fully described the plague of locusts, "Before them the land is as the garden of Eden, and behind them is a desolate wilderness." The composer of the Revelations has borrowed many images from Joel, as well as from Ezekiel; and when he speaks of the locusts, the wine-press of destruction, the sickle applied to the full ear of the harvest, and of the darkening of the sun and stars, evidently reminds us of Joel.*-Habakkuk's tone of prophecy accords with the probability of his having lived very near the crisis of Jewish calamities. His warning is like the sound of an alarm-bell at dead of night: yet he is not without a magnanimous and pious confidence; and his third chapter has been justly distinguished by Dr. Lowth, as a model of lyrical sublimity.

Far different was the effect of his country's sufferings on the tender mind of Jeremiah. His genius seems to bend, and his voice to falter, under the burden of prophecy; and though sometimes pleasingly affecting, he generally prolongs the accents of grief to monotony, and seldom avoids tautology, or reaches compression, except when he abridges the predictions of other prophets. Jeremiah appeared early in life as a prophet, and continued to prophesy for fifty years. A strenuous opposer in Jewish politics of his countrymen's alliance with the Egyptians, he constantly foreboded their destruction from the Chaldæan arms, for which he was rewarded with persecution, imprisonment, and chains. When Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, he respected the prophet's sacred character, and, whilst he dictated their place of exile to others, allowed Jeremiah to choose where he should reside. Honours and emoluments would have even awaited him at Babylon; but even the ashes of Jerusalem were dearer to him than the splendours of a victor's court, and he preferred remaining among the ruins of his country. Fresh oppressions, however, robbed him at length even of that melancholy consolation; and he was forced to fly into Egypt, where, it is probable, he ended his days.

From this period commenced the decline of the Hebrew language, and its mixture with Chaldaic. It has no other subsequent great poet but Ezekiel, and even his grandeur is not of the simplest and purest character. We are told indeed by Dr. Lowth, that "Ezekiel is not excelled by Isaiah himself in subblimity that he employs frequent repetitions only from the vehemence of his passion and indignation." But with the utmost respect for Dr. Lowth's general authority, I subscribe to

Joel is also frequently imitated both by Ezekiel and Zacharias.

Probably in the reign of Jehoiakim, between the taking of Nineveh and the fall of Jerusalem-as he prophesies of the Chaldeans and not the Assyrians.

His oracle against the Moabites is evidently taken from Isaiah 15th and 16th: the latter part of the chapter is borrowed from Numbers, chap. xxi. v. 27.

the very opposite opinion of Michaelis, that "Ezekiel displays more luxuriance in amplifying and decorating his subject, than is consistent with true poetical fervour." It must be owned, however, that his fancy is daring and ingenious. Compare the vision of Isaiah's inauguration with that of Ezekiel in his 10th chapter; and how luminously and distinctly shall we be struck with the former picture, which the mind embraces at a single glance. In Ezekiel, on the contrary, we are lost in objects that stun and dazzle the imagination. He is still, however, a powerful though elaborate poet, and his fancy and ingenuity are inexhaustible.

Daniel, educated under a foreign clime, and even writing partly in Chaldaic, departs still farther from the old simplicity of Hebrew taste, in his perpetual visionary and angelic machinery.

Haggai was the first of the prophets who comforted the Jews after their return from captivity, and Malachi was the last. In both of them the spirit of poetry manifestly declines, as the reign of divination draws towards its conclusion-when the words were destined to be fulfilled to Judah, That the sun should go down upon her prophets, and that there shall be night unto her so that she should have no visions.

MEMOIRS FROM 1754 To 1758.

BY JAMES EARL WALDEGRAVE, K. G.

LORD WALDEGRAVE is better known to the reading part of the public by the amiable picture which Horace Walpole has given of him in his letters, than as one of his Majesty's Privy Council in the reign of George II. and Governor to the Prince of Wales, afterwards George III. His public career, though short, was honourable to himself in every respect; and was indeed long enough to afford him a lesson, which he had the wisdom to take with him into private life, and to act upon ever afterwards, which was, not "to envy any man either the power of a minister, or the favour of princes.'

"The constant anxiety and frequent mortifications,” says he, at the close of his Memoirs, "which accompany ministerial employments, are tolerably well understood; but the world is totally unacquainted with the situation of those whom fortune has selected to be the constant attendants and companions of royalty, who partake of its domestic amusements and social happiness.

"But I must not lift up the veil; and shall only add, that no man can have a clear conception how great personages pass their leisure hours, who has not been a prince's governor, or a king's favourite."

Such is the view of the pleasures of a palace, which is given by a man of singular sweetness of temper, and rectitude of principle, not wanting either in a spirit of gratitude, which made him

acknowledge that he had ever found in George II. one of the kindest of masters. Nor, on the other hand, does the situation of these royal masters appear a whit more agreeable, and scarcely a whit more independent, than that of their followers. Lord Waldegrave's account of the political contentions, and partyquarrels, to which he was an eye-witness, between the years 1754 and 1757, is tolerably convincing, that the great maxim of state which holds that "the king can do no wrong," is totally unconnected with any implied argument that he can do as he likes. We are not particularly partial to the character of George the Second, even sketched as it is in the most favourable colours by Lord Waldegrave in his Memoirs; yet, when we see him surrounded on every side by persons whom he actually disliked, and forced, as he was, to enter into confidential communications with members of his cabinet, whose good-will towards himself he had every reason to distrust, we are willing to give him credit for exhibiting quite as much philosophy as may be reasonably expected to lie "within the narrow circlet of a crown," in the following conversation with Lord Waldegrave, respecting the contradictions and vexations to which he was perpetually exposed.

