may appear, it does not specify the whole contents; the Compiler having generously given a Journal of the Siege of the Havannah, with the returns of the killed and wounded, printed verbatim from the public papers, into the bargain. There is one typographical error, indeed, in the title, which may be apt to mislead fome Purchafers; but the carelefinefs of Compofitors is fuch, that flips of this kind are unavoidable. Read for each part contains an accurate defcription,' &c. an inaccurate defcription: and the titlee-page will agrce with the book. But to be ferious, were we not affured there is no greater want of Authors in Scotland, than of coals at Newcastle, we fhould be apt to think fome of the most wretched of our London Compilers had ftrolled down to Edinburgh, in order to give Mr. Donaldfon a fpecimen of the art and mystery of book-making, as it is at prefent practifed in the Grubflreets of this metropolis, K-n-k

Art. 24. The Trial of Neale Molloy, Efq; and Vere Molloy his Wife, at a Sitting of his Majefty's Commiffion of Oyer and Terminer, &c. for the City of Dublin, December 10, 1762. Dublin printed by B. Grierfon, King's Printer. 8vo. IS. London re-printed for W. Johnston.

Most of our Readers may probably remember, that fome months ago, mention was made in the papers, of a poor girl, (an idiot) being found almoft naked, in one of the freets of Dublin, tied with cords, and otherwife ill-treated. She was there generally fuppofed to be the daughter of one Counfellor Molloy; and many fhocking circumftances were confidently related, of the cruelty with which this his fuppofed child had ever been ufed, by her unnatural parents, especially by the mother, Hence a prof.cution was commenced against Mr. Molloy; who, at the trial above-mentioned, produced to the Court, a young Lady as his daughter, fent for, on that critical occafion, from a Boarding-school in England; and many creditable Witnesses appearing, to fix the identity not only of Mr. Molley's daughter, but of the unhappy idiot alfo, whofe real parents were now difcovered, the Trayerfers were acquitted of course.

Art. 25. The Citizen. A Farce. As it is performed at the TheatreRoyal in Covent-Garden. By Arthur Murphy, Efq; 8vo, Js. Kearfly.

If, in the perufal of things of this kind, as our Author emphatically expreffes himself, on this very occafion, we feldom meet with any thing worthy of much applaufe, neither, on the other hand, are the faults of a Farce always worth pointing out, Of the flight piece now before us, we have little more to fay, than that we faw it acted with fome pleasure, and we have perufed it with indifference. Mr. Macklin thewed his prudence in not printing his celebrated Love a-la-mode; and we wonder that Mr. Murphy, tho' a Writer of fuperior rank, did not deign to follow an example, by which he might have faved in the article of reputation, much more than an equivalent to the fum he could gain by the fale of the prefent copy.An Author who has once acquired a competent share of fame,

fhould

fhould be as cautious of rendering himfelf too cheap in the eyes of the public, as a new Beauty, of being too commonly feen in the Mall.

But, after all, what parent does not behold his own children with more favourable regard than others view them? Milton is faid to have preferred his Paradife Regained to that immortal poem which but to name with the fupplemental production, would be to difgrace it. Inftances of the fame fort are, indeed, fo common, that we need not wander if the ingenious Author of All in the wrong, and the Way to keep him, should be no more ashamed of his Citizen than Sir Jafper was of his girl.

Before we take leave of this lively Writer, we muft fo far assume the cenforial character, as to give him a friendly caution, against a fault, in regard to which, we are perfuaded, his good fenfe will never fuffer him to incur a fecond admonition: he is not, in general, an unchaste Writer; and any man may be liable to an escape.-In this Farce, he has unwarily fuffered his pretty Mifs Maria, in the height of her levity, to utter an exclamation which certainly approaches too near the borders of prophaneness: LORD OF HEAVEN! is, furely, an expreffion too folemn, too awful, for the trivial occafion on which it is introduced, in this ludicrous fcene!

* One of the Chara&ers in this Farce.

Art. 26. The Discovery. A Comedy. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane. Written by the Editor of Mifs Sidney Bidulph *. 8vo. I s. 6d. Davies, &c.

Sentimental and moral in the conduct, eafy and correct † in the language, various and entertaining in the characters: the greatest fault we obferve throughout the whole, is the length and languor of fome of the fcenes, which almost deviate into preaching. The luxuriances, how ever, might be eafily pruned without prejudice to any of the branches; as, indeed, hath been judiciously done, in the representation.

Mrs. Sheridan: whofe husband performed a principal part in this play. ↑ Some have objected to the word either (which flands in the place of neither, p. 57.) as an Irishifm; but we rather fuppofe it an error of the prefs. However either of them are fuperfluous. We do not remember how it was spoken.

Art. 27. An Act before the firft Act of the Tragedy of Elvira. By David Mallet. Eight Pages, Gratis. Franklin.

Contains a fhort flate of the cafe, with relation to a claim made by Richard Franklin, printer, on Mr. Mallet, on account of the copyright of fome tracts which are inferted in the works of the late Lord Bolingbroke, published by Mr. Mallet, and which were originally printed by Mr. Franklin.-We remember to have seen a ftate of this ca'e fome years ago; why it is now re-published, under the foregoing fingular title, is not difficult to guefs. Revenge is fweet to revengeful minds. Mr. Mallet's play of Elvira has called forth all his own and all his country's enemies. 'Tis a bad play," fays one; "the Author is a Scotch6 man,"

man," fays another; "then damn him," cry out half a million at once: aye aye, "damn him" fays Mr. F-, " damn him for not standing to his agreement with me."-and indeed, fuch a breach of honour as Mr. M. is here charged with, feems to be really a worfe thing than writing an indifferent tragedy, or even than being a Scotchman.'

