Scarcely his hand his foaming palfry reins,

Pawing the ground in fcorn, and, fnorting, fear difdains. Who parus, would have avoided this harth ftructure, which neceffity can only tolerate. Befides, do horfes never fnort from fear or furprize? K III. A Letter to a Friend in Italy, and Verfes occafioned on reading Montfaucon. 4to. 6d. Baldwin.

The poetry of this letter, writen inblank verfe, is chiefly confined to the first part of it, which premises a general description of the blooming, foft, and fertile climate of Italy. But as the proper fubject and bufinefs of it is Virtù, the writer, as Prior fays to Boileau of a commiffary's lift,

Gives us a virtuofo's lift in verfe.

This, indeed, the argument, prefixed to the letter, exhibits in
miniature; but in the epiftle, it is intermixed with fome descrip-
tion of the most famous and capital pieces in painting, fculp-
ture, &c. and with fuch fragments from hiftory, as relate to
the lofs or reftoration of the elegant arts. Our author's
images are more poetical than his numbers, as we meet, in less
than 300 lines, with feveral hypermetric ones, extending to
twelve fyllables, which occur very rarely in blank verfe, and do
not found fo agreeably as the Alexandrine in rhyme. Indeed
this writer's ear feems less exquifite than his eye, (and poffibly
there is often a ruling fenfe, as well as a ruling paffion) for
tho' Italy be the fcene, we do not recollect the leaft mention of
her harmony, or her muficians. He juftly celebrates the great
houfe of Medicis, tho' fprung from citizens, as patrons and
revivers of the arts; and thus characterizes the most celebrated
Italian painters.

Then Raphael's animated canvafs glow'd,
And old Romano own'd his happier touch:
Corregio's pencil foften'd into life

The blended colours: Paulo's attitudes
The fkill and freedom of his hand declar'd.
Caracci's nervous figures flood confefs'd;
While Titian's beauties every bofom warm'd;
And Guido's graceful air the gazer ftruck.

The fecond of thefe lines is fo obfcurely expreffed, as to ren
der it doubtful whether Romane was conscious of his own, or
of Raphael's happier touch.

The forty lines occafioned by reading Montfaucon are in rhyme, and the numbers much correcter than thofe in the letter. The poet obferves, that whether the likeness of a Roman lady is preferved in fculpture or in paint, fome well-judged characteristical fymbol or action is preferved in it. Thus a matron, accompanied with her daughter, prepares the nuptial orch; a pricflefs extends the patera; a third hangs over an

urn;

urn; by fuch circumstances commemorating their character
with their beauty: this reflection our author too juftly con-
traftes to the following more recent mode of drawing beau-
ties; in which, by the way, we observe, he declines making a
compliment to any of our present pourtrait painters.

But when our modern dames, the conscious fair,
Confign their figures to a Lely's care,

And condefcend that ages yet to come
Should praise Cleora's eyes and Celia's bloom,
Alas! regardless of their better part,

The bufy thoughtful head, the tender heart,
All the fair hands of Britain must display
A rofe, a fan, a lap-dog, or a play.

Say whence this difference of tafte can come
Between the nymphs of London, and of Rome?

K

IV. An Ode to the Right Honourable Marquis of Hartington, Lord-Lieutenant of the Kingdom of Ireland. By Samuel Boyce. 4to. Is. Reeve,

This ode would have appeared to more advantage from the youth and fituation of the writer, if he had not published a much better performance before, under the title of Paris; or, The force of beauty. But nature at his years may fpeak very emphatically to him on that fubject; while political panegyric, however juft, requires art, addrefs, and experience. The allowed merit of the amiable and accomplished nobleman, to whom the ode is infcribed, makes us with for a lefs trite design, a more indirect oblation, than we find in it: and maturer reflection may inform our young poet, that to praife exquifite merit agreeably, is, perhaps, the most difficult part of polite writing. The poem, however, is not deftitute of fome imagery and expreffion, tho' it is too narrative and connected for the rapid volatile fpirit of an ode. A compliment is made by the way to the Dilitanti, a fociety of noblemen (of whom the Marquis is probably one) who have offered their affiftance towards establishing an academy for encouraging painting, and the other arts depending on defign,

Soon fhall the happy æra come,
When Britain fhall be glory's home,

And native genius foar ;

Behold th'ennobling train arife,

They'll make it fashion to be wife,

And worth fhall droop no more.

His ode concludes with the following compliment to his noble patron.

As nature footh'd, as fancy fir'd,

She caught the theme, to fing afpir'd,

See Review, Vol. XII. p. 351

And

If

And glory was her aim:

you

but fmile, the prize is won, All know the fmile of Hartington And glory is the fame.

Propofals for publishing, by fubfcription, poems on feveral occafions, by this author, are annexed to the ode: and it would give us fome concern, if our fentiments on it should in the least contract the number of his encouragers. Our real judgment, we conceive, the public have a right to; but as his mifcellany may not contain another piece fimilarly addressed and circumftanced, the contents will, very probably, be lefs obnoxious to criticism.

K V. An Epifle to Dr. Thompfon. By Mr. Whitehead. 4to. Is. Owens

:

A fhort argument, prefixed to this epiftle, afferts a prefent ⚫ phyfical perfecution' of Dr. Thompson, (of which we acknowlege our ignorance) to be the provoking caufe of its publication. The writer's poetical talents are competently known and confeffed and as they are very generally confined to fevere invective, we shall not need to diftinguifh him otherwife from an ingenious gentleman of Cambridge, of the fame name, who cultivates a mufe more amiably difpofed, and lefs difagreeably employed, with more correctnefs and literature. The prefent author's verfification, however, is generally fluent and harmonious, and his diction strong and not inelegant: but his invective is too often unjust, and fometimes even fcurrilous. His epiftle, after a very fhort exordium, fuddenly displays an extraordinary scene of his living at large, and in great abundance, in the following exulting lines, which are undoubtedly fufficient to excite the envy of every hapless bard they are not intended to invite.

