ART. III. The Bruce; or, The Hiftory of Robert 1. King of Scotland. Written in Scottish Verse by John Barbour. The Firft genuine Edition, published from a Manuscript dated 1489; with Notes and a Gloffary by J. Pinkerton. Small 8vo. 3 vols. 10s. 6d. boards. Nicol. London, 1790.

IT T has been remarked that, in all countries, poetical compo→ fitions have preceded thofe in profe. To perfons, therefore, who are defirous of investigating the customs, manners, and character of early periods, the publication of ancient poetry must be interefting and defirable; and though the man of tafte may not be highly entertained with the rude exertions of the infant mufe, yet even he will sometimes find that he has not mifpent his time.

The poem now before us was written by John Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen, in 1375; and, if we except fome exaggerations and fictitious incidents, is a real history of King Robert, called The Bruce, as appears by the concurrence of the best historians, and particularly by the attention paid to it by the accurate Lord Hailes, in his Annals of Scotland. Indeed, this is its chief merit; for, as a poem, it has hardly any claim to attention. It is a plain, and often dull narration, not to be diftinguished from profe by any of the attributes of poetry; except rhyme be admitted as a diftinctive.

mark.

As a fpecimen of the measure, orthography, and general merit of the work, we shall present our readers with the speech of King Robert to his army before the battle of Bannockburn:

Quhen the king had hard fa manlily
Thai fpak to fecthing, and fa hardely,
In hart gret glaidfchaip gan he ta.

And faid, Lordings, fen ye will fua,

• Schaip we us tharfor in the mornyng,
Swa that we, be the fone ryfing,
Haff herd mefs; and bufkyt weill
Ilk man intill hys awn efchell,
• Without the pailyownys, arayit
In bataillis, with baners difplayit.
And luk ye na wyfs brek aray.
And, as ye luff me, I

yow pray
• That ilk man for hys awne honour
Purway hym a gud baneour.
And, quhen it cumys to the fycht,
lik man fet hart, will, and mycht;
To tynt our fayis' mekill prid.
• On horfs thai will arayit fid;

• And cum on yow in full

gret hy.

Mete thaim with fpers hardely.
And think than on the mekill ill,
That thai and thairs has done us till;
And ar in will yeit for to do,

Giff thai hafs mycht to cum tharto.
And certs me think weill that ye
• Forowt abayfing aucht to be
Worthy, and off gret waffelags.
For we haiff thre gret awantags.
The fyrft is, that we haiff the rycht
And for the rycht ay God will fycht.............
The tothyr is, that thai cummyn ar,
For lyppynnyng off thair gret powar,
To fek us in our awne land;

And has broucht her, rycht till our hand,
Ryches into fa gret quantité,

• That the powerest off yow fall be
• Bath ryche, and mychty tharwithall,
Giff that we wyne, as weill may fall.
The thred is, that we for our lyvys,
And for our childre, and for our wywis,
And for our fredome, and for our land,
As ftrenyeit into bataill stand.
And thai, for thair mycht anerly,
And for thai lat off us leychtly,
And for thai wald deftroy us all,
Maifs thaim to fycht: bot yeit may fall
• That thai fall rew thair barganyng.
And certs I warne yow off a thing
That happyn thaim, as God forbed
That deyt on roid for mankyn heid!
That thai wyn us opynly,

Thai fall off us haf na mercy.

• And, sen we knaw thair feloun will,
• Methink it fuld accord to fkill,
To fet ftoutnes agayne felony;
• And mak fa gat a juperty.

• Quharfor I yow requer, and pray,

• That with all your mycht, that you may, Ye prefs yow at the beguining,

Bot cowardyfs or abayfing,

To mete thaim at thair fyrft affemble
Sa ftoutly that the henmaift tremble.
And menys off your gret manheid,
Your worfchip, and your douchty deid;
And off the joy that we abid,

Giff that us fall, as weill may tid,

Hap to wencufs this gret bataill.

In your handys without fayle

Ye ber honour, price, and riches; Fredome, welth, and blythnes; Giff ye contene ye manlily. • And the contrar all halyly Sall fall, giff ye lat cowardyfs And wykkytnes yow fupprifs. Ye mycht haf lewyt into threldome. Bot, for ye yarnyt till haff fredome, Ye ar affemblyt her with me. • Tharfor is nedfull that ye be • Worthy and wycht, but abayfing. And I warne yow weill off a thing; • That mar meyscheiff may fall us nane, ⚫ Than in thair handys to be tane:

-For thai fuld flaw us I wate weill

Rycht as thai did my brothyr NELE | • Bot quhen I mene off your floutnes, And off the mony gret prowes, That ye haf doyne fa worthely; • 1 traift, and trowis fekyrly,

To have plane wictour in this fycht. For thouch our fayis haff mekill mycht, • Thai haf the wrang, and fuccudry, • And cowartyfs of fenyowry, • Amowys thaim forowtyn mor.

Na us thar dreid thaim, bot befor; • For ftrenth off this place, as ye fe, • Sall let us enweronyt to be.

