So, on the malice of her foes, looks down The righteous state! So may the queen of isles

Smile on the tempest,and from ruin-arm'd Invasion, guard her pastures ocean girt, And dash th' oppressor from her hallow'd shore,

And make th' insulted sea his sepulchre."

Of the smaller pieces the following may serve as a specimen of the author's manner of describing scenes and objects the most pleasing, as well as the most horrible.

THE FIELD OF BATTLE.

"WARRIOR, thou com'st From slaughter, smiling! Oh that smile pourtrays

Thy heart in deadly colours! Less horrid murder's frown. "Back, warrior, back! Return! and lead me to that spacious field By war, supreme destroyer, Too dreadly cloath'd in death. "How calm the night: The murder'd man sleeps with the slaughter'd steed;

And, scatter'd in the moonlight,
Arms shine among the slain.
"Proudly entomb'd,

Heav'n roofs your cemetery; the moon

and stars

Your funeral lamps, poor soldiers, Illume its amplitude. "Whence is that sound?

VOL. IX.

Oh, horror: that corse moves!—how the wretch frowns!

Oh, horror!-man of battle,
Art thou not cold with fear?
"Yes, thou art pale.

Warrior, thou tremblest!-Warrior, let us hence

For dreadful is the silence
Of this vast sepulchre!
"Ah, what is she

O'er carnage tottering there? Oh, God! she shrieks!

She falls couvuls'd; she rises,
And grasps his stiff cold hand!
"Rending her hair,

Her sad look speaks to heaven; kissing his cheek,

Wildly exclaims she,- Husband!'
Alas, he hears her not!"

merce burns,

And PEACE, the lov'd of man, the blest of GOD returns.

"And bright and bluely smiles the sky, And morn bath cast away his shroud: Divinest maid, thy gentle eye

Hath chas'd afar each stormy cloud: Strong labour hails thee, and, with lifted hands,

Shouts, while thy mournful glance skims o'er his blasted lands.

"COMPASSION, poor MISFORTUNE'S child,

Was near when WAR his javelin broke; She saw, Oh PEACE, thy features mild, And mutely wept; no word she spoke: For she regretted much the slain in war, And fear'd the fiend-like men who drove the martial car.

"What form is is that? "Tis POVERTY. She throws her ragged cloak away. Her naked children fly to thee, And dance like madness wildly gay; Strange transports in their little bosoms burn,

'The wars are o'er,' they say, 'our fa'thers will return.'

21

"With brows up-rais'd in glad surprise, When first she saw thy heaving breast, She smil'd, and wept, and wip'd her eyes, And hush'd ber hungry babe to rest: Thou shalt have food', she said,' WAR's storm is past, 'PEACE from the skies descends with ' vernal days at last.'

ON A SNOWDROP SEEN BY
MOON-LIGHT.

"LILY of Winter! daughter of the storm: Oh! hide thy lovely whiteness from bis ire;

For, strong to ruin, o'er thy lowly form, Growls the harsh wrath of thine horrific sire.

Emblem of virtue! wildly sweet, like thee, Worth wakes to mourn, while heedless folly sleeps ;

Clasps to her breast the rags of poverty, And in the desert of existence weeps; Like thee, pale flower of winter's paler

dations from our best periodical Reviewers.) "That the author had not attained his seventeenth year," we cannot but consider several of his pieces as affording a display of no common talents.

A few Words on the Increase of Methodism, occasioned by "Hints" of a Barrister, and the Observations in the Edinburgh Review. 18.Johnson and Co.

"The Scriptures declare that the sins of "the people are derived from the sins "of the priest: for which reason, as "St. Chrysostom tells us, our Saviour, "willing to take care of the infirm "city of Jerusalem, went into the "Temple to chastise the sins of the priests first, as a good physician, "who cures the distemper from the "root." POPE ADRIAN VI.

The author of this well written pamphlet, introduces his subject by some remarks on that fashionable folly in the religious world-the invention of " nick-names, or the mis

appropriation of terms already in

vented, which has always been one "grand expedient to inflame the "minds of the ignorant." This relitical and the religious world. How mark equally concerns both the pofrequently have the sound and wholesome opinions inculcated by the friend of Reformation, been reprobated under the names- Jacobin, Incendiary, &c. And how common has been the practice of a certain party, and it is to be lamented, a large party in the christian church, the numerous brood of spurious orthodoxy, who, when they would mar the labours, and hinder the usefulness, of their superiors in talents and christian virtues, rattle in the ears of the unsuspicious and the ignorant, the names Arian, Socinian, &c. although the application to the persons concerned may be utterly groundless. Every honest man who has been much conversant with the religious world, must have frequently lamented the iniquitous arts made

use of by sectarian, as well as by established priests, to prevent the bulk of mankind from fairly and impartially judging for themselves, and from attaining to that elevation of knowledge and virtue, indispensibly requisite to the character of a sincere and a confirmed christian.

