MONTHLY CATALOGUE. 1 RELIGION. ART. 15.-A Sequel to Moral Education the one Thing needful; with Specimens of short Lectures and Prayers, adapted to Schools of every Denomination of Christians; in two Parts; addressed to every Parent in the United Kingdoms, by Thomas Simons. 8vo. Johnson. 1805. WE were not a little puzzled by Mr. Simons's title page, A Sequel to moral Education the one Thing needful." Our first idea-one which the words we have quoted legitimately convey-was that the author must be a redoubted puff, and that he had not scrupled (the prevalence of puffing will justify a supposition apparently so extravagant) to employ language of the most awful import to recommend his book to public notice. When however we had proceeded to the preface, we were satisfied that no such reprehensible levity had entered his mind, but that with much seriousness he had undertaken to prove the necessity of Christian moral education,' which he thinks is greatly neglected in some of our seminaries. In a former publication he had discussed the subject, and the pre sent is therefore called a sequel.' This information may save some trouble to those, whose eyes may hereafter be thrown upon the title page which so bewildered our weak brains. In the pursuit of his object Mr. S. takes a wider range than might perhaps be expected. He lays down a practical plan for the government of a school, mentioning his own en passant at Edmonton; he discourses on the absurd, not to say impious separation of faith and good works; he enters into the propriety of instructing the poorer classes of society, the want of which instruction he is of opinion has brought many unfortunate persons to a shameful death ; and introduces a long and irrelevant dissertation on the doctrines of original sin and eternal damnation, both of which he considers amongst the corruptions of christianity.' The execution of this purpose calls for no particular attention from us: the manner is never new, sometimes good, and sometimes not. 1 The lectures' are selected from our most approved authors, and the prayers' are in no way objectionable; but there are many Christians, (we conceive) who would wish that the peculiarities, the essentials of their religion-those things which distinguish it from a mere code of ethics-had not been so industriously passed over. Yet though our author compiles for every denomination of christians, it is no difficult task to discover his own attachments; at the same time we must do him the justice to say that his Lotices of the members of our established church are marked by a spirit of catholicism extremely deserving of praise. This is not the only catholic portion of the Sequel: it is addressed to every parent in the united kingdoms.' Should it be asked, with the friend of the satyrist; Quis leget hæc and should it be cynically answered Vel duo, vel nemo ;* the reply will not, we hope and trust, tend to freeze the vast ambition which fires the bosom of Mr. Simons. ART. 16.-The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Churchof England and Ireland; together with the Psalter or Psalms of David; to which is prefixed an Introduction, comprising a History of the English Liturgy; a Sketch of the Reformation of Religion in England, und a View of the English Translation of the Holy Scriptures. The Calendar, Rubrick, Services, and Books of Psalms, are accompanied with Notes, historical, explanatory, and illustrative. By the Rev. Richard Warner. 8vo. Wilkie and Robinson. 1806. THIS is an useful and cheap work; the type is clear, and the bistorical and explanatory notes, judiciously selected. DRAMA. ART. 17.-Five Miles off or the Finger Post, a Comedy in Three Acts. By Dibdin. Svo. 1806. THIS piece, called by mistake, we hope, a comedy, derives its title from a finger post, which has been made by an Irishman to move with the wind, and thereby leads one of the motley group in this performance five miles out of his way. From the beginning to the end of the piece Mr. Dibdin treats us in his usual way with a dish of puns, without any salt to make them relishing. POLITICS. ART. 18.-A Letter to the Right Hon. Wm. Windham on the Defence of the Country at the present Crisis. By Lieut. Gen. Money. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Scatcherd, 1806. THE following quotation, which is very pertinently prefixed by the author, not only exhibits his laudable motive for publishing the present pamphlet, but clearly explains his reasons for being rather obscure in certain passages, where blame might be attached to official characters; indeed the whole letter exhibits proofs that the sentiments of Machiavel are strongly impressed on the author's anind. • All advisers of any enterprize, and the more extraordinary the greater the danger, (whether to princes or commonwealths) are between two rocks; if they do not advise what in their judgment they think profitable to their masters, and that frankly and without respect, they fail in their duties, and are defective that way; again, if they were to counsel freely, they bring their lives and fortunes in danger, because such is the natural blindness of mankind, that they cannot judge of the goodness or badness of the thing, but by the success. I am of opinion, in these doubtful and difficult cases, there can be no better way for those who counsel either prince or state, than to deliver themselves modestly and freely; for to be sullen and say nothing, would be betraying your country. A king of Macedon having been defeated by the Romans, escaped after the battle with a few friends; one of them blamed his majesty's conduct, and shewed how it might have been managed better:And do you, said the king, like a traitor, tell me of it now, when it is past remedy? Machiavel, p. 421. To the army this pamphlet cannot fail to be highly acceptable, for it unquestionably abounds with military information and solid reasoning, instead of being filled, like most publications of the same nature, with chimerical plans and prospects, that can never be realized. Without viewing the event of invasion either with panic or with doubt of its possibility, the author points out in a clear, manly, and masterly manner, that, though invaded, this country need not be conquered, provided we avoid misplaced security by adopting those precautions which, without disgracing the brave, ever become the wise: he purposely overlooks the difficulties which the enemy must surmount to make good a disembarkation, in order to point out the best mode of defence in the actual event of such a calamity; and throughout the whole of the letter displays a fund of knowledge that seems only to be equalled by his modesty, while his references to the different offensive and defensive modes adopted by various generals ofrepute and during several campaigns, exhibit his readiness to abandon all old, and according to the present mode of warfare, useless systems. His opinion of the volunteers and their utility are perfectly liberal, and appear to be correct, as also his general ideas of the British service. We close with expressing our regret that Lieut. Gen. Monc7, with the possession of his present knowledge, is not the worst informed and least experienced officer of this country; and we have too good an opinion of his patriotism not to believe that to see the service improved, he would cheerfully submit to that mortification. ART. 19.