he falls asleep in the wood; and, as the malignant dæmon ho vers over him, hoping to overpower his refolution by art, the following appofite fimile is drawn, from a circumstance confidently related by fome naturalists, respecting a kind of bat call, ed the Vampyre. "XLIV. As when a Vampyre, hot for human blood, XLV. So his broad wings the Prince of Darkness spread As the account of the Vampyre Bat, from which this fimile is drawn, will feem ftrangely incredible to those who have not feen it afferted by refpeciable authors, we will fubjoin here a paffage from our lateft and beft English naturalift, Dr. Shaw. "This is the Bat to which Linnæus applied the title of Vampyre, on the fuppofition of its being the fpecies of which fo many extraordinary accounts have been given, relative to its power of fucking the blood both of men and cattle. This it is fuppofed to perform by inferting its aculeated tongue into the vein of a fleeping perfon, in fo peculiar a manner as not to excite pain; fanning, at the fame time, the air with its wings, by which means the fleep is rendered ftill more profound. This is what appears at first fo extraordinary as to juftity à degree of fcepticifm as to the fact; it is, however, fo folemnly related, and feemingly fo well authenticated, as almoft to enforce belief." Condamine, Bontius, Nieuhoff, P. Martyr, and other naturalifts, are then mentioned as giving this fupport to the narrative. It may be added, that the term Vampyre is deduced from a German fuperftition, which attributes a limilar power to an imaginary affailant. The piety of Richard, the beft protection in all internal dangers, finally enables him to triumph over this moft infidious aflault; and the præternatural fcene, which had been called up by enchantment to delude his fenfes, vanishes on his folemn invocation of the celeftial powers. The three concluding Books, for we muft no longer dwell on particulars, relate the rescue of Chariclea by Blondel, and Richard's approbation of their intended union; the overtures infidioufly made by Philip; and the final battle, in which Richard fubdues this very inveterate enemy. Thus have we presented to our readers a flight outline of the Poem of Richard the First, enlivening it with a few paffages, which feemed more particularly to deferve attention. On this revifion of it, we cannot fcruple to pronounce the Poem, collectively confidered, a work of great and various merit. That they who take it up, with any of those unfavourable propenfities, which we defcribed in the beginning of our account, may not find some paffages to cenfure, and many particular lines to difapprove, we will by no means undertake to fay. The ingenuity to imagine, the fertility to produce, and the perfeverance to finish, with extraordinary rapidity, a Poem of this magnitude and variety, will enfure to the author, fooner or later, a fhare of praife by no means common. That he wanted alfo the refolution to keep it back till all flighter imperfections should be polifhed away by cool and careful revifions, after all the ardour of invention had fubfided, is perhaps only to fay, that he did not poffefs oppofite qualities, very feldom reconcileable. The verfification in general is harmonious, and the narrative lively; yet there are many lines, undoubtedly, which fuch a correction would have removed; and paffages, which a new effort of the imagination, freshly applied, would have raifed by further decorations. The final judgment of the public, it would be rafh to fuppose we can anticipate; but, to the genuine lovers of Poetry, we can fairly promise much and various entertainment in their progrefs through thefe volumes. That we do not promife rafhly, even the fpecimens we have here produced will give fufficient pledge. ART. VIII. Hiftory of Ruffia, from the Foundation of the Monarchy by Ruick to the Acceffion of Catharine the Second. By William Tooke, F R. S. Member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, and of the Free Economical School at St. Peterburg. In Two Volumes. 8vo. 16s. Longman and Rees. 1800. OF Mr. Tooke's abilities to produce judicious compilations and felections, and of his facility in placing before the public books intended for amufement and information, we have had fre quent quent and fatisfactory experience. The Life of Catharine, the View of the Ruffian Empire, and Selections from Foreign Literary Journals, exhibit adequate portions of good fenfe, diligence, and tafte, and have accordingly been received with very extenfive circulation. To write the Hiftory of a mighty empire, from its firft foundation to its final establishment, embracing a circle fo vaft and comprehenfive, requires fuch a combination of talents, judgment fo profound, fagacity fo acute, diligence fo unwearied, a mind fo free from partialities and prejudices, that the individual poffeffing all the neceffary accomplishments cannot often be expected to appear on the theatre of the literary world. That Mr. Tooke poffeffes, if not all, a great many of the qualities effential to this impor tant purpofe, we thould be the very laft to deny; yet they who may expect a regular, chronological, and fyftematic hiftory of the vaft empire of Ruffia, in two octavo volumes, must be prepared for disappointment. But for this disappointment great compenfation will be made, in an ample variety of anecdote, which the author feems peculiarly qualified to detail; in a great deal of local information, which his long refidence in Ruffia enabled him to acquire; and in an eafy and agreeable narrative, the refult of much experience in writing. The Hiftory of Ruffia is preceded by three Chapters, all of which may be perufed with much fatisfaction and amusement. The first is a fort of Diflertation, on the nations formerly inhabiting what is now the Ruffian empire. The fecond, which feems a faithful tranflation from M. Levafque, difcuffes the affinity between the language of the Slavi and that of the ancient inhabitants of Latium. The third, which is remarkably entertaining, treats on the religion of the Slaves. From this laft, we present the readers with the following extract: "The Slaves of Rugen, feparated from the reft by their theological opinions, had divinities peculiar to themselves. "The first of all was SVIATORID or SVETOVID, god of the fur and of war. His temple flood in the ifle of Rugen, in the city of Acron. Hither came annually a great concourse of perfons of both fexes to make their offerings to the god. The flatue, of an enormous fize, and made of hard wood, had four faces, apparently to denote the four feafons of the year, fucceffively brought round by the course of the fun; or perhaps the four cardinal points over which he diffufes light. This idol had no beard; his head was frizzed in the