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warn us against confidering any of the productions of the earth as ufelefs. One more example and we have done, fo fing poetic trains" p. 25. We know that the common expreffion of fa fays the ftory may be alledged in juftification, but in correct writing trains do not fing, but are fung. We had almoft forgot to hold forth to public notice a curious non-defcript of the author's own creation; it is truly a curiofity, and will no doubt draw the attention of all the naturalifts in Europe. Poets we know are ex officio, Creators, but to make a fmiling lion was beyond the daring of all Mr. Hs's predeceffors. It was referved for him to produce this phænomenon of the woods, and he cannot be accused of having done it incompletely.

"The fierce tyrant of the fecret woods

Drops his fiercenefs, fmooths his brinded main, And couching harmlefs at his guardian's feet,

With afpect bland, and many a foftened fmile, p. 17, 18.
Marks the ftrong feelings of a mindful heart."

We have feen lions of all colours, golden, red, blue, &c. the productions of that anomalous race the fign-poft painters, and we are now in hopes of one day refreshing ourselves with a cup of good ale at the fign of the Smiling Lion.

ART. VI. The Governess; or the Boarding School, diffected. A Dramatic original in Three Acts. Wherein are expofed in Dramatic Order the Errors in the prefent Mode of Female Education; and a Method of correcting them in order to form the Mind, and.Improve the Understanding, London, printed for the Author; and fold by Appointment at the Female Academy, No. 103, Hatton-Street, and to be had of the Bookfellers, 8vo. 2s. 6d, 1785

THE author ftumbles in the very threshold. Instead of ex

Treffing with perfpicuity the idea he intended to convey

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to his readers in his title page, he leads them to imagine that it is his intention to ridicule what he really purposes to recommend. He tells us that in his work "the errors in the prefent mode of female education are exposed;" fo far all is well, but when he goes on to fay and a method of correting them, in order to form the mind and improve the understanding," likewife "expofed," we can only fay that the author has expofed himself. Paffing from the title-page, we turned to the first fentence of this dramatic original," where the governefs fays, "Indeed Mr. Addifon your fimilitude of education in the human

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* foul, to a block of marble in the hands of an artift, difplays
"at one view, the valuable effects and neceffity of educa-
"tion." Indeed Madam, Addison never wrote fuch no
fenfe. He, it is true, has compared the human mind, formed
by education, to a block of marble in the hands of an artist;
the fimilitude of education to that fame block was left for you,
We next meet with the following paffage in Mr, Ti-
mothy Lenitive, the apothecary's billet-doux to Mifs
Wifely," your merit, improved by your numerous good
"qualities, have reduced me to the pleafing neceffity to
"confefs, &c." We had hitherto imagined that good qua-
lities in a perfon constituted merit, our Author has dif
covered that they are very different things.
At the conclu.
fion of act the firit, we meet with the following cour
plet.

"Dancing and drefs may aid the body's form,
"But folid learning does the foul adorn."

From the fubject, and the numerous grammatical flips we have met with, we are led to believe that "The Governefs' is the production of a Boarding-School Teacher.

But we will not part with our Author or Authorefs in bad humour; the work fuch as it is, is well-intended, and may be of use.

ART. VIII. A Dialogue between Dr. Johnson and Dr. Goldsmith, in the Shades, relative to the former's Strictures on the English Poets, particularly Pope, Milton, and Gray, 4to, 1s. 6d, Debrett, 1785.

DR

R. JOHNSON is heartily fchooled in this perform-
ance by his old acquaintance Goldfmith, for his cri-
ficifins on the works of the three poets mentioned in, the
title-page; and fo totally is the Doctor's rugged tenacity of
character done away by the pure air of Elyfium, that he
kiffes the rod with all the mildnefs of a true penitent. He
does not indeed altogether give up the point, but he confefles
that many of his animadverfions might be dictated by envy,
and acknowledges that Goldfmith may be partly in the right,
"And what you fay, in part I know is true."
The Author of the dialogue is a moft ferocious combatant
for the pre-eminence of English poetry, and maintains that
it may perform "Things unattempted yet in rhyme",
Speaking of Pope, he fays,

Morality from thee has learn'd to fing
"So clear, fo rich, fo fweet, fo bold of wing,
"That mathematics yet in verfe may glide,
And fluxions flow upon the mufe's tide".
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He must be a very Katterfelto in verfe, who produces this wonderful wonder. As a fpecimen of the work we fhall present our readers with the Author's idea of Pope's verfifica

tion.

In his dear verfe the fofteft accents die,
In his dear verfe the thirsty jav'lins fly.

The fair ANDROMACHE there ceafelefs moans,
There rife triumphant fhouts, and dying groans.
Now like Vefuvius flames the rage of war,
And shock repelling fhock is felt afar;
Now on the wing th' impatient courfers fly,
While fwords of flame are brandish'd to the fky;
O'er all the man a nobler fury burns,

And foot and cavalry difcharge by turns;

What does the Author mean by discharge here? He muft know that there was neither piftol, carabine nor mufket, in the Grecian or Trojan army, and confequently that there could be no discharge but of a very powerful kind indeed. Had the measure permitted, would not charge have been fully as proper? We cannot enough commend the admirable man ner in which he makes his army perform their evolutions "Now to the right, now to the left they ftrain, "Now to the left, now to the right again".

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Yet we have our fufpicions that he has ftolen his art of manoeuvring from the well-known song

Hey! we go up, up, up,

Hey! we go down, down, downy,
Hey! we go backwards and forwards,

And hey! we go round, round, roundy.