Our author professes himself to be "neither a follower of Whitfield, nor Wesley. My religious opinions," he adds, " do not accord with any of "the hundred and fourscore schisms "which Moreri informs us had their "rise from the apostolic age to that "of Luther, nor with any of the in"numerable ones that have had their "rise since." Although he does not pretend to vindicate the peculiarities of methodism, he maintains" most “of their doctrines are, with trivial "variations, to be found not only in "the articles of the church of En66 gland, but amongst the tenets of "almost every christian sect." The assertion, however, that " To John Wesley and George Whitfield we owe all the religion which now ex"ists among the lower orders of society," is far from being correct, although we agree with Dr. Priestley, who published it as his opinion, that to the labours of the methodists the lower classes were more indebted for the religion they possessed, than to those of the whole body of the established clergy.

66

On the subject of religion in general, and the state of religion in the established church, and amongst the methodists, the following observations are worthy of serious consideration.

"Religion is not merely a political institution—it has a much higher claim on our attention; and acting as if it were merely a political institution, has been the real cause that the established church already totters to its foundation; and, if similar conduct is pursued, must eventually fall. The people never long brook an open display of priestcraft. To deceive them it must be concealed, at least under an affectation of zeal. But when neither the reality nor the appear

"The present state of our established religion cannot surprise any person who is familiar with the history of similar establishments. As the poet has said of the human body, in their very formation, they have the seeds of their dissolution, which grow with their growth, and strengthen with their strength.'Make any set of men independent of their duty, and their duty will most probably be neglected. Nor pe: haps would the fall of the establishment be productive of much evil, for the beneficial effects of such establishments are not very evident. Our present one, in a weak to one in full vigour; and were a few state, is, however, certainly preferable more of its teeth drawn, it might, perhaps, lánguish on for another century, and be productive of some advantage. Religious zeal should be approved; but secular power should not be added to religious zeal, and our present lukewarm system is better than a union of power and religious enthusiasm. The methodists and dissenting sects merit support as independents; but should be as strenuously opposed were they attempting to supplant the established church. The zeal of the methodists, like the zeal of the established clergy, would soon vanish, were their preachers put in quiet possession of the good things which the clergy possess. But, it is to be hoped, when once the present establishment terminates its career, such will be the improved state of popular intellect, that a similar institution will never again meet with support.

"Let us now notice one of the most prominent objections which has been advanced against the methodists.

"The methodist preachers are igno

rant men, and ignorant men are incapable of explaining the scriptures. This is a proposition on which the enemies of methodism dwell, with all the confidence of argumentative victory; but, to examine its truth, we must first attend to the import of the term ignorant. Ignorant is a relative term, and relates both to the subject to be explained, and to the people who are to be benefited by the explanation. Many good Greek scholars could explain a passage from Homer, who would find it impossible to explain satisfactorily the "tenebrous" fragments of Lycopbron. Because a person never read Cæsar's Commentaries in the original, may he not be acquainted with all the facts in that work? May he not describe the formation of the famous bridge across the Rhine, as correctly as if he were a first-rate Latin scholar? As far then as our version of the Holy Scrip\tures is correct, every person of good sense, and of moderate proficiency in his native language, can understand and expatiate upon them with propriety. Our version is not so correct as it might be made; but is that the fault of the methodists? Where are our two universities? Where are the bishops? Where the much-boasted learning of the established clergy? As to the doctrinal parts, or mysteries of our religion, they are certainly as well understood by the most ignorant methodist preacher, as the most profound linguist-as well by John Bunyan as by Dr. Lowth; and the election which our Saviour made of the apostles, to be depositaries of his doctrines, is at least a presumptive proof that it required no high scholastic attainments to understand, and interpret them correctly.

"The cant about the importance of a knowledge of the learned languages to correct reasoning, is daily becoming more obsolete; and the most ardent advocate of the established church, will scarcely assert, that our modern clergy often break their rest by poring over the original Hebrew. Indeed, I believe, there have been as many ghosts laid in the Red Sea, by speaking latin, as difficult texts of scripture explained, in the present æra of our establishment by a reference to the Hebrew text. It cannot be denied, that the methodists generally bring into use all the stock of knowledge they possess; and supposing them ignorant, when compared with the established clergy, yet if the light of the itter be hid under a bushel, it is not

very evident that their hearers derive any superior illumination. Nor, considering that the majority of every congregation must necessarily be deficient in taste and learning, would it be prudent to bring into use all those acquirements for which the modern clergy are so eminently conspicuous. Their weak eyes might be dazzled by the refulgent lustre of clerical erudition; and perhaps it is compassionate to twinkle upon them with milder and less irritating rays. Το speak seriously, there certainly should be some equality preserved between the discourse and the congregation, who are intended to benefit by it; and this is another reason that great learning is not an essential qualification for a useful minister of the Gospel.

