SONNET. "Enamoured, artless, young, on foreign ground, Uncertain whither from myself to fly, To thee, dear lady, with a humble sigh, Let me devote my heart; which I have found, By certain proofs not few, intrepid, sound, It rests in adamant self-wrapt around; As fond of genius, and fixed fortitude, Of the resounding lyre, and every muse. Weak you will find it in one only part, Now pierced by love's immedicable dart." p. 100. When we come to the notes written by Cowper, upon the three first books of Paradise Lost, we deeply regret that he was prevented, by sorrow or malady, from pursuing a task. for which he was so eminently fitted. His remarks on the language and versification of his author, are of high value; but his sentiments on the inventions, the contrivance, and, above all, the religious feelings of Milton, are inestimable. Cowper justifies, most solidly, the fiction of Pandemonium, and the very unjustly censured .allegory of Sin and Death; with the Line apostrophes where the poet speaks in his own person. As among VOL. II. 3 A materials of such value, we can only select a specimen, we cannot, perhaps, give one more striking than the following admirable note on Book i. 1. 26. "And justify the ways of God to man. Justify them by evincing, that when man, by transgression, incurred the for feiture of his blessings, and the displeasure of God, himself only was to blame. God created him for happiness, made him completely happy, furnished him with sufficient means of security, and gave him explicit notice of his danger. What could be more, unless he had compelled his obedience? which would have been at once to reduce him from the glorious condition of a free agent to that of an animal. "There is a solemnity of sentiment, as well as majesty of numbers, in the exordium of this noble poem, which, in the works of the ancients, has no example. "The sublimest of all subjects was reserved for Milton, and bringing to the contemplation of that subject, not only a genius equal to the best of theirs, but a heart also, deeply impregnated with the divine truths which lay before him, it is no wonder that he has produced a composition, on the whole, superiour to any that we have received from former ages. But he who addresses imself to the perusal of this work, with a mind entirely unaccustomed to serious and spiritual contem plation, unacquainted with the word of God, or prejudiced against it, is ill qualified to appreciate the value of a poeth built upon it, or to taste its beauties.-e Milton is the poet of Christians. An infidel may have an ear for the harmony of his numbers; may be aware of the dignity of his expressions; and in some degree of the sublimity of his conceptions; but the unaffected and masculine piety, which was his true inspirer, and is the very soul of his poem, he will either not perceive, or it will offend him. "We cannot read this exordium without perceiving that the author possesses more fire than he shows. There is a suppressed force in it, the effect of judgment. His judgment controls his genius, and his genius reminds us (to use his own beautiful similitude) of A proud steed reined Champing his iron curb. He addresses himself to the performance of great things, but he makes no great exertion in doing it; a sure symptom of uncommon vigour." p. 189. Thus it is that one poet comments upon another; and we will not seru' ple to say, that there is more of valuable observation in the few notes, which Cowper produced on the beginning of this poem, than in ten times the mass of ordinary annotaions. As to the part of Mr. Hayley in this work, it is modest and proper. Some good notes he has written, and others collected, upon the poems here translated; and we suspect, though we do not perceive it to be said, that the translation of the complimentary poems, addressed to Milton, was his work. The volume is printed for the benefit of a godchild of Cowper, as before announced, and cannot doubt that considerable advantage will be derived from it. The outline sketches by Flaxman, though elegant, are hardly sufficient to raise the book to the price fixed upon it; but this must be excused, in consideration of the application of the profits. The typography is handsome, but very far from correct. Whether the fault is to be imputed to the Chichester printer, or to some little failure of sight in the editor, we know too well how difficult it is to avoid press errours, to speak very harshly of them. Altogether, the work is such as to give abundant gratification to the admirers of Milton, Cowper, and poetry, whether Latin, English, or Italian. FROM THE MONTHLY REVIEW. A Cursory View of Prussia, from the Death of Frederick II. to the Peace of Tilsit. Containing an authentick Account of the Battles of Jena, Auerstadt, Eylau, and Friedland; as also, other important Events during that interesting Period. In a Series of Letters, from a Gentleman in Berlin to his Friend in London. Svo. pp. 176. 