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Upon a single text in scripture he has described a Battle in Heaven, in most respects tremendously sublime, in others painfully reminding us how impossible it is for man's limited imagination to find weapons for immortal spirits, or conceive an army of rebellious angels employing instruments of human invention upon the vain impossible idea, that their material artillery could shake the immaterial throne of the One Supreme Being, the Almighty Creator and Disposer of them and the universe. Accordingly, when we are presented with the description of Christ, the meek Redeemer of mankind, going forth in a chariot to the battle, brilliant although the picture is, it dazzles, and we start from it revolted by the blaze. But when the poet, deeming himself competent to find words for the Almighty, contrives a conference between the First and Second Persons in the Trinity, we are compelled to say with Pope

That God the Father turns a school-divine.

"I must entreat my readers not so to misconceive my meaning as to suppose me vain enough to think, that by noticing these spots in Milton's glorious sun, I am advancing my dim lamp to any the most distant competition with it. I have no other motive for mentioning them, but to convince the patrons of these memoirs, that I did not attempt the composition of a sacred epic, where he must for ever stand so decidedly pre-eminent, till

by comparing the facilities of my subject with the amazing difficulties of his, I had found a bow proportioned to my strength, and did not presume to bend it till I was certified of its flexibility.

"It could not possibly be overlooked by me, that in taking the Death of Christ for my subject, I had the advantage of dating my poem at a point of time, the most awful in the whole history of the world, the most pregnant with sublime events, and the most fully fraught with grand and interesting characters; that I had those characters, and those events, so pointedly delineated and so impressively described by the inspired historians, as to leave little else for me to do, but to restrain invention, and religiously to follow in the path that was chalked out to me. Accordingly, I trust there will be found very little of the audacity of fancy in the composition of Calvary, and few sentiments or expressions ascribed to the Saviour, which have not the sanction and authority of the sacred records. When he descends into Hades, I have endeavoured to avail myself of what has been revealed to us for those conjectural descriptions, and I hope I have not far outstepped discretion, or heedlessly indulged a wild imagination; for though I venture upon untouched ground, presuming to unfold a scene, which mystery has involved in darkness, yet I have the visions of the Saint at Patmos to hold up a light to me, and assist me in my to pervade futurity.

efforts

"My first publication of Calvary, in quarto, had so languid a sale, that it left me with the inconvenient loss of at least one hundred pounds, and the discouraging conviction, that the public did not concern itself about the poem, or the poem maker. I felt at the same time a proud indignant consciousness, that it claimed a better treatment and whilst I called to mind the true and brotherly devotion I had ever borne to the fame of my contemporaries, I was stung by their neglect; and having laid my poem on the Death of my Redeemer at the feet of my Sovereign, which, for aught that ever reached my knowledge, he might or might not have received by the hand of his librarian, I had nothing to console me but the reflection, that there would, perhaps, be a tribunal that would deal out justice to me, when I could not be a gainer by it, and speak favourably of my performance, when I could not hear their praises."

The conclusion of this extract shows what was Cumberland's secret opinion of his poem; and he probably thought (at least Dr. Drake would have whispered it to him,) that, like the Paradise Lost, it was destined to languish for awhile in obscurity, only to burst forth, afterwards, with greater lustre, and to acquire a more splendid destiny.

When Burke published his pamphlet on the French revolution, Cumberland was one among the many who considered it with admiration. He

was not content with silently approving, however; he wrote a letter to Burke, communicating his high sense of its merit, to which an answer was politely returned. In this answer Burke expresses his satisfaction at being applauded by by a man so distinguished in literature as Cumberland, and "in so great a variety of its branches."

To this last expression Cumberland afterwards alludes with a just consciousness of its truth, and proceeds to exemplify it, dwelling with a pleasing remembrance on that division of his labours which he had appropriated to the services of religion.He mentions the composition of as many sermons as would make a large volume, some of which have been delivered from the pulpit. He rendered also fifty of the psalms of David into English metre ; and he wrote a religious and argumentative Tract, which I have already alluded to, entitled, "A few plain Reasons why we should believe in Christ, and adhere to his Religion; addressed to the Patrons and Professors of the New Philosophy."

There is in this pamphlet much solidity of argument, and a becoming warmth of persuasion.Novelty, either in the opinions expressed, or in the mode of enforcing or illustrating them, could hardly be hoped; and the good to be expected was that which might result from concentrating the popular opinions on the subjects discussed, and urging them upon the attention by a forcible brevity of application. This object Cumberland seems

very steadily to have kept in view; but I could wish that the introductory paragraphs had been written with less levity. In a serious, argumentative address, which professes to defend the great cause of christiarity, and to convert infidelity by the weight and importance of its reasonings, it is unbefitting the subject to indulge in a playful irony of language, which may amuse men indeed, but will never convince them. The Tract commences with this sort of buffoonery:

"GENTLEMEN PATRONS AND PROFESSORS OF THE NEW PHILOSOPHY!

"Though I doubt not but your illuminated understandings are stored with many exquisitely ingenious reasons, why this our country should no longer retain the character of a christian country, yet I hope you will in candour be pleased to let a plain man offer you a few plain reasons why he conceives it should. Old fashioned folks have thought that men are not found to be worse subjects to their king, worse friends to their country, or worse members of society, for having some sense of religion; and the same old fashioned folks have habituated themselves to believe, that, amongst all the religions in the world, a better could not be taken up than that which we already possess."

This is bad enough; but the following is worse, because it is intended for argument, while it is, in fact, nothing but banter and burlesque :