And again in this couplet, the beauty of the figure, and the simplicity of the expression are unrivalled: "Grey dawn appears, the sportsman and his train These are the happiest efforts of Cowper; and were they more frequent, we might pass them over without notice. But his poetry does not present a dazzling galaxy of such perfections; and when we meet them, we gaze with pleasure proportionate to their rarity. It is to be wished, that he had always written thus; and have secured louder applause, and more universal renown, as a first rate poet. "Truth," and "Expostulation," are moral poems of the same kind; and picture the deplorable decay of virtue and religion; as well as exhibit in glowing colours of hope, the felicitous effects of their prevalence and revival. They are not, in general, however, distinguished by much of the magick spirit of poetry; and are more remarkable for the equable expression of fervent piety, and estimable precepts, that pervade them. Yet the concluding part of "Expostulation," is worthy of recital, as a most pathetick and beautiful lamentation, over the irreclaimable turpitude of mankind; and as containing an elegant and modest boast, of his own sedulity in the cause of virtue: "Muse, hang this harp upon yon aged beech, Through the dry leaves, and pants upon the strings, A nation scourg'd, yet tardy to repent. I know the warning song is sung in vain; That few will hear, and fewer heed the strain: A blessing to my country and mankind, Reclaim the wandering thousands, and bring home And truth alone, where'er my life be cast, In scenes of plenty, or the pining waste, When Scott, or Southey, can produce poetry like this, they may justly aspire to the exalted distinction of immortal bards; and repose with confidence in the hope, that their fame will descend with honour to posterity! To accomplish this, they must return to the sterling beauties of the old school. (To be continued.) S. Peter the Great of Russia. "Happiest of these is he whose matchless mind, "Chose virtue's paths, and strew'd her paths with flow'rs.”— "Yes-the fair prospect of surviving praise "Can ev'ry sense of present joy excel: THERE have occurred in the annals of the world, but few instances of royal greatness, in which the manners and genius of the man, could be distinguished from the pomp and glitter of the monarch; and in which the character of the former, might be distinctly traced, and justly estimated, without being blended with, or biassed by the influence of the latter. It is the delight of the philosopher, to catch such rare examples for improvement; they interest his heart in the discovery of unsophisticated grandeur, and afford him an object of natural dignity, which he can pause to contemplate in silent animation, without being molested by vanity, or distracted by pride and pomp. Such an object is Peter the Great of Russia; who commenced and terminated his career, in the unostentatious display of superiour facul ties. Peter was descended from the royal stock, being the third son of the Czar Alexis Michaelowitz, by his second wife. He was born in 1672, on the 50th of May, and after the death of his eldest brother Theodore, who succeeded his father on the throne, he was proclaimed Czar in 1682, at the early age of ten years; by which his elder brother John, who was still living, was ex cluded from the throne; owing to natural impotence of body, and vacancy of mind. By an insurrection, however, not long after, excited among the Strelitzes, through the factious intrigues of the Princess Sophia, John was admitted to an equal share of the government; but he died in 1696, and left Peter the undivided sway of the empire. The revolt of the Strelitzes, who may be compared to the Janisaries of the Turks, was the first event, that called forth the genius, and exercised the address and penetration of this great monarch. He perceived their power to be a check upon his actions, and a drawback on his authority; they were devoted to the fac tion of the princess Sophia, and constituted a formidable obstacle to his independence, and a serious enemy to his government. To dissolve this ancient body of royal guards, was, however, impracticable; and other means remained to be devised, to strip them of their dangerous authority, and reduce them to a subserviency to the emperour. This object Peter effected, in the most masterly manner; and under the appearance of amusement, he organised a company of fifty men, commanded by German of ficers, and accoutred and exercised after the German manner. In this company Peter associated himself as a common soldier, the duties of which low station he performed with exemplary diligence; and paid the greatest respect and submission to his superiour officers; requesting them not to look upon him as Czar of the empire, but to command him as a soldier in the ranks. He is said in this situation, to have fed upon his pay, and lodged in a common tent attached in the rear of the company. Always counteracting, by his humility, the influence of his rank, he was, after some tine, promoted on the score of merit, to be a sergeant; having precluded the possibility of a partial election, by an antecedent denunciation