caufe he knows they cannot fail. In this innocent way of liv ing, he grows old with fuch delight, that he numbers his days with the utmoft fatisfaction, waiting for the moment of his departure without impatience; and as he takes leave of the world every minute, by breaking those ties which might detain him either in thought or will, he discovers by degrees that defirable haven, whither time is to convey him to an eternity of inconceivable joy and blifs.'

A tranflation of this book was published about the year 1708. The language is corrected and improved in this edition.

48. The Stage the high Road to Hell: being an Effay on the pernicious Nature of Theatrical Entertainments; fhewing them to be at once inconfißent with Religion, and fubverfive of Morality, &c. 8vo. Pr. 15. Nicoll.

The author of this effay is a moft violent adverfary to the ftage. The theatre is, in his opinion, a school of debauchery and vice; dramatic writers and players, the corrupters of mankind, and the inftruments of Satan. In confirmation of this opinion he alleges, that many of our popular dramatic pieces abound with the moft flagrant inftances of immorality; that in the tragedy of Hamlet, the hero of the piece is reprefented as having formed a refolution to revenge the murther of his father, by killing his uncle, contrary to the dictates of religion; that in the tragedy of Venice Preferved, the horrid and barbarous defign to fet fire to a city, and maffacre all the inhabitants, is reprefented as glorious and heroic; that in the Orphan, the scene in which Polydore goes to the chamber of Monimia, and fome of the fcenes that follow, are flagrantly indecent; that nothing can, for obscenity, exceed that scene in the tragedy of the Fair Penitent, in which Lothario relates to Roffano the manner in which he triumphed over the virtue of Califta; and that, in the tragedy of Jane Shore, the proftitute is reprefented as apologizing for her ill conduct, in terms which feem calculated to encourage women in vice.

From these instances of immorality in the productions of our tragic writers, the author proceeds to expofe the licentiousnefs and impiety which appear in fome of our comic pieces. He then confiders the diffolute lives of feveral theatrical performers; and thews, that fome of the wifeft of men, in ancient and modern times, have held the theatre in abhorrence.

Many of his obfervations on thefe topics are unquestionably juft; but his zeal is precipitate. The title of his book is the language of fanaticifm. No fenfible man will pretend to affert that the ftage is a diabolical inftitution. Under proper regula

tions it might be made, as Mr. Addison has obferved, "a perpetual fource of the most noble and useful entertainments."

49. Mofes's Petition to be blotted out of the Book of God, explained and vindicated from Mifconftruction; and the Excellence of his Character difplayed. In three Difcourfes. By Bartholomew Keeling, M. A. &c. 8vo. Pr. Is. 6d. Fletcher.

This learned writer having already attempted to explain and vindicate the propriety of St. Paul's wish to be accurfed for his brethren *, in thefe difcourfes proceeds to illuftrate a remarkable paffage of the fame kind in the thirty-fecond chapter of Exodus, where Mofes prays that God would blot him out of his book.

This fupplication of Moses, says Mr. Keeling, is not to be understood as a requeft that God, if he would deftroy the Ifraelites, would also blot him out of the book of life: this construction, he tells us, is altogether deftitute of any countenance from the terms and the context of this paffage, as well as from the character and temper of Mofes, or of any faithful fervant of God; but, he fays, it is to be understood in a temporal sense only, as a modeft petition (proceeding from the fame humility and lowlinefs of difpofition as another request in the 13th verfe of the fourth chapter of the fame book) that God would reverfe his purpose or decree (ver. io.) to make of him a great nation inftead of the idolatrous and apoftate Ifraelites. For this purpose or decree of God, as well as the original decree in favour of Abraham and his feed, Mofes, he thinks, might very properly denominate and speak of as the book of God, or confider it, after the manner of men, as written in a book, in which the divine counfels are recorded, and fo might pray that this defignation of himself in particular, to raise up a great people, in completion of the promise to Abraham and his feed, might be blotted out.

By this ingenious interpretation Mr. Keeling has attempted to vindicate the conduct of Mofes on this occafion against all exception.

50. A Sermon occafioned by the Death of the moft Honourable Francis Marquis of Tavistock. By the Reverend Thomas Bedford, B. A. of St. John's College, Cambridge, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Earl Granville. 4to. Pr. Is. Dodfley.

This may be filed a pretty, sentimental fermon. We do not suppose that it was ever intended for the pulpit, as it is embellished with illuftrations from Homer and Virgil, but not the leaft quotation from the New Testament.

See Critical Review, vol. xxii. p. 158.

51. A Sermon preached before the University of Cambridge, ́in St. Mary's Church, at the Commencement in the Year 1763. By Sidney Swinney, D. D. Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. 4to. Pr. Is. Becket.

In this difcourfe Dr. Swinney confiders and accounts for the prejudices of Jews and Gentiles against a crucified Saviour; and endeavours to fhew in what respect the power and wisdom of God were manifested in the sufferings of Chrift.

We do not find any thing remarkable in what the author has advanced upon these topics.

52. An Introduction to Geometry, containing the most useful Propofstions in Euclid, and other Authors; demonftrated in a clear and eafy Method, for the Ufe of Learners. By Willam Payne. 4to. Pr. ferved 6. bound 75. 6d. T. Payne.

