bert Smith, furgeon, that the captain, without incurring the imminent hazard of his life, could not repair to quarters when he was ordered by the secretary of the admiralty's letter of the 30th of November, 1763. Other gentlemen of unqueftion able reputation concurred in this evidence, and bore testimony to the captain's character as an officer and a gentleman., Letters to the fame effect were likewife read from the following gentlemen, with whose names and eminent fervices the public is well acquainted: colonel Robert Melvill, governor of the Granadoes; Thomas Hanway, Efq; commiflioner of the navy; John Montagu, Lockhart Rofs, and Charles Middleton, captains of the navy. The refult was, that the captain was ac

quitted with honour.

The trial of the three remonstrators against him next fucceeded; and after a full and candid hearing, the members were of opinion, "That they were not guilty of defigned falfhood or malice to captain Douglas, but that the remonftrance made by the faid captains is ill worded and expreffed in fome parts of it; therefore the court doth adjudge, That the faid three captains shall acknowledge the fame, before the commanding officer at quarters, in prefence of captain William Douglas."

In the courfe of this publication, all the papers and letters relating either to captain Douglas or his antagonist, are very fully fet forth. We know little of foldier-craft, but, upon the perufal of the trial before us, we never faw a clearer title than the captain has made out to the favour of his fuperiors. The reader, however, may judge of our aftonishment, when, after having been involved in à confiderable expence which attended - the clearing of his reputation; after having been acquitted with honour, even after his accufers had been cenfured for their proceedings against him, and the fentence of the court martial had been approved of by the lords of the admiralty; their lordships were pleafed to put him upon half pay, and to appoint another captain to his command.-But we muft fufpend our judgment, as the captain's fuperiors undoubtedly have their reafons for this degradation. We only fpeak from the papers which are publifhed, without entering into the examination of any private motives that may be urged in favour of fuch a feemingly unaccountable proceeding.

42. An Effay on the Opera, written in Italian by Count Algarotti, F. R. S. F. S. A. &c. 8vo. Pr. 35. Davis and Reymers. This is a very patriotical effay, if confidered as coming from a native of Italy, the land of painting, finging, and dancing. According to count Algarotti, the opera ftands at the head of

all human inventions, and is a cure for all mental diseases. Unhappily, however, for the people of Great-Britain, fome of them have no ears, and confequently can receive no benefit from this intellectual panacea. The intention of this publication is to point out the means of rendering the opera a regular drama, and uniting in it all the fafcinations of painting, poetry, mufic, motion, (that is, dancing) architecture, and machinery. In the course of this effay, the count proves himself to be an excellent judge of all those arts, and to poffefs no fmall degree of critical learning; yet we hope never to see an opera, such as he describes, take the lead in the public diverfions of England.

This effay is fucceeded by two examples of a drama according to the manner devised by the count, Æneas in Troy, and Iphigenia in Aulis; the former in embrio, the other intended as a finished drama, and executed as well as can be expected from a modern Italian,, who copies Euripides from Brumoy and Racine.

43. The Theatrical Campaign, for 1766 and 1767; confifting of Tragedy, Comedy, Farce, Interlude, Pantomime, Anecdote, and 'fecret Hiftory. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Bladon.

This, in fome inftances, is far from being an unfair reprefentation of the theatrical squabbles which have for some time amufed the public, and the merits of the pieces lately exhibited on the stage. The author afferts, that no fair quotation has been yet given from Mr. Murphy's play of the School for Guardians; he has therefore published a fcene, which we think has great dramatic merit. We cannot, however, commend the publication of fome of the anecdotes with which he has amused his readers; neither can we approve his abuse of Mr. Colman's English Merchant.

44. Lettre contre la Raifon a Monfieur le Chevalier D'Eon, par Monfieur Treyffac de Vergy. 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d. Taylor.

This epistle is written in a sprightly vein, and may serve as a commentary upon Rochester's Effay on Man, (the idea of which was, we believe, furnished by Boileau).

Who before certain instinct will prefer

Reason which fifty times for once does err.

There is not, fays our author, (we ask his pardon if we wrong him in the translation) a species of man, who does not live in fociety, and who does not there find himself perfectly happy, though our pride will not allow him to be poffeffed of an organization more capacious than that of the beafts with

whom

whom he difputes, or partakes, the fovereignty of the fields and forefts. Reafon in favages of America is that of the climate, and of habits no ways analogous to thofe of the polished Europeans. It never reflects on what is just or unjuft. Independent as it is of laws and priests, it it without vice as without virtue, and confequently without moral good or evil.'

From the fpecimens even of the most tractable of the American favages which have been exhibited to the public of England, there is reafon to believe Mr. Vergy has not mistaken their character in their original state.

In the remaining part of the letter he profeffes himself a free-thinker, but is tolerably decent on the subject of religion. Many strokes of fatire, especially upon feveral of his own most eminent countrymen, have escaped him; and by the ideas we are able to form of their characters, they are far from being unjuft.

Though the reader may meet with few, if any, new fentiments in this compofition, yet he cannot but be pleased at the lively manner in which they are conveyed, and the air of good humour with which the author brandishes his pen against human reafon.

45. A Letter to the Author of a Letter to Dr. Formey; in which Some of the prevailing Sentiments of that worthy Body of Men called Quakers, as they fand in Mr. Robert Barclay's Apology, and as they are touched upon in that Letter, are freely discussed, and their apprehended natural Tendency manifefted, 8vo. Pr. 15. Baldwin.

