all, liable to contingencies. Private interest cannot always coincide with public good: the former our author ftyles prudence; the latter, benevolence. Thefe are reconciled by religion, and particularly by the religion of Chrift, which teaches us, that great fhall the reward be for those who facrifice the prudential motives to benevolence. The Jews, to whom a future ftate was darkly and incompletely revealed, were not capable of fuch a facrifice; and the moral leffons of Solomon's Proverbs are enforced, in our author's opinion, by motives which reach not beyond the grave.

Mr. Belfham's obfervations on epic poetry' are pleafing and juft. After a comprehenfive fummary of what Aristotle has taught respecting the epopeia, which he very properly calls a developement of principles, by a philofophical illuftration of facts already known and established, he adduces and confutes the properties which modern critics have fuppofed effential to the epic in addition to what Ariftotle has said. The following remarks are truly judicious, and deserve selection:

Rejecting, however, the authority of all rules but those originally promulgated by the Stagyrite himfelf-rules founded on the bafis of reason, and fanctioned by the prescription of ages; it must be allowed, that a work conftructed in perfect conformity to them, must be worthy, not only of regard and attention, but of the higheft admiration, as manifeftly requiring, in order to its accomplishment, the most noble and ardent efforts of the human faculties. Vaft extent of knowledge is neceffary, as a primary qualification, to enable the poet to treat the numerous topics incidentally connected with, or arifing from his main subject, with clearness and precifion. He muft alfo poffefs exquifite feeling and fenfibility.

For thofe (fays the great critic) who are moved by paffions. themselves, will exprefs thofe paffions most naturally from their own feelings; and he who is affected himself, will belt know how to affect others." A cool and impartial judgment must accompany this warmth of paffion, which will elfe precipitate the poet into abfurdity and extravagance. Juftnefs of tafte and fertility of invention must supply him with beauty of language, and variety of ima gery and of incident. And lastly, the flame of genius must invigorate and pervade the whole-that celeftial flame, which, in the breast of a true poet, is inextinguishable as the hallowed fire upon the altar of Vesta. It is not to be imagined that any human production will endure the criterion of fo fevere a teft. Nevertheless, various poets, of different ages and countries, have made fuch an approximation to this perfection of excellence, as to excite very lively emotions of delight in the minds of all who are competent to form a judgment of their works.-Poets, who, by the luttre of

their talents, have immortalized their names, and to whom is justly paid the willing tribute of univerfal admiration.'

The author next proceeds to give some general obfervations on the principal epics. The tale of Troy divine' he praises. with every feeling heart and judicious head: the Odyffey he does not mention. His character of the Æneid is not effentially different from the general one; but to the poem of Lucan he attributes more merit than has been generally allotted. Taffo is praised more highly than we think he deferves, and fome thing fhould probably be detracted for occafional puerility, for a too obvious wifh, on every occafion, to elevate and furprize. Camoens our author commends, as well as his English tranflator, whofe criticism in defence of the Portuguese poet against the attacks of Voltaire, is treated with fome deferved afperity. Of the Araucana of D'Ercilla, and the Paradise Lost of Milton, he only repeats what has been faid before; and to the Telemachus of Fenelon he allows the merit of an excellent historical romance, but is unwilling to ftyle it an epic poem. To Offian he is not very complaifant, and his opinion is expressed in an excellent fhort imitation of his style.

Thy thoughts are dark, O Fingal! thy thoughts are dark and troubled. They are as a dim meteor that hovers round the marthy lake. Comeft thou, fon of night, in the darkness of thy pride, as a fpirit fpeaking through a cloud of night? Thou art enveloped in obfcurity, chief of Morna! like the moon veiled in a thick cloud. Thy words are dark, like songs of old, son of the cloudy Morven !'

