plied, for fome time, folely to the purpose of building prifons, we do not fuppofe it would serve to erect a fufficient number to admit of the various tranfgreffors of the laws to be kept in feparate places of confinement. And if they are to be mixed together, the morals of those who through inadvertence or heedleffness have offended, will be quickly contaminated in these seminaries. of villany (for fuch only can a prison where the culprits are allowed to mix together be called), and be returned to the community after their punishment ten times more wicked than before. From this confideration alone, we are fatisfied that the mode of punishment here adopted will be found to be very illcalculated to promote the welfare of the community at large, in fuch a manner as to deferve applause.

The language of this tranflation poffeffes no fmall fhare of that dignified fimplicity which well becomes the fubject; and, making allowances for the difficulty which must have frequently occurred in rendering technical words of one language into another, without much periphrafis, we fhould be difpofed to think it poffeffes a confiderable fhare of merit. But not having had an opportunity of comparing it with the original, we cannot fpeak with precifion as to its fidelity.

ART. IV. The Second and Fourth Books of Virgil's Eneid, tranflated into English Verfe. By John Morrifon, of the Grammar School, Wolverhampton, 8vo. (in two feparate Pamphlets, at 9d. each.) Is. 6d. Lowndes. 1787,

I

these translations are literally [as we are affured they are] the genuine un-amended productions of a young gentleman only 12 years of age, we may fafely venture to rank them among the fingular fpecimens of early genius. After reading them with attention, we fcruple not to give it as our opinion, that there are many old fcholars who would not have performed the tafk fo well. This juvenile author may, poffibly, hereafter, be another Pope, who lifp'd in numbers; and may fay with Ovid,

At mibi jam puero cæleftia facra placebant.

Notwithstanding the fmalinefs of our critical houfe, which now requires a wing to be added to it, for the proper accommodation of authors, we muft (by your leave, grave and reverend Signiors) make fome room in it for Mafter Marrison, who may, by and by, claim a place in a more honourable building, the Temple of Fame. We fhall give the original, of Dido's_firft fpeech to her fifter Anna (in which the declares her love for Æneas), in the beginning of the 4th Book of the Eneid: together with Dryden's tranflation, and the prefent verfion. By this specimen, chofen rather for its fhortnefs than its peculiar excellence, the Public may judge both of the fidelity, and comparative merit, of the performance before us:

"Anna

"Anna foror, quæ me fufpenfam infomnia terrent ?
Quis novus hic noftris fucceffit fedibus hofpes?
Quem fefe ore ferens! quam forti pectore et armis !
Credo equidem, nec vana fides, genus effe deorum.
Degeneres animos timor arguit. Heu! quibus ille.
Jactatus fatis! Quæ bella exhaufta canebat!
Si mihi non animo fixum immotumque federet,
Ne cui me vinclo vellem fociare jugali.
Poftquam primus amor deceptam morti fefellit;
Si non pertæfum thalami tædæque fuiffet;
Huic uni forfan potui fuccumbere culpæ.
Anna, fatebor enim, miferi poft fata Sichæi
Conjugis, et pfarfos fraterna cæde penates,
Solus hic inflexit fenfus, animumque labantem
Impulit: agnofco veteris veftigia flammæ.
Sed mihi vel tellus optem prius ima dehifcat;
Vel pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras,
Pallentes umbras Erebi, noctemque profundam,
Ante, pudor, quam te violo, aut tua jura refolvo.
Ille meos, primus qui me fibi junxit, amores
Abftulit: ille habeat fecum, fervetque fepulchro."
DRYDEN,

66

My dearest Anna, what new dreams affright
My lab'ring foul, what vifions of the night
Disturb my quiet, and diftract my breast,
With ftrange ideas of our Trojan gueft?
His worth, his actions, and majestic air
A man defcended from the gods declare.
Fear ever argues a degenerate kind,
His birth is well afferted by his mind.
Then what he suffer'd, when by Fate betray'd,
What brave attempts for falling Troy he made!
Such were his looks, fo gracefully he spoke,
That were I not refolv'd against the yoke
Of hapless marriage never to be curs'd
With fecond love; fo fatal was my firft;
To this one error I might yield again;
For fince Sichæus was untimely flain,
This only man is able to fubvert
The fix'd foundations of my stubborn heart.
And to confefs my frailty, to my shame,
Somewhat I find within, if not the same,
Too like the sparkles of my former flame.

