here may contribute to the humour, I will not deter's mine; for my own part, I could with the fimplicity were preserved, without recurring to fuch obfolete antiquity for the manner of expreffing it.

MAC FLECKNOE.

The severity of this fatire, and the excellence of its verfification, give it a diftinguished rank in this fpecies of compofition. At prefent, an ordinary reader would fcarcely fuppofe that Shadwell, who is here meant by Mac Flecknoe, was worth being chastised; and that Dryden, defcending to fuch game, was like an eagle ftooping to catch flies.

The truth however is, Shadwell at one time held divided reputation with this great Poet. Every age produces its fashionable dunces, who, by following the tranfient topic or humour of the day, fupply talkative ignorance with materials for converfation.

ON POETRY. A RHAPSODY.

Here follows one of the beft verfified poems in our language, and the moft mafterly production of its author. The feverity with which Walpole is here treated was in confequence of that minifter's having refused to provide for Swift in England, when applied to for that purpose in the year 1725 (if I remember right). The feverity of a Poet, however, gave Walpole very little uneafinefs. A man whofe fchemes, like this minifter's, feldom extended beyond the exigency of the year, but little regarded the contempt of pofterity.

OF THE USE OF RICHES.

This poem, as Mr. Pope tells us himself, coft much attention and labour; and, from the easiness that appears in it, one would be apt to think as much.

FROM

FROM THE DISPENSARY. CANTO VÍ.

This fixth canto of the Dispensary, by Dr. Garth, has more merit than the whole preceding part of the poen, and, as I am told, in the first edition of this work it is more correct than as here exhibited; but that edition I have not been able to find. The praises beftowed on this poem are more than have been given to any other; but our approbation at prefent is cooler, for it owed part of its fame to party..

SELIM; OR THE SHEPHERDS MORAL.

The following eclogues, written by Mr. Collins, are very pretty: the images, it must be owned, are not very local; for the paftoral fubject could not well admit of it. The defcription of Afiatic magnificence and manners is a fubject as yet unattempted amongst us, and, I believe, capable of furnishing a great variety of poetical imagery.

THE SPLENDID SHILLING.

This is reckoned the best parody of Milton in our language it has been an hundred times imitated without fuccefs. The truth is, the first thing in this way muft preclude all future attempts, for nothing is fo eafy as to burlesque any man's manner, when we are once fhewed the way.

A PIPE OF TOBACCO:

IN IMITATION OF SIX SEVERAL AUTHORS.

Mr. Hawkins Browne, the author of these, as I am told, had no good original manner of his own, yet we fee how well he fucceeds when he turns an imitator; for the following are rather imitations, than ridiculous parodies.

A NIGHT

A NIGHT PIECE ON DEATH.

The great fault of this piece, written by Dr. Parnell, is, that it is in eight fyllable lines, very improper for the folemnity of the fubject; otherwife, the poem is natural, and the reflections juft.

A FAIRY TALE. BY. DR. PARNELL. Never was the old manner of speaking more happily applied, or a tale better told, than this.

PALEMON AND LAVINIA.

Mr. Thomson, though, in general, a verbose and affected poet, has told this itory with unusual fimplicity it is rather given here for being much efteemed by the public, than by the editor.

THE BASTARD.

Almost all things written from the heart, as this certainly was, have fome merit. The Poet here defcribes forrows and misfortunes which were by no means imaginary; and thus there runs a truth of thinking through this poem, without which it would be of little value, as Savage is, in other refpects, but an indifferent poet.

THE POET AND HIS PATRON.

Mr. More was a poet that never had juftice done him while living; there are few of the moderns have a more correct tafte, or a more pleasing manner of expreffing their thoughts. It was upon these fables he chiefly founded his reputation, yet they are by no means his best production.

AN EPISTLE TO A LADY.

This little poem, by Mr. Nugent, is very pleafing. The eafinefs of the poetry, and the juftice of the thoughts, conftitute its principal beauty.

HANS

HANS CARVEL.

This Bagatelle, for which, by the bye, Mr. Prior has got his greatest reputation, was a tale told in all the old Italian collections of jefts; and borrowed from thence by Fontaine. It had been tranflated once or twice before into English, yet was never regarded till it fell into the hands of Mr. Prior.

A ftrong inftance how much every thing is improved in the hands of a man of genius.

BAUCIS AND PHILEMON.

This poem is very fine; and, fine; and, though in the fame ftrain with the preceding, is yet fuperior.

TO THE EARL OF WARWICK;

ON THE DEATH OF MR. ADDISON.

This elegy (by Mr. Tickell) is one of the finest in our language there is fo little new that can be faid upon the death of a friend, after the complaints of Ovid, and the Latin Italians, in this way, that one is furprised to fee fo much novelty in this to ftrike us, and fo much intereft to affect.

COLIN AND LUCY. A BALLAD.

Through all Tickell's Works there is a strain of ballad-thinking, if I may fo exprefs it; and in this profeffed ballad, he feems to have furpaffed himself. It is, perhaps, the beft in our language in this way.

THE TEARS OF SCOTLAND.

This ode by Dr. Smollett does rather more honour to the author's feelings than his tafte. The mechanical part, with regard to numbers and language, is not fo perfect as fo thort a work as this requires; but the pathetic it contains, particularly in the laft stanza but one, is exquifitely fine. K

VOL. IV.

ON

ON THE DEATH

OF THE

LORD PROTECTOR.

Our poetry was not quite harmonized in Waller's time; fo that this, which would be now looked upon as a flovenly fort of verfification, was, with refpect to the times in which it was written, almost a prodigy of harmony. A modern reader will chiefly be ftrack with the ftrength of thinking, and the turn of the compliments bestowed upon the Ufurper. Every body has heard the answer our poet made Charles II; who afked him how his poem upon Cromwell came to be finer than his panegyric upon himself. Your majefty, replies Waller, knows, that poets always fucceed beft in fiction.

THE STORY OF PHOEBUS AND DAPHNE,

APPLIED.

The French claim this as belonging to them. Ta whomfoever it belongs the Thought is finely turned.

NIGHT THOUGHTS, BY DR. YOUNG.

These feem to be the beft of the collection; from whence only the two firft are taken. They are spoken of differently, either with exaggerated applaufe or contempt, as the reader's difpofition is either turned to mirth or melancholy.

SATIRE I.

Young's Satires were in higher reputation when published, than they ftand in at prefent. He feems fonder of dazzling than pleafing; of raifing our admiration for his wit, than our diflike of the follies he ridicules.

A PAS