ART. 40. The Abbey of Ambresbury. A Poem. Part the First. 25. Cadell. London, 1788.

The author informs us that fome manufcripts, chiefly relating to the Abbey of Ambresbury, about the thirteenth century, furnished him with the materials upon which this poem is principally founded. He tells us alfo that the continuance of his poem will depend upon the reception which the first part of it meets with from the public. We feel ourselves always reluctant to check exertion, where there are any glimmerings of genius, and confequently any hopes of fuccefs. The prefent effort does not, however, afford thefe favourable fymptoms; though the verfification is smooth, it is uniformly inanimate, and frequently incorrect.

ART. 41. Illufions of Sentiment, a defcriptive and hiftoric Novel. 12mo. 25. Axtell. London, 1788.

The illufions of fentiment are no other than the doubt and diftruft of a lover refpecting the affections of his miftrefs. She proves to be fe amiably angelic, that fufpicion with regard to her is confidered as highly injudicious. Among common mortals, however, illufion is not ufually in proportion to the degree of doubt, but more generally the effect of too great a fhare of confidence. Allowance is certainly to be made for the heroes and heroines of a novel, who disdain the ordinary fentiments and language of mankind. Upon this principle the novel before us has a claim to indulgence. It has another pretenfion, of no fmall merit in the eyes of a reviewer, it is-short. ART. 42. The Correspondence of Two Lovers, Inhabitants of Lyons. Published from the French Originals. I 2mo. 3 vols. 93. fewed. Hookham. London, 1788.

This correfpondence is maintained on both fides with all the vehemence of paffion, joined to an uninterrupted effufion of the moft tender and delicate fentiments. The hiftory of the unfortunate lovers is not diverfified by a great variety of incidents; but those which occur are fuch as naturally tend to inflame their mutual attachment, and lead to the fatal catastrophe. It would feem as if the narrative were founded on fome real incident at Lyons. If this be the cafe, the memory of Faldoni and Terefa is entitled to the fympathy of the reader. But if the history be fictitious, however much we may applaud the ingenuity of the author, we should not approve of fuch a conclufion of the narrative as is calculated to imprefs the mind with the laft refolutions of defpair, in a reciprocal paffion, which had been oppofed by the interpofition of parental authority.

ALMOST a whole campaign has elapfed fince the Impe

The

perialists took the field, without producing one military achievement, either important or glorious to their arms. fortreffes of Oczakow, Choczim, and Belgrade, which they had devoted, in idea, to inevitable capture or demolition, have refifted the utmost efforts of their power. The emperor, inftead of marching his army, as became an aggreffor, into the dominions of the Turk, is reduced to the mortifying fituation of acting upon the defenfive, in confequence of his own territories being rendered the fcene of a defolating incurfion of the enemy. The invincible ftandard of Mahomet waves triumphant in the banat of Temefwaer; while the emperor has, at laft, thought proper to refign the command of his principal army to Marshal Laudohn, who ought from the beginning to have held it. Under the conduct of this brave and experienced commander the Imperial troops have gained an advantage at Dubicza; and he has thence proceeded with the army to attempt the reduction of Novi.. But while the great fortreffes continue impregnable, no lafting impreffion can be made by the Imperialists upon the dominions of the Porte.

In the North, both naval and military operations feem to be equally fufpended. No new action has taken place, either in the Black Sea or the Baltic; and though the Swedes have not evacuated Finland, they remain as yet unattacked by the army

of the czarina.

DENMARK.

The accomplishment of a peace between Ruffia and Sweden feems at present to be the object of Denmark; who, judging it moft prudent to preclude, if poffible, the neceffity of her own interpofition, is more defirous of extinguishing, than fupporting, the flame which has been kindled in the North. If, however, as there is reafon to think, the defign of Sweden was merely to make a diverfion in favour of the Ottoman power, it is probable that any endeavours to restore tranquillity will lead to a general pacification. The Imperial allies muft by this time be con

vinced

vinced that the resolution of extirpating the Turks from Europe was a project no lefs chimerical than unjuft; and they cannot but fecretly wish for the termination of a war which drains their blood and treasure, without the profpect of any advantage, but, on the contrary, of difgrace to their arms. The refult of

this attempt may teach them to eftimate more justly both their own and the Ottoman power; and, if they cannot prevail against the latter with all their united exertions, let them never, henceforward, think of affailing it in their separate capacity.

FRANCE.

The partial change which took place in the French ministry, the preceding month, has, in this, been followed by a total revo lution in the cabinet. The archbishop of Sens has at length experienced the effects of that general odium which the arbitrary measures he pursued could not fail of exciting against him in the nation. He appears, nevertheless, to have quitted his public ftation with the favour of his fovereign; an unequivocal proofthat the king was fincerely difpofed to the plan of extending the royal prerogative. Mr. Neckar being chiefly known as a financier,' his principles refpecting the government and conftitution of the kingdom, feem not yet to be clearly afcertained. But we may be well affured, that, until the finances are extricated from their prefent embarraffment, he cannot, confiftently with common prudence, recommend any other measures than fuch as are known to be moft agreeable to the people. The recalling of the parliaments, therefore, will doubtlefs be an indifpenfable object of the new miniftry; and that an edict for this purpose, reinftating them likewife in their rights and privileges, has not hitherto been iffued, must be afcribed entirely to the circumftance, that the offices in the cabinet are not yet completely arranged.