The next fubject of Mr. Belfham's difquifition is Dramatic Poetry. He begins, as in the former effay, with a fummary of what Ariftotle has advanced, and proceeds to the modern alterations, dictated by the various improvements in fcenical arrangements. The principal paffage in this additional view relates to the queftion, whether it is neceffary to preserve the unities of time and place. He obferves, with propriety, that the difference between the reprefentations of the drama, and the fcenes in real life, is fo confiderable, that we laugh at the attempt to deceive. It is feldom that the deception lafts beyond a fingle fcene; and if, by avoiding converfation, the tone of mind in the interval of acts and scenes is preferved, and the fucceeding impreflion in that way rendered more forcible, it is all that dramatic imitation can effect. Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Siddons, the one by the pureft imitation of nature, and the other by the most confummate well-conducted art, have done no more: Mrs. Siddons has scarcely ever done fo much.

It has been afferted that there is another fpecies of unity, of

more real importance than all the three combined, upon which the critics have fo much infifted-Unity of character. This is a fpecies of excellence, however, upon which the Stagyrite himself lays the higheft ftrefs, both in epic and dramatic compofition. But then the justice of his observation must be admitted, that the fable, or action, is of primary importance in the formation of a perfect drama, and that character is not to be fubftituted for incident. And if ftrength and variety of character will not atone for any radical defect in the construction of the fable, much lefs will propriety or beauty of fentiment. In the tragedy of Cato, the action is cold, uninterefting, and barren of incident: the characters are sketched with a faint and powerlefs pencil; but the fentiments are noble and elevated, expreffed in language highly poetical, and for the most part juftly and happily adapted to the respective characters. But, is the great end of tragedy attained? Is pity or terror excited? Do we glow, and tremble, and weep? No.-We are contented calmly to admire; and are folely attentive, as Dr. Johnson has remarked, not to what is done, but merely to what is faid. Even Comus, and Samfon Agonistes, must be acknowledged effentially deficient as dramas, however justly they are celebrated as the effufions of a brilliant imagination or an elevated genius. With refpect to the general style of dramatic compofition, we find that Ariftotle is of opinion, that tragedy admits, and even requires, higher dignity and elevation of language than even the epopeia itself. As the epopee may with propriety occafionally affume a dramatic form, the higher beauties of poetry are not, however, the exclufive property of the drama. But I think it must be acknowledged, that the actual representation and expreffion of paffion, will, in the hands of a mafter, be accompanied with that energy and force of language which no mere defcription, however highly coloured, can reach; and which must exhauft all the magic of that art, by which, as by fome poetic fpell, the poet at his pleasure inflames and fafcinates the foul. The bold and glowing expreffions which fo happily correfpond with the one of the paffion when actually reprefented, muft, when the action is converted into narration, appear ftrained, turgid, and unnatural. Had Shakspeare feared to excite the laughter of the critics by introducing the ghost of " buried Denmark" upon the flage, and this incident had been thrown by the poet into narrative; how, for instance, could the lofty and daring images which Hamlet's apoftrophe to the apparition at prefent exhibits, have found a place? In a word, as narration must ever neceffarily confine itIf to the defcription of paffion, it cannot adopt the genuine language of paffion, which affords the most unlimited scope for the highest flights of poetry. It muft, therefore, ever remain comparatively tame and spiritlefs.'

All

All this is well faid, and what is added on the fimplicity of the fable, and the difficulties which Ariftotle felt, from having afferred that pity and horror are the means by which the moral purposes of the drama are to be effected, deferves great attention. The obfervations are truly correct and well expreffed. The analysis of bifhop Butler's Analogy is clear, accurate, and comprehenfive; but it must be obvious, that an essay of this kind admits neither of an abstract nor of a quotation.

