ing particulars firft, "on bounties"; fecondly, "on protecting duties"; thirdly, "on eftablishments for the profecution of trade and manufactures by government, or the public on its own account"; fourthly, "on corporations"; fifthly, "on the maximum in the price of labour"; fixthly, " on foundations".

Thofe fubjects are examined under different points of view. Various reasons are stated to prove their use or their bad tendency; and the opinions of fome able writers on the subjects are mentioned, and, according to their merits, are either recommended or refuted.

66

The third chapter contains brief notes refpe&ing the encou ragement of specific manufactures. It is divided into fix fections, the titles of which are, firft, "the linen and hempen manufacture"; fecondly, "of the woollen manufacture"; thirdly," of the cotton manufacture"; fourthly, " of the paper manufacture"; fifthly, " on the providing food for the manufacturers"; fixthly, mifcellaneous obfervations and conclufion." In this laft chapter the immediate application of the means of encouragement, which have been examined in the preceding part of the Effay, is particularly pointed out; fuch as the most expedient method of fecuring the growth of the materials; the neceffary amelioration of the fubfervient machinery; the expediency of impofing taxes on the importation of certain articles, which might be fabricated at home; and other fimilar regulations.

Having thus given an idea of the various parts of this very extenfive Eflay, we may, upon the whole, obferve that the ftyle is perfpicuous and methodical. In almoft every page this author fhows his thorough knowledge of the fubject, and he always reasons with moderation and propriety. But feveral of his obfervations are trivial or fuperfluous; and a good many topics have been unneceffarily fpun out to too great a length. By a contraction of the latter, and a fuppreffion of the former paffages, this Effay might perhaps be comprised within the half of its present size.

(To be concluded in our next.)

ART. II. The Triumph of Mufic; a Poem, in fix Cantos. By William Hayley, Efq. 4to. 148 pp. 10s. 6d. Payne, &c. 1804.

THE author of the prefent Poem, Mr. Hayley, has been

too long before the public as an original writer, for us to feel ourselves called upon to characterize either the merits or

defects

defects of his poetical ftyle. There are few readers or judges of English poetry, who have not already formed their opinion on that fubject, which it would be a vain attempt for us to endeavour, even if we thought ourselves able, to correct. The final judge of poetical merit is public opinion, which being the gradual refult of many critical decifions, formed by competent judges, cannot reafonably be oppofed by any fingle pen.

What it is moft material for us to fay, refpecting the prefent production, is, that it contains a very interefling flory, includ ing several romantic but not altogether improbable incidents. The virtuous love of Lucilio and Venufia, the dark revenge of Donado, the penitence and felf-inflicted folitude of Manfredi, and the beautiful fcene of his retreat, all difpofe the mind to pay attention to the tale; the winding up of which is well contrived, well concealed, and extremely gratifying to the reader when at length developed. We would not interrupt, by anticipation, the pleasure of the readers whom our report may lead to perufe the Poem, and therefore refrain from flating the circumftances of it; contenting ourfelves with producing one or two fpecimens of the mode of narrating. To thefe we may premife the obfervation, that to relate a flory in verfe, without the aid of epic dignity, is a task of great difficulty. Dryden himself, who had more genius than almoft any other poetical fabulift can pretend to, will yet be found to exemplify this difficulty, by many unavoidable inequalities. If this has happened alfo to Mr. H. which in our opinion it has, in fuch a proportion as might be expected, what we have faid will in part excufe it. The retreat of the fecluded Manfredi, near Milan, will afford a favourable part of the narrative.

"And now with zeal, that 'fcapes all fearching eyes,
By nightly journies, and by deep difguife,
The friendly prieft has led the tender pair,
Where quiet feems to confecrate the air;
Where penfive fancy, with a voice fedate,
Appears to whifper all who pafs the gate,

་་

Ye, who have enter'd, banish every fear,
For fafe tranquillity is fovereign here!"-
In times remote, this fair, and fertile spot
Of a young noble form'd the bufy lot;
Manfredi's arteftor! his active mind
Indulg'd unbounded love for arts refin'd.
Here, with a skilful architect his friend
He bade his ftatues, and his fhrines afcend;
Here he fo mingled, with his cells and towers,
His ftreams, his paftures, and his fylvan bowers,
The charms of Greece to fecond life he rais'd;
In one bright villa all Arcadia blax'd.

But

But here, where new-born art attain'd her prime,
Rafh prodigality, affifting time,

Half its profufe magnificence deftroy'd,
Ere its new lord the verdant scene enjoy'd.
When first this heritage became his lot,
Manfredi figh'd o'er the difmantled fpot;
For ftatues, of prime note, had fled away;
Towers fell, and temples trembled in decay.
Still with funk charms, yet awfully ferene,
The ghoft of grandeur feem'd to guard the scene.
Manfredi's penetrating eye could fee

All it had been, and all it yet might be :

Tho' in the mould'ring villa he had found

Scarce half the beauties, that once deck'd the ground,
Yet, as thefe fuited his afflicted foul,

He deem'd the half fuperior to the whole.

The relicks, foon with guardian order grac❜d,
He cherish'd with neat care, and pensive taste.

