This result would be particularly desirable when fair candidates for our approbation present themselves at our board: then "comes the tug of war;" when justice and mercy plead, and we feel those twinges of conscience" which critics only know." As it is, however, we must despatch the innumerable productions whether of ladies or of gentlemen, which make their appearance "Thick as the leaves in Autumn strew the brooks without remorse or ceremony, as fast as we can; for, like the leaves, they are doomed to skim a moment on the surface, and then disappear so quickly that, casting a hasty glance at them, we first catch their form and colour, then pronounce on their beauties, and have done. To this fugitive character, we are afraid, 'The Royal Exile' will prove no exception; and the above observations will save us from the unpleasant task of discussing more particularly the demerits of the production. We may observe, however, without drawing on our good nature or offending against critical rules, that the work is not without a certain degree of poetical talent and ability; though we are at a loss to discover in the Royal Exile's epistles any manifestation of superior powers, or sufficient genius and originality of character to awaken that charm of the imagination which is capable of giving an ideal reality to the sad narrative of her life. They are at once too desultory and ill arranged, and much too prolix and tedious, to lead us for a moment to yield to the illusion of their genuine nature and probability; more especially in the succession of distressing circumstances under which they are supposed to have been written. Neither do they possess a fitting portion of that historical correctness and good keeping, which ought always to be preserved in a well drawn, harmonious, and poetical picture of other times. The chief value, then, and indeed the only interesting portion of these volumes, will be found to consist in the historical notices contained in the preliminary dissertations, in the sketches of Queen Mary's life, and in the occasional extracts from the MSS. which have been attributed to her. We have, also, an amusing account of the Queen's arch enemy, the reformer Knox; together with some curious antiquarian matter, and local descriptions, relative to early English and Scotish history. From the notes and illustrations, however, as well as from the work itself, we perceive can evident and decided bias throughout in favor of the heroine, to the material detriment of historic fact. Art. 13. The Errors of Ecstasie: a Dramatic Poem. With other Pieces. By George Darley. 8vo. pp. 72. Whittakers. 1822. We do not remember to have read a poem which, in its substance, more completely fulfilled the promise of the title than in the instance before us: for this effusion may almost be pronounced the echo of a reverberation, and the shadow of a shade, — so airy P 2 and and unsubstantial is its nature. We at last begin to comprehend what is meant by poetic fits and ecstasies, and the reason of that antique custom of christening the offspring of the poet's brain by the name of fit, as fit the first and fit the second: dividing them according as the quires or half-quires of manuscript were dispatched. There are many errors extant, and very popular errors, but none (we conceive) that equal the marvellous and absurd errors manifested in the Errors of Ecstasie;' which verify the observation of our immortal dramatist, at least in this instance: "The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, As the same great master-moralist teaches us, however," there is still some soul of goodness in things evil," if we have penetration to find it out, so will this grand truth not fail on the present occasion. In the outpourings of a poetic spirit, of whatever slender dimensions, and however excentric and mistaken, we observe occasional bursts of true poetry and passion; and amid these Errors' we discern glimmerings of sense, and lucid intervals, which prove the existence of reason and "fine touches of spirit." Yet, in the opinion of wicked wits, such exceptions only prove the general rule of dulness which composes the chief part of the productions of our Surfaces and Shallows of the present day. This is the converse of the proposition of Homer's nodding: dullest man must have his joke; and really we cannot persuade ourselves to be serious over poetry that does not seem written to be understood. the Art. 14. Random Rhymes from Paris: with other Poems. By Dennis Travers. 8vo. pp. 64. Allman. 1822 These Random Rhymes are in the Beppo stanza, and present us with another dose of the nauseating imitations of the day. Why will those, who aspire after poetical distinction, thus circumscribe their powers within the narrow range of a school or sect, and stoop to the humble ambition of that which is, after all, little more than skilful mimickry or happy affectation? The stanzas, to which Mr. Travers has given this title, do not, as he unnecessarily tells us, affect method or arrangement. He might have added that they are indefinite and almost unintelligible as to their object. We can perceive, however, that the writer, who certainly has considerable talents, visited Paris with feelings irritated or even envenomed by his politics. In saying this, we do not quarrel with his political prepossessions, for he loves liberty and is a hater of oppression; nor are we admirers of the Bourbons, in whose measures we have often found much that is to be blamed and lamented but we regret that this gentleman, while he was sojourning in that gay metropolis, viewed every thing through the dingy medium of his prejudices; that he could see nothing en beau; and that, amid scenes of varying delight and ceaseless festivity, the melancholy instincts of his muse attuned his harp only to the most sombre themes of past regret, or to the darkest farebodings of the future. Yet Yet we think as he does of the congress of Laybach, and the Holy Alliance; and, while we admire one or two of the stanzas in which he reprobates those royal conspiracies, we repeat our regret that the palpable marks of imitation, with which his poetry abounds, and to which we have already alluded, are considerable drawbacks from the pleasure which we should otherwise have derived from them. We cannot refuse to extract some of Mr. T.'s pathetic stanzas on an unfortunate votary of Thalia, who was once the pride and ornament of the English stage. It is a sad story, and the following lines will find an echo in every feeling bosom : 1 2 'I could not close this desultory lay, Nor speak of Violante ! she was not From the world's honours lost, but unforgot. 