to the contrary. Leo X. was one of the most learned and polished princes of his age; and it was his excessive proneness to the encouragement of his favourite pursuits, which induced him to act with such singular imprudence in the matter of indulgences. Whereever manuscripts were to be had, they were purchased by Leo; wherever learned men were to be found, they were invited to his court with a splendid profusion: he has the immortal honour of being the first to encourage and patronise the Greek language in Italy; at his own expense he set up a printing-press for the printing of the Greek Classics in Bologna; and he made it his business to adorn Rome with buildings of splendour. Yet this is the Pontiff-even this illustrious man-who a Su. and alive only to the things of this present world, deems the Covenanters' contest beneath his regard, because it was connected with religion. Alas! for such men !”— Pp. 87, 88. matory style, which, after all, is a mere verborum præThus writes Mr Mackray, in this inflated and declalium; and we might quote farther, but the above is riously speaking, however, if they who do not conceive sufficient to prove that he is raving on the subject. Sethe Covenanters to be so pure and immaculate as they appear to our author, are thus to be censured in the empty vauntings of sectarian pride; and if the Covenanters are entitled to all the fulsome adulation of this is condemned in the cant of illiterate enthusiasts as the writer, we say again, that we have hitherto consulted "Beast," 99.66 Antichrist," "The Man of Sin," The the annals of our country very imperfectly. With this deplorable, unguarded, and absurd declamation, no Enemy of Religion," "an Ignorant Bigot," " perstitious Priest." The names of these his illiterate sound thinking and rational theologian will agree. If enemies are destined to slumber in the obscurity which had with the Reformation, and its effects on civil soany one should ask, what connexion the Covenanters they deserve, but the name of the illustrious De Me-ciety in Europe? the only legitimate answer would dici, the Pontiff at the Reformation, and even that of his pious and virtuous successor, Hadrian VI, will live as long as learning is estimated, and sound philosophy duly appreciated. Such a tribute does Leo X. demand; such a tribute is not denied him even by Luther; and one thing is clear, that, arguing from human principles, had Luther been Leo X., and Leo the Monk of Wittemberg, the Reformation of religion would most probably have been now to commence. Let the reader then observe the reasoning which we here employ, and to which we beg Mr Mackray's attention. Why did not the Reformation commence under John Huss, or Jerome of Prague, Wickliffe, or, to go to a much earlier period, the Waldenses? Was it because the Church of Rome was more corrupt under the Pontificate of Leo, than at either of the above periods? It could not be; for the sale of indulgences, the ostensible cause, was not a decree of Leo's. Was it because Luther possessed more courage and self-devotion than either of these? It could not be, as the sufferings of the Waldenses, the heroism of Huss and Jerome, and the boldness of the Rector of Lutterworth, will testify. But it was simply this the want of proper religious feeling, and of a certain degree of information, before any essential change can be attempted with success to be wrought on a people. But enough on this subject. We must pass over many of Mr Mackray's assertions, to which we have equally strong objections, and conclude by laying the following extract, with one or two observations on it, before our readers, by which they will see how widely Mr Mackray has wandered from his subject, in his zeal to set forth the common cant and erroneous reasoning of the times. Speaking of the exploits of the Covenanters, after a great deal of very inflated writing, he thus expresses himself: "Nor do we hesitate to declare, that, for our part, we should blush to claim kindred with the man who could survey the portion of our country's history, in which these transactions are recorded, without feeling both gratitude and adiniration. Of such men we are aware there are not a few. The cold-blooded infidel' casts a look of ineffable disdain on the cause and the doings of the Covenanters, because he regards them as merely the paltry conflictings of some insignificant sects. The servile advocate of arbitrary power turns away from them with disgust, because he is jealous of every thing that has the air of a struggle for freedom. The bigoted adherent of another system of ecclesiastical jurisdiction dislikes them, because the Covenanters thought not altogether as he thinks, but made their appeal, from the dogmas of erring man, to the unerring oracles of God. While, last of all, and unhappily this is the most numerous class of all, the worldly man, immersed in secularity, be, that that they had little or none. Does our author require to be told that those very Covenanters, whom, as a sectary, he elevates with all the Romish honours terianism as established in 1688 in Scotland, that they to the saintship, were so dissatisfied with Presbyactually intrigued with the Episcopal party to restore King James?