Select Poetry, ancient and modern, for February, 1786. Who hopes, unconfcious of thy fatal wiles, In wild amazement on the ftormy deep, Who, when his heedlefs bark the port forfook, Had lull'd each ruder wind in fofteft fleep; 'Twas then he fondly fpread the fwelling fail, In rash dépendance on the faithlefs gale. Ah wretch to whom untried thou fhineft fair! By me, who late thy glaffy furface fung, The walls of Neptune's fane infcrib'd, declare That I have dank and dropping garments hung, Devoted to the God, whofe kind decree, Snatch'd me to fhore from an o'erwhelming fea! Feb. 10, 1786. TH ON MRS. WOFFINGTON. HO' Peggy's charms have oft been fung, "Tis not her form alone I prize, Which none need learn of me: That can adorn the fair; Excepting one, you fearce can mifs, So trifling that, you would not with, That virtue had been there. She who poffeffes all the reft Muft fure excell the prude, whose breaft To feek perfection is a jeft; SON N E T TO SIR WILLIAM ALEXANDER. FROM THE ANCIENT SCOTISH POEMS+ BY WILLIAM DRUMMOND. HO'I have been twice at the doors of THO' Death, And twice found fhut thofe gates which ever mourn j This but a lightning is: truce ta'en to breath * Horace alludes to a cuftom the Roman mariners had, after a fhipwreck, of fufpending their garments (which had been drenched by the form) in the Temple of Neptune, together with a votive tablet defcribing the « roumâlances of the danger and escape. Amid thy facred cares and courtly toils, Tell, Death hath triumph'd o'er my mortal And that on earth I am but a fad name: By all that blifs, those joys, Heaven here us gave, I conjure thee, and by the maids of Jove, 'Here Damon lies, whofe fongs did fometime The murmuring Efk. May rofes fhade the 'place.' N the cloifters of Winchester college is the following old Monkish epitaph to the memory of John Clark, one of the Fellows, who died in 1541. CLAUSUS Johannes jacet hic fub marmore Qui fait hic quondam Prefbyter et Socius: In cœlo vivis nunc quoque gaudet aquis. This has been thus tranflated extempore, by Mr. BENEATH this one lies thut up in the A Fellow and a Prieft, yclep'd John Clark: 158 Select Poecry, ancient and modern, for February, 1786. Thus when the wintry blafts transform to froft A$ S fprightly fun-beams gild the face of day, When low'ring tempefts calmly glide away, So when the poet's dark horizon clears, Array'd in fmiles, the Epilogue apprears. She of that houfe the lively emblem ftill, Whofe brilliant fpeakers ftart what themes they will; Still varying topicks for her fportive rhymes, From all the follies of thefe fruitful times; Uncheck'd by forms, with flippant hand may cull. Prologues, like Peers, by privilege are dull. In folemn Arain addrefs th'affembled pit, The legal judges of dramatic wit, Confining till, with dignify'd decorum, Their obfervations-to the play before 'em. Now when each batchelor a helpmate lacks, (That fweet exemption from a double tax) When laws are fram'd with a benignant plan Of light'ning burdens on the married man, The rofy dimples of fixteen furpafs: And runs distracted for-ber three per cents. Will thus the poet's mimic Heiress find, The bridegroom critic to her failings blind, Who claims, alas! his nicer tafte to hit, The lady's portion paid in ferling wit? On your decrees, to fix her future fate, Depends our Heiress for her whole eftate: Rich in your smiles, the charms th'admiring air, By no prerogative will the decide, What, not one Blandish left behind ! not one! pow'r? Oh, might you all be Blandishes this hour! "Loves, like our own, áheart-directed scene; Debates Summary of Proceedings in the prefent Seffion of Parliament. Debates in the prefent Seffion of Parliament, continued from p. 80. 159 tem of Europe, or had reference only to the termination of the late difpute between the Emperor and the Dutch? MR. Fox, in a moft diffufive fpeech, And whether the difpofition of foreign gave a very unfavourable reprefentation of the political ftate of this country, and of the conduct of adminiftration, fo far as regarded its connec tion with other powers. He began with declaring his readinefs to concur in expreffing the warmest fentiments of gratitude and refpect which that houfe owed to their Sovereign; but at the fame time he could not help remarking, that the fpeech juft read as his Majefty's fpeech was the most concife and cautiously worded of any he had ever heard from the Throne, or had ever read in history as delivered on any fimilar occafion. As there certainly could be nothing to object, there was of course little to commend: he fhould therefore beg leave to fay a few words, not to what was in the fpeech, but to what, in his opinion, ought to have been there. Of the propriety of a British minifters contenting himself with ftating to parliament, at the commencement of a feffion, n general terms, the fituation of public affairs; instead of fpecifically acquainting them with facts and circumitances; parliament only could decide. It was enough for him to fay, that many things had been done by foreign powers, and many more were pending, which, should minifters be inattentive to their proceedings, muft nearly affect the interefts of this country. Having fand this, he flightly touched on the exultation with which the vigour of our refources, the rife of the funds, and the flourishing ftate of the revenue, had been announced; and he expreffed his entire fatisfaction at the unequivocal increase of our national credit. But was it a inatter of triumph, that in a time of profound peace, with all the refources of war continued, and feveral of them doubled, that all this fhould be effected, and that there should even be a furplus of revenue! Would it not have aftonished the whole kingdom if there had not? He adverted to the words in the fpeech relative to the tranquillity of Europe, and the friendly difpofition of foreign powers towards this country; and wifhed to know how thofe words were to be understood, whether in a broad or a narrow