was completed in Chrift, must have an equal fanction. The proofs for the one operate as ftrongly for the other, and point out the power of God; the interpofition of divine wifdom. And, as the latter difpenfation is attended with a greater efficacy; and is the very ultimate, to which the former was directed, there can be no doubt of its fuperiority, as well as certainty. In fhort, if the Jewish law-giver had his miffion from heaven, and his laws were of divine infpiration, we must allow the fame prerogative to the evangelifts, and apoftles; and the fame fanction to their writings. We may therefore abide by the declaration of St. Paul: aoa yṣafn bowvwvalos—all scripture is of divine inspiration." P, 303.

In the final fection, Mr. Bryant enters into an extensive geographical difcuffion, illuftrated with two maps, relative to the province of Egypt in which the children of Ifrael are faid to have refided by the appointment of that Pharaoh, under whom the patriarch Jofeph held the chief command in Egypt; he confiders the route through the inhofpitable defert, pursued by the liberated Ifraelites; and he answers the objections urged by Mr. Niebuhr, the celebrated Danish traveller in Egypt and Arabia, against the fuppofed place of the tranfit over the Red Sea, which our author supposes to have been the KAμ, or Clyfma, of Ptolemy, and the Colfum of the Arabian Geographers. (P. 372.) The first article of confideration is prefaced by a general defcription of Egypt, from Philæ and the cataracts, downwards, to the mouths of the Nile, Egypt had anciently three grand divifions, the Thebais, the Heptanomis, and the Delta. These were again subdivided into fmaller provinces, called Nomes, in number thirty-fix; that is to fay, ten in the Thebais, ten in the Delta, and fixteen in the Heptanomis, though, from its name, we may conjecture the latter originally contained only seven Nomes. The land of Gothen was a part of the nome, or province of Heliopolis; hence Mofes himfelf is by Apion called an Heliopolitan. (P. 339) It was one of the moft fertile fpots in all Egypt, and afforded ample and luxurious pafturage to thofe numerous herds and flocks, to tend which had been the principal occupation of the ancestors and brethren of Jofeph in their native country. The origin and purport of the name of Goshen, in the next place, employs the critical acumen of our author, who was once of opinion that the land might be thus denominated from Hebrew Cufhan corrupted, as if the land inhabited by the fons of Cub; but his profoundly learned friend, the late Mr. Coftard, informed him that it was more probably derived from the Arabic Gufh, fignifying a tongue, this part of the Delta terminating in a tongue-like form; a very ingenious remark, and pointedly confirmed by a remark

able

able expreffion in fcripture, "The Lord fhall utterly destroy the TONGUE of the Egyptian fea. Ifaiah, c. XI. v. 15. that is, not the Egyptian fea itself, as is fuppofed by Lowth, and other commentators, but the country in form refembling a tongue, or pear, whence the Delta has been fometimes called Pyriformis.

The paffage over the Red Sea, and fubfequent route of the Ifraelites, form the remaining article of this learned inveftigation. Mr. Bryant introduces it by judicioully obferving, that he addresses himself solely to those who allow on grand occafions the real interpofition of the divine Being in terreftrial concerns, and who, confequently believe the hillory of the miracles recorded in the Pentateuch. The proceedings of the Deity bear no analogy to the mode of human operations; nor are to be judged by our notions of fitnefs and expedience. Jehovah felected the Hebrews from the furrounding nations of the Eastern world, to manifeft his power, and to reveal his glory. He ordained them to be the depofit of his laws; to preferve unmutilated the ftupendous chain of prophecies that connected the Hebrew and the Chriftian difpenfations, the one delivered in thunder from Sinai, the other promoged with fmiles and benignity from the Mount of Olives; and in their prefent forlorn condition, they exhibit to us a most awful and convincing proof both of the divinity of their own forniture, and of the truth of its fublime predictions. From the mctrent that the children of Ifrael left Egypt, and during their tony years abode in that barren wildernefs, an almighty arm nuit be supposed to have been their defence; and he, whofe powerful mandate bade the waves divide, marching before them, by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, must be confidered as equally prefent to ward off the dangers of the dreary defert; the horrors of famine, the feltry blast, and thofe fiery ferpents which once only, for their accumulated crimes, were permitted to harrafs them on their march. A God is ever on the scene, os av ungam; it is therefore idle in Niebuhr, or any other fceptic, to urge objections founded on arguments, which do not in this cafe apply; fuch as the breadth of the stream, and the short time confumed in paffing it; the intricacy of the way, and occafional retrogradation of the march: he, who parted Jordan, could divide the deep; the Hebrews looked not to Mofes as their guide, but to God. On this ground Mr. Bryant ably and fuccefsfully combats his French antagonitt, who labours to find out a fhort and shallow way, juft below Suez, for the paffing Ifraelite, and the purfuing army of Pharaoh. M. Niebuhr indeed allows, that

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the former, confiding in his God, might have paffed where the stream was more wide and profound; but he thinks it abfurd to suppose that the latter, with lefs powerful incentives, the mere gratification of rage and revenge on a flying enemy, would follow his footsteps in that uncertain and perilous tract; but, in the mean time, he forgets the fcriptural statement, and the real circumstances of the fact. While the Deity, by his prefence, animated the embodied bands of Ifrael to prefs forward through the divided waters, he for wife reafons, but not fo amply revealed as prefumptuous man thinks he has a right to have them revealed, hardened the hearts of Pharoah and his hoft with a fatal blindnefs, which induced them to ruth precipitately upon death.

