< On that he lifted up his harden'd hands, Stood motionless as fragment of that rock Calm and serene, even like a flock of sheep And clasp'd his hands and raised his sightless face By which a man was suddenly reduced Are there to gladden a poor blind man's heart."'-p. 182. The imitation of Mr. Hogg follows: it is called the Gude Grey Katt; this gude grey cat, who lives in the Touir of Blain,' is a witch; but the story is written in a dialect, or rather a jargon, so uncouth and unintelligible that we cannot tell whether it is pleasant or sad, or whether Mr. Hogg will consider the author as a rival or a mimic. Then comes 'The Lady Isabelle' and 'The Cherub,' in imitation of Mr. Colridge; the former, in evident allusion to 'the Lady Christabel' recently published, is quite as wandering and unintelligible as that long riddle, but it has none of those flowers of poetry which Mr. Colridge has scattered over the dark pall that covers and conceals the meaning of Christabel. The imitations of the Laureate, which next follow, are, in our opinion, the worst of the whole; they have no resemblance, either grave or gay, serious or pleasant, to Mr. Southey; the first, which is named Peter of Barnet,' might, we think, with more propriety, be attributed to Mr. Wordsworth, or Mr. Colridge, than to Mr. Southey; Southey; though we hardly think that either of those gentlemen would have written such stuff as 'D-n them! said Peter,--he thrust back his chair, His glass at once,-looked all around the room With wrathful eye, and then took snuff again.'-p. 240. And the second, which is called Carmen Judiciale, imputes to that amiable man a tone of angry and impatient egotism, of which we certainly find no example in his works: as decidedly the best part of the latter poem, we will present our readers, for their amusement, with the following Curse' (imitated from that of Kehama) upon our brethren of the North, for their supposed injustice to the bard,—a curse which there are those, perhaps, who would not be unwilling, mutatis mutandis, to denounce against ourselves. 6 The Curse. May heaven and earth, And the devil confound thee The printers shall harass, To scorn and deride thee, And visit thee never, And the curse shall be on thee The volume concludes with three supposed specimens of Mr. Wilson's poetry, which, like many of the former, are liable to the objection of leaving the reader in doubt whether the author is in jest or earnest. We do not profess to be intimately acquainted with Mr. Wilson's peculiarities, but we can hardly believe that he will consider the following address to the Moon as a disparaging imitation of his style. Come forth, sweet spirit! from thy cloudy cave, Spread Spread a still rapture o'er th' encircling earth, So wild the hurried glimpses of thy face, Upon the whole, then, we hope the author of this little volume will be satisfied with the judgment we pass upon him-as we are sure he ought to be-that his talents, as a parodist, are much inferior to those which he could bring to original poetry, and that his work would be, with a few trifling exceptions, read with more satisfaction and applause if it professed a serious and original characHe is like a painter, who should say, Come, I'll sketch you a laughable caricature,' and who should end with producing a grave and tolerable portrait of the person whom he professes to ridicule. ter. ART. X.-1. Two Tracts intended to convey Correct Notions of Regeneration and Conversion, according to the sense of Holy Scripture and of the Church of England. By Richard Mant, M. A. Chaplain to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Rector of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate; and late Fellow of Oriel College. 2. An Inquiry into the Effect of Baptism, according to the sense of Holy Scripture and of the Church of England; in answer to the Reverend Dr. Mant's two Tracts on Regeneration and Conversion. By the Rev. John Scott, M. A. Vicar of North Ferriby, and Lecturer in the Holy Trinity Church, Hull. London: Baldwin. 1815. Evo. pp. 270. 3. Baptism a Seal of the Christian Covenant; or, Remarks on Dr. Mant's Tract on Regeneration. By Thomas J. Biddulph, A. M. Minister of St. James's, Bristol, and of Durston, Somersetshire; and Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Dowager Lady Bagot; and late of Queen's College, Oxford. London: Hatchard. 8vo. pp. 255. 