"Who freed our founds, moft magically fweet,

"From rhyme, the Chinese fhoes of flowing feet". What a fad thing it is to get head and ears into incongruous metaphor. Here Chinese fhoes and flowing feet are fo clofely united, that they fuggeft very unfavory ideas.

From our remark on this Author's "difcharge", it will be perceived that he does not always underftand the meaning of the word he employs. The two following inftances will confirm this.

"For fhade is friendly to the feafted eye,

"As clouds betimes adorn the richest fky".

"His faults no refuge found, dear friend, with you,
"But ftill humanity may have a few ;

"And faults betimes will neceffary prove".

Here betimes is unaccountably fubftituted for fometimes. To give our poet all the confolation we can, fome imagination is difcoverable in the Dialogue; if he is a young man, he may hereafter produce fomething fuperior to the

pre

prefent performance. But we must confefs, that our hopes of this are not very fanguine if he is much beyond his

teens.

ART. IX. Travels into Poland, Ruffia, Sweden and Denmark. Interfperfed with hiftorical Relations and political inquiries. Illuftrated with Charts and Engravings. By William Coxe, A. M. F. R. S. Fellow of King's College, Cambridge; and Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough. 2 vols. 4to. 21. 28. · boards. Cadell. London. 1784.

[Continued from December Review.]

MR. Coxe having entered into the confines of Ruffia, de fcribes the limits and gives an account of the province, that was difmembered from Poland. Its population amounts to about 1,600,000 fouls. Its productions are chiefly grain in large quantities, hemp, flax, and pafture. Its forefts furnish great abundance of mafts, planks, pitch, tar, and oak for fhip-building. On his journey to Smolensko our traveller found a great luxury in clean ftraw for his bed. At that town he dined with a judge, who lived in a wooden houfe provided by the court.

The rooms were small, but neatly furnished. The company con. fifted of that gentleman, his wife and fifter, all of whom talked French: the ladies were dreffed in the French fashion, and had on a good deal of rouge: they do not curtfy; but their mode of falute is to bow their heads very low. Before dinner liqueurs were handed about; the ladies each took a small glafs, and recommended the fame to us as favourable to digeftion. The table was neatly fet out, the dinner excellent, and ferved up in English creamcoloured ware: befide plain roaft and boiled meats, feveral Ruffian difhes were introduced; one of thefe was a kind of fallad compofed of mushrooms and onions; and another the grain of green corn, baked and moiftened with fweet oil. Before we rofe from table our hoft called for a large glafs; he filled a bumper of champagne, drank it off to our health, and then handed the glass round. This is an old cuftom,' faid the judge, and was meant as an expreffion of re gard; the age is now grown delicate, and the free effufions of hof pitality must be fuppreffed in ceremony; but I am an old-fashioned man, and cannot eafily relinquish the habits of my youth.' After dinner we adjourned to another room, and played two or three rubhers at whift. Coffee and tea were brought in, and a plate of fweetmeats was handed round to the. company.'

Purfuing his journey to Mofcow, Mr. Coxe had an opportunity of obferving the drefs, cottages, and food of the Ruffian Peasants. Their drefs and habitations are fimple, but their food both hearty and palatable.-Mofcow, which is minutely defcribed, notwithstanding the removal of the

feat

feat of empire to Peterfburgh, is ftill the most populous city of the Ruffian empire. Here the chief nobles who do not belong to the court of the emprefs refide. They here fupport a larger number of retainers: they love to gratify their tafte for a ruder and more expenfive magnificence in the antient ftile of feudal grandeur, and are not, as at Peteriburgh, eclipfed by the fuperior fplendor of the court.

The following is an account of Ruffian hospitality.

We could never pay a morning vifit to any nobleman without being detained to dinner; we alfo conftantly received feveral general invitations; but as we confidered them in the light of mere compliments, we were unwilling to intrude ourselves without further notice. We foon found, however, that the principal perfons of diftinction kept open tables, and were highly obliged at our reforting to them without ceremony, Prince Volkonski in particular, having cafually discovered that we had dined the preceding day at our ina, politely upraided us; repeating his affurances, that his table was ours, and that whenever we were not particularly engaged, he fhould always expect us for his guests, Indeed the ftrongest expreffions can fcarcely do juftice to the attention and kindness of this excellent nobleman: not content with admitting us to his table without form, he was anxious that out curio fity fhould be gratified with the fight of every remarkable object at Moscow; he ordered his aid-de-camp to accompany us to different parts of the city; and as we were extremely defirous to become acquainted with Mr. Muller, the celebrated hiftorian of this country, he one day invited that refpectable old gentleman to meet us at dinner.'

On the 10th of September, being the anniversary of St. Alexander Newfki, after attending divine fervice, about ninety perfons fat down at prince Volkonski's table.

'The entertainment was fplendid and profufe. During the fecond courfe, a large glafs with a cover was brought tỏ prince Volkoníki, who, franding up, delivered the cover to the archbishop, who fat next him, filled the glafs with cham pagne, and drank the emprefs's health, which was accompanicl with a discharge of cannon, The archbishop followed his example, and the glafs was in like manger circulated round the table, The healths of the great-duke, of the great-duchefs, and of their fon prince Alexander were then fucceffively toafted with the fame ceremo nies; after which count Panin arofe, and drinking a return of thanks to prince Volkonski as mafter of the feaft, was joined by the whole company. When each toast was named by the prince, all the perfons at table got up out of refpect, and remained standing while he drank, The reader will excufe the mention of thefe particulars on this and other occafions; as they may be deemed not unworthy of notice, because they are fometimes characteristics of national manners.

Mr. Coxe, by the obliging attentions, and the communi cations of Mr. Muller, has been enabled to give an historical account of the connection between the courts of London and Moscow of the correfpondence between Queen Elizabeth

and

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