The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-17 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

POETICAL EPHEMERAS.
ABERDEEN. 1832.

There is considerable sweetness of versifica-
tion in these Ephemeras—or Ephemera, as the
author should have called them—and many ten-
der and pleasing thoughts scattered here and
there, clothed in appropriate language. But
there is a sad want of vigour and originality in the
volume, and occasionally an exaggeration of sen-
timent, as for instance where Mr. Brown talks of
the music of Braham, as being infinitely superior to
any music which he has ever heard from the lips of
his " own lady love." Now no genuine poet,
we conceive, from the days of Anacreon down
to those of Moore, ever yet made such a con-
fession as this. We would recommend Mr.
Brown, should he think fit to send a copy of his
volume to his " lady love," by all means to
cancel that page in which he declares her to be
far inferior to Braham in that very quality " an
excellent thing in woman," on which all senti-
mental young ladies so justly pique themselves.

ON 2HE PHENOMENA OF DREAMS.
LONDON. 1832.

A difficult and perplexing subject is here, if
not elucidated, at least canvassed in a spirit of
moderation and sagacity. Mr. Dendy has, like
other men, his own particular theory on dreams,
and supports it in the true spirit of a logician, with a
formidable squadron of arguments, fit for every ser-
vice. One of the main predisposing e,auseaofdreams
Mr. Dendy seems to think is indigestion ; this
to a certain extent is true : but it is far from the
chief cause, for the world of the present day is
no supper-eater, and oftener goes to bed with
an empty than a full stomach. Yet it dreams
as much as ever, so that dyspepsia cannot
be one of the chief predisposing causes. It
is Mr. Coleridge, we believe, who holds the
doctrine, that these nocturnal " transient il-
lusions," as Mr. Dendy calls them, follow
the character and habits of the sleeper, and
that a friend of his used always to say, " tell
me your dreams, and I will tell you your turn
of mind ;" on the notion that a poet, for instance,
would invariably dream of matters belonging
to his craft, of fairy-palaces, and goblin fiends,
of Paradise, Arcadia, and, peradventure, even
Tophet. Mr. C. Lamb, acceding to the pro-
priety of this doctrine, takes for granted, in one
of the most amusing essays of that most amus-
ing of modern works, " Elia," that he never
could, would, should, or ought to be a
poet, because his dreams are all essentially
prosaic ; and that if by any lucky chance
he falls upon a splendid, imaginative dream,
a fairy palace, or an Arcardian river, his palace,
long before his dream is at an end, makes a
point of changing to the Bank or the South Sea
House, and his river to the Thames at Wapping.
Without pursuing this subject further, or pre-
suming to venture on a speculation, we may say
that Mr. Dendy has brought much research to
his task, and furnished us with an agreeable and
edifying treatise.

STANDARD NO VELS, No. XL
LONDON. 1932.

" The Hungarian Brothers," one of Miss
A. M. Porter's earliest publications, and, if we
mistake not, one of the best of the romantic
school of fiction, that is, of that school which,
to avoid superfluous labour, throws poor human
nature overboard ; which make its heroes demi-
gods, and its heroines angels, all its old men
virtuous, and all its old women interesting ;
one of the best specimens of this style of fiction,
so captivating to the glowing fancy of youth, is
comprised in the present volume. It is but just
to say that the authoress has retrenched many of
the exuberances of the former editions, and
sobered down her tale more to the level of real life.

DIVINES OF THE CHURCH OF ENG-
LAND. No. XX. LoNnow. 1832.

We have so often expressed our opinion of
this truly meritorious republication, that we shall
say nothing further at present than that it keeps
up its high character for the useful and valuable
quality of its varied selections from the writings
of our ablest and most profound divines.

FACTS RESPECTING THE PUNISH-
MENT OF DEATH. Lownox. 1832.

A book well worth an attentive consideration,
as it deals little in theory, and is almost wholly
of a practical character. Mr. Wakefield is a
gentleman of observation, and has turned it to
account in this volume.

CICER 0' S ORATIONS. Lownow. 1832.

Twelve "Select Orations" of Cicero, with the
obscurer passages
.and local allusions explained
in English notes at the bottom of the page where
they occur, are contained in the present volume.
The book forms a capital school-book