Retrospect for Domestic Literaturee—Education, Drama. 643 
time addressing him. In the second 
book, the king’s despondence is sup- 
posed to be relieved in some degree by 
the tumult of a proposed campaign 
against the Philistines: and in this part 
of the Poem Samuel is introduced. 
Then we have Goliah, whose panoply is 
described as near as possible from Scrip- 
ture. The song of the Virgins in the 
fourth book, celebrating David’s victory, 
has perhaps as much spirit as any passage 
in the Poem. In the second part, we 
cannot but complain of the great licence 
Mr. Sotheby has used, in not merely de- 
parting from the letter of Sacred History, 
but in the interpolation of his narrative. 
David retreating into the wilderness is 
anointed king by Samuel, and sees the 
line of his descendants im a vision, ending 
with a prophetic hymn which celebrates 
the advent of our Saviour. David’s al- 
liance with Achish, however, forms no 
part of the poem, At its close we have 
this moral: 
‘« Thus the Lord 
From Land to Land, throughout the regions, 
spread 
The fame of his Anointed :—and his fear 
Fell on all nations. 
Man! obey thy God!” 
Mr, Sotheby has been long known as 
a Poet, and though in the present in- 
stance he is not to be compared with 
Milton, we do not hesitate to assert, that 
the Poem of Saul has merit of no ordi- 
nary kind. 
Here also it is proper.we should men- 
tion Mr. Rannre’s Poems: leaving it to 
the reader to determine in which hne of 
composition he has succeeded best, whe- 
ther in his Musical Dramas, his Select 
Poems, or his Ballads. 
In the advertisement prefixed to Mr. 
Gorpon’s ‘* Poems,” we are told that 
“ out of respect to the public, as much 
attention has been given to them as the 
author’s situation could admit.” We 
wish after such a declaration we could 
praise them. But we really cannot. 
“ Simonidea,” we contess, was a title 
which at first we did not understand; but 
Mr. Lanpbor informs us in his preface, 
that he gave it to his Poems, because 
.“* the first of them commemorates the 
dead—a species of composition in which 
Simonides excelled.” Among the pro- 
ductions here presented to the reader, 
there are several in Latip, though the 
-larger portion are in English. Of these, 
the longest, entitled * Gunlaug and 
Helga,” is taken from a story in Mr. 
Herbert’s Translations from Icelandic 
Poetry; and has both great merits and 
defects. Mr. Landor’s faults appear 
principally to have arisen from his negli- 
gence. His Latin poetry, which is in 
soine respects better than his English, 
hkewise shows marks of rapidity. 
“ $t. Stephen’s Chapel,” a satirical 
poem, by Horatius, is but an epheme- 
ral production, which has evidently been 
hurried to the press to catch the moment. 
The author’s poetry appears to most ad- 
vantage to his eulogies: but we cannot 
approve the many specimens of domestic 
rancour which have appeared, not only 
in this, but in other pamphlets which we 
shall forbear to notice. | 
EDUCATION. 
The works which have appeared in this 
class are neither many nor important. 
Dr. Cowan’s “ Anthropaideia,’ cer- 
tainly possesses vigour of thought and 
originality of sentiment. He firsts treats 
of the faculties and qualities of the human 
mind; and afterwards considers it as at- 
fected by external objects, natural and 
artificial, There are some parts of his 
work, however, on which we cannot be- 
stow our commendation, Several writers 
of acknowledged merit, whose labours 
might have been useful to Dr. Cowan, 
ave rejected or totally passed by; and the 
work of Professor Dugald Stewart is treat- 
ed in a manner highly reprehensible. 
Here, also, in preference to ay other 
class, we place Mr. Gotpsmiru’s “ Geo- 
graphical Copy-Book,” consisting of a Set 
of outlines of Countries, and a Set of si- 
milar Projections of Lines of Latitude and 
Longitude, for the purpose of being filled 
up from any existing maps by the pupil 
These skeletons correspond in size with 
the small atlasses, best known in schools, 
such as Guthrie’s, Walker’s and Ostell’s, 
and also with most of ihe Maps contained 
in Mr. Goldsinith’s own Grammar and 
Popular Geography, 
Another book which deserves our com- 
mendation, is, ‘* The Art of Rhetoric 
made easy; or the Elements of Oratory,” 
by Joann Homes. It is an improved edi- 
tion of a work which has now become 
very scarce; and contains the rules and 
ficures of the science of which it treats, 
drawn up and explained with perspicuity 
and conciseness; and illustrated with 
taste and judgment. The editor of this 
edition is Dr. Mavor. 
DRAMA. 
First, in the Dramatic class, from its 
merit, we place “ The Curfew,” by Mr. 
Topin; the story of which is founded in 
the 
