II. In climes beyond the folar road, Where flaggy forms o'er ice-built mountains ro im, To cheer the shivering natives dull abode. Of Chili's boundless forefts laid, She deigns to hear the favage youth repeat, In loose numbers wildly fweet Their feather-cinctured Chiefs, and dusky loves. Glory pursue, and generous fhame, Th' unconquerable Mind, and Freedom's holy flame. There is great fpirit in the irregularity of the numbers towards the conclufion of the foregoing stanza. * II. 3. Woods, that wave o'er Delphi's fleep; Ifles, that crown th' Egean deep, Fields, that cool Iliffus laves, How do your tuneful Echoes languish, Ev'ry fhade and hollow'd fountain, Till the fad Nine in Greece's evil hour They fought, oh Albion! next thy fea-encircled coaft. III, 2. Far from the fun and fummer-gale, In thy green lap was Nature's darling laid, To him the mighty mother did unveil Her awful face: The dauntless child Stretch'd forth his little arms, and smil'd. This pencil take, fhe faid, whofe colours clear, Thine too these golden keys, immortal boy! Of Horror that, and thrilling Fears, Or ope the facred fource of fympathetic tears. REV. Sep. 1757. R The The fecond Ode is founded on a tradition current in Wales, that Edward the first, when he compleated the conquest of that country, ordered all the Bards that fell into his hands to be put to death.' The Author feems to have taken the hint of this fubject from the fifteenth Ode of the first book of Horace. Our Poet introduces the only surviving Bard of that country in concert with the fpirits of his murdered brethren, as prophetically denouncing woes upon the Conqueror and his pofterity. The circumftances of grief and horror in which the Bard is reprefented, thofe of terror in the preparation of the votive web, and the mystic obfcurity with which the prophecies are delivered, will give as much pleasure to those who relish this species of compofition, as any thing that has hitherto appeared in our language, the Odes of Dryden himfelf not excepted. I. 2. On a rock, whofe haughty brow With haggard eyes the Poet flood; (Loose his beard and hoary hair Stream'd, like a metcor, to the troubled air) 6 Hark how each giant-oak, and defart cave, Sighs to the torrent's awful voice beneath! O'er thee, O King! their hundred arms they wave, Revenge on thee in hoarfer murmers breath; • Vocal no more, fince Cambria's fatal day, To high-born Hoel's harp, or loft Llewellyn's lay. 1. 3. • Cold is Cadwalio's tongue, ⚫ Brave Urien fleeps upon his craggy bed: Mountains, ye moorn in vain Modred, whole magic fong Made huge Plnlimmon bow his cloud-top'd head. Smear'd with gore, and ghaftly pale: Far, far aloof th' affrighted ravens fail; Dear, as the light that vifits these fad eyes, Dear, as the ruddy drops that warm my heart, Ye died amidst your dying country's cries No more I weep. They do not fleep. I fee them fit, they linger yet, .Avengers of their native land: * With me in dreadful harmony they join, And weave with bloody hands the tiffue of thy line. II. 1. "Weave the warp, and weave the woof, "The characters of hell to trace." When the prophetic incantation is finished, the Bard thus. nervously concludes. Enough for me: with joy I fee He spoke, and headlong from the mountain's height To the AUTHORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW. On the Death of M. de Fontenelle. (From Freron's Journal.) HE celebrated M. de Fontenelle has lately finished a long TH and illuftrious life. He was born at Rouen the 11th of February, 1657, and died at Paris the 9th of January, 1757. In order to form a proper judgment of his merit, it may not be amifs to confider him as the Genius of the French Academy, and as Secretary to the Academy of Sciences. In the former view, his bold dereliction of the antients, the abftractedness of his ideas, the fubtilty of his reflections, his too curious researches into the more invisible springs of the human heart, the embarrassment of his language, the epigrammatical turn of his phrafes, and, if the expreffion may be allowed, the refined policy of his ftile, did not procure him many admirers among people of true tafte. His Plurality of Words, his Dialogues of the Dead, his Letters from the Chevalier d' Her***, his Eclogues, his Comedies, are undoubtedly very ingenious performances, but they abound with an affectation, and a' falfe brilliance, that renders them disagreeable, especially to those who are converfant with the real beauties, and elegant fimplicity, fo ftriking, and so charming, in the principal works of the Greeks and Romans: can it then be wondered at, that Mr. de Fontenelle found himself exposed to the cenfure of Defpreaux, Racine, Rouffeau, and to the criticisms of Bruyere, Rollin, Desfon R 2 Desfontaines, &c. all zealous defenders of antiquity, and very competent judges? They all looked