ART. VIII. A complete Edition of the Poets of Great Britain, Vol. I. II. III. and IV. Large 8vo. 10s. 63. each. Printed for John Arthur Arch, London, and for Bell and Bradfute, and J. Mundell and Co. Edinburgh. 1793. &c. THE object of this publication is to give to the world a

complete edition of the British Poets at a fiall expence. We have taken up the confideration of it here, although not finished, because the four volumes already publifhed, contain a complete felection of our more ancient poets, including every one of eminence from Chaucer down to Cowley, with whofe life the admirable biography of Dr. Johnfon commences. In comparing this collection with the two that have preceded it, we cannot but approve of the attention which the editors of it have paid to neglected genius, in giving a place to the fathers of English poefy, and to many writers who adorned the reigns of Elizabeth, James, and the accomplished, bnt unfortunate Charles I. Of the poets given hitherto in this collection, none are contained in the edition of Johnson, and only Chaucer, Donne, and Spencer in that of Bell: yet they exhibit a conftellation of genius and learning, which rarely appears in an equal space of time, and which gives the period we have marked out, a right to the appellation of the first Auguftan age of English literature. It is true that, generally fpeaking, these poets are inferior to their fucceffors in the choice of their fubjects; in the art of conducting them; in a delicate imitation of the ancients; in grace and perfpicuity of expreffion; in harmonioufnefs of verfification; and in every poetical attribute which lies within the province of tafte: but they do not yield to them in any of the qualities of a vigorous and enthu

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fiaftic mind. In originality of conception, in fertility of imagination, in frequency and ftrength of reasoning, or in depth and variety of learning, they are equalled by few, and excelled by none of their rivals. In fhort, including among them Milton and Cowley, as having originally diftinguifhed themfelves in the reign of the first Charles, they need not shrink from a competition with the more polished and popular poets of later times, by whofe celebrity their luftre has hitherto been obfcured. Of the works contained in this felection, many have received that portion of univerfal fame, which the poet regards as the chief, and too often finds to be the fole reward of his labour. There are fome, however, that have lain in the most undeferved obfcurity, and whose authors are scarcely known even by name to the common reader, though highly deferving the tribute of his admiration. Among these we cannot avoid pointing to Davies and Hall, in the fecond voJume. Of the principal poem of the former, "Upon the Immortality of the Soul," the editor is guilty of no exaggera tion when he declares, that it is the earliest philofophical poem which this country has produced, and the best poem of the age of Elizabeth, except the Faery Queen. The author is indeed unhappy in the choice of his fubject; for upon one fo metaphyfical and obfcure, it was not poffible to be always amufing; and fometimes he could fcarcely hope to appear either convincing or rational. But his reafoning is in general wonderfully perfpicuous; fome of his arguments drawn from analogy with fuch works of nature as are better known, are eminently happy, and, like Pope in his Effay on Man, he has adorned his fubject with a variety of images that are gene, rally beautiful, and always illuftrative. His language is correct, easy, and expreffive; and his verfification so neat and mufical, that a modern ear will discover but few lines in which it can point out an imperfection, or fuggest an improvement.

Hall first introduced fatire amongst us; and in powers adapted to his fubject, he is unequalled by any of his fucceffors. He poffeffed a congenial ardour of mind, that enabled him fuccefsfully to catch the bold and nervous declamation of Juvenal, whom he profeffed to imitate. In attacking vicę and folly, he treats them with indignant vehemence; he lends his whole will and ftrength to every lafh, and speaks as if he felt that the utmoft force of expreffion would be unable fully to inflict the fmart that his vigorous conception ought to excite. The follies and vices he purfues, are worthy of fatiric animadverfion; and the characters he has drawn are nume

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yous, and marked with ftrong difcriminations. He abounds in epithets that are original and highly defcriptive; and his versification is in many paffages remarkable for an easy and harmonious flow. In the fixth fatire of his first book, the reader will find what is perhaps the first ftudied, and certainly not the leaft fuccefsful effort, to make the found an echo to the fenfe. His faults are thofe of his mafters, Juvenal and Perfius. His reflections are often linked together by a connection fo refined and flender, as to be scarcely perceptible. His references to the manners and cuftoms of the age in which he lived, are extremely obfcure; and his allufions to books, particularly the Latin fatirifts, are fo frequent and abrupt, that a reader muft be well acquainted with them to understand his meaning. He has employed words which were antiquated even in his own times; and he aims at a concifenefs and energy of expreffion, which, though often highly beautiful, muft, when added to his other defects, tarnish the luftre of his works with the imputation of obfcurity.

Among the writers in the fourth volume, the reader will find the two Fletchers, eminently remarkable for their genius and learning. The elder has unhappily wafted much of both in his "Purple fland," upon an allegorical fubje&;' in which the neceffity of rendering his fable fubfervient to the just representation of what he means to typify, muft ever prevent the poet from managing it fo as to enchain the attention, or roufe and agitate the paffions. But in his "Pifcatory Eclogues," we meet with those native graces, and fimple ornaments of thought and expreffion, which are fo rarely found in fubjects, where the calm and innocent ftate of life described, fenders it difficult to intereft the mind, and yet preserve the required confiftency with nature.

To the works of each poet is prefixed a fhort and well written account of his life; together with a brief critique upon his writings, in which their characteristic excellence and defects are pointed out. These sketches are not all written with the fame care; but many of them do great credit to their author, as showing a refined tafte, a perfect knowledge of the poet, and an intimate acquaintance with our ancient literature. The lives in the fourth volume particularly merit this commendation: the remarks are judicious, appropriate, and fpirited; and references are made to various paffages of the poets, who are there criticized and compared, whereby the reader will be enabled to draw thofe conclufions, which the writer, from the confined limit of his work, was prevented from giving in detail. We cannot, however, but think, that the author

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