whether maids or married, not fcrupling to ufe even violence.'— In short, our Author feems very thankful to Divine Providence, that fo laudable an example had but little influence with him: for, drinking he had no inclination to, and as to connections with the fair fex, he took care to keep within fuch bounds as ferved to fecure his character from reproach on that head.

Proceeding with his perfonal Hiftory, our Adventurer informs. us, that he had continued about fix years in England, without engaging in a laudable way of earning his fubfiftence; when a fcheme was propofed to him by one Pattenden, for carrying on a manufactory of a white fort of Japan, which Pattenden had found out, and was then in vain endeavouring to recommend to the world. Pfalmanazar was now to father it, and accordingly it was advertised as the Curious White Formofan Work, which our Author had learnt the art of making in his country: but notwithstanding it was greatly admired and puffed, the undertaking did not fucceed.

He next attempted to get money by praclifing a kind of empyrical phyfic,' and by teaching the modern languages, fortification, &c. But thefe failing, he then became a Clerk in a regiment of dragoons, employed in the North of England, about the time of the Rebellion in 1715. This drew him into a rambling kind of life, which proved very agreeable to him, as it gave him an opportunity of vifiting various parts of the kingdom; but at length the regiment being ordered to Ireland, he quitted it at Bristol; and was again at a loss what to do with himself.

Having a little fmattering of painting and drawing, he now took it into his head to turn Fan-painter. His prefent industry was laudable, but the trade was poor, and he found it impoffible to live by it. At this time a worthy Clergyman propofed to him, to betake himfelf in good earnest, to the study of Divinity; and towards enabling him to do this to advantage, he offered to raise a subscription for him; which he actually did, to the amount of about thirty pounds per annum. This, with the help of what he otherwife earned, by teaching several branches of learning, amounted to a tolerable competency. Nevertheless, he tells us, this fubfcription foon began to le heavy on his confcience, as it arofe from his fraudulent pretences of being a Formofan, and a real Convert to the Church of England, by which the pious intentions of his Subfcribers were fcandaloufly impofed on. His uneafinefs ftill increased, as he now and then met with people, even at the houfes of his Subfcribers, whose behaviour, and objections, gave him to understand, that they had not the fame charitable opinion of him.

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This made him, as he says, often with and pray, that he might fall into fome more honeft way of living, without this undeserved fubfcription.

At length he grew acquainted with a perfon concerned in the printing bufinels; by whofe means he became a Tranflator of books; and by this new employment he was foon enabled to gain a very comfortable fubfiftence. From tranflating other people's works, he at length came to print fome of his own; and his Subfcribers dying, one after the other, and his business increasing, he never applied to the furvivors for a continuance of their benevolence, but declined it where it was offered, as being now able to live without it.

Our Author now enters into a long detail of the acquifitions he had made by the ftudy of the Hebrew tongue, and his criti cal application to the facred Books; alfo of his religious improvement, by the help of Hicks's Reformed Devotions, Nelson's Method of Devotion, and Law's Serious Call; of which last he is very warm in his commendations. As to the Hebrew, he informs us by what improved means he attained his extenfive knowlege of that language, in preference to the common methods of learning it: but the article grows too long to admit of our entering into particulars on this head. Suffice it to obferve, that he compofed a tragi-comic piece in Hebrew verse, entitled David and Michol; of the plan of which he gives a particular account; but it was never published. He likewife formed a defign of compiling fome fcriptural Hebrew Dialogues, in imitation of the Latin ones of Caftalio; and a set of others on more common fubjects, like thofe of Corderius, tho' not fo puerile, for the ufe of young Beginners; and a third, between a Jew and a Chriftian, on the moft material parts of controverfy between both but here falling into, and infifting much on, the doctrine of the Millennium, which he found every where spoken againft, he thought the time unfavourable for the work, and laid it on the fhelf. He, however, more earnestly set about a new edition of the Pfalms, with Leufden's Latin verfion over against it, fome critical notes for the ufe of Learners, with others of a more curious nature; and a preface, giving an account of the method by which he had, chiefly by means of the Pfalms, attained to his knowlege of the facred language.-Bishop Hare, however, got the start of our Author, and, first, out came his well-known metrical Pfalter, which Pfalmanazar fell upon, and a controverfy enfued; but for the particulars thereof, we refer to his Memoirs at large.

About this time it was that our Author was engaged to affist in writing the celebrated Univerfal Hiftory; which was con

ducted

ducted in a strange, confufed, injudicious manner: fo that the Bookfellers were like to be great fufferers by the undertaking. Pfalmanazar, however, by his prudence, punctuality, and good advice, reduced this chaos into fome order, and put the work upon the reputable footing on which it now ftands. He was allo to have been engaged in the modern part of this voluminous compilation; and the anecdotes which he relates concerning the proceedings both of the Authors and Proprietors of it, their quarrels, reconciliations, diforderly management, deviations from their plan, and the irreparable defects of the work, are many and tedious, filling up a number of fheets, towards the conclufion of the book: which, after all, breaks off abruptly, with mentioning fome circumftances about the intended modern part of the Univerfal Hiftory, (at that time only in embryo) and then, fans ceremonie, off walks our extraordinary Author, without fo much as bidding his Readers good b'ye!-From hence we may conclude, that our fraudulent, penitent, and pious Writer, died without finishing his narrative in the manner he poffibly defigned. His death, as we find by the Magazines, happened August 3, 1763, at the age of eighty-four.

