the Offianian controverfy, we shall not prefume to dispute any thing that may relate to it; yea, even though it should please Mr. Macpherson to tranflate (which, for ought we know, he may do) forty volumes more from the fame authentic materials from which he has tranflated his Fingal and Temora.

There is fomething fo fingularly modeft in the following paragraph, that it might be injuftice, both to the Author and our Readers, to with-hold it: We may laugh at Sir Ifaac Newton, as we have at Defcartes; but we fhall always admire a Homer, an Offian, or a Shakespeare.' At what may the admirers of Offian NOT laugh? in fhort, what may the Admirers of Offian NOT do?

ART. XII. An Archæological Epifle to the Reverend and Worshipful Jeremiah Milles, D. D. Dean of Exeter, Prefident of the Society of Antiquaries, and Editor of a fuperb Edition of the Poems of Thomas Rowley, Prieft. To which is added a Gloffary, extracted from that of the learned Dean. 4to. 15. Nichols, Walter, &c. 1782.

HE reverend and worshipful Editor of Rowley hath

efcaped, it would have been almoft as wonderful as the Caufe he hath undertaken to defend. Unluckily for the Dean, his Opponents cannot be repulfed by the fame weapons with which they have affaulted him. A critic, who thinks the Poems attributed to Rowley to be modern, has an ample field for ridicule; for there can fcarcely be a more laughable circumstance imagined, than the delufion and gravity of thofe learned gentlemen who have defended their antiquity. The nature of their argument obliges them to be grave. They dare not laugh, even in felf-defence. And fo mortifying is the poft they have taken, that while they hold it, the laugh must be against them; and if they are determined to maintain it, they muft affume a graver and ftill graver countenance, till folemnity, ftrained beyond its own powers, fuddenly gives way; and HE who thought he looked important to the world, feels how foolish he looks to himself!

To the really judicious part of mankind it will be no recommendation of wit to fay, that with the generality it hath the advantage of argument; and that the beft reafons have loft their effect on the public, only becaufe the chance of literary war hath turned the weapons of ridicule on them. The learned Dean cannot avail himself of fuch conceffions as thefe; for, unfortunately for him, in the prefent inftance, Truth feems to be on the fide of Wit; and Reafon and Ridicule only ferve, in the controverly concerning Rowley, to lend their cordial affiftance to

*ach other.

In

In the preface to this little poem, the Reader will find much food for laughter, furnished at the expence of more doctors than one and the comparative merits of archaeologic and lexiphanic lore are estimated with that pleasant irony, which frequently cuts deeper into a bad argument, than the graveft reafoning, or the most poignant fatire.

The ingenious Author concludes his ironical panygeric on archæological learning in the following manner:

But the laft and best thing I fhall mention is, that great and unfpeakable emolument which the Anglo-Saxon prefix y, brings to a neceffitated verfifier; as yprauncing for prauncing, ymenging for menging, &c. By having this always at his beck, that poet who cannot write a fmooth line in any given number of fyllables, deferves, in my opinion, never to write a line at all. For this dear little y comes and goes just as one pleases, and may be truly called the archæological poet's toad-eater. In fhort, with a little variation, we may apply that eulogy to it which Dryden has given to St. Cecilia's mufic: it hath

Enlarg'd the former, narrow bounds,
And added length to any founds.

Such, with a great many more, are the advantages that attend this
ftate of poetry.
It is not, therefore, I think, greatly to be wondered
at, that either a prieft of the 15th century, or a boy of fifteen years
of age (take which you pleafe), fhould write with greater facility at
leaft, if not greater fpirit, than thofe miferable vernacular poets,
who are fo poor, comparatively, in point of rhime, that they have
not one to throw at a dog: who are tied fo tight to the whipping-
poft of grammar, and fixed fo fast in the ftooks of orthography, that
they have hardly an idea at liberty; and which is worst of all, cannot
eke out a halting line by any other method than a totally differing
expreffion. Oh! if you reflect coolly on these things, my dear bre-
thren of the quill, I am fully perfuaded, that all of you, like me,
will turn Archæologifts.