And I pray yow als fpecially,
• Bath mar and les commonaly,
That nane off yow for gredynes
Haff ey to tak off thair ryches:
Na prifoners for to ta;

Quhill ye fe thaim contreryt fa,
That the feld anerly yowrs be.
• And than, at your liking, may ye
• Tak all the ryches that thar is.
• Giff ye will wyrk apon this wyfs,
• Ye fall haiff wictour sekyrly.
• I wate not quhat. mar fay fall I.
• Bot all wate ye quhat honour is:
• Contene thaim on fic awifs,
• That your honour ay favyt be.
And Ik hycht her in leauté,

Giff ony deys in this bataille,
but ward, releff, or taile,
On the fyrst day fall weld;

Hys ayr,

• All be he neuir fa young off eld. Now makys yow redy for to fycht.

God help us, that is maift off mycht!

• I rede

The editor has prefixed to this work a preface, giving a short account of the early poetry of Europe, and informing the reader of the little that can now be found respecting the life of the author. Mr. Pinkerton's notes are often inftructive on various fubjects. The gloffary which he has fubjoined will be found highly useful to those who choose to ftudy minutely the language of Barbour. Though we must observe that many words, which will puzzle the reader, are not to be found in the gloffary, and fome that appear there are not explained. We were surprised to fee amongst the latter awblafters,' which evidently comes from the French arbalatrier, and fignifies cross-bow men.

It may be neceffary before we have done to fay, that the prefent work is printed from a transcript taken literatim from a manufcript written in 1489, now in the Advocate's library at Edinburgh. The vignettes to each volume are neatly executed. The editor fhews a strong partiality to Barbour when he prefers his Bruce to the early exertions of even the Italian mufe, to the melancholy fublimity of Dante, and the amorous quaint• nefs of Petrarca.' We are afraid he will find the public of a different opinion.

ART. IV. Travels through Barbary; in a Series of Letters written from the ancient Numidia, in the Years 1785 and 1786, and containing an Account of the Moors and Bedouin Arabs. Translated from the French of the Abbé Poiret. 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed. Forfler. London, 1791.

ΤΗ

HESE letters are interefting, and contain the beft and fulleft account we ever remember to have feen of the Bedouin, or wandering Arabs; a people hitherto very little known. They evidently fhew that the author is a man of an enlightened and cultivated understanding, though his ftyle, in fome places, appears to be rather too declamatory. We muft obferve also, that he sometimes dwells too long upon trifling objects, and descends to a minuteness of defcription which may offend those who are fond of brevity and concifenefs. He is, however, always animated, and keeps the reader's attention continually alive by pertinent reflections, and juft obfervations on mankind and

manners.

ENG. REV. VOL. XVII. APRIL 1791.

R

The

The Abbé's principal view in vifiting this inhofpitable region of Africa was, to enrich the fcience of botany by the discovery of new plants; and the greater part of his letters are addreffed to Dr. Foreftier, who, we are told, affifted him in the profecution of that ftudy. In purfuing his favourite object, our author feems neither to have been intimidated by dangers, nor difcouraged by difficulties; for though Barbary, at the timewhen he vifited it, was infefted by that cruel fcourge the plague; and though he was every moment expofed to the infults of the ferocious Arabs, who mortally hate the Chriftians, and think it a glorious action to butcher an European; he boldly penetrated into the country; and freely mixed and conversed with the inhabitants, in order to acquire a thorough knowledge of their manners and cuftoms. The following extract from his firft letter, which is dated La Calle, May 12th, 1785, will ferve to convey fome idea of his fituation at the time of his arrival:

• For fome days I have been an inhabitant of the ancient Numidia, where I arrived under the most unlucky aufpices. The plague has ravaged this country for more than two years, and the negligence of the inhabitants propagates it from one tribe to another. Befides this cruel fcourge, the Arabs and Moors have been painted to me as the moft inhuman and ferocious beings in nature, hating the Chriftians, both from a principle of religion, and from the prejudice of education. It is a triumph and a meritorious action to an Arab to fhed the blood of an European. They do not even fpare one another; and it is very rare that one nation is not at war with their neighbours, and that a defenceless Arab is safe among his equals at the distance of a few leagues from his tent. The little that I have already feen has confirmed the truth of this account. La Calle, the principal factory of the Royal African Company, has fhut its gates, and barricaded itself, to avoid all intercourse with the Moors without, who are infected with the plague. The latter, irritated and jealous of seeing the Chriftians efcape a diftemper which humbles the Muffulman, because he confiders it as a punishment inflicted by Heaven, do every thing in their power to communicate the infection to us. They come and inter their putrid dead bodies clofe under the palifades of the factory, and throw over the walls rags dipped in their peftilential ulcers. The nation from whom we fuffer moft is that of the Nadis, our neighbours, and our most cruel enemies. They are not contented with laying fecret fares for us; they attack us by open force. Not long ago they carried off near two hundred oxen from the herd, which we are obliged to conduct every day to the paftures in the neighbourhood, and which are kept for fupplying La Calle with provi fions. A little before, they fet fire to our palifades in the nighttime. They often come and conceal themselves near them, and fire upon the firft Chriftian whom they fee.

Thefe circumftances are alarming, efpecially for me who have a defire of traverfing the country. However, I arm myself with

patience;