we have read this poem with confiderable plane-the tile is generally elevated, and fometimes pathetic, particularly in the beautiful episode of the loves of Pit. teur and Flora. The contrast between the unwieldy courage of Machlackan, anes the aftonishing activity of the mall body but great spirit of Frater, is well imagined. The foft-hearted Malcolm, the extreme old age of the temperate and hardy Sutherland, and the warriors Macduff and Douglas, varioufly engage cur attention. We hope the author will extend his plan, which appears, were particularly by an abrupt breaking off in the middle of the Third Book, to have been his original intention, and render it worthy the appellation of an Epic poem. The paffage alluded to is where -dying groans

And fhouts the diftant mountains echoed wild

When bold Duff rushed to battle-after which there is no mention made of this young hero, and the whole is foon hurried to a conclufion. We mention this because we think, from the fpecimen now before us, that the author's imagination, if history fhould tail him, is capable of fuch extention. His exprefhons however are fometimes too diffute, as when Macdonald deprecates his father's wrath:

too often.

The character of Donald himfelf is ke p up in a maiterly manner, and upon him the writer feems chiefly to have exerted his genius; but thote who delight not in terror and bloodshed will be mot affected with the unhappy fate of Flora and her fever. The r impreffion of love up on a youthful mind is thus de tribed; Meantime the beavtous Flora, left alone, Loft all her cheerfulness, and for the crowd Of her actendants chofe the glent thade. Of folitude; ce fpent the livelong day

wander.bg pentive on the cranked hose,

Down to her knee, and there uptied unveil'd

Her naked limbs, two ivory pillars formed With elegance ;--iweet nature void of

art !'"'

Having releafed her lover from con

Could they perceive.-The hollow winds began

To growl with anger, and their little bark
To flagger with its fears.".

"Oh miferable!" the Lover cried, while clofe

bath d

Her bofom with his tears

-She the while

Sung, like the Swan, her dying note,

sweet

As would have charm'd the Ocean to a calm,

Were Ocean to be charm'd- She fung of home,

Her dear and native home, and youthful fports,

And woods and rocky echoes, known fo well In youthful days.. -She fung of mountains

wild

With wilder note, that from the favage heart,
In fpite of nature, would extort a tear.
Exceeding far the rules of art, the fung
The charms of innocence, and all the dear
Delightful feats of early youth, ere love
Tempted her heart to wander. Laft the
fung

Of love itfelf, its fierce enchanting pains,
Its wandering thoughts, pale jealoufies and
fears;

The funthine of its hope, joyful, fublime; And then its doubts and croffes, drooping,

fad,

And more than midnight darknefs and deIpair."

She ended not; but now a powerful wave Broke through the feeble plank, and death appear'd,

Black, fearful, riding on the roaring storm
In guthing horror.-Then the lover wild
And defperate his beauteous bride eneralp'd,
And rushing on the deck an hideous fea
Encounter d rolling, which from the vefie! far
Swept them remorfelefs, now entwin'd with
love

Amid the bo'ling ocean.
Still he ftrove,
While grafping thas the fum of all his foul
With more than mortal vigour, to fuftam
Above the wave her life, as Cæfar old
His actions held the gaze of future times.
And though the briny flood his breath op-
pos'd,

And utterance chok'u," and drowned his feeble figh,

Yet bubbling up, while Cupid hung his ear From heaven, delighted more than with the

The ribs and broken masts of batter'd ships Upon the white furge restless ever roll ——"

The end or delign of the poem is ar nounced in the firit three lines: it is, to

Donald Bare. In the most celebrated Epic poems, beides a story or fable, there is a moral, or important truth that refults from the whole. Such a moral, in this beautiful little poem, is wanting, or, at leaft, not apparent. It does not indeed profefs to be an Epic peem, although it poffeffes most of the features of that ipecies of Compofition: a Drama going on ard prefented to our view in lively colours,tho

and deeds of the actors. Donak: Bane, of gigantic ftature and force, lofty cou rage, and the ton of a king, was a fit hero for the times in which he lived. Other heroes of different characters are introduced and well fupported. Mr. Skene has formed his taite and ftile on the model of Henter meng the A cients, and Milton among the Moderns. He has a juft talte for what is anúable, as well as heroic, in human nature. The ninfic and harmony of his verlification cannot be exceeded.

