things in Mr. W.'s verfion and notes not unworthy of his notice.

In the commentary, Dr. Macknight, like all other commentators, follows the bias of his theological fyftem. Where controverted points are concerned, he approaches nearer to the tenets commonly deemed orthodox, than many other modern expofitors. On the fubjects of the perfon of Chrift and the atonement, his commentary fupports the opinions which were maintained in his former works, and on which we saw occafion to make some remarks in our Review of his "Truth of the Gofpel Hiftory." As a theological commentator, Dr. M. ranks rather with Whitby and Doddridge, than with Locke, Taylor, Benfon, Pierce, and Hallet. His commentary will, however, we have no doubt, be allowed, even by those who most widely differ from the Doctor in opinion, to bear strong marks of learning and ingenuity, and, in the main, to furnish an useful auxiliary to the biblical ftudent.

The Notes and Effays will be the fubject of a future article.

ART. X. The Maviad. By the Author of the Baviad *. 4to. Pp. 62. 3s. Nicol. 1795.

TH HE author of the Mæviad, following the example of Pope, continues to lafh a race of poets who, in a former work entitled the Baviad, experienced his correction. He thinks that the tribe of Bell, as he terms the Della Cruscan phalanx, are not fufficiently baftinadoed; and he therefore makes them again pass in review and run the gauntlet, that his fentence of their demerits may be confirmed, and that he may have the fatisfaction of again applying his cat o' nine tails to their backs. We cannot think that this was neceffary. If the writers, whom he fo fatirically criticises, were fo contemptible, the Baviad was fatire enough, and the repetition of the ftroke must be of the nature of Falftaff's valour in stabbing the dead Hotspur. This looks like ill-nature, particularly when it is united with harsh and ungentlemanlike expreffions; and remarkably so when fpeaking of ladies, as is fometimes the cafe in the notes to this New Dunciad. The author unquestionably poffeffes poetical tafte and powers; and, when he paffes, towards the conclufion of the poem, from his ftrictures on or rather ridicule of Della Crufca, Arno, Edwin, Lorenzo, Laura, Anna Matilda, &c. to the effufions of the heart,-when he throws afide the rod of correction, and ftrikes the lyre to the theme of friendfhip, we forget his feverity, and enjoy an unmingled plea

*See Rev. N. S. vol. viii. p. 93.

fure.

fure. This critic in verfe would have us believe that he ufes the rod with reluctance, and that he wishes to retire from the office of beadle to the Mufes, to the enjoyment of otium cum dignitate on the banks of the Thames, when he may engage in nobler poetic occupations: but, when "his hand was in," he may have thought perhaps that it was as well to lafh on till he was tired. Thus he speaks of himself and of his object in the poem before us :

An hour may come, fo I delight to dream,

When flowly wandering by thy facred ftream,
Majestic Thames! I leave the world behind,
And give to fancy all th' enraptured mind.
An hour may come, when I fhall strike the lyre
To nobler themes: then, then, the chords infpire
With thy own harmony, most sweet, moft ftrong,
And guide my hand thro' all the maze of fong!
Till then, enough for me, in fuch rude strains
As mother Wit can give, and those small pains
A vacant hour allows; to range the town,
And hunt the clamorous brood of Folly down;
Force every head, in Bell's defpite, to wear
The cap and bells, by nature planted there,
Muffle the rattle, feize the flavering sholes,

And drive them, fcourged and wimpering, to their holes.'

Praise from the fatirift is peculiarly gratifying; the compliments, therefore, paid at the end of this poem to the Rev. Mr. Ireland, and to Mr. Hoppner the painter, must be deemed highly flattering to these gentlemen. Here the author writes from the heart; and his recollection of Mr. Ireland, the friend of his early youth, and the companion of his ftudies, muft intereft the reader, because it was felt by the writer:

Yet may the few I love,

For who would fing in vain! my verse approve ;
Chief thou, my friend! who, from my earliest years,
Haft fhared my joys, and more than fhared my cares.
Sure, if our fates hang on fome hidden Power,

And take their colour from the natal hour,
Then, IRELAND! the fame planet on us rose,
Such the ftrong fympathies our lives disclose !

Thou knoweft how foon we felt this influence bland,

And fought the brook and coppice hand in hand,
And shaped rude bows, and uncouth whistles blew,
And paper kites (a last, great effort,) flew ;
And when the day was done, retired to reft,
Sleep on our eyes, and funfhine in our breast.

In riper years, again together thrown,
Our ftudies, as our fports before, were one.
Together we explored the ftoic page
Of the Ligurian, ftern tho' beardlefs fage!

Or traced the Aquinian thro' the Latine road,
And trembled at the lafhes he bestowed.

Together too, when Greece unlocked her ftores,
We roved in thought o'er Troy's devoted fhores
Or followed, while he fought his native foil,
That old man eloquent from toil to toil;
Lingering with good Alcinous o'er the tale,
Till the eaft reddened, and the ftars grew pale.
So paft our life; till fate, feverely kind,
Tore us apart, and land and fea disjoined,
For many a year: now met, to part no more,
The afcendant Power, confeffed fo ftrong of yore,
Stronger by abfence, every thought controuls,
And knits in perfect unity our fouls.

O Ireland! if the verfe that thus effays

To trace our lives even from our boyish days,"
Meet thy applaufe; the world befide may rail
I care notat the uninterefting tale;

I only feek, in language void of art,

To ope my breaft, and pour out all my heart;

And, boaftful of thy various worth, to tell,

How long we loved, and thou canft add, How WELL!'

A confiderable portion of learning and sprightliness is dif played in the notes to this poem.

ART. XI. The Cabinet. By a Society of Gentlemen. 3 Vols. 12mo. 13s. 6d. Boards. Printed at Norwich by March, and fold by Jordan in London. 1795.