Having thus curforily fhewn what great benefits this ftyle confers upon writers, I might now proceed to prove what fuperior delectation it affords to readers. But here I am foreftalled by the learned Dean, who in his Preliminary, and all his other masterly dif fertations on the works of my predeceffor, hath irrefragably proved the point. Indeed, as Prefident of the Society of Antiquaries, and Editor of their valuable Archeologia, he has, I think, an abfolute prefcriptive right to differt on this fubject. I am not, therefore, without my hopes, that he will one day comment on the following epistle, which, if it wants any thing, I am bold to fay, wants only the illustrative notes of fo fagacious an editor.

P. S. I have lately conceived, that as Dryden, Pope, &c. employed their great talents in tranflating Virgil, Homer, &c. that it would be a very commendable employment for the poets of the prefent age to treat fome of the better fort of their predeceffors, fuch as Shakespeare and Milton, in a fimilar manner, by putting them into archeological language. This, however, I would not cali tranflation, but tranfmutation, for a very obvious reason. It is, I be

U 4

lieve

lieve, a fettled point among the critics, with Dr. Johnfon at their head, that the greatest fault of Milton (exclufive of his political tenets) is, that he writ in blank verfe. See then, and admire, how eafily this may be remedied.

PARADISE LOST. B. I.

Offe mannes fyrite by krous volunde wolle I finge,
And offe the fruicte offe yatte caltyfnyd tre
Whofe lethal tafte into thys worlde dydde brynge

Bothe morthe and tene to all pofteritie.

How very near alfo (in point of dramatic excellence) would Shakefpeare come to the author of Ella, if fome of his best pieces were thus tranfmuted! As, for inftance, the foliloquy of Hamlet, To be, or not to be."

To blynne or not to blynne the denwere is ;
Gif it be bette wythin the spryte to beare
The bawfin floes and tackels of dystreffe,

And by forloyning amenufe them clere.

But I throw thefe trifles out only to whet the appetite of the reader, for what he is to feast on in the fubfequent pages.'

The Epiftelle to Doctoure Milles, (as the fecond title gives it) is a moft fuccefsful imitation of Chatterton's mode of difguifing modern poetry, to make it bear the appearance of antiquity; and if its merit is to be eftimated in proportion to the number of obfolete terms and quaint phrafes which may be found in it, the boy of Bristol is, we think, fairly foiled on his own ground, and with his own weapons too!

As a fpecimen of our Author's happy talent in this line, we will present our Readers with the two firft ftanzas of his ! Epiftelle!'

I

As whanne a gronfer with ardurous glowe,

Han from the mees + liche 5 fweltrie fun arift 7,
The lordynge road awhaped creepethe flowe

8

To hilte 10 his groted weam 12 in mokie 3 kifte 14;
Owlettes yblente is alyche dooe flizze 16 awaie,

In ivye wympled 17 fhade to glomb 18 in dipe difmaie.

II.

So dygne Deane Mylles, whanne as thie wytte fo rare
Han Rowley's amenused 3 fame chevyfed 4,

His foemenne alle forlette theyre groffish gare,

୨

Whyche in theyre houton fprytes theie han devyfed: Whanne thee theie ken 9 wythe poyntel 10 in thie honde. Enroned" lyche an lace fell, or lyche a burly bronde 13.'

EXPLANATION.

STANZA I. A meteor. 2

8

Burning. 3 Hath. Meadows. Like. Sultry. 7 Arofe. Standing on his hind legs, rather heavy, hug. gifh. 9 Aftonished. 19 Hide. " Swelled. 12 Womb or body. 13 Black. 17 Luy-mantled. 1s Frown.

34

Coffin. 15 Dazzled. 16 Fly arway, STANZA II. 'Worthy or glorious. jured, 4 Reftored, S Enemies, Haughty Souls. 9 See.

rious falchion.

10 Pen,

4

6

Wijdom. 3 Diminished or inRelinquish 7 Uncivil caufe. Brandished. 12 Sword. 13 Eu

After

After wearing this antique guife through fourteen ftanzas, the poet drops it very gracefully, and appears in a modern dress, which fits on him with eafe and elegance.

each line fhall flow as fweet and clear

As Rowley's felf had writ them in his roll,
So they perchance may footh thy fapient ear,
If aught but obfolete can touch thy foul.
Polish'd fo pure by my poetic hand,

That kings themselves may read, and courtiers understand,

XVI.