-that Balfour of Burley, and Graham of Claverhouse, held frequent meetings for the purpose, and that original manifestoes of King James are existbeyond a doubt? What a collision! what a picture, ing in this country at this moment, which prove the fact worthy of the pencil of an Allan or a Wilkie! The stern and gloomy fanatic Burley, and the high-minded each other, and who had often sought each other's death and brave cavalier Graham, men who mortally hated the wretched murderer of Archbishop Sharpe, and the loyal defender of legitimacy, holding a conference together! We have now done with our criticism on Mr Mack ray's book, work which contains no inconsiderable intermixture of erroneous historical facts and sound reasoning. We repeat the opinion which we expressed at the outset, that our author is, in several respects, entitled to praise for his Essay-and that he did well to lay it before the world, at this particular crisis. The Collegians, being a Second Series of Tales of the THIS is a work of rather a singular description, and of more than ordinary interest. How the author's first series of the Tales of the Munster Festivals was received, we do not well remember; but we recollect that we read the book, and were much pleased with the humour which pervades it. We had not, however, at that period the opportunity which we now have of expressing our opinion; and, as a "second series " is before us, we are desirous not to overlook the merits of the author. These Tales profess to delineate the manners of the Irish; and, in both his present and former works, the author has succeeded admirably. Our chief objection to the "second series" is its title. Why it should have been termed "The Collegians" we cannot ascertain, unless it be so designated because the two heroes, Mr Hardress Cregan and Mr Kyrle Daly, (names not very romantic or euphonious,) happened, at the outset of their career, to be fellow-students at College. But, letting this pass, the story is in itself entitled to much praise. It is a faithful picture of the simple, superstitious, and ignorant, but warm-hearted and hospitable, peasantry of Ireland. We have their habits, their phraseology, their modes of thinking, their manners, as vividly placed before us as if we resided among them; while the dialogue is very cleverly sustained, and displays all that mixture of credulity, absurdity, and never-failing jocularity, for which the Irish are universally celebrated. In point of plot and incident, the tale itself is one of no common interest. The moral, too, to be drawn from it is excellent, and one which cannot be too forcibly impressed on the minds of those who allow their passions to triumph over their reason. The case of the lovely Eily O'Connor has been that of many a hapless maiden; and the scene between Eily and her uncle, the good old parish priest, in vol. ii. chap. xxv. is admirably managed. The humour, on the other hand, of Lowrie Looty, Myles Murphy, the dealer in ponies, whose relationship extended over all Ireland, and several of the other characters introduced, must ensure for the author the reputation of possessing a very perfect knowledge of the class of people he undertakes to describe. We gladly, therefore, refer the reader to the "Collegians," and assure him that he will find this second series of the "Tales of the Munster Festivals " well worthy his attention. An Essay on Moral Freedom: To which is attached a Review of the principles of Dr Whitby and President Edwards, on Free Will; and on Dr Brown's Theory of Causation and Agency. By the Reverend Thomas Tully Cribbace, A. M. Edinburgh. Waugh & Innes. 1829. 8vo, pp. 311. THE question whether man is a free agent, or is bound down in all his actions by fixed and irreversible laws, we have ever regarded as one of those mysterious subjects about which much will be said, and very little ever distinctly understood. But, nevertheless, hopeless and intricate as the controversy is, we by no means consider it either uninteresting or unimportant. Many of the most brilliant discoveries in science have been made in the prosecution of enquiries whose solutions lay beyond the reach of human ingenuity. There is undoubtedly a line of demarcation between what may and what may not be discovered, but it is a boundary faint and ill defined; and, in their attempts to pass this "ultima Thule," philosophers have recovered many a goodly tract, which seemed altogether inaccessible to the less daring spirits of a former age. The author of the work before us advocates moral freedom. He commences with a view of the doctrine of causation; and, after clearing the subject from the sceptical