principal amusement of all the different courts of Europe, daring the fixteenth century. We shall conclude this article by inferting a paffage from the life of Guido Reni, which may ferve not only as a ipecives at the ftyle of our Author, but as an illuftration of an important doctrine which cannot be too often inculcated; thats, the coruption to which the arts are liable, even in the happief ages; and the danger that artifts of fuperior merit fhouse conscient to imitate bad models, when ignorance, novelty, or caprice dave rendered fuch models fashionable. 'About this time Guido began to paint on his own 20count; and in his coronation of the Virgin Mary, in the church of St. Bernard, he demonftrated fo great a known f the naked, that Annibale Carracci himself, who at firft tender y loved, now began to fear him, regarding him always with a jealous and fevere eye: nevertheless he, contrary to his intentions, opened the way to his rival's future reputation, in this manner. After the time of the great Michel Angelo, Rafaelic, and lome of their followers in the Roman febile, the art was confideratly fallen, the artifts running rather into a chimerical whimficalpefs, and weak colouring, than imitating the truth of nature, Cavalier Giufppe d'Arpino was accounted an at ie man among them, and, by Fortune's affiftance, acquired the firft place; although, to a very capricious invention, he had joined the ftyle of a mannerist, with langu d colouring. A tas time alfo appeared Michel Angelo da Caravaggio, a tantaftical and beaftly man, who having formed a manner entirely new (with broad lights artificially obtained in a darkened chamber, and with the deepeft fhadows, he fo effectually infinuated himself into the favour of the great, that every gallery, in every museum, was accounted poor which had not one of his pictures in it. The fame of these two men fpread over all Italy; and not only their reputation, but their pictures arrived at Bologna; not without great joy to the Carracci, who longed to fee fome of their works, particularly of Caravaggio, of whom they had heard fuch great things. The picture was feen by Annibale, and Lodovico, who readily declared, that he found the work by very different from the fame of the mafter; but that nothing was more plaufible than novelty: to which Annibale added, that be was not at all furprised, but was of opinion, that any one who, in time to come, fhould frike out fome new manner, would certainly obtain from Fortune and the filly vulgar, the like The period in which Guido lived was from ring to † Or, as we commonly lay, to je * youth, ferved under the Carracei, ann first inftructor was Denys Calvare. an miration; that as to himself, he was fatisfied with his own ftyle, wholly oppofite to this, by which he hoped he had fecured a better founded applaufe; that he had endeavoured, with a tender colouring, and day-light in the open air, to give truth and relief to his figures; and that, instead of imitating, like Caravaggio, what was ugly as well as what was agreeable in nature, he had always been folicitous to make choice only of that which was most beautiful. The lively genius of Guido immediately took the hint, and he foon applied himself to the ftyle of Caravaggio, as the more advantageous scheme.’ We must add, however, to the honour of Guido, that he followed the fteps of Caravaggio, in his dark and disagreeable paths, but for a time; after which he fell into his fecond manner; —a manner, as Mr. Rogers well obferves, far more scientific, graceful, and fweet; highly finifhed, with clear and bright colouring, gay, and tranfparent:which has established him chief in the modern ftyle of painting, and juftly obtained him the greatest applaufe. ART. X. The Prince of Peace, and other Poems. 4to. 2 s. 6 d. Murray. 1779. and circumstance of glorious war," the ac Tquifition of victory, and the participation of renown, are fo flattering to human vanity, that exclufive of all views of pecuniary emolument, we are not to wonder that fo great a part of mankind have, in all ages, followed the profeffion of the fword. The incidents of battles and fieges afford fuch variety of interesting fubjects for defcription, and fuch frequent opportunities of introducing the pathetic and the fublime, that it is not at all furprifing that they have fo often employed the pen of the poet. In the poem before us, entitled, The Prince of Peace (the most confiderable piece in the collection), the ingenious Author has deviated from the common road. He has not recommended war by pleafing pictures of heroifm and military fame; he has rendered it an object of deprecation, by forcible and affecting reprefentations of the mifery which it inevitably produces. The prefent unhappy American contest is the particular object of his reprehenfion, though, evidently, not from party motives, but from confiderations of a fuperior nature. The poem opens with the following animated precatory apoftrophe, to the Prince of Peace: O thou! that on the fapphire throne Of glory feated, look't on human race Though much their madness flight thy proffer'd grace, The The fons of thoughtless ALBION! Write thy law The thunders down of Heaven's keen punishment! After deploring the lofs of peace, and the diminution