1822.] 
Robin to have been the outlawed Earl, of 
Huntingdon, and. Maid Marian is no.other 
than Matilda, the daughter of Baron Fitz- 
water, who, being betrothed to:the earl be- 
fore his expulsion, follows him faithfully 
into the greenwood, to partake his fallen 
estate. Friar Tuck is excellently personi- 
fied by Father Michael of Rabygill Abbey, 
“a joke-cracking,. bottle-cracking, skull- 
cracking friar,” who sings an excellent 
song, and excommunicates his enemies 
from venison and brawn. The snatches of 
songs, scattered through the pages, are 
turned with great spirit and cleverness, and 
contribute not a little to the exhilarating 
qualities of this very amusing volume. 
Some Passages in the Life of Mr, Adam 
Blair, Minister of the Gospel, at Cross- 
meikle, is altogether an extraordinary per- 
formance. From the deceptive title, sa- 
vouring so strongly of presbyterian plain- 
ness, we can expect nothing but the narra- 
tion of a quiet, homely life, not more ro- 
mantic than the biographies of David 
Hume or Dr. Adam Smith. But Adam 
Blair is a wolf in sheep’s clothing ; and the 
pious reader, while he aspires after sober 
edification, is unwarily entrapped into the 
perusal of a novel, high wrought, and en- 
thusiastic even to the pitch of Werber 
himself. Adam Blair, it is true, is a cler- 
gyman of the Kirk, but of a most moody, 
unruly, and impassioned character ; an ex- 
emplary Christian, but nevertheless giving 
their full swing to overheated fancies and 
hyper-sentimental feelings. This tone of 
exaggeration pervades the whole work, 
and diminishes the interest which Mr. 
Blair might otherwise have excited. With 
this abatement, the history of the minister 
of Cross-meikle is not a matter to be 
lightly deemed of. It abounds, not in in- 
cidents, for these are simple and few, but 
in eloquent and pathetic delineations of 
passion and character, which are, in some 
instances, worthy of the hand of a first-rate 
master. We recollect few scenes superior 
in impressive effect to that in which the un- 
happy minister is degraded from his cleyi- 
cal station ; and, as the penitence of his 
age atoned for the turbulence of his youth, 
so we dwell with much greater pleasure 
and sympathy on the latter portion of this 
curious story, whichis beautifully wrought, 
in a subdued and tranquil spirit, to its 
conclusion. 
We beg the attention of our readers, 
and particularly of those of the legal pro- 
fession, to a Letter. to the Burgesses of Col- 
chester, by D. W. HARVEY, esq. contain- 
ing a plain statement of the proceedings 
before the benchers of the Inner Temple, 
upon his application to be called to the 
bar, and upon his appeal to the judges, 
The public at large ave interested in. doing 
justice to the injured reputation of an. in- 
mi ge able, and honourable, man; and 
the members of the profession haye great 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
343 
reason to be jealous of the exercise of 2 
power which can close at once upon them 
the avenue of fortune and fame, and ren- 
der nugatory the expenses and studies of 
years. To authorise the exertion of this 
authority, the delinquency ought to be 
flagrant and undeniable, and brought 
home to the offender by the clearest evi- 
dence. But, on the perusal of this pam- 
phlet, we are compelled, by a sense of 
Justice, to say that Mr. Harvey seems to 
have met the charges advanced against 
him in a most open, candid, and success- 
ful manner ; and nothing can exceed our 
surprize that, after such an examination 
as that here detailed, the doors of the 
Temple should have been thus closed upon 
Mr. Harvey. For the real causes to 
which his rejection is, in his opinion, to be 
attributed, we shall refer to Mr. Harvey’s 
own very interesting narrative. This we 
know, that, in his public capacity, that 
gentleman always took a prominent part 
in the exposure of oppression and abuses, 
and in the assertion of the rights and li- 
berties of his fellow subjects. Of an 
ardent and uncompromising character, 
his opinions, whether right or wrong, have 
been expressed with energy; andvit is 
often the lot of such dispositions to: pro- 
voke enmities, which a cooler temper 
would avoid, and to expose themselves to 
aspersions for acts of which they despise 
the very name. It is evident that the 
enemies of Mr. Harvey are powerful, and 
the calumnies with which he has: been 
assailed are heavy and numerous; and we 
are, for these reasons, anxious to give pub- 
licity to his present pamphlet ; from: the 
perusal of which we are satisfied that an 
impartial judge will rise with a conviction 
that the injuries inflicted on Mr. Harvey’s 
professionali prospects are as deep as they 
are unmerited. We freely admit that he 
has had to contend against unfortunate 
combinations of circumstances, and un- 
foreseen results of legal proceedings ; but 
any one, at all acquainted with the latter, 
must be aware that no human prudence 
can provide against the possible casualties 
of a trial. Sach circumstances as,\ on 
the first view, seem to bear against him, 
Mr. Harvey unravels in a manner per- 
fectly clear and. satisfactory ; and, whilst 
he is supported by the consciousness of. his 
own innocence, he may safely leave it to 
the lapse of time and force of truth to do 
him ultimate justice in) the eyes of his 
late constituents, and of his country. 
Two works, of Mr. Worpsworrn’s 
present themselves) to’ our notice this 
month, entitled, Memorials of a Four: on the 
Continent. in 1820, and Ecclesiastical 
Sketches, The former of these consists of 
poetical sketches, illustrative of) various 
objects, which, particularly «engaged: his 
attention ona tour through Fiance, Italy, 
and the Netherlands; amongst the ant id 
whic 
