and for a yearly account of the net produce of the civil lift reve nue, no regard was paid to this information, nor to this address; none of these accounts were ever permitted to be laid before the houfe, and upon the very next day they voted no lefs a fum than 500,000l. for this fervice. This is the truth, and the whole truth, of that generous exploit of the daughter of king James II. It was a mean trick, by which the nation was cheated of 400,000l. This queen had as many private vices, and as few public virtues, as any prince who has filled the British throne fince the Houfe of Tudor.' There is in the hiftory of this period, alfo, a pretty long ac count of the negotiation refpecting Falkland Islands, which greatly reflects on the fpirit and activity of the ministers at that time. The following defign is faid to be communicated from the duke de Choifeul, in a converfation with general Burgoyne, after the duke's exile. It may be useful, however, to transcribe the whole account. On the twenty fecond (of December 1770), the counter-negotiation of the efficient council, began to emerge out of its dark chamber. The confidential minifter of the closet, held a conference with M. Francois, fecretary to the embassy of France at the court of London, upon the fubjet of terms of accommodation with Spain. This fecret negotiation was unknown to the French minifter, M. le duc de Choifeul; who had entered fully into the defigns of Spain, and had firmly refolved to fupport that power in her intended war with Great Britain. At this time, there was a strong party in the French court against Choiseul, confifting of madame Barre, the princes of the blood, the prince de Soubize, and of other great perfons; who had for several months paft, anxiously and eagerly wished to procure the difmiffion of the minifter; but hitherto he had maintained his intereft with the king, notwithstanding all their efforts against him. The king was now advanced beyond the climacteric of life, and affectionately attached to the season of peace; because it afforded him more op portunity to indulge in his favourite pleafures, than the period of war. For this feafon M. Choifeul had not acquainted the king with his defign of co-operating with Spain; by which he had flattered himself, that he should obliterate the difgraces of the late war. The defign was difcovered, or rather made known to madame Barre; who immediately prejudiced the king fo ftrongly against the project of his minifter, that he yielded to her impor tunities; and difmiffed him from all his employments. And, at the fame time, exiled him, to Chanteloux.-Several English, as well as French gentlemen, and perfons of high rank, vifited him in his exile. He was the first exiled French minifter, who had ever been fo honoured. In a free converfation with one of his 5 English English vifitors, (general Burgoyne) he candidly informed him of one part of his plan against Great Britain, if the war had commenced, which he intended—It was— to have landed an army in Effex; to have proceeded with the utmost rapidity to London, where they were to have burned the Bank and the Tower, particularly the firft; but to have committed no other drepredation whatever, and then to have returned with the fame expedition. The troops were to have had no other baggage or incumbrance, than their knapfacks. His principal object was, to annihilate the public credit of Great Britain, which he conceived, the deftruction of the Bank in London would perfectly accomplish. It must be owned the scheme is feasible, and, perhaps not impracticable. There are always vessels enough at Calais and Dun-· kirk for fuch an expedition; and the vicinity of the garrisoned towns facilitates the assembling of an army, without creating an alarm. The anecdote may ferve to put future minifters on their guard; for, at that time, we had no force in any fituation, to impede the operation, had it been attempted.' On the subject of the American war, our author does not give any very new or interefting intelligence. Lord Chatham's conduct, in this very important fubject, is well known; nor fhall we tranfcribe fpeeches, which were at that time published with fufficient accuracy. The reafon, why we have avoided giving fpecimens of his fpeeches in the former tranfactions of his life, is that they are in general too extensive to be quoted with advantage within our limits. It is well known that the violence of his indignation overpowered him, in his eagerness to oppofe the independence of America. He breathed his laft in protesting against this measure. It was his defign, fays our author, a defign, which we have reafon to believe from other fources, to have propofed the duke of Brunfwic as general of the British forces, and to have oppofed the French according to his former plan, in Germany. It has been believed by others, that he intended to advise the duke's being fent to America. Another part of the plan was, when he had thus prevented the French from affifting the Ameri-cans, to have propofed a cordial and honourable union between this country and America. Our author adds a short character of lord Chatham, and in the Appendix has collected various characters and eulogies. of this great minifter, and the neceffary public documents to illuftrate his hiftory, with fome private and curious papers. The length of our article alone prevents us from enlarging on fome of these; and, if we have extended it farther than an anonymous work may feem to demand, the fingular curiofity and importance of the fubject must be our excufe. The The Iliad and Odyffey of Homer, tranflated into English blank Verfe, by William Cowper, Efq. (Concluded from p. 374.) WE E concluded our laft with expreffing our difapprobation at Mr. Cowper's fyftem of rendering fome lines inharmonious to fet off the others to greater advantage. His fedulity in avoiding melody appears in no refpect more confpicuous (for to what other caufe can we attribute it), than in his very frequent omiffion of the article or prepofition. and as he fpake is done.' - if thou wouldst wish me give Eumelus of my own.' II. xxiii. 