"With respect to eloquence, the methodists are certainly not inferior. Their eloquence may be rude, but it is animated. Theirs is never the unwilling eloquence of a school-boy repeating his lesson. The emotions of their soul generally accompany their lips. They shew anxiety to make converts, and is it surprising that they should be successful? To enter the majority of the churches in this metropolis, and hear the preachers reading over, with monotonous drone, their stolen sermons, and then express surprise that the methodists are increasing, certainly shews no great acuteness of the reasoning faculty."

The superiority of the methodists over the established clergy in their visitation of the sick, and in their general usefulness in society is insisted on; and the following instances are brought in proof of the author's positions.

"The great argument for the metho dists still remains untouched, that is, the good they have done to society, and are daily employed in doing. If there be any criterion by which we can judge the merits of a sect, it is this; and here we can fortunately support our defence, by the evidence of stubborn facts. The late Marquis of Lansdown had experienced much trouble from the immorality, and consequent quarrels among the tenantry on one of his estates--he solicited the advice of his intimate friend Dr. Price, what method he should adopt to obviate the evil. Dr. Price was, it is well known, himself an Arian, and certainly cannot be suspected to have had any partiality for the tenets of method

ism; Dr. Price, however, recommended, as the most efficacious remedy, to place among them a few methodist preachers. The experiment was tried, and succeeded beyond expectation.— They became, in a short time, methodists, and good members of society.

"A friend of mine, residing lately, for the benefit of his health, near a manufacturing village in the west of England, by chance, went to a methodist meeting in the vicinity, and observing, during divine service, the behaviour and respectable appearance of more than a hundred young females, belonging to the neighbouring manufactory, was induced, when, some days after, in company with its proprietor, to inquire by what means he was able to produce such regularity of conduct; in answer to which he was informed, that until a methodist meeting was established in the place, all plans for preserving their morality had failed, and that they then were as depraved as any girls, under similar circumstances, in the kingdom; but that since their attention had been roused by the instructions of their methodist pastor, they had become equally conspicuous for decorum and propriety of conduct."

The author concludes by alluding to Lord Sidmouth's long threatened bill, which is at length introduced to the house of Lords: his reflections on the prospect of such a bill will be most cordially approved by every friend to civil and religious liberty.

"The liberal Hints of the Barrister to induce legislative interference," or, in other words, religious persecution, seem to be taking effect. A bill is to be brought before parliament, in the ensuing session, to render it more difficult to obtain licences to preach, under the frivolous pretext of preventing fraudulent exemption from the militia; but it is to be hoped, before such an argument is permitted to have any weight, it will at least be supported by one well-authenticated instance of the kind. If we support toleration, and maintain that every man should have the liberty to chuse his own religious creed, every man should be equally at liberty to chuse his own religious teacher. Absolute unrestricted toleration, except in the opinion of bigots, is the right of every human being, and a right, which it is to be fervently hoped, every Briton will have the virtue to claim!"

Introduction to the History of the Revolution of Spain; by Alvaro Florez Estrada, Attorney General of the Province of Asturins. Translated from the Author's, MSS.— By W. Burdon, p. 287. Sherwood, Neely and Jones.

In our Review for February last, we noticed a plan of a constitution, presented to the Spanish junta, by the author of this work, which evidently discovered an enlightened mind, and a love for the principles of genuine freedom. Mr. Burdon the translator of both works, thus before us." My partiality for a his admiration of that now expresses

man who has done and suffered so

much in the cause of freedom, may, perhaps, mislead my judgment in estimating the merits of this performance; but to me it seems that I have never met with any thing modern to be compared with it for clear and circumstantial narrative, for dignified sentiment, and for general interest."

In the preface the author after making some miscellaneous observations on the use of history, which he considers as "the best school for "all those who wish to know how "to conduct themselves," offers the following apology to the public for the present performance.

"I well know the difficulty of the task I have undertaken, but nothing can contribute more to make a good government beloved and respected, than a faithful picture of the misfortunes and calamities which arise both from anarchy and despotism. To place the whole in a clearer light, I have thought it requisite that this introduction should precede the history which I intend to give of the revolution in the principality of Asturias my native country, in which I was personally concerned. It is impossible to penetrate to the bottom of a revolution so great, merely by the events which occurred in it. A history of this nature should be divided into two parts: the first, which may be called the introduction, ought to explain the nature and causes of the revolution, the direction which it takes; and to contain,