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14. Providence. Book II. Rev. Jofeph Wife. The author gives the following account of his performance. The thefis of this poem is, that God conftituted the world, and governs it according to moral law, ordaining virtue to be the bafis of happiness. In the first book [which was published in 1766] this thefis is metaphyfically proved. (As alfo the fall of man) 1. From our best notions of God, and of Being in general. 2. From the nature of man in particular.-In the fecond book this thefis is fairly elucidated from the history and great doctrines of holy fcriptures, which laft are briefly, but clearly and rationally explained. The third book exhibits a fummary of the whole, and expatiates on the perfuafive arguments of death and judgment, in a more poetical manner, than the defign of the foregoing books would admit of.

Written in 1764. and 17.65. By the 8vo. Pr. 1s. Bladon.

• The author thinks, that he can fafely promise the learned and curious, fomething new and worthy of their attention; that the serious and the infidel will affuredly find in the fecond and third books, the most important truths explained and enforced in the clearest and strongest manner.'

In this advertisement to the public the author promifes the learned and curious reader fomething new and worthy of his attention. What it is we have not been able to discover; and we can only with that others may perufe this tedious compofition with more fuccefs.

15. The Impartialif. A Poem. By T. Underwood, Author of the Snarlers, 4to. Pr. 1s. 6d. Webley.

The Impartialist, after wishing for the abilities of Churchill, proceeds in this menacing ftile:

By his example, with impartial pen,

I'll ftrive to mend,- or lafh fuch vicious men,
Who to their country are a foul disgrace,

On in, or out,with penfion, on with place,
I value not-all-all's the fame to me,
I mind a titl'd knave no more than he....
Curfe to dependence on the feeming great,
My foul difdains fuch flavifh, abject state,
I cannot-will not let abuse and wrong,
E'en from a lord unnotic'd pafs along.'

The petulance and the poetry of this writer confpire to verify this proverbial remark:

"Dat Deus immiti, cornua, curta bovi."

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16. The Poet's Manual. A Satire. By John Robinson. 410. Pr. Is. Noble.

This performance is fuperior to many late productions of the fame fpecies. The verfification is properly adapted to the subject, and the advice which the author fuggefts, is worth the attention of every young, petulant, and adventurous poet. His defign is

To teach the doubting bard to chufe

The fafeft fubject to indulge his muse.'

The fatirift, he obferves, gains nothing but malevolence and contempt by his productions.

• If then a youth, feduced by love of fame,
Will barter wealthy views to gain a name,
Thro' fairy scenes of verfe howe'er he stray,
Oh, let him fhun where fatire leads the way,
And if refolv'd his tender wings to try

In long excurfions, choose a fummer sky.'

This gentleman is the author of Preferment, a fatire, publifhed in 1765, and the Hiftory of Charles Chance and Mifs Clara Vellum.

17. Il Latte. An Elegy. 4to. Pr. 15. Dodfley.

In this age and nation, in which politenefs, delicacy, and good-breeding, are affected by people of every station, when a lady becomes a mother, the infant is inftantly banished from her apartment, and configned to the care of an unaffectionate and unfeeling nurse. This expulfion of the puling little wretch from the mother's milk (il latte) is the fubject of this elegy, which is written in an eafy, tender, and pathetic ftrain; and calculated to diffuade the daughters of the great, who are the conductreffes of fashion, from this barbarous cuftom.

Say why, illuftrious daughters of the great,
Lives not the nurfling at your tender breast ?
By you protected in his frail eftate?
By you attended, and by you carefs'd ?
To foreign hands, alas! can you refign
The parent's tafk, the mother's pleafing care?
To foreign hands the finiling babe confign?
While Nature ftarts, and Hymen fheds a tear.
When 'mid the polish'd circle ye rejoice,
Or roving join fantastic Pleafure's train,
Unheard perchance the nurfling lifts his voice,
His tears unnotic'd, and unfooth'd his pain.

Ab!

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Ah! what avails the coral crown'd with gold?
In heedlefs infancy the title vain ?

The colours gay the purfled fcarfs unfold?
The fplendid nurs'ry, and th' attendant train?
Far better hadft thou firft beheld the light,
Beneath the rafter of fome roof obfcure;
There in a mother's eye to read delight,

And in her cradling arm repofe fecure.

The public is obliged to this author for An Elegy written among the Ruins of an Abbey, the Nun, and other little pieces.

18. Imitations of the Eighteenth Epiftle of the firft Book, and of the
Eighth Ode of the fourth Book of Horace. By the Author of the
Eulogy of Frederic King of Pruffia. 8vo.
Pr. 15. Wilkie.

These are some of the best imitations of Horace, which we have seen fince the days of Mr. Pope.

19. The Refcue: or, Thefpian Scourge. Being a Critical Enquiry into the Merit of a Poem, intituled, Thefpis. With fome Candid Remarks on the Modefty, Good-Nature, and Impartiality of that Piece. Written in Hudibraftic Verfe. By John Brownfmith. 4to. Pr. Is. 6d. Williams.

Mr. Brownfmith, who feems to be a good-natured author, writes in Hudibraftic verfe, and is deftitute neither of sense nor humour, very humanely offers his poetical plaifters to cure the wounds which have been inflicted by the author of Thefpis.

