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Article REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. ← Page 4 of 8 →
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Review Of New Publications.
Memoirs of the Right Hon . Edmund Burke ; or , an Impartial Review of his Private and Public . Conduct , his Speeches in Parliament , and the different Produaions , ofhis Pen , whether Political or Literary ; interspersed with a variety of curious Anecdotes and Extracls from his Secret Correspondence with some of the most . distinguished Characters in Europe . B y Charles M'Cormick , L . L . B . 4 J 0 iZs . boards . FROM this title-page , a reader might expect these Memoirs to contain much
valuable information concerning the detail of Burke ' s conduct and character , joined to a critical discussion of his literary efforts , and a philosophical delineation of his genius . Title-pages , however , often promise much more than they perform . This publication affords many useful materials for a life of Burke , but cannot be looked upon as a biography itself . . The fails recorded are mostly such as ivere known to every man conversant in the political history of the times . The narrative we believe to be authentic , but by no means complete . On certain subjects it is too full , on others deficient .
1 ne object ot the writer seems to be rather to mark the political changes of Burke , than the fore . ' , expansion , and attainments of his understanding . — This appears to us a very ivirrow and partial yk-w of Edmund Burke . Even if we admit his inconsistency , that is only a part of his character , and a part common to him with many others who have been eugnged in politics ; whereas the powers of genius he possessed in a degree peculiar to himself . To shew his inconsistency is certainly much easier than to describe his . talents The first requires only quotation , the second criticism and philosophy . Of such a personage as Edmund Burke there will , however , no doubt , be various essays of biography . There may be much utility , far short of
excellence . _ Although this writer discovers neither the talents of a critic , nor of an investigator of the human mind , he is a very industrious and useful narrator . He brings forward some fails that were not known before ; and many , the recollection of which may enable a reader to form to himself a tolerably . -just view of Burke ' s politics . But , however true the author ' s account of Burke ' s deviation from those principles by which he was once actuated may be , his assignation of motives is conjectural , illiberal , and malignant . think
We it would have been wise of the author to have confined himself to compilations illustrative of Burke ' s changes . When he attempts to « o farther , and to criticise his particular works , or to characterise his genius , he shews himself very inadequate to the task . His account of the ' Vindication of Natural Society , ' of the < Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful , of the 'Thoughts on the Causes of the Present Discontents , ' of his < Speech on American Taxation , ' will prove to an impartial reader the justness of our opinion . In most of these he makes very long quotations , which shew that he has read , but does not specify the peculiar merits or
dements , to shew that he has JUDGED . When he attempts criticism , his observations are frequentl y vague and general , and apply to collaterals or adjunftsTather than to principals . When he attempts to characterise the genius of Burke , he takes up with a small part of it . Finding his writings to be replete with imagery , he asserts , that they are deficient in reasoning . In comparing Mr . Grenville and Burke , he says , ' Mr . Burke ' s eloquence was splendid , copious , and animatedsometimes addressing itself" to the passions
, , much oftener to the fancy , but very seldom to the understanding ; it seemed fitter for shew than debate , for the school than the senate ; and was calculated rather to excite ' applause than to produce conviction . ' Mr . Grenville ' s was plain , yet correct ; manly , argumentative , trusting more , to genuine
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Review Of New Publications.
Memoirs of the Right Hon . Edmund Burke ; or , an Impartial Review of his Private and Public . Conduct , his Speeches in Parliament , and the different Produaions , ofhis Pen , whether Political or Literary ; interspersed with a variety of curious Anecdotes and Extracls from his Secret Correspondence with some of the most . distinguished Characters in Europe . B y Charles M'Cormick , L . L . B . 4 J 0 iZs . boards . FROM this title-page , a reader might expect these Memoirs to contain much
valuable information concerning the detail of Burke ' s conduct and character , joined to a critical discussion of his literary efforts , and a philosophical delineation of his genius . Title-pages , however , often promise much more than they perform . This publication affords many useful materials for a life of Burke , but cannot be looked upon as a biography itself . . The fails recorded are mostly such as ivere known to every man conversant in the political history of the times . The narrative we believe to be authentic , but by no means complete . On certain subjects it is too full , on others deficient .
1 ne object ot the writer seems to be rather to mark the political changes of Burke , than the fore . ' , expansion , and attainments of his understanding . — This appears to us a very ivirrow and partial yk-w of Edmund Burke . Even if we admit his inconsistency , that is only a part of his character , and a part common to him with many others who have been eugnged in politics ; whereas the powers of genius he possessed in a degree peculiar to himself . To shew his inconsistency is certainly much easier than to describe his . talents The first requires only quotation , the second criticism and philosophy . Of such a personage as Edmund Burke there will , however , no doubt , be various essays of biography . There may be much utility , far short of
excellence . _ Although this writer discovers neither the talents of a critic , nor of an investigator of the human mind , he is a very industrious and useful narrator . He brings forward some fails that were not known before ; and many , the recollection of which may enable a reader to form to himself a tolerably . -just view of Burke ' s politics . But , however true the author ' s account of Burke ' s deviation from those principles by which he was once actuated may be , his assignation of motives is conjectural , illiberal , and malignant . think
We it would have been wise of the author to have confined himself to compilations illustrative of Burke ' s changes . When he attempts to « o farther , and to criticise his particular works , or to characterise his genius , he shews himself very inadequate to the task . His account of the ' Vindication of Natural Society , ' of the < Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful , of the 'Thoughts on the Causes of the Present Discontents , ' of his < Speech on American Taxation , ' will prove to an impartial reader the justness of our opinion . In most of these he makes very long quotations , which shew that he has read , but does not specify the peculiar merits or
dements , to shew that he has JUDGED . When he attempts criticism , his observations are frequentl y vague and general , and apply to collaterals or adjunftsTather than to principals . When he attempts to characterise the genius of Burke , he takes up with a small part of it . Finding his writings to be replete with imagery , he asserts , that they are deficient in reasoning . In comparing Mr . Grenville and Burke , he says , ' Mr . Burke ' s eloquence was splendid , copious , and animatedsometimes addressing itself" to the passions
, , much oftener to the fancy , but very seldom to the understanding ; it seemed fitter for shew than debate , for the school than the senate ; and was calculated rather to excite ' applause than to produce conviction . ' Mr . Grenville ' s was plain , yet correct ; manly , argumentative , trusting more , to genuine