642 Ectrofpc^ of Domtjlic Literature — Drama, Education. 



T]iepo(7inin wliich antiquarian refearch 

 is niolr con('[>!cuous, is tliat ot" " Thomas 

 tlie Rhymer." 



i\Ii-. Jamif-sok's " Popular Ballads 

 and Soiif^s, from Tradition, MunvJ'rripis, 

 undj'carcc. Ediliuus," I'onii a very cunous 

 cilit\"in>ii ; tlhjiigli not iiltogetlier equal, 

 perliaris, in talle and interelt, to tiie 

 " Mjndreily of tlie Scottilli Boidei." 

 Witli tjje tiarlitionnry poetry lie lias in- 

 terfiicrlcd t'oiue poems ot'hiiowii, which, 

 Jiowever, he has judicioufly diiiiuguiilicd 

 by iUiixnif; his name. "The Baron of 

 Brackiey," trom tradilioii, is one ot" the 

 moll curious. 



UllAMA. 



Connected as uiuch, perhaps, with the 

 general jirogrcfa of poetical htciatine, as 

 "ilh tiie uiora p;irticul:)r hiliory of the 

 Italian fiage, is Mr. J. C. Walker's 

 " lltjiuiical and Critical l^ffni/ on the 

 Jievicul of the Drujiia in II alt/." lie 

 aicribcj its reftonition to the rude eifi:- 

 fioiis of the Troubadours, wiio huviiig 

 arileii in the eleventh century, palled oc- 

 c ilionally from Trovence into Italy, and 

 enlivened the onvivial nieetin<;s in the 

 refpcttive court^ of its [Jetty ftsues; liifl. 

 hy the folo-rccitalion of their metrical 

 tales, and after" aiJsliy the inteclnonrorv 

 introduction of aiiiitant cljarafters : , ttieir 

 productions thus gradually aifununj; a 

 dramatic form. Amoni; the uorks of 

 Anfrim J'ailit, he obferves, (onp of the 

 moll celebrated of I he early troiiliadours), 

 are cnumcratcil lioih r(iinedie< and tra- 

 !;cdics. Rlnlfato has alluded to fiicii ex- 

 hibitions in the prolo|;ue to the tenth 

 book of his " Geiia. Iialoruni;'' and in 

 a chronicle of the uvch'ih century, it is 

 laid, the prail'cs of Orlando and 01i\irro 

 were limg by hiliriones in the ancient 

 th aire of Milan ; the enteriainment con- 

 cluding with imtrumenial ninhc, and 

 mimicry by mimics and bitlToons. In 

 jniitation of thefe, we are tolJ.l'etiarcli, 

 about the middle of "he fourteenth cen- 

 tury, compofeil fome dramatic tkeiches ; 

 bill that the firft rKgidur dramas, attempt- 

 ed in Italy, were imitations Irojn tiie 

 Latin. Tlie earlicft of tlicic oci;ur about 

 t be year toOO. To follow Mr. Walker's 

 Elfay, fttp by itep, in the proi^itifs of the 

 llahan drama, would exceed Uia limits 

 of our Reirofpcdt. From cwdtnccs hi- 

 therto unexplored, he has t aceil the 

 hiltory of its eslubitions with due com- 

 {iichenfum and accuracy. His fele&oiis 

 from the ditTerent dranas evi: cc a dcli- 

 ca-: y bo'.h of taiie and judgn.enl; a"nd, 

 in iiHudauoii, he has given no mean fpc- 

 i-aeas of iui O'.vn talent for j ot I'v. 



Having difmifled the only work which 

 concerns the llillory of tbe Drama, we 

 proceed to Dramatic CoiiPOsiTiONs. 



h\ " Demetrius the Impojlor'' we have 

 the firft attempt, we believe, that lias 

 been ever made to prefcnt a tranllation 

 from a Ruffian tragedy. It was origi- 

 nally written by Alixakder Soi .maro- 

 Kovi'., the father of the Uulhan theatre, 

 and has been lliilfuliy tranflated by a 

 Iiulhan gentleman. 



Mr. Allixgham's " Weathercock" 

 holds a refpettable place among our 

 modern farces ; though, it muft be coii- 

 fefied, lie has heightened it to an extra- 

 vagant decree. " We Fly ly i\ight" 

 by Mr. CoLMAN, is inferior to it. 



Mr. Gauui-nkh's " Sultana" has fome- 

 thing like the mock-heroic in tlie dia» 

 loguc : we cannot rccoinmeud it for the 

 ciofet. 



Mr. Cumberland's " Hint to Huf- 

 bandi" is diftinguilhed by good fenfe, good 

 language, and juil morality. 



Mr, Hooke's two farces, " The Invijit 

 (lie Girl" and " Catch Him uho can," 

 may rank together. The iutercll which 

 they carry feems liardly to jullify their 

 publication. 



Mr. JIanxers's " Edgar, or Calc- 

 donifin Ffud»" a tragedy, had its found- 

 ation in Mrs. RadclitFe's novel of " The 

 Caftles of Athlin and Dunbayne ;" the 

 (lorv turning on tiie feuds of two families 

 in the iiorth of .'>cotlaiid, in the feudal 

 times. It has merit, and certainly may 

 be ranked above the generality of niodera 

 drama;. 



rnrcATrox. 

 'Mrs. rKi«ciLLA'WAKEFiE7 n itill con- 

 (ir.iies to exen.ife her pen for the lienelil 

 ofthcrifm^ generation. Her '• Eicvr- 

 Jions in iVo;<A America, defcrihed in 

 Letters from a Gentlauan and his young 

 Compunioii to iltrir Tricnds in England," 

 i? a very elegant and iutereiting compi- 

 lation ; exhibiting the hcil purrs of the 

 molt popular wrilers on the fubject ot 

 JSortb America, judicioufly extracted and 

 neatly put together. 



Mr. CoLQUHOUJs's " Syjlem of Edn-' 

 cation for the Labouring Poor," treats 

 upon a fubjec.i deeply interefting to hu- 

 manity. It is a folitary and an extraoi- 

 'diiiaiy fact that England, which boafi- 

 the fuperiority of beriaus, tlie unparal 

 It led excellence of her conllitutlon, the 

 unequalled advantages of her peo|ile, 

 ihould have made no provifiou f >r laving 

 tlie children of thole peojile from tho 

 liafenefs and miferies of ign«rance. How 

 far the plao? propofcd by Mr. Colquboun 



m»y 