SINGLE SERMONS:

HE Work of a Gofpel Minifter recommended to confideration

IT being the fubftance of a charge at the Ordination of the Rev.

Meffrs. John Gill, James Larwill, Ifaac Gould, Bonner Stone, and Walter Richards. By John Gill, D. D. Keith.

2. The univerfal Concern of Saints in Communion-at the Ordination of the Rev. Mr. Walter Richards to the paftoral office, and of several perfons to the office of Deacons; at the Meeting near Devonshirefquare. By Benjamin Wallin. Buckland.

3. The Wisdom of being religious at St. Thomas's, Jan. 1, 1763, for the benefit of the Charity-fchool in Gravel-lane, Southwark. by Samuel Morton Savage. Buckland.

4. On the words, Give me neither poverty nor riches, &c. on occafion of the late fevere feason, and the generous collections for the Poor :-at St. James's, Clerkenwell, St. Giles's, and St. Andrew, Holborn. By Mr. Sellon. Flexney.

5. Before the Society for the Reformation of Manners, January 30, 1763, at the Chapel in Weft-ftreet, Seven Dials. By John Wefley, M. A. late Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. Flexney, &c.

6. The Ignorance of the Jewish Church, as to the Intent of their InftituLion-before the Univerĥty of Oxford, at St. Mary's. By John Bilftone, M. A. Chaplain of All Soul's College. Rivington.

**The Letter figned a Confiftent Proteftant, earnestly expatiating on the fevere treatment Mr. A. has met with, for writing against the Pentateuch, cannot be inferted in the Review. We disapprove all such profecutions as much as our worthy Correfpondent does; but we think he expreffes his abhorrence of them too ftrongly for the prefent Times. We highly esteem the honeft warmth and benevolence of his difpofition; and therefore we cordially advise him to be very cautious what criticifms he may publicly offer, on this delicate fubject, as he may poffibly be reviewed by a too powerful Hypercritic.-His Letter is left with our Publisher, and will be re-delivered to the perfon who brought it.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For MARCH, 1763.

A Digeft of the Laws of England. By the Right Hon. Sir John Comyns, Knt. late Lord Chief Baron of his Majefty's Court of Exchequer. Folio. 11. 7 s. fewed. Knapton, &c.

TH

HE Law of England, that Rudis indigeftaque Moles, has long fince required a skilful hand to reduce it into fome fettled and regular form: for the materials of Jurifprudence have lain fo wide and confused, that few. men of genius have been able to submit to the drudgery of collecting the scattered fragments. Undertakings of this kind have generally been executed by plodding Compilers, who have induftrioufly travelled from folio to folio, and returned laden with a farrago of juridical lumber; which they have diftributed as chance, or their own dull fancy, directed; and, by fuch means, have formed a kind of literary patchwork, not unlike an Harlequin's jacket, or a Jofeph's coat, of many colours.

The title of the work before us, therefore, must have raised high expectations in those who are engaged in the study of Jurifprudence. A digeft of the Law by a learned and able Judge, feemed to promife that, which has fo long remained among the Defiderata of the profeffion. But, alas! it is not always that men of knowlege are happy in the faculty of communicating that knowlege for the benefit of others and many who are very apt to learn, are, nevertheless, very unfit to teach.

From the high character which our Author bore, both as an Advocate and a Judge, we may fafely prefume that the works published fince his death, were never, by him, intended for the VOL. XXVIII.

N

prefs,

prefs, in the form wherein they have been presented to the public. The Reports which bear his name, do no credit to his memory, and appear to be crude and imperfect collections, made only for his own private ufe. The fame may, in fome degree, be faid of the volume before us, which feems rather to have been defigned as a kind of common-place book, to affift the Author in his ftudies, than as a compleat Digest intended for the use of the public.

With respect to the general divifions, they differ little from Vyner's and other abridgments: as to the fubdivifions, indeed, the analysis is, in many inftances, entirely new. But the cafes referred to, are fo briefly ftated, that they are little more than notes or memorandums, or quafi Di&ta Sapientum; and it requires no inconfiderable degree of previous knowlege, to be able to extract the learning they comprize.

To make a Digeft of general ufe, we apprehend that, the term defcriptive of each general divifion, fhould be first clearly defined. 2. The rules and principles of Law relative to each head, fhould be laid down with precifion and perfpicuity. 3. The reafons of thofe principles fhould be explained. 4. Thofe reafons fhould be illuitrated by examples, or adjudged cafes. 5. The exceptions to the general rules fhould be ftated in the laft place.

Perhaps, however, it may be thought more beneficial to the Profeffors, that the fcience fhould remain perplexed and confufed, in order that the Gentlemen of the long robe may be well paid for clearing the rubbish: Et multis utile Chaos. Were the Law fo plain, that he that runs might read, it might be thought productive of many inconveniences. It is pretended by fome, that in the Law, as well as the Gofpel, the grand Arcana fhould not lie open to the apprehenfion of the vulgar: and as the Clergy have, time immemorial, been entrusted with the cure of our fouls, it is but fit that their brother Gownfmen fhould have the care of our purfes.

But, amoto Ludo, though this Digeft is, by no means, what might have been expected from the reputation of the Author, yet we are very far from condemning it as wholly useless: and it is but just to acknowlege, that, in fome articles, it is more full and fatisfactory, than many of our voluminous Abridgments. As practical Law is extremely dry and unentertaining. to any but the Profeffors, our Readers, we are perfuaded, will not expect that we fhould epitomize this huge folio; the following fpecimen, therefore, may fuffice to give a general idea of the work and we the father felect it, as it is one of thofe, which, in our judgment, is moft accurately divided. Add to this, that it relates to a fubject which does, or may, concern our

.Readers