* fidered as important, and Dr. Thornton has called in the aid of wood-cutting to elucidate the fubject. This falls in with prejudices of very 'long standing, and a Family Herbal will be expected to perform almost as much as a family phyfician. We will not, however, promife that fuch will be the refult. A little work intitled Enchiridion Medicum, by a Mr. Hamilton †, is laudable in its plan, and requires only to be more correctly printed to enfure it notice and acceptance. LITERATURE. Very eminent in this line is the translation of Dumefnil's Synonyms. The great and unavoidable extent of this branch of literary enquiry forms its principal difficulty, which in this work will be feen to be furmounted, in a very laudable degree. Much more acceptable, nevertheless, to a very large clafs of ftudents will be found Mr. Todd's Illuftrations of Gower and Chaucer. Much is there done for the elucidation both of their history and of their writings; and even additions are made to the latter, by fuccefsful examination of manufcripts. Prof. R. E. Scott's Enquiry into Phyfical and Metaphyfical Science §, may be mentioned here, though not exactly in its place; but, as we have not yet completed our account of it, we shall not now pretend to give a final opinion. That the work is learned and acute, cannot be doubted, even from what we have already faid of it. Two fmaller publications, but highly refpectable of their kind, will conclude this prefent head. The first of these is entitled Motives to the Study of Hebrew, in two parts, and though without a name, is known to be the production of the amiable and learned Bishop Burgefs, * No. III. p. 283. No. II. p. 138, No. VI. p. 597* + No. III. p. 394. No. II. P. 312. whofe whofe zeal for every thing connected with facred Literature is no lefs judicious than it is active. The other, equally anonymous, is an English Grammar on a new and very inftructive plan, which we believe to proceed from the pen of the Rev. S. Clapham, well known for many useful works in Divinity. POETRY. Approaching now to the clofe of our retrospect, we indulge ourselves in the contemplation of the poetry, which we have lately thought worthy of dif tinction. In this lift, the Poems of the Earl of Carysfort are worthy of an eminent place. So much variety of fancy, united with fuch correctness of tafte and compofition, is not often continued to the extent of two handsome volumés. We are the more pleafed to bear this teftimony, because we are happy to know that the private virtues of the noble writer are at leaft equal to his literary attainments. Of Scott's Lady of the Lake it is almoft fuperfluous to give our judgment. Every one has read, and every one has formed an opinion upon it, and almost all favourable. Nor are we ambitious, in this refpect, to differ from the multitude, except, perhaps, in being better able than fome are, to aflign the reafons for our admiration. When we fpeak with delight of the elegant and touching compofitions of Montgomery, we are not equally fupported by fashion; we rather take under our protection a poet who, by fome critics, has been harthly and unjustly treated. We are certain, how ever, that the public tafte and feeling will confirm our commendation when the modeft merit of the author fhall have made its way to more general notice. * No. IV. p. 422, No. II. p. 119. + No. I. p. 52. Our Our modern Minstrels are now fo numerous, that we shall not foon arrive at their laft lays! In this company Mr. Sotheby has now enlifted himself, by his Conftance of Caftile*, and has obtained an honourable place. He fings the united triumphs of England and Spain, and we hope he will have more modern fucceffes to record. Another Minstrel appears in the continuation of Dr. Beattie's † poem of that name : a tafk executed, fo far as it goes, with more vigour than is commonly feen in fuch attempts. If we turn to the very different ftyle of didactic poetry, Mr. Sbee's Elements of Art‡ stand for the present alone more regular but lefs vigorous, than what he merely ftyled Rhymes on the fame fubject: but at the fame time inftructive, not only to ftudents, to whom the Poem is addreffed, but in fact to the public at large. The Reliques of Burns, fo far as they contain poetry, are worthy of his previous fame; and whatever elfe is comprised in the volume, either conveys information, or marks character. Mr. Elton's Tales from the Gefta Romanorum are amufing, and well verfified §, and his Imitations from Propertius, in the fame volume, by no means unfuccefsful. To the pofthumous Poem of R. Noyes, entitled Diftress ¶, fuccefs is the more to be wished, that the fubject of it may be felt the less by his furviving orphans. It has, however, intrinfic merits, and among them the melancholy recommendation of truth and feeling. Of republished poetry, Mr. Todd's Edition of Milton** is the most valuable. Excellent in its firft form, and now enriched by material acceffions and embellifhments, it claims to be regarded as one of the best exifting editions of an English claffic. * No. V. P. 433. No. III. p. 228. No. HI. p. 298. ** No. IV. p. 344. + No. III. p. 302. MISCELLANIES, MISCELLANIES. So nearly allied is novel-writing to poetry, that if we adopted the fentiments of fome theorists, we fhould: have placed Mrs. Weft's Refufal* in the preceding class. In the poetical merit of invention it certainly is not deficient, in other refpects it is an inftructive and well-told tale, and this is all that its author attempted to make it. The English Dictionary of Anecdotest, though anonymous, is a refpectable and entertaining compilation, and in conjunction with the French, from which it is not copied, will make a confiderable body of fuch amusement. In this heterogeneous clafs, our tranfitions muft unavoidably be rapid; we mention, therefore, without further introduction, Dr. Turton's very elegant little manual, entitled the British Fauna 1, which we earneftly hope to fee continued and completed, as foon as the other avocations of the author may allow. Dr. RichardJon's tract on the virtues of his favourite grafs, the Fiorin, feems to bring the matter to the iffue of teftimony and affidavit; if these proofs can be repelled, the Doctor's triumph may still be fhort; but we do not ourselves fee how facts, pofitively attefted and fworn to, can easily be fet afide. Colonel Macdonald's valuable work on the Military Manœuvres of the French, though in fubftance a translation, derives no fmall part of its utility from the very fcientific preface by which he has introduced it, and the notes he has fubjoined. Other military works which we have lately noticed, fuch as Cooper's Military Cabinet ¶, have their merit, but, in point of profound fcience, muft yield, we conceive, to his publications. * No. I. p. 59. No. V. P. 529. No. V. p. 506. + VI. p. 649. Here |