fente; whether the tranquillity fpcken of was to be underfood as comprehending the general fyf. powers were all equally friendly to this country? He was likewise defirous of knowing what the house was to underftand by being "unable to make any "farther progrefs" with regard to the Refolutions relative to a Commercial Intercourfe with Ireland; whether those refolutions were to be totally abandoned, or to be again refumed at fome future period? Of thofe points, Mr. Fox faid, it was material for the house to receive full and precife information. If the tranquillity of Europe had allufion only to the late treaty between the Emperor and the Dutch, the information in the fpeech was a mockery to that house. Every man who could read knew it. The information which the house had a right to expect should have given light to a variety of important fubjects intimately connected with the affairs of this kingdom. He was aware, he said, that there were matters which he might fpeak to with great propriety, which it would have been highly imprudent in minifters to have laid before the house for their difcuffion. Something, however, might have been faid to have led to an elucidation of foreign tranfactions: but as every thing of the kind had been involved in darkness, he should therefore avail himself of his privilege, and, in speaking of the views and interefts of foreign ftates, endeavour to be as explicit as the nature of the fubject would permit. He then proceeded, with his ufual accuracy, to draw the attention of the houfe to the ftate of this country as it relates to all foreign connections. The conduct of France, he obferved, had been fuch as no human wisdom could have exceeded. The treaty with Holland, to which Spain had acceded, was a mafter-piece in politics, which had for its object a rooted determination to wreft from this country the long-envied fovereignty of the feas. The treaty with Sweden, by which France had obtained the port of Gottenburg in the Baltic, had a distant view to, her convenience in fupplying her navy in cafe of a war. Her treaty with Ruffia now in agitation, by which the hopes to share with Great Britain the advantages of the most favoured nation; and her connection with the Emperor, the only Continental power the had to dread, by which the is left at full liberty to em ploy 160 Summary of Proceedings in the prefent Seffion of Parliament. ploy her refources to the augmentation of her marine : all thefe, he faid, France had effected, without one ftep being taken on the part of adminiftra tion to counteract, by any new alliances, this powerful combination: it was true, indeed, that a remonftrance had been prefented by Sir James Harris at the Hague, to whofe abilities as an embasfador he could bear teftimony; but it was not till after the treaty was actually concluded. He would not fay, that if it had been prefented in time it would have had the defired effect; but it would have freed adminißration from the cenfure of inattention and neglect. This, he faid, was not the only inftance in which the interefts of this country had fuffered by the want of vigilance in minitters. On the conclufion of the late peace, at the fettlement of the Crimea, there was an opportunity of effecting a connection with Ruffia, that would have ferved as a counterpoife to that between France and Holland; but that opportunity was loft; he was happy, however, to learn that a treaty has fince been negociating with her Imperial majefty, and that it was nearly brought to a con. clufion; though attended by a confiderable abatement, as a commercial treaty with equal advantages, if his information was truc, was very far advanced with France. He treated with fome degree of pleafantry the extenfion of trade, when edicts of friendly powers were iffuing in their dominions, laying new impofis profeffedly to narrow it. He dwelt for fome time on the accethon of the Electorate of Hanover to the Pruffian league, and reprefented it as a measure inimical to the interefts of Great Britain, by laying the foundation of a coolness between the courts of Vienna and London, which the most fanguine of the enemies of both courts could never have hoped to have feen produced. This has been already the unhappy confequence of this acceffion. And thus France was lett fecure on the Continent to employ her whole attention to her marine. But why conceal this important affair? why not mention it in the fpeech? He fhould be forry to fuppofe that his Majefty's hereditary dominions were of fo little value in the fight of his minifters as not to be worth notice. He dwelt for fome time on the triumph of this tranfaction, fo favourable to her future profpects. From this gloomy fubject he proceeded to confider the advantages which Great Britain might derive by way of compenfation from her treaty with France, which had been fo long in agitation, that the first term agreed upon for its final fettlement expired on the firft of January laft, and nothing had yet been done. And now new powers were to be granted, and new negociators were to be employed to re-trace the fame ground. It was true, he faid, the Right Honourable Gentleman had taken to his afliftance a gentleman much more knowing in commercial matters than himfelf; but he believed rather out of regard to his great abilities, than from any well grounded hope of advantage from the application of them on the prefent occafion. He could have no other objection to the Right Hon. Gentle man's [Mr. Eden] acceptance of an appointment to serve his country (as he well knew the confiftency of that adminiftration under which he was to ferve, and their wifdom in penning the inftructions by which he was to be directed), except the expenditure of the public money, and that it was an unneceflary charge. He glanced at the fame time at the im portant fervices that our amballador to the coure of Spain had rendered his country, as not the leaft complaint had been fuggefted againft his conduct from the first moment