STROPHE II, Or where th' Athenian tow'rs arise Shall these hands weave the woof, whofe radiant glow That on the bofom of the young spring blow: Yoke the proud courfer to Minerva's car, And whirl her through the walks of war: Hurl hideous ruin from above, Roll his tempeftuous flames, and vindicate his sky. Alas my children, battle-flain! Thy walls, thy bulwarks fmoking on the ground, I, far from Afia, o'er the wide fea born, And for my nuptial bed find a detefted grave. This is fpirited and poetical; but, perhaps, the Trochaic tone is too laboriously indulged. L. ART. V. Poefeos Afiatice Commentariorum Libri Sex, cum Appendice; fubjicitur Limon, sex Miscellaneorum Liber: Auctore Gulielmo Jones, A. M. Collegii Univerfitatis in Academia Oxonienfi, & Societatum Regiarum Londinenfis atque Hafnienfis, Socio.-Commentaries on the Afiatic Poetry, in Six Books, with an Appendix. To which is added Limon, or Miscellaneous Pieces. By William Jones, M. A. Fellow of University College, Oxford, and of the Royal Societies of London and Copenhagen. 8vo. 9 s. Boards. Cadell. 1774N this volume the learned Author has treated, in an elegant and fpirited latinity, a variety of subjects relative to the Oriental poetry. The first book turns chiefly on that strong attachment the Afiatics in general have for poetry; fhews that their genius is particularly adapted to it, and enters into the caufe. The Author takes notice of the several Eastern nations that appear to have cultivated poetry. The Indian, Chinese, Tartarian, Syrian, and Armenian, and even the Ethiopic poetry are refpectively attended to. Some incidental obfervations on the connection between the Afiatic and the Greek poetry likewife occur. These are followed by remarks on the Arabic, Perfian, and Turkish poetry in particular, fpecimens of which are introduced; C 3 introduced; and by a view of the characteristic excellencies of their different languages. The fecond book treats of the compofition of the Afiatic poetry; of the Arabic and Perfian measures which are generally ufed by the Turks. The Author obferves that the knowledge of the Hebrew metre is not fo entirely loft that we should defpair of recovering it; that it does not altogether correspond with the Arabic metre, the verses of the latter terminating in an uniform manner, which is not the cafe with the Hebrew that in the Arabic poetry the fame measure is continued through the whole of a poem, but not quite fo in the Hebrew; yet that there is, notwithstanding, a great fimilarity, at least, in the numbers. In this book the Kasida of the Arabs, a fpecies of poetry that answers to our elegy, or rather to the Greek Idyllium, is treated of, and a fpecimen of a fhort Idyllium is introduced; feveral of the belt poems of this kind are noticed, together with the feven Idylliums hung up in the temple of Mecca, called Moallakat; and an elegy of Faredhi is tranflated in the manner of Ovid. This tranflation is fo truly ingenious, and fhews the happy imitative powers and command of language which Mr. Jones poffefles, in fo eminent a degree, that we cannot forbear prefenting it for the entertainment of our learned Readers. ELEGI A. Fulgur an è densa vibratum nube corufcat? Nun Num vernant humiles in aprico colle myrica? Ne malus has oculus, ne mala lædat hyems! Our English Readers would hardly think us excufable, if we did not, in fome form or other, give them a tranflation of this beautiful ARABIAN ELEGY. Are these heaven's lightnings that illume the day? C 4 Still Still are we dear to foft ALEGIA's fair? For the many other curious particulars contained in this volume we must refer the Reader to the work itself. IN ART. VI. Lord Chesterfield's Letters, concluded. L. N the fecond volume of this pleafing, this feducing collection, we find a letter to Monf. de Voltaire. It is dated Aug. 27, 1752, and we shall infert it for the fake of a paffage relating to a little piece of Swift's, which (we believe) is not to be found in any edition of the Dean's works. As a moft convincing proof how infinitely I am interested in every thing which concerns Mr. Stanhope, who will have the honour of prefenting you this letter, I take the liberty of introducing him. to you. He has read a great deal, he has feen a great deal ; whether or not he has made a proper ufe of that knowledge, is what I do not know: he is only twenty years of age. He was at Berlin fome years ago, and therefore he returns thither; for at prefent people are attracted towards the north, by the fame motives which but lately drew them to the fouth. Permit me, Sir, to return you thanks for the pleasure and inftruction I have received from your History of Lewis the XIV. I have as yet read it but four times, because I wish to forget it a little before I read it a fifth; but I find that impoffible: I fhall therefore only wait till you give us the augmentation which you promised: let me intreat you not to defer it long. I thought myself pretty converfant in the Hiftory of the Reign of Lewis the XIV. by means of those innumerable hiftories, memoirs, anecdotes, &c. which I had read relative to that period of time. You have convinced me that I was mistaken, and had upon that fubject very confused ideas in many respects, and very falfe ones in others. Above all, I cannot but acknowledge the obligation we have to you, Sir, for the light which you have thrown upon the follies and outrages of the different fects; the weapons you employ against thofe madmen, or those impoftors, are the only fuitable ones; to make ufe of any others would be imitating them: they must be attacked by ridicule, and and punished with contempt. A propos of thofe fanatics; I fend you here inclosed, a piece upon that fubject, written by the late Dean Swift: I believe you will not diflike it. You will eafily guess why it never was printed: it is authentic, and I have the original in his own band-writing. His Jupiter, at the day of judgment, treats them much as you do, and as they deserve to be treated. Give me leave, Sir, to tell you freely, that I am embarrassed upon your account, as 1 cannot determine what it is that I wifh from you, When I read your last hiftory, I am defirous that you should always write hiftory; but when I read your Rome Sauvée (although ill printed and disfigured) yet I then with you never to deviate from poetry: however, I confefs that there ftill remains one history worthy of your pen, and of which your pen alone is worthy. You have long ago given us the hiftory of the greatest and most outrageous Madman (I ask your pardon if I cannot fay the greateft Hero) of Europe; you have given us latterly the hiftory of the greatest King; give us now the hiftory of the greatest and most virtuous Man in Europe; I fhould think it degrading to call him King. To you this cannot be difficult, he is always before your eyes; your poetical invention is not neceffary to his glory, as that may fafely rely upon your historical candour. The first duty of an hiftorian is the only one he need require from his, Ne quid falfi dicere audeat, ne quid veri non audeat. Adieu, Sir, I find that I must admire you every day more and more; but I alfo know that nothing ever can add to the esteem and attachment with which I am actually, Your most humble, and moft obedient fervant, CHESTERFIELD.' The performance alluded to in the foregoing letter, is not inferted in the volume before us; but we conclude that it can be no other than the following little poem, entitled, The Day of Judgment; of which, fome time ago, an incorrect copy found its way into one of the public papers. We give it to our Readers as a curiofity, and as a key to the Dean's religious character; which was oddly compounded of the oppofite principles of Freethinking and Bigotry: The DAY of JUDGMENT, I funk from reverie to reft. * (So |