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ftudious forbearance to notice his abominable treachery to the unhappy and perfecuted MARY, we cannot, without a violation of duty, fuffer to pafs without cenfure. It is but juft, however, to observe, that the materials for this account were fupplied by the late Profeffor Anderson, of Glasgow, whose executors would have acted judiciously by configning them to oblivion.

NOVELS AND TALES.

ART. X. The Three Spaniards; a Romance. By George Walker, Author of the Vagabond, &c. 3 vols. Walker.

To prefent any thing like an analyfis of this performance,

articles of this nature.-The Marquis Albert de Denia, the Marquis Antonio de los Velos, and Fernando de Coello, are the three Spaniards whofe adventures are contained in these volumes. Albert and Fernando are fellow-foldiers, friends, and related to each other, by a tie of confanguinity. Being ftationed at the castle of Alkambra, in the city of Granada, on a leisure day they ramble from the town along the banks of the Darro. Finding themselves fatigued they fit down, and enter into converfation, during which they perceive a fmall boat floating down the ftream without a guide. From a conceit of the moment, they enter it as Knights errant. The boat has but one oar on board, and they are left to the direction of chance: a violent storm arifes; they are hurried along to the ruins of a Moorish castle, which project to the water's edge. They find themselves in a strong current, which carries them to the stairs, ufed for the purpose of landing at the foot of one of the towers. The adventurers go on fhore, and enter the ruins of the castle, which had been dilapidated by an edict of King Philip. In this building, they find a bundle containing a dagger, and the miniature portrait of a lady. Of the portrait Fernando immediately becomes enamoured, and thus commences a series of as wild, extraordinary, and improbable adventures as ever entered the heated mind of infanity.-Supernatural infcriptions, fecret voices, celeftial mufic, infernal groans, spectres of various kinds, magical incantations, a compact with the devil, and the actual appearance of Lucifer, prefent themselves, as Mr. Walker informs us," in compliance with the present tafte in literary amufement."-We do not confider Mr. W. as one of the common fcribblers of the day; to his merits. as a novel writer, we have before borne testimony; but, in wandering into the regions of romance, he certainly has miftaken his path. Wild and daring are the means employed in Lord Orford's Castle of Otranto; but they are the flights of genius: they are awfully terrific. Mr. W. attempts flights equally daring, but his imagination flags beneath the task, and he finks into puerility,-Our author's

language

language is not the language of romance: it poffeffes none of that luxuriance of fancy, that glowing difplay of imagery and feeling, fo advantageous to the page of fiction. All is cold and inanimate. His heroes are all caft in the fame mould; no ftrength of paffion is exhibited; no distinction of character is preserved.

We can find a pardon for much folly in fome authors, when that folly is really produced in conformity to a reigning prejudice; but we do not think quite fo meanly of the "prefent tafte in literary amusement" as, in this inftance, to award that pardon: nor do we think quite fo meanly of Mr. W.'s abilities, as to fuppofe that a neceffity can exist for so ridiculous a mifapplication of them, even for the gratification of a vitiated taste, if fuch there be.

The pages before us are disfigured by a variety of grammatical errors, fuch as follow: "by degrees my mind affumed its tone, from reflecting, that the fame power which had hitherto, might continue to protect me"-" each being willing in the confusion to take care of themselves”—“ Each stole filently to their cell"-" Can a parent have a right to imprison or deftroy their offspring from wanton whim or caprice ?"

The Orthography, throughout these volumes, is fo glaringly defective, that it might be fuppposed that they had been compofed by the printer's devil.

ART. XI. A Winter's Tale. By J. N. Brewer, Author of the Manfion House, &c. 4 vols. Lane.

THIS hiftorical Romance is founded on a fuppofed amour of Edward, the Black Prince.

