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IT is of little consequence to the reputation of the late Rev. John Wesley, whether his life be transmitted to posterity on paper, or permitted to enjoy existence without the aid of any biographer. His name is in no danger of being consigned to oblivion, and his character has nothing to fear from the hostilities of calumny, or to hope from the partialities of friendship. From the former it can receive no injury, and the latter render it no service.

Thirty-three years have now elapsed since the death of this extraordinary man, and although many publications have appeared during the interim, professing to furnish an account of his life, and a delineation of his character, not one among them has given general satisfaction. Of these works, Mr. Moore, in his preface, has taken particular notice; and in a rapid manner, he has sketched their character, animadverted on their defects, and examined the motives of their respective authors. Itis natural to suppose, that he has found something either defective or erroneous in all, since the result of his inquiry is, the appearance of the volume before us, and the promise of another, that, in due time, shall be presented to the public.

Among the early biographers of Mr. Wesley, the author of the present volume appeared in partnership with the late Rev. Doctor Coke; but their work, it seems, was rendered incomplete, through their inability to obtain those papers, which were necessary to render the undertaking successful. Since that time, some of the above papers have fallen into the author's hands, and from these, in connexion with No. 70.-VOL. VI.

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other materials that formerly were not within his power, he has compiled the present volume, and intends to form that which is to succeed it. It appears, however, that "many valuable documents, which would have made this life more complete," are still placed beyond the author's reach, and as they seem to be of importance, many may be led to infer, that should life of Mr. Wesley may again be deemthey hereafter come to hand, a new ed necessary, and may be actually supplied.

At the Methodist Conference, held

at Liverpool, in 1821, Dr. Adam Clarks was publicly requested, by that body of Christian ministers, to become the biographer of Mr. Wesley, with which request it was uniformly understood he finally complied. To accomplish this, he proceeded immediately to collect materials; and such of the preachers, as possessed the means, were requested to render him all the assistance in their power. While Dr. Clarke was thus employed in collecting and arranging his materials, "a number of documents," he observes, "relative to the Wesley family, presented themselves to view; and as some hinderances were unexpectedly found to exist, which prevented the writer from proceeding with the life of Mr. John Wesley, and that of his brother Charles, the companion of his early labours, he was induced to turn his attention to the few remaining memorials of the Wesley family, principally in his own possession, which time was every moment rendering less and less perfectly legible."

In the year 1823, this volume, containing "Memorials of the Wesley Family," made its appearance, and until the time that it issued from the press, public expectation fully anticipated, that it would be speedily followed by another. But when it was announced, that “ some hinderances were unexpectedly found to exist, which prevented the writer from proceeding with the Life of John and Charles Wesley," hope gave place to disappointment, and the information was received by multitudes with evident dissatisfaction. What the "hinderances" &c. were, to which Dr. Clarke alludes, from what quarter they arose, and whether they are temporary or permanent, we have no means of knowing; and, consequently, whe

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ther his work will ever be completed, time only can determine. The original biography of the Wesleys, by Dr. Coke and Mr. Moore, and that by Dr. Whitehead, appeared shortly after Mr. John Wesley's death, as rival candidates for public patronage. By the friends of Methodism, this was surveyed with much regret; and we shall be sorry, after a lapse of thirty years, that any circumstances should exist, to revive the unpleasant recollection. From the solicitude with which the various sources of information have been explored by the numerous biographers of Mr. Wesley, it is not to be expected, that much new matter can be presented to the public; whether his life be written by Dr. Clarke, or Mr. Henry Moore. They may give new arrangement to the materials, rectify mistakes, correct some errors into which other writers have fallen, make a comparative estimate between the value of their respective works, and introduce additional letters or other documents, to confirm or to correct what has already been published, but the great mass of information has been long before the world. An able gleaner is, however, a valuable labourer in the field of literature, and in this character Mr. Moore has been industrious; while in that of a reaper, he has employed his sickle with diligence and

success.

To such as delight to look back on the early days of Methodism, to survey the infant in its cradle, and trace its progress from childhood to comparative maturity, this work will be found particularly interesting. In many parts it has a controversial aspect, from recording the conflicts of former years, without partaking of their spirit. To numerous expressions that occur in these debates, Mr. Moore has appended notes, which will be found serviceable to guard the reader against misinterpretation.

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formly devoted to the service of God,
and distinguished for its piety and ex-
tensive usefulness.
That he was
placed beyond the reach of error, and
that all his early opinions and views
were infallibly right, Mr. Moore does
not assert. He has, however, made
no concessions in behalf of his depart-
ed friend, well knowing that the least
acknowledgment would be readily
seized by the enemies of righteous-
ness, to wound his reputation, through
the admissions he might make.

