"What notes in fwifteft cadence running,
Thro' many a maze of varied measure,
Mingled by the master's cunning,

Give th' alarm to feftive pleafure?
Cambria! 'twas thus thy harps of old,
Each gallant heart's recefs explor'd;
Announcing feats of chieftains bold,
To grace the hofpitable board.

"Mark how the foldier's eye

Looks proud defiance! How his heart beats high
With glorious expectation! What infpires-
What fans his martial fires?

What but the power of found?

The clamorous Drums his anxious ardour raife,
His blood flows quicker round;

At once he hears, he feels, enjoys, obeys".-Pp. 37, 38, 39. The next species of compofition is a poem in blank verse, in imitation of Milton, entitled, "The Preacher." He thus confoles the finner, appalled at the eternal justice :

"Look up; and fee

Incarnate Deity, the word, the life,
The word of life, the life of righteoufnefs,
The very confubftantial Son of God,
Become thy advocate, thy expiation,
Thy health, thy ftay, thy heritage for ever!
Oh! glorious tidings! Oh fupreme delight
To give thefe tidings to mankind!

To point redemption out! to pour the balm
Of peace and comfort on defpair! to lead
Repentant fenfe to faith; and faith to purity,
And purity to zeal, and zeal to virtue,

And virtue to the Chriftian's high pre-eminence,
His effence, his perfection-Charity !"—P. 69.

Since "justice has obliged the Critical Reviewers to fay, we have feldom, in the courfe of our labours, feen a more infipid publication" (VOL. XIX. P. 50,) than Mr. B.'s Poetical Works, we take the juft opportunity of obferving, that the term infipidity is the most inapplicable that any found critic could have adopted relative to the productions of the late refpectable Maiter of Merchant-Taylor's School. If they had accused him of want of melody, or chafte measure, in his poetry; if they had stated that he had used trifyllables or quadrifyllables, almost uniformly with impropriety, we should have found a difficulty in replying to the charge; but his works conftantly evince vigour of mind, a found judgement, a ftrength of thought and expreffion, point and epigram

matic fting The fubfequent poem on graceful Addrefs, will exemplify thefe obfervations to a judicious reader, who will find much nerve, though little rhythm, in the compofition; and this we extract as an inferior fpecimen of Mr. Bishop's abilities; for we cannot but condemn the lines where "Separate fymmetry, "---“ fucceffive," ---“ variety," a fecond "affectation," fictitious," plaufible, "---" mimicry,"---"elegance,"---" attitude,"--" propriety,"---" eloquent rectitude," ---" fimplicity, "---"civility,"---" humanity's," "fincerity's," -"fuperiority," --" benignant,”---“ dignity,"---" embarraffment," deftroy the foftly, fweet flowing numbers, that foothe and lull the mind, like Milton's Lydian measure; but energy and mind are emphatically manifefted in this fecondary production; for, in the language of Mr. Clare, his " negligence was, perhaps, occafioned by defign,"---" he thought nothing fo offenfive as monotony, and expreffion, rather than harmony, was his object.", Melody, we fhould have faid;" for harmony proceeds from a combination of founds, melody from a Gimple ftrain.--

"GRACEFUL ADDRESS.

"When firft o'er Eden's blissful shade
Mankind's forefather, guiltlefs, ftray'd,
His eye fublime, his tranquil face,
His noble port, his lordly pace,

(Tho' feparate fymmetry they difclos'd,)
One total majefty compos'd;

Where, true to joy's complacent tone,

His mind in every moment thone.

"Such once was man !-with innocence bleft!

Comelieft of beings-because beft!

Till from th' Almighty prefence chas'd,

Exil'd, abafh'd, difmay'd, debas'd,

He fell beneath his deadlieft foe;

Victim of wrath; and heir of woe!

"From that fad period, forms conftrain'd,
Contracted fentiments, feelings feign'd,
On mere capricious arts depend;
Diftorting, what they feek to mend.

"Pride firft, affum'd a ftatelier air,
Its ftep, a ftride;-its look, a ftare;
Its fmile, a favour ;-from its hand
A fignal, fate ;-its nod, command.
While grace transferr'd to grandeur's fphere,
Grew pompous, diftant, ftern, fevere.
"Next Affectation's reign appear'd;

On more extenfive bafis rear'd:
Savage and fimple, great and fmall,
Her ample range included all,

The

The fmirk, the tofs, the fhrug, the stalk,
Part flide, part fwim, part dance, part walk;
The limp, the lifp, the pert, the prim;
Fashions for laws, for axioms, whim;
Each their fucceffive changes rung ;
While fair and homely, old and young,
Courtier and ruftic, flirt and beau,
The high-bred, and, of course, the low,
Caught fome variety of grimace;
Conceit was ton; and ton was grace!
"Twere well, if affectation's power
Were only feen in folly's hour:
But fraud, alas! too often tries
Fictitious grace's fly difguife;
So delicate, fo well inclin'd,
So plaufible, fo polite, fa kind,
So foft, fo fmooth, fo friendly too,
So good, fo-every-thing-but

true!