"His Majesty heard every thing I said with great patience, and answered with some cheerfulness, that, according to my description, his situation was not much to be envied; but, he could assure me, it was infinitely more disagreeable than I had represented it. That he believed few princes had been exposed to such treatment; that we were angry because he was partial to his Electorate; though he desired nothing more to be done for Hanover than what we were bound in honour and justice to do for any country whatsoever, when it was exposed to danger entirely on our account.

"That we were indeed a very extraordinary people, continually talking of our constitution, laws, and liberty. That as to our constitution, he allowed it to be a good one; and defied any man to produce a single instance wherein he had exceeded his proper limits. That he never meant to screen or protect any servant who had done amiss; but still he had a right to choose those who were to serve him, though at present, so far from having an option, he was not even allowed a negative.

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That as to our laws, we passed near a hundred every session, which seemed made for no other purpose but to afford us the pleasure of breaking them; and as to our zeal for liberty, it was in itself highly commendable; but our notions must be somewhat singular, when the chief of the nobility chose rather to be the dependants and followers of a Duke of Newcastle, than to be the friends and counsellors of their sovereign.-P. 133.

We must subjoin the portrait of George II. if it be only to show how exactly it corresponds with the traits of himself in the above-mentioned conversation.

"The King is in his 75th year; but temperance and an excellent

constitution have hitherto preserved him from many of the infirmities of old age.

"He has a good understanding, though not of the first class; and has a clear insight into men and things, within a certain compass. "He is accused by his ministers of being hasty and passionate when any measure is proposed which he does not approve of; though, within the compass of my own observation, I have known few persons of high rank who could bear contradiction better, provided the intention was apparently good, and the manner decent.

"When any thing disagreeable passes in the closet, when any of his ministers happen to displease him, it cannot long remain a secret; for his countenance can never dissemble: but to those servants who attend his person, and do not disturb him with frequent solicitations, he is ever gracious and affable.

"Even in the early part of life he was fond of business; at present it is become almost his only amusement.

"He has more knowledge of foreign affairs than most of his ministers, and has good general notions of the constitution, strength, and interest of this country: but being past thirty when the Hanover succession took place, and having since experienced the violence of party, the injustice of popular clamour, the corruption of parliaments, and the selfish motives of pretended patriots, it is not surprising that he should have contracted some prejudices in favour of those governments where the royal authority is under less restraint.

"Yet prudence has so far prevailed over these prejudices, that they have never influenced his conduct; on the contrary, many laws have been enacted in favour of public liberty; and in the course of a long reign, there has not been a single attempt to extend the prerogative of the crown beyond its proper limits.

"He has as much personal bravery as any man, though his political courage seems somewhat problematical: however, it is a fault on the right side; for had he always been as firm and undaunted in the closet, as he showed himself at Oudenarde and Dettingen, he might not have proved quite so good in this limited monarchy.

"In the drawing-room he is gracious and polite to the ladies, and remarkably cheerful and familiar with those who are handsome, or with the few of his old acquaintance who were beauties in his younger days.

"His conversation is very proper for a tête-à-tête: he then talks freely on most subjects, and very much to the purpose; but he cannot discourse with the same ease, nor has he the faculty of laying aside the king in a larger company-not even in those parties of pleasure which are composed of his most intimate acquaintance.

"His servants are never disturbed with any unnecessary waiting; for he is regular in all his motions to the greatest exactness, except on particular occasions; when he outruns his own orders, and expects those who are to attend him before the time of his appointment. This may easily be accounted for: he has a restless mind, which requires constant exercise; his affairs are not sufficient to fill up the day; his amusements are without variety, and

have lost their relish; he becomes fretful and uneasy, merely for want of employment, and presses forward to meet the succeeding hour before it arrives.

"Too great attention to money seems to be his capital failing; however, he is always just, and sometimes charitable, though seldom generous; but when we consider how rarely the liberality of princes is directed to the proper object, being usually bestowed on a rapacious mistress or an unworthy favourite, want of generosity, though it still continues a blot, ceases, at least, to be a vice of the first magnitude.

Upon the whole, he has some qualities of a great prince, many of a good one, none which are essentially bad; and I am thoroughly convinced that hereafter, when time shall have worn away those specks and blemishes which sully the brightest characters, and from which no man is totally exempt, he will be numbered among those patriot kings, under whose government the people have enjoyed the greatest happiness."

The description of our late sovereign, when a young man, is not what those who have been accustomed to contemplate the active habits and valuable qualities of his riper years would exactly expect to find, or will delight to dwell upon; we lay it before our readers, nevertheless, in order to prove the truth of Lord Waldegrave's own observation, that it would be unfair to decide upon character in the early stages of life, when there is so much time for improvement. At the time that Lord Waldegrave thus described his royal pupil, he was entering into his twenty-first year, and had been three years, nominally at least, under his lordship's care.

"His parts, though not excellent," says the noble author, “will be found very tolerable, if ever they are properly exercised.

"He is strictly honest, but wants that frank and open behaviour which makes honesty appear amiable.

"When he had a very scanty allowance, it was one of his favourite maxims, that men should be just before they are generous: his income is now very considerably augmented, but his generosity has not increased in equal proportion.

"His religion is free from all hypocrisy, but is not of the most charitable sort; he has rather too much attention to the sins of his neighbour.

"He has spirit, but not of the active kind; and does not want resolution, but it is mixed with too much obstinacy.

"He has great command of his passions, and will seldom do wrong, except when he mistakes wrong for right; but as often as this shall happen, it will be difficult to undeceive him, because he is uncommonly indolent, and has strong prejudices.

"His want of application and aversion to business would be far less dangerous, was he eager in the pursuit of pleasure; for the transition from pleasure to business, is both shorter and easier than from a state of total inaction.

"He has a kind of unhappiness in his temper, which, if it be not conquered before it has taken too deep a root, will be a source of