It is well known to the public, that few men, now living, were better acquainted with John and Charles Wesley, than Mr. Moore, and this circumstance will not be forgotten in their anticipations of his work. On this account it will be read with avidity by multitudes, who, unless their expectations be too sanguine, will not peruse the volume for information, and then complain of disappointment.

1824.

REVIEW.-The Modern Traveller,—
Palestine.-Parts I. and II. 18mo.
pp. 372. London. Duncan.
THESE parts of the Modern Traveller,
a work to be continued monthly,
ought to have been noticed some time
since; but the want of opportunity to
examine them with that care which
their importance merits, must be our
apology for past omission. We have,
however, lately perused them with
much attention; and we may justly
add, with no small degree of satisfac-
tion. The compiler has had recourse
to the more voluminous and celebrat-
ed works of the present day, from
which he has extracted a mass of va-
luable matter, without incorporating
what may be deemed foreign and un-
important.

To the inhabitants of a country in which Christianity is established, and where its beneficial effects have been witnessed for ages, no portion of the From a work of this kind, no quota-globe can be so interesting as Palestions can be advantageously taken, as tine, to which these parts of the no selection will furnish any thing like "Modern Traveller" refer. In fola fair specimen, either of its contents lowing the author, we are introduced or execution. The author has set Mr. to events and places, which, from our Wesley's character in an amiable previously reading the sacred writings, light, and omitted no opportunity of have been long familiar to us; and defending it against the insinuations we seem to tread the sacred ground and attacks of assailants, and the mis-on which the Saviour's footsteps were representations of his problematical friends. Throughout the whole, we survey the life of Mr. Wesley uni

once imprinted, and to gaze on halfdecayed monuments of antiquity, which the occasion of their erection,

and the lapse of time, have conspired to render venerable.

"At the time of the Christian era, Palestine was divided into five provinces; Judea, Sa

In travelling through this once hal-maria, Galilee, Perea, and Idumea. On the

lowed country, now" trodden down of the Gentiles," the compiler does not detain us to listen to his dissertations. He leads us on from place to place, from fact to fact, from incident to incident, with rapid movements, and producing his authorities, leaves us to indulge in our own reflections. By looking back on departed ages, when Palestine flourished in all its glory, and thence taking a survey of what the spectator now beholds, the mind is filled with melancholy ideas. The mutability of worldly power and grandeur, appears without a covering, and earthly greatness dwindles into insignificance.

In tracing the historical revolutions of this country, the author proceeds with pleasing rapidity, touching on the events themselves, and the sources whence they arise; and in the course of a few paragraphs, we behold ages gleaming and disappearing in unvaried succession, and but a few steps appear to stand between the reign of David and the dominion of the Turks. We give the following as a specimen: "The vast resources of the country, and the power of the Jewish monarch, may be estimated, not only by the consideration in which he was held by the contemporary sovereigns of Egypt, Tyre, and Assyria, but by the strength of the several kingdoms into which the dominions of David were subsequently divided. Damascus revolted during the reign of Solomon, and shook off the Jewish yoke. At his death, ten of the tribes revolted under Jeroboam, and the country became divided into the two rival kingdoms of Judah and Israel, having for their capitals Jerusalem and Samaria. The kingdom of Israel fell before the Assyrian conqueror, in the year B. C. 721,

after it had subsisted about two hundred and fifty years. That of Judah survived about one hundred and thirty years, Judea being finally subdued and laid waste by Nebuchadnezzar, and the temple burned, B.C. 588. Idumea was conquered a few years after. From this period till the era of Alexander the Great, Palestine remained subject to the Chaldean, Median, and Persian dynasties. At his death, Judea fell under the dominion of the kings of Syria, and, with some short and troubled intervals, remained subject either to the kings of Syria or of Egypt, till John Hyrcanus shook off the Syrian yoke, and assumed the diadem, B. C. 130. The Asmonean dynasty, which united in the person of the monarch, the functions of king and pontiff, though tributary to Roman conquerors, lasted one hundred and twenty-six years, till the kingdom was given by Anthony to Herod the Great, of an Idumean family, B.C. 39.

