Imatges de pàgina
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that ought not to have stooped to the contemptible arts of decep

tion.

Art. 25. A Diary, kept in an Excurfion to Little Hampton, near Arundel and Brighthelmftone, in 1778; and alfo, to the latter Place in 1779. Vol. II. 12mo. 2 S. fewed. Bew.

The first volume of this Sentimental * Diary was announced in p. 398 of our Review for Nov. 1778. In this continuation, the Author, who profeffes, that his business is only to trifle, tell ftories, and crack jokes,' proceeds in the fame eafy, careless, defultory way -trifling, indeed, very often, repeating old flories new vamped, and cracking fuch jokes as have probably afforded him more pleafure than he is able to convey to those who are to crack them over again.

This difciple of Sterne's does not feem to be aware, that it would be as commendable to imitate the good English as the good humour of his mafter. Sterne would never have condefcended to use the vulgar whereofs and wherebys, which we meet with in this rambling journal; fee particularly p. 12 and 13. Neither would HE have talked of the charming charms of dear variety,' p. 11. Nor could he have told us, that there is one dry and two wet wells open' at Brighthelmftone, that are dangerous to children. Such little flips fhould be rectified in the next edition; and when the Author's correcting hand is in, he should explain what is meant by the bishop of Pontoppidan; of whom we never heard before. We prefume, the Gentleman had his eye upon the good bishop of Bergen, in Norway, who wrote a famous Natural Hillory of that country †; and whose name was Pontoppidan.

Art. 26. Thoughts in Profe and Verfe, ftarted in his Walks, by John Hope. 8vo. 6s. Bound. Goldsmith. 1780.

The principal part of thefe effays has already appeared in different periodical publications, in which many of them have been favourably received. This eccentrical writer, whofe thoughts feem to be expreffed with the fame undifguifed freedom that they prefented themselves to his own mind, has blended with his fingularity a confiderable portion of good fenfe. Though many of the pieces in this volume will no doubt be thought trivial and uninteresting, yet there are scarcely any in which the reader will not meet with fomething to entertain him. Perhaps, he will be amufed with the reason which Mr. Hope affigns for prefixing his name to this collection: I did not determine to put my name to this book, until I read in the Parliamentary debates, that, of the thirty-three Scotch members, who were prefent in the Houfe of Commons, when Mr. Dunning's mo tion was put to the vote, "That the influence of the Crown has en

* The first volume was entitled, "Sentimental Diary;" but the Author has now thought it proper to leave his readers to discover the fentimentality, without the aid of a finger-poft. Yet this volume is not (to the beft of our recollection) lefs fentimental than the former; and, in truth, we think, the Writer fucceeds more in fentiment than in his attempts at humour.

+ Of this celebrated hiflory, the Reader will find a copicus abftract in the 12th vol, of our Review.

creafed,

creased, is encreafing, and ought to be diminished,"-twenty-eight of them voted against it. As one who had once the honour of fitting in that House, I now willingly risk the acquiring the name of a bad Author, that I may encrease the fmall number of conftitutional Scotsmen.

Art. 27. A Defcription of the Freedom Box, voted by the City of London, to the Hon. Auguftus Keppel, Admiral of the Blue. To which is prefixed, a fuccin& Account of his public Services. 4to. Printed for the Artist W. Carron, Little Marlborough Street. 7 s. 6d. Coloured 10 s. 6d. Sold alfo by S. Hooper in St. Martin's-Lane.

The engravings which accompany this defcription have confiderable merit; nor are the defigns deficient in elegance. The principal objection to them feems to be, that they are not, perhaps, fufficiently explanatory of the subject they are intented to illuftrate and commemorate. It certainly is a mistake, which, even artists of the first reputation are very apt to fall into, that poetical allegory and emblematical device are the fame. Of poetical allegory it may be. obferved, that the terms which convey the image explain its meaning: but this is far from being the cafe when the idea is embodied by the pencil. How feldom is it, that allegorical painting, except when borrowed from a fyftem of mythology obvious and familiar, can be fully understood without an explanation? This fault, to which allegorical painting ever must be liable, is of the fame kind, though originating, indeed, from a different caufe, with that of the fign-painter, who is obliged to write the name of the animal he has pourtrayed, that the traveller may know what it is.

POETICA L.

Art. 28. Ode to the Rev. William Mafon. By Eliza Ryves. 1 s. 4to. Dodsley.

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There is a fpirit in this little ode that will more than counterbalance the few trifling inaccuracies which an ill-natured critic might point out. The fair Authorefs seems to have just ideas of the office and dignity of the mufe; and while fhe reprehends the proftitution of poetry to purpofes unworthy of it, fhe marks cut, by the example of the gentleman to whom her poem is addreffed, its proper application in the celebration of virtue.-In our 58th vol. p. 237, we noticed a volume of poems by this Lady; whofe numbers we commended as easy, and not inelegant.