The extremely difordered ftate of the French revenues has, at this time, not only refcued the liberties of the people from the meditated encroachment of the crown, but proved the falutary means of restraining the flame of war from a more extensive conflagration over Europe. The inactivity of France in the present conjuncture, is a measure of neceffity, not of inclination; and, while fhe publicly obferves a neutrality, which fhe is unable to violate, there is the strongest reason to suspect, that she is fecretly engaged in the inconfiftent and complicated artifices of fomenting both war and peace at the fame time, She, undoubtedly, exerted her influence in exciting the warlike operations of Sweden; land she seems now to be no lefs affiduous in endeavouring to negociate a peace amongst the belligerent powers. We with that her character as a mediator, were not blended with that of an in

cendiary,

cendiary. But, amidst her apparent folicitude for extinguishing the flames of war, there is ground to fufpect that she is again employed in roufing the embers of faction, which were, in fpite of all her efforts to the contrary, fmothered in Holland laft year. The plan of her garrifoning the towns of Auftrian Brabant, and Flanders, to accommodate the emperor, is a meafure neither favourable to the fecurity of the United Provinces, nor very confiftent with the conduct of a power profeffedly neutral. But her matrimonial alliance with Auftria, joined to the embarraffed ftate of her own finances, has at this period involved her councils in a degree of perplexity never before experienced, amidst her uniform, though various purfuits of ambition and national interest.

NAPLES.

A dispute between a fovereign and the Pope ufually terminates, in modern times, to the detriment of the Romish hierarchy. The King of Naples has not only peremptorily refused to fend the Haquene, or white horse, and seven thousand ducats, to Rome, but to allow the Pontiff, in future, to nominate to any bishopric, within his dominions. He has alfo prohibited any application to Rome for difpenfations; and, not content with this restriction, has declared all the religious orders, independent of their refpective generals and fuperiors. As a proof of this prince's refolution to shake off the ufurpation of Rome, it is affirmed that he has figned a sentence, declaring the marriage of Donna Maria de Cardenas to be null. The Pope has taken fire at this new exercise of regal authority, and enjoined the clergy pofitively not to marry her again, declaring that, by this act of his Sicilian majefty, the rights of the papal jurisdiction are flagrantly violated, and the church dishonoured and profaned. But the mandate of his holiness seems to meet with as little regard as the denunciation of his difpleasure. If the voice of rumour may be credited, the King of Naples will foon manifeft, in his domestic conduct, an additional fimilarity to the character of the fovereign who first abolished the pope's fupremacy in England. But there is no symptom to indicate that any reformation of the church, will, refult from the abolition of papal supremacy in the dominions of Naples.

HOLLAND.

The confpiracy to reftore French influence, juft discovered in Holland, affords a strong proof of the inveteracy of the faction which lately distracted the united provinces. That it is, as before, the clandeftine work of French emiffaries, no doubt can be entertained. To attempt the fubverfion of an established

government,

government, and that, too, not by any fudden and violent commotion of the populace, but by deliberate and fyftematical military preparations, is an enterprize exceeding both the skill and capacity of private individuals of the republic. It is fufficient for them to act as the traitorous inftruments of a court, to the power of which, in violation of the moft facred duty of citizens, they have laboured to fubject the rights, the interefts, the honour, and even the existence of their country. The fact almoft furpaffes credibility, that, during a period when France was rent with the moft alarming domeftic diffentions, and the difordered state of her finances was flagrant over Europe, fhe fhould, notwithstanding, be employed in fomenting fedition among the inhabitants of a foreign country, and disburfing, as she must have done, money, in these feditious intrigues, while her treasury was fo much exhaufted as to be incapable of defraying the ordinary expences of her own government. This is fuch a combination of ambition and meannefs, of infidioufness and impolicy, as has hitherto been unexampled in the annals of any nation. Even Philip of Macedon, who destroyed, by fecret corruption, the liberties of the Grecian ftates, would, with all his infatiable thirst of power, have fufpended his odious popolicy, in the circcmstances in which France has been wafting her public treasure, for purposes, that entail upon her councils the reproach both of perfidy and imprudence. It was, the height of folly to imagine, that the confpiracy could remain undifcovered until the was in a capacity to throw off the mafk, and. oppofe with open arms the government of the ftadtholder; or that the ever could overturn it, in oppofition to the confederated force of Pruffia, Great Britain, and the majority of the United Provinces themfelves. On the whole, the conduct of France, in this inftance, is no lefs defitute of virtue than judgment. It favours more of inveterate envy and malice, than of those liberal, or even political motives, which ought always to actuate the cabinet of a civilized and magnanimous nation; and it cannot fail to imprefs on the mind of every patriot Dutchman, an equal abhorrence and contempt of that fhameful depravity which would feek for national aggrandizement in the ruin of public juftice, honour, fidelity, and the moft facred regards among men.

GREAT