fhall find more, which have not occurred in the examination of the five fenfes.

Such original and natural judgments are therefore a part of that furniture which nature hath given to the human understanding. They are the infpiration of the Almighty, no less than our notions or fimple apprehenfions. They ferve to direct us in the common affairs of life, where our reafoning faculty would leave us in the dark. They are a part of our conftitution, and all the difcoveries of our reafon are grounded upon them. They make up what is called the common fenfe of mankind; and what is manifeftly contrary to any of thofe first principles, is what we call abfurd. The ftrength of them is good fenfe, which is often found in those who are not acute in reafoning. A remarkable deviation from them, arifing from a disorder in the conftitution, is what we call lunacy; as when a man believes that he is made of glass. When a man fuffers himself to be reasoned out of the principles of common fenfe, by metaphyfi. cal arguments, we may call this metaphyfical lunacy; which dif fers from the other fpecies of the diftemper in this, that it is not continued, but intermittent: it is apt to feize the Patient in folitary and fpeculative moments; but when he enters into fociety, Common Senfe recovers her authority. A clear explication and enumeration of the principles of common sense, is one of the chief defiderata in logic. We have only confidered fuch of them as occurred in the examination of the five senses.'

We have now given a pretty full, and, we hope, a distins account of the principal things contained in this work, which we cannot help confidering as one of the most inftructive and entertaining metaphyfical performances in the English language. In fome points we cannot agree with the ingenious Author, or rather, do not fully understand him. He appears, indeed, to have ftudied his fubject with fuch exactnefs, and to have paid fo uncommon a degree of attention to the operations of the human Mind, that when we differ from him, we cannot help fufpecting our own judgments.

He has given feveral intimations, that he intends to confider fome other powers of the human Mind, and we shall be extremely forry if he does not profecute his defign. The doctrine of the existence of ideas, or images of things in the mind, deferves a more particular and accurate examination than he has yet bestowed upon it; and we hope he will confider what he has now offered to the public, as in fome measure, imperfect without it. He has, no doubt, given Scepticifm a very fevere blow, but he must do more, before he gains a compleat victory.

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R.

Some

Some Specimens of the Poetry of the antient Welsh Bards. Tranflated into English, with explanatory Notes on the hiftorical PafJages, and a fhort Account of the Men and Places mentioned by the Bards; in order to give the Curious fome Idea of the Tafe and Sentiments of our Ancestors, and their Manner of Writing. By Rev. Mr. Evan Evans, Curate of Llanvair Talyhaern in Denbighshire. 4to. 4s. fewed. Dodsley.

T will be naturally conjectured that the fuccefs of fome late publications of ancient poetry, gave occafion to the present work but the Tranflator affures us to the contrary, and tells us, this undertaking was firft thought of and encouraged fome years before the name of Offian was known in England. This being the cafe, and as Mr. Evans does not pretend to fet these poems in competition with those of the Erfe bard, translated by Mr. Macpherson, we fhall not enter into a comparative difcuffion of their merit. Such a comparifon, indeed, should it not turn out to the advantage of the prefent Editor, might be cenfured as a little invidious; fince after the appearance of Offian's poems, his defign of giving the public these specimens of Welsh poetry was not totally laid afide. Before the publi cation of the Erfe poems, our Tranflator might, without any impeachment of his tafte, have conceived that his verfion would reflect fome honour on his country; but we are not a little apprehenfive that the mere English Reader, who cannot relish the beauties of thefe poems in the original Welsh, will be tempted to under-rate their merit,

: Our Tranflator conceives that no nation in Europe poffeffes greater remains of antient and genuine pieces of this kind than the Welth; and that though they may vie with the Scots in that particular, yet there is another point in which they muft undoubtedly yield to them; this is the circumftance of the antient Scottish poet's being ftill perfectly intelligible, which is by no means the cafe with the Welfh. • What this difference is owing to,' fays he, I leave to be determined by

Doth

We hardly know what to understand by this term greater. Mr. Evans mean a greater number of pieces, larger pieces, or pieces of greater poetical merit? By the fpecimens hee given, we cannot conceive he meant the latter; the poets of those days, being evidently too much tinctured with the monkish Christianity of the times, to admit of the genuine effufions of pagan fublimity, and their notions of the Chritian religion were too grofs to permit them to foar to the fublime of more modern writers. Either Offian's poems were really much more antique, or the Tranflator hath very judiciously taken care to discard all thofe unrefined fentiments of religion, which he knew would have a bad effect in the tranflation.

others,

others, who are better acquainted with fuch circumstances of the Scottish Highlands, as might prove favourable towards keeping up the perfect knowledge of their language for so many generations. At the fame time he obferves, that the works of Taliefin, and other celebrated bards who flourished about the year 560, a confiderable time after Offian, are hardly understood by the best critics and antiquarians in Wales; tho' the Welsh language hath not undergone more changes than the Erfe.

It appears by this innuendo that Mr. Evans entertains fome doubts of the authenticity of Offian's poems; for if we are to judge from the general circumstances and fituation of the Scottifh Highlands, it is hardly poffible to conceive that an uniformity of language fhould thus prevail for fo many ages among a people who have almost as many different dialects as they have glens or parishes. This difficulty becomes ftill greater when applied to the poems of Offian, which, the Editor avers, have been preferved and tranfmitted by oral tradition. But this is not the place to difcufs this point, as Mr. Evans profeffes it is not his intention to enter into the difpute arifen on this head. With regard to the authenticity of the prefent poems, we are informed that they were taken from among many others of greater length, and of equal merit, from a manuscript of the learned Dr. Davies, which he had transcribed from an antient vellum MS. which was written partly in Edward the second and third's time, and partly in Henry the fifth's, containing the works of all the bards from the conqueft to the death of Llewelyn, the last prince of the British line.'

