l-8'23.] 



News from Parnassus, No. XX IF, 



U9 



For tht Monthly Mas;uzine. 

 NEWS FROM PARiNASSUS. 



NO. XXIV. 



Poems Dramatic and 3Iiscellaneous, hj 

 HENaY Nekle ; and Moore's Fables 

 for the Holy Alliance. 



with f;ivira, llic daughter of a peasant, 

 one of ills father's vassals. The count 

 deems it necessary to keep his union 

 a secret, from his dread of tl;e resent- 

 ment of Matilda his mother, who, 

 aware of liis passion for Elvira, but 

 ^O great is ihe dearth of good, or ignorant of his marriage, imposes upon 

 1^ oven tolerable, poetry, in the pre- him a feigned tale of the ol)ject of his 

 sent (lay, and so numerous the herd of attachment bcijig the offspring of an 

 poetasters and versiliers, " sleepless illicit amour of Julio's father with tho 

 tliemselvestogivetiicir readers sleep," wife of Gaspard, her reputed parent, 

 with whose productions the press is The countess relies upon the idea of 

 continually tteraing, that we feel a an incestuous connexion with his sup- 

 sliyness at the idea of opening a vo- posed sister deterring her son from 

 lume of poems, the author of which is any thoughts of marriage ; but the 

 unknown to us by previous reputation, event is very different from what she 

 very similar to the reluctance which had anticipated, — for Julio, goaded to 

 an experience of the world is apt to a degree of insanity by the horror of 

 inspire towards forming acquaintance his imaginary crime, kills Elvira, and, 

 with strangers. As the latter, how- on his mother confessing the deceit she 

 e>er, cannot be always avoided in had practised, dies, reproaching tho 

 jjassing through life, so the former is unnatural parent with her cruel arti- 

 frequcntly rendered imperative upon ficc. The materials of the story, it 

 us in our critical department; and, will be perceived, are meagre, and arc 

 labouring in our vocation, we are often not, perhaps, the best that could have 

 compelled to toil through pages, which, been chosen ; but the poetry is in many 

 when we arrive at tl:e welcome con- parts exquisitely beautiful, as one or 

 elusion, impicss us only witii the con- two extracts will be sufficient to prove. 



viction, that eulogium would be ridi- 

 culous, and censure thrown aw ;iy ; 

 pages of which we may justly ask with 

 the ancient saiirist — 



Quis legel Iia!c? Nemo, licrcule, nemo; 



Vel duo vol nemo. 



The appearance, therefore, of a 

 youthful candi<Iate for fame, whose 

 jjroduetioiis afford us an opportunity 

 of exercising the most pleasing part 

 of our duties, in bestowing uj)on his 

 labours the tribute of weU-meriled 

 praise, is a source of jieciiliar gratifi- 

 •ration: and such a candidate we have 

 no hesitation in pronoiuicing the gen- 

 iloman to he to whom we are indebted 

 for the poems now before us. Mr. 

 Nceh-, if we are correctly informed, 

 has already been before the public; 



but the present are the first of his pro- manner to her, observes — 

 ductions v\e have met will), and, as 

 the siamc may possibly be the case 

 with many others, we are anxious, by 

 giving to his merits all (he publicity 

 in our power, to cnjihlc our readers to 

 liarliikc ill the cnjoymcnl which we 

 have derived from our introduction to 

 him. 



Mr. Neele's volume, in addition to 

 •^oini! miscellaneous poems on different 

 subjects, comprises three dramatic; 

 pieers. Tin; subject of the (irst of 

 these, entitleil " the S(t(-ret llridal," is 

 tiie iii.'iriia-;e of Julio count of Savoua 



iMoNTiiLV Mag. No. y«3. 



Elvira, when Julio attempts to dispel 

 her fears, replies — 



To hope fur once : I know her lijht-built nest 

 Weathers a tliousand storm';, which fear or foresight 

 Hail vainly baltleil with. When the L'reat sliip 

 Sinlis in the ocean depths, the gentle halcyon 

 I n safety liuikls upon the reeling wave. 

 And sluiiibcrs through the tempest. 



Tiie following is Julio's dcseriplion 

 of age : — 



Old age is honoiirahle. The spirit seems 



Alieady on its flight to brighter worlds; 



And that strange change which men miscall decay 



Is renovated lile. The feeble voice 



With which the soul atteDipts to speak itsmeanlngs, 



Is, like the skylark's note, heard faintest when • 



Its wing soars highest; and those hoary signs, 



Those white and reverend locks, wliich Tnovo the 



scorn 

 Of thougiitless ribalds, seem to me like snow 

 Upon an Alpine summit, — only proving 

 How near it is to heaven. 



Elvira, reflecting on Julio's altered 



'Tis ever so ; for on the sands of life 

 Sorrow treads lieavily, and leaves a print 

 Time cannot wasli away; while Joy trips by. 

 With step 80 light and soft, that the next wave 

 Wears his faint footfalls outv 



Hut we must not extend our quota- 

 tions from this piece any farlher. Tho 

 other two dramas arc founded on the 

 well-known stories of the murder of 

 l^avid Hi'/zio, and the passion of 

 Antiochus for Strtttonice. Both of 

 them are replete with poetical feeling 

 and liinguage; and W(! regret that our 

 own limits, as well as a senseof justi<!e 

 to the author, do not admit of onr 

 3 R giving 



