fair an appearance as the Death of Abel; and the beauty of the letter would plead with equal force in behalf of either compofition.

Mr. Newcomb's poetical powers never rofe far above mediocrity; and they now feem to be verging down to a state of the moft frigid imbecillity: he was, therefore, furely, very unequal to a fubject where pathos and enthusiasm were fo effential to excellence. He profeffes to have attempted this tranflation in the ftyle of Milton; but he refembles him in little more than the measure of his verfe, if, indeed, that can be called verfe, which has no other properties of it than a regular number of fyllables, which is neither diverfified by the various modulations of harmony, nor polished by the softness of melody, or air. A dull monotonous measurement of fyllables, is more difagreeable to a judicious ear than the poorelt profe; fince the latter, tho' deftitute of every peculiar beauty, would not at leaft difguft us with that eternal famenefs, that unvaried identity of ftructure and cadence, of which the following defcription of Cain's facrifice, may ferve as an inftance:

The fruits he gather'd from his fields were laid
By Cain upon his al ar; underneath
The pile a fire was plac'd; while on the ground
Proftrate he threw himself-a dreadful found
That moment reach'd his ears, at diftance heard
Amongst the bushes-Next a whirlwind rofe
Furious and loud, which fcatter'd thro' the air
His hated gift, beneath its fmoke and flame
Quite hid and cover'd o'er-He then retir'd
Amazed.

But, this paflage being merely narrative, poffibly the Translator
was more confined in his expreffion than he might be in the
open and animated fcenes of defcription: the following quota-
tion, however, from Abel's Hymn, cannot be fuppofed to lie
under
any
inconveniences of that kind:

Retire, O Sleep, from every drowsy eye;

Fly far, ye hovering Dreams; Reafon again
Refumes her throne, exerts her godlike powers;
Juft as the fertile earth, the folar beams
Refresh, and to each flower reflore its bloom,
We hail thee, glorious Sun, whofe chearful eye
The various beauties of the year unfolds,
Buried and loft in night's incumbent shade;
Thy gifts reanimated nature owns,
Darting thy golden light beyond the groves
Of towering cedars; kindly cheared by thee
Each object with fresh grace and beauty smiles.
We hail thee, radiant orb, who dart'st thy beams

O'er

1

We shall make no remarks on the above paffage, but fhall leave it to our Readers either to accept it as a confirmation of the judgment we have paffed upon the whole book, or to draw conclufions from it more or lefs favourable to the Author, as they fhall think proper.

La..

Seven Sermons on public Occafions.. By the moft Reverend Dr.
Thomas Herring, late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Now
first collected.. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Whitton, &c. .

I
T gave us fincere pleafure to fee this collection of the Dif
courfes, first separately published, of the late excellent Dr.
Herring; a Prelate of uncommon virtues, a man of extraordi-
nary accomplishments, a candid Divine, a polite Scholar, a
warm lover of his country, a true friend to liberty, religious as
well as civil, and, of course, a moft fincere HATER OF PER-
SECUTION. Glorious character! rarely merited-rarely imi-

tated!

In the preface to this collection we have fome memoirs of this amiable perfon; by which we learn, that he was born at Walfoken, in Norfolk, in the year 1693; his father, Mr. John 'Herring, being then Rector of that parish.

"He was educated in the fchool of Wifbech, in the Ifle of Ely, under the care of Dr. John Carter, afterwards Fellow of Eton college.

"In June 1710, he was admitted into Jefus college, in Cambridge: Dr. Warren, afterwards Rector of Cavendish, and Archdeacon of Suffolk, was his Tutor. was

"While he was a member of this college, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. But feeing no profpect of obtaining a Fellowship there, he removed himself, in July 1714, to Corpus Chrifti, or Benet college, of which he was chofen Fellow in REV. Apr. 1763.

X

April

April 1716. The year, after he was created Master of Arts. He, and the learned Dr. Denne, now Archdeacon of Rochester, were joint Tutors there for upwards of feven years. Mr. Herring read the claffical, and Dr. Denne the philofophical lectures.

"He entered into Prieft's orders in the year 1719, and was fucceffively Minifter of Great Shelford, Stow cum Qui, and Trinity in Cambridge. In the year 1722, Dr. Fleetwood, then Bishop of Ely, made him his Chaplain. His Lordfhip had generally preached himself at the chapel belonging to Ely House during the winter feafon; but in the decline of life, when his health was greatly impaired, Mr. Herring preached for him; and this excellent Prelate declared to his friends, that he never heard a fermon from Mr. Herring, but what he fhould have been proud to have been the Author of himself.

"On the 1st of October in the fame year, viz. 1722, the Bishop prefented him to the Rectory of Rettingdon in Effex; and, on the 7th of December, to that of Barley in Hertfordfhire. In the year 1724 he took the degree of Bachelor in Divinity; and, about the fame time, was prefented by his Majesty to the Rectory of Allhallows the Great in the city of London; which, however, he gave up before institution..

"In the year 1726 the Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn, on the death of Dr. Lupton, chofe him their Preacher. About the fame time he was appointed Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty; and, in the year 1728, took the degree of Doctor in Divinity at Cambridge.

