that fimilar caufes produce fimilar effects; and confequently, that the fame improvement in the fpirit of the times which has rendered the mitred Lord inoffenfive, may poffibly have given the canting Puritan fome portion of moderation and catho licifm. E. ART. III. A Poetical Translation of the Song of Solomon, from the original Hebrew. With preliminary Difcourfe and Notes, hiftorical, critical and explanatory. By Ann Francis. fewed. Dodfley. 1781. THA 4to. 7 s. 6d. HE Author feems aware that an apology for this undertaking was abfolutely neceffary; and the hath attempted to make one. How far it will excufe her with the learned of our fex who might be difpofed to condemn her prefumption, or the delicate of her own, who might be ready to tax her modefty, we will not determine. She at leaft deems herself entitled to the merit of industry: and if she will be content with that praise, we have it very liberally to bestow. The Preliminary Discourse is a very inflated and injudicious piece of declamation. The tranflation is very unequal. A few elegant expreffions occur: and here and there a nervous line. But in general the verfification is weak, fantastical, and inharmonious; and the figures and comparisons of the tranflation are ftill more extravagant and unnatural than those of the original. The moft curious part of the notes is extracted from the ingenious and learned productions of Dean Percy, and Mr. Harmar, on this fubject; and the Author acknowledges herfelf effentially indebted to Mr. Parkhurft, the learned Hebræan, for affiftance in the ftudy of the original. The Author confiders the Song of Solomon as a facred, hymeneal drama; .divides it into acts and fcenes; and gives the following list of the perfons who are fuppofed to bear a part in it. SOLOMON. Nobles of Zion attendant on the King. Ch. vi. 13. Nobles of Zion. Ch. iii. 11. The Egyptian Spouse. Ch. i. 16. Choral Virgins of Egypt. Ch. i. 5. Choral Virgins of Jerufalem. Ch. i. 2. Virgins of Jerufalem attendant on the Jewish Queen. Ch iii. 7. Choral Virgins of Zion. Ch. iv. 1. The whole is fuppofed by the Author to have a myftical re ference to the ftate of the Jewish and Chriftian church; and • Solomon is confidered as a lively and ftriking type of Jefus Chris' Glowing Glowing with the subject, our Author fhakes off the fhackles of vulgar profe, and burfts into blank verfe, in the following eulogy on her beloved Song.- The SONG of SONGS is no human compofition, but the work of an inspired penman: and the fame God who tuned to melody the tongue of the Jewish bard would likewife charm to reverence the Chriftian Reader's heart, would he but yield up that heart to him, attend the train and mark the facred import. Why not attempt to draw afide the myftic veil, and in the earthly, view the heavenly Solomon ?' As a fpecimen of the tranflation we will prefent our Readers with the following curious addrefs of Solomon to one of his queens;-the time, the evening of the fixth day; the scene, a chiofk in the royal garden. [vid. chap. vii. of the Canticles.] How beautiful thy feet, O noble fair! . V. I. V. 2. V. 3. V. 4. V.5. Adorn'd with fandals wrought with nicest care: Where wines with mantling rubies crown'd Thy waift is like a heap of golden grain, With lilies bounded rifing from the plain. Thy two fair breafts like two young roes appear, Thy taper neck, inimitably fair! Nature hath form'd with more than common care; From thy fine fhoulders we behold it rife Like fome white tower, afcending from the ground; Whose lofty fummit fhoots into the skies, Still leffening to the view its fpiring round. Thy large full eyes with humid lustre fhine, Like Hefhbon's ample pools, unftain'd and clear, Such grace adorns fam'd Lebanon's high tow'r, Which stands a monument of regal pow'r, Rais'd with nice art, commenfurate and true, With various flow'rets elegantly grac'd, Of ev'ry shade, and ev'ry vivid dye, With wond'rous skill and lively fancy plac'd, Appears like Carmel's top with verdure crown'd Where flow'rs, and plants, and od’tous fhrubs abound. S 2 Thy V. 6. V. 7. V. 8. Thy plaited hair in gaudy treffes flows How charming to the fight! More fragrant than the fpicy grove, And clafp her clusters to my breast, Her clusters rich, where dates luxurious grow. Like clusters of the vine thy breafts appear, I am here aware On the last verse, our Author hath the following obfervation, which we produce as a fpecimen of her ikill in the note-way. Verf. 8. line 6. Thro' the light gauze of an observation of the critic. "Gauze, cries he, is made of filk; and filk this lady tells us was not known in Judea in the days of Solomon." But gauze is likewife made of thread. The Scotch gauze hath no filk in it, yet is equally transparent. The Lacedemonian maidens wore gauze-like veftments; and the Greeks and Romans had fuch tranfparent ftuff's long before filks were commonly worn among them. It is not to be fuppofed that the ladies' neck was quite concealed: but more natural and confiftent with the prefent mode of the Afiatics to conclude, that the fhape and colour of the bofom appeared advantageoufly through the light transparent covering, as Lady M. W. Montague informs us her's did, through her fhift of gauze which was faftened under her chin with a diamond button;'-or, we may add, as the Duchefs of Kingston's Iphigenia once appeared at the masquerade 'Thro' the light gauze, too exquifitely clear!' But enough of mystic symbols! and fhadowy veils! our duty lies in the naked truth. B....k. Becket. ART. IV. Variety; a Comedy, in Five Acts: as it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. 8vo. 1 s. 6 d. 1782. VARIETY; A COMEDY !