The French Revolution has been the fubject of much controverfy, and has filled our pages with different arguments, and representations of a various nature. Mr. Belfham's history of the important event is correct, and many of his obfervations on the conftitution are juft. The English, are, however, accused by our author of a fullen filence on this great event, and a malignant or a fufpicious referve. The accufation is not founded on reason. Should we have praised an attempt new, innovations apparently rafh, and a conftitution built seemingly on the unstable foundations of a vifionary philofophy? All was ruin, or all was in a state of reparation, and the cool obferver was watching the event before he formed his opinion. In our fituation, we were called on to give an opinion; and with the best information before us, we gave the refult of the best judgment we could form. What has been the confequence? In purfuing the varied progress of these new legiflators, who have learned wisdom from their errors, and caution from the effects of their wild precipitance, we have had occafion to blame and to praife. Because we were not the decided tools of a party, our opinions have been called variable and unfteady. Had the nation, at any one period, been called on to decide, by its reprefentatives, on this momentous fubject, there would have been many fubfequent æras when their decifion might have been pronounced most wife, or fupremely foolish: fo much has the political ftate of our neighbours varied in their progrefs. Befides, could a parliament, ballanced by a monarch and an hereditary nobility, approve of a fyftem of democracy where the king has no fhare in the government, and is merely, in their own language, the firft functionary? Could they, on the other hand, themfelves in poffeffion of liberty, blame others in fearch of this bleffing? The accusation is an inconfiderate one. When fome of the reprefentatives gave their opinions, they were, of courfe, different, and Mr. Belfham introduces a fhort account of the principal fpeeches on this fubject; an excellent one of Mr. Burke's famous declamation, for it was in reality no more.

What we have faid of the various opinions formed in different fituations, particularly applies to Mr. Belfham, who oppofes Mr. Burke on the foundation of events which occur

L 3

red

red fubfequent to his publication, and may, in turn, be opposed by circumstances pofterior to the publication of the volume before us. Our author admires the regulation of elections: what have they produced? the prefent affembly, a body, to say the leaft of them, very inadequate to the government of a great kingdom. We can scarcely fix the period when it was poffible to fay with propriety- France, at this moment, enjoys perfect tranquillity, and is rifing rapidly to the summit of profperity. It is not at this moment, January 9th, 1792. Mr. Belfham's obfervations on fome parts of the French conftitution are very proper.

The national affembly (in excluding the minifters of the crown) have, I think unhappily, adopted a policy founded on different principles. Deliberation is, as they conceive, the fole province of the legislative power; and action, that of the executive. And the intervention or influence of the fovereign, relative to the decifions of the legiflature, are guarded against by every precaution that the most anxious policy can fuggeft. The inevi table refult of this conftitution, muft be the final and total dif union of the different powers of government. There is no vifible bond of connection. The minifters of the crown, I might fay the crown itself, muft fink into a state of imbecility and contempt. Committees will be inftituted by the affembly, to whom the entire functions of the executive power will be gradually transferred, For, will the paffions of men, and the fecret fuggeftions of pride and ambition, in circumstances fo favourable to their gratifi cation, ever cease to operate? The orders of the fovereign will become a mere matter of form, and will only be iffued in compli ance with the addreffes of the assembly. The monarch will be regarded as a mere pageant of state. An irrefiftible tendency to republicanism will foon become apparent. Monarchy will be at first virtually, and at length, perhaps, openly and avowedly annihilated. But here a queftion of the utmoft moment and impor tance arifes. To whom is, or will, the command of the army be entrusted by the new conftitution of France? To whom can it be entrufted, but to the king, as fupreme executive magiftrate? But will the king patiently submit to be divested of his civil authority, and to be reduced to a mere cypher in the state, so long as his military authority remains unimpaired? Are not the feeds of future divifion and difcord implanted in this fyftem? And when divifion and difcord arife to a certain height of animofity, with how much facility a fudden and total change of government may be effected by the aid of the military, the Swedish revolution affords a recent and memorable inftance. And this beautiful and lofty fabric, reared, as it were, by enchantment, the brilliant illufion of a day, is defined, perhaps, to diffolve into air, when touched by the spear

of