With respect to the fubjects ufually fung by thefe Welsh bards, we are told they were the brave feats of their warriours in the field, their hospitality and generolity, with other commendable qualities in domeftic life; as alfo elegies upon their great men, which were fung to the harp at their feafts, before a numerous audience of their friends and relations.' The fpecimens here given are ten in number, each of them being preceded by an account of the author, and the occafion on which the piece was written. We fhall felect the tenth, written by the famous Taliefin; of whofe name most of our Readers may poffibly have heard.

'Gwyddno Garanir, was a petty King of Crantre'r Gwaelod, whofe country was drowned by the fea, in a great inundation that happened about the year 560, through the careleffness of the perfon into whofe care the dams were committed, as appears from a poem of Taliefin upon that fad catastrophe. In his time the famous Taliefin lived, whofe birth and education is thus related in our antient manuscripts. He was found exposed in a wear belonging to Gwyddno, the profit of which he

C 4

had

had granted to his fon, prince Elphin, who, being an extravagant youth, and not finding the ufual fuccefs, grew melancholy; and his fishermen attributed his misfortune to his riotous irregular life. When the prodigal Elphin was thus bewailing his misfortune; the fishermen efpied a coracle with a child in it, enwrapped in a leathern bag, whom they brought to the young prince, who ordered care to be taken of him, and when he grew up gave him the best education, upon which he became the most celebrated bard of his time. The accomplished Taliefin was introduced by Elphin to his father Gwyddno's court, where he delivered him a poem, giving an account of himfelf, intituled, Hanes Taliefin, or Taliefin's Hiftory; and at the fame time another to his patron and benefactor Elphin, to confole him upon his past misfortune, and to exhort him to put his truft in Divine Providence. This is a fine moral piece, and very artfully addreffed by the Bard, who introduces himfelf in the perfon and character of an expofed infant.

To Elphin, the Son of Gwyddno Garanir, King of Cantrer' Gwaelod to comfort him upon his ill fuccefs at the wear; and to exhort him to trust in Divine Providence.'

I. <

F AIR Elphin, ceafe to weep, let no man be difcontented with his fortune; to despair avails nothing. It is not that which man fees that fupports him. Cynllo's prayer will not be ineffectual. God will never break his promife. There never was in Gwyddno's Wear fuch good luck as tonight.'

II. Fair Elphin, wipe the tears from thy face! Penfive melancholy will never profit thee; though thou thinkeft thou haft no gain; certainly too much forrow will do thee no good; doubt not of the great Creator's wonders; though I am but little, yet am I endowed with great gifts. From the feas and mountains, and from the bottom of rivers, God fends wealth to the good and happy man.'

III. Elphin, with the lovely qualities, thy behaviour is unmanly, thou oughteft not be over penfive. To truft in God. is better than to forebode evil. Though I am but fmall and flender on the beach of the foaming main, I fhall do thee more good in the day of diftrefs than three hundred falmons."

IV. Elphin, with the noble qualities, murmur not at thy 'misfortune: Though I am but weak on my leathern couch, there dwelleth a gift on my tongue. While I continue to be thy protection, thou needeft not fear any difafter. If thou

• Wear is made with hurdles, generally either in the fea or near the mouth of great rivers, to catch fish.

defireft

defireft the affiftance of the ever bleffed Trinity, nothing cau do thee hurt.'

To these poems, the Tranflator hath added a Latin differta tion on the characters and circumstances of the antient Welth bards; a set of men who were held, even fo late as the time of Queen Elizabeth in no mean eftimation, as appears, among other evidence, by a royal commiffion iffued by that Princess in their favour. K-n-k

Mifcellaneous Pieces in Literature, Hiflory, and Philofophy. By Mr. D'Alembert, Member of the Royal Academy of Infcriptions at Paris. Tranflated from the French. 12mo. 35. Henderson.

IT

T is a little furprifing, as the Tranflator of these pieces juftly obferves, that an Author of fuch diftinguished merit as Mr. D'Alembert, fhould be hitherto fo little known to the English Reader. It is indeed a fubject of fome reproach to this nation, that genuine philosophical criticism fhould make its first appearance with fuccefs in France. After the world in general had acquiefced in the title bestowed on us, as a nation of philofophers, it was but reasonable to expect that the precifion of the sciences and the graces of poetry would have first formed their union, in a country where both have been cultivated with the greatest fuccefs. Have we fo long decried the fuperficiality of French literature and French criticifm, to fee them bear away the prize, for which they were held too incapable of entering the lifts, to contend? Have our English critics been ridiculously pluming themselves on their fuperiority over a Dacier, a Racine, or a Boffu, to see themselves left as far inferior to a Diderot or a D'Alembert? We fhall not take upon us to anfwer thefe queries; but we cannot help being entirely of opinion with our Author, when he afferts, en paffant, that the rational efteem of a philofopher does more honour to great writers, than the exclamations of a college, and the prejudice of pedants.' The Literati in England feem to have been mifled by the miftaken notions they have entertained of the abfolute difference between the superficial and profound. It is universally allowed that the English, are moft profoundly fkilled in the most profound sciences; it is equally certain alfo, that they are as eminently skilled in the fuperficial. There is no doubt but we have in England virtuofi that collect fhells and butterflies, and antiquarians that know how to value blind infcriptions and mutilated bufts, as well as the best of France and Italy. This, however, if we may ufe the expreffion, is a very fuperficial pro

fundity;