ANECDOTES OF THE AUTHOR.

Mr. Skene, author of Donald Bane, in Epie prem, &c. is well known in North Britain for his unconquerable attachment to the Honourable Mrs. Duff. When that lady left her friends and everything to fly to his arms, many arts and perfuafions were used to feparate them and prevent their marriage. Among the reft, two Clergymen of Edinburgh, relations of the Lever, who was then only nineteen years of age, were employed to diffuade him. After many yain folicita tions, he at laft confented to hear their arguments. They met him near the paice of Holyrood Hone, and, he walking between then, they plied him, one after another, with all their rhetoric, fer a fummer's day; during which time the youthful Lover appeared extremely att tive to their arguments, and preserved a profound filence till they had entirely walked round the City of Edinburgh with its fuburbs, and arrived at the place from whence they fet out. At this time

the

the reverend preachers thought they had gained their point. But the Lover broke filence thus Gentlemen, we are juft where we let out

"To flight fuch goodly fermons gives me "pain,

But verily I fay they are in vain,"

Sappho and Phaon, in a Series of legitimate Son sets: with Thoughts on Poetical fubjekts, and davedates of the Grecian Potefs. By Mary Robinjen. 120. 1796. Hookham and Car

penter.

MRS. ROBINSON s Mufe continues, as it always has done, to pour out ftrains tender, elegant, and p. fionate; and the sxecution of the prefent work is well calculated to keep up the reputation fhe has acquired. On this eccafion, we cannot, however, think the has been fortunate in the choice of her fubject. The loves of Sappho and Phaon are familiar to every fehcol-boy or reader of veifes; they want novelty, and are not likely at the prefent day to engage attention, be yond what may arife from the beauty of the compofition.

The Stacks examined and compared; or, a Guide to Purchasers in the Public Funds: conLáning an IntroduFon, in which the Origin and Nature of the Public Debts are explained, and useful Information is given relative to the Management of Business in the Funds: An Ac count of the Public Funds from the Time of thir Creation to the year 1796; including the Imperial and Irish Annuities transferable at the Bank of England, and the Stock of Public Companies, &c. By William Fairman, Life Accoun tant to the Carporation of the Ray Exchange Aurance. Svo. 1796. Johnson.

To thofe who with to be informed of the

and bowing retired. The divines from that day gave up their purpose, writing that it was neediers to talk to a young man who would give no reafon for his conduct, and difregarded the reasons of others, The love were foon after married; and we are happy to hear that the lady has made a molt exemplary wife.

origin, hiftory, and nature of the feveral public funds, we recommend this publication, which fully answers the promifes contained in the title page. Each diftin&t Fund has here a feparate Chapter, containing the amount, the time, the occafion of its being raised, and every circumftance of importance ne..ffary to be known relative to it; and the whole is treated in a clear, accurate, and compendious manner. There are alfo fome valuable Tables, which will be found very ufcful to pur chafers and dealers in the funds.

An Epitome of the Stocks and Public Funds: containing every thing necessary to be known for perfectly understanding the Nature of those Securi ties, and the Mede of doing Business therein. With an Equation Table, exhibiting at one View the ixat Value the different Stocks and Funds bear to each other and to the Value of Land, &c. By T. Fortune. 1210. Boofty. Is. 6d.

This little Manual is on the fame fubje& as the preceding. It is calculated for the fame purpose, and will be found also very ufeful, though it does not enter fo copiously into the history of the funds as its predeceffor. Thefe who wish for information in a narrow compafs will not be difappointed. This performance includes an account of the American funds.

