natural and well-drawn picture of human life; which the thoughtless may perufe with advantage, and the prudent, with emotions of triumph. From the wild unlucky boy teazing his aunt and the commodore, and heading a rebellion at school against his master, we trace the headstrong youth, of pride unbroken, and unbridled appetite, plunging into folly, vice, and diffipation, wafting his fubstance, injuring the woman of all others he loved, and, at last pining in prifon. Roused by rne voice of friendship, and again reftored to affluence, he returns with a stern reluctance, founded on a fenfe of his own unworthiness and vicious imprudence, to fociety and love; convinced that, after all the bustle of pleasure, and the glitter of wealth, real happiness is only to be found an moderate enjoyment, domeftic tranquillity, and focial virtue. It is a work of great merit and vention in the compofition, and in which genuine humour and profound learning are fo happily united, as to make it difficult to determine which is predominant; particularly in the description of the entertainment given by the Republican Door, after the manner of the ancients. This epifode is well managed, and replete with rich strokes of humour and pointed fatire: which, in the rancour of Foryism, he directed with eagerness against his Whig-opponent, Akenfide. Yet, in this and other parts of Peregrine, he has, with fome justice, been thought indelicate. The path of humour is pleziant and inviting; but it is a dangerous one, and too often leads us aftray into the by-roads of indelicacy, as well as ill nature. It is of the nature of all humour, to be fometimes grofs and fometimes inelegant. In this refpect, the dialogue between Pipes and the hedge-nymph is culpably obfcene, though the story is well told, and the character well imagined. The behaviour of Pickle to Hersbesk is also highly injustifiable. Yet, with thefe and other faults, the prefent writer cannot but canfider it, contrary to the general opinion, as equal to Roderick Random; and, as a first rate novel, whole merits far exceed the modern puny productions of frivolous fashion and fickly fentiment, which load the fhelves of our libraries, and teach nonfense and iniquity to our wives and daughters.

Count Fathom, and Sir Launcelot Greaves, are still in the lift of what may be called reading novels; but there is no injustice in placing then in a rank below Roderick Rardom and Peregrine Pickle. Invention, character, compofition, and contrivance, are to be found in both; but fituations are defcribed, which are hardly poffible, and characters are painted, which, if not altogether unexampled, are at least incompatible with modern manners; and which ought not to be, as the scenes are laid in mo

dern times.

In his Expedition of Humphry Clinker, which confists of a series of letters written by different perfons to their refpective correfponden's, he has carefully avoided the faults which may be juftly charged to Count I atbor and Sir Launcelot Greaves. it has no extravagant characters, nor unnatural fituations; on the contrary, an admirable knowledge of life and manners is displayed, and meft ufsful leffons are given, applicable and interesting, to very common fituations.

Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, and Humpbry Clinker, are undoubtedly efforts of genius and fancy, which rival the productions of the moral, the pathetic, but tirefome Richardfon, ant the ingenious but diffufe Fielding, with all his knowledge of the human heart. That Fielding repeatedly displays a thorough acquaintance with nature, and that paffages may be pointed out in Richardfon, which do equal credit to the goodness of his heart, and the depth of his understanding, cannot be denied; yet, after perusing the wire-drawn pages of Grandifon" and " Claviffa," or the common place introductory difcuffions and diffufe narrative of "Tom Jones,” “J feph Andrews,” and "Amelia," we never quit them with fuch reluctance as we feel on clofing the pages of Smollett, who, without introducing so much of what has been called fine writing, poff.ffes in an eminent degree the art of roufing our feelings, and fixing the attention of his readers.

As a traveller, he was petulant, illiberal, and almost on every occafion loft his temper; but feme excufe is to be made for a frame convulfed by the pangs of disease, a spirit wounded by ingratitude, and a life embittered by difappointment and domestic calamity Under fuch impreffions, perhaps he ought not to have written; but where is the man who having once found folace in a purfuit, will not naturally feck for comfort and confolation in the fame path?

"I chiefly confulted" fays Lord Gardenftone in his "Travelling Memorandums," "Keyßet, Moore, and Smollett. I was beft pleafed with my old and excellent friend Smoll tt. Tefty and difcontented as he is, he writes with perfpicuity. His obfervations are generally fenfible, and even his oddities are entertaining."

3

As a dramatist, his genius is of a lefs confiderable character than might be expected from his unrivalled talent for the decription of life and manners. He was in poffeffion of humour and of a peculiar kind of fancy. His wit had every character of fertile inventiveness and true pleafantry. He was capable of delineating the individual object with peculiar happiness. But he beheld his powers in a light which deceived him, when he aimed at bringing his characters into the business of the stage, and creating a dramatic feries of events. Nothing can be more undramatic than his tragedy. Here his genius, or at least his judgment failed him. In his comedy, however, written professedly for the theatre, he evinces dramatic powers, which, if he had perfevered in writing for the ftage, might have obtained him equal diftinction in this department of literature. The characters of the Irifoman and the Sotfman, in particular, are natural and entertaining. Sir John Hawkins mentions an opera called Altefte, which he wrote for Mr. Rich in 1747; but it has never been performed nor printed

As a poet, his compofitions are fo excellent in their kind, as to make us regret that they are not more numerous: Lively, humorous, witty, elegant, tender, pathetic, and fublime; happy and fuccessful in whatever the univerfality of his genius prompted him to undertake; his fpirit, his sentiment, his language, are full of nature, enthusiasm, and fimplicity, and while a love of poetry remains among us, muft always please the reader of tafte and fenfibility. The poems on occafional subjects are marked with the different dispositions which must have prevailed at different times of his life. His Advice and Reproof bear teftimony to his political and literary prejudices, but they abound in manly fentiments, and indignant fatire, expreffed in forcible and elegant language. His elegantlyplaintive Love-Elegy is pure nature. It is tender, fentimental, and pathetic; and the happy simplicity and unaffected manner, interest and charm the reader of natural tafte. His Tears of Scotland ought not to be mentioned without every commendation. It difcovers a genius equally fitted for the pathetic and the fublime. Whatever may be thought of the subject, it unites a glow of poetical enthusiasm, with a high degree of that eloquent fimplicity, which appears so easy, and which is yet fo difficult to imitate. The following paffage, among many others, is exquifitely tender and beautiful.