Selina, the daughter of an exiled Earl of Ilford, is protected by the family which fucceeds to the title and eftate. On her appearance at Court, the Prince becomes deeply enamoured, and, gaining information of her refidence, pays a visit to Ilford Caftle. Due honours are paid to the royal vifitor, but the object of his attachment does not appear. A defire of fecrecy prevents his enquiry on the fubject, and, at length, chance difcovers her retirement, according to the command of the Earl, in a remote part of the caftle. Se-. veral private interviews fucceed, and, in one of those moments, when reafon yields to paffion, the unfortunate Selina falls an unintended victim. The noble nature of the Prince, regretting, equally with Selina, the error into which they had fallen, he leads her through a fubterranean paffage to the caftle chapel, refolving there to take a folemn oath to heaven, never to wed another. A dreadful warning forbids the vow. They explore their path back'; the Prince fhortly after leaves the castle, and Selina proves pregnant.-Soon after the Prince's return to Court, Sir Emeric Arville, a knight of gloomy afpect, paffes fome days at the caftle; and the amiable Countess of Ilford is murdered by the hand of private affaffins. The Earl is almost frantic, but is under the neceffity for fome time of attending the army. During his abfence, Selina's confinement takes place, and the becomes the mother of a fon, who is concealE 3 ed,

ed, together with his nurse, in a fecret chamber. On the Earl's return to the caftle revelry of every kind takes place, and he propofes himself as a husband to his aftonifhed ward.-Lord Defmond, fon to the Earl, had alfo long cherished a growing paffion for Selina. He had fecretly discovered her commerce with the Prince, and refolved to poffefs her on eafy terms. Once, before the Countess's death, Lord Ilford had rescued her from his villainous attempts. Lord Delmond perfifts in effecting his purpose: he forces himself into her chamber, when, alarmed by her cries, the Earl appears. A fight enfues, and, each ignorant of his opponent, the fon is flain by the hand of the father.-Lord Ilford's feelings are wrought almoft to phrenzy, yet his refolution of making Selina his bride remains unalterably fixed; and to her he discovers, that to effect his defign, he had caufed the murder of his wife. At this intelligence she recoils with horror. The day of marriage is, however, fixed; fhe has written to the Prince, then on the Continent, but no anfwer arrives, nor does any mode of escaping from the caftle prefent itself. The Earl continues determined, and Selina firmly opposes his intentions. Finding perfuafion to be ufeless, he refolves on force. On the night fixed upon for the commiffion of this crime, Selina, however, by the aid of Father Frederick, efcapes through a fecret paffage; and with her child, her nurse, and one attendant, paffes over to France in queft of the Prince. On the night fubfequent to her departure, a meffage from the Prince to Lord Ilford arrives at the caftle, commanding him immediately to repair to the army.-Selina and her party are ftopped at a fortified town, in poffeffion of the English, the Governor of which proving to be Sir Emeric Arville, the murderer of the Countefs, fhe is detained till the arrival of the Earl, who confines her in a dungeon until the fhall accede to his wifhes. A prifoner overhearing a converfation between Sir Emeric and the Earl, wherein the latter is perfuaded to enter into a plot for betraying the town into the hands of the enemy, by means of bribery, effects his escape and flies to the Prince, who arrives at the moment of meditated treachery. Sir Emeric is taken prifoner, but the Earl is found among the flain.Selina is refeued, and the prifoner, who bore the intelligence to the Prince, is discovered to be her father, the exiled Earl of Ilford, who had endeavoured to expiate his former crimes by a return of loyalty. Sir Emeric Arville is executed; and the banished Earl, reftored to his fortunes and honours, retires with his daughter to the family manfion.

The above is an outline of a story poffeffing a very confiderable portion of merit. As the author has not abused the privilege of romance in the exhibition of fupernatural horrors, but has rendered them of great effect in the profecution of his story, we fhall, in this inftance, admit his own apology for their introduction:

"Respecting the liberty I have taken with the world of fpirits, I have little to fay, more than that I think public taste a fufficient fanction for an author ufing any fair means to intereft the paffions." "The times of which I write, likewife, muft be confidered.

Prejudice

Prejudice was then nearly in its zenith. Vifitations, omens, and warnings of death were implicitly believed to exift by almost all ranks of people; and a ftory of those days, which failed to talk of ghofts, and strange and foreboding noifes, would want the characteristics of its clafs." He adds: "I have, with all my power, ftrove to fhew the fatal confequences of the first advances to impropriety."

The catastrophe would have been lefs pleafing, but perhaps the moral would have been more forcibly inculcated, had Selina fallen a facrifice. She is not vicious herself, but being the primary cause of error, in those who deviate from the path of virtue, her death would render the warning more awful.

