The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-02-03 00:00:00

M

-This Day is published, a New Edition, being the Saveutti,
(with Nine Wnoil Car) prim 46. boards; thesame with Four
beautiful Copper-plates, 54. boards ; the same, Octavo with
Copper-plates, Gs. ; Qtnnto; on Vellum Paper, 10s. 1541'.
THE FARMER'S SOY; a' Rani Poem.
By ROBERT BLOOMFIELD.
" In the 340tikie of this sweetly simple And interesting poem,
we are presented with another striking illustration of tint re-
mark, " poeta, nascitur, non tit." This favourite child of r-
nrui and the mete, who, with no adseititious advantaged ie
birth, fortune, education, or cotaw,:tion, has produced a poem
which may be read with delight, even atter Thomson, and ira
some respects may chailenge a competition, with the Seas Ons
of that author." Monthly Mirror, Mardi 18410.
" To describe the vicarious occupations of a farmer's boy, in
the four seasons of the year, is the main design of the poen]
and however humble these employments may appear as (*Mt,
of poetical attention, the very ingenious writer has contrived
to embellish their rusticity and meanness with a harmony of
numbers, which could not be expected from at. uncultivated
mind; to soften the harshness of minute detail, by blending
apt and picturesque d-seriptions; and ta enliven the whole by
strokes of poetic imagery, and unaffected sentiment. The_poetia
certainly discovers very clearly the powers of natural tinafFeCted
genius." Monthly Review, vol. .33, p. 57.
"I have read the Farmer's Boy with a mixture of astonisk
ment and delight. There is a pathetic simplicity in his Pr,
unions and descriptions, that does honour to his held and
heart.
" His copies from nature are truly original and faithful, and
are touched with the hand of a mater. His versification oe-
casiumily displays an energy and harmony which might detr
rate even the pages of a laarwin.
" The general characteristics of his style, however, are
sweetness and ease. In short, I have no hesitation in cleclarinr,
that i think it, as a rural and descriptive poem, superior to are
production since the days of Thomson.
" It wants no reference to its author's undecayed poverty to
render it: excellencies the more striking; they arc, such aswoeld
confer durable fame on the first and must polished poet in the
kingdom."

Extract of a Letter from Dr. Drake to the Editor.
Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs. By Robert Bloomfield,
author of the Farmer's Boy ;in fool;-cap Bvo. with wood-cuts
price 4s hoards. ()titer editions, demy five. Ss. 6d.; funto,
10s. 64. and royal quarto, 18s. in boards.
" We are here called away from Asir abstruser etwilies !by
these productions of a genuine child of nature. In bloom -
field's first poem, the Farmer's Boy, we saw and commended
the evidence of an original genius, well deserving of einem:-
ragement and cultivation. The public leas agreed with virs,aud
five editions of that work exhibit the must unequivocal iittena •
tion of general favour.
" With the Farmer's Roy we were highly pleased, because
it spewed, in the moat striking manner, the natural mayo.
meats of an ingenious mind ; and evinced how perfectly .new
a sub ecv, appareirtly pi•e-occopid., may be made by taking
in a-different view. But wit hesitate not to declare ourselves
still more satisfied with the present volume. 'the author here
relates tales., it:themselves pleasing, in The language ofbeariv-
ful simplicity and natural poetry ; or pours forth pastoral tangy,
full of pleasing ideas, in a style exaltly suited to their expres-
sion." British Critic, April 180 L.

" In the Anti...Jacobi* for August 1900, we had the pleasure
of calling public attention to the unlettered muse of this secoLd
Burns.

" We then beheld this rising genius with delight, listened
with pleasure to the warbling of his " native wood-autos wild.;"
slid we now hail, with incr-a•ed satisfactron, the inure ma-
ture flights of his well ,t..tertZ imagination."
A nti-Sacobin, April 1 ROI' .
Printed for Vernor arld HAY', No. illy Poultry ; and Lung-
man and Rees, Paternoster-riw..