His house, beneath whofe roof a prince might dwell,
In part unfurnish'd ftands, a fumptuous shell!
In parts, with modeft elegance compleat,
For many a friend might form a choice retreat.
Open arcades of different afpects run
To catch the rifing, and the fetting fun;"
O'er thefe apartments, of nice order rife;
Each with a profpect to enchant all eyes!
His eaftern wing allotting to his gueft,
Lonely Manfredi lurks within the west;
But like a fecret minifter of good,
Some unfeen genius of a facred wood,
With quiet bounty, fearching as the air,
Broods o'er the charge confided to his care;

And, tho' for ever to their fight denied,

Leaves not a want, they fuffer, unfupplied." P. 58.

We think Mr. Hayley mistaken in mixing fo much lyric compofition, however accounted for, amidst his narrative. Sonnets, in particular, are feldom interefting, even when they fpeak the feelings of living agents; but when they are formed for imaginary perfons, in fabled fituations they are fill lefs powerful. The Sonnets here introduced are numerous, and all of the regular confiruction. The following appears to us one of the best among them; and is particularly elevated by the happy and pious application of the laft line.

"Wifely from man his maker has withheld
Freedom of option, or to live, or die;
Elfe, quick to quarrel with a cloudy sky,
The human fpirit, by caprice impell'd,

Or lur'd by fiends, who 'gainst their God rebell'd,
Would fpurn existence, Heaven's rich gift belie,

And

And from the flander'd charms of nature fly,
Leagued with her foes, by virtue to be quell'd.

In changeful scenes, mortality's domain !
Let piety prepare the mind elate

Blifs to enjoy, or forrow to fuftain,

Firm as her fightlefs bard, whofe heavenly strain

May reconcile the foul to lingering fate!

"They also serve, who only ftand, and wait." P. 100.

Many hymns and songs are also interspersed; among which, felect this:

we may

"Lord! who haft call'd, with fovereign power,

The heart thy real throne,
May I perceive thee every hour
Establish'd in my own!

Unftain'd, like glory's vital ray,

In fcenes by feraphs trod,
Make thou the temple, day by day,

More worthy of the God!" P. 95.

Recollecting the humorous obfervation made in the lively Antijacobin newspaper, on the phrafe " fweet enthufiaft", &c. we wifhed, with a fmile, not to have met with it fo often here;' but on this and other objections, of more or lefs weight, for the reasons already affigned, we do not think it neceffary to dwell; but willingly give our general approbation to the tale.

ART. III. The Hiftory of Scotland, from the Union of the Crowns, &c.

(Continued from p. 400.)

WE E have beftowed merited praife on the arrangement of

Mr. Laing's Differtation on the murder of Darnley; but we cannot praise the abruptnefs of his tranfition from the facts previous to the murder, to thofe by which it was fucceeded. The murder itself was attended with very fingular circumftances, furnishing much of that moral evidence which he deems more fatisfactory than direct proofs. Why were not thefe circumftances fully and fairly ftated, and the evidence arifing from them laid before the reader?

This omiffion, we think, can be attributed only to Mr. Laing's profeffional habits. He undertook to defend the character and conduct of the Scottish rebels, and to eftablifh the

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXV. MAY, 1805.

guilt

guilt of the unfortunate Queen; and confidering himself as an advocate addreffing a jury, he may have thought that it became his character to bring forward only fuch evidence as appeared fit for the purpose of his pleading. Though we are not retained on either fide, we beg leave to fupply his omiffion, and to call the reader's attention to the real state of the controverfy, and to the very fingular manner in which Darnley was murdered.

The friends of Mary fay, that the murder was devifed by Murray and his affociates, and perpetrated by fome of them, in fuch a manner as fhould excite the public fufpicion against the Queen; and they add, that the object of all this was to carry into effect the plot which had been formed, before her return from France, to precipitate her from the throne, and place her baftard-brother at the head of the government. Her enemies, on the other hand, alledge, that the murder was conceived by herself and Bothwell, only that the might rid herfelf of a capricious husband, and marry the man with whom he had for fome time been engaged in a criminal

amour.

That the Queen had any criminal intercourfe with Bothwell during the life of her husband, is in itself extremely improbable, and refts on no other evidence than a series of letters and fonnets, &c. which have long been abandoned, as palpable forgeries, by her enemies as well as by her friends. Suppofing the cafe, however, to have been otherwife, why should the have preferred the getting rid of her husband by murder, rather than by thofe methods which Lethington affured her, in the prefence of Murray and his friends, that they had devised for making her quit of him, with fafety to her honour, and without injury to her fon? Does the guilt of murder loading the confcience add a zeft to the enjoyment of sensual love? Or had Mary ever appeared to delight in blood?

But, granting that he had united in herfelf the difpofitions of Nero and Mellalina, what motive can fhe be conceived to have had for murdering her husband, by blowing up with gunpowder the house in which she herself had lodged him? To carry into full effect all the plans which fhe is faid to have formed, it was abfolutely neceffary that the fhould preferve the effeem of at least a great part of her fubjects; but as she is admitted by all to have been no fool, fhe could not hope to retain the public efleem, fhould the ever be difcovered to have imbrued her hands in the blood of the man whom, by every tie of duty and honour, fhe was bound to protect from illegal violence. In fuch circumflances, furely the would have had recourfe to poifon or to private fuffocation, had fhe intended