Having thus given an abstract of the principal facts contained in his narrative, we fhall conclude with briefly remarking, that as to its authenticity, there can be no doubt. In respect of his candour, in the confeffion of his impoftures, and the contrition. he has expreffed, there is no room to question, that he was as fincere as he feems to be unreserved. We are perfuaded, that the man was not, in all refpects, a profligate. He had his virtues, as well as his failings; and, in regard to the latter, ample allowance ought to be made for the unpromifing circumstances in which he first launched on the ocean of life. Though he w. s once the vileft of hypocrites, charity would hope, that the impreffions which, according to his many folemn proteftations, religion afterwards made upon his mind, were unfeigned. Indeed, he appears to have gone into the oppofite extreme of the loofe principles by which his younger years were guided, and to have fallen into no fmall degree of fanaticifm. Hence, in this his tedious tale, the old man has been led to talk his penitentials over so very often, that the Reader's patience is continually exercifed; and it will be well if the more uncourteous fort are not, fometimes, provoked to fet him down for a canting pretender to that piety which they may think foreign to his real character. We, however, who have perufed his book with fome attention, are not of that opinion. We verily believe,

• Including alfo bis account of the fhare he had in compiling the Compleat Syftem of Geography, 2 Vols. Folio, 1747. G 3

fome that

that he became, at length, fincerely forry for the crimes of his younger days; and that, in the decline of life, he did all in his power to atone for his paft offences, by the integrity of his conJuct toward man, and the ardour of his devotion toward God.

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An Enquiry into the Doctrine, lately propagated, concerning Libels, Warrants, and the Seizure of Papers; with a View to fome late Proceedings, and the Defence of them by the Majority; upon the Principles of Law and the Conftitution. In a Letter to Mr. ALMON from the Father of CANDOR *. 8vo. Almon.

T

2s. 6d.

HE fpirited and intelligent Author of this Enquiry, has thrown new light on the fubjects which of late have been fo much canvaffed, and which are fo well deferving the public attention. It is to be wifhed, however, for the fake of the Caufe he defends, that he had taken more pains to reduce and methodize his arguments and likewise, that he had not fo frequently indulged a vein of levity, which does not seem natural to his character, and is altogether unfuitable to his subject.

In the outset he obferves, that by the old Conflitution, and afterwards by Magna Charta, no man could be tried for any offence, till a Grand Jury had found a Bill of Indictment, or made a Presentment of their own knowlege; upon which Indictment or Prefentment he was to be tried by a Petit Jury of his Peers. 6 By degrees, however, and by virtue of particular ftatutes, crimes against the peace became prefentable by Confervators or Juftices of the Peace, and the perfons accused were to be tried thereupon by a petit Jury. In procefs of time, fome few offences, under fpecial acts of parliament, came to be profecuted by information; and, in fome very enormous cafes, the Court of King's Bench, upon motion in open court, fupported by affidavit, and opportunity given to the party charged to defend himself, would fometimes grant leave for filing an information, A Jury was afterwards to try the truth of every fuch charge. But Henry the 7th, one of the worft Princes this nation ever knew, procured an act of parliament which, after reciting many defects and abufes in trials by Jury, and pretending a remedy for the fame, gives a fummary jurifdiction to certain great Officers of State, taking to their aid a Bishop, to fummon, try, and punifh, of their own mere difcretion and authority, any perfons who fhall be accufed of the offences

See a Letter from CANDOR to the Public Advertiser; Review for October; Catalogue,

therein

therein very generally named and defcribed. In short, the Court of Star-chamber is, by this act, fo enlarged in its jurif diction, that it may be faid to be erected, and both grand and petit Juries, in Crown matters, are in great meafure laid afide, as the Attorney-general now brings every thing of that fort before this Court, which, by its conftitution, never can make use of either. In lieu of an indictment or prefentment of their peers, or informations by leave of the King's bench, after hearing both parties upon affidavits, people of all degrees are now put on their trial by a charge framed at the pleasure of the Attorney-general, called an information, and filed by him, without even the fanction of an oath, or the leave of any Court whatever; and the Star-chamber decide thereupon moft confcienciously, but as moft true Courtiers would wish to do, without the intervention of any Jury at a'l. The faces of the fubject are fo ground by this proceeding,, that every body at length is alarmed, and the people in ftruggling with the Crown, hap pening to get the better, the Patriots of the time feized an occafion, towards the latter end of the reign of Charles the firft, to extort from that martyr to obftinacy, an act for the abolition of this moft oppreffive and intolerable jurifdiction. But, by fome fatality or other, the method of proceeding by an Attorney-general's information, filed at difcretion, without oath, an offfpring of the Star-chamber, was overlooked, and suffered ftill to remain; and the ufe that is now commonly made of it, every body knows. It is reported, however, that my Lord Chief Juftice Hale had fo little opinion of the legality of this kind of informations, that he used to fay, "If ever they came in difpute, they could not ftand, but must neceffarily fall to the ground." Indeed, there is this very dreadful circumftance attending this mode of profecution, that as the Attorney-general can file an information for what he pleases, and the Crown never pays any cofts, fo it is in the power of this Officer of the Law, to harrafs the peace of any man in the realm, at his pleafure, and put him to a grievous expence, without ever trying the matter at all, and without any poffibility of redress or retaliation. Moft Bookfellers and Printers know this very well, and hence fo few of them can be got to publifh any stricture whatever upon any Adminiftration, dreading this arbitrary fcourge of the Crown, and regarding the fame as a perpetual injunction, and as terrible as a drawn fword fufpended by a thread, hanging over their heads. The oppreffion, however, can go no farther, unless, indeed, fureties for the peace be demanded, and that can only be in actual breaches of the peace, threatening the death, or bodily hurt, of fomebody: for, if the trial proceeds, that fecurity of Englishmen's rights, a Jury,

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