I loved thee passing well;-thou wert a beam But kind and true to me, as thou hadst come Now sickening at the sunshine of the skies! It were a crime to weep!-'tis none to kneel, Thou wert my spirit's spirit-and thou art, Broken, and bow'd, and wasted with regret, It will not be ;-away, bright cheat, away! Mr Montgomery cannot write anything, however slight, that is not pregnant with piety. Common-place truths are so presented in the following singular little poem, as to strike the heart like a knell. This is the triumph of genius. Nature, whence sprang thy glorious frame? QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Q. Flowers, wherefore do ye bloom? Q. Stars, wherefore do ye rise? Q. Fair moon, why dost thou wane? Q. Where art thou, proud ATLANTIS, now? Where are thy bright and brave? Priest, people, warriors' living flow? Look on that wave! Crime deepen'd on the recreant land, Long guilty, long forgiven; There power uprear'd the bloody hand, There scoff'd at Heaven. The word went forth-the word of woe- Now on its halls of ivory Lie giant weed and ocean slime, Burying from man's and angel's eye The land of crime. Mr Ackermann was, we believe, among the first of the booksellers who published volumes of this kind in England, and we strongly recommend his "Forget me Not," both on that account and its own intrinsic merits, which are great and manifold. We come now to speak of "Friendship's Offering," and its new editor, Mr Hervey. But first let Mr Hervey speak for himself: "The present Volume of the FRIENDSHIP'S OFFERING' is presented to the public, under circumstances which render a few observations necessary. It has, very recently, come into its present Editor's hands, with a view to an entire change in its character and plan; and, under the disadvantage of that fact, he has, of course, found it impossible to avail himself of all those sources which he has reason to believe are open to him, next year, for giving interest to its pages. The difficulties of his situation have, however, been greatly relieved, by the kindness and promptitude with which assistance has been given to him, in almost every quarter in which the limited time permitted an application :—and, whilst he has thus been enabled to present to the public, on the present occasion, a very splendid assemblage of names and talent, -the promises which he has received of continued and additional assistance, next year, afford reason to hope that it will have still increased claims to popularity. "The readers of the FRIENDSHIP'S OFFERING,' will perceive that the alterations in its plan consist in the removal of all those features which marked it as more peculiarly adapted for one season of the year than another; and in the dismissal of its more toy-like attributes, for the purpose of combining, with the increased beauty of its embellishments, a high literary character. "Whilst acknowledging his obligations to the many friends who have given him the use of their names and talents, the Editor may escape the imputation of personal vanity, in expressing his confidence that the Work has attained the character at which it aimed; because little merit can be due to him, for the moral or literary excellence of a miscellany, which has been fortunate enough to obtain such contributions as those which fill the pages of this volume.' Mr Hervey has acquitted himself admirably in his editorial capacity; and, like Mr Watts, is himself one of his own very best contributors. There is much passion-much poetry in the following fine stanzas: TO THE PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL, ON FIRST SEEING IT. THE same-and oh, how beautiful!-the same As memory meets thee through the mist of years!Love's roses on thy cheek, and feeling's flame Lighting an eye unchanged in all-but tears! Upon thy severed lips the very smile Remember'd well, the sunlight of my youth; But gone the shadow that would steal, the while, To mar its brightness, and to mock its truth!Once more I see thee, as I saw thee last, The lost restored,—the vision of the past! How like to what thou wert-and art not now! Gone where its very wishes are at rest, And all its throbbings hush'd, and achings heal'd ;— I gaze, till half I deem thee to my breast, In thine immortal loveliness, reveal'd, And see thee, as in some permitted dream, There where thou art what here thou dost but seem! I loved thee passing well;-thou wert a beam With just so much of mirth as might redeem But kind and true to me, as thou hadst come Now sickening at the sunshine of the skies! It were a crime to weep!-'tis none to kneel, Thou wert my spirit's spirit-and thou art, It will not be ;-away, bright cheat, away! Cold, far too cold to love !-thy look grows strange; Mr Montgomery cannot write anything, however slight, that is not pregnant with piety. Common-place truths are so presented in the following singular little poem, as to strike the heart like a knell. This is the triumph of genius. Q. Nature, whence sprang thy glorious QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Q. Flowers, wherefore do ye bloom? Q. Stars, wherefore do ye rise? Q. Fair moon, why dost thou wane? Q. O sun, what makes thy beams so A. The Word that said-" Let there be Q. Time, whither dost thou flee? Q. Eternity, what art thou, say? VOL. XIX. frame? Thou need'st not helm nor cuirass now, Thy mother is not in thy dreams, Sleep, soldier!