doubts and difficulties of Mr Hume, he proceeds to propound his own argument. His leading aim is to show, in the first place, that every act depends upon the will, and that the will is, in its turn, dependent upon the judgment; whence he attempts to establish what he terms "intellectual liberty," and to prove that the will is free, because the judgment, on which it depends, is free. The only exception he admits to this rule is, where the will is influenced by appetite or passion, when he concedes that it becomes subject to necessity. He concludes with a view of the origin of evil, and some strictures upon the works of President Edwards and of Dr Whitby. Our author, however, is by no means successful in establishing his great position the freedom of the will "Man acts as he wills"-very true; but this is not the question. The will, according to Mr Cribbace, is passive." Two forces act upon it-the judgment and the passions. How then can its motions in any respect be spontaneous? But, says Mr Cribbace, the judgment is free; which, in his opinion, is only in other words to assert, "that man is an intelligent and thinking being." But, granting that man is an intelli gent and thinking being, what does it prove? Just the very reverse of what the author intends. If may, from his very nature and constitution, must decide in a particular way,-if his judgment must prefer virtue to vice, good to evil,-if his will must follow these determinations, and if his actions must be in conformity to his volitions, then it would seem to be proved, in direct contradiction to Mr Cribbace, that in the strictest and most absolute sense of the word, he acts under the influence of necessity. The first link in the chain of causes being necessary, the last must be necessary also; and our author's argument of course falls to the ground. Mr Cribbace rejects the notion ofthe self-determining power of the will; and substitutes in its place what he is pleased to call, "the man's self-determining power over his will." Does Mr Cribbace not perceive that a "determination of the man" is an act of the will? He substitutes two volitions instead of one; but whether this additional volition be free or necessary is still as doubtful as before. There are a few inconsistencies, too, in the work, which ought not to pass without notice. For example, Mr Cribbace speaks (p. 91) of a volition being independent of the will. This is a solecism and an absurdity. He admits in one place that "the will possesses the power of directing the current of thought;" while, in the same page, he asserts that, "with respect to the intellectual powers, it is altogether a passive effect, and they alone are truly active." This is a contradiction in terms in regard to a proposition upon which he founds his whole argument. But while we make these remarks, and while we cannot allow that the author has made good his point, we by no means deem his work unworthy of an attentive perusal. It is written in a pleasing and philosophical style; many of the illustrations are apt and happy; and though he may have failed, it should be remembered that a failure is excusable on a subject which has been agitated by philosophers for two thousand years without any hope of coming to a definite or satisfactory conclusion. A Reply to Sir Walter Scott's History of Napoleon. THERE can be no doubt that, when Sir Walter Scott undertook to write a Life of Napoleon, he did not contemplate the production of a profound and philosophical work, but merely of a popular history. His leading object was, to present the public with the prominent features of the transactions of France, from the rise to¦ the conclusion of the Revolution; and, in particular, to supply a full account of the extraordinary career of Bonaparte, which should satisfy the ordinary reader, by its general truth and accuracy, but still leave the field open for the curious and minute investigator. Viewing Sir Walter's production in this light, we are not entitled to expect either the deep research of a Gibbon-the intellectual vigour of a Hume-or the felicitous propriety of a Robertson. The Author of Waverley needed not to rest his immortality upon his nine volumes concerning Napoleon; and he could afford, therefore, to write hastily, and to trust, in a considerable degree, to industry for accomplishing a task to which others would have been anxious to bring the whole resources of their mind. That a work written upon these principles, and with these views, should be without blemishes, was not for a moment to be expected; and we confess our wonder on perusing it, was that it did not contain many more than we were able to discover. The brochure now before us, by the late Emperor's brother, tends to con vince us still farther that the errors Sir Walter Scott has committed are neither very numerous nor very momentous. The Ex-King of Holland entertains, quite properly, a very fraternal regard for his