In the ninth effay, is proposed a new mode of communicating knowledge, in which the boy is to be turned loofe into the fields of literature, and fuffered to choose a course of study for himself.

"According to the received modes of education, the mafter," fays Mr. Godwin, "goes firft, and the pupil follows: according to the method here recommended, it is probable, that the pupil fhould go firft, and and the mafter follow; for the only ufe of the mafter, is to excite a defire of knowledge in the youthful mind, and, occafionally, to affift it in the furmounting of difficulties."

That there is fome ingenuity difplayed in fupport of this novel plan of inftruction, cannot be denied; but, befides that we are no friends to fuch violent novelties, we must decifively pronounce every fuch plan totally impracticable in large feminaries.

We have already noticed the object of the tenth effay, which is entitled, Öf Cohabitation, and have only to add, that here the author admits, in direct contradiction to what he laboured to prove in his former work, that not only men, but alfo children have rights and claims-claims even to an appropriate portion of independence.

The eleventh effay contains many judicious obfervations on the evil confequences of reafoning and contention between parents or tutors, and the children committed to their care.

"Do not," fays Mr. Godwin, " open a treaty as between inde pendent ftates, when you are both able and willing to treat the neighbour state, as a conquered province, It were to be wished, that no human creature were obliged to do any thing, but from the dictates of his own understanding. But this feems to be, for the prefent at least, impracticable in the education of youth. If we cannot avoid fome exercife of empire and defpotifm, all that remains for us is, that we take care, that it be not exercifed with afperity, and that we do not add an infulting familiarity, or unneceffary contention, to the indif penfible affertion of fuperiority."

The twelfth effay, which exhibits, in a striking light, the neceffity of franknefs in all our dealings with children, and the pernicious confequences of deceiving them, on any occafion whatever, would have claimed our unlimited approbation, had not the author wantonly mifre presented the intention of a text of facred fcripture, and afterwards given a new, ambiguous, and, therefore, dangerous definition of morality.

to

"It is a deception too grofs to be infifted on," fays he, " threaten children with pretended punishments, that you will cut off their ears; that you will put them into the well; that you will give them to the old man; that there is fomebody coming down the chimney to take them away. There is a paffage of the Bible, that seems to be of this fort, where it is said, the eye that mocketh his father, and despiseth

to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles fball eat it."

"

Does Mr. Godwin really fuppofe, that the author of the Book of Proverbs, was so very weak a man, as to have written this fentence with the intention, that his readers should underftand it literally? Or does he not know, that, from time immemorial, it has been the practice of the eastern sages, to inculcate moral precepts, in a ftyle the most highly figurative? Even his own language, though lefs animated than the languages of the eaft, would frequently be the vehicle of nonfenfe and falfehood, were it interpreted literally. Thus, fpeaking of what he calls the wretched condition of fervants, he fays, that they must either cherish a burning envy in their bofoms; an inextinguishable abhorrence against the injuftice of society; or, guided by the hopeleffnefs of their condition, they must blunt every fine feeling of the mind;" but would he think that juftice were done him by that critic, who fhould infift, that envy and abhorrence could not be on fire; and that the fine feelings of the mind, as they do not cut, cannot be turned like the edge of a knife. With much more juftice fhould we charge him with the infidious defign of exciting difcontent among the numerous body of fervants, by a deception too grofs to be pardonable. We have faid, that in this effay, the author has given a dangerous definition of morality; we might have added, that it is likewife either highly figurative, or conveys a deception of the groffeft kind. "Morality," fays he," is nothing more than a calculation of pleasures;" but what would he think of us, were we gravely to ask him, if the practice of virtue confifts in calculation! In order to afcertain what is virtue, it may fometimes be neceffary to calculate the fum of pleafures, which different courses of conduct have a natural tendency to procure to us, during the whole of our existence; but to afcertain what is virtue, is not virtue itfelf.