-Every Comedy fhould undoubtedly be compofed of varied incidents, varied characters, and varied dialogue; but a regular fable fhould as neceffarily connect the whole; or the work, instead of engaging the attention by an agreeable variety, will excite difguft by its abfurdity and confufion. A prevailing intereft fhould pervade the drama, drama, like harmony in a mufical compofition. A multiplicity of characters, engaged in detached and feparate pursuits, though registered in the fame lift of dramatis perfonæ, cannot be confidered as conftituents of a legitimate fable; they rather resemble a number of musicians, feated indeed in the fame orchestra, but employed in a Dutch concert, where every man plays his own tune! The Author of the Comedy before us has multiplied, with out measure or order, irrelative perfonages, and disjointed incidents; and feems to have thrown together the fragments of a dramatic common-place book, giving to the indigefted mass the title of Variety, merely because it was impoffible to point out any leading circumftance, or predominant colour, in the medley compofition of the drama. The fable, if it may be fo called, inftead of being fimple and one, is fo loft in complications, that it fplits itself into divers little fables, independent on each other; not admissible even as epifodes, growing out of the main ftory, but unnaturally forced into it by the arbitrary fic volo of the writer. The fables alfo, feparately taken, are but inartificially conducted, even according to the apparent idea and intention of the Author. Can it be fuppofed, that Mifs Harriet Temple, the daughter of a General Officer, a young lady of remarkable delicacy, fhould refuse the protection of a reputable relation of her own sex, and prefer to her hospitable roof a mean lodging, in which, as far as we can collect, fhe is fupported by a young officer, who has conducted her from America, and whom the concludes to be enamoured of her? Again; can it be fuppofed that a woman of honour, fituated like Lady Courtney, would fend a billet of affignation to Lord Frankly? or could Mr. Morley, the lover of Lady Courtney, who overhears their conference, come forth from the clofet, in which the Author has placed him, without a conviction of the mutual guilt of Lady Courtney and Lord Frankly? The audience, it is true, are aware that the Writer meant to represent the lady at least as perfectly innocent; but, for want of due dramatic art and addrefs, the is involved in an appearance of culpability, from which he is not properly extricated. It would not indeed have been eafy to effect it; and as it is, it feems impoffible for a man, of a much lefs jealous complexion than Morley, thrown into his fituation, not to be affured of her perfidy. The characters are but faintly drawn. The moft natural sketches (for they are but sketches) are thofe of Sir Frederic and Lady Fallal. The Commodore and the Major are coloured in the old manner: one is given as a fea-piece, the other as a battlepiece their language is wholly technical, the Commodore ufing naval, and the Major military terms, through their whole dia $ 3 logue, logue. I must quicken my march to prevent the young dog from furrendering as prifoner for life,' fays the Major; and immediately after, I must freshen fail to come up with him in time, in order to keep this brifk lad from getting the windward gage of my niece, lays the Commodore. The Major alfo is first introduced as an humble imitation of Sterne's admirable Uncle Toby; but this Scene, the book informs us, is omitted in reprefentation. Sir Timothy Valerian is a ftrange excrefcence indeed, a wart or wen of the drama, adding to its bulk, and taking from its confequence. Sir Timothy runs to and fro, forces himself in at the door, and jumps out at the window, for no visible end or purpose. Lady Courtney is the most infipid woman of qua lity ever exhibited; and the other females are but faint copies of originals, long familiar to the eye of the Public. The dialogue, though not correct, nor remarkably brilliant, is the leaft exceptionable part of this drama. The beginning of the fecond Act affords no unfavourable fpecimen : ACT. II. SCENE I. Sir Frederick Fallal's Houfe. • Sir Frederick lolling in a Chair, Lady Fallal fitting at Work. Lady Fallal. Upon my word now, Sir Frederick, I wonder how you find time to be fo indolent; for my part, I have always fo much to do, that I can never get a minute to myself all the day long, if I had ever so great a mind to do nothing. Sir Frederick. Really, my dear, I fee not the least reason for hurrying-my time never hangs heavy on my hands, and it is always fufficient for my occupations. Lady Fallal. Occupations! and a very pretty fort they are to be fure. To get up every day at two o'clock, and fit ftretching and gaping there, like a wide-mouthed frog, till they give you your breakfaft; then take a turn in Rotten-row, and with difficulty get your French monkey to make that wig you wear look like your own hair, by fix o'clock in the evening; and to tell you a fecret, Sir Frederick, I would never have gone within a mile of a church with you, if I had known you wore the leaft bit of falfity about you; for, in my country, the men fcorn to hide any thing, and you may always fpy their defects as well as their perfections with a coup d'œil, or a knock of the eye, as the French call it. "Sir Frederick. But, my dear, you quite fhock me by faying I wear a wig! Why, this hair you fee is all my own, except a couple of elaftic curls at the fides, and a little addition behind, to strengthen the chinon. Lady Fallal. Well, we will leave it fo, Sir Frederick; but to be fure I can't help afking myself ten times a day, and I'm never the wifer for it neither, how I came to marry you at all, at all. Sir Frederick. I fancy, my dear, there were not many prettier fellows than Sir Frederick Fallal in the Bog of Allan. Lady Fallal, Why, I could not help liking you to be fure, because you called me your Angel, and your Goddefs, and feemed mighty fond of me-but you had no other charm that I can tell, except your being eafy and carelefs, like myfelf. • Sir |