upon him as a dangerous innovator in points of learning and literary taste. What, indeed, has been the confequence with thofe Writers who have been tempted to imitate him? Inftead of following their own genius, which, perhaps, would have happily conducted them, they have endeavoured to tread in his steps, and they have thereby been mifled. As Secretary of the Academy of Sciences, M. de Fontenelle merits our utmoft refpects. He exercised this employment, during forty years, with the higheft and moft deferved reputation. His truly learned, truly useful Hiftory of that body, is univerfally acknowleged as a work of the firft rank. It is juftly admired for the regularity, precifion, and perfpicuity of the extracts; the neatness with which it is conceived, the clearness of the ftile, and the method whereby the moft abftracted fubjects are reconciled to the capacities of lefs intelligent Readers. What cannot enough be praised in M. de Fontenelle, is, his confiftency of character, decency of manners, and politeness of behaviour; his being always able to maintain the good opinion of the great world, his particular talent of rendering himfelf pleafing to the fair fex, the delicacy and gallantry of his wit, which readily furnished him with thofe agreeable nothings, thofe fmart repartees, thofe lively jefts, that are rarely observed to come from a ftudious man. The great Corneille, his uncle, had not these graces and accomplishments. The nephew rendered Letters equally amiable and refpectable. By his conduct he defeated the prejudices raised against learning by the ill behaviour of many Authors, who, both in their actions and their writings, feem to have regarded neither the public, nor themfelves, nor their profeffion. Both the esteem, and the long life, that M. de Fontenelle enjoyed, may be afcribed, at least in part, to his own wisdom. The paffions that delight, torment, difgrace, and abridge our existence, had no command over him. He neither fell a facrifice to the flames of love, the firebrands of hatred, the fnakes of envy, the dæmon of play, the ardour of study, nor the poison of melancholy. He was a practical Philofopher, a Sage, whofe tranquil foul was undisturbed by any violent fhocks. He had his fettled hours for fleep, for waking, for bufinefs, for nourishment, and for amufements. He had betimes traced, as it were, a circle, the degrees of which he regularly travelled through, without ever deviating. He feems to have formed to himlelf a particular fyftem, upon the general fystem of thofe globes that roll over our heads, and un der der our feet, and which, in their courfes, obferve a conftant and regular order. Perhaps it may be the defign of Nature, that all animal beings, which are but fo many little worlds, should regulate themselves upon the plan of the grand machine of the univerfe, which would very foon be deftroyed fhould it swerve from its eftablifhed laws. But whatever there may be in this opinion, it does not appear a very extraordinary thing, that with so much circumfpection and regularity, M. de Fontenelle, born alfo with a good, tho' not the most robuft, conftitution, should have lived to fee a COMPLEAT CENTURY. A Letter to the Right Honourable the Lord By. Being an Enquiry into the Merit of his Defence of Minorca. 8vo. Is. May. HE Author of this Letter opens his addrefs to the Lord B -y, with a profeffion, that he is not led to an enquiry into the merits of his Lordship's defence of Minorca, by any private difgufts; and then proceeds in the following words. I do not now, my Lord, condemn, or even accufe you: • All that I fuppofe at prefent, is, that it is poffible at least, that 6 your conduct may have been blameable. If that should have been the cafe, what must be the fentiments of those younger Officers who ferved under you; when after having feen you neglect thofe attentions which a good Governor ought to have, they come home and find you applauded by the whole • nation for your defence? < • Should they think these applauses juft, they must be confirmed in the moft dangerous mistakes; which in fome future fiege may have a very fatal influence on their own behaviour; and they may afterwards plead your bad conduct as a precedent, by which to justify their own neglect of their duty. If, on the other hand, they should be fenfible of your defects, and inwardly laugh at thofe public honours which they know you never merited; yet what a difcouragement is this to every noble arm to deferve well of the public by true bravery and right conduct; to fee those who have behaved ill, meet with a more general applaufe, and rewarded with greater honour, than those who have behaved well.' Having premised thefe general motives, he purfues the enquiry, which confifts of a number of charges. ft. That Lord B- -y was pleased to make the following declaration : |