of his vengeance, if they raised him to the rank of a petty officer, without his being worthy of the choice. Thus, while the Strelitzes smiled on his actions, as the extravagant amusement of a youthful and eccentrick prince, Peter was labouring to destroy their preponderance, by attaching to his person, a body guard of superiour discipline, on whose fidelity and affection he could invariably depend. Great events arise from small beginnings; and a trifle impreg nates a superiour mind with stupendous projects, that terminate in the glory of nations, and excite the admiration of mankind. Peter conceived the design of a royal navy, from the sight of a neglected hulk of a small Dutch vessel, which lay rotting on the margin of a lake; of a size so insignificant as to be little larger than a common boat. At the time, that he revolved the execution of this scheme in his mind, every circumstance combined to show the impracticability of the attempt; and to dispirit the undertaking, as hopeless and visionary; yet it is the accomplishment of such difficult and adventurous actions, that stamps the genius of the man, and proves his capacity to create, and his skill in government; had the project been easy, why should we laud him for the action. But he knew it to be difficult, and resolved on its accomplishment. Russia had not hitherto floated a plank upon the waters; but Peter now engaged some mechanicks of Holland, to construct a few small vessels at Moscow; and his second attempt, was the building of four frigates, of four guns each, on the lake of Pereslave; these he completely fitted, and instructed the crews in naval warfare, by engaging them in sham combat. In order, however, to inspire his subjects with the enthusiasm of example, he resolved to become a proficient, in the arts that were necessary to the construction and navigation of vessels; and accordingly passed two seasons on board of Dutch and English ships at Archangel; where he only gained knowledge enough to make him wish for more. His opinion of the utility, and his desire to possess a naval armament, were now corroborated, and sharpened, by his war with the Turks, during the siege of Asoph; where he perceived the vast advantages to be derived from that species of force. For this purpose he despatched orders for some Venetian artists, who built a number of gallies on the Don, by which he blockaded the mouth of the river, and hindered the Turks from giving succour, or relief to the besieged. Such progress was an incentive to perseverance; but while any thing remained to do, nothing had been performed in the estimation of Peter. To rely on the skill of foreigners for a navy, and be subject to their envy, jealousy or caprice, was not consonant to the independent spirit, and active enterprsie of this great monarch; he therefore resolved to form native workmen, and by his indi vidual efforts, to surmount all the numerous obstacles, that crowded in the way of his completing this favourite measure. Thus determined, and without communicating his design to his council, or submitting to the mortification and delay, of having his plans canvassed by the deliberate, and prostrated by the timid; he nominated in 1698, an embassy to Holland, in the suite of which he went himself incognito, for the object of all his labours, the permanent establishment of a naval power. When he arrived at Amsterdam, he entered himself in the India Admiralty office, and became enrolled in the list of shipcarpenters; while he worked in the yard with that unremitted industry, and ceaseless perseverance, which follow and reward the ardour of enthusiasm. Here, however, his disguise could not shield him from the knowledge of the world; and although devoid of those artificial means of respect, which magnificence and splendour extort from men, he was pointed out to oue another, by the spectators, as being of a higher nature, who had descended from the glories and charms of power, to endure manual toil for the universal benefit of his subjects; if he was not held in dread, therefore, for his grandeur, he received the more pleasing homage of veneration and wonder, from millions, who only contemplated him as a man of genius, who could throw aside the bauble of royalty, to adorn himself with the gem of merit. At the same time, king William the III. who was on a visit to his continental dominions, paid him the spontaneous tribute of royal admiration and esteem, without descending to those frivolous ceremonies, that Peter's disguise and occupation necessarily dispensed with; and which are instituted for the gratification and delusion of the vulgar, and for the vexation of the great. It is to the honour of Peter, that even when seated on the throne, he avoided and despised this empty show of honour, and unmeaning pomp of false ado ration. In this situation, the Czar of Russia soon acquired the skill of an excellent workman; and afterwards made himself a master of the science, by studying the proportions and principles of his Having learned as much as Holland could teach him, he next went over to England, where he completed his knowledge of an art, in which that people then excelled all the world; but art, |