In the next three effays, of which the fubjects are manly treatment and behaviour; the obtaining of the confidence of youth; and the choice of reading; there are feveral obfervations worthy of praife, and not many deferving of cenfure. We cannot, indeed, agree with the author, that " á skilful preceptor need be under little apprehension, refpecting the books which his pupil fhould felect for his perufal," for though it were granted, that the impreffion we derive from a book, depends lefs upon its real contents, than upon the temper of mind and preparation with which we read it; it would not, therefore, follow, that its contents contribute nothing at all to the impreffion. We doubt not, that many of our readers Comel must,

muft, in early life, have experienced, in their own minds, very pernicious impreffions from the perufal of licentious writings; and, perhaps, it would not be difficult to point out perfons advanced in years, who have been diverted from the duties of men, of parents, or of citizens, by the contents of Paine's Age of Reafon, or Godwin's Political Fuftice.

The effay on early indications of character, which is the fixteenth, and concludes the first part of the volume, is full of the most infidious paradoxes. In it, the author feems to plead the cause of vice, as one of the early indications of a great character. "Let it be recollected," fays he, "that it is the characteristic of the strong, and, therefore, the valuable mind, to mix this ftrength in its vices, as well as its virtues." In confequence of this opinion, he affirms, that by "the adult, the anxious parent, and the caflocked pedant, the offences of youth against morality, are too often confidered with unpardonable severity." That the man who could advance fuch pofitions as thefe, fhould call the morality of the Gospel an erroneous fyftem, will not, probably, furprife the reader. It may, however, be thought extraordinary, that he should carry his enmity fo far, as to cenfure, when they come from our Saviour and St. James, precepts of the fame import, with fome of thofe, which he himself inculcates with much earnestnefs. "Judge not," said the bleffed Jefus, "that ye be not judged;" and fpeak not evil one of another," added the Apostle; but according to Mr. Godwin, this is very erroneous morality, for

falfhood is vice, whether it be uttered to a man's commendation or cenfure, and to fupprefs that which is true, is to be regarded as a species of falfhood." Yet the fame Mr. Godwin, in the tenth essay of the fecond part of the very volume in which these observations are made, expreffes himself in the following forcible terms.

"A man conducts himself in a manner I difapprove. I instantly express my contempt towards him, personally, and in the most unqualified terms. Who made me a judge over him? From what fource did I derive my patent of infallibility? He was more concerned in the event, and poffibly confidered the fubject more maturely and patiently, than I have confidered it. Suppofing it certain, that the man I cenfure, is a person of depraved character, is this the way to mend him? Is there no conduct that offers itself, but that of punishment? How often does the loud cenfure, and the flow moving finger of fcorn, xdrive a man to despair, who might have been amended, perhaps rendered the ornament of his species? I ought to reclaim my brother with kindness and love, not to have recourse to infolence and contumely."

This we hold to be found morality; but if it be found when it proceeds from Mr. Godwin, are we to take his word, that it is falfe and pernicious, when it is pronounced.by Jefus Chrift or St. James?

The fecond part of this volume confifts of twelve effays, on the following fubjects; Riches and Poverty; Avarice and Profufion; Beggars; Servants; Trades and Profeffions: SelfDenial: Perfonal Reputation; Pofthumous Fame: Difference in Opinion; Politenefs; Learning; English Style. Without analyfing thefe effays, which, we perceive, would lead us into a detail very difproportioned to the importance of the book, we fhall, as the refult of our examination, affure our readers, that they difplay the fame ingenuity, the fame very perverfe interpretation of particular texts of scripture, and the fame kind of extravagant dangerous paradoxes, with those which we have fo minutely examined; and that the author expreffes himself, in the strongest terms, diffatisfied with every trade, every profeffion, every mode of life, and even every fpecies of industry, which has hitherto obtained the moft general approbation of his country

Of his style we have faid nothing. It is, for the moft part, perfpicuous and forcible, though frequently not fecure against the criticism of a ftern grammarian; but when the matter confifts of fuch daring novelties, ftyle finks into infignificance. After all, Godwin's Enquirer, though far from being fit for general circulation, contains fome hints that may be improved by the found philofopher; who, to the patience necellary forwading through his paradoxes, fhall add the fagacity which may enable him to separate the chaff from the wheat*.

