poor May! with truth I ftyle thee poor,
For fad reverfe of former pride is thine;

On thy cold, cheerless birth no fun-rays shines
While half-leaf'd fprigs and flowrets immature,
But faintly drefs thy pole at cotrage door,

That peafant children, aye, were wont to twine
With cowflip, daffodil, and eglantine,
Fresh wept in dews of morning-fymbols pure
Of mirthful innocence! This alter'd day
The very flower peculiar deem'd thine own.
Falfe to its name, prefents the thorny fpray;
In naked barenefs, and conceals unblown

Its fair and pencilled foliage till the ray
Of warmer June shall bid its fweets be known."

ART. 16. Contentment; or, Hints to Servants on the prefent Scarcity.
A poetical Epifle. 4to. 25. Cadell and Davies.

1800.

Something like the vein of humour which diftinguishes Swift's "Directions to Servants," is obfervable in this little poem; the ferious and useful intention of which, is to point out to that clafs of perfons the great advantages they enjoy, and to perfuade them not to misemploy them. The author thus addreffes the coachman :

Robin Ioft record thofe plenteous days,

When you, to gain the good old lady's praife,
Pamper'd her rufty bob-tails, 'till they grew
As purfy, and as indolent as you.

Drove them attentive to your mutual eafe,

And join'd with their's your fympathetic wheeze;
Nor lefs for Madam's credit than your own,
You made her hofpitable stable known,
Rejoic'd the poor dumb creatures to regale
With oats, as freely as your friends with ale.
Alas! thofe bleft Saturnian days are o'ef,
Such wafteful habits must be known no more.'

It is whispered, that this effufion proceeds from the fame pen which formerly produced the very original Epistles of Mr. B*rh*d. There is no fimilitude which would lead to the conjecture; but we believe the fact to be fo.

ART. 17. A melancholy but true Story. 4to. Is. 6d. Liverpool printed; Hurt, London.

A very melancholy tale indeed; related with more moral than poetic feeling. The truth of it is infifted upon, as we fee in the title page; to which we can, only fay, "would it were impoffible!" The outline is briefly this, a woman fleals a loaf for her children, the baker follows her and feizes the loaf, and the children die of hunger. Surely fome of the circumstances must be exaggerated!

ART.

ART. 18. Lord Auckland's Triumph; or, the Death of Crim. Con. A Pair of Prophetic Odes. To which are added, an Addrefs to Hymen, an Ode on the Paffions, Sc. with a moft interefting Poftfcript. By Peter Pindar, Efq. 4to. 2s. 6d. Wett and Hughes. 1800.

We have more than once had occafion to remark the decline, and latterly the total extinction of Peter Pindar's fcribbling faculties. The admirers of this man's trafh, must be outrageoufly fond of filth and obfcenity, if they can be content to toil through fuch execrable stupidity as the following, in purfuit of their object.

Again,

King David fet a very bad example,
King Harry too, a very fhocking fample
Of wedlock's conftant, chaste, and loving state 2
And many other kings befides, indeed,

Too prone on wild variety to feed,

Have broken matrimony's tender pate.
Nay, many princes every day,

Do fomething in this wicked way." Euge!

"I hate dull conftancy, 'tis fuch a bore;
It ruins love-'tis fuch a piece of lumber,
Kind Venus let it not my back encumber,
Come, Chloe, come, thy beauties I adore ;
Come to the fields, thy husband's gone to town,
O come, and let me give thee a green gown."

Shame to the man (an old man too, we are informed) that could write, the publisher that could vend, and the people who can purchase, fuch grovelling impurities! But we do the people wrong. Peter's works have now no value but from the high price of wafte paper, and few readers but unfortunate reviewers.

The "half crown's worth" this time, is addreffed to that most refpectable nobleman, Lord Auckland (whofe virtuous and amiable wife, and innocent daughters, are brutally infulted) in a Preface, that for dulness and licentioufnefs, exceeds every thing with which even Peter has yet treated his admirers. The Odes as they are called, make ftill a further step in the climax of groffness and stupidity; and are, befides, fottifhly vain.

They are followed by what Peter is pleased to call an interesting Poft fcript, and, indeed, it is as interefting as ignorance, impudence, falfehood, malignity, and profanenefs can render it. Peter Pindar, who has fubfifted for thefe twenty years on the miserable profits of fcandal and outrage, has taken offence, forfooth, at fome remarks on himfelf which appeared in a refpectable publication, which he attri butes to a fet of gentlemen, NOT ONE OF WHOM, WE CAN VEN TURE TO AFFIRM, EVER WROTE A WORD IN IT; and he exhaufts all Billingfgate and St. Giles's (the fcurrility without the wit) in wantonly infulting, in confequence of his own blunder, thofe whó probably never yet fpent a fingle thought, certainly not a fingle line

од

on him or his works! It must be confeffed, that Peter's haunts are not very favourable to the attainment of literary intelligence, nevertheless, we cannot but wonder at his intolerable ignorance: he is, perhaps, the only fcribbler in the country, who does not know the reputed author of the publication in queâion:

Just as we were configning his fheets in wearifomeness and difguft, to "the vault of all the Capulets," the words BRITISH CRITIC caught our eye, and induced us to proceed a few lines further. We toc have offended Peter, Heaven blefs us! And in revenge, this "moft forcible Feeble' puts himfeif into a parious paffion, and calls hard names. Seriously, we cannot bus congratulate ouríelves extremely on the abufe of this miferable man; which convinces us that our humble, but fincere labours in the caufe of truth and virtue, have not been altogether ineffectual, fince they have provoked the hoftility of one, who has everfhown himself their inveterate toe.