*

We have already rewiewed the Letter to which this is an anfwer, and its author has fo far taken our advice, in adopting candid and moderate principles, as to do the Quakers justice, as a body of men; to confefs, that they appear to him, to be the hearty friends of liberty both religious and civil, the enemies of priest-craft and church-tyrany, and in general, the worthy and peaceable members of society. This letter-writer, however, attacks Barclay's Apology for the Quakers with fome afperity. He fhews the futility of his principles, and of fome referves of his antagonist's former conceffions; maintains that the affertions of two literary combatants ought to be weighed against each other; that is, in other words, to go for nothing; and denies that Mr. Barclay had the fame measure of the Spirit with the apostles and evangelifts; or that there ever was, or is -now, fuch an immediate revelation of the Spirit as that gentleman argues for. He next attempts to prove the light within of

See Critical Review, vol. xxii. p. 220.

the

the Quakers to be mere inexplicable jargon, as well as their arguments for univerfal faving principles. In fhort, the defign of this letter, which is dated from Norfolk, is to fhew the whole doctrine of Quakerifin to be a fyftem of enthusiasm and deifm; two of the moft irreconcileable principles that exlft.

This writer is keen and fenfible; but while he piques himself upon his orthodoxy, he is apt to be overheated.

46. A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Rutherforth, Archdeacon of Effex, c. &c. occafioned by his Second Vindication of the Right of Proteftant Churches to require the Clergy to fubfcribe to an established Confeffion of Faith and Doctrines. From the Examiner of the Firf*. 8vo. Pr. 15. Johnson.

In this letter the author alleges, that Dr. Rutherforth in his Second Vindication has thrown out feveral difingenuous reflections; that he has treated the subject without any order; that he has fometimes evaded, at other times fhifted the question and he ftill infifts that any fcheme of doctrine, Quakerism, Prefbyte rianifm, Antinomianifm, Methodifm, Behmenifm, or Quietism, may be established upon the archdeacon's principle, which makes the governors of every particular church the judges of what every perfon, clergyman or layman, is bound in conscience to believe and prasife.

47. The Happy Life: or, the Contented Man. With Reflections upon divers Moral Subjects. A new Tranfiation from the French of M. de Vernage, D. D. Canon of the Royal Church of St. Quintin. 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Main.

Though this work contains nothing uncommon, particularly ftriking, or very ingenious, it abounds with juft and pious reflections, and may give the serious and well-difpofed reader pleasure and fatisfaction in the perufal. As a fpecimen, we fhall quote the fourteenth chapter, on the happy life and folid tranquility of a juft man.

How happy is the life of a righteous man! how infinite his tranquility! judge of the felicity of the latter, fince God himfelf lays the foundation; and you may compare the felicity of the first to the life of angels: What can be conceived more agreeable or more glorious in the purfuit of virtue, than to taste all her pleasures, all her rewards here, and keep in poffeffion of them to all eternity? This is the real lot of a juft man. His object being true good, and his averfion what is ill, his foul enjoys that tranquility fhe has acquired to herself, being infenfible of her pations, except when the triumphs, over them. He is fenfible of pain, but deaf to the temptations of

See Critical Review, vol. xxii. p. 317.

voluptu

yoluptuoufnefs. He is always ftruggling with fortune; but his hopes of obtaining the victory overbalancing the pains he takes in the combat, he reaps tranquility as the fruit of his labour, and during his imaginary inquietude is fenfible of true. contentment. Every thing fmiles to his defires, because they are confined within the bounds of justice; every undertaking profpers according to his wishes, because they never exceed the limits of reason; and his attempts in this kind are always attended with fuccefs, becaufe his preceding fubmiffion prepares the way for it. Let fortune turn its wheel which way foever it will, it tends to his advantage, which is the greater, the more real he thinks it to be. Does time change its face? it is agreeable to him; he looks upon it with an unruffled countenance. He relishes fickness as well as health, becaufe illness enables him to exercise his patience; whatever affliction befals him, either by lofs of his poffeffions, or relations, he pronounces the judgment which Providence has given according to its fovereign will, comforting himself, and constraining nature to be contented with the tears the caufes him to fhed, because he has no more to give her. Whatever his ftation be, he ftudies nothing fo much as to difcharge his duty, and find his repose in it. Having no other object in view than true good, that is his only reward in this world, in certain hope that the fame will crown his works in the world to come. A greater or leffer share of the gifts of fortune does not conftitute his tranquility, being contented with what he enjoys; and without carrying his projects beyond his sphere, he endeavours to fill it up worthily, that no vacuum may be found in the orb God has been pleased to affign him; knowing it is allotted him by the fovereign power of Providence. If he finds himself surprised by neceffity, he looks upon it with indifference; he is fcarce fenfible of it, because he never wants what is necessary; and though there be but a momentary interval betwixt his plenty and fcarcity, he trufts he fhall be always contented.

Suppofing him overburthened with a numerous family, and that the misfortunes of their lives render his industry fruitless for their fubfiftence; confcious that he who has charged him with this burthen, has weighed it before he laid it on his shoulders, he fears not to fink under its weight; but fays with Job, after he had been abandoned by his wife, That though God flew him, yet would he truft in him. A righteous man ufes the fame language; not but that hope is the main security of his future good fentence; but let this future good expectation be ever so overcaft with dark efs, he dispels the clouds by the light of faith, which renders the good he defires prefent to him fo that he enjoys beforehand the felicities he delires, be

caufe