"But first let yawning earth a paffage rend,
And let me through the dark abyfs defcend;
Firft let avenging Jove, with flames from high,
Drive down this body to the nether sky,
Condemn'd with ghofts in endless night to lie,
Before I break the plighted faith I gave;
No; he who had my vows, fhall ever have;
For whom I lov'd on earth, I worship in the grave."

9

}

MORRISON,

L

MORRISON,

O Ann, what dreams difturb thy filter's reft?
What think you of this great and wond'rous guest?
How great a hero does this land behold!

In port how graceful, and in arms how bold!
Sure from the gods the ftranger boasts his race;
For fear purfues the foul obfcure and base.
Oh! by what Fates opprefs'd! what wars he fung!
What magic numbers dwelt upon his tongue!
Foul murder robb'd me of the nuptial bed,
And pour'd thick ftorms of forrow on my head;
Therefore my mind its purpose ftill retains,
Never again to wear the marriage chains
Had Fate lefs forrows on my marriage fent,
Perhaps my heart to this one fault had bent.
Sifter, forgive-I feel throughout my frame
Too certain fymptoms of my former flame.
But hear my vows-firft, may imperial Jove
Dart on my head his thunders from above,
And fend me headlong to the fhades of night,
Ere the ftrict laws of modefty I flight.

;

'He who poffefs'd me first holds still my love,

Warm in the grave, as when he liv'd above.'

We do not commend this tranflation as altogether free from defects and little omiffions; but we should justly be charged with an attempt to crush a bard just bursting from the shell, were we minutely to criticile them. We fhall therefore only obferve, that we do not approve of Anna being contracted to Ann, and much lefs of Achilles being contracted to 'Chilles. We must remark, moreover, that, in the next edition of the 4th Book, all-confid'ring eye may, if the translator pleases, be changed to all-furveying; as Mafter Morrifon does not need to be told, that we do not confider with our eyes.

ART. V. Strictures on Lieut. Col. Tarleton's "Hiftory of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the Southern Provinces of North America." Wherein military Characters and Corps are vindicated from injurious Afperfions, and feveral important Tranfactions are placed in their proper Point of View. By Roderick Mackenzie, late Lieutenant in the 71ft Regiment. 8vo. 4 s. Boards. Faulder, &c. 1787.

A

S we did not rank Col. T. with a Cæfar or a Frederick, we confined our notice of his Commentaries, if we may fo ftyle his publication, within the compafs of a page in our Catalogue*; but Mr. M. has paid him greater attention, having employed an octavo of 137 pages in criticifing the Colonel's work; and a more fevere piece of criticifm we have feldom feen.

See Rev. for July last, p. 75.

Your

Your periodical Reviewers are nothing to this military critic, who seems inclined to give no quarter; at least it does not appear that he has afforded any to Col. Tarleton.

Lieut. M. we find, by the details here given, was perfonally concerned, as well as the gallant officer on whom he animadverts, in fome of the moft confiderable actions recorded in Col. T.'s book, particularly the famous affair at the Cow-pens, in which the troops at that time under Col. T.'s command received a moft severe check from the Americans, and in which their adventurous leader was faid to have loft all the laurels he had gained by his former fucceffes; though neither in this, nor in any other engagement, was there even the fmallest ground for calling in queftion his personal bravery. His general failing, indeed, according to our inadequate apprehenfion, feems to have been of a contrary caft-too much ardour and precipitancy, the common fault of a young and high-fpirited commander.His defeat at the Cow-pens, however, was confidered by the Americans as "the first link in a grand chain of causes, which finally drew down ruin, both in North and South Carolina, on the Royal intereft!"

