Climb'd the sharp precipice's steepest breast, bis way tear તું' pp. 152-154. The next canto introduces us to this monarch in person, seated in triumph on the summit of a mountain in Eden, surrounded by his chiefs. The invaded land is now supposed to be finally subdued. The last battle has just been fought between the giant host and the rem nant of the inhabitants of Eden; and the whole of the latter having been either taken captive or exter minated in this unequal combat, the conqueror sees himself at last the undisputed master of the subjugated universe. This ultimate struggle for the freedom of the world de served aniore important place in this poem than our author has chosen to assign to it. It does not even form part of the main narra tive; it is merely introduced as the subject of a triumphal song, and is recounted in general terms, without any of those exhibitions of indis vidual prowess and personal conflict which constitute the chief interest of a battle piecesYet this descrips tion, imperfect as it is, is the only one of the same class to be found in the whole work, though founded on the invasion of a warlike land by mighty armies. Of all the sun pleasant circumstances which usually attend a transaction of this kindj the reader is allowed to know no thing more thang is absolutely new cessary, and every incident of a Jun 7 961 Los e 19 eld them as barbarous and blood-thirsty nature is carefully kept from his ear. Now we can easily believe such a peculiarity to proceed from a Christian and benevolent aversion to the ordinary themes of heroic song-to the plumed troops and the big war, that make ambition virtue," and we should shudder at the idea of making a spirit like this the subject of blame. If influenced by so correct a taste, the author had kept far from the tumults of courts and camps, and confined his scene to some sylvan and peaceful region, we should have thought his plan in this respect unexceptionable. But this he has not done. The story, as far as the piece can be said to possess one, is of martial texture, and the most ambitious and successful of warriors, is, if not its hero, at least one of its principal personages. This per sonage too, is depicted with the highest strength of colouring which the author is able to command, and no pains are spared to give the due share of characteristic interest to a being whose pride is, "To rule remotest nations with his nod, To live a hero, and to die a god." If Mr. Montgomery will present bis readers with a giant and a hero, and will sing of qu'invasion, it seems to us, that in consistency he ought to have no objection to describe a battle; and that he cannot be allowed, on the ground of a peaceable disposition, to withdraw himself from the scenes in which giants, heroes, and invaders, appear to most advantage." To proceed with our story-The monarch, in the triumph of his soul, conceives the impious enterprise of scaling the neighbouring mount of Paradise, and wresting it from the possession of Michael and the Sera phim. While he meditates this ex ploit, the captive patriarchal band arrive, and are brought before him He instantly resolves to sacrifice them to his idols, in order to propi tiate the infernal powers in favour of his new project. At this moment, Javan meets his eye, and the giant, The enraged, orders him to be immediate ly dragged to the flames. youth undauntedly stands forth, and, after confessing his sin in hav ing apostatised from the truth, declares himself to be ready to meet his fate-at the same time, assuring the tyrant, that the of the patriarchs would certainly deliver them from his hands. At this crisis, Zillah, affected by his faith and courage, exclaims, that he shall not die alone, and wildly proclaims the fervour of that attachment to him which she had hitherto confined to her own breast. A passionate scene ensues between the lovers, which might not be unpleasing in its effect, did it not recal too forcibly, the remembrance of the Olindo and Sophroniad of Tasso. The lovers are interrupted by a personage who appears not to have had much complaisance for tender feelings: "Away with folly,' in tremendous tone, a Exclaim'd a voice more horrid than the This sorcerer is suddenly seized with dreadful convulsions: and at length, agitated by demoniacal inspi ration, he pours forth a blasphemous address to the giant king; in the course of which, be assures the monarch, that the sun is his father, and the moon his mother, and exhorts him to chase the angels from the mount of Paradise, and to raise upon it a tower, from whence he may hold communion with his brethren, the stars. By way of preparation for this hopeful project, he proceeds to advise, that the patriarchs be im mediately burned alive; and dares the Almighty to interfere, if he can in their behalf. At that awful name, his voice is suddenly repress plete, The world's last province bow'd beneath his feet." In