20. The Convent; or, the Hiftory of Julia. 2 Vols. 12mo. Pr. 65. Lowndes.

There is fuch a fimilitude in all the modern romances, that to give the fable of one is in fact relating the ftory of half a dozen. The fame characters, the fame fentiments, the fame incidents, prefent themselves almoft on every fide. Love, allpowerful love, is the great ground-work of this piece but here are two marriages instead of only one-the lover gets a wife, and his mistress a husband, who are dispatched in time, before they come together: as ufual her enamorato is impofed upon to believe her falfe by her rival, who obtains his hand, in a fit of revenge, by the impofition. Not contented with this fuccefs, the marchionefs de Sevigne has Julia secured in a convent, from whence the is again betrayed by treachery, and forcibly married to a duke, who is prefently enamoured with his wife's fifter. The marchionefs dies of grief and remorfe, and his grace is killed VOL. XXIII. February, 1767.

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n a duel with the lover of his miftrefs. After this, it were almoft eedlefs to fay that the marquis and Julia are very happy, and all that..

We are much inclined to believe, from fome topographical descriptions, and the very many gallicifms which obtrude in this production, that it is a close imitation, if not a literal tranflation, from a French novel.

21. The Nunnery; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Sophia Howard. 2 Vols. I 2m0. Pr. 6s. Noble..

Two volumes more of love, distress, and marriage !—Take the out-lines, gentle reader.—Miss Sophia Howard is the daughter of a Roman catholic gentleman; and starting a woman grown, completely qualified for the connubial knot, a lover prefents himself under the name of Mr. Vernon, who is alfo of the Romish perfuafion, but of good fortune. This match is approved by her father, her mother-in-law, and aunt : but Mifs cannot be perfuaded into it, having conceived a strong paffion for Mr. Lindsey. Upon her refufing Mr. Vernon's hand, and a discovery being made of her correfpondence with Lindsey, the is confined to her chamber, and foon after conducted by her aunt to a convent in France. Mr. Lindfey follows and carries her off-but an unlucky rencounter upon the road renders their scheme abortive. Mr. Vernon meets them at an inn; the rivals fight, and both are wounded. Mifs's aunt being prefent, fhe is re-conducted by her to the nunnery. After fome time has elapfed, another plan is formed for reftoring her liberty: Baron Rochefort, who profeffes great friendship for Miss Howard and Mr. Lindsey, is an auxiliary in its execution but he, alas! proves to be a rival, and by anticipating her intended escape, carries her off to his own country-feat, where he declares his paffion, and ftrongly importunęs her to consent to his happiness. She treats him with the contempt he deserves, and by bribing the female-guard set over her, makes her escape to Paris; where he has the mortification to find that her dear Lindsey has been impofed upon, by a fictitious letter fuppofed to be written by her, to believe her perfidious. However, an eclairciffement and reconciliation takes place, and at length they are married, but not till he has acquired the title of Sir Edward Lindsey, by the death of his brother, and thereby renders her a lady.

22. A Letter to the Proprietors of Eaft India Stock, from Mr. Henry Vanfittart, occafioned by a late Anonymous Pamphlet, and by the Eaft-India Obferver, No. VI. 8vo. Pr. 25. Newbery.

The epithet of princes applied by Scripture to merchants can be no longer confidered as an Eastern hyperbole, fince the proprietors and directors of the English Eaft-India company are more than princes, and may be faid to have bound kings in fetters of iron. Mr. Vanfittart, after occupying an exalted station fome years, returns to his native land, where, for what reason we know not, he is coldly received by his masters, we mean the mafters of him who was the mafter of a great prince.

This letter is intended to vindicate the governor's conduc from what he thinks an unfair attack made upon it by an EastIndia director. He here difplays the low ftate of the company's affairs upon his arrival at Bengal; a fubject we have frequently difcuffed in our Review. He vindicates the neceffity of the connections formed by the felect committee at Bengal with Meer Coffim, by which the company gained one million two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, though even that fum could not preserve their affairs from finking. Mr. V. is not very favourable to the convention which had been concluded with Meer Jaffier when he was raised to the nabobship. He explains the reasons of the part he took in dethroning that prince, which he thinks was the only measure that could have faved the company's affairs from ruin; and he corroborates his arguments by his antagonist Mr. Scrafton's own words, in his Sketch of the Hiftory of Bengal, from the year 1739 to 1756.

In the course of this pamphlet it appears very evident, that if lord Clive and his friends were impofed upon in the idea they conceived of Meer Jaffier, Mr. V. was equally mistaken with regard to Meer Coffim, Meer Jaffer's fucceffor. The truth is, Meer Coffim confidered himself as no better than the firft flave of the company's fervants, who traded in falt, betel nut, tobacco, and other articles of inland confumption, without paying any duties. We are afraid this was not all the poor nabob fuffered, and that thofe high and mighty fervants of the company thought they had a right to exempt the nabob's own subjects from paying duties likewife. At laft, as an article of great indulgence, the company allowed the nabob two and a half per cent. on falt. This allowance was infufficient to enable the nabob to fulfil his engagements with the company. "My opinion (fays Mr. V.) of the inland trade, from the beginping, was this; that the firmaun gave us no fort of right to it;

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