The prefent lecturer must not however be reckoned among thofe, who have contributed much new matter to the flock of literature, or gone very deeply into any nice points of theology. He himself modeftly acknowledges at the beginning of his lectures, that his defign was to adapt his difcourfes generally if not exclufively, to the benefit of the younger part of his audience; and therefore that no elaborate arguments or difcuffions were to be expected. Mr. Browne's plan is to fhow, that through the feveral difpenfations of God towards mankind," harmony, order, and proportion will be found to have characterized all the operations of his power." He takes therefore a fummary view of the patriarchal, Mofaical, and Chriftian Infiitutions, fhowing how the oue naturally arofe out of the other, and how admirably the Providence of God has ever been exerted, to adapt his divine communica tions to the exigencies of the times, and the capacity of the people, to whom fuch communications were fpecially made. Of thefe Difcourfes the Vlth and VIIth pleafed us moft. In the former there is a good account given of the fenfible appearances of the Divine Being under the earliest difpenfation; from which part of the work we are tempted to make the following extract. "Senfible appearances of the Almighty and his heavenly minifters. This was a mode of evidence peculiarly well adapted to the earlier ages of the world, and beft fuited to the infantine imbecility of the human intellect. From the creation of the world to the miffion of Mofes, we read of very frequent appear. ances of the Deity, and communications of his will to man; but we meet with very few miracles, ftrictly fo called, if we except the tranflation of Enoch, the deluge, and the birth of Ifaac. And the reafon of this feems to have been, that it was neceffary for mankind to have had experience of the regular operation of the eftablished laws of nature, for a confiderable space of time, before a miracle could be received as a decifive proof of a fupernatural interpofition to alter that regular operation. If, for example the waters of the fea had been divided, or the fun and moon stayed in their courfe, within a short period after the creation, thefe events would perhaps have hardly been confidered as miraculous, but, have been attributed to fome particular law of nature operating at certain times, and under certain circumftances: and the fame might have been fuppofed of fimilar events, whenever they occurred in future. It feems neceffary therefore, in order to give miracles their full force, that a period of fome continuance fhould elapfe from the creation, before they could be introduced as fufficient proofs of divine interpofition. The want of this fpecies of evidence was amply fupplied by the frequent fenfible communications of God in his own perfon, or by the miniftry of angels, and 2 and by his evidently conducting the patriarchs in all their changes of fituation." P. 182. At p. 191 we have more to the fame effect. "Without particularizing any farther, we may obferve that immediate communications from the Deity were uniformly vouchfafed to mankind precifely in that measure and degree, that their peculiar circumstances at the time rendered expedient. They were therefore much more frequent and obvious in the earliest ages of the human race than they were afterwards.". "The Al.. mighty appears to have withdrawn himfelf perfonally from mankind, in proportion as they were enabled by the progrefs of knowledge to estimate and acccept of other proofs of his being and attributes.". "We read but of two inftances of divine interpofition made generally to a collective body of mankind, in the fubfequent courfe of the hiftory of Revelation; and thefe were upon occafions which fully justified their being made: the firft was on fanctioning the law of Mofes from Mount Sinai, by a tremendous convulfion of the Elements of Nature and the other lefs tremendous, but equally authoritative, to fanction the miffion of Chrift by an audible and intelligible voice from heaven. Whoever confiders the importance of Chriftianity to man's best interests, and the neceffary fubfervience of the Mofaic difpenfation to the introduction of Chriftianity, will not be furprised if fuch extra. ordinary circumftances attended the promulgation of either of them." Mr. Browne confiders at large the diftinct evidences of miracle and Prophecy, and has fome good remarks upon both; his flyle is not the moft animated, and fome faulty expreffions have been fuffered to pafs through the prefs. There are a few words alfo, very little familiar to the ear, which we think therefore had better been omitted, fuch as "circumfpectnefs," "impartition," and "realization." Upon the whole, however, Mr. Browne has certainly accomplished his object of proving that the divine Providence has conftantly operated in an orderly and harmonious manner, accommodat, ing itself always to the character and neceffities of his people, at each diftinct period; from the firft Revelation of his will to man at the æra of his creation, to the fuller difcovery, and final difplay of it, by the incarnation and miniftry of his bleffed Son. S s BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXVI. DEC. 1810. BRITISH BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 10. As in inftructing young perfons to read, it feems expedient and neceffary to diverfify the exercifes with poetry, as well as profe, this book may be recommended as a judicious and agreeable fe. lection. The poems, which are here given, are for the most part calculated for pupils of maturer age; they are none of them frivolous, or of the caft of levity, but afford fome opportunity for exercifing the judgment and powers of reflection. The author, however, informs us, that he has another, and smaller collection at this time in the prefs, for the ufe of junior pupils. He feems altogether well qualified for the undertaking. ART. 11. The Legend of Mary, Queen of Scots, and other ancient Poems, now first published from MSS. of the Sixteenth Century, with an Introduction, Notes, and an Appendix. 