marks, a wifh is expreffed that fome properly-qualified English traveller in Italy would gather proper materials for a new edition of Horace's Odes, accompanied with a traveller's notes.

Several illustrations might doubtless be with much ease and pleafure collected from a view of the face of this country, from an experience of its climate, and an obfervation of the manners and customs of its inhabitants: illuftrations never perhaps to be expected from the labour or genius of any of our tramontane literati, who have not had the pleasure of feeing these fouthern parts of Europe. I have been thinking, that fuch an edition might be very properly adorned, not only with fome neatly engraved maps of the Campania di Roma, and other parts of modern Italy; but alfo with fome fmall landícapes placed as head or tail pieces to feveral of the odes.'

This remark is affigned to the young nobleman, who farther purfues and illuftrates it :-after which the eldeft of thefe young men obferves:

Horace, though he kept the highest company, yet loved a middle ftation in life, and knew its value. This feems to have been one of the most amiable features in his character. By the joint favour of the prince and minifter, Horace doubtlefs might have accumulated a much larger fortune, and rifen to fome very confiderable office in public life: but he viewed things with too piercing an eye:

* Cur valle per mutem Sabina
Divitias operofiores?

I remember your good tutor has on fome occafion taken notice, that, though Horace was far inferior to Cowley in his general moral character, (as far inferior in that, as he was fuperior in respect of his poetic abilities,) yet their turns of mind were in fome refpects very fimilar; the language of their hearts was on fome topics almost equally amiable.'

It is not poffible for us to attend this writer in a particular detail of all the characters which fall under difcuffion. The Auguftan age prefents feveral worthy of notice. Whether he be not, on the whole, too favourable in his delineation of Auguftus, we will not prefume to decide: but, although the latter years of that emperor difplayed him to advantage, we muft fill regard him as an inhuman conqueror and a defpot. His public works were magnificent and highly ufeful, as were thofe of feveral others at that period: but, while they bore imperial names, it is ever to be confidered that they were effected at the expence and labour of the citizens throughout the empire. He made alfo feveral wife and ufeful regulations, and manifested a regard both to juftice and to clemency.

It is not eafy, perhaps, to infufe the full meaning of Horace into a fhort English fentence: but let the reader take the general fense as follows;

Why should I exchange my Sabine farm for riches, which would be attended with fo much greater cares and labours, anxieties and vexations?

Yet,

Yet, furely, (proceeds Crito, who is now the fpeaker,) Auguftus Ought never to have entertained any hopes, that the horrid crimes of his youth (however atoned for in the fight of Heaven) could even by thefe means be totally effaced from the memory of men. Succeeding generations have and will always look on the hiftory of his life with hatred and deteftation, though mixed with admiration, though mixed with pity. This is a melancholy reflection. The fame, alas! is the cafe in private ftations. The crimes of youth fometimes continue an indelible ftain throughout life: the best conduct in manhood and old age will not be fufficient totally to regain the favour of mankind. Yet let not fuch perfons be too much difpirited: let them lay aside, indeed, all thoughts of reputation and honour; but let them fervently pray, pray without ceafing, that their penitence may at length be favourably accepted by the moft gracious, the most merciful of all Beings.'

Agrippa, Germanicus, Drufus, Thrafeus, &c. are to be added to the number of eminent characters here difcuffed; and with these are mentioned, in terms of just abhorrence, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero. The evils which thefe tyrants occafioned give rife to reflections on fuffering virtue; and this theme very naturally, on fuch a fpot, directs the reader's thoughts to the calamities in which the early profeffors of Christianity were involved. St. Peter, St. Paul, &c. occupy for a time the attention and reflections of the company. of the remarks we may not improperly copy:

One

As the heathen annals of Rome in this age fufficiently inform us, that profperity is not without many fears and difafters: fo the history of the newly-rifing Chriftian religion fhews us in a much stronger light, that virtuous adverfity is not without many comforts and hopes, and felicity of heart, infinitely heightened by the affured prospect of a happy immortality, and the affiftance of Divine grace.'

