clearly proves his opinion to be that the good is greatly overbalanced by the evil; and he labours hard to imprefs the fame fentiment on the minds of his readers. Of course, the present is the period at which, according to him, resistance is not only justifiable, but highly expedient! But the principle which he here lays down, however it may be calculated to answer his purpofe, and we admit that it is fo, in a very great degree, can lay no claim to originality; for it is nothing more nor less than the holy right of infurrection, fo pompously afferted, fome years ago, by that compound of vanity and ignorance, La Fayette, and fince fo fuccessfully afferted by the revolutionists of France!

The impudence, afcribed by the Reviewer to the Editor of the Beauties, is difplayed in fome anecdotes related of fome of his Jacobinical brethren, alluded to in the work, and having for their object, what ever conftitutes an unpardonable offence, in the eyes of the SECT, the establishment of TRUTH.

ART. III. The Libertines: A Novel. 2 Vols. Price 175. Robinsons, London. 1798.

THE The enormities committed by Popish religionists, HE profeffed object of these volumes is to expofe the vices and especially those connected with the Inquifition.

The author appears to have devoted a great part of his time and attention to the perufal of the private lives of male and female refidents in convents, and to the official proceedings of the Inquifition.

Thefe numerous and various accounts he has joined together in this work; but whether it be that there is too great a multiplicity of perplexed and confufed tales, that the author does not poffefs skill to arrange his materials in such a way as to make them easily understood, that we are not competent to the task of unravelling intricacies, and comprehending varieties, or that we have not beftowed fufficient labour on this performance, we confefs ourselves unequal to the task of giving an analysis of the fables. The general scope, however, we could very eafily perceive to be, that the debaucheries, adultery, rapes, and inceft; the thefts, houfe-breakings, robberies, and murders; the frauds, perjuries, and forgeries; in fhort, every crime committed in Spain and Portugal, arose from priefts, monks, nuns, and inquifitors. From the beginning to the end, as far as we could fee, not a single act of wickedness is committed, without, "as Scrub phrases it,"

a prieft

á priest being at the bottom of it. The author, in his eagernefs to defcribe thefe perfons as fupremely depraved, profligate, and abandoned to every principle of religion and morality, afcribes to them greater efficacy than even their most bigotted votaries conceive them to poffefs. They are almoft omniscient and omniprefent, at least, they move with fuch velocity as we have not read of fince our juvenile days, when we devoured, with the most earnest avidity, the histories of their Ogres and their boots, that carried them seven leagues at one ftride, and are as early in all their intelligence as if there were troops of fairies to inform them inftantaneously what is going on in the most distant quarters. A celerity of motion and perception we once most implicitly admired, when read in Mother. Goofe's Tales. We are far from thinking monasteries and convents friendly to religion and morality, or inquifitions juft and merciful tribunals, but we think the writer must have exaggerated the enormity even of the intentions or wishes of the perfons whom he holds up to reprobation, much more their actual profligacy, because no one could have actually committed fuch a variety and multiplicity of crimes. This mode of representing men as either angels or devils is a great deal easier than the exhibition of mixed characters. It requires no nice obfervation of the fhades of virtue and vice, no accuracy of difcernment, no fagacity of penetration.

Some may, perhaps, think, that the intention of this extravagant description is, through the fides of bad profeffors, to wound religion herself. We do not conceive this to be the author's object, he appears to write from a fancy that delights in horror on the one hand, and is not averse from lafcivious pictures on the other. The pleasure of the painting seems to be his chief object. For the fake of horror we have all the ufual machinery of fubterraneous caverns, vaulted receffes, old caftles, tremendous towers, difmal forefts, frightful vifions, coffins, fkeletons, racks, fcreams, &c. &c. &c. For the pleasurable part we have a particularity of detail that fuperfedes the neceffity of much exercise to the fancy.

In fpeaking of this work, the Critical Reviewers confider it as a laudable design to expose

"Those monftrous alliances of tyranny and fuperftition, which have nearly reached the close of the eighteenth century, without being formally abolished. From fome incidents related in thofe accounts, a fable has been conftructed, which strongly interests the mind, and has a powerful tendency to promote an attachment to the milder fystem of ecclefiaftic difcipline, which has diftinguished our church fince the Reformation.”

We by no means agree with the Reviewers, that a fable has been conftructed which interefts the mind. We cannot perceive, indeed, that any fable has been conftructed; we think the work a jumble of extravagant ftories. If the ecclefiaftic fyftem of our country have no better argument to fupport it than those recommended by the Critical Reviewers, its ftate would be much nearer the probable accomplishment of wishes which they and their friends have fo long and often manifefted.

:

The author is apprehensive that an analogy may be difcovered, in different scenes and paffages, to the romance of the Monk the Critical Reviewers acquit his performance of fuch a likeness; but, fay they, in point of entertainment, this novel is equal, while it is far fuperior, in moral tendency, to that popular work. What the notions of the Critical Reviewers are, refpecting moral tendency, we cannot determine. The morality of this work, confifting chiefly of meetings between Inquifitors and fair ladies, Friars and Nuns, we have not been able to discover! Our opinion is, that the moral tendency of both is the fame; but that, extravagant as the "Monk" is, it is beyond the "Libertines" in point of amufement.

ART. IV. Romances. By J. D'Ifraeli. 8vo. Price 6s. Cadell and Davies. 1799.