8vo. 7s. Long man. 1810. The Author of the principal piece in this collection, the Legend of Mary, Queen of Scots, is fuppofed by the Editor, to be Thomas Wenman, who was public orator of the Univerfity of Oxford in 1594, and who in 1616, wrote commendatory verfes to the fecond part of Brown's Britannia's Paftorals. We do not think fo highly as the Editor, of the intrinfic merit of the compofition, and certainly have not met with many ftanzas, in which elegance is combined with fancy, but we are very thankful to him, for this fpecimen of early poetry, in which there are certainly confiderable powers of verfification. The next poem of confequence in this volume, is entitled, the Lamentation of a Sinner, in which perhaps nothing is fo remarkable, as the ftrange variety of the orthography. In the course of three ftanzas, grief is found written, grivefe, greve, gryfe, greefe, grefe, griffe, gryffe. The following is an extract from one of the mifcellaneous pieces at the end. "Country groves are Cupid's courts, The best aboad of all his fports, Venus and her nimphs doe, follace, Themfelves is fuch, the loves a prudent pallace. "Helter "Helter comes the harmless fwayne, That they are cropt for breast devine, That you do live, in his hard hart to dy. "And as you figh inform the ayre, An Appendix is fubjoined, with notes on the preceding poems, and a particular account of the manuscript from which they were printed. The Editor's motives are certainly entitled to commendation, though the poetry which is here printed, will probably not meet with many admirers. Of this volume 275 copies have only been printed; it will therefore probably reckon ere long among the R Rs. NOVELS. ART. 12. Ferdinand and Ordelia, a Ruffian Story, with authentic Anecdotes of the Ruffian Court, after the Demife of Peter the Great. To which is added, a Prefatry Address to the Satirift, upon Patrons and Dedicators, Reformers and Reformations. By Prifcilla Parlante. 2 Vols. 8vo. 16s. Tipper. 1810. To those who take delight, and there are many fuch readers, in the extremeft extravagance of romantic adventures, in hair. breadth fcapes, from the gloomy abyffes of caverns, inacceffible rocks, and the labyrinths of dreary and folitary caftles, these two volumes will be a famous Christmas garland. To us it seems a great pity, that powers of invention, which, under the controul of correcter judgement, might have produced a work both profitable and amusing, fhould have fo wafted their energies. We cannot but fay, that the anecdotes of the Ruffian Court, which form their prominence in the title page, promifed to be of no mean S s 2 intereft, intereft, in our progrefs through the volumes, fomewhat difappointed us. They may be authentic, but most of them occur in the various modern publications on the fubject of Ruffia. ART. 13. Edry and Elgiva, an Hiftorical Romance, of the Tenth Century. By John Agg, Author of Mac Dermot. 4 vols. izmo. 11. Chapple. 1810. We hope the author of Mac Dermot will not be displeased with us, for not recollecting him by that particular defignation, the prefent work nevertheless, whether it will increase or not his literary celebrity, indicates refpectable talents of the kind. We heartily with, however, that they were exercifed in fome other branch of literature, for in the clafs of hiftorical romances, numerous as they are, we recollect but few, that have any honourable claim to diftinction. ART. 14. The Lady of the Lake, Romance, in Two Volumes, founded on the Poem, jo called, by Walter Scott Efq. 12m0. 10s. Tegg. 1810. If this is not poaching, it is fomething very like it, we do not know whether Mr. Scott's manor is legally fecured from this fort of depredation, but as there are people who will purchase game, that are not entitled to kill it fairly, fo it is to be prefumed there are many who will accept of this fubftitute for the original. It is a new idea entirely, but may probably be followed and imitated. It occupies no confiderable time, nor does it require much power of mind. But we muft repeat our intimation that it is not entirely compatible with our ideas of ftrict honour and delicacy. POLITICS. ART., 15. Brief Obfervations on the Addrefs to His Majefty, propofed by Earl Grey in the House of Lords, 13th June, 1810. By William Rofcoe, Esq. 8vo. 44 pp. Cadell and Davies. 1810. The well-known fable of Antæus can never, in our opinion, be more juftly applied than to this author. On his proper ground, Italian literature and history, no writer is better able to afford information and delight, but when he emerges into the region of politics, in a moment his accustomed powers defert him; and we are entertained alternately with the arguments of a schoolboy and the ravings of a * Jacobin. It * By that name we must be permitted to call thofe who, after the conclufive reasonings of a Marsh, a Gentz, &c. &c. after the explicit avowal of Briffot himfelf (in his Addrefs to his Confti tuents) |