After having carefully perufed and confidered this treatise, we will venture to pronounce it elegant, fhort, easy, and learned. It contains every useful propofition of Euclid's Elements of Geometry (and many others discovered fince his time) demonftrated in the most concife and plain manner poffible, without any of thofe fuperfluous abftrufe propofitions, which are fometimes to be found in Euclid. In short, we think it will prove extremely useful to tyros, and all who defire to learn geometry without a master.

53. Ananas; or a Treatife on the Pine-Apple: in which the whole Culture, Management and perfecting this most excellent Fruit, is laid down in a clear and explicit Manner. To which is added, the true Method of raising the finest Melons with the greatest Succefs; fhewing the whole Process of their Management, from sowing the Seeds to ripening the Fruit. Illuftrated with a curious Copper-plate, in which is exhibited, at one View, a Stove, &c. peculiarly adapted for raifing the Pine Apple Plant. By John Giles, Gardener, at Lewisham, Kent. 8vo. Pr. zs. Bladon. The preface to this work. informs us, that it is not a hafty production, but the result of many years real practice and obfervations; an affertion we believe not altogether deftitute of truth, fince a confiderable part of the treatise appears to be original, differing confiderably from the directions given by other authors on the fame fubject; but time and experience must determine whose instructions are moft judicious. The dimenfions and conftruction of the ftove seem to have very good proportions, and the contrivance of the nursery pit is commendable; but the method of raifing and managing the melon plants is trifling, and feems rather calculated to fwell the book than to -exhibit any new improvements in this valuable branch of gardening.

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

For, the Month of May, 1767.

ARTICLE İ.

An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy: being an Essay on the Science of Domestic Policy in Fres Nations. By Sir James Steuart, Bart. In two Vols. 4to. Pr. zl. 2 s. in boards. Millar, and Cadell.

TH

HIS intelligent author adapts the principles of true philofophy to those of civil policy; he lays down no system, but leaves his readers to form their own conclufions, from a train of fcientific experiments, which he has made in various parts of the globe, and under different conftitutions of government. His plan is extensive, and the execution laborious; but fo little have the principles of political œconomy been inveftigated, that the grounds he works upon require to be cleared, before they can be cultivated. Few books therefore are more difficult to review than that before us, on account of the variety and intricacy, as well as the novelty, of the matter it contains. We fhall, however, endeavour to do the author justice, by ftating his arguments with precifion and perfpicuity, after obferving, that his progreffions from the most fimple principles are fuch, that the moft intelligent reader, if dropt into the labyrinth of the propofitions which they induce, would find it difficult to extricate himself without the thread which is to conduct him through the maze, and which is faftened to the original datum.

In a work of this kind, population and agriculture naturally take the lead. According to our author, government, which is the power to command, muft be diftinguished from political œconomy, which is the talent to execute, while the combining principle in the fubjects is felf-intereft. The providing food and other neceffaries for fociety, and giving individuals employment according to their spirit, fo as to answer this great end, falls next under this writer's confideration. He supposes the governing statesman to be poffeffed of all the civil virtues, and, VOL. XXIII. Mag, 1767.

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confequently, that he confults the intereft of no individual, where fuch regard may be inconfiftent with the general welfare.

Upon this footing our author confiders that species of civil and domestic liberty which is founded upon the ruins of the feudal forms of government; a liberty which has improved the world into an almost new fyftem, fince debts and taxes are the concomitants of wealth and credit. He then recurs to the permanent topics of cultivation and agriculture, and fhews, that the numbers of mankind must ever have been in proportion to the produce of the earth; and this produce must constantly be in the compound ratio of the fertility of the foil and labour of the inhabitants. He next examines the different wants of mankind, their relations, their correspondencies, their reciprocations, and all the other circumftances that induce one part of a free people to labour that the other may be fed : this, according to our au thor, divides fociety into two claffes, farmers, and free-hands.. He afterwards inveftigates the rife and progrefs of luxury, which, he fays, means no more than the confumption of superfluity, or the supplying wants not neceffary to life. He fhews how luxury introduces the ufe of money, which becomes a univerfal paffion, increases induftry among the free hands, augments their number, and confequently promotes agriculture for their fubfiftence. He obferves, that it is not in the finest countries of the world, but in the most induftrious, that we are to expect the greatest number of inhabitants.

Our author here breaks off his fubject to answer an objection: How could the fimplicity of the ancients be compatible with their great multiplication? The fubftance of his anfwer is, • In ancient times men were forced to labour the ground, because they were flaves to others. In modern times the operation is more complex, and as a statesman cannot make flaves of his fubjects, he muft engage them to become flaves to their own paffions and defires; this is the only method to make them labour the ground, and provided this be accomplished, by whatever means it is brought about, mankind will encrease.'

The regard we have for the abilities of this author, ought not to preclude us from offering a few feeming difficulties upon this head. The first arifes from a retrofpect to population, as reprefented by history, which may imply a doubt, whether agriculture has promoted population. Mention is made in history of millions of barbarians (in ages modern when compared to that of Xerxes) who ftruck the Roman empire from its roots, and peopled France, Italy, Spain, and great part of Greece.

Thefe and many other inftances which may be brought from antient writers, would bear hard upon this author's principles, were the credibility of thofe accounts as well established as their antiquity.

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