"Have I delighted in impure thoughts? in immodest discourse, fongs, and books? in unchaft embraces, and other actions tending to enflame luftful defires ?.

"Have I stolen other people's,- -or received stolen goods ?-Have I given false evidence," &c. &c.

Of prayers, not a few are interfperfed in this manual; among which are fome for the principal feasts and fafts of the church.

Art. 5. An Anfier to the Reverend Mr. John Wesley's Letter* to William Lord Bishop of Gloucester; concerning the Charges alledged against him, and his Doctrine, in a Book entitled, The Doctrine of Gracet, &c. By Samuel Charndler. 8vo. 6d. Nicoll.

There is fomething very impertinent in this Mr. Charndler's taking upon him to write an Answer to a Letter addreffed to another perfon; but we doubt there is fomething worse than impertinence in this affair. There is an appearance of forgery in the name affixed to this officious. pamphlet. We fufpect there is no fuch perfon as Samuel Charndler, and that the Writer, whoever, or whatever, he is, intended to impofe his flimfy fcribble upon the public, as the production of the learned Doctor" Samuel Chandler.-Such low and defpicable practices reflect the greatest fcandal upon literature.

* See Review for last month, page 235.

+ See Reviews for November and December laft.

POLITICA L.

Art. 6. A Letter to the Right Hon. Chs Tnd, Efqi

8vo. 6d. Nicoll.

Smartly and feverely cenfures the extreme economy, as the Author conceives it, obferved in the reduction of our forces. He acknowleges himself interested in the subject; and he warmly reproaches Mr. T-nd for having deferted the intereft of the army; he who was heretofore looked upon as the foldier's friend, his patron, his protector!" Unfortunately for me, fays this fpirited Writer, I am in one of the fixteen regiments which You, Sir, have been the means of breaking. To you, therefore, and almost to you alone, to you their patron, their advocate, their protector, are the Officers of fixteen corps indebted for their prefent diftrefs, and future mifery. They are to fupport their poverty with dignity. They are to ftarve like Gentlemen. If I may judge from my own feelings of the fenfibility of others, by their own expreffions of what they feel, you, Sir, have much to fear from their refentment, at leaft from their despair."

But our Letter-writer does not confine his view of the fubject to the partial interest of the army. He confiders it more extenfively, and endeavours to fhew, that the public in general, are, or may be, too much affected by fo large a reduction of our brave, victorious troops. He particularly infifts on the neceffity of maintaining an adequate force for the fecurity of our extenfive conquefts in America; where, he obferves. we

Y 2

have

have about an hundred thousand new subjects, all Roman catholics, enthufiaftic, bigotted, and fuperftitious, in proportion to their ignorance. This, undoubtedly, is a circumftance that the Administration will duly attend to; as popish Priests in general, are too well known to be much trufted by Picteftants; especially thofe Priefts who, as our Author juftly remarks, have not only corrupted the native honeft fimplicity of the Inlians, but added the horrors of French Chriftianity to the barbarism of Savages.

As to the main queftion concerning the Reduction of our Forces, and the number expedient to be kept up in time of peace, it is not debated in this little pamphlet; in which the Author is rather intent upon ridiculing the timidity of thofe who are afraid of a ftanding army; and on vindicating our military Gentlemen from the afperfions of popular Declaimers, who reprefent them as enemies to civil liberty,-as the ready intruments of tyranny and oppreffion.

Art. 7. A Letter from a Gentleman in Town, to his Friend in the Country, occafioned by a late Refignation. 4to. 6d. 4to. 6d. Becket,

&c.

This is one of the most fhameless Advocates who have yet appeared on behalf of the late Minifter. He prefages that "fome hard-ruled King will one day arife, and more than revenge the wrongs of his predeceffor." We are not among those who are terrified by this prediction; and we will venture in our turn to foretel, that whenever fuch a King comes, he will find a hard mouthed people. Among other merits which he ascribes to the late Minifter, he tells us, "He has retired without place or penfion, difdaining to touch thofe tempting fpoils which lay at his feet." Who but the moft flagrant Zealot could prefume to make a merit of this circumstance? What pretence could the Minifler of a day, make to a place or penfion on his retirement from fuch a fhortlived adminiftration? Away with fuch impudent infults on the understanding of a free and intelligent people!