Art. 29. Ingratitude, an Ode; and Sir Salvadore, an Allegoric'. Poem. Canto the First. 8vo. Is. 6d. Lincoln printed. Sold in London by Crowder.

A dull allegory, unenlivened by fancy or invention. The Author means to be wonderfully fevere upon the American Congrefs. This poor and feeble imitator of Spenfer, refembles that immortal bard.... nearly in the fame degree that a Lincolnshire fen goose resembles an eagle.

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Art. 30. Ode, infcribed to Leonard Smelt, Efq. By Edward Burnaby Green. 4to. Faulder. 1780. A quaint and affected string of obfcure and far-fetched fentiments.. If confidered merely as an effufion of friendship, it may, on that fcore indeed, be intitled to fome indulgence.

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Art. 31. A Select Collection of Poems: with Notes, Biographical and Historical. 4 Vols. Small 8vo. Ios. fewed. Nichols. Mr. Nichols's own words will convey the best idea of the nature of his mifcellany.

'On DRYDEN's foundation (says he) the prefent fuperftructure is begun. In its progrefs, almost every undertaking of a fimilar nature has been confulted, and material parts incorporated. The Collections formed by FENTON and STEELE have been epitomized; whilft POPE'S, PEMBERTON'S, LINTOT's, and C. TookE's, have occafionally contributed to embellishment.

'The Collection by Mr. R. DDSLEY is allowed to be the completeft of the kind; and with this the prefent publication is fo far from interfering, that not a fingle poem is intended to be printed, which is either in "DODSLEY'S Collection," the Supplement to it by Mr. PEARCH, or in the Sixty Volumes of the " English Poets.” To all or either of thefe, therefore, this Selection will be a fuitable appendage; and the more fo, as I have preferved fume poems of merit, which before were not known to have existed.

The Reader will find in thefe volumes fome of the earliest productions of DRYDEN; fome originals by Sir WILLIAM TEMPLE; an Ode by SWIFT, which had long been confidered as irrecoverable; a confiderable number of good poems by STEELE, PARNELL, FENTON, BROOME, and YALDEN, with a few pieces by HALIFAX, DORSET, ROCHESTER, SPRAT, PRIOR †, POPE, BOLINGBROKE, PHILIPS, KING, SMITH, WATTS, PITT, HUGHES, A. PHILIPS, and TICKELL, which are not to be found in any edition of their works."

As a poftfcript to Mr. Nichols's preface, we may add, that his collection contains many things that are curious, and on that account worth preferving, and fome few others that are intrinfically valuable and ingenious.

The following anecdotes of this excellent Poet being curious, I print them in the words of the friend from whom they are received: "At lord Oxford's feat at "Wimple (now lord Hardwick's) there hung a fine picture of Harley in his

Speaker's robes, with the roll of the bill in his hand for bringing-in the prefent "family; which, if I miftake not, was done by his cafting vote. In allufion to " Harley's being afterwards fent to the Tower, Prior wrote with a pencil on the white fcroll, Bill paid fuch a day.-The late Recorder of Cambridge [Pont] hád "feen fome Ms. Dialogues of the Dead of Prior's; they were profe, but had verfe intermixed freely; and the fpecimen, I heard, proved it, The Dialogue was be"tween Sir Thomas More and the Vicar of Bray. You must allow that the cha "racters are well chofen; and the speakers maintain their respective opinions fmartly at laft the Knight feems to come over to his adverfary, at least so far as to "allow that the doctrine was convenient, if not honourable; but that he did not "fee how any man could allow himself to act thus; when the Vicar concludes; "Nothing eafier, with proper management; &c. You must go the right way to "work

"For Confcience, like a fiery horfe,
"Will ftumble, if you check his courfe i

"But ride him with an easy rein,
"And rub him down with worldly gain,

"He'll carry you through thick and thin,

"Safe, although dirty, to your inn."

This certainly is fterling fenfe....It would give me great pleasure to be enabled to present thefe Dialogues to the world; but where they are now deposited is unknown.

Mr.

Mr. Nichols, we apprehend, has received into his Collection many pieces which would have been better omitted. Of these we more particularly reprobate the many tedious tranflations from the Greek and Roman claflics, which abound in every volume. The Writers of the last century feem to have had very imperfect ideas of translation; doing into English, was, in general, the utmost of their ambition. There are few tranflations here exhibited, but what are infinitely inferior to more modern ones that are in every body's hands.

The biographical notes and anecdotes with which the different poems are illuftrated, are entertaining and valuable, and do credit to the care and industry of this accurate and very intelligent Editor, Artr 32. Poems on Various Subjects; selected to inforce the Practice of Virtue; and with a View to comprise in One Volume, the Beauties of English Poetry. By Thomas Tomkins. 18mo. 2 s. fewed. Wallis. 1780.

