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which is owing to his fagacity alone. No animal fufpects treachery fooner, or refifts it more obftinately. The following anecdote of a fowler is related with pathos and interest:

< Mounted on his mud-pattens, he was traverfing one of these mudland-plains in queft of ducks; and being intent only on his game, he fuddenly found the waters, which had been brought forward with uncommon rapidity by fome peculiar circumfiance of tide, and current, had made an alarming progrefs around him. Incumbered as his feet were, he could not exert much expedition; but to whatever part he ran, he found himself completely invested by the tide. In this uncomfortable fituation, a thought ftruck him, as the only hope of fafety. He retired to that part of the plain, which feemed the highest from it's being yet uncovered by water; and ftriking the barrel of his gun, (which for the purpose of shooting wild-fowl was very long) deep into the mud, he resolved to hold faft by it, as a fupport, as well as a security against the waves; and to wait the ebbing of the tide. A common tide, he had reafon to believe, would not, in that place, have reached above his middle; but as this was a spring-tide, and brought in with fo ftrong a current, he durft hardly expect fo favourable a conclufion. In the mean time, the water making a rapid advance, had now reached him. It covered the ground, on which he flood-it rippled over his feet-it gained his knees-his waift-button after button was swallowed up-till at length it advanced over his very fhoulders. With a palpitating heart, he gave him felf up for loft. Still however he held faft by his anchor. His eye was eagerly in fearch of fome boat, which might accidentally take it's courfe that way: but none appeared. A folitary head, floating on the water, and that fometimes covered by a wave, was no object to be defcried from the fhore, at the distance of half a league: nor could he exert any founds of diftrefs, that could be heard fo far. While he was thus making up his mind, as the exigence would allow, to the terrors of fudden deftruction, his attention was called to a new object. He thought he faw the uppermoft button of his coat begin to appear. No mariner, floating on a wreck, could behold a cape at fea, with greater transport, than he did the uppermost button of his coat. But the fluctuation of the water was fuch, and the turn of the tide fo flow, that it was yet fome time before he durft venture to affure himself, that the button was fairly above the level of the flood. At length however a fecond button appearing at intervals, his fenfations may rather be conceived, than defcribed; and his joy gave him spirits and resolution, to support his uneafy fituation four or five hours longer, till the waters had fully retired.'

We mean not to infinuate a doubt of the truth of this hiftory; but the fowler had little invention, He could walk on

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54 the mud, when the water was at his breaft, or he might have left his fandals, and trufted to fwimming. Mud-pattens are put off with eale, as we well know, for we have often worn them; and we have known by experience too, that in three or four feet of water, the body will not fink very deep, though the mud be foft.

Our author's oppofition to what is certainly a mistaken idea, that an extenfive diftance in miniature will have the fame effect on the fpectator as if it were painted on the largeft fcale, is very correct. It arifes from neglecting the correction made by the mind in judging of the distance, in confequence of experience, and arguing only from the picture formed on the retina. The remarks too on the horfes; on the cruelty as well as abfurdity of docking and nicking horfes; on the various animals, birds, and infects of the foreft, are very entertaining. For thefe we must refer to the work.

We must not difmifs Mr. Gilpin's laft effay on picturesque beauty, without fome particular remarks. We have already obferved, that the volumes are the most pleafing of his attempts; but we ought to add, that we know not whether they will be generally confidered in the fame light. They contain a greater variety of fubjects; fubjects more commonly interefting, and more within the ufual circle of knowledge than his former volumes. They are, as ufual, written in an elegant and flowing ftyle, enlivened by numerous quotations from the beit poets, though perhaps one or two pailages, fcarcely very appofite or meritorious, have inadvertently crept in; and we fometimes with that our recollection of the authors had been afüfted by a reference. Faflidious critics may however remark, that this variety of fubject seems to arife from the paucity of materials; that hiftory, philofophy, and antiquities have been introduced to eke out the defcriptions which our author's tour had furnished; and the whole resembles too much the work of a profcfied book-maker. Mr. Gilpin has perhaps given fome foundation for the imputation; but it must be remarked, that every part is very nearly connected with his principal subject; and what is of more importance, every part is fo accurately and ably executed, that we should have regretted any omiflion. The whole may be read with great entertainment and inftruction: much of the information on the foreft history, and the ancient ftate of the forest, is derived from Mr, Samber's manufcripts. It remains only to fpeak of the plates: they are in the ufual ftyle of washed etchings, executed nearly with the ufual merits. We remember to have seen it obferved, (we thought it was in these volumes, though we have fearched for it carefully, without fuccefs, and it may have occurred in fome of the new editions

of

of the former works) that the hue, which we noticed in our Review of Mr. Gilpin's laft work with difapprobation, is not defigned as an imitation of nature, but to foften the harshness of the graving. If this be true, it ought to take off from the force of our cenfure, though fome part of it will still remain. While fome tints are neceffary to lessen the hardness, they should certainly be thofe which do not mislead. Many of the evening fcenes may be foftened with the brown, which is particularly confpicuous in the landscapes viewed against the brightness of the fetting fun; others with the gray tint of the morning, or the glowing blue of the mid day. It is fhown, in the plates now before us, which we wish had been more numerous, that particular tints are not inconfiftent with thofe general foftening ones. But perhaps we are too nice: we are aware that the art is yet in its infancy, and we may expect too much. To Mr. Gilpin, whom we feem now to have followed for the laft time, we can only repeat our commendations and applause. He has taught us to difcriminate beauties of nature, not always understood; he has added to our knowledge of varied and diftant scenes; and, what is not the leaft merit, he has cheered the lonely hour with a pleasing and rational amusement. In return, we can only with that he may never experience that gloom which requires the cheering aid of external fcenes, or that distress of mind which may lead him to with to escape from his own reflections.

Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry: from authentic Manuscripts
and old printed Copies. Adorned with Cuts.
Sva. 45.
Boards. Egertons. 1791.
THE realm of antiquity has many provinces; fome fertile,

others defert. Among the former may be reckoned hiftory, laws, manners, and poetry; among the latter the minute objects of the mere antiquary, old ftones and old rubbish of all kinds. The force and capacity of the mind can hardly be more feverely ferutinifed than by an antiquarian difquifition or compilation: where a man of tafte and genius will throw a golden light (if we may speak poetically in criticifing poetry) over the ruins of ancient times, and will plant roles amid the mouldering ivy; from a poorer mind can only proceed a gloomy twilight; from a meaner cultivation, only weeds or noxious plants. To drop all metaphor, it is an object of regret to obferve how few books of antiquities are of any value, how feldom tafte and good fenfe occur in this department, how many trifles are elaborately collected and explained, how many important fubjects are left in entire neglect. An useless coin, or ftone, or riddle, or ballad, is fecure of multitudinous illuftra

£ 4

tion;

tions; while the grand pursuits of a true antiquary flumber in oblivion.

The editor of the prefent collection, in his remarks on Mr. Warton's History of English Poetry, difplayed fome uncommon reading, chiefly indeed in romances, and other dull and neglected books. Dr. Percy was the next object of his cenfure, in the Preface to fome Ancient Songs: but Warton and Percy are at last revenged. The petulance of a critic has by degrees evaporated in the infipidity of an editor. If we except William of Cloudefley, already publifhed by Dr. Percy, and which our prefent editor has exerted all due pains to cloath again in uncouth dullness, there is not one piece in this collection which a man of taste or fenfe would not be ashamed to publish, or even to fay that he had read; fo puerile, so childish are these old rhymes! Nor has the editor, as might have been expected, fhewn any reading in order to illuftrate his favourites; fo that whatever may be the truth of the report, that the late Mr. Baynes of Gray's-Inn fupplied most of the materials for the remarks on Warton, and the preface to the Ancient Songs, no pofterior proof has evinced its fallacy.

The following extract from the Preface, will fufficiently convince the reader of the editor's fine tafte and ftrength of mind:

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It might naturally enough excite the furprife of the intelligent reader, that in a profeffed republication of popular poetry, nothing fhould occur upon a fubject indifputably the most popular of all the hiftory of our renowned English archer, Robin Hood. Some apology is undoubtedly neceffary on this head, as the omif fion is by no means owing to ignorance or neglect. In fact, the poems, ballads, and hiftorical or mifcellaneous matter, in existence, relative to this celebrated outlaw, are fufficient to furnish the contents of even a couple of volumes confiderably bulkyer than the prefent; and fully deferve to appear in a separate publication, "unmixed with bafer matter,

It would be no trifling gratification to the editor of this little volume, and contribute in fome degree, he is perfuaded, to the amufement of even the literary part of the public, if the prefent attempt should be productive of others of a fimilar nature. Many of our old poems, which would even now be of acknowledged excellence, are fcarcely known by name, Such, for inftance, are, "The wife lapped in Morels fkin, or The taming of a fhrew," "The high way to the fpittle houfe," "The fchole houfe of women," "The unluckie firmentie," and fome others; all, or moft of which, abound with a harmony, fpirit, keennefs, and natural humour, little to be expected, perhaps, in compofitions of fo remote a period, and which would by no means appear to have lost

their relish. Thefe pieces, indeed, are not only of much greater length than, but of a very different ftructure from, thofe in the following collection, and evidently appear to have been written for the prefs. The popularity of the two firft is evinced by their being mentioned by Laneham (or Langham) in his Letter fignifying the Queenz entertainment at Killingsoorth Caftel, 1575, along with feveral others, among which are fome of those here printed, as extant in the whimsical, but curious library of captain Cox, a mason of Coventry, who had "great oversight in matters of storie," and appears to have been a wonderful admirer and collector of old poetry, romances, and ballads.'

·

It is impoffible to retain any degree of gravity, when we are told that the refuse of a stall is to be publifhed, unmixed with bafer matter. But the degrees of dullness may perhaps be infinite, the right bathos may have no bottom, a measurelefs profound! If our editor proceeds, it is likely he may find fuch productions to be The unlucky firmentie,' and 'The high way to the spittle-houfe;' but we wish that the effects upon his literary temper may correfpond to The taming of

a fhrew.'

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The pieces contained in this volume are, 1. Adam Bel, Clym of the Clough, and Willyam of Cloudefle. Published in a fuperior manner by Dr. Percy.

2. A mery gefte of the Frere and the Boyc. Among infipid rhymes this boafts fome merit; and is well calculated to excite the laughter of clowns.

3. The King and the Barker. The original of Edward IV. and the Tanner of Tamworth, publifhed by Dr, Percy, but the prefent piece is written, as our editor well remarks, by fome provincial ruftic.'

4. How a Merchande dyd his wyfe betray.

5. How the wife man taught his fon.

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6. The Life and Death of Tom Thumbe! A ballad for the nursery.

7. The Lovers' Quarrel, or Cupid's Triumph. A Grubftreet production of last century, concerning lord Phenix and Tom Potts.

At the end there is a Gloffary, which, fhort as it is, difplays fome errors; as, for instance, the word among is interpreted at fame time,' in a paffage where it evidently bears its common meaning.

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The wooden cuts, by Bewick, deferve great praise; and we are glad to fee this long neglected mode of the early mafters revived, as it affords a pleafing variety.

While many of the claffics have been publifhed in this coun try in a flovenly manner, it is with pain we obferve that this

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