"Yes sir," he replied, with a smile, "but they are most polite people now.' Now if this is not ridiculous, and joking with sacred things, language cannot convey meaning. He would sometimes cry out, "the Lord Jesus take care of his cause in this world." Why? why clearly, because Mr. Finley was about to leave it; what is this but arrogance and presumption? Waking this morning, "Oh! what a disappointment have I met with; I expected this morning to have been in heaven!" In one place he says with a strong voice ; "Oh I shall triumph over every foe! The Lord hath given me victory! I exult! I triumph! Now I know that it is impossible that faith should not triumph over earth and hell!" And yet directly underneath, he felt qualms of conscience, and desired Mr. Spencer to "pray that God would preserve him from evil, and keep him from dishonouring his great name at this critical hour." What is this but incoherence? And to crown the whole, he is celebrated for his politeness and gentlemanly behaviour, as a special trait of christian faith and resignation. "His truly polite behaviour continued to the last, and manifested itself whenever he called for a drop of drink to wet his lips. Every one around him was treated with the same sweetness."

This is the last peculiarity, which in our opinion, could fairly be produced to determine the superiority of a christian to an infidel at the hour of dissolution. From what has already been extracted, we think our readers may be able to form some opinion of the value of Mr. Finley's death, to the cause of rational religion. We shall notice in our next number, some of the inferences which the Rev. Dr. Mason, unwarrantably draws from the circumstances attending the deaths both of Mr. Hume and Dr. Finley, and shall use our endeavours to dissipate the thick cloud of superstition by which they are enveloped.

POETRY.

We have lately met with the following 'Reckoning with Time,' with 'Time's Answer,' from the pen of George Colman, and as both the wit and manner, are pleasing; as the author's merits " challenge much respect" and as the tendency of the productions, is rather to ridicule the modern absurdities of the drama, we think no other apology is necessary for our offering them to our readers. If any captious person, however, should demand a further excuse, we have only to say, that the compositions are not easily procured, and that we could not readily discover any thing more appropriate for our poetical department.

* Ibid. p. 246.

A RECKONING WITH TIME.

BY GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER. COME on, old Time !-nay, that is stuff; Gaffer! thou com'st on fast enough; Wing'd foe to feather'd Cupid! But, tell me, Sand-man! ere thy grains Have multiplied upon my brains

So thick, to make me stupid;

Tell me, death's journey man! but no,
Hear thou my speech; I will not grow
Irrev'rent while I try it :

For though I mock thy flight, tis said,
Thy fore-lock fills me with such dread
I never take thee by it.

List, then, old Is, Was, and To be!
I'll state accounts twixt thee and me:
Thou gav'st me, first, the measles :
With teething would have ta'en me off,
Then mad'st me with the hooping.cough
Thinner than fifty weasles.

Thou gav'st small-pox (the dragon, now
That Jenner combats on a cow ;)

And then, some seeds of knowledge;
Grains of the Grammar, which the flails
Of pedants thrash upon our tails,

To fit us for a college.

And when at Christ-Church, 'twas thy sport
To rack my brains, with sloe-juice port,
And lectures out of number;

There fresh-man Folly quaffs and sings,
While graduate, Dulness clogs thy wings
With mathematick lumber.

Thy pinions next, (which, while they wave,
Fan all our birth-days to the grave,)

I think, ere it was prudent, Balloon'd me from the schools to town,

Where I was parachuted down

A dapper Temple Student.

Then much in dramas did I look ;

Much slighted thee, and great Lord Coke ;
Congreve beat Blackstone hollow:
Shakespeare made all the statutes stale,
And in my crown, no place had Hale,
To supercede Apollo.

Ah, Time! these raging heats I find,
Were the mere dog-star of my mind,
How cool is retrospection!
Youth's gaudy summer solstice o'er,
Experience yields a mellow store,
An autumn of reflection.

Why did I let the god of song
Lure me from law, to join this throng,
Gull'd by some slight applauses?
What's verse to A, when versus B?
Or what John Bull, a comedy,

To pleading John Bull's causes ?