brother's memory, and talks in very magniloquent terms of the "exaggeration," the "injustice," the "falsehood," the "calumny," nay, the "excessive calumny," "spread throughout the work of Sir Walter Scott;" but when he comes to establish these charges, which he attempts to do by taking hold of every passage in the successive volumes which he considers at all objectionable, and pointing out wherein it is to be reprobated, he falls far short of the expectations he had raised. The sum and substance of his "Reply," bating a good deal of loose declamation and undignified acrimony, only is, that Sir Walter has made a few trifling errors in dates, in the names of places, and in some geographical details. Others may, perhaps, think that there are more important faults in the work, but Louis Bonaparte, though he has the will, wants the talent to make them apparent. This "Reply," however, is curious, considering the quarter from which it comes, and the nature of some of its statements; although, in point of argument, it is exceedingly weak, and will certainly rebound from Sir Walter's coat of mail-an imbelle telum, sine ictu. Londiniana; or, Reminiscences of the British Metropolis; including Characteristic Sketches, Topogra phical. Descriptive, and Literary. By Edward Wedlake Brayley. 4 vols. London. Hurst, Chance, & Co. 1829. Or recent years various works have appeared, intended to illustrate the ancient manners, and to describe the ancient residences, of the inhabitants of London. Some of these have been presented to the public in the shape of fictitious narratives; while others have consisted of little else than a true relation of chronological and topographical facts. Modern Athenians though we be, we have always felt much interested in books which throw light upon the old and quaint peculiarities of the great British metropolis, and have seldom suffered the most humble production of this kind to escape our notice. The work now before us is eminently calculated both to enhance the pleasure of a visit to the metropolis, and to teach even its resident inhabitants many things of which they were probably ignorant. It contains, among other details, a great quantity of amusing information regarding the residences of former illustrious men, whether they belonged to the literary or political world; it describes the scenes of broils, plots, and conspiracies which now occupy a page in the history of the country; and it is particular in its accounts of antique ceremonies, games, and processions, now either shrunk away from their former grandeur, or, in many instances, altogether unknown. The work is, moreover, embellished with a number of minute etchings and engravings, still further illustrative of the costumes and manners of bygone times. The representation of the procession of Parliament to St Paul's Cathedral, in 1715, strikes us as particularly interesting. At the same time, it is proper to add, that there is not much original merit in this publication, the editor having done little else but arrange his materials from the fruitful works of Stow, Pennant, and other writers, who have gone over the same ground before him. Sermons on Various Subjects. By Andrew Thomson. D. D. Edinburgh. William Whyte & Co. 1829. 8vo. Pp. 544. To improve the heart and regulate the conduct, by a plain exposition of religious truths, ought to be the great object of pulpit oratory. It is not sufficient to convey a vague knowledge of Christianity, by means of speculative and metaphysical theories. This might be enough were religion only an abstract science. But as its highest aim is to communicate real practical wisdom, correct views of duty, as well as of doctrine, are indispensable. The force of eloquence, or the brilliancy of imagination, may, no doubt, sometimes awaken virtuous emotions in the mind. But such emotions will prove unavailing, unless they produce active exertion. They are, in general, mere temporary sensations, proceeding rather from instinctive sensibility, than from deliberate conviction, and may be speedily effaced by the renewed supremacy of debasing passion. In all cases, therefore, an appeal must primarily be made to the judgment, and, through it, to the feelings. In man's natural condition his understanding is darkened; and this obscurity must be removed: The finer susceptibilities of the conscience are deadened; and these must be resuscitated: The treacherous disguises which vice assumes are attractive; and these must be unmasked: The prevalence of self-deceit has distorted all just sense of right and wrong; and its power must be subdued. The affections of the soul are estranged from the pursuit of virtue; and these must be reclaimed. It is only by thus making Christianity bear on the several situations and tempers of those to whom it is addressed, that any substantial instruction can be received, and that any permanent benefit can ensue. The author of the Sermons now before us