Original Poetry. 289 
~ Catch from perennial lamps the facred glow 
Of love divine—the effence of our God! 
When cleans’d from guilt and each low- . 
minded care, 
May I be worthy found to meet Eliza there. 
Chard, Somerfetfire. W.Tourmin, M.D, 
ee ee 
CoNnscIENCE THE WorST OF TORTURES;. 
By Mifs Holcroft. 
27 WAS night; myfterious filence reign’d 5 
Sleep wav’d his magic wand ; 
E’en prowling wolves, to mifchief train’d, 
Repos’d, a harmlefs band. 
High furging waves, and tempefts bleak, 
Were hufh’d, awhile to reft 5 
Fierce A®tna ceas’d in flames to break, 
Nor once difgorg’d her breaft; . 
When, ftretch’d on ftraw, the murd’rer lay, 
Terrific to behold! 
His tott ring frame fpoke fad difmay, 
His eye convulfive roll’d! 
His chains he fhook with frantic grief; 
Thrice fmote his tortur’d breaft : 
Till fainting nature brought relief, 
And lull’d his limbs to reft. 
But fearful vifions rack’d his brain 3 
His tranfient flumbers broke: 
Before him ftood Montalto flain ! 
He ftarted, groan’d, and woke. 
Yet woke, alas, to mad’ning woe: 
The ghaftly form purfued 5 
With bofom piere’d, ftep fad and flow, 
His fhroud with blood bedew’d! 
Its woe-fraught brow and haggard cheek 
Uprais’d the fiend defpair: 
A wild and foul-diftra&ted fhriek 
Diffolv’d it into air! 
“ Stay, ftay,” he cried, ** thou damning 
fhade ! 
Revenge thall foon be thine. 
No more my tardy death upbraid: 
Eternal death is mine! 
I’m call’d! The vengeful fword they raife ! 
acks, whips, and fury wait? 
The pious brands of torture blaze, 
Ferocious man to fate! 
Yet fword and flames I'll dauntlefs brave ¢ 
No groan fhall racks extort 5 
If blood they thirft, blood let them haves 
Revenge too dearly bought!” 
Thus rav’d the wretch, with anguith torny 
Purfu’d by fell defpair, 
Till foon the fanguinary morn 
Bad him for death prepare. 
With well-intention’d vengeance fraught, 
The fearful cohort meet: 
Their mind to holy terror wrought 5 
Their brow with ire replete. 
Yet unappall’d their victim ftood, 
Death’s threat’ning pangs defied 5 
6 Montalto, lo! here’s blood for blood! 
Behold, and quaft,” he cried. 
Then dauntlefs met each fearful ftroke, 
No pangs could force one groan; 
His threatning eéye defiance fpoke, 
Till fenfe and life were flown. 
x = 
Lines addreffed toa Rost. 
ODEST child of vernal fhow’r, 
I woo thee, meekly blushing flow’r! 
Bent with the dews, that fall from high, 
How {weet thou {mileft to mine eye! 
Chafte flow’r! thy downcaft foliage wears 
The penfive innocence of tears! 
Yet ah, perhaps, ere ev’ning’s clofe, 
Some hand may pluck thee, thou foft refe, 
_ Then on fome virgin’s-bofom doom 
To wafte away thy rich perfume; 
Where envious, thy faint leaves fhail pine 
For beauties lovelier far than thine. 
ie, 

MA RAE i Kees: 
LITERARY and PHILOSOPHICAL} 
Including Notices of Works in Hand, Domeftic and Foreign. 
** Authentic Communications for this Article will always be thankfully received. 
N the 23d, the Anniverfary Exhibi. 
tion opened at the Royal Academy. 
‘The mumber of artifts exhibiting, and of 
works of art exhibited, is greater than in 
any preceding year; but it may be doubted 
whether the colle&tive merit of the exhi- 
bition be increafed in the fame propor- 
tien. It is, perhaps, even inferior to 
thofe of feveral former years. The Eng- 
lith fchool of painting cannot be denied 
that brilliancy, fplendour, and force, 
which ftrike and captivate at firft fight; 
but generally fpeaking, it wants that 
truth and juft degree of finifhing that at- 
tach the mind, and fatisfy the eye. It. 
may be prefumed that thefe defects arife 
from modern artifts” too much negleéting 
the ttudy of the fciences that are auxilia- 
ries, or rather effential parts of this art, 
fuch as anatomy, perfpective, and the 
degradation jof colour, and of light and 
fhade. Be this as it may, itis certain 
that more jmodern_ pictures’ foon pall 
upon the tafte, while thofe ‘produced in 
the golden age of painting pleafe more 
and more, as we have more_time to ftudy 
and to difcover their beauties. In the 
prefent exhibition, however, there are 
feveral honourable exceptions to the fore- 
going remarks, efpecially ‘ameng the 
Pps works 