Methinks, you'll tell me, here, I feem,

Entirely to reverse my theme;
And paint instead of real grace,
Mere mimicry, that ufurps it's place.
-I own the fact, but meant to draw
It's contraft, with the more eclat.→→
Grace is not fraud, conceit, or pride.-
What is it then ?-Who fhall decide?
Candour, perhaps, will not repine
T' accept th' attempt, from verfe like mine.
"Grace, whofe addrefs the wife applaud,
Difclaims all pride, conceit, or fraud.-
Tis elegance, which pervades the whole,
When look, voice, attitude, fpeak the foul-
'Tis that propriety, which reveals

In nature's mode, what nature feels -
'Tis fenfe, eftrang'd from cold neglect,
From coarse excefs, from rude defect
'Tis that decorum, thro' whose ease,
Truth can at once convince, and please :-
'Tis eloquent rectitude of intent,
Which makes fimplicity, ornament:
'Tis franknefs, whofe more cheerful vein,
Nor prompts a blush, nor gives a pain :-
Tis that civility, which affirms
Humanity's wish, in charity's terms:-
'Tis that attraction, which can throw
Sincerity's charms o'er virtue's glow :--
'Tis meek fuperiority; bright,
Without obfcuring humbler light-

'Tis fympathy, whofe benignant phrafe
Can comfort, where it cannot praise :-
'Tis dignity, fix'd on honour's poft,
Which neither gives, nor heeds a boast :--
'Tis wifdom, zealous, tho' ferene,
Gently impreffive, kindly keen :-
'Tis body, mind, deportment, ftyle,
Free from embarraffiment, as from guile :-
'Tis that, (at least, in fome degree,)

Which Man, firft form'd, was form'd to be!" Pp. 266-271.

The forte of Mr. Bishop is manifefted in his epigrams; and the claffic scholar and ftudent will receive great pleasure from the perufal of thefe his hafty productions. The fubfcquent extracts will exemplify the propriety of thefe obfervations:

"VIRES ACQUIRIT EUNDO.

"COTTA madens multo, fumma ufque ad guttura, Baccho,
Præcipiti properat titubando domum.

It tutus pergendo tamen, dum pergit eundo;
Sin curfu ambiguo definat ire, cadit.

"The fot, top-heavy with good liquor,
Runs right a-head, no lapwing quicker;
But woe betide him, if he ftops ;-

The moment he ftands ftill-he drops."-voL. I. F. 3255
"AD AMICUM

" HENRICUM STEBBING, D. D..
"EGER abis, tecumque dolemus abire lepores;
Inque tuo, patimur nos mala noftra, malo :
Ut revalefcamus, revalefce; medela faluti

Si qua tibi eft, fociis tu potes effe falus."-VOL. 1. P. 333.

66 QUERE PEREGRINUM.

"JOHN BULL, whene'er the magot bites,
Cropfick with cafe and quiet,

Raves about wrongs, roars about rights;
All rumpus, rage, and riot.

"But if a foreign foe intrudes,

John tells a different ftory;

Away with fears! away with feuds !

All's Union, Triumph, Glory!

"He fcorns Dons, Dutchmen, and Mounfeers,

And spite of their alliance,

With half the world about his ears,

Bids t'other half Defiance !"-VOL. 11. Pp. 184, 185

The loyalty and orthodoxy of Mr. Bishop have produced fuch cenfures and animadverfions from the Jacobin Reviews, who have reprefented fome of his poems as the "vehicle of Court adulation" (Monthly Review), yet cannot but allow him a "happy knack at epigrammatic compofition" (ibid., and to manifeft an "abundant vein of pleafantry." The Critical Review, after abufing his works, allows him "great ingenuity," yet wishes to deprive the world of his works, and to confine them to the fire-fide of his fubfcribers; for fuch patriotic effufions proceed from his pen, in his poem on the vocative cafe.

"O! yes! ye fubjects in a land like ours,

Enlarge your fentiments; but unite your powers!
Freedom with virtue, zeal with fenfe ally'd,

No force can conquer-let no arts divide!"-P. 256, 257.

ART. III. The Age of Reafon; being an Investigation of true and fabulous Theology. By Thomas Paine, Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Congrefs in the American War, and Author of the Works entitled "Common Senfe" and "Rights of Man," &c. Svo. Pp. 55. Price is. 6d. Eaton. London. 1794.

conformity to our adopted fyftem, we fhall occafionally

Reviewed, especially on fubjects of religion and politics. The publication of this malignant and blafphemous pamphlet furnifhed the Editors of three Reviews with an opportunity of manifefting their religious and moral tenets. The conductor of the Monthly obferve that "much of our Deifm has been attributed by rational Chriftians, (certainly they are of this defcription,) to the corruptions of Chriftianity; and they are firmly of opinion, that by abridging the fcriptures, or taking certain difputed paffages out of them, effential fervice would be done to the Chriftian religion. It is evident, from this pamphlet, that part of Mr. P.'s religious difguft arofe from his having been required to believe too much; and it is not improbable that, had this circumftance never exifted, he would now have been a Chriftian." (VOL. XIV. P. 394-) In other words, if he had not been required to believe any of the doctrines of Chriftianity, either the fall of Adam, the atonement of Chrift, &c. he would now have been a Chriftian. But this furmifed probability of theirs happens to be a false conjecture, for Thomas was not required to believe too much but too little;

for