Sir Simon Flour and Old Tefly were partners in trade, but have retired from bu. finefs. Each has a fon, whom he educates according to his own netions of propriety. Sir Simon thinks it is proper that his fon fhould travel, in order that he may know the world. But Tefty conceives that the best way of arming his fon against the art fices of mankind, is to bring him up to the Law, and for this purpofe has him trained in the arts of cunning at a school in Yorkshire. Mifs Hartley, an accomplished young Lady, is the ward ef both thefe old men; and each designs that the thall marry his fon. Sir Simon values himfelf on his good-breeding, and Cla Tefty on his honefly; though neither poffeffes the quality to which he pretends. It appears that Young Flourish, instead of following his father's directions, has fquandered away all the money intended for travelling expences, and is confined in the King's Bench, while his father imagines he is feafting with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, or kiffing the foot of his Holinefs the Pope. Young Tefty comes to town, and being fuffered to live by himself in chambers, he falls into the hands of harpers, and lofes all the money his father gave him to pay the tradesmen who have furnished the apartments where he is to purfue his ftudies. The fathers have each agreed that their fons fhall have a fair chance for the hand of Mifs Hartley, who, however, is fecretly attached to Harcourt, an amiable young man, but the victim of imprudence, and also a prifoner in the King's Bench, to which place the difappointed Tradefimen fend Young Telty. Captain O'Neil, a generous Irishman, being under a mistake refpecting Harcourt, means to challenge him, but first borrows money of Sir Simon to releafe Harcourt from confinement, without, however, fuffering Harcourt to know who is his benefactor. Captain O'Neil is alfo a candidate for the hand of Mis Hartley, but intending to get Lady Flourish to promote his fuit, fhe fuppofes that he is propofing love to herfeif, and while matters were in this equivocal state, Sir Sin.on enters, and bitterly reproaches the Captain for having fuch difho. nou able intentions. The Captain had previoudly defired Sir Simon to be his fecond in his intended duel with Harcourt, and Sir Simon difplays fo furious a fpirit, even at the idea of being a fecond, that the Captain, finding Sir Simon will hear no explanation, concludes that the latter will not be fatisfied without a Hoftile conteft. Sir Simen,however, foon proves to be a vyretched patroon, and is beaten by the Captain. Harcourt, before he quits the King's Brich, ddvites Young Flourish to get a DayPal, villt his lather, and pretend he has just rentmed from his travels, ingimating,

that Sir Simon's pleafure at fee'ng his fon will induce him to pay all his debts. Yeung Flourish adopts this advice, and being obliged to take one of the officers of the prison with him, he paffes off the lacter as a German Count. Some whimfical events arife in the interview between the father, the fan, and the pretended Count. At length both the fathers difcover that their respective lystems of education are equally erroneous, and that both their fons are tenants of the King's Bench. It fhould be obferved, that when Young Tefty vifit: Mifs Harcourt, at his fathers de fire, to make matrimonial proposals, he mistakes the maid for the mistress, and marries the former, who, the moment the ceremony is over, attends her husband to the King's Bench, the officers having dogged him into church. As Old Tefty finds that his fon cannot marry Mifs Hartley, and as Captain O'Neil, having come to an explanation with Harcourt, recommends his cause to Sir Simon, the latter, fearful of exciting the refent. ment of the Hibernian, and Old Tefty, confent to the marriage of Harcourt and Mils Hartley; the Piece concluding with parental forgivenefs and a promise of filial reformation.

In the plot, incident, and character, this Opera exhibits little that is entirely new, The Dialogue, however, which is moral, witty, and humorous, has a fair claim to the merit of criginality; and the performers exerted themselves with spirit and effect.

The mufic, though, upon the whole, not among the happiest compofitions of Shield, had fome very pleasing paffages; and the Piece has been frequently repeated with deferyed applause.

The title under which this Opera was originally announced was "The King's Bench," which however, being disapproved by the Noble Marquis to whom the inspection of Dramatic performances is officially submitted, was altered, previous to its Performance, as above.

24. The Play of Philafter, as altered from Beaument ard Fletcher, was revived at Covent Garden Theatre, for the purpose of exhibiting Mr. Ellion and Mjs Allingham in

the new characters of Philafter and Bellario.

The performance we did not confider as hav ing added any thing to the reputation of either.

DEC. 6. "THE FORCE OF RIDICULE," a Comedy, was produced for the first time at Drury Lane Theatre.

The tendency of the Piece was to fhew, that in the préfent ftate of higher Efe, men are eafily induced to neglect their wives, merely from the dread of ridicul, though there wives may poffefs every virtue, object is laudable ; but it was Do unkilfully

This