When on the hoary front time's with'ring hand,"
Henry replied, has ftrew'd the marks of age,
We might expect to meet with felf-command,
With courteous bearing, and reflection sage.”

Thefe, and many other variations, introduced in a flanza apparently limited, produce an effect altogether contrary to expectation, and fuch as will not eafily be attained in couplet verfe. The appearance of Belial to the Emperor Henry, at night, is defcribed with vigour.

"With horror ftruck, he would have breath'd a prayer;
But ere his tongue the impulfe new obey'd,
He heard the found of pinions thro' the air,
And ftraitway at his fide appear'd a fhade,
Of outline undefin'd, as if in clouds array'd.

LXX.

It feem'd, as though refembling human form,
Of size gigantic and imperial mien,

Black and confus'd, as when thro' wintry florm
A mountain vaft in mift obfcure is feen,

When brooding tempefts robe its fummits green,
And o'er its brow contending meteors play.

From what appeared its head flash'd lightnings keen,
Cafting around a blue fulphureous ray,

Which fill'd the tyrant's foul with terror and dismay."

The diet of the empire affembles, and Richard is there to be charged with crimes of a heinous nature. His first appear→

ance is dignified.

"LXXXVI.

-Forthwith, the gates wide-opening flew.
All gaz'd, when, with an awe-commanding air,
The martial King advancing met their view.
His pallid check denoted paft-gone care,
And unconfin'd his flowing auburn hair
With many a ringlet loofe his temples crown'd :
Erect he stood, as if his foes to dare;
And, as with conscious majesty around
His piercing eyes he caft, indignantly he frown'd.

LXXXVII.

As when purfuing her accustom'd way,
The paffing moon obfcures the orb of light,
And hides with mantle dark his noon-tide
The fad Peruvian on Pinchinca's height,
Mourns his great parent overwhelm'd in night;

ray

*This word, paft-gone, is rather too much in favour with Sir J.

M m

BRIT. GRIT. VOL. XVII, MAY, 1801.

But

But foon as 'gins retire th' invader dread,
With wild acclaim he hails the victor bright,
Exulting marks his beams reviving fpread,
Renew the day, and round etherial fplendor fhed.

LXXXVIII.

Such was the feeling of each gallant chief
When firft the Champion of the Cross they view'd
Still great in woe, till dignified in grief,

And still by adverfe fortune unfubdued."

The charge of the Emperor, urged in ftrong terms against the captive King, concludes this fourth Book; and with the fifth commences Richard's fpeech, in defence of himself. He takes up his narration from his own determination to take the Crofs, and the death of his father, Henry II. which a little retarded his enterprise.

The narrative of Richard, though, like other Epic recitals, more minute than- ftrict probability will allow, is continued with vigour, and much poetical variety. The fkill of the author, in managing his difficult ftanza, every where appears confpicuous; and among other artifices, by which he prevents wearinefs, the introduction of various, and fometimes very uncommon rhymes, is worthy of remark. The following ftanza, in a paffage replete with other beauties, the funeral of Martel, in Book VI. feem to afford a ftriking inftance.

"CXVI.

We gaz'd in filence on the fable train,
Which in lugubrious pomp its progrefs kept,
And flowly wound along the fea-girt plain.
'Thro' the ftill air the trumpet's full note fwept;

Now fwell'd the ftrain, in death-like pause now slept,
And fadly rofe the melancholy dirge:

The awful chorus o'er our fenfes crept,

While from the fhore the ftill refponfive furge

With hollow murm'rings feem'd its fympathy to arge."

In this whole ftauza only one rhyme, train and plain, is of common ufe, or occurrence.-The alfault and capture of Acre are defcribed in the feventh Book, and defcribed with much effect. Here we meet with many new and well-imagined comparifons. The found of hoftile preparation before the attack is illuftrated by the approach of a thunder-ftorm, in very defcriptive terms.

" XIII.

As when, on fome unfhelter'd mountain's fide,
A fhepherd fees the fky with clouds embrown'd,

An affected word. By no means a common fault with this writer.

And

And mantling darkness veil th' horizon wide,
Wrapt in fufpenfe, in dread attention bound,
He hears the folemn thunder roll around,
And trembling gazes on his fleecy care.
So ftruck with awe, we heard," &c.

At the end of this Book the narrative is broken with great judgment. Richard having been obliged to recite his own achievements, in the ftorming of Acre, paufes to lament this neceffity. At thefe expreffions, Mortimer, the companion of his toils, and painted before as warm and impetuous, takes fire, and, interrupting the King, ftrongly afferts his eminent merits. Richard checks his too eager zeal, and prepares to refume his account, but appearing exhaufted, it is propofed by one of the princes to adjourn the diet to another day, and to this Henry, though reluctantly, affents. In the Eighth Book the diet is refumed, and the narrative continued. Richard proceeds to the battle of Cæfarea, which in the Ninth Book begins, with, an unexpected attack from that Prince; and here the terrific phænomenon of the Alps, the Avalanche, is well-employed to picture a rapid onfet from a declivity.

"Before the foe furpris'd their front could change,
And ere acquainted with our new intent,

To meet our plans their pow'rs they could arrange,
To charge them boldly down the steep descent,

Our gen'rous hoft their rapid footsteps bent.
As in the Alps, when wintry tempefts blanch
The icy fields, and forcibly is rent

From fome lone crag the menacing Av'lanche,

Thund'ring it feeks the plain deftruction wide to launch."