is decidedly an experimental clergyman. He has the art of making his discourses intelligible to the most ignorant, and at the same time interesting to the most polished, of his auditory. He seldom fascinates by florid declamation, -or by sudden flashes of fancy, or by powerful pathos. But whenever he employs such aid, his style of rhetoric, though perhaps not disclosing to the mind's eye the sublimest regions of thought, is uniformly bold and vigorous. He does not ostentatiously display the profundity of his theological learning, by endeavouring to elucidate those mystical points, which the skill of man cannot unravel, and which, even if fully explained, would necessarily prove unproductive of any salutary advantage. His abilities are principally directed to the philosophical analysis of the cardinal doctrines of Christianity. In the developement of these, he inanifests such lucid arrangement-such acute reasoning-such ingenious illustration-such fervid feeling and such appropriate application of his subject to the different circumstances of his hearers, as justly entitle him to be esteemed one of the ablest Divines in the Scottish Church. While we deem it proper thus to express our estimation of Dr Thomson's talents, we at the same time doubt whether the work now before us will impart much additional lustre to his name. We do not mean to deny that the Sermons contain many excellencies. There is much of that lucidus ordo in them which characterises all the productions of their author. They might even be effective if delivered ex cathedra, where simplicity is so desirable. Many of the discourses, however, which daily issue from the press only to be consigned to oblivion, evince equally good qualities in no inconsiderable degree. The same truths, indeed, must necessarily constitute the substance of all sermons, because the principles of theology are unchangeable. But to invest these truths with the charm of novelty, by original illustration, derived from the numerous branches of human knowledge with which religion is associated, and from the varied habits of mankind, ought especially to distinguish every discourse submitted to the ordeal of public opinion. We do not think that the general character of Dr Thomson's present publication reaches this requisite standard, though no one can peruse it without perceiving indications of a genius fitted for nobler achieve ments. The Sermons are on the following subjects: "Repentance and Forgiveness;""The Sacrifices of Righteous ness;""Joy for Temporal Mercies;""Joy for Spiritual Mercies;"" Humility Explained, and its necessity Enforced;""Religious Zeal;""The Gospel of Salvation;""Forsaking Public Worship;" "Slavery not sanctioned, but condemned, by Christianity" "Christ Obligations to observe the Christian Passover;""Faith and Preparation as to the second coming of Christ;""Ardent desire for the second coming of Christ;""Patient waiting for the second coming of Christ."-Our limits will permit us only briefly to allude to one or two of those sermons which more particularly deserve attention. without Sin;" 66 nerable sanction of Christ," he has at least availed himself of several striking facts, which seem naturally to favour his conclusions. The whole sermon displays much impassioned feeling; and the following eloquent passage cannot fail to be read with pleasure. lightly of liberty, whose worth is so testified-whose "Shame! that any should have been found to speak benefits are so numerous and so rich. Moralists have praised it-poets have sung it-the Gospel has taught and breathed it-patriots and martyrs have died for it. above all praise. It is the air we breathe the food we As a temporal blessing, it is beyond all comparison and eat--the raiment that clothes us-the sun that enlightWe commend both the design and execution of the Without it, what are honours and riches, and all simiens, and vivifies, and gladdens, all on whom it shines. four Sermons on Religious Zeal. Our author ably enforces the importance of preserving the purity of the gospel. they are the garnishings of a sepulchre; and with it the lar endowments? They are the trappings of a hearseHe boldly depicts the various difficulties attendant on such an undertaking, and the necessity for activity and perse- and the barren rock, are luxuries which it teaches and crust of bread, and the cup of water, and the lowly hovel, verance on the part of Christians. He condemns all in-enables us to rejoice in. He who knows what liberty is, tolerant zeal, though he does not hesitate to avow, that and can be glad and happy when placed under a ty "Popery is in its nature and tendency hostile to true rant's rule, and at the disposal of a tyrant's caprice, is religion to genuine liberty-to mental improvement like the man who can laugh and be in merry mood at to human happiness," and consequently, "that we can scarcely be too eager in our endeavours to expose its have been loveliest