516 
fordshire... Mr. Moss was also author 
of another poem, ‘‘ On the Vanity of 
Human Enjoyments,” published in the 
year 1783, quarto. It is written in 
blank-verse, and. about sixty-three 
pages. I agree with your correspon- 
dent, that the verses of the “‘ Beggar’s 
Petition” are ‘truly popular and 
beautiful,” yet I cannot help thinking 
that he will experience far greater 
pleasure and satisfaction in the pe- 
rusal of the other. 8S. 
P.S8.—Will you allow me to enquire the 
best mode of making coal-tar proper for 
painting gates, or any other ont-door work, 
— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEM- 
PORARY CRITICISM, 
NO. XXXIV. 
_ .» Retrospective Review, No. 16. 
HErecent Number of the ‘‘Retros- 
pective Review” isin no respectin- 
ferior to those of its predecessors. ‘The 
first article, Chronitcon Saxonicum, &c. 
Edmundi Gibson, &c. A.p. 1692, pre- 
sents a comprehensive review of that 
invaluable document of authentic his- 
tory, “the Saxon Chronicle,” of which 
an English translation, together with 
an claborate collation of the Saxon 
text, has recently been published by 
the Rev. Mr. Ingram, From | that 
translation, indeed,—though with oc- 
casional revision by reference to the 
original Saxon,—the quotations in ge- 
neral are selected; the reviewer, at 
the same time, throwing upon his sub- 
ject, so important both in a political 
and historical point of view, such addi- 
tional lights’ as are ‘derivable from 
other sources of antiquarian research ; 
and directing his efforts, with laudable 
assiduity, to correct the innumerable 
misrepresentations of Hume, and other 
popular historians, relative to earlier 
periods of our annals. “The negli- 
gent manner (he well observes,) in 
which the earlier periods of our his- 
tory are thus skimmed over, will per- 
haps in some degree account (though 
this is not the only reason,) for the 
little estimation in which our Saxon 
ancestors are generally held. ‘The 
study of English history hasbeen erro- 
neously supposed 10 require no com- 
mencement More remote than the 
period of the Norman conquest; and 
perhaps those great and powerful fami- 
lies, who trace their descent from no 
higher origin, by a feeling very natu- 
ral to the human mind, may have little 
inclination for a more extended re- 
“¢ Beggar's Petition.” Retrospective Review, No. 16. 
[Jan. 1, 
trospect, or little suspicion that beyond 
that era there is any thing to be 
learned that could repay the labour of 
enquiry; while, at the same time, the 
historians of the succeeding, epochs 
have been little solicitous to elucidate 
the fact, that all the important: and 
comparatively popular struggles of the 
early Norman ‘periods, -(and, if*we 
were to make the assertions in much 
broader terms, the proofs would bear 
us out,) were little other than strug- 
gles for the restoration of those prin- 
ciples and institutions which consti- 
tuted the essence of the government of 
our Saxon ancestors,;and which the 
Norman sword had brought into astate 
of abeyance.”—In addition to the po- 
‘litical and constitutional information 
derived from the primitive sources of 
our historical antiquities, we have, in 
this article, a good deal of; close and 
analytical investigation with respect to 
facts apparently only important in an 
historical or antiquarian point of view. 
On the supposed titular distinction of 
Egbertas first: king of all England, the 
writer is pointedly conclusive. » After 
tracing minutely the successive growth 
of the West Saxon kingdom, and'sa- 
lisfactorily, demonstrating . that: the 
actual sovereignty of Egbert,and! his 
successors, to the time of Authelstan, 
never extended beyond the states of 
Wessex, Sussex (with the county of 
Surrey), and [ssex, with a species of 
protective superiority oyer the other 
kingdoms, .designated by the title of 
Bryten-wealda, (which the reviewer 
censures Mr. Ingram for ‘‘ somewhat 
too Jargely and. hypothetically. trans- 
lating sovereign of all the British domi- 
nions ;)” ‘Phe Saxon Chronicle, (cons 
linues he,) in the passage referred to, 
so far from adorning Lgbert.with the 
comprehensive title of King of Eng- 
land, or representing him, as having 
effected the final dissolution of the 
Heptarchy, expressly puts him on the 
same footing with seven precedent po- 
tentates; one of whom, Edwin the 
Great of Northumbria, perhaps pos- 
sessed a larger, and has been ¢cle- 
brated for a more benignant, dominion 
than himself.” ‘ Ella, king of . the 
South Saxons, (continues the Chroni- 
cle,) was the first who possessed ‘so 
large a territory; the second) was 
Ceawlin, king of the West Saxons; 
the third was Ethelbert, king of Kent; 
the fourth was Redwald, king of the 
East Angles; the fifth was’ Edwin, 
king of the Northumbrians;.the sixth 
f was 