4. The Doctrine of the Church of England upon the Efficacy of VOL. XV. NO. XXX. K K Christ Christ Church, &c. Oxford: At the University Press. Pp. 176. WE intend to offer to such of our readers as may be in take up a grave question of theology, with the sens deserves, a few remarks upon the subject discussed in thes publications. To go into the detail of the publications the with the accuracy of official criticism, is no part of our pe since that would be a work of intricate pursuit, more hinder than assist the elucidation of the doctrine which desirous of presenting in the most plain and perspicuou In a case of common controversial learning, this coucisers reserve might pass for a desertion of our trust, or a want of to the authors who had endeavoured to instruct us. But i present instance, for reasons which press strongly upon o we feel an extreme unwillingness to entertain any discussi necessary to the material doctrine in question; and wish to the irritation as well as the labour of every syllable which ca spared; not without some doubt whether our more perfect wa might not be an entire silence upon it. Under this forbearance, however, we wish openly to dis the officious service of labouring for an accommodation in op between persons who may have their reasons for avoiding a proaches to it. Because, first, we cannot pretend to the authe which ought to go along with the assumption of such an of and next, not being willing to concede any part of our own belief, » could adopt no principle of accommodation between others, exc the firm and temperate statement of our opinions; which could conciliatory only just so far as the grounds of them are convinc and lastly, we are well aware that nothing is less welcome to pe sons strongly engaged in a debate, than the neutrality of a pea maker, who is likely with many to provoke the anger he would arm, by his suspected censure of it. And therefore, as we have special call, in our pages, to this offensive and ungracious moder tion, we request that we may not incur the prejudice and en report of it, with any description of men. In short, we addre ourselves to the doctrine solely; being as far from seeking silence the argument of any man by the assumption of a charac, as we should rejoice to persuade by our own fair and legiti deductions. Our hopes, however, do not look so high. We pr mise ourselves no converts to our scheme of exposition, plain an old as it is, from among those who may have previously taken part against it. But we shall be contented with stating, appears to us, the substance of serious truth, for the use of thes who may wish to enjoy it in quiet, without engaging in a confi for it. whe Controversy E ontroversy, when it is carried on in the sound and manly spirit vestigation, is so favourable to the advancement, or the more establishment of our knowledge, that we shall never presume heck or decry it. While it is so conducted, Religion is only e securely rooted, by its friendly violence. Indolent and implicit wledge is roused by it, to a more honest discipline; and error flies >re it. If some degree of animation, inspired perhaps more by ardour of conflict in discussion, than by the exact unprejued concern for the subject, should insinuate itself, we still should ard that accident as a venial one, which may render the advoes, on either side, more alert, and quicken their research with perverting their principles of judgment. The more severe 1 jealous accuracy which we must be contented often to take m personal feelings may, in the end, produce that best of all ults, a more certain and a better reasoned apprehension of the th. In this light our infirmities may serve us better than our ties. They may give us a vigour of research, which those more rdy motives night fail to supply: for we never hail the progress truth so much as when we hope ourselves to share her triumph. The tendency which controversy has, however, at the same time, overstep these limits, and at once to destroy charity, and perplex the Puth, is a topic which we do not mean now to enlarge upon. Withut adverting to so great an evil, it must be confessed, that while ven the more moderate warfare lasts, the truth itself is not unfreuently a sufferer:-we do not mean from the mistakes or injuliciousness of the parties, which is too palpable a thing to be noticed, but from the temper of the public mind, as affected by the existing controversy. The direction of thought, at such a moment, is all turned towards the field of warfare, and not to the valuable interest to be decided upon it. It is intent upon the proceedings of the debate more than the doctrine at issue. It becomes controversial by habit, a temper most adverse to the love and improvement of that very treasure of doctrine, for the sake of which all are so hotly engaged, as no ground is less cultivated than that which is the scene of present and active hostilities. Nor is it uncommon to see many, who, having ranged themselves on the one side or the other, with a very imperfect knowledge of the reasons and merits of the case, make up in feeling what they want in information, and studiously aggravate the state of suspicion and unfriendliness in order to meet the need of being zealous opponents in a public and important cause. We intend no allusion whatever to any supposed vehemence or strong language, in any single writer or person, who may have engaged in the present controversy; which vehemence, however, |