WE

E have breathed the air of liberty, and been in the habit of pleading in her behalf, too long not to feel an instantaneous prepoffeffion in favour of any undertaking on which her hallowed fignature is impreffed ;-and though long experience has taught us caution in crediting the profeffions even of patriots, and has convinced us of the value of difcretion in fupporting even the beft caufe, yet, when we obferve evident marks of an honeft love of freedom, and of a generous fpirit of philanthropy, we cannot but approve the ardour which springs from fuch a fource.

The editors of the Cabinet have given a fignal proof both of their fincerity and of their courage, by undertaking a periodical work in fupport of liberty, at the moment in which the freedom of difcuffion laboured under reftraints and difcouragements. Their declared object is, by encouraging a fpirit of free and difpaffionate enquiry, and by providing a liberal investigation of the principles and objects of civil government, to remind their fellow citizens at once of their duties and their rights." With this view, various political and important fubjects are promifcuously difcuffed with the requifite decorum, but with

13

manly

manly and honeft freedom. Among the more important topics treated in this volume, are, the forms of government; innovation; equality; public fpirit; party fpirit; emigration; cultivation of wafte lands; tyrannicide; public funds; rights of juries; annual parliaments; population; education; neceffity of reform; and the connection of the arts and fciences with liberty.

The fyftem of policy, univerfally maintained in these papers, is that which makes the will of the people the fupreme law: their theoretic idea of a perfect government is that which is founded on the principle of perfect toleration, equal rights, and popular confent. Nevertheless, the authors difclaim (as muft every man of fenfe in the kingdom,) all idea of the equalization of property; and they decidedly pronounce that the general fum of happiness would not be increased by a parity of condition. With respect to the British Conftitution, one of these writers expressly protefts against any attempt to overturn it, in the following paragraph; which is not, as we perceive, contradicted in any part of that volume: (I. p. 100.)

Here we cannot refrain from faying a few words to the admirers of a republican form of government. It appears to us, that it would ill become the friends of peace, and of mankind, to attempt, at the prefent moment, any change in the conflitution of this country. Practical republicans, if fuch there be (we however think their exiftence in any formidable number very questionable) must be aware that they form a very fmall minority. Now if the point was perfectly clear and afcertained, that a republican form of government is preferable to the mixed conftitution of this country, its advocates ought to know, that being the fmaller number, they have no right to force their opinion on the majority. Let them reflect on the civil war which must be produced by fuch an attempt; on the uncertain event of fuch a conteft; on the poffibility of its terminating in the most abfolute defpotifm, or in the most uncontrouled licentioufnefs; on the certainty of its progrefs being marked by infecurity of property, of life, and of every thing which men hold mot dear; let them confider the very great perfonal rifk which they themfelves incur; and they will furely paufe, before they endeavour to bring their fpeculations into practice. But when, in addition to this, it is recollected that the point in question is quite undecided; that the English conftitution has in its favour Montefquieu, and fome others of the best writers on political fcience; befides the ftrong fact of having, for a feries of years, produced more happiness than moft governments in the world; it must appear improper, and even criminal, in theoretical republicans, to endeavour to force by violence their theory into practice at this juncture.'

Permanent and abfolute defporifm was the refult of the efforts of the republican party at Rome. Uncontrouled licentioufnefs (God knows how permanent it may be) has been the refult of their efforts in France.'

In

In a very fenfible and temperate paper on tyrannicide, the writer forcibly contends that it is in all cafes unlawful, useless, and pernicious. Juftice, it is faid, only requires that a tyrant fhould be prevented from again attempting to injure the people, and that his fucceffors fhould be deterred from imitating his example; which, it is maintained, may be effectually done without inflicting on him capital punishment. In a fubsequent paper, however, on the dangers to which defpotic princes are expofed, the writer fpeaks of the avenging fword of justice as fufpended over a tyrant's head. This is the only material inconfiftency which we have remarked in the publication.

A feries of papers commences in the 1ft volume, containing a brief extract of the hiftory of the war, drawn up with great accuracy and candour; and, if continued with the fame attention and judgment with which it is begun, it will form one of the most valuable parts of the work. It is introduced by a very ingenious difcuffion of the question, whether the prefent revolution has a tendency to carry the French nation back to a state of barbarism. There is one particular in which we have seen reason to differ materially from the author of this sketch. In our Review for Auguft 1794, p. 453, we have given our reasons for queftioning the authenticity of the Pavia treaty: this writer, on the contrary, is of opinion that it is genuine. For his arguments on this head we refer to the book p. 167, et feq. vol. I.

Among the pieces poffeffed of fuperior merit, we must mention, befides the sketch of the war, the paper on innovation, which proves that the excellencies and advantages of the British Conftitution are to be traced to this fource; that on population, in which it is ingenioufly maintained that population may become exceffive, and require palliative expedients; a very temperate and well-written effay on party- fpirit; a paper on the cultivation of wafte lands, in which it is ably argued that inclosures, even on the prefent fyftem, are beneficial to the poor; an elegant effay to prove, both from theory and hiftory, that Liberty is friendly to the arts and to the fciences; and a very striking paper on the influence of fome human inftitutions on human happiness.

Several papers on fubjects of polite literature, and a few pieces of poetry, are introduced.-They are not deftitute of merit, but they make too inconfiderable a figure in the publication to require particular notice; and, indeed, they are fo foreign from its leading defign, that, we think, it would have been more judicious to have omitted them altogether.

In a new edition, we would advife the Editors to be more fevere in their selection. If it be their object to provide politics for the closet, there should be more depth of inquiry; if for the parlour, they should cultivate more the arts of embellishment.

It