Many careless and confused sentences occur in the course of the work; which is, however, on the whole, well written; but we wifh the author to abftain from fuch faults as---faintened---hoarfened ---an horn---an heart, &c.

We cannot close this article without remarking the very appropriate application of the greater part of the mottos prefixed to the refpective Chapters. This certainly is no exalted merit, but it evinces a refpectability of tafte.

ART. XII. Mad Man of the Mountain; a Tale. By Henry Summersett, Author of Probable Incidents, &c. 2 vols. Lane.

THIS is 66

a tragic tale" of love and murder. To amufe, to excite an interest for fictitious mifery, and to bend the paffions at will, are not the only requifites of a novelist: instruction ought to flow from his pen, and his writings fhould display a warning to the vicious, and hold forth an encouraging beacon to the children of virtue.

Roncorone, the madman, the hero of the tale, is deeply injured by Salvini, a villain, without one fhade of virtue in his compofition. This villain receives the punishment due to his crimes; but he ought not to fall by the hand of private revenge: vengeance is not the attribute of man. The virtuous, the noble-minded Roncorone ought not to be the affaffin of Salvini. Where the axe of the law cannot reach, the sword of eternal justice will extend, and man muft not be the murderer of man.

This piece, though not a maiden effort, betrays feveral negligencies of ftyle: repetitions, redundancies, and unmeasured periods, frequently obtrude themselves on the ear. The ftory, however, is not devoid of intereft; and, at intervals, fome promifing traits of genius are exhibited.

ART. XIII. The Ariftocrat. A Novel. In two Volumes. By the Author of the Democrat. Low, Berwick-Street; and Law, Ave-Maria-Lane. 1799.

THIS is a pleafing and interefting little tale, plain and unaffected in its narrative and conftruction, and moral in its tendency. The

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contrafted characters of Beverly and Young Eaglefield are given in an inftructive and animated manner. Lord Alton is an excellent fpecimen of true nobility; and Aldworth affords no incorrect portrait of an English gentleman of the old fchool. Our principal objection to this work arifes from too much of the marvellous appearing in fome of the difcoveries. For instance, the meeting between Colonel Fraser, his brother, and family; and that of Hamilton and Aldworth, at the the end of the fecond volume. Such circumftances, though poffible, are fcarcely within the line of probability, and, whenever they occur in a production of this nature, confiderably diminish the intereft and pleafure experienced in the perufal of it.

ART. XIV. New Tales of the Castle; or the noble Emigrants. A Story of Modern Times. By Mrs. Pilkington. Newbery. 1800.

ART. XV. The Moralift; or amusing and interefting Dialogues on Natural, Moral, and Religious Subjects, calculated to afford rational and improving Entertainment to the ingenious Youth. By the Author of Hamlain, &c. &c. Weft and Hughes. 1800.

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ART. XVI. Hiftory of Jack and his eleven Brothers; containing their Separation, Travels, Adventures, &c. Intended for the Ufe of little Brothers and Sifters. Weft and Hughes. 1800.

TO those of our readers who have obferved with attention the progrefs of Jacobinifm, and feen what various forms it has affumed to accomplish its atrocious defigns with the greatest facility, we make no apology for obtruding upon their notice the above three Articles. To prevent as much as poffible the untainted minds of the rifing generation from being corrupted by the peftiferous doctrines of the day, we think it neceffary occafionally to examine even those books which are profeffedly written for the nurfery. The purity of our intentions in fo doing will only be queftioned by thofe who find their fchemes fruftrated by this expofure; and the effect of them, we hope, will fhow itself in the permanent benefit our children will derive from this detection of what is evil, and fupport of what is good. The two former of these articles we can fafely recommend to mothers and governeffes, as being amufing and inftructive in a high degree. In the laft, although we do not difcover any of the mifchief which it is our duty to reprobate, we do not perceive any thing by which the infant mind will either be entertained or improved. We recommend to the author, if he particularly wishes to write for the accommodation of children, to revife his work, and, inftead of a dozen unintelligible and confufed tales, to confine it to one plain and fimple narrative.

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