Very far removed from our enquiries and purfuits, his character was till lately unknown to us, except fo far as it was developed by his own corrupted pen. Expofed as it now ftands to all the world, by more than one detector, we can offer him, in return for his favours, nothing better than our unmitigated fcorn and contempt.

We forbear to do more than add an act of honeft duty, in telling the world, that the affertion, with respect to that most refpected prelate, who has so often attracted the malice of Peter, a prelate moft confcientious in every discharge of his nigh function, is an atrocious falfehood, which probably Peter very well knew. Can there be a greater combination of meannefs and profligacy, than to tell a direct lie, and then to qualify it by faying, if this is not true I beg pardon?

1

ART. 19. Peter not infallible! or a Poem addressed to Peter Pindar, Efq. on reading his Nil Admirari, a late illiberal Attack on the Bijbe of London; together with unmanly Abufe of Mrs. Hannah More. Alfo Lines occafioned by his Ode to Jome Robin Red-Breafts in a Country Cathedral. By the luthor of Gleanings after Thomfon, or the Village Mufe, c. 4to. Cambridge, printed; Cadell and Davies, London.

1800.

Not infallible! Is that news?What ftrange herefy ever attributed any fpecies of infallibility to Peter? This very young writer has a zeal for what is good, and a defire to defend piety and merit, in the perfons of Bifhop Porteus, and Mrs. Mere, but in knowledge of the world he is strangely deficient. He treats Peter as a man of genius, having fome blemishes; as a perfon of general merit, reprehenfible in a few inftances. But he has been fully and publicly fhown to be,

and his genius was at beft but the genius of doggerel, and that fu very fcanty, that it has long been utterly exhausted.

This publication is fo extremely well intended in all its parts, that we fhould gladly give a fpecimen of it, could we find one that would be, in any great degree, creditable to its author; but of fume, works

the

the most favourable method is to praise the defign, and to be filent on the execution. Mediocrity is the character of the prefent. From this, and his other productions, the young author before us feems to have a moft eager defire to write; we will offer him a very friendly piece of advice. Let him read affiduoufly for three years before he attempts to write again.

DRAMATIC.

ART. 20. Indiferetion, a Comedy, in Five Acts, as performed at the Theatre- Royal, Drury-Lane. By Prince Hoare, Author of the Prize, c. 8vo. 80 pp. 25. Barker, and Stace. 1800.

The fenfible part of the modern writers for the stage, feem to be placed in a difficult fituation between the laws of the regular drama, and the prefent tafte for theatrical performances, which has been undoubtedly vitiated by the introduction of fhowy trifles, and exotic nonfenfe, efpecially that of a German origin.

The author of Indifcretion, whofe pen is well-known to have been employed in various other dramatic performances, has, in our opinion, avoided all extremes with much skill. His drama is regular, moral, and inftructive; yet wants not thofe fallies of humour, and changes of fituation, which give life to the comic fcene. The following is an outline of the plot.

From the dialogue of the first scene between Mrs. Goodly, a refpectable woman, and her daughter Laura, it appears that Julia Burly, in order to avoid a marriage with Captain Maxim, had departed from her father's houfe in company with a Mr. Clermont, who, inftead of making honourable propofals, attempted to feduce her. Julia having rejected his offers, and become fenfible of her indifcretion, fled for protection to Mrs. Goodly, and entrusted her to obtain, if poffible, an interview with her father. Mrs. Goodly, who had great reafons to be attached to the Burly family, undertook the difficult task, exerted herself in behalf of Julia; and the play begins with her telling Laura the fuccefs of her application to Mr. Burly, and that fhe was obliged to proceed with great caution, left she should exafperate the irritable temper of the old gentleman.

After fome hefitation, old Burly is at length prevailed upon to fee his daughter, and the interview between him and the penitent Julia is extremely well written, and even affecting. Burly feems inclined to forgive her; but her refufal to difclofe the name of the man with whom she had eloped, enrages her father to fuch a degree, that he or ders her to quit his houfe.

Clermont, now fenfible of his fault, and infpired with honourable love for the virtuous Julia, endeavours, but ineffectually, to discover her retreat; while the contrives to put the reality of his repentance to the trial by a ftratagem. She disguises herself as a modern cox

F

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVI, JULY, 1800.

comb,