the simile that follows these lines, we think, that there is real sublimity. It exhibits, too, an obJect of comparison finely analogous to the era and title of the poem. ed; his nerves are frozen; and he In which their king had bail'd his realo, com" stands torpid and motionless, alive to suffering, but alive in stone." From this expression, we were in great hopes that he was - actually entombed alive in brick and mortar, and were much disappointed at the comparatively mild punishment in. flicted on him. Enoch steps-forward, and pronounces as his doom, that he shall wander "a drivelling idiot from house to house, and never find an home." The sorcerer himself seems to have expected something worse, and, idiot as he is, has the wisdom to make off as fast as possible. The wizard heard his sentence; nor remain'd moment longer; from his trance' un chain'd, He plung'd into the woods the prophet fthen, Turn'd, and took up his parable again," PP. 200, 201, Enoch proceeds to prophecy the approaching fall of the giant king, and the subsequent destruction of all his subjects by the deluge. The giant chiefs, exasperated, rush upon the prophet; the monarch himself, flies at him with drawn sword, and aims a fruitless blow, The intended victim is no longer to be seen; he walk'd with God, and was not found." His mantle falls on Javan, who immediately; endued with miraculous power, leads away the band of the faithful in safety, from among the ranks of their enemies. The giants now prepare for their desperate enterprise of storming Paradise; but they are themselves first assailed by a dreadful storm and earthquake, which paralize their troops, and which are succeeded by an incursion of embattled cherubim. The giants instantly fly in consternation, and their monarch is himself the foremost of the van. He dies in the tumult, being treacherously slain by some unknown hand; and his chieftains pursue their flight to their own countries; With life alone escaping from that war ་ As when the waters of the flood declined, Rolling tumultuously before the wind, 'beds, And high the hills, and higher, raised their heads, Till Ocean lay, enchased with rock, and strand, As in the hollow of the Almighty's hand, And stilness reign'd o'er Nature's solitude: ནཱམ ིིན pp. 215, 216. This is a passage of peculiar excellence, and serves to prove the occasional extent of Mr. Montgomery's powers, and at the same time, we must admit, to mark by contrast, the deficiencies of many parts of his performance. The conclusion of the piece, dis misses Javan to the delights of "friendship, home,and love;" and the scattered tribes of Eden, to the enjoyment of liberty and peace. * Such is the story which Mr. Montgomery has chosen as the basis of a poem of ten cantos, and nearly four thousand lines. Its defects are too obvious to require much comment. The most willing attention cannot be long detained in dents are so few and so slightly in favour of a tale, in which the inciterwoven with each other; in which the action and the catastrophe are so feebly connected; the episodes, or digressions, so numerous and so almost long. The personages are duct in the piece is concerned, inactive; and as far as their conall their extraordinary qualities. seem gifted seem gifted to little purpose with The giant king, employs his superhuman strength, talents, and dimen sions, in reducing, with a countless host that has overrun the world, and that is commanded by gigantic chiefs, a small tract of country, defended by men of ordinary size; and even this service he does not appear to have performed, for the most part, in person. The goatherd is endowed with magic arts, and many other inconceivable attributes, to no end, as it would appear, but to make a blasphemous speech. Even Enoch, though a character of high dignity, and divinely inspired, cannot be ranked as an agent in the poem, unless his annunciation of the wizard's doom, entitle him to be so considered; and as for Javan, his wondrous skill in music, which perhaps, after all, forms his prominent characteristic, achieves absolutely nothing. He makes love excessively ill, and his principal exploits are, his desertion from the army in the outset of the poem, and his escaping from it in the conclusion. If we pass from the subject and plan of the work, to consider the style of the composition; we find, in the first place, that it is chargeable with a large proportion of flat and prosaic passages. No doubt, in a narrative poem of considerable length, a certain admixture of these is fairly admissible. From the time of Homer, downwards, the critics have felt themselves obliged to wink at the occasional slumbers of the epic poet. But this is an indulgence to be rarely claimed, and one which is, besides, in strictness, due only to the entertaining fabu list; who Speciosa miracula promit, Antiphaten Scyllamque et cura Cyclope Charybdim."