is peculiarly applicable, yet we have feen feveral English pieces of great merit, in the fame way *. The ingenious Tranflator of the poem before us has fucceeded, perhaps, better than any other Writer. His diction is fo light, fo ambling, and fo easy; and he appears to be himself, all the while, fo perfectly degagé; that a ftranger to the idioms of our tongue, might be apt to take him for a Frenchman in good earnest. Our Readers may remember we took the liberty, in fome former Reviews, to cenfure this gentleman, though with a very good intent, for certain airs he was pleafed to affect, in the character of Ariftippus. In this work he has given us no reason for faying any thing on this head; fo that we must ingenuously confefs curfelves to have read this tranflation with pleasure; and we doubt not but there are many others, who, with us, might be justly offended at the affected egotism of the poet, and yet may nevertheless willingly attend to his poetical tale of a Parrot. This humorous ftory of Ver-Vert, if ftript of the ornaments of poetry, and their attendant circumambages, might be comprized in a few words; but as our Readers will probably require fome fpecimen of the execution as well as the plan, we shall endeavour to give them a fatisfactory idea of both. Ver-Vert was a Parrot, prefented by an Indian miffionary to a convent of nuns, at Nevers, while He yet was young and innocent, In fhort a bird, from prattling merit, He was here much careffed and admired by the holy fifterhood, who, one and all, took great pleasure in giving him nuts, bifcuits, and good inftructions; which, we find, were not thrown away upon him, for we are told that he foon acquired The gift of copious eloquence; For, fave his meals and hours of rest, *In Capt. Berkenhout's translation of Count Teflin's Letters, the fable of the Sun-and the Wind is an ingenious inftance. The The common manners of the age, He could petition heav'n for grace Religiously foliloquize. It is no wonder fuch extraordinary talents fhould render our hero famous. Such merit could not be confin'd The neighb'ring territories round; Through Nevers' town, from morn to night, Scarce any other talk was heard, But of difcourfes exquifite Betwixt the nuns and Indian bird: Now fo it happened, that as the circle of his fame was extended, the nuns of the Vifitation at Nants became poffeffed of an ardent defire to fee him; and therefore, Immediately upon the spot, To the good Abbefs of the place In confequence of this letter, though with much reluctance on the part of the good nuns of Nevers, Father Ver-Vert was dispatched to Nants. But alas! how fadly were his principles and converfation debauched by the way! In the fame paffage boat that bore There There happened the fame time to fail Was worshipful fociety! By these companions harmless Ver-Vert was foon rallied out of the moral faws, and pious dialect, of the convent, and began to pour ungrateful curfes Against the nuns, his former nurfes, Who never had adorn'd his mind, With language copious and refin'd, The fhameful honour to purfue At his arrival at Nants, our apoftate was convey'd to the convent; and, if his female fellow-travellers were highly diverted at his firft faluting them with, God fave you, holy fifters, the pious nuns of the vifitation were no lefs fhocked and confounded, when, in return to their ufual compliment, Contemptuously his tail he hook, What damn'd fools nuns are now-a-days! Could their aftonifhment alfo have admitted of increafe, there was certainly provoking occafion, when, in anfwer to their moft earnest remonftrances, to curb the infolence of this feathered grenadier, Here futler like he cry'd aloud, And And with unvented choler fwelling, The fenfe of what they heard him speak For they believ'd his language Greek. Strange language this for their reputedly-pious brother of Nevers! Such a profligate, we may be fure, was not harboured long under the confecrated roof of our holy fifters at Nants. He was, indeed, fent back again in difgrace; and as we have no reason to fuppofe he met with better company in the boat than before, he returned home a moft abandoned debofbee, and invincible heretic. The grief of the good nuns at Nevers, at this fhocking apoftafy of their favourite bird, may be easily gueffed at. They could not, however, do less than enjoin him to undergo fevere penance for his manifold tranfgreffions. He was therefore laid faft by the heels, and confined to a spare diet, during his imprisonment. This regimen and hard treatment reduced him at length to better manners; when he was released on his parole, and promifes of future good behaviour. But returning, with great avidity, to his hoard of nuts and fweetmeats, he indulged himself with fo little difcretion, that a fever fupervened on his immoderate gluttony; and alas! poor Ver-Vert died. The poet has written his epitaph, and the moral of the fable is this: The youth too foon who goes abroad, For fuch our Author's obfervation, That, by much wandering up and down, Letters from an Old Man to a Young Prince; with the Answers. A 12mo. 3 S. FTER the account already given, in a former Review, of the two first volumes of Count Teffin's Letters, and the general approbation with which they have been received by the public, it would be fuperfluous to trouble our Readers with any further encomiums on the merit of these celebrated epilles. As to the volume before us, it may be fufficient to obferve, that the fame fpirit, modefty, and good fenfe, which diftinguished the two preceeding ones, breathe through the whole of this, and make it as valuable a prefent to the public, as the original letters were efteemed to be by the royal youth for whom they were more immediately intended. In his tenth letter, the worthy Count gives the following little history of the publication of this correfpondence. In the year 1751,' fays he, were published, contrary to my expectation, about twenty-five of my letters to your Royal Highness. For my own part, I think they were too trifling for public infpection; but they were printed by the Queen's command, who, from her gracious partiality for the author, thought better of them than they deferved. No one is without enemies; efpecially he whom Providence and the favour of his King, happens to have raised to any degree of eminence. I have been led forward, by the hand of Fortune, with greater rapidity than I either defired or deferved; and this naturally has created me many fecret enemies. I am informed, fome of them have been pleafed to whisper, that the Jetters which I have written to your Royal Highnefs, were highly unbecoming my character, and that there would come a time when, upon reflection, neither yourself, nor his Majefty, would thank me for my trouble. To deftroy effectually the validity of fuch infinuations, I thought the best way would be to publifh, as a continuation of the former, all thofe which your Royal Highness had received from me, to the end of the year 1753. The merit or confequence of their contents, never entered my head, and therefore could be no part of my motive to publication. To the best of my knowlege, no more than thirty copies were printed off; fix of which were prefented to the Royal Family at the beginning of the new year, and the reft given to my intimate friends, I had the fatisfaction to hear, that my zeal met with approba |