E'er wants my table the health-chearing meal,
With Banftead mutton crown'd, or Essex veal?
Smokes not from Lincoln-meads the stately loin?
Or rofy gammon of Hantonian fwine?

From Dorkin's roofts the feather'd victims bleed,
And Thames ftill wafts me ocean's fcaly breed.
Tho' Gallia's vines their coftly juice deny,
Still Tajo's banks the jocund glass fupply,
Still diftant worlds nectareous treasures roll,
And either India fparkles in my bowl,
Or Devon's boughs, or Dorfet's bearded fields,
"To Britain's arms a British beverage yields.

We find hitherto more bufinefs for the cook than the doctor; and indeed the subject of phyfic takes up but a moderate proportion of the epiftle; much the larger moiety being employed in an invective against courts and courtiers, which is pregnant

with no little applaufe of himself, for never having been one. Some refpectable names in phyfic, however, are very bitterly treated, as a facrifice to his phyfical friend and patron. Now as Mr. Paul Whitehead may be judged unkilled in phyfic, he muft plainly take his fentiments of thofe phyficians he abufes, and of the only one he commends, from the laft; which is like to be an extraordinary medium indeed for afcertaining the exact merit of each: fince people who judge of their different abilities, from their different medical writings and characters, may incline to diffent sometimes both from our author's fatire and panegyric. Thus fome, who can medically diftinguish, may hudder at the mortal abfurdity of bleeding and purging away the gout, fmall-pox, and many other difeafes indifcriminately, while our author thus implores his physician:

Refume thy pen! and be thyfelf once more,

What Ratcliff, Friend, and Syd’nham were before. After an invitation of his patron to Twickenham, and a defcription of the profpect from thence, the epiftle ends with a tranilation of the conclufion of Dr. King's apology, which implies an approbation of it; and undoubtedly the fentiment is not unphilofophical. But our author has thought it, either not right, or not prudent, to compliment that gentleman on the great confiltence of his notorious REDEAT, with his oath of allegiance.K VI. Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in two Books. I. Collected from the Scriptures, and fuited to the Gospel. II. Prepared for Baptifm and the Lord's Supper. By Edward Trivett. 12mo. 25. Keith.

Thefe religious pieces, will, we doubt not, afford much fatisfaction to the people for whofe ufe they were defigned; but the connoiffeurs in poetry will find little to admire in them. VII. An Ode to a Player. Written extempore, by an Antigalican. Folio. 6d. More.

Mr. Garrick is here foolishly abused, on account of the foreign dancers lately, but unfuccefsfully, introduced on Drurylane theatre.

VIII. The Vifitation; or an Interview between the Ghost of Shakespear and David Garrick, Efq; 4to. 6d. Corbet.

This is written with the fame defign as the foregoing article ; and in almost as wretched verse.

IX. The Nowiad: An Heroic Poem. Humbly infcribed to the most renowned Tom Thumb the Great, Patentee and grand Manager of the Old-New-English-French Theatre. With Notes hiftorical and critical. By a Spectator. Folio. 6d. Cooper.

Mr. Speater has alfo be-rhimed the fame fubject that fo worthily employed the authors of the two foregoing articles,

and

and with the fame view; but tho' he has fhewn as little judg ment as the others, he is the best versifier of the three.

X. A Sea-Piece: Containing, I. The British Sailor's Exaltation. II. His Prayer before Engagement. Occafioned by the Rumour of a War. 4to. 6d. DodЛley.

A new edition, with additions and alterations, of, The Sailors Song to the South, which is the fubject of the second article in our catalogue for October laft.

MISCELLANEOUS.

XI. An Hiftorial Account of the prefent Troubles of Persia and Georgia. In a Continuation of Mr. Hanway's Hiftory, to the End of the Year 1753. By M. de P***. Tranflated from the French. 4to. 2s. Baldwin.

We can learn nothing farther of this author than what the titlepage informs us of, by a P and three ftars. And strange it seems to us, that an hiftorian fhould thus difguife or conceal his name, with the caution and fineffe of a libeller, or a writer of fecret memoirs: however, he may have his reasons, tho' we can't guess at them.

As the public may be induced, from this concealment of the author, to give little credit to what he advances, and to queftion his authority, he has thought it necessary to premise, "that

this short treatife was written in a city, which has stronger ⚫ connections with Perfia and Georgia, than any other in the ⚫ world *; that I am,' fays he, 'acquainted with several merchants, who carry on a trade with these two kingdoms, and whose interest it is to be well informed of every thing of this nature; and with feveral Turkish lords, who, by their ' offices, are obliged to obferve these affairs with exactness and nicety; and that I compofed this historical account by the affiftance, and under the inspection, of a person whose fituation put it in his power to keep up a correspondence with miffionaries, men of difcernment and abilities, capable of giving the most exact and rational accounts.'

As the author hath confined himself to a mere, and very brief, narration of infurrections, revolutions, and military tranfactions, and which are, in some measure, rendered difficult to the apprehenfion of an English reader, by the multitude of uncommon names, in every page; his work is, therefore, the lefs capable of affording general entertainment, tho' it may give authentic information. However, he relates fome important events, which are the more interesting, as they are fo recent: the tranfactions of our own day. In particular, the account we here meet with of Prince Heraclius, the Georgian

It is poffible he means Smyrna, for, in page 40, he mentions his refidence in that city.

hera,