in his eye, and all that should have the grave, where he has just deposited all that should abominations-to break down its influence to emanci- been dearest to his heart. Shame on those who have so pate our brethren from its cruel and debasing bondage." Our reverend author proposes, as the most eligible mode ishness, and so far forgotten their Christian name, as far taxed their ingenuity, and so far consulted their self- | of accomplishing this end, that we should grant politi- to apologise for the existence of slavery, by extolling cal power to the stanch supporters of those abominations against which his anathema has been levelled; dragging in the aid and the countenance of Scripture the incomparable superiority of spiritual freedom, and and he does not fail to resort to the somewhat hackneyed mis-stated or misunderstood! For what is slavery, and argument, in regard to the amiable cordiality which concession will establish between Protestants and Roman- what does it do? It darkens and degrades the intellect ists. He also deprecates a practice common in this in--it paralyses the hand of industry-it is the nourishtellectual age, of allowing our own countrymen to reer of agonizing fears and of sullen revenge-it crushes main unenlightened by religion, while the inhabitants dicts the precepts, it resists the power, it sets at defiance the spirit of the bold-it belies the doctrines, it contraof foreign lands are ministered to with the utmost soli- the sanctions, of religion-it is the tempter, and the citude. We most warmly coincide in condemning such murderer, and the tomb, of virtue and either blasts the inconsistent conduct. To dispel the mists of ignorance felicity of those over whom it domineers, or forces them and of prejudice, which cloud the minds of many around to seek for relief from their sorrows in the gratifications, Pp. 389–90. and the mirth, and the madness of the passing hour." us, is at once the natural and laudable allotment of our zeel; and we therefore feel well affected to the general diffusion of Christianity; but we hesitate not to declare, that while a single individual, either in this country or in the sister kingdoms, is allowed to continue destitute of the means of instruction, the present system is both ridiculous and sinful. While we applaud the more prominent sentiments which distinguish the Sermons on Żeal, we are also much pleased with the manner in which these sentiments have been expressed. If the composition is never peculiarly elegant, it is always adapted to convey the obvious and important meaning which the author has in view. There are no far-fetched deductions no perversion of the obvious sense of Scripture, for the purpose of supplying feasible proof in support of his assertions. He enters the field conscious of his polemical power, and in a fair and open controversy wrests from his enemies their most offensive weapons, and overturns all the barriers which their sophistry and ingenuity had reared. He has recourse, on no occasion, to mere verbal antithesis or conceit; and he never endeavours, by a laboured effort, to astonish his reader. Evidently courting approbation for the perspicuity and utility of his sermons, he refrains from the parade of mere abstract reasoning, as well as from the mystification which a certain learned divine deems the only proper mode of guiding mankind in the path of duty. Were we disposed to be captious, we might object to some of our author's arguments in regard to the unconditional emancipation of slaves; but this is a wide subject, upon which we shall not enter. If he has not been altogether fortunate in depriving slavery of "the vindication that has been pleaded for it under the great and ve From the concluding Sermon we might make several very interesting extracts. We have, however, only room to observe, that we highly approve of the judicious observations respecting the hillennial advent and reign of Christ. The errors which have been promulgated on this subject are most completely exposed in a Note appended to the volume; and though the refutation were less triumphant, and though the Scriptures afforded more plausible data for contrary sentiments, we hold it altogether absurd to pursue an investigation, involving difficulties which can never be satisfactorily solved. History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in Scotland, in the Reign of Charles I. By John Spalding, Commissary Clerk, Aberdeen. A new Edition, Aberdeen; G. King, 1829. 