-Reasons for not making Peace with Buonaparte. By William Hunter, Esq. 8vo. 2s. Stockdale. 1806. WE are sure the author of this pamphlet, in a few days after its publication, must have been convinced that he had bestowed his time and labour in vain, as Buonaparte had taken to himself all discussion and determination on the subjects of peace and war. It is not what may be deemed wise and prudent by the British government, or by British writers, that will produce negotiation; if it should ever be produced, it will depend on the convenience and facilities of the revolutionary armies of France, which the folly of European cabinets has been creating and nurturing for their own demolition. ART. 20. Substances of the Debates on a Resolution for abolishing the Slave Trade, which was moved in the House of Commons on the 10th of June 1806, and in the House of Lords on the 24th June 1806; with un Appendix containing Notes and Illustrations. 8vo. Phillips and Fardon. 1806. THE debates as given in this work are stripped of all their eloquence, and rendered unworthy of perusal. POETRY.. ART.21.-Juvenile Poems by Thomas Romney Robinson ; to which is prefixed, a short Account of the Author, by a Member of the Belfast Literary Society. 12mo. 5s. 5d. Belfast. 1806. We have on some former occasion given it as our decided opinion that an injury is done to opening genius by, laying before the public its early efforts. It becomes subject to a severe tax which the public has a right to impose upon it, a demand for superior excellency in its future exertions, which if it fail to pay, it retains only the disgraceful mortification of recollecting that it has once been undeservedly illustrious. But there are other objections to premature celebrity; it possesses the youthful candidate for fame with too lofty an opinion of his own talents,till by neglecting the cultivation of his growing powers, he leaves room to his less favoured competitors to outstrip him in the race. Let parents and those who have the care of rising youth, never forget that praise injudiciously and extravagantly bestowed, becomes a canker, the diffusive effects of which no art or time can effectually eradicate. The anonymous' member of the Belfast Literary Society,' who has come forward as editor of the present volume, would have rendered a more acceptable service to Master Thomas Romney Robinsou and to society, in suffering that young gentleman to attain to years of discretion before he invited the public to admire his poetical powers. Who, beyond the limit of the social circle of the author's relations, shall be entertained with the effusions of childhood? The doating mother might hear the flights of her darling boy with rapture, and declare her conviction that he would one day be a bishop. The female readers of circulating libraries would also aver them to be pretty poems. We doubtless owe it to the author to say, that they exhibit marks of extraordinary talents and powers beyond his years; and it will give us unfeigned pleasure to find that the productions of maturer age bear corresponding proportion to those of his infancy, and do not dwindle into that insignificance and nothingness which is unfortunately the usual termination of precocious genius. The editor has furnished us with what he calls a short account of the life of his author; longer, however, we venture to assert, than most people will have inclination to wade through; for those who can take an interest in the events of the life of a boy who is not yet thirteen years of age,must have a more gentle and accommodating humour, or be much less fastidious, than ourselves. On the most impor tant epoch in our hero's life, and one on whichthe comprehensive mind of the editor does not fail to dwell, is, that, when at school at Belfast, he was elected a member of the society for-the Suppres sion of Vice?-No-that is an establishment of full-grown gentlenen --for mutual improvement!' an institution which obtained among the scholars of that renowned seminary, the Belfast Academy. 'Nothing (observes the judicious editor) can more clearly evince the high estimation in which his talents were held among his fellow-stu dents than his attaining to this honour at so early a period of life, being then only nine years of age. The essays he produced, according to the rules of the society, were chiefly poetical; one of them is preserved in the present collection, entitled, "The Triumph of Com merce." We are also favoured with an history of his academical career, as extracted from the journals of the above academy, being an account of the different departments of literature (as Cordery, Turner's Exercises, Ovid, the Greek Grammar, &c.) which constitute the subjects of study in the different classes of the above seat of learning, and the premiums (of silver pence, &c.) which Master Robinson obtained in passing through each class. But we are not informed whether he combed his hair, kept his hands clean, and in other respects behaved like a good boy; an omission for which we think the editor culpable; for he has inserted things much less interesting, as copies of complimentary, verses sent to the author from gentlemen who were never heard of, or never deserv→ ed to be heard of, (as poets we mean) such as Mr. Hayley, and the Rev. W. H. Drummond; copies of verses, which, if they cannot lay claim to the fire of poetry or the originality of genius, may yet boast of authority for every expression, for many a time before has each individual word met its neighbour in verse. As to Mr. Hayley's lines, they are prosaic beyond what might have been expected even from that prosaic versifier. In the unpoetical structure of his verses, Mr. Hayley is more offensive than Cowper himself. Low as is our opinion (and it is very low) of Cowper as a -poet, we do sometimes meet in the midst of his unmusical, affected, and disgusting simplicity, a dawning of the light of poetry, which raises him above himself, and deludes him into harmony; as the description of the deaths of Wolfe and Chatham : There was a time And Chatham, heart-sick of his country's shame! |