5s. sewed. 1809. THE history of Prussia, compared with that of the other states of Europe, bears some resemblance to the history of Thebes, when considered in relation to the other states of Greece. Each may be said to have risen and fallen with one man. The bes with Epaminondas, and Prussia with Frederick II. Neither country occupied a conspicuous rank in the political commonwealth before the age of its respective hero; and neither continued long to maintain its elevation when its hero was no more. The letters before us commenced in 1786, when the death of Frederick II. took place, and his nephew, Frederick William II. ascended the throne; having at his command a well disciplined army of two hundred thousand men, and a treasury of forty millions of dollars. He proved himself, however, altogether unworthy of such a succession; since, though not destitute of capacity, he permitted the love of sensual pleasures to engross those hours which he owed to the welfare of his subjects. One delusion led the way to another; and his understanding being affected by the consequences of excess, as well as of remorse, he was so far forsaken by his reason as to become a believer in the absurd doctrine of apparitions, and to delegate unlimited authority to a hypocrite of the sect of Illuminati. The ministers of Frederick II. consequently declined to occupy a cabinet which they could not direct, and retired in 1792, six years after the death of their patron. It was on this change that Austria prevailed on Prussia to enter into the treaty of Pilnitz, the object of which was to attack France, and to complete the dismemberment of Poland. The latter of these points was accomplished in 1793; and the Polish nobility were brought reluctantly to Posen, to swear allegiance to their conquerors. Nothing could be more impolitick, or less adapted to conciliate, than the subsequent conduct of the Prussian government towards the Poles. Instead of respecting their national feelings, and endeavouring to gain their attachment by sensibly ameliorating their condition, all the measures of Prussia were abrupt and peremptory. Their taxes were increased, their publick functionaries were changed, and the German language and the Prussian discipline, with all its horrours, were forced upon them. We need not, therefore, wonder at the serious insurrection which broke out in the succeeding year; nor at the discontent which continued to lurk in the minds of the Poles, after it had become impossible to vent it in open resistance. Though the constitution of Frede rick William II was naturally of the most robust kind, it was prematurely exhausted by intemperance, and he died in 1797 He was succeeded by his son, the present king; whose education, having been entirely neglected by his father, was conducted in a manner at once too private to give him a knowledge of the world, and too remiss to convey that solid instruction which retirement well employed affords the best opportunity of acquiring. He possesses, therefore, neither depth in the cabinet nor winning manners in publick; and he is much better fitted for the quiet of domestick life than for the agitations of royalty. Mildness, diffidence, and indecision are his prominent characteristicks. At his accession, however, he filled his cabinet with respectable men, and gave his subjects an example of frugality in his establish ment Averse, also, from war, he refused to enter into the coalition of Austria and Russia, against France, in 1799, in which there can be little doubt that he acted wisely. But he erred in carrying his love of economy so far as to neglect the repair of his fortresses, since their dismantled state was the principal cause of their rapid surrender to Buonaparte. Neutrality, it is well known, con tinued to be the policy of Prussia, till the invasion of Germany by Buonaparte, in 1805; when the violation of the territory of Anspach and the personal urgency of the emperour of Russia, who came to Berlin very soon afterwards, led to a change of measures. It was at this visit of Alexander that the convention of Potzdam was concluded, by which Prussia acceded to the coalition against France. But this convention was scarcely signed when the battle of Austerlitz took place, and was followed by the submission of Austria. The court of Prussia immediately endeavoured to reassume its former character of neutrality, and to conceal the convention of Potzdam. But Buonaparte had been apprized of its hostile tendency, and demanded, not only the renunciation of it by Prussia, but satisfaction for her audacity in taking measures to oppose him. This satisfaction he made to consist in the surrender of the provinces of