O mighty Milles, who o'er the realms of fenfe
Haft fpread thy murky antiquarian cloud,
Which blots out truth, eclipfes evidence,

And taste and judgment veils in fable shroud,
Which makes a beardless boy a monkish priest,
Makes Homer ftring his lyre, and Milton ape his jest.
XVII.

Expand thy cloud ftill broader, wond'rous Dean!
In pity to thy poor Britannia's fate,
Spread it her past and present state between,

Hide from her memory that the e'er was great;
That e'er her trident aw'd the fubje&t sea,

Or e'er bid Gallia bow the proud, reluctant knee.
XVIII.

Tell her, for thou haft more than Mulgrave's wit,
That France has long her naval ftrength surpast,
That Sandwich and Germaine alone are fit

To shield her from the defolating blast;

And prove the fact as Rowley's being clear,

That loans on loans and loans her empty purfe will bear.
XIX.

Bid all her Lords, obfequious to command

As Lords that beft befit a land like this,
Take valiant Vifcount Sackville by the hand,
Bid Bishops greet him with a holy kifs,

For forming plans to quell the rebel tribe,

Whofe execution foil'd all bravery and all bribe.

XX.

Teach her, two British armies both fubdued,

That fill the free American will yield,

Like Macbeth's witch bid her "fpill much more blood,"
And ftain with brethren's gore the flooded field.

Nor theath the fword, till o'er one little ifle,

In fnug domestic pomp her King fhall reign and fmile.
XXI.

So from a dean'ry "rifing in thy trade,"

And puff'd with lawn by Byfhoppe-millanere,

EXPLANATION.

Byfhoppe-millanere:-the word is formed from horfe-milliner (Vid. Rowley's Ballad of Charitie), and means the Robe-maker, or Sempfirefs of the Lord's Spiritual.

Ev'a

Ev'n glommed York, of thy amede 3 afraid,

5

At Lollard's tower with spyryng eye fhall peer
Where thou, like Ella's fpryte, fhalt glare on high,
The triple crown to feize, if old Cornwallis die.

All Readers (fays our ingenious and witty Author) will, I truft, applaud this concluding ftanza, which returns to the ftyle in which the Epiftle began, in judicious fubferviency to the rule of Horace. fervetur ad Imum

Qualis ab incepto procefferit, & fibi conflet.'

From the spirit and ftyle of this little piece we fhould be inclined to attribute it to the author of the Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers. It difcovers the fame freedom of political principles; the fame acute and fpirited irony; and may in fome refpects vie with that admired poem in pointedness of expreffion, and facility of numbers.

2

EXPLANATION.

Sullen, cloudy, or dejected. 3 Preferment. * The bigheft tower in the palace of Lambeth. Afpiring, or ambitious.

ART. XIII. An Effay on the Law of Bailments. By William Jones, Efq; of the Middle Temple. 8vo. 2s. Dilly 1781.

FEW

EW perfons are apprized of the nature and extent of this practical branch of the law of England, and yet perhaps there is hardly any part of our law which enters more into common life, or is more neceffary to be known by every rank and condition of men. If we are compelled to fmile at the fimplicity of the honeft man who discovered, to his great furprize, that he had talked profe all his life, without knowing it, we cannot but remark how many perfons are involved in the doctrine of BAILMENTS, who perhaps never so much as heard of the term. Mr. Jones defines it to mean a delivery of goods on a condition, expreffed or implied, that they fhall be restored by the bailee to the bailor; or, according to his directions, as foon as the purpose for which they were bailed fhall be anfwered: he juftly obferves, that there is hardly a man of any age or ftation who does not every week, and almost every day, contract the obligations, or acquire the rights, of a hirer or a letter to hire, of a borrower or a lender, of a depofitary or a perfon depofiting, of a commiffioner or an employer, of a receiver or a giver in pledge: and 'what can be more abfurd, adds he, as well as more dangerous, than frequently to be bound by duties, without knowing the nature or extent of them, and to enjoy rights of which we have no juft idea? Nor muft it ever be forgotten, that the contracts above mentioned are among the principal fprings and wheels of civil fociety; that, if a want of mutual confidence, or any other caufe, were to weaken them, or obftruct their motion, the whole

machine