The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-09-19


The molly geefe that gabbied Ger the pool,
The playful children jua let loofe from iehool.
The voice that bay d the Whispering wind,
And the loud laugh that fpeke the vacant mind.
His internal view of the village, with its principal
perionages, the clergyman and fchoolmaiter, is adj
n,irably drawn. The portrait fthe former may wye
in dignity and intereR with Dryden's Country Par
fon and though they are 70 fmilar in fubje3 aud
effea, Goldfmith's exhibits marks of imitation,
but is perfectly original. The fchoolmaaer is CO.
mic painting, but extremely natural, and free from
careature. The fame may be faid of the alehoufe,
with irs furniture and company; and good-nature
will execute the indulgence with which the enoymeuts
Of the poor treated, when verging to exces
II indeed, to the credit Of Coldfnhs heart, that
he always appears the poor mans friend and the
roneous notions which he has adopted fone points,
were probably fuggeRed by the keen indignation he
felt again thofe hardened fons of wealth and eafe
who feem to grudge their interiors any hare ofthoie
Pleafures in which they themteves revel without
trsl The pictures of the ruined and forlaken female,
and Of the group taking laa farewell of their beo
we'd village, beautiful touches Of the pathetic. On
the whole this poem is of thofe which take poi
felton, of the heart and imagination with rreif.be
iway, and can icarcely a,iate by repeated peru.al
The other pieces of Go!dlmith tribes, but Guch
as denote the man of original genius. " The Haunch
of Venilen" and Retaliation" are humorous pro-
duaions, in which the familiar aye is very happily
employed. The latter plealan,y exhibits rhe authors
talent at drawing ohara aers. The lgh, fatire in
!one of rheie ketches is teaioned with good humour-
ed praife, 70 make up very palarabie compound
to the Pertons concerned; with the exception of
Garrick whole ioibles drawn with too much force
to be oblterated by COMMUNICATION. Accordingly, it
provoked more fevere taough leis witty resor, from
the grea. actor.
| The Hermit" is fpceimen of the ballad diven-
ed of that ruiticity which is its uua character yet
preierving an elegant and cultured implicitly.
| he Rory is not good but there arc many
Pieafng paaages in the piece, and the moral fes,i-
ments are expreed with great neanels. rha, it has
none of the trivial phrafes and inipd repetions of
the ancient ballads, will be objected to it only by
thoie whole tate is vtiated by antiquarian pedanry.
OF the remaining cow, 7ii,ions ihall notice only
one, and that for the pu,pof ofhowng the power of
notification alone in giving the grace of poetry to
hmpie 1 .tipent, unadorned by any of thofe flowers
OF dieaion which fome fuppofe eential to the poetca
character. Palmer words be found than thofc
which compete the following Z" Stanzas Woman"
When lovely Woman ftoops to folly,
And finds too late that men be,ray,
What charm can tooth her melancholy,
What art can waih her guilt away
i Uny ner quit TO cover,
To hide her hame from every eye,
Togve repentance to her lover,
And wiring his boionl, is-to die.
confels, however, they have to charm be-
yond that Of almolt any piece Of the kind with wkich
am acquainted This effect is, doubtlefs, partly
owing to the pahes of the fetment itfelf, and the
Kill with which it is wrought to point, But flrry
the meodious Row of the lines, joined with the re-
eurrence OF agreeable POUNDS in the double rhymes
operates as powerful auxiliary The ierfe. Many
OF the belt fongs i'll language, and alno all thofe
OF the French, turn in like upon Jingle ri-
king thought, expreGtd with hmple concifenels, in
| elegant notification.
An example of what may be done by arong fenle,
learning, and cultivated taite, towards producing va
luable poetry, without truly poeeal genius, is af-
forded by fevera pieces in vere of the celebrated Dr.
SAMSEL JoHssoN, whole great name in literature
has been acquired by his profe competitions The
walk in which writer 70 qualified is mott likely to
fuccsed, is that of the morally ddaeiic Energy of
language, vgour and compass of thought, and cor
rectnes of notification, the principal republics
for the moral poet and few have pof1efTed them in
| higher degrees than the author in queaion.
His limitations Of two fatires of Juvena under the
title Of " London and The Vanity of Hsman
Wihes" are, perhaps, the mot manly competitions
of the kind in our language. The Roman poet is
diGinguhed by the earnaa and pointed feverity of
his inve6ive, well as by the force of his painting
and the loftnefs of his philofophy; and the imitation
isi mort OF the original in there repe6fs
whilh it is free from it, grofneS and impurity. The
London indeed, written in the earlier part of John
fons literary career, while he a oppotition.
in in politics. and had fcarcely acquired that confirm
ed reh for the metropolis which afterwards charao-
terzed him, has Considerable mixture of coarfe ex-
aggeration. The other piece pohelIes more calm Dig
nifty ; and the examples drawn from modern hftory
10 parallel thofe from ancient hRory in the original
are, for the mo part, well chofen That of Charles
Of Sweden is written with peculiar animation. The
concluon, which is ublime in the Latin, is as much
more 70 in the Englh, the theology of the modern
writer was hyperion to that ST the ancient. Nobler
lines than the following were compofed
Yet when the f-nfe of facred. prefenee fires,
And arong devotion to tn. h,ies aipires,
Pour forth ny leryours for healthful mind,
Obcdiept panions and, will religu'd;
For love, which fcarce collective man can fill,
For patience, foveregn Ger tranlinuted i'll /;
For faith, that painting for happier feat,
Counts death, kind NATURES ignafor retreat.
Both theis limitations have an excellence to an En-
giiih reader always found in competitions of this
clais--that Of being complete in themleves and not
depending for their efea upon alulion to the orig-
nails.
The fame vigour of thought and ffyle has made
ohnion the author of the net prologue language
can boait with the exception, perhaps, Of Popes to
Cato. 1t was written on the Occalion of opening
the Drury-lane theatre in IT47, and was meant 70
uiher IN that better choice Of plays which took place
under the management of his friend Garrick The
ketch OF the vciiiitudes of the Engh drama is drawn
with uitnei and prit, and the concluding appeal to
the good en(e and tate of the audience is truly dgn
fed Another prologue, to the benelt-play given to
Miitons grand daughter, is likewife much hyperion
to 'he ordinary Brain of thefe conlpeGtons