"His Sermons at Lincolns Inn chapel were received with the highest approbation by that learned and judicious Society. They abounded with manly fenfe, were animated by the most benevolent principles, and adorned by his happy elocution and unaffected delivery. He feldom entered into the difputes canvaffed among Chriftians, having obferved that these more frequently exafperate than convince. But he explained and enforced with the utmost clearness and warmth, the fundamental duties of the Christian life, which are fo affectionately recommended in the Gofpel. He was of opinion, with a very ingenious Writer, that true Religion is true Reason, which fmiles at pointed wit, mocks the Scoffer's tongue, and is alike invulnerable by ridicule or rage.'

"Once, indeed, a great clamour was raised on account of his alluding to a popular entertainment, then exhibited at the neighbouring theatre, and prefuming to condemn it, as of pernicious confequence in regard to the practice of morality and Christian virtue. He was not fingular in this opinion; and ex

perience

perience afterwards confirmed the truth of his obfervations, fince feveral thieves and street-robbers confeffed in Newgate, that they raised their courage at the playhouse, by the fongs of their Hero Macheath, before they fallied forth on their defperate nocturnal exploits.'

The Editor hath here republished two Letters, which were then printed in one of the weekly papers, in juftification of the doctrine maintained in that Sermon; but for these we refer to the book, and shall proceed with the memoirs.

66

In 1731 Dr. Herring was prefented to the Rectory of Blechingly in Surry; and, towards the clofe of the fame year, his Majefty promoted him to the Deanery of Rochester, where he was inftalled February 5, 1731-2.

"In 1737 he was advanced to the Bishopric of Bangor; and, in 1743, on the death of Dr. Blackburn, was tranflated to the Archiepifcopal See of York.

"In the year 1745 the rebellion broke out in Scotland. The progrefs the rebels then made was fo artfully concealed by their friends in England, that it was scarce known or believed that the Highlanders were up in arms, before certain advice came, that they had defeated the King's troops at Prefton-pans. The panic with which all were then feized is well remembered.

"The Archbishop was the first who gave the alarm, and awakened the nation from its lethargy. This will always be remembered to his honour by every fincere Proteftant. His example was followed by the Bishops and the Clergy in general with great fuccefs. An affociation was entered into at York, and a fubfcription propofed, for money to raife troops for the defence of that county."

The neighbouring Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy met for that purpose, at the caftle of York, September 24, 1745; where his Grace addressed them in a speech, which will do him immortal honour. Of this noble fpeech our Editor hath alfo given us a copy; but it is too long for us to transcribe. The effect it had upon his auditory may be judged of from the confequent fubfcription for the before-mentioned purposes, which amounted to forty thousand pounds.

"Archbishop Potter dying in the year 1747, Dr. Herring was tranflated to the See of Canterbury. His acceffion to the higheft dignity in the Church, gave great joy to the friends of the prefent happy Eftablishment, and to all Lovers of Chriftian Liberty. In this high ftation he treated his friends with the fame

X 2

eafe

eafe and courtefy as before: he knew how to condefcend, with out detracting from the reverence due to his character.

"The learned Dr. Birch, inchis dedication of the life of A. B. Tillotion to our excellent Prelate, obferves, "That he refembled him by his known reluctance to accepting the first station in the church, with this peculiar circumstance, of having before fhewn the highest qualifications for it, by a conduct in the fecond, from which the public fafety received its earlieft fupport at its moft dangerous crifis."

"The fentiments which B. Burnet* tells us the fame Archbishop entertained of the chief end of the Chriftian religion are no lefs applicable to thofe of our Prelate..

"He judged that the great defign of Chriftianity was to reform men's natures, to govern their actions, to reftrain their appetites and paffions, to fweeten their tempers, compofe their affections, and raise their minds above the interefts and follies of this prefent world, to the hope and purfuit of endless felicity: and he confidered the whole Chriftian doctrine as a fyftem of principles all tending to this end. He looked on our contending about lefler matters, or about fubtleties relating to those that are greater, as one of the chief practices of the powers of darkness to defeat the true ends for which the Son of God came into the world."

"But let us hear Dr. Herring's own words, when he was bishop of Bangor.

"It was not the defign of Chriftianity certainly to make a new creation in a literal fenfe, but to reflore men to that rectitude of mind and manners, which was the purpose of the old one; for we are naturally formed for the practice of virtue, and, without it, cannot poflibly be happy: The gofpel, therefore, does not alter the nature of virtue, but establish its practice, by affuring us, that God is pleafed with it, and will, by the fecret workings of his Spirit, auift good men in the performance of it; and that he has made fuch provifion for their reward in another world, that it is become. not only our reafonable duty, but under all circumftances, even of the greateft diftrefs, moft eligible, and advantageous...

"It was before a matter of much difficulty to understand what was properly religion: It had been fo obfcured and blended with the corrupt additions of men. Our Saviour purified it, taught men what it was, and how to value it; and, to guard

See the bishop of Salisbury's, fermon preached at St. Lawrence Jewry, November 30, 1594, at the funeral of archbishop Tillotson,

against