death of Herod, Archelaus, his eldest son, succeeded to the government of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, with the title of tetrarch; Galilee being assigned to Herod Antipas, and Perea, or the country beyond Jordan, to the third brother, Philip. But in less than ten years, the dominions of Archelaus became annexed, on his disgrace, to the Roman province of Syria, and Judea was thenceforth governed by Roman procurators. Jerusalem, after its final destruction by Titus, A.D. 71, remained desolate and almost uninhabited, till the emperor Hadrian colonized it, and erected temples to Jupiter and Venus on its site. The empress Helena, in the fourth century, set the example of repairing in pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to visit the scenes consecrated by the riched by the crowds of devotees who flocked Gospel narrative, and the country became en there. In the beginning of the seventh century, it was overrun by the Saracens, who held it till Jerusalem was taken by the Crusaders in the twelfth. The Latin kingdom of Jerusalem continued for about eighty years, during which the Holy Land streamed continually with Christian and Saracen blood. In 1187, Judea was conquered by the illustrious Saladin, on the decline of whose kingdom, it passed through various revolutions, and, at length, in 1317, was finally swallowed up in the Turkish empire."-p. 3 to 5.

In a manner similar to that which the above quotation presents to the reader, the author proceeds through these two parts, conveying the rudiments of knowledge on the situation, history, natural productions, monuments, laws, customs, and inhabitants of Palestine. Larger works, without doubt, will enter more into detail, but it will not be easy to find within so small a compass, a book that contains such a fund of useful information.

REVIEW.-Sylla, a Tragedy, in five
acts. Translated from the French of
M. Jouy. 8vo. pp. 166. London,
Underwood. 1824.

ARISTOTLE defines tragedy to be "the
imitation of one grave and entire ac-
tion, of a just length, and which, with-
out the assistance of narration, by
raising terror and compassion, refines
and purifies our passions." But not-
withstanding the great authority of
its author, this definition has not been
uniformly adopted. The French
question its propriety; and although
the English view it in a more favour-
able light, many of our critics think
the definition defective, if not errone-
ous. By the introduction of person-

ages, acting and speaking what is suitable to their characters, tragedy appears to differ essentially from an epic poem. M. Hedelin observes, that in its original, tragedy was nothing more than an hymn sung in honour of Bacchus by several persons, who, together, made a chorus of masic with dancers and instruments. It was afterwards divided into several parts, and, that the singers might not be too much fatigued, recitations were introduced to fill up the inter

vals.

Sylla, the principal individual in the tragedy before us, was one of the most extraordinary characters which the world ever beheld. To his inhumanities he set no bounds, but after having satiated himself with blood, he voluntarily relinquished the power that had enabled him to commit his former outrages, and mingled with the citizens whom he had oppressed.

In an article prefixed to this tragedy, we have, from the pen of M. Jouy, an historical sketch of Sylla's life, with which he compares many of the actions which distinguished the military and political career of Napoleon. This sketch is ably written, and is not less interesting than the tragedy which it elucidates.

The principal scenes which we are called to witness are, the cruelties of this sanguinary dictator, the individuals proscribed, the contrivances to dethrone him, and finally, his voluntary resignation of power. Subordinate to these, many other events appear, but the incidents are less numerous, and less striking, than might have been expected from that fertile region whence the poet has culled his flowers. In Sylla we invariably perceive the character of a remorseless tyrant, at whose downfall humanity would rejoice; but no remarkable effect is produced by his abdication of power, and we survey the catastrophe without any emotion.

In this tragedy, the various characters are well supported, and their sentiments are strong and masculine, delivered in language which suits the dignity of the occasion. The whole exhibition is truly Roman, in which we behold the love of country, and a contempt of death, alike conspicuous. The following dialogue between Cataline and Roscius constitutes the first scene of the third act :

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"ROSCIUS.

"What matters it he's cleared the walls of
Rome?

Whether on barren rocks, in dreary caves,
Hate still pursues him; evil destiny
His only crime, and wheresoe'er he flies
The dogs of vengeance follow up their victim.
"CATALINE.
"Roscias is apt to feign unreal sorrows.
"ROSCIUS.
"Thou know'st far better than I do, to ope
The source of grief-I but paint tyranny
To shew its folly; and that vice, the more
To make it odious-as alike ambition
Puff'd up by hateful triumph, till arrives
That hour, though late, with Heaven's full
vengeance charged,
That hideous one of calumny.

"CATALINE.

"And so
'Tis thus that Roscius shews bis profound
wisdom;

Conscious suspicion ne'er can fall on him;
The senate, the Dictator too condemning,
Declares himself to-day the friend of faction,
Yea, rather adoration, to display
And comes, relying on the people's favour,
The virtues of the stage bere in the forum.

"ROSCIUS.