Thus we perceive that, throughout thefe volumes, Chriftian piety and virtue are conftantly and warmly recommended :But we have fometimes apprehended that there are inftances, in which this writer too much applauds a kind of devotion arising from fuperftition, attended with bigotry; and which may, it is too well known, confift with vice, and with the horrid slavery and perfecution of fuch as cannot abide by its decifions.-True religion is of a very different nature!

The ftyle of this publication does not always fhew marks of that care which might contribute to render the work completely acceptable.

Perhaps, for the fake of the mere English reader, it is to be regretted that the editor did not procure tranflations of the numerous Greek and Latin paffages, which fo continually

Occur,

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ART.

ART. XII. The Works of Soame Fenyns, Efq. in Four Volumes: including feveral Pieces never before published; to which are prefixed fhort Sketches of the Hiftory of the Author's Family, and alfo of his Life. By Charles Nalfon Cole, Efq. Crown 8vo. 4 Vols. 16s. Boards. Cadell. 1790.

THE

HE new pieces contained in these volumes are-one or two fhort poems-thoughts on the national debt-and fome curfory obfervations on feveral paffages in the New Teftament. As thefe additions to Mr. Jenyns's former productions are not very material either in point of fize or value, and as the reft of his performances, which make up the bulk of the books before us, have been long known to the world, we were not in hafte to notice this publication :-but we think it neceflary, even now, to register the exiftence of the completeft edition of this author's works.

The perfpicuity and eafy elegance of Mr. Jenyns's ftyle juftly entitle him to a place on the fame fhelf with Addifon; and we think, alfo, he poffeffed a confiderable portion of the chaftenefs of Addifon's humour. When writing on a light and familiar fubject, fuch as a fprightly poem, an effay in The World*, or a difquifition on cruelty to inferior animals, he is excellent: but we never could difcern much depth of thought, nor closenefs of argument, in any of his compofitions, theological or political. If, however, in the difcuffion of a controverted fubject, he feldom convinces us by the force of his reasoning; or, in attempting to explore new truth, feldom inftructs us by the folidity of his matter; yet, on obvious and ordinary topics, he never fails to delight us by the graces of his manner. He poffeffed, we think, little of that penetration which enables a man to make important difcoveries for himself; nor had he much of that comprehenfive force of mind which might lead him to adopt at once, without hefitation, difcoveries made by another. More afraid of innovation than folicitous for improvement, he was fhy of truth in a new dress, and till fhe had rendered berfelf a little familiar to him, he was rather difpofed to refift her as an enemy than to court her as a friend :-but, as foon as she had obtained established credit and footing in the world, and had fecured in her favour the voice of those who have great weight and influence in deciding the opinions of mankind, the fenfe and virtue of Mr. Jenyns led him to efpoufe her caufe, while his good tafte and acquirements qualified him to plead it with efficacy.

In this character, Mr. Jenyns appears, not only in his former productions, but in thofe which are for the first time prefented A well known periodical work.

to

to the public in the volumes before us. Of thefe the largeft and most confiderable are the curfory obfervations on the New Teftament; and of their general caft and complexion the reader may form a competent judgment from the following fhort extract: in which, if there be nothing new nor uncommon, there is much truth and found fenfe, well expreffed :

Mark viii. 38.

Whosoever, therefore, fhall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and finful generation, of him also fhall the Son of man be afbamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father.