-let thy mother wait, Than did thy clarion, on the gale, In conclusion we observe, that while the embellishments of this volume are scarcely, if at all, inferior to those of the Literary Souvenir-the prose part is perhaps superior. But comparisons are odious at all times, and more especially between such rivals as Mr Watts and Mr Hervey. We have a sincere regard for them both (though we never saw either,) and a free literary trade is best for all men of talents. Why so laudatory this month, old Christopher? methinks we hear muttered by some pluckless Tory, or some trimming Whig. Because we have been dealing (as in this article) with gentlemen-both editors and publish ers. But woe be unto some half score of scribes, in a month or two-yes, woe be unto them-for the asses shall be flayed alive, ears and all, and sent scouring along Grub-street in raw material. The world will acknowledge that it never heard braying till that day-and ONE ANIMAL especially will be seen and heard to open his jaws to such an apochryphal extent, that in future ages the best authenticated accounts of his achievements will with difficulty find admittance into systems of natural history. WORKS PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION. LONDON. Mr Alaric Watts has announced a volume of Poems, under the title of "Lyrics of the Heart." Stories for the Christmas Week. In 2 vols. A Translation of La Secchia Rapita, or the Rape of the Bucket; an Heroi-Comical Poem, in Twelve Cantos. From the Italian of Alessandro Tassoni. With Notes, by James Atkinson, Esq. In 2 duodecimo volumes. A Comparative View of the Different Institutions for the Assurance of Lives, in which every question that can interest the Asssurer is discussed, is preparing for the press. By Charles Babbage, Esq. A.M. F.R.S. Lond. Edin. &c. It will contain extensive Tables of the Rates charged at all the Offices, as well as of the Profit made by each at various ages; together with some new Tables of the Rates of Mortality. The Divina Commedia of Dante Ali. ghieri, with an Analytical Comment, by Gabriel Rossetti, is announced. In 6 vols. The Life of General Wolfe, from Original Documents, is about to appear in a form similar to Mr Southey's "Life of Nelson.' Papers and Collections of Sir Robert Wilmot, Bart. some time Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, will soon ap pear. The Story of Isabel. By the author of "The Favourite of Nature." A Romance, to be entitled "The Last Man," from the pen of Mrs Shelley, is in a state of considerable forwardness. The Prophets and Apostles Compared. An Essay, proving the ulterior application of the Prophetic Writings; with a Table annexed, explaining the Two Thousand Three Hundred Days of Daniel, is in the press. A Fourth Volume of Mr Stewart Rose's Orlando Furioso, will soon make its appearance. The author of "The Pilot" has announced a new Novel, to be entitled "The Last of the Mohicans." A Treatise on the Diseases of Children, by William P. Dewees, M.D. is announced for early publication. A work is announced, under the title of "The History of the Assassins," from Oriental Authorities. Translated from the German of Jos. Von Hanmer. With Notes and Illustrations. The Second Number of the Architec tural Antiquities of Normandy, by Mr Pagin, will soon be published. A History of the United States of America, from their first Settlement as Colonies, to the close of the War with Great Britain in 1815, will soon appear. The Fourth Part of Mr Bellamy's Translation of the Bible. A work, under the title of "The Reign of Terror," is announced; consisting of a Collection of Authentic Narratives, by Eye-witnesses, of the Horrors committed by the Revolutionary Government of France, under Marat and Robespierre. A new weekly publication, entitled, "The Spirit and Manners of the Age," will appear in January next. To be conducted by the author of "The Evangelical Rainbler." A Memoir of the Court of Henry the Eighth, including an Account of the Monastic Institutions in England at that Period, will soon appear. A Comparative View of Christianity, and all other Forms of Religion, is announced by Dr Brown. The Book of Churches and Sects, by Mr Boone, is on the eve of publication. Mr M. T. Sadler is preparing for publication, a Defence of the Principle of the Poor Laws, in answer to their impugners, Mr Malthus, Dr Chalmers, and others. Together with suggestions for their improvement, as well as for bettering the character and condition of the labouring classes. To which will be added, an Essay on Population, in disproof of the superfecundity of the human race, and establishing, by induction, a contrary. theory. A new edition of Moore's Irish Melodies, in separate Songs, with the Music, is announced for early publication. Shortly will be published, The Domestic Preacher; or, Short Discourses from the MSS. of some Eminent Ministers. The Second Volume of Mr Godwin's History of the Commonwealth, is just ready for publication. Mrs Bray has nearly ready for the press, an Historical Romance, entitled De Foix, or Sketches of the Manners and Customs of the Fourteenth Century. Mr Garrow, of St John's College, Cambridge, has announced a History of Lymington and its immediate Vicinity, with a Brief Account of its Vegetable and Mineral Productions. The author of "Solace of an Invalid," is preparing a work, to be entitled, |