of commerce, the poet digreffively regrets the difcovery of America; expatiates on the pleafing ideas which the discoverers might na. turally be fuppofed to conceive of the country, and contrafts them with its prefent melancholy fituation. He then proceeds to paint, in the moft ftriking colours, the horrid war of those Indian barbarians, whom Chriftians, of different nations, have too often, to their eternal difgrace, employed against each other. He justly describes them as furious; infenfible of compaffion; unmoved by the fmiling innocence of infancy, the pitiable debility of age, and the inchanting power of female beauty: Yet Infants hold no forfeit life They, finlefs beings! furely 'fcape the foe! Save smiling innocence, no arms they know! The heart, now milder than the milk they draw! Nor Innocence-their coat of mail! And fee, where feeble Age extends His nervelefs arm! to ward th' impending blow; He fondly thought, with glory to repofe His grave, alas! the vulture fhall fupply; Bleach'd by the parching winds his bones unbury'd lie? Yet Beauty meets a milder doom Yet female weaknefs bends the ftubborn foul- When holy rites fhall fanctify her choice. E'en E'en now the hears the ambush'd foe: What found, the starting cries, pervades my ear? No more that lovely cheek with beauty glow! Thofe waving ringlets ftiff with clotted gore! His last stanza except one, is a fevere but juft reproof of the fhocking practice of praying for fuccefs in the bufinefs of defroying our fellow-creatures : Ah! farely dead to human woe Their iron hearts, that deeds like these approve! Nor fear a vindicating Power abɔve! And yet—to Heaven they bow the suppliant knee, The precatory ftyle is beautifully refumed in the conclufion: Once more thy spirit in their hearts renew; And, O may Heaven, whofe mercy floops to all, Their crimes forgive!-they know not what they do! In rival breafts awake thy law of Love! From Thee all human hope, all comfort springs! The mutual wound's keen anguish to remove, Arife once more with healing on thy wings! So may each doubt diffolve, all Discord cease, And kindred nations bow before THE PRINCE OF PEACE. This performance is one of the few in which a spirit of piety and a spirit of poetry are united. The Reader must have obferved that the ftanza is moftly conftructed of heroic lines, with tetrastich and couplet rhyme: this structure is perhaps better adapted to the dignity of the greater ode, than one con fifting fifting of lighter and fhorter measures. It pleased in some of AKENSIDE'S odes, and it pleases in the prefent inftance. The third piece in this agreeable affemblage, entitled, an Elegy in Memory of a Lady, appeared in print several years ago, under the title of CONSTANTIA, and was mentioned in our Review, vol. xxxix. The fubject of this elegant tribute of grief and friendship was the first lady of the late ingenious Dr. Langhorne: a gentleman whofe death will be long lamented by his friends, and will prove a confiderable lofs to the lovers of literature. The remainder of this collection confifts of Two Elegies, a Hymn to Patience, Four Odes, and Two Sonnets. *** Report, on good authority, (we believe) has given the poems in this collection to the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, Author of that excellent performance, entitled, ARMINE AND ELVIRA, a Legendary Tale: fee Monthly Review, vol. xlv. p. 103. ART. XI. LONGINI omnia quæ extant, Græce & Latine. Recenfuit Notafque fuas atque Animadverfiones adjecit Johannes Toupius. Accedunt Emendationes Davidis Ruynkenij. 4to. 10s. Boards; 8vo. L. P. 5 s. 6 d. ditto; and Sm. P. 8vo. 4 s. ditto. Oxford printed, and fold by Elmfly in London. 1778. R EFINEMENT in learning, like cultivation of manners, is apt to degenerate into effeminacy and diffipation: the ftudent grows wanton on the improvement of others; and is ungrateful enough to overlook, nay fometimes to defpife, the labour of those who have cleared the paths of science, and made them eafy and delightful. This, we are afraid, is too much the cafe with the profeffors of learning in our times: it seems their utmoft ambition to be efteemed men of polite and elegant tafte; and it is no wonder, when labour is fuppofed ufelefs, that the mind, unaccustomed to fevere and fundamental ftudies, fhould fink into trifles, and vainly imagine itself poffeffed of what appears so easy to attain. Among thofe acquifitions which require manly application, and which tend to give strength and confidence to the mind, we rank the accurate knowledge of words, which is indeed the bafis of all other improvements. This study seems to have undergone a very uncommon fate. It has been railed at by the idle, rejected by the polite, and ridiculed by the witty. We are told indeed, what, if true, must for ever destroy its credit; that it is both dull and useless. To the first we fhall bring our anfwer from facts, and obferve, that it has employed the pens of the firft heroes in the republic of letters. Who is ignorant of the names of Scaliger, Erafmus, Clarke, Bentley, and Le Clerc? Thefe writers, it may be faid, have explained words as connected in compofition, and have fupplied food to the imagination by reftoring beauties which were loft, and reviving colours which time but |