of his appointment to the prefent hour! Having now done with the Continent of Europe, Mr. Fox adverted to the regulations that had been made by the Right Honourable Gentleman for the better government of the Eaft indies and complained, that ever fince the board of controul had been established, a dark veil had been drawn over all that paffed in that datant part of our dominious, and he believed with good reason. He fpoke of Mr. Pitt's bill in terms of the moft acrimonious reproach. It was pregnant with injufice, oppretfion, and violence. It held forth protection to the rich, and obliged the poor to fubmit to its fevereft operation. It deprived British fubjects of their unalienable rights, and established a tribunal unknown to the laws of their country. He adverted to the boafted accounts of the promising state of revenue, and infifted, that, instead of a furplus, there would be a deficiency, not of fractions only, but of millions. He stated the appointment of Lord Macartney to the government of Bengal as one of those abfurdities Summary of Proceedings in the present Seffion of Parliament. abfurdities which characterised the prefent administration. Lord Macartney had pursued one measure, and Mr. Haftings another. Lord Macartney was come to Calcutta, to remonstrate with Mr. Haftings on the impropriety of carrying his measure into execution, when, to his furprize, instead of finding Mr. Haftings, he found difpatches appointing his lordship governor-general of Bengal in his room, with orders to do what he himself had already undone. His lordfhip, with a becoming fpirit, rejected an appointment which he could not accept with honour, and rather chofe to return with clean hands, than to enrich himfelf by injuftice and oppreffion*. From India affairs, Mr Fox proceeded, with no fmall degree of pleafantry, to the fleepy ftate of the Irish Propofitions. He adverted to the fituation of Ireland, which the Right Honourable Gentleman, with his all-powerful eloquence, had reprefented as at the laft gafp, when his noble friend relinquished the management of her affairs; and traced, with infinite humour, the steps taken by the Right Honourable Gentleman for her recovery; his plan of propofitions that could admit of no alterations, and on the immediate execution of which the very exiftence of the two kingdoms depended; the enlargements that had been made to thofe propofitions; the time spent in amendments; and the bill that had been founded upon them: all these had failed, and yet, God be thanked! if the Right Honourable Gentleman's report may be credited, the two kingdoms are fill in as flourishing a state as ever. What this bill had produced, was within every man's recollection-one kingdom had declared what the would grant, and the other that he would not accept it-exactly in the fame predicament as two ftates on the point of declaring war, which God in his mercy avert! He was aware that fomething was neceffary to be done : and he would recommend the appointment of commiffioners on both fides to prepare the bufinefs,, and leave the deci The measure here alluded to, was, that of investing the nabob of Arcot with the government of the Carnatic, which Lord Macartney, from the abfolute neceffity of the thing, had at his peril ventured to difobey, and to take out of the hands, not of the prince himself, but of his agents and ufurers, the collection and application of his revenue, and to place the fame in the hands of the company, which, notwithstanding, the board of costroul had thought proper to fuperfede. GENT. MAG. Feb. 1786. ΤΟ 161 fion to the two parliaments, who, no doubt, would bring the measure to an amicable conclufion. He reprobated the infidious manner of proceeding, by endeavouring to perfuade each fide, that what was to the advantage of the one, would be to the detriment of the other; and concluded with enlarging on the flourishing ftate of the funds, and afcribing that happy profpect, not to the fuccefs, but to the miscarriage, of the Right Honourable Gentleman's plans. Mr. Pitt remarked, that he had frequently borne teftimony to that peculiar and almoft inftinctive dexterity with which the Right Honourable Gentleman was enabled to leave out of the difcuffion fuch parts of the lubject as were unfavourable to him; and he had now an opportunity of admiring a fimilar talent of his, of introducing fuch matter as he fuppofed would be favourable. Thus he had entirely abandoned the various fubjects of the speech, in order to discuss fuch as he complained were left out. The Right Honourable Gentleman's fentiments with regard to the fituation of his country being rather of the gloomy caft, and finding nothing in the fpeech to fuit his defpondency, he had been obliged to travel abroad in purfuit of his object. He had traversed the empires of Germany and Ruffia, the kingdoms of France, Spain, and Sweden, and the Republic of Holland; he had visited Turkey and the Crimea; but, like other modern travellers, finding Europe too narrow for his researches, he had carried his fpeculations to the remotest parts of the globe, and had ranfacked India for resources of complaint and despair. The Right Honourable Gentleman, however, had ftated, and with great truth, that he could mention many things, not being a minifter, which it would be improper for him to do were he in office; yet he would tell the Right Honourable Gentleman, that if they were improper in one fituation, they ought not to have been mentioned in the other. He fhould therefore be totally filent on many of the topics infifted on, and content himself with anfwering to fuch only as he thought material. As to that part of the addrefs which mentioned tranquillity being eftablifhed, he would candidly confels, that it was applicable only to the adjustment hetween the Emperor and the States General of the United Provinces; and that it had by no means any allufion to the other complicated fyftem of foreign poiitics mentioned by the Right Honourable Gentleman. |