Anspach, Cleves, and Neufchatel; and in return he pretended to make over Hanover to Prussia. But that this was mere pretence became apparent in the course of a few months, by lord Yarmouth's negotiation at Paris. The formation, at the same time, of the confederation of the Rhine, showed that Buonaparte intended himself, and not the king of Prussia, as the successour of the emperour Francis, in the control of Germany; while, moreover, the French armies continued in Germany in immense numbers, notwithstanding the reiterated applications of Prussia for their removal. These successive affronts, and the promised aid of Russia, gave an ascendency to the warparty at Berlin; and the queen, who had not hitherto interfered in politicks, now became a keen advocate for asserting the national dignity. The people at large were eager for war, and confident of success from the recollection of the exploits of a former generation under Frederick II. no person seeming conscious how much they had degenerated since that period, and still less how much their antagonists had improved. The sequel of this imprudent measure is universally known. But the present work communicates several circumstances which had not previously been published in this country. The most interesting of these relate to the battle of Jena, the siege of Glogau, and the retreat of prince Hohenlohe, till his surrender at Prenzlau on the Oder; the French, superiour in cavalry, and possessed of a shorter route than the Prussians, having advanced with such rapidity as to cut off the whole army-The writer next proceeds to give an ac count of the battles of Pultusk, Eylau, and Friedland. But in these, as well as in his detail of the battle of Jena, the reader will be greatly at a loss for want of plans of the engagements. The subsequent extract presents an affecting picture of the calamities of war, and should be read by all those who are apt to treat such horrours with levity. Truly on this subject may it be said: He jests at scars, who never felt a wound." "Soon after the arrival of Bennigsen at Königsberg, I received a letter from a friend there, of which I send you an extract, to give you, who, in your happy isl and, know nothing of the horrours of war, some little idea of the miseries attending these dreadful scenes. not considering that these poor soldiers themselves were half dying with hunger. Nor were those peasants near the French quarters more fortunate; for they also, without considering the wretched situation of those miserable people, took whatever they could find; and in passing Jessau, the rector of which place had fled to Königsberg, they employed his whole pious library to boil their kettles. The rector's sister, confined by the rheumatism, could not escape. She lay in a little garret. Some oatmeal mixed with melted snow, was before her, and this, for eight days, had been her only sustenance. We gave her a small portion of our travelling stock, and joy and gratitude beamed through her tears. The nearer we came to Eylau, the fewer marks of devastation we found; and though there were no provisions to be had any where, yet we saw at least human faces; for the other villages we passed through were all deserted; nor had the houses here been so after the various scenes of misery we had much damaged, which gave us some relief, gone through. In the totally desolated village of Kleinsausgarten we once more found the terrifick picture of war; but misery, indigence, and distress, I first saw in their extrenie at Eylau itself. Parents were there already so far reduced as to be forced to bury their literally starved babes in their gardens. Bread, meat, wine, brandy, salt, or tobacco, were no where to be found. Poor, emaciated, hollow-eyed spectres were crawling about the streets, covered with rags like the most pitiable beggars. To enter their houses, on account of the stench of dead bodies, was scarcely possible; and even my essence of vinegar was not sufficient to defend me in their church.-I never should have believed without seeing it myself, that human nature could have born such an excessive degree of misery. Buonaparte had cruelly given up the place to plunder. In short, eve ry thing was ruined, destroyed, and laid waste. Not a door, nor a window, nor a cupboard was remaining. This is, indeed, the less extraordinary, when we consider that the town had been twice in the possession both of the French and the Russians, and thus, twice were the streets streaming with blood. The combatants even followed each other into the very houses, From the highest to the lowest of the inhabitants they were all robbed of every thing they possessed, and simple water, with a scanty pittance of mouldy bread, was all they now had to keep life together. To form an idea of the situation of these miserable beings, one must have