Not fuch as gentlemen require
To prate at table or at fire,

I with thee all thy mother's graces,'
Thy father's fortunes and his places.
I wish thee friends and one at court,
Not to build on, but fupport;

To keep thee not from doing many
Oppreffionis, but from fuffering any.
I wish thee peace in all thy ways,
Nor lazy nor contentious days,
And when thy foul and body part,
As innocent as now thou art.

ELEGY ON THE BURYING-PLACE
called CAMPO SANTO, . near FLORENCE.

[From a Poetical Tour in the Years 1784, 1785, and 1786.]

N that bleft ifle, by heaven's high favor born,
Whofe cliffs the fubject billows vainly beat,
From the main land by ftrong convulfions torn,
To form for freedom a belov❜d retreat;

Oft as thro' other climes I muling ftray,
The dews of pity fill my melting eyes,
For thofe, who, trampled by defporic fway,
Restrain their murmurs, and fubdue their fighs.

Beneath the yoke how fad Florentia bends!
Her fons efcape not with the lofs of breath,
E'en then fell Tyranny his rod extends

That waves new horrors o'er the realms of death.

Lo! where amid the dreary Appennines,
Whofe barren tops the meeting fkies affail,
Where scatter'd olives, and unfruitful vines,

Bow their weak heads beneath the fighing gale;

After the ufual rites being performed in the churches, the bodies remain in a houfe near the gate of the city till midnight, when they are carried on mules, in boxes made for that purpose, to this place of interment, where they are depofited three in a grave, without coffins or any further ceremony. There is no diftinction of perfons, nor are the nobility allowed private vaults, or even the privilege of being buried at their country houfes: their difcontent may be conceived but all remon frances are in vain; and whatever may be the pretence of its expediency to prevent diftempers, many people will be apt to impute this tyrannical proceeding to the level. ling principles of the Austrian family. A number of beautiful villas near the road are deferted on account of the horror it occafions."

When night's dark wings the mournful fcene enfold,
On mules, unconscious of their filent load,
Of the pale dead the huddled relics cold
Are borne unfeemly o'er the lonely road.
No long proceffion pours the pious fong,
No fable hearfe difplays its nodding plume,
No kind domeftics move in grief along,

And with funereal torches gild the gloom.
Perhaps fome victim from the feats of day
Too foon is hurried by precautions dire,
Perhaps too late fhall wake the fleeping clay,
And struggling with oppreffive mould expire.
The startled trav'ler views with honest rage
The face where late fuperior beauty fmil'd,
The wafted form of once revered age,

By fome rude hireling's ruffian hands defil'd.
In earth's dread bofom undistinguish'd thrown,
No clofing rites in decent ftate are paid;
No weeping friends their loft companion own,
When duft to duft is finally convey'd.
Shall the meek virgin's pure untafted charms,
The manly breast that felt another's grief,
Meet the worn prostitute's lafcivious arms,

Or niggard hands which never gave relief?
Shall the rapt bard, who pour'd th' immortal lay,
With vice and dulnefs in one grave unite?
Oh 'twere enough to warm th' indig'nant clay,
And stop th' afcending fpirit in its flight!
Thither in vain, impell'd by wild defpair,

The wretched widow, and the orphan fly ; Alas! no monumental ftone is there,

To mark the fpot where their protectors lie. No holy text, no warning fentence, feeds The thoughtful moralist with wholesome truth, No fculptur'd trophies of heroic deeds

Allure to Glory's path admiring youth. Degenerate age! when on the banks of Nile, Early matur'd, fair science rear'd her head, On the cold corfe was fpent her patient toil, And Araby's rich gums embalm'd the dead. When the proud fceptre, and high-founding lyre, Bade Roman breasts with vaft ambition burn, The valued afhes, purified by fire,

Drew frequent tears upon the storied urn.

Ev'n the rude natives of the late-found ifles,
Where fome loft friends attract their frantic way,
With fond attachment view the ruftic piles,

Sooth'd by the honours of the known morai.
Shall then th' unfeeling Auftrian's ftern commands
To quell thefe facred fentiments prefume,
While with the name of prejudice he brands
The charities that glow beyond the tomb?

Thus might rebellious fons be taught to fly
The long obedience which they owe their fires,
Thus be diffolv'd chafte wedlock's dearer tie,
And all that habit adds to nature's fires.,
But fooner far muft cease that flavish awe
The humbled vaffal to his tyrant pays,
Crumble that edifice which pow'r and law.
On weak convention's bafe fo proudly raise.
Then tremble thou, left foon th' impatient throng
Tear the vain crown from thy too impious head;
Ne'er can the living be refpected long,
Who teach their fubjects to defpife the dead.

DOMESTIC LITERATURE

Of the Year 1787.

N enumerating the theological book of Job will be found particu

kind, together with the notes and illuftrations by which they are con firmed, give a favourable teftimony to the author's attention, and liberal way of thinking; and are adapted to free the facred records from fome of the wild conje&ures and extrava gant abfurdities by which commen tators have obfcured their fimpli city. In many other parts, where Mr. Dawfon hath not enlarged fo much as might be wifhed, he hath, nevertheless, offered fuch hints and general obfervations as will be ac ceptable and ufeful to the student in facred philology.

verfion was made from Samaritan, and not from Hebrew copies. The third section treats of the manner in which this verfion was made, and the methods which the tranflators probably followed in elucidating the original, from their acquaintance with other eastern languages. In the fourth fection the accuracy and fidelity of this verfion is infifted on: and in the fifth and fixth we have a hiftory of the general eftimation in which it was held for a long period of years; of the tranflations which have been made from it; and of the causes of the alterations which, at different times, have been made in it by the rulers of the fynagogues. The laft fection is on a fubject which had before employed the pen of our, author, the celebrated Hexapla of Origen, and on the injuries which our author conceives to be done by it to this verfion. The cttablished character which Dr. Owen hath already acquired in the field of facred literature, renders it unneceflary for us to fay, that his learned readers may promife themfelves much pleafure and information from his valuable little work. His obferyations are equally acute, fenfible, and im portant; and will add confiderably to his well earned fame in the ferties of its inhabitants; their manvice of Revelation.

"The Sixth and Eleven follow. ing Chapters of Genefis, tranflated from the original Hebiew; with marginal Illuftrations and Notes, by Abraham Dawfon, M. A. &c." is a publication which fuggefts many juft and proper variations from the language of our common verfion, and which the author hath fupport ed with no fmall fhare of critical fkill. Thofe particularly, which are introduced into the accounts of Melchizedeck's meeting with Abraham, Noah's prophecy refpecting Canaan, and the difperfion of man

Mr. Harmer's "Obfervations on divers paffages of Scripture, &c." in two volumes, are a continuation of an entertaining and ufeful work, which he began to publish in 1765, and which he republished, with additions, in two volumes, in 1777. The object of our author is to il luftrate different parts of Scripture

more amply than has been yet done, by means of Circumftances incidentally mentioned in Books of Voyages and Travels into the East." The obfervations in the prefent vo❤ fumes relate to the weather of Jus daa; the manner of living in tents in that country; the houses and ci

ner of travelling; the eaftern manner of doing homage; their books; and the natural, civil, and military flate of Judea,. To thefe he has added remarks on Egypt; its adjoin ing wilderness; the Red Sea; tow gether with feveral mifcellaneous matters; and prefixed to the whole, a fpecimen of illuftrating the Greek and Roman clailics from the famé fources. Notwithstanding that we think our author fometimes need! lefsly employed, in eftablifhing im material facts, and difcuffing unim portant objections, we cannot but peak in high terms of his ingenious

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and