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[Review of]
In the ANTI-JACOBIN, for August, 1800, we had the pleasure of calling public attention to the unlettered muse of this ‘second Burns’. We then beheld his rising genius with delight; listened, with pleasure, to the warbling of his ‘native wood notes wild;’ and we now hail, with increased satisfaction, the more matured flights of his well-fostered imagination.
In the Preface to this volume, which consists, principally, of
‘I believe there has been no such poem in its kind as the MILLER’S MAID, since the days of Dryden, for ease and beauty of language; concise, clear and interesting narrative; sweet and full flow of verse; happy choice of the subject, and delightful execution of it.’
From this decision we do not mean to dissent; though we cannot help smiling at the self-importance of the man, who,
throughout the volume, has tacked his criticism to the end of each piece. But the public, perhaps, may not be dissatisfied with
this; as, with the poems, they have also the annotations of the critic, by the assistance of which they will certainly be
competent to form an opinion of their own. A much smaller space, however, than the ‘Miller’s
Maid’ would occupy, will afford room for the sweetly-simple and affecting ballad of ‘Market Night’,
which will fully enable our readers to appreciate the improved talents of our rustic bard.
‘Richard and Kate’ is a pleasing pastoral; ‘The Widow to her Hour Glass’ is a pathetic
and interesting ode; ‘The French Mariner’ evinces a noble and magnanimous spirit; ‘The
Shepherd and his Dog Rover’ is highly poetical; indeed, there is not a single poem in the volume from the perusal of
which we have not derived pleasure.
Whether Mr. Lofft has exhausted his panegyrical epithets of concise, clear, simple, easy, natural,
happy, pointed, characteristic, pleasing, singularly pleasing, animated, engaging, lively, spirited, solemn, generous,
graceful, sweet, affectionate, poetical, tender, affecting, pathetic, charming, beautiful, delightful, exquisite,
&c &c. or whether the printer have been guilty of an omission, we know not; but, on closer inspection, we now find
that we were wrong in stating that that gentleman had favoured the public with a critique on every piece in the volume, for there is a ‘Hunting Song’ which, unfortunately,
does not possess that valuable appendage.