Of this disastrous transaction our present Author has favoured the Public with his own account, in oppofition to that of Col. T. whom he charges with a grofs mifreprefentation of the affair, in a variety of important circumftances. He likewife examines the conduct of Mr. T. as the leader of this very confiderable, but unfortunate detachment; and cenfures him for feveral errors and oversights, in point of generalfhip, which were of fatal confequence, on that occafion.

If we mistake not, our Author's principal view in publishing this critique on Col. T.'s Journal, is to vindicate the fame of Lord Cornwallis, late Commander in Chief of the British forces in America, from the invidious glances of the Lieutenant Colopel, who more than infinuates blame, and implied cenfure on the military conduct of his Lordship,-who is now, and was when the Colonel published his hiftory, at a diftance + that places him beyond all poffibility of defending himself. This wears the appearance of great generofity, on the part of Lieut. M. whofe friendly zeal, and able exertion of his abilities, on this occafion, will no doubt meet the warm approbation of the well-wifhers of Lord C.; and few men, we believe, have a greater number.

Our Author hath, indeed, taken the utmost care, and moft effectual means, to invalidate the teftimony of Col. T. in regard

* Vide Dr. Ramfay's Hiftory of the Revolution in South Carolina, Vol. II. p. 200. Of this valuable work we fhall foon give an account in our Review.

† Governor-general in the Eaft Indies.

to

to almost every tranfaction of importance in the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, by reprefenting his Hiftory, throughout, as highly impeachable for its partiality and incorrectnefs. Some facts, fays he, have been withheld, and fome mutilated, while others are raised to a pitch of importance, to which, if hiftorical juftice had been the Author's object, they are by no means entitled. Prejudice and party fpirit are alfo fome of its most prominent features.'

Speaking elsewhere of Col. Tarleton's qualifications as a military hiftorian, he reprefents him as deftitute of many effential requifites; adding, 'To fupply these material defects, he appears to fubftitute a profeffional experience, fo limited, as scarcely to exceed the duration of a butterfly's existence *.'

As far as we can pretend to judge, who know no more of what paffed in the two campaigns here alluded to, than we have learned from the public prints, of both parties, Mr. M. appears to be very well qualified for the tafk he hath undertaken, of defending the military character of Lord C. and of expofing the imperfections which, according to his reprefentations, may be found in Col. T.'s performance. He writes like a man of confiderable reading, adequate experience, and found judgment; in addition to which, he may be credited for his perfonal knowledge of the transactions which are the fubjects of his inveftigation.

Befide the ftrictures on Col. T.'s Hiftory, Mr. M. has given to the Public, not only his own account of the action at Čowpens, but a curious journal of the fiege of Fort Ninety-fix †, in which a handful of English troops, not above 550 men, sustain ed a month's fiege, and finally prevailed, against an army of 4000 Americans under General Green. He has also drawn up an excellent eulogium on Colonel Ferguson, who commanded & detachment of the British army, and fell, overpowered in an un

* Another ftroke of this kind may be given, as a farther fpecimen. The longer I have continued to examine it (Col. T.'s Hiftory), the ftronger is my conviction, that it is an incorrect and partial journal of military events, in which the Author himself, directly or indirectly, has always fome concern. But its claim to being esteemed an hiftory of the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the fouthern provinces of N. America, is more truly ridiculous, than that to an hiftory of the world, if, according to a certain author, he had defined the world to be a circle of a given diameter, himself the centre; and if, not entirely taken up with the contemplation of his own excellencies, he had really given an impartial and accurate detail of all the actions of all the beings who moved, for a certain time, around his orbit.'

+ So called from its being that number of miles from the Indian town of Keowee, in the Cherokee country,

equal