8vo. Pp. 500. Ir gives us much pleasure to announce, that a new edition of the above scarce and very valuable work is now before the public; and the publisher deserves great praise for the manner in which he has issued it from the press. The last edition is that of 1792, and was published at Aberdeen, in two 12mo volumes. We know of few works which give such a faithful, laborious, and impartial narrative of the troubles of the disastrous reign of Charles I., so far as these relate to Scotland, which, as our readers must be aware, sustained no inconsiderable part in the opposition to that unfortunate monarch. The narrative of Spalding embraces the history of those events which happened in Scotland, between the years 1625 and 1645, a period of twenty years, and what eventful years! We have frequently consulted the edition of 1792, and we can safely say, that we never found any of Spalding's facts contradicted by any other authentic work. We can assure our readers, that few republications of scarce works, have greater claims on their attention than Spalding's History; and we trust that its success will be such as to induce the spirited publisher to benefit the country by farther republications of valuable and scarce works on Scottish Affairs. Jacobite Minstrelsy; with Notes illustrative of the THIS is a very nice little pocket volume. It con- MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE, GOETHE AND HIS POETRY. | his many winning and unassuming, though smaller, English literature. It is written in nine books or cantos, Of Goethe's smaller pieces, the best are those (and they are but few) which he has inscribed Ballads and Romances. Of these the longest is the Bride of CoBy William Tennant, Author of “ Anster Fair," &c. rinth, which has been alluded to with some commendation by Madame De Staël. Of the peculiar qualities of Or that rare assemblage of genius, which forty years the genuine Ballad, however, it has none; it is rather a ago at once founded and ennobled the school of verna- laboured and perplexed tale, il laid as to place and cular poetry in Germany, and drew the eyes of admiring time, having neither probability in its incidents, nor foreigners towards the polished court of the Duke of felicity in its verbal execution. The God and the BaWeimar, Goethe is the only and venerable survivor. yadere is better; but the prettiest of them all are Der Wieland, who in time rather preceded the rest, lived Sanger, Das Veilchen, and Der Fischer, of which a long enough to enjoy his well-earned reputation; Schil- translation is hereto subjoined. There is also some ler and Bürger died in the prime of life; Goethe, now pleasant humour in Der Zauberlehring and Hochzeitin his 80th year, a period of life seldom allotted to any leid. In his Book of Lieder there are also some pleason of the Muses, has outlived all his tuneful copart-sing verses, as Willkommen und Abschied, Die Gluckners, and for more than fifty years has been sunning himself in the enjoyment of popular favour. If his reputation, during his lifetime, has been more extended, it has been, at the same time, more exposed to cavils and captious disputation, more questioned as to its legitimacy and probable durability, than any of his associates. His poetry is unquestionably of a slenderer and more dissoluble texture, than that of Wieland or Schiller; he has neither the felicitous invention, the humorous and fantastic brilliancy, the voluptuous splendour of the former; neither has he, in his dramas, nor anywhere else, the vehement passion, exuberant eloquence, sublimity, and intensity of poetical gyn, that characterise Schiller's best productions. Goethe has, however, a style of his own, though not, indeed, very marked or prominent, except in his Herman and Dorothea, and a few of his Ballads and Romances. Simplicity, purity of speech and of sentiment, and a certain gentleness and affection of manner, are the attractions of his verses; he never commands our admiration like Schiller, nor dazzles us by his fantastical richness like Wieland; but he calmly conciliates our estimation by liche Gatten, Maylied, &c. + We have besides a large book of Elegien, which contain, here and there, some good thoughts, but which are chiefly interesting as being written in Rome during the author's visit to that place. The reader cannot but be pleased to hear the classical Goethe singing, in his own harsh but powerful language, his ambitious Elegiacs, amid those ruins which were created by his Gothic predecessors. chingen, which, though it contains nothing in itself remarka le, One of Goethe's earliest prose-plays is his Goetz von Berli is nevertheless interesting to us all, from one adventitious circumstance that a translation of it into English, in 1799, present ed, for the first time, on its title-page, as an author, Walter -cott -a name rendered since so illustrious by so many original and unrivalled productions. Byron, proud and prolific as he was, condescended to steal, without acknowledgement, from Goethe. And though it be not true, as Goethe has audaciously affirmed, that Byron's best passages are taken from himself, yet his Lordship's pilferings are at times too glaring to be disputed; as, for instance, his address to Greece, beginning, "Know'st thou the land where," &c, from the pretty little song, Mignon's Sehnsucht, Kennst du das Land, wo die Citronen bluhen, |