Let the ancient artist, who inclosed the Iliad of Homer in a nutfhell, from this time be forgotten :-the more ingenious Mr. Tomkins has comprised in one little volume, fairly printed, all the beauties of English poetry, and after all, left room for pieces which are not beauties!

NOVEL.

Art. 33. Hiftory of Lady Bettefworth and Captain Haftings. In a Series of Letters. 2 Vols. 12mo. 6 s. Noble. 1780. It is not easy to hit off to a nicety' the distinct characters of the numerous novels which come before us. We shall not however be far from the mark, if, with one stroke of our feathered inftrument,' we pronounce this hiftory, trifling in incident, confufed in method, inelegant in language, and in fhort, (as the Author of a late Tour would fay) infipid to a degree."

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PHILOSOPHICAL.

Art. 34. Philofophical Confiderations, or a Free Enquiry into the "Merits of a Controverfy between Dr. Priestley and Dr. Price, on Matter and Spirit, and Philofophical Neceffity, with an introductory Effay on the Subject at large. By M. Dawes, of the InnerTemple, Efq; Author of an Effay on Intellectual Liberty and Toleration. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Cadell. 1780.

The Author of these Confiderations, which he styles Philosophical, has introduced them with a defence of Free Thinking, in its plainest and most obvious fenfe; to which we should have entirely affented, had he only limited the privilege to those who are capable of thinking. It is the general neglect of this limitation, which has brought the term into that contempt from which our Author is by no means quas lified to rescue it. He does not (like the animated Author of the Slight Sketch *) pervade the whole controverfy, and state those characteristic circumftances which difcriminate the feveral performances, but confines himself to the friendly difpute between Dr. Prieftley and Dr. Price, and flates the fentiments of each on the feveral points in debate, with his own observations on them. It muft, however, be obvious, that a brick or a board cannot be lefs a specimen of a house, than detached fentences are of a controverfy. To those who

• See Review for March, p. 223.
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have

have no other knowledge of the difpute than is afforded by the prefent work, many of thefe fentences will be unintelligible; and thofe who are already acquainted with it, will find either a want of dif cernment, or a want of candor in the felection. His own obfervations are feldom clear, or eafy to be understood,— -nor are they often pointed or important. His end is to fhow, that little has been added to our stock of knowledge from the debate, and that, when Priestley fays, that the foul does not lofe its existence' at death, and Price allows that it is fufpended' after death, they approach fo nearly to each other, that we are unable to difcern the difference. We have not leifure, at prefent, to enquire what public benefit may have refulted from the controverfy, but cannot help fuggefting, that many, whofe characters, as authors and philofophers, are now expofed, might have been fafe, if it had been never started. Mr. D. in the paffage juft quoted, does not perceive, that the great question of matter and fpirit is not affected by this mutual acknowledgment of the two opponents. If the operations of the foul refult only from a certain organization of matter, and the atoms of which this material machine is conftructed are unperishable, as Newton, Leibnitz, and Priestley, have allowed, the foul cannot lofe its existence, for the feveral atoms may, in any future period, be again arranged in the fame manner, and make up a being identically the fame as before. It is clear, therefore, that however fimilar their ideas may appear in this expreffion, it does not affect the real question, whether the animation of this machine depend on a certain arrangement of matter, or on the union of an immaterial principle with it. Mr. D. is better founded in the obfervation which follows this comparifon. If, fays he, the refurrection be only the re-animation and re-arrangement of material particles, man is ftill fubject to a second decay, and is not fitted for eternity; but on this part, for obvious reafons, we shall make no comment.

EAST-IN DIE S. Art. 35. Thoughts on improving the Government of the British Territories in the East Indies. 8vo. I s. 6d. Cadell. 1780. The inexpediency of intrufting the civil government of fo extenfive and important a territory as that fubject to the British Empire in the East Indies, to a mercantile body, has long been perceived, and is, in this fenfible pamphlet, clearly laid open. To remedy the inconveniences which have arifen from the government of the Company, the Author propofes, I. That the British Government should eftablish fuch an immediate agency in India, as fhould give the natives of our own territories a perception, that they live under the authority and protection of the flate itself, and affure the Afiatic powers, with whom we are connected, of their undisturbed continuance in their prefent dominions. II. That, to promote the profperity of the natives inhabiting the British fettlements, and encourage industry, the pernicious cuftom of letting the lands for a fhort fpace of time fhould be abolished, and the lands be either fold in perpetuity, transferrable according to the Gentoo or Mahometan practice, or be let for very long terms. This would raife, on the most equitable terms, about ten millions fterling, befides an annual quit-rent of confiderable value; at the fame time that it

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