As he proceeds, in the courfe of his narrative, to relate the circumftance of knighting Blondel on the field, Richard is naturally moved by feeing him prefent, and briefly interrupts his tale.

66 XCIV.

I faid. With modeft grace uprofe the youth.-
But ah! forgive, when I behold him there,
When I recal the generous zeal and truth,
Which led him to redeem me from despair,
Again new perils and new toils to dare,
That thus my grateful feelings I proclaim.

Oh! may there come a time, when thou may'st share,
Thrice valu'd friend! my fortunes and my fame,

And confecrate with mine thy highly honour'd name." B. x.

In the Eleventh Book the narrative of Richard is concluded, and his innocence is pronounced by a general acclamation of the Princes affembled. Henry, ftung with grief and rage, affects

M m 2

affects an hypocritical joy, but receives a dignified repulfe from Richard. The vifion of Dæmons, which follows, is perhaps rather too bold a flight. Thefe agents, if introduced at all, fhould, in our opinion, be kept diftin&t from the mortal perfonages of the Poem, and not made to communicate with them except in dreams. But a new dæmon is now to be introduced, defcribed with fuch attributes and characters, as modern times have but too strongly appropriated to her. This is FALSE PHILOSOPHY, whofe bufinefs in the Poem is to excite the fubjects of Richard against his government. The foundation of this part of the Poem is the fact, that at that period the levelling doctrines were spread in Europe with very destructive effect; and William Longbeard, whofe true name is faid by Gervafe to have been Fitz-Ofbert, and some other demagogues, are defcribed in hiftory, as well as in this Poem, with a moft ftriking refemblance to modern Jacobins. They were Jacobins not yet perfect in cruelty and blafphemy, but with the other features of the character very strongly marked. They differed therefore only as young dæmons may be fuppofed to differ from thofe that are fully grown and educated. Of this family likeness Sir J. Burges has taken advantage, to introduce many topics, to which modern difputes have particularly drawn attention; and to fhow, by very strong example, that the evil difpofitions which render men averfe to legal and falutary government, have been at all times of the fame kind. These incidents chiefly occupy the Twelfth Book. Some of the leading precepts of the demon who guides these mischiefs, are thus expreffed :

Tis wond'rous how the magic of a word,

With emphafis pronounc'd, and boldly vouch'd,
Can fortify an argument abfurd.

By hardy lies in fervent language couch'd,
The stubborn feelings of a mob are touch'd:
Let thy experienc'd hand but prefs the spring,
And thofe who yefterday obedient crouch'd,
Will make the air with madd'ning tumult ring,
Defy the Laws, and mock Religion and their King."

These machinations to a certain degree fucceed, and civil contention is beginning in London, when, on a fudden, Richard appears in perfon at the head of fome troops, and puts an end to the alarm. This fudden appearance of the principal perfonage, without any intimation of his intermediate progrefs from the day of his trial in Germany, is, we fear, not juftifiable by the laws of epic writing; the action of which ought to proceed in an unbroken chain. A regular disputation

now'

now ensues between Richard on the one hand, and Beiial, under the form of the Demagogue Baldock, on the other; and the scene is clofed by a miraculous difcovery of the dæmons, in confequence of a folemn prayer from Richard. Falfe Philofophy, before the departs, foretels her future triumphs in France, and the glorious refiftance of Britain to corrupt principles, with an allution to the noble part taken by the late Minifter of this country in the conteft. It will probably be thought, in general, that in the conduct of all this machinery, Sir J. B. has exceeded the liberty allowed to epic writers, in the indulgence given to his fancy. Nor shall we deny that fuch is our opinion; at the fame time, we can have no hesitation in giving praife without referve to the intention. and tendency of the whole paffage.

With the Thirteenth Book, a new action, or at least a new divifion of the action, commences, by a folemn vow of Richard, to relieve Norinandy from the oppreffion of Philip of France. This vow is made according to the ancient laws of chivalry, defcribed by M. de St. Palaye. At the fame time, Excalibor, the famous fword of Arthur, fuppofed to be then discovered at Glaftonbury, is prefented to him, and he immediately determines to employ it in this enterprife. It will be objected undoubtedly, that this new undertaking destroys the unity of action required in a Poem of this nature; but the Poet will reply, that the action intended by him to be related, was the struggle of Richard against the powers of darkness, and his final triumph over them. On the allowableness of an action defined with fo much latitude, we shall not undertake to difpute, but content ourfelves with laying before our readers the plan of the author as it is actually executed; leaving the public to decide, as in fo weighty a matter we ought, whether a legitimate Epic has been produced, or only an ingenious Poem of the Heraic kind.

An Episode, early prepared in the Poem, is the loves of Blondel and Berengaria, daughter to the King of Cyprus. This is gradually conducted from the capture of that ifland by the arms of Richard, and now, in the Fourteenth Book, becomes more confpicuous and important. The war being now transferred to Normandy, Berengaria is violently carried off by Prince John, who takes part with Philip of France against his brother, and Blondel undertakes to achieve her refcue. In the Fifteenth Book a new stratagem is tried, by the dæmons, to overcome that virtue, by temptation, which had triumphed over adversity in every form. Richard is therefore affailed, in the foreft of Roumare, by the most powerful feductions that can be contrived. From a fatiguing and præternatural heat,

he