But though my child-hood felt disease,
Though my lank purse, unswoll'n by fees
Some ragged muse has netted,

Still honest Chronus! 'tis most true
To thee, (and faith, to others too,)
I'm very much indebted!!

For thou hast made me gaily tough,
Enur'd me to each day that's rough,
In hopes of calm to-morrow;
And when, old mower of us all,
Beneath thy sweeping scythe I fall,

Some few dear friends will sorrow.
Then though my idle prose, or rhyme,
Should half an hour out live my time,
Pray bid the stone engravers,
Where'er my bones find church-yard room,
Simply to chissel on my tomb,

"Thank Time for all his favours.”

TIME'S REPLY..

DEAR George, thy retrospective glanoe
Has check'd me in my mad advance.

This old truth to arrive at ;

Of all who hunt for fame or gain,
Or plough the meadow or the main,
Not one 66 contentus vivat."

Leave common law to common men ;
Believe me, George, thy nervous pen,
A brighter cause espouses;
Yok'd to the rumbling dray of law,
Let others empty pleadings draw,
'Tis thine to draw full-houses.

How many votaries of the muse,
My sand, as blotting-pa er use:
With politicks some fill me;
While at a sing-song house, I'm told,
Where foreign notes are chang'd for gold,
Some beat and others kill me.

Thou know'st my little winning ways,
I live by eating modern plays ;

A milk and water diet :

But thou wouldst starve me, selfish man,
Go gnaw thy pen; I never can,
"Twould break my teeth to try it.
When wilt thou write like other men?
Observe your brethren of the pen,
How scornfully I treat 'em ;
Like oysters, (sorrowful to tell)
Their plays no sooner quit the shell,
Than, presto, pass, I eat 'em.

While others in oblivion waste
Time, the Ithuriel spear of taste,

Shall still thy dramas treasure;
They're one and all so truly good,
That though they never give me food,
They always give me pleasure.
Thus sailing down life's eddying pool
My wings shall fan thy passions cool;

Psha! cease this idle pother :
My eyes grow dim, give me your hand,
One half my glass is choak'd with sand,
Let's fill with wine the other!

Long may'st thou flourish, wisely gay,
Till my own fore-lock turns to grey;
And when old Pluto's raven
Shall croak thee to thy narrow room,
The passenger, upon thy tomb

Shall read these lines engraven: "Within this monumental bed, Appolo's favourite rests his head;

Ye mourners cease your grieving :
A son, the father's loss supplies;
Be comforted, though COLMAN dies,
His HEIR AT LAW' is living!"

It is not the disorder, but the physician; it is not a casual concurrence of calamitous circumstances; it is the pernicious hand of government, which alone can make a whole people desperate.

JUNIUS.

REVIEW of Mr. Giles's first Speech in the Senate of the United States, on the Resolution of Mr. Hillhouse to repeal the Embargo Laws.

Continued from page 39.

THE result of our investigation of Mr. Giles's defence of the administration is conclusive of its inadequacy to protect the objects which the continuance of the Embargo is obviously intended to promote. It seems clear, that the measure is neither coercive nor precautionary; but on the contrary, is advantageous to one belligerent, and satisfactory to another. Mr. Giles's arguments rest wholly upon this basis, and we think cannot be maintained, unless visionary notions are to overthrow the tests of calculation and the propositions of experience. There are some other considerations, in relation to this subject, which have occurred to us in the progress of our analysis, which may further conduce to determine its injustice as well as its impolicy.

If the Embargo is to be viewed abroad, as a measure of hostility and coercion, it is manifestly unjust in its operation, because it affects those friendly powers with whom we have been in the habits of commercial intercourse. Sweden, for example, has a right to be offended with the coercion of this measure. Her trade with us, is considerably extensive, and we evidently deprive her of many advantages, in consequence of our perseverance in the policy. What answer can we give to her, should she feel, herself injured and claim redress? Why, probably we should say it is merely a municipal regulation, which every country has an undoubted right to adopt. In this case we hold out the double language of hypocrisy; at home, we talk of coercing foreign nations; abroad, the Embargo is merely a measure of precaution and internal regulation with which no nation has a right or pretension to interfere. If it be an internal regulation, all the objects which it Vol. 1.

G