Art. VI. The Hygrology or Chymico-phyfiologial Doctrine of the Fluids of the human Body. Tranflated from the Latin of F. 7. Plenck, of Vienna. Profeffor of Chymiftry, &c. By Robert Hooper, of Pembroke College, Oxford, M. D. &c. 8vo. 270 pp. 5s. Boofey, Old Broad-street. 1797. THIS appears to be a very minute and particular account of

all the fluids or humours of the human body, chemically examined and analyfed, as far as was practicable. The fubjects therefore are, the blood, lymph, nervous fluid, the humours of the noftrils, eyes, ears, and mouth; the bile, the gastric and pancreatic juices, the vapours of the pericardium, thorax, and abdomen, the fynovia of the joints, &c. A chapter or fection is allotted to each. The humours are not arranged according to their properties or uses, but to the places where they are found. The author firft defcribes thofe that are common to the whole body, as the blood, lymph, and nervous fluid and then takes the parts in the order of their fitua

* Some spirited and fenfible obfervations on this book occur, in a note on the Pursuits of Literature, part iv. l. 414.

tion, beginning with the cavity of the cranium. This method fcems, however, very exceptionable, as it occafions frequent repetitions of the defcription of the fame fpecies of fluid. As there are numerous cavities in the body, and as a fimilar humour is fecreted into each of them, for the purpofe of keeping them fmooth and moift, and to prevent their fides from coalefcing, a fingle defcription of this humour would have been

fufficient.

The ufes to which this analysis may be applied are not very obvious; but as the tranflator has announced his intention of giving fome further explication of the fubject, we shall defer our opinion until we fhall be in poffeffion of that work, or of the general pathology promifed by the author. As a specimen of the manner in which this part is executed, we shall give the analysis of the faliva.

"In the cavity of the Mouth. The Saliva.

"The humours fecreted by the falivary glands into the cavity of the mouth. The fecretory organ is compofed of three pair of falivary glands, viz. the parotid, the fubmaxillary, and the fublingular glands. The faliva has mixed with it the mucus of the mouth, which exhales from the labial and genal glands, and a rofcid vapour from the whole furface of the cavity of the mouth.

"It has no colour nor fmell; it is tasteless, although it contains a little falt, to which the nerves of the tongue are accustomed. Its fpecific gravity is fomewhat greater than that of water; its confiftence is rather plaftic and fpumous, from the entangled atmospheric air. The quantity of twelve pounds, is fuppofed to be fecreted in twelve hours. During maftication, and fpeaking, the fecretion is augmented from the preffure of the mufcles upon the falivary glands. Thofe who are hungry, fecrete a great quantity from the fight of agreeable food.

"It is imperfectly diffolved by water; fomewhat coagulated by alcohol of wine, and is congealed (frozen probably) with more difficulty than water; it is infpiflated by a fmall quantity, and diffolved by a large quantity of mineral acid. It is alfo foluble in aerated alkali.

"Caustic alkali and quick lime, extract volatile alkali from faliva. It corrodes copper and iron, and precipitates filver and lead in the form of corneous luna. It affifts the fpirituous fermentation of farinaceous fubftances; hence barbarous nations prepare an inebriating drink from the chewed roots of the Jatropha Manihot, and the Piper Methifticum. "Conftituent principles. It appears to confift of water, albumen, ammoniacal falt, and animal earth.

tr

The al

"Of water there is four fifths given out by diftillation. bumen is detected by alcohol of wine. The ammoniacal falt, by triturating it with quick lime, and the animal earth by salival calculi, and the products of fire.

The ufe of the faliva. evolution of fapid matter.

It augments the taste of the food, by the
During maftication, it mixes with, dif-

Perhaps twelve ounces.