manner of the Slaves of Rugen, and his garment was fhort. In the left hand he held a bow, and in the right a horn of metal. To his fide hung a long fword in a filver fcabbard. Befide him lay a bridle and faddle of extraordinary magnitude. This idol was in the middle of a fort of fanctuary, conftructed in the centre of the temple, and round the fanctuary were curtains of rich ftuff. On the feftival of the deity, the K the priest who delivered to the people the refponfes of the god, entered this tabernacle alone, carefully holding his breath, and every time he was forced to refpire, running to the door of the holy place, and putting his head without to difburden his lungs of the air with which he was almoft fuffocated; being afraid left the breath of a mortal should be derogatory to the refpect that was due to the deity. "Once a year this priest, with great ceremony, filled with wine the horn held by the idol. The wine remained in the horn till the return of the anniversary. A white horfe was confecrated to the god, and it was not permitted to any, except the priest, to cut his mane or to mount him. The inhabitants of Acron believed that Svetovid occafionally rode him to fight againft their enemies. In proof of this they alleged, that, after having left this horfe in the evening well rubbed down, and tied to his rack, they often found him in the morning covered with sweat and dirt. By this they were perfuaded that the god had rode him hard, and never fufpected that the priest himself had been galloping the facred animal during the night. When the harvest was got in, the whole people affembled about the temple to celebrate the folemn feaft. On the eve of this folemnity. the prieft himself was obliged to fweep and cleanfe the temple. "The next day he took the horn out of the hand of the god; and confidering the wine he had poured into it the preceding year, he predicted the fertility of the current year. When but little of the wine had evaporated, the year was to be bleffed with plenty; but if the wafte had been confiderable, they were to expect a scanty harvest. "The prieft then fpilt a portion of the wine at the feet of the idol, and filled the horn afresh. This done, he drank to the health of the god, imploring his bleffing on the people for plenty, wealth, and victory; and, having replenished the horn again, he replaced it in the hand of the deity, "These ceremonies being ended, Svetovid was confulted on the military fucceffes, they might hope to obtain, and his horfe was the minifter by whom the refponse was given. The prefages were drawn in the following manner: lances were difpofed in a certain order, and to a particular height; when by the manner in which the horse leaped over these several rows of lances, the divination was made concerning the future events of the war, and it was undertaken or delayed, according as the prognoftications had been favourable or adverfe. Hitherto we have beheld in the worship of Svetovid only the abfurdity of fuperftition; we fhall now proceed to his cruel rites. When the prefages were determined, the facrifices commenced. Sometimes the immolation of animals fufficed. But when the priest declared, that there were other victims more agreeable to the god, a more worthy offering to his power, human victims; they were chofen from among the prifoners. Each of them that were to be facrificed was accoutred with all his arms, and mounted on a horfe as in the day of battle. The legs of the horse on which the rider was bound, were then tied to four pofts; and raifing a pile of dry wood on each fide, the fire was applied to it, and thus thefe miferable victims were flowly confumed by the Bames, « At 1 "At the clofe of this barbarous ceremony a round piece of paftry was brought, made of flour and honey, the brims of which were fufficiently raised for concealing a man in the midft. Into this the priest entered; and afking with a loud voice whether any one could fee him? on their answering no, he turned towards the idol, and addreffed his fupplications to the deity to manifeft himfelf to his people the following year. Then, giving his benediction to the fpectators, he admonifhed them to reign themfelves to the pleasures of the table. On this, the repaft began, which of itfelf compofed an effential part of the feftival. The reft of the day was paffed in eating and drinking, and it would have been a difgrace, or even a fort of impiety, for any one not to be intoxicated. "A third of all the booty captured from the enemies was laid up in the emple of Svetovid, and every year three hundred horsemen taken in war were devoted to him; their fpoils were put into the hands of the priest, by whom they were depofited in the treasury. The contents of this treafury were carried off by the Danes when they facked the city of Acron; at which time the temple was deftroyed, and the idol catt into the fire. "The Bohemi ns had an equal veneration with the Rugians for Svetovid; and therefore, at their converfion to Chriftianity, Vytcheflaf, their prince, in a manner put a trick on their fuperftition, by giv ing them the relics of St. Vitus, whom they adopted for their patron. It is to be remarked, that in the Slavonian language there is no dif ference between the name of the ancient idol and that of the faint; both being alike pronounced Sviatory Vit. "After Svetovid, the deity moft revered by the fame people was PRONO. He was placed on a lofty oak, furrounded by numberiefs idols, having two or three faces, and fometimes more. "The altars of the goddess SEVA were ftained with human gore, as well as thofe of Svetovid and Prono. She prefided over the productions of the earth, and a deity fo beneficent was deferving of a milder worship. Her flatue reprefented the figure of a naked young woman; her flowing hair reached below her knees; holding in the right hand an apple, and in the left a bunch of grapes. "Some of the Slavi alfo paid their adorations to the white god, BELY BOGUE. His ftatue, fmeared with blood, was covered with flies. His rites confifted in diverfions. games, and feafts. He was a beneficent deity; anfwering to the good principle, the Oromazes of the Perfians. The black god, TCHERNY BOGUE, correfponded on the contrary to the evil principle, the maleficent being, to Arimanes, He was worshipped by bloody facrifices, and the prayers of his vo taries were addreffed to him in a mournful and plaintive voice. Such was the fuperftition of the Slavonians; fuch it has been among all people; every where abfurd and fanguinary, every where adding to the miferies of human nature, and infulting the deity, under pretence of revering him." P. 114. Mr. Tooke commences his Hiftory by defcribing the feveral divifions of ancient Ruffia, which were five: Great Ruffia, 1 |