2 So, were thy mild affections prov'd, In troublous times would folace grief. Fair, unaffected maid, can never fail to please. } This Idyllion is one of the prettieft, if not the prettiest poem in the collection. The whole, however, may be read with pleasure and advantage, though they contain nothing equal to what we expected from Mr. Richardfon: whofe genius will entitle him to rank with Parnel and Goldfmith, in the middle region of Parnaffus; without ever qualifying him to fit down on the fummit, with Dryden and Pope. W. ART. IV. Virtue in humble Life: Containing Reflections on the re- 12 S. R. Hanway is entitled to the acknowledgments of the public for the uncommon application with which he has endeavoured to render them fervice in a variety of refpects. The pamphlets, and larger works, which he has published, amount to a confiderable number; and it must afford him great fatisfaction to be able to fay, as he does in the introduction to the present performance, All the tracts which I have introduced into the world, my travels not excepted, have been defigned for purposes which I apprehended might be for the public welfare, or for the benefit of public charities, or to be given to the individual. Thefe offerings were made with a view to promote a sense of religion and morality, in which many of our fellow-fubjects feemed very deficient.' This work is founded on another, publifhed by Mr. H. in 1770, in three pocket volumes, viz. Advice from a Farmer to his Daughter: that performance is, here very confiderably enlarged, and the whole caft into the form of a dialogue on the probable supposition that in this form it might be more useful than in most others. • For our account of this work, fee Review, vol. xliii. p. 463. My Mr. Hanway appears to be aware, that his writings may, by fome readers, be deemed "too diffufe and prolix ;" and thus he answers the objection: It is the property of fancy, fays he, to enlarge, and the office of judgment to contract: but amidst such a diverfity of subjects calculated to entertain and inftruct, I found it difficult to fay lefs, and at the fame time familiarize my thoughts to my unlettered readers. As this book is branched out luxuriantly, and will probably be the clofe of my labours of this kind, I hope it will be generally ufeful, and ferve as a library to fuch, whofe reading is within a small compafs.-In every view, this book is the best legacy which I fhall be in a capacity of leaving, either to those who want, or to them that abound; and if they think it good they will feek it.' The following paragraph is intended as an answer to a farther objection to this publication; I am fenfible, obferves our Author, how fubject a work of this kind is to be treated as an ebullition of pious zeal; nor fhould I be furprized to hear it faid by a female acquaintance, perhaps in moit refpects highly valuable, "Lord! what good will you do, by taking so much pains to build this monstrous pile of piety?" My answer is, "Your ladyship will be beft able to determine this question, if you should condefcend to read what I have written; otherwife I can poffibly do you no good: your women fervants may perhaps become the better for it, and you may reap fome benefit from their virtues. If any one proves an example of piety, you' will fecretly blush and amend your ways. You will not be furprized that I should preach: I am defcending into the vale of years; you are going up the hill, to take a view of what I have often feen. Many a long day have I beheld the vanities of the world! Many of the faults of others are obvious to me;-and fo are fome of my own. Things wear a different aspect in your eyes:-If I now officioufly intrude on your gayer hours, I remind you that it is not always fpring nor fummer. You wish in due time to reach the winter of your days; and what do you imagine will then contribute moft to your comfort, and brighten your profpect beyond the grave?-You have my fincereft wishes that your hopes may always bloffom in the fulleft charms of vernal beauty, till in the great progrefs of human wisdom, your paffions being lulled to reft, your enjoyments may become pure as the limpid ftream, bright as the meridian fun, and calm as a fummer fea. Some degree of forrow is the lot of every mortal; but I trust that your profperity will never be impaired by the want of virtue, nor your adverfity be devoid of confolation. Ere long you must deliver up your material part to be the sport of elements; but as Nature, in her yearly courfe, reftores the REV. Aug. 1774. beauty H your beauty of the fairest flowers, though appearing irrevocably loft, frame being diffolved will again unite with your angelic spirit and may you now look up to heaven in fuch humble purity and elevation of heart, as will render you acceptable to the great Lord of all, without whose favour there can be no happinefs in either world." Although the worthy Writer feems to confider this work as not properly a fubject for criticism, we may venture to point out a mistake or two which we think we have observed in these dialogues, and which it may be proper to correct should the volumes reach a future edition. When the honest farmer relates to his daughter inftances of fome perfons who have yielded to death with great compofure, it was natural to insert among others the famous and well-known ftory of our countryman Sir Thomas More. Trueman is here made to fay of him, he was brought to the scaffold for adhering to his opinion in religion against the Pope;' whereas perfons who are not greatly verfed in hiftory may eafily be affured that Sir Thomas fuffered on account of his cleaving fo firmly to the Pope, whom, from the early bias and prejudice of his mind, he could not but confider as head of the church. In another place, when the religious establishment in our country is fpoken of, Trueman also tells his daughter, that the church of England never perfecuted;' now though we would fpeak refpectfully of our national church, and freely