'Tis sweet her sad and simple tale to tell, While the full bosom at her mention warms; And thoughts, like magic, on the memory swell, As fancy calls her back, drest in her thousand charms. She died in a strange land - heartbroken died the tie Of twenty summers snapt for a young bride- I stood beside her grave; her grave whose tone To buy the rites of sepulture; yes, she Whose life was one rich bounty - lacked a pall, While HE, that should have mourned-kept bridal revelry. Poor Violante! there she lies at last With all the Perditas: but one strange hand, To twine a coronal for all the past, And one chance pilgrim at her stone to stand! I name him not his name would stain my page: Swept down oblivion's gulf I let him go, Mixt with the meaner base who scandalize the age.' Of the miscellaneous poems, some evince considerable power. Art. 15. Napoleon, and other Poems. By Samuel Gower, Esq. 8vo. pp. 156. Olliers. 1821. From a note to an unfinished sonnet, (p. 140.) it appears that this author has been in various ways suffering under the effects of severe to study's P 3 study; and it would therefore be both cruel and unjust to pass a sentence on his talents and judgment, founded on the merits of compositions produced under such circumstances. We cannot, however, forbear to remark that it would have been the office of a kind friend to dissuade Mr. Gower from publishing these very singular effusions of his muse; which, whatever glimmerings of poetical power they may occasionally display, can never interest the public, and still less add to the writer's reputation for discretion. The style of these poems is so extraordinary, as to defy all rules of criticism; and we must therefore content ourselves with giving, as a specimen of the writer's ability, a sonnet which has very little of the rambling and fantastic character that pervades the rest of the volume. 'PARTING. 'One who hath but too dearly lov'd thee, Jane But whom the fates forbid thee hence to know, Unmingled with the dissonance of woe, Whose melody with time shall onward flow, As through immortal ages shall be seen, At the end of the volume is a list of works preparing for the press by this author, amounting to nineteen in number, and consisting of lucubrations dramatic, poetic, political, medical, religious, &c.! Art. 16. Angelica; or, the Rape of Proteus, a Poem. By Edward Hovel Thurlow, Lord Thurlow. 12mo. pp. 57. Booth. 1822. Peers have no privilege in the courts of Pindus, and we therefore offer no apology for the few remarks which we find ourselves disposed to make on this wild offspring of Lord Thurlow's brain. His Lordship is not, however, one of the most timid of the poetical tribe; for he is not merely an imitator of Shakspeare, but avowedly without fear or compunction he professes to finish what Shakspeare left imperfect. This poem is carried on, he tells us, from the Tempest of the immortal bard: only the name of Miranda (we presume not to ask why) is changed to Angelica. With this lady, Proteus is introduced as violently in love; and, to make matters still worse, Cælatis, a sea-maid, is enamoured of Ferdinand: who, when the poem opens, is returning from Naples, having obtained the consent of the States to marry Angelica. It is perilous for the critic to approach a poet of a daring so infinitely beyond all recent emorize. "Ut Utemala quem scabies, ut morbus regius urget, Aut fanaticus error, et iracunda Diana; 300, Vesanum tetigisse timent fugiuntque poëtam, Qui sapiunt.' (HOR. de Ar. Poet.) Happily, we have no chance of getting too near him, for he soars a flight into which it would be madness to think of following him; and we shall attempt only to pick up a few of the beauties with which his poem is so thickly studded. In the first place, Proteus is the most profuse and generous of lovers. Having offered Angelica (in his soliloquy) a garland consisting of we cannot say how many flowers, pinks, roses, lilies, violets, asphodels, crocuses, the ivy, the jasmine, and the myrtle, he takes it for granted that these will not move her, and ransacks the jeweller's shop to gain his purpose: The glossy pearl, for which the Ethiop dives, Proteus, it seems from his own confession, is "a gay deceiver," and several nymphs have loved him, and -fie! Proteus; 'yielded their pure virgin-patents up To my divine enforcement - with free will.' We had hoped that these fair patentees would have made a more decent resistance. -Up rises the mermaid, (Cælatis,) singing, from a place twenty thousand fathom down,' and tells him that his watery calves' had broken loose, and trespassed on Amphitrite's meads; who, being exceedingly angry, had gone immediately to lodge her complaint with Neptune. Proteus lays the whole blame on Caliban; for it seems that this monster had left Prospero, and gone again to service with master Proteus, who swears that he will • Penn the monster to a rock And let him howl nine moons into the deep, 14 The sea-nymph then makes a bargain with Proteus. She is to have Ferdinand "all to herself," and by these means Proteus gets rid of a rival. This is to be effected by wrecking his ship, and then poor Ferdinand becomes the property of this unconscionable sea-nymph. As for Proteus, who is suffering very severely from the love of Angelica, his wound is to be cured by a simple pro cess: 'Love must cure the wound he made, By rape of this hard-hearted maid.' P 4 As |