--ra Where the narrative itself is defec. tive in interest, this licence must be used with proportionable reserve: for as it is by the invention, or the composition, that the merits of every poem must be decided; a failure in the plan, can only be compensated by a sustained elevation and beauty in the style. There must either be a valuable material, CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 154. or a highly finished workmanship” In the absence, however, of both these qualities, the genius of the author may, in a great measure be vindicated by the frequent display of extraordinary power in detached parts of the work. Now, that the present production exhibits very numerous instances of pleasing and elegant poetry, we most readily admit; but we think it defective in strength and originality of conception. Its beauties often reside in a turn of expression superior to the thought or image conveyed; and we, also, detect frequently a tooservile imitation of the great masters of the art, varied sometimes by an adoption of those obvious ideas which cannot be said to be borrowed, be cause, by long-continued use, they have passed into public property. It would have been easy, had our limits allowed of it, to have swelled this review by numerous illustrations of the justice of these remarks. With these impressions of Mr. M.'s general style of composition, we are nevertheless of opinion, that parts of this performance display merit of a very solid description, and are equally excellent in the matter and the manner. In that class of poetry, indeed, the main strength of which depends on the thought and sentiment, he very uniformly maintains the tone of the preceding specimens; but, in the descriptive vein, he sometimes exhibits incomparably more novelty and vigour. We were particularly pleased with the following piece of forest scenery. "Sweet was the scene! Apart the cedars stood, A sunny islet opened in the wood; breathe: O'er all, the bees with murmuring music flew From bell to bell, to sip the treasured dew; 4 S most fervent wish to find it worthy of unmixed applause? But a poem must, after all, be criticised as a work of taste; and there is one rule for the appreciation of moral, and another for that of literary, excellence. Did it depend upon ourselves, how gladly should we always twine for the brow of the same candidate, the rival palms of genius and of virtue ! A Sermon, preached at the Parish Church of Christ Church, Newgate Street, on Thursday, May 5, 1814. Before the Prayer-book and Homily Society, at their Second Anniversary. By the HoN. and Rev. G. T. NOEL, M. A. Vicar of Rainham, Kent. Hatchard. 1814, We have, on former occasions, expressed our warm concurrence in the plan and objects of this Society; and we are happy to find by the Reports, which are now before the public, that it continues to labour with extensive and increasing effect. The sermon, delivered by Mr. Cunning. ham, on its First Anniversary, and noticed in our Number for September, 1813, was calculated to render great service to the cause; and we antici pate results not less favourable from the scriptural and persuasive appeal of Mr. Noel. By the preceding remarks, it will appear, that our critical reckoning with Mr. Montgomery is rather complicated and difficult of adjust ment. Whether the balance is, on the whole, in his favour, we do not mean at present to examine. We had rather (to pursue the metaphor) keep the account open, and postpone a settlement, in the hope of further transactions with him. There is, however, one merit, and that of the The text is in 2 Thess. ii. 15.; highest order, for which we have "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, not yet allowed him the praise that and hold the traditions which ye have it eminently demands: and we men- been taught."-In opening his subtion it last, not by any means as ject, the preacher is careful to dis least in the eye of the Christian: tinguish between the traditions of Observer, but because it is of a kind. the Apostles and the traditions of our less immediately connected than the Church; and admits the possibility points which have been already of perpetuating error, by blind adconsidered with the literary cha-herence to the traditions of unin racter of the piece. The sentiments are uniformly pure and pious. They have a tendency (rare indeed in works of this class!) to promote spi-. rituality and devotion in the reader; and at the same time, they give a most pleasing impression of the feelings and principles of the author. Need we say then, that we have considered this work with a 4 spired and fallible men. But if they shall be found to harmonize with the traditions of the Apostles, it can surely, as he observes, be no diminution of their value, that they have been loved and bonoured in days of old; that they bave come down to us with the sanction of great and venerable names, and with every re commendation, which can be fun |