acknowledge the catholicism and humanity which we hope generally prevails among its members, yet we think the above too bold and hafty an affertion. ferent parties and churches, as they had opportunity, have dif covered too much tendency to a perfecuting spirit, and among other inftances which have fomewhat of this afpect, what fhall we fay to the treatment which Leighton, a Scotch divine, and father of the Archbishop of Glasgow of that name, received from the ftar-chamber under the direction of Archbishop Laud, for his writings against epifcopacy? It may be faid, perhaps, that this is to be regarded as an act of the ftate; yet fince the church has no power to perfecute but as it can engage the state in its caufe, this is jufly confidered as her act. Thorough high-church principles, as well as political religion, must always verge towards oppreffion and perfecution. We therefore apprehend the above expreffion is too precipitate, and, in fome measure, calculated to convey a false idea. Dif The dialogues contained in these two volumes turn upon a great variety of important fubjects, on which we find many ufeful reflections and admonitions, enlivened by a number of characters, ftories, fables, &c. adapted to intereft the Reader in the different topics offered to his confideration. Although it It is a kind of work which does not well admit of extracts, we fhall prefent our Readers with one fhort paffage, and two of the fables. The paffage we fhall infert is in the feventh converfation of the first volume, where the daughter converfes with her father about opinions in religion: it is as follows: D. How comes it, my father, that wife men puzzle their brains fo much about religious doctrines and opinions? I have heard that there are millions of books written on such subjects, and that some are on points which the authors themselves never comprehended. F. I cannot tell thee much about perfons whom thou calleft wife men; or, as I fuppofe thou meaneft, learned men; only that I think, thou art happier than those who take pains to perplex themselves. Do thou endeavour to please God in that which thou perceiveft to be right; and whenever thy confcience even whifpers thee that any thing is wrong; whenever there is My doubt, which affords a prefumption, that what thou art about to say, or do, will be difpleafing to God, forbear and avoid it.-I am under no anxiety on thy account, but that thy life be virtuous; the reft will follow: for whilft thou art good, thou never wilt be forfaken of God, or totally rejected by thy fellow-creatures: but if thou shouldft become wicked, even though the world fhould fmile on thee with all its blandifhments; though all things fhould wear a pleafing afpect, yet in the end, as furely as the wicked will be punished, thou wouldst be miferable.' One of the fables is against the unwarrantable purfuit of pleafure: Two bees went in queft of honey: one was an epicure, the other temperate; or we may call him a philofopher.-At length they found a wide-mouthed phial, hanging beneath the bough of a peach tree. It was enchanting to the eye and to the fmell, for it was filled with honey ready tempered. The epicure, in spite of the remonstrances of his friend, ventured in to indulge himself. The philofopher, fufpicious of the danger, flew off to fruits and flowers, where the moderation of his meals improved his relifh of the true enjoyment of them. In the evening, returning that way home to his hive, he found his friend furfeited with fweets, as unable to leave the honey as to feast on it; his wings were clogged; his feet enfeebled; his whole frame was enervated and unhinged; he was only able to bid his friend a laft farewell, lamenting that he was too late fenfible of the good advice which had been given him; acknowledging that unreftrained indulgence in falfe pleasure, is unavoidable deftruction." The other fable is The Farmer and the Lawyer: A farmer came to a neighbouring lawyer, expreffing great concern for 700 Strutt's Regal and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities of England. mer, to be fure. The latter part of the fecond volume is called a manual of devotion, confifling of prayers, extracts from scripture, pieces of poetry, &c. Some of the poetry is borrowed from the volume published by Mifs Aikin, now Mrs. Barbauld. H. ART. V. The Regal and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities of England: Containing, in a complete Series, the Representations of all the English Monarchs, from Edward the Confeffor to Henry the Eighth. Together with many of the great Perfons that were eminent, under their feveral Reigns. The Figures are principally introduced in ancient Delineations of the most remarkable Paffages of Hif tory; and are correctly copied from the Originals, which particularly exprefs the Drefs and Customs of the Time to which each Piece refpectively relates. The Whole carefully collected from ancient illuminated Manufcripts. By Jofeph Strutt. 4to. Four Numbers, 21. 2 s. fewed. Thane. 1773. A LTHOUGH this work is not wholly defigned for the connoiffeur in painting, it may, as the Author hopes, prove in fome measure useful to the artift, as well as pleafing, to the curious:-ufeful, because those that have occafion to represent scenes from the ancient English hiftory, may find the dress and character;—and pleafing to the curious, because they are the most likely to be the exact reprefentation of the customs and manners of our ancestors. Hitherto, continues Mr. Strutt, our artifts have been extremely deficient in their delineations of the early hiftory.-The Saxons are drawn in the habit of the figures on the Trajan and Antonine columns; and the Normans are put into the dreffes and armour worn in Edward the Fourth's time, and, indeed, are often made ftill more modern. It may be faid, perhaps, in their defence, that models, fufficiently authentic for their purpose, are very much wanted.Our monuments, and ftatues, are exceedingly difficult to ascer tain; |