The pious mother doom'd to death,
Forfaken wanders o'er the heath;

The bleak wind whiftles round her head,
Her helpless orphans cry for bread;

Bereft of fhelter, food, and friend,

She views the fhades of night defcend,

And stretch'd beneath the inclement fkies,

Weeps o'er her tender babes and dies.

His Ode to Leven Water discovers delicacy of fentiment, joined to fimplicity of taste. The mages are paftoral and pleafing, and the verfification correct and harmonious. He celebrates his native ftream with all the elegant fimplicity of an Arcadian shepherd. His Odes to Mirth and Sleep, are not of the highest kind, but they have enthusiasm, and spirit, and propriety of versification, His Songs are fpirited, ingenious, and witty; a few are elegant, tender, and pathetic.

His Ode to Independence, the greateft effort of his genius, ranks with the lyric compofitions of Dryden, Akenside, Collins, and Gray. It is written throughout in the true fpirit of lyric poetry. It is bold, various, ardent, and impetuous. It abounds with animated fentiments, glowing images, and nervous and energetic expreffiors. The introduction is poetical and abrupt.

Thy fpirit, Independence, let me share,
Lord of the lion heart and eagle eye;
Thy steps I follow with my bofem bare,

Nor heed the ftorm that howls along the sky.

The picture exhibited in these lines is striking, because the circumstances are happily chofen, briefly and diftinctly delineated. It is fublime, because the images are few, and in themfelves great and magnificent. The lion beart and eagle eye, fuggeft an idea of the high spirit and commanding aspect of Independence; and the poet following with bofam bare, denotes in a picturefque manner the eagerness and enthusiasm of the votary. In a train of poetry exceedingly wild and romantic, he rehearses his birth, education, and qualities.

Deep in the frozen regions of the north,
A goddess violated brought thee forth,

Immortal Liberty, whofe look fublime

Hath bleach'd the tyrant's cheek in every varying clime!

Liberty, according to his acceptation, means the fecurity of our lives and poffeffions, and freedom from external force. Independence denotes that internal fenfe and consciousness of freedom, which beget magnanimity, fortitude, and that becoming pride, which leads us to respect ourselves, and do nothing unworthy of our condition. Liberty therefore is, with perfect propriety, faid to be the mother of Independence, and Disdain his father.-Difdain arifing from indignation against an oppreffor, and triumph on having proftrated or escaped his malice. This ftern perfonage is strongly charatcrifed in the following defcription:

Of ample front, the portly chief appear'd,

The hunted bear fupplied a fhaggy veft,
The drifted fnow hung on his yellow beard,

And his broad fhoulders braved the furious blast.

Men may enjoy liberty without independence; they may be fecure in their perfons and poffeffions, without feeling any uncommon elevation of mind, or any fense of their freedom. But, if their liberty is attacked, they are alarmed; they feel the value of their condition; they are moved with indignation against their oppreffors; they exert themselves, and, if they are fuccessful, or escape the danger that threatened them, they triumph; they reflect on the happiness and dignity conferred by freedom; they applaud themfelves for their exertions; become magnanimous and indepen dent. There is, therefore, no less propriety in deducing the origin of Independence from Disdain and Liberty, than fixing the era of her birth. Our Saxon ancestors, free, fimple, and inoffenfive, were attacked, escaped the violence of their adversary, reflected on the felicity of their condition, and learned independence.

The education of Independence, and the fcene of his nativity, are fuited to his illuftrious lineage, and to the high atchievements for which he was destined.

The light he faw in Albion's happy plains,
Where, under covert of a flowering thorn,
While Philomel renewed her warbled ftrains,

The aufpicious fruit of ftol'n embrace was born

The mountain dryads feized with joy

The fmiling infant to their charge confign'd;
The Doric mufe careffed the favourite boy;

The hermit Wildom ftor'd his opening mind.

The imagery in these lines is foft and agreeable, the language smooth, and the versification harmonious.

In the fecond antiftrophe, he celebrates his heroic and beneficent actions, and returns, at the end of the third ftrophe, to acknowledge, with gratitude, the power of Independence, in preserving him untainted by the debafing influences of grandeur, and the admiration of vain magnificence. Coníci. ous of the dignity annexed to an independent state of mind, he inveighs against these minions of For tune, who would impofe upon mankind by the oftentation of wealth, and the parade of pageantry. In fortune's car behold that minion ride,

With either India's glittering fpoils oppreft:
So moves the fumpter-mule in harness'd pride,
That bears the treasure which he cannot taste.
For him let venal bards difgrace the bay,

And hireling minstrels wake the tinkling ftring;
Her fenfual fares let faithlefs pleafure lay;
And all her jingling bells fantastic folly ring;
Difquiet, doubt, and dread, fhall intervene;
And nature, ftill to all her feelings juft,
In vengeance hang a damp on every scene,
Shook from the baleful pinions of disgust.

Thefe lines, embellished by fancy, and recommended to the heart by harmony, are the invective of truth and honeft indignation.

The laft antiftrophe has an air of softnefs, benignity, and wildness, that leaves a very pleasing effect on the mind of the reader, animated with fentiments of public virtue, glowing with felf-appre bation, and fired with all the ardour and enthusiasm of the poet.