"The scornful words just utter'd, and which
ne'er

By Sylla's favour and by Cato's friendship.
Before have stigmatized my name, are met
In vain would Cataline pretend he knows not
The sentiments he here has heard me broach.
Plots I detest, and whosoe'er they be,
The authors of them-but I fear alike
Disdain I see those hireling flatterers,
The contrary, and hate informers; with
Consular slaves, deck'd out in faded purple,
Destroyers of their own all-hallowed altars,
In turn to Marius and to Sylla cringe,
And force him to become a base accomplice.
Pursue a guiltless rival to his fate,

"CATALINE.

"I would not know what mean thy words, but
leave

Thy useless declamation its free course.
Ready in all things to obey the nod
In scrutinizing what I should oppose;
Of Sylla whom I serve, I waste no time
His interests alone I deen my right,
Nor stop to weigh it in the scales of justice.
What the Dictator wills is always just,
Claudius is proscript, Claudius must be guilty.
Ere break of day, planning bis secret flight,
Thou wert thyself discovered in his house,
And hast, concealing his retreat, become
Th' accomplice of his treason: but, mark well,
It is my voice expounds the senate's fiat-
Answer-where is it Claudius bends his steps?
"Knew I but where myself, thou shouldst not
know,

"ROSCIUS.

And thy perplexing doubts have well repaid

The injury thou hast done me-Go, denounce My silence to the senate-I consent to 't. Tell them that Roscius, though the lictor's rod Hangs o'er him, still is ready to repeat,

Disgrace await th' informer!" p. 61 to 64.

In this last speech of Cataline, his inherent baseness appears in unvarnished colours. He avows himself the minion of a detestable tyrant, ever ready to execute his orders, identifying justice with his mandate, and consoling himself with the venerable doctrine, that kings can do no wrong." This tragedy has many excellencies, but we cannot think that it ought to be ranked among the best that were ever written.

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REVIEW. An Apology for "Don Juan," in two Cantos. 12mo. pp. 98. London. 1824.

THIS apology for " Don Juan" is nothing more than a satire on the cantos of that publication. For splendid talents, and poetical powers of the most exalted character, the author, who conceals his name, gives Lord Byron the fullest credit; but he deplores the prostitution of his muse, and conceives that his lordship's strength of intellect, and brilliancy of genius, tend to augment the evil, and to render the danger of which he complains the more alarming. The style, the manner, the construction of the verse, the needless apologies that are made, the promises of amendment that are violated, and digression riding on digression, exhibit a very respectable imitation of Don Juan's dress. Many of the stanzas contain a considerable degree of point and energy. The following lines are easy, and full of vigour:

"O'tis a lamentable sight to see

A towering genius, a gigantic mind By vice enslaved, with man at enmity,

His powers exerting to corrupt his kind, To spread a moral pestilence, where'er be

Can make bis influence operate, and to bind The spell, the fatal spell, that lures us on, Till, like the Siren's victims, we're undone." p. 15.

Towards the conclusion of the first canto, the author has introduced many spirited observations in favour of the soul's immortality, in opposition to that state of" nothingness," to which the author of Don Juan would conduct us. Whether the soul shall live for ever, or "death is an eternal sleep," all must allow to be an im

portant question; and our belief on these points cannot but have a considerable influence over our moral conduct.

There are several passages which occur in these cantos, that prove they were written while Lord Byron was living; but on these we forbear to make any remarks. The solemn event which has lately taken place, snatches the rod from the hand of criticism, and reminds us that "we war not with the dead." His lordship's writings, however, still live, and will continue to be read for some time longer; and so long as public patronage shall sanction their circulation, we shall rejoice in recommending whatever is calculated to counteract their perni cious tendency.

REVIEW. Journal of the Principal Occurrences during the Siege of Que bec by the American Revolutionists under Montgomery and Arnold, in 1775-6. By an Officer. 8vo. pp. 126. London. Simpkin & Co. 1824. THIS work may be said to give a new account of old transactions. The principal events which the author records have been long before the world, and at the period in which they took place they excited a considerable degree of interest. Time, however, has thrown them somewhat on the back ground; but as they now become matters of history, they have a right to claim some portion of public attention.

The author appears to have borne an active part in the conflicts which he describes, and his intimacy with the numerous incidents that pass under his review, prove that he was not an unobserving spectator of this sanguinary siege. In the form of a diary he has preserved the occurrences of each day, has noted apparently with an impartial hand the vicissitudes of war, and connected the varied events together in consecutive order, and with methodical arrangement.

Whether he has acted with impartiality in ascribing to the enemy that imbecility, cowardice, and unmanly conduct, which we find scattered through his pages, may perhaps appear somewhat doubtful. He certainly has dealt out abusive epithets upon them with a liberal hand; and beholding this, suspicion is roused

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