WE

E have, in a former Number, given our opinion concerning the abilities and literature of this writer; and though we cenfured fome particular parts and doctrines of his Vaurien, we approved of it in general as a meritorious work. In his former production, moral and political fatire were the moft diftinguishing features; in the prefent, the pathetic chiefly predominates.

Three romances are prefented to us in this volume. The most interesting is the firft, entitled "Mejnoun and Leila.”— Mejnoun and Leila are in love with each other to distraction. Leila is, by her father, compelled to marry a man of the highest merit, but whom fhe cannot regard with any affection. Her diftrefs is increased by her conviction of the excellence of her husband's character. Mr. D'I. very happily imitates the

This is by no means a new fituation. Altamont, the husband of Califta, in The Fair Penitent-the hufband of Julia de Roubigné and Manzethus, are of the fame kind.

flowery

flowery redundant style, and the figurative language, of Eastern nations.

As a fpecimen of the work we shall select a part of a letter from Leila to Mejnoun, after her marriage to Ebuselan :

"And thou liveft! thou liveft, Mejnoun! and thy Leila can never be thine! But think not she is another's! Behold me married, yet a widowed virgin! Respect this myfterious avowal. Should the rival be parched with the thirst that confumes him, he shall not taste of the fountain whofe pure waters never ran but for thee. The bril liant pearl is ftill in its fhell, and it is guarded by my life. But thy rival is gentle ah! it is this which afflicts me. Oh! that he were but a tyrant, that I might complain! Oh that I could hate! Yes, Ebufelan is worthy of thy affection. With him I fhould be grateful; but my heart, lacerated from thine, has loft one of its virtues, and it can scarcely feel gratitude for him to whom I owe every thing in life; every thing but thyfelf.

"How often I difmifs my maidens to fit alone; and, as the evening steals over the dulky air, picture thee in the forms that play among the clouds. Then, loft in thought, I feem to view the defert thou treadeft, the grey fands, the brown rocks; and as a fhadow runs along, variable and quick, that shadow to mine eyes is thy reftlefs form. I gaze on fome vast mountain; I fee thee on its point; then the mountain melts into a vapour, and thou art for ever snatched from mine eyes! Oh, then I weep and weep! Then I feel every thorn that rankles in thy hermit feet. I fhrink in every blast that parches thy folitary form. Often as thy tears fall on thy face, be affured mine too is covered with tears. How often do I change the neckerchief, wet with weeping! How often do I refufe my meat when I think thou art without aliment!

"It will not avail to tell thee how I became the wife of another! An unjust father reproached me; a heart-broken, mother fat befide me; an amiable youth prayed to me. I had no friend! A recital, Mejnoun! Ebufelan became my husband!-My father and my mother live! Doft thou curse an affectionate daughter? Believe me, I fought to die; but nature was more powerful than I; and thou knoweft how my heart is tender. Canft thou blame a tenderness that makes me adore thee? I feel for thee, I felt for them! Most miserable of my fex!-alike the victim of obedience or disobedience!"

The Critical Reviewers, in their remarks upon thefe Romances, exhibit a very striking proof of the brilliancy of their wit, and the delicacy of their tafte and fentiments. Lycidas, a fhepherd, being in love with Amaryllis, describes the power of paffion and virtuous fentiment in heightening the pleasures of mere sense. "Souls of chastity!" fays he, "when ye meet ye know yourselves worthy of each other; your first embrace is the prelude of eternal confidence, and your voluptuoufness is in proportion to your virtue!"" It is rather extraordinary,"

03

traordinary," fays the Reviewer, "that Lycidas did not learn this leffon from one of his OLD GOATS!" This is the first time we have heard that goats are teachers of the energy of virtue; or the best formers of fouls of chastity. We agree, however, with the Reviewer in thinking, that the adventure of the two fwans might have been as well omitted.

We are forry to obferve that Mr. D'Ifraeli has charged the writer of the article Romance, in the Scotch Encyclopædia, with having borrowed his account of that kind of writing. On comparing the accounts we find that there is no foundation for the accufation. Mr. D'Ifraeli's obfervations are lively and ingenious; thofe of the other writer judicious and profound. The fact evidently is, the Scotch writer is not indebted to Mr. D'Ifraeli. Allowing the latter gentleman full credit for his abilities, perfectly comprehending their nature and extent, we must say, he greatly over-rates them, if he think that the critic in queftion, a gentleman of most refpectable literary talents, could be under the smallest neceffity of borrowing from his article.

We here cannot refrain from remarking, that we have frequently heard charges of this kind made by lively foreigners, with great volubility, against our countrymen; charges prima facie improbable, it being by no means likely that profound learning and reafoning fhould have to copy from fuperficial ingenuity. In cafes in which fuch allegations have been made with a certain degree of truth, the works said to be copied, when minutely inveftigated, tend merely to fhew the fuperiority of British genius over the afferted models of its imitation.*

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR.

HE terms in which the Monthly Reviewers, in their publication for June laft, have expreffed themselves, on certain parts of the conduct of Mr. Burke, in their critique of Dr. M'Cormick's Memoirs of his Life, have drawn me into a feries of reflections, which I will lay before you. The man and his book will not Occupy me a moment. Two leading falfehoods, formerly advanced

*The reader will readily conjecture we allude to the play of Pizarro, in which we will not hesitate to say, that, whatever conftitutes its excellence is to be found in no German play, as we fhall evince to our readers, by a detailed criticifm in our next Number. The body may be German, but the foul is British.

respecting