seen them; for words are not sufficient to describe their excess of "As soon as the roads were safe, my curiosity prompted me to visit the memo. rable scene of action at Eylau. Most terribly, indeed, had the iron hand of war stamped its baneful traces upon these unfortunate districts. Here the peaceful peasant, who reads no newspapers, nor knows even the name of Buonaparte, is scared from his quiet abode. Both friend and foe seem to have united to make him feel, to its full extent, his woful lot The Russians, who were encamped to the extent of five or six miles about Königs berg, had, to make them fires in this cold weather, unroofed and broken up the huts of all the neighbouring villages. Every kind of provision was swept away; and what made its loss more mortifying was, that five times as much was wasted as was made proper use of. This naturally enraged all the peasants against the Russians, wretchedness. Many died through fear, many from ill treatment, and many were yet sick from the painful recollection of the past. "Overpowered by such dreadful scenes of calamity, I deemed it even a relief to go and contemplate the horrours of the field. Howsoever mangled I there found many of my fellow-creatures, yet these lifeless bodies had at least surmounted their sufferings; but the unfortunate inhabitants of Eylau were yet languishing on towards the more excruciating death of hunger. This certainly would have been their dismal lot, as the whole surrounding district was equally bereft of every mean of sustenance, had they not soon received from Königsberg the most desirable relief and refreshment, besides clothing, linen, and every necessary article to repair and make their dwellings tolerably comfortable. Had I first visited the field of battle, this hide ous, unusual sight, which I hope never to see again, would have undoubtedly shocked me more than it now did: for after having my mind so deeply harrowed up with the late dreadful scenes, I must repeat that the sight of the field, frightful as it was, with from twelve to fifteen thousand slaughtered victims strowed before me, was yet a relief.-A slight snow had just fallen. My foot slipped, and, in sink ing, my hand caught a ghastly human face! Here were fragments of drums, carts, horses, saddles, cloaks, hats, harness, broken muskets, pistols, and other arms innumerable, all in confusion, scattered about. Russians, French, and Prus sians, here all lay together. It was in truth a woful sight." We have remarked a few German idioms in this epistolary publication. The word "apparently" is used with reference to the future, in the sense of "probably;" and in page 48 the author talks of "irritating the feelings of the whole woman," a phrase which sounds rather awkwardly to English ears. The book, however, is entertaining, and fully satisfies that degree of expectation which the title of a “Cursory View" is calculated to raise. Although without pretensions to the character of a finished performance, on the score either of richness of description or profundity ofthought, it has a claim to attention, both on account of the novelty of several of the circumstances mentioned in it, and for the unprejudiced manner in which the whole narrative is conducted. FROM THE EDINBURGH REVIEW. Tales of Fashionable Life. By Miss Edgeworth, Author of "Practical EducationBelinda-Castle Rackrent," &c. 12mo. S vol. London. 1809. Announced for republication by J. Milligan, Georgetown, and by Bradford and Inskeep, Philadelphia. IF it were possible for reviewers to envy the authors who are brought before them for judgment, we rather think we should be tempted to envy Miss Edgeworth; not, however, so much for her matchless powers of probable invention-her never-failing good sense and cheerfulness-nor her fine discrimination of characters -as for the delightful consciousness of having done more good than any other writer, male or female, of her generation. Other arts and sciences have their use, no doubt; and, Heaven knows, they have their reward and their fame. But the great art is the art of living; and the chief science, the science of being happy. Where there is an absolute deficiency of good sense, these cannot, indeed, be taught; and, with an extraordinary share of it, they are acquired without an instructer: but the most common case is, to be capable of learning, and yet to require teaching; and a far greater part of the misery which exists in society, arises from ignorance, than either from vice or from incapacity. Miss Edgeworth is the great modern mistress in this school of true philosophy; and has eclipsed, we think, the fame of all her predecessors. By her many excellent tracts on education, she has conferred a benefit on the whole mass of the population; and discharged, with exemplary patience as well as extraordinary judg |