692. The effect which these omiffions have on the ear is extremely unpleafant; and they often make a fentiment appear ridiculous, that in the original was of a very different nature. A warrior attacks another fpear in hand;'fhe found her fon all tears;' ⚫ firm as rock he stood;' Corax at fide of Arethusa's fount;' ⚫ thou perchance art always fool.' Should we now strike true.' delay fuits not: Laft rites cannot too foon be paid.' This abrupt kind of ftyle feems modelled after that of Briggs in the novel of Cecilia. Again; neither will we here admit Poor man befide to stay at our repafts.' Why fpeakeft thus to me?' Awake Tydides! wherefore giv'ft the night Entire to balmy flumber? hait not heard.' Who art and whence who dar'ft encounter me?' This is the language of parfon Trulliber; who would likewife have described a fall much in the following terms. < And down fell Dolops headlong to the ground.' ་ The inelegancy of fuch phrafes will furprife the reader, and their number is far from inconfiderable. We have, ' clutch'd the bloody duft;' blood fpatter'd all his axle;' his head reek'd; pelting with blows;'audacious fluent prate ;' my foul is funn'd within me ;' for he had other none,' i. c. no we will none of Paris' treasures now;' prating other spear; his fill;'guefts hoved afide;' Venus coax'd fome Græcian τα δε νυν παντα τελεῖται. C + Clutch'd is indeed enshrined in the temple of Shakspeare. Come let me clutch thee! 6 fair;' I need fair;'fleek their heads, and mug their countenances; not thee, nor heed thy wrath a jot;''panic-funn'd; let each whet well his fpear;'" twitch'd her fragrant robe;' he hurl'd his fpear right forth; the keen lance drove into his poll;' loud groans the briny pool,' i. e. the fea; Tantalus stands in a pool' (ev arn), why not lake or flood? a bloody whelk;' 'Hector trepann'd me forth.' He, a fhaft fent Smartly forth.' He laid the fceptre Smartly on his back." His golden heaps into the public maw.' the shame between And navel pierc'd him.' This is literal: but would not beneath the navel' have anfwered as well? The following paffage is, in the original, and in Pope's verfion, fpirited and fublime: So Ajax o'er the decks of num'rous fhips Ulyffes wrestles with Ajax, and on the ham behind Chopp'd him.' (Kode) Il. xxiii. 903. Vulcan took in hand Il. xv. 831. His furdy ftaff, and shuffled thro' the door.' Il. xviii. 515 It is faid of one of the fuitors, that while thus he jeer'd Ulyffes, fet the others in a roar. Odyf. 431, 427. In Homer caufed them to laugh.' The dignified gravity of the epic poem is not always preferved, nor evidently intended to be fo, by Homer, in his Odyffey. It is an interefting narrative, a faithful and pleafing picture of the manners that prevailed in an early period of fociety: the faniliar dialogues that give us a particular infight into thofe manners are peculiarly fafcinating. But they appear to us too fimple for a clofe tranflation in blank verse; and, if ornamented, the beauties which originated from their naiveté, are obfcured, or rendered ridiculous, by their adventitious finery. This is feldom to be complained of here. The characteristic vulgarity of Irus, and we fcarcely know whether to fpeak in praise or senfure, is even heightened in the translation. APP. VOL. IV. NEW ARR. • Gods! Gods! with what volubility of speech As men untooth a pig pilf'ring the corn.' The author did not, poffibly, recollect that collied is taken from a colliery, with the nature of which, neither Irus, nor Llyffes, in all his travels, could have been acquainted. But no Simplicity in the original will excufe the inelegance of the nerality of the following expreffions. ge foon as the reclined the dosed.' Odys. xviii. 231. .what thews And what a baunch the fenior's tatters hid ?' Odyf. xviii. 89. The billows belch'd horrible abroad.' Odyf. v. 482. Ye rural drones, whofe purblind eyes fee not Afhaft at Menelaus?' And Ulyffes, attacked by the dogs of Eumæus, " as ever well advised Squatted.' (EETO) Odyf. xiv. 37. All that I can I will; right thro' I go.' Il. xx. 44t1. -- eels his flanks, &c. nibbled bare.' Il. xxi. 241• Shall rend thy body while a ferap remains.' Il. xxii. 4c9. • But when I had in duft roll'd me, and wept.' Venus fays, Diomede wounded her, Odyf. iv. 652. • For that I ftole Æneas from the fight.' Il. v. 438. A phrafe often repeated inftead of becaufe.' Let Jove but once afford us riddance clear Of thefe Achaians !' why art thou always given To prate, Idomeneus?' Il. xxiii. 593. The myrmidons are compared to wolves who eject From-full maws flatulent the clotted gore." This image is, however, rather niore difgufting in the original. The following expreffion is not tranflated. magistrerai de ti yang Il. xvi. 163. where |