Many and fevere are the threats which we find denounced by Christ against hypocrites; that is, against thofe who pretended an extraordinary fanctity in their manners and converfation, without having any true fenfe of religion or morality in their hearts. The words before us are a threat, likewife, againft hypocrites, but hypocrites of a very different fort; thofe who pretend to be more profligate than they really are, and therefore may properly be called hypocrites in wickednefs. Thefe are much more numerous in the prefent times, and perhaps much more mischievous than the former; as thofe do honour to religion and virtue by their pretences to them, thefe affront them by an open difavowal. Thofe make others better than themselves, and thefe worfe, by their example. We meet with this ridiculous and criminal kind of hypocrify every day; we fee men affecting to be guilty of vices for which they have no relish, of profligacy for which they have not conftitutions, and of crimes which they have not courage to perform. They lay claim to the honour of cheating, at the time they are cheated, and endeavour to pafs for knaves, when, in fact, they are but fools. Thefe are the offenders of whom Chrift will be afhamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father; which will be a dreadful but just punishment, and a proper retaliation of that foolish and impious modefty, which induced them to be ashamed of him and his word, in complaifance to a finful and adulterous generation; and to be lefs afraid of incurring the difpleafure of the best of all Beings, than the profane ridicule of the worst of

men.'

The account of the author's family, and the fketches of his life, prefixed to the first volume, avowedly contain few or no anecdotes, and are written in a ftyle in which the ftudied brilliancy of language, fo much admired in the works of fome modern authors, will be found to have no place.' They difcover much more of the partiality of the friend, than of the art and skill of the biographer. Mr. Jenyns was originally descended from the family of the Jenyns's of Churchill in Somerfetfhire, and more immediately from a younger branch of it, which, about the middle of the last century, fettled in Cambridgeshire. He was born in Great Ormond-ftreet, London, "in the moment of controversy," as he used to fay of himself, viz. at twelve o'clock on the night between the expiration of the year 1703 and the commencement of 1704. He was de

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puted

puted to parliament in 1742, and continued to fit in it till 1780'; during 34 years of which time he represented either the town or the county of Cambridge; and, in the other four, the borough of Dunwich in Suffolk. In 1755 he was appointed a Lord of Trade, and continued a member of that board till its diffolution. He was twice married, but died without iffue, on the 18th December 1787.

In his private life Mr. J. was an amiable, chearful, and engaging companion; a friend to virtue and regularity. As a magiftrate, he difcharged his duties with diligence and integrity; and in his political capacity he feems, both as a fenator and an author, and likewife in focial conversation, to have pretty uniformly given his fupport to that which he found eftablished either in church or state.

Notwithstanding, however, this attachment to things as he found them, he always confidered the British empire as enlarged beyond the bounds of found policy; and that those parts of it beyond the Atlantic Ocean to the West, and beyond the Cape of Good Hope to the Eaft, were at too great a diftance to be governed as they ought to be.'

He always beheld our conquefts in the Eaft Indies with real concern, and confidered the great influx of wealth, brought thence into this country, by the individuals who had there acquired it, as an ample revenge for the unjuft depredations committed on the territorial poffeffions of their princes, ever confidering thofe depredations as being the most enormous acts of injuftice that could be fhewn from one ftate to another, and that this was heightened by a moft flagrant act of ingratitude for the original permiffion of commercial establishments made on their coafts, in order that trade might be carried on to more advantage; for which permiffion the natives were entitled to the most perfect amity, and every public focial intercourfe fhewn to the most favoured nations. Sometimes he would add, that though Afia had in her turn been often conquered by all who attacked her, yet that the wealth brought from thence by the conquerors into their respective dominions, had always introduced with it fo great luxury, that thereby thofe virtues by which they became conquerors, were at last enfeebled and done away, infomuch that Afia in her turn became the conqueror; of which he inftanced, amongst others, the decline and fall of the Roman empire as a lafting evidence. He confidered the East Indies and America as two immenfe difproportionate wings to the fmall body of the island, and expreffed his fears left, at fome time or other, they might fly away with the British empire.'

In ecclefiaftical matters, alfo, notwithstanding his prevailing attachment to the form of found words delivered to him from his fpiritual paftors and mafters, and his profeffing the greatest veneration for the church of England and its government as by law established, yet he thought that alterations and amendments might be made in her liturgy, which would render it