Art. 8. Le Montagnard Parvenu; or the new Highland Adventurer in England: His accidental Rife from Obfcurity; his glaring Progrefs to Power; the Ways and Means. 8vo. I S. Morgan.

The Author rails at Lord Bute, and the Scots, with fome fpirit; but it is the spirit of Billingfgate. He is a harsh, uncandid, and indelicate Writer: if it be not too great a compliment to ftyle him a Writer. Poor Scotland! how unfortunate art thou in having produced a BPoor B! how unhappy art thou in being a Scotfman!

.!

Art. 9. A Definitive Treaty of Peace and Friendship, between his Britannic Majefty, the most Christian King, and the King of Spain. Concluded at Paris the 10th of February, 1763. To which the King of Portugal acceded the fame Day. 4to. 2s. Owen and

Harrison.

A fubject of difcord.

Art.

Art. 10. A Letter to the Right Hon. the Earl of Halifax, on the Peace. 8vo. Is. Newbery.

Moft plentifully lauds and praises the Earls of Halifax and Bute: his ajefty too, coming in for a royal share of adulation.

To what purpofe thefe effufions of flattery are fo abundantly poured forth, may easily be guefied. But is not this a mean unmanly way of foliciting a great man's favour? In general we may obferve, that did the great man poffefs but half the genuine worth and virtue with which his Flatterers are pleafed to compliment him, his delicacy would never bear with fuch fulfome daubing.

If fatires and libels are deemed an abuse of the prefs, we think thefe flavish, fawning productions are still more intolerable.

Some Rakes and Libertines are molt fond of preying on beauty and innocence; and fo it is with thefe diabolical Corruptors of the mind, who often endeavour to debauch the most amiable and worthy characters. It is true, their manner is generally fo grofs, and their felfish views are fo obvious, that fhallow, indeed, one would think, must be the penetration of thofe who are duped by them. But, nothing fo credulous as felf-love.

POETICA L.

Art. 11. Every Man the Architect of his own Fortune: Or, the Art of Rifing in the Church, a Satire. By Mr. Scott, Fellow of Trinity College in Cambridge.. 4to. 1s. Dodfley, &c. "The plan of this poem, fays the Author, confifts of two oppofite characters; one, that of a bafe, venal, time-ferving Scoundrel, who would defh through thick and thin, to come at preferment; the other, that of a worthy confcientious, honeft man, who cannot pull down his thoughts to the wicked, dirty, pelting bufin-ffes of life."Very good! though, to be fure, not very elegantly expreffed.

The worthy, confcientious, honeft man here spoken of, is the Author himfelt, of whom we are obliged with the following favourable portrait:

No fly Fanatic, no Enthufiaft wild,

No Party-tool beguiling and beguil'd;
No flave to pride, no canting pimp to power,
No rigid churchman, no diffenter four,
No fawning flatterer to the bafe and vain,
No timist vile, or worshipper of gain;
When gay not diffolute, grave not fevere,
Tho' learn'd no pedant, civil tho' fincere;
Nor mean nor haughty, be one Preacher's praise,
That-if he rife, he rife by manly ways:
Yes, he abhors each fordid, selfish view,

And dreads the paths your men of art pursue.

But who are thofe Scoundress, who dash through thick and thin to preferment? Why, thofe are any, tr all of the Clergy befide, except the Author's father, who, he tells us, dignifies the gown.We are really forry to fee a young man, of no ratan parts, fo entire Loe fed with the cæcus amor fui, as this Writer feons to be, in almost all his works.

Sorry we are likewise, that he ftands not in more credit for his confiftency than for his modefty; fince, at the fame time that he has taken upon him to abuse his brethren for their temporizing arts, and unmanly flattery, he has caft about to compliment the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Earl of Bute. And it is remarkable enough, that this very M Scott feems to have gone out of his way, a patron-hunting, in alme every poem that he has published.

As to the piece before us, it is a feeble imitation of Pope, brightened up a little in fome parts, with fcraps of fentiment, and half lines parodied or picked out of the originial. Unus et alter affuitur Pannus.

Art. 12. The Temple of Venus, a gentle Satire on the Times. the Author of the Meretriciad. 4to. Is. Moran.

By

A dull dirty rhapsody. "Fruits of false heat, and footerkins of wit,"

Art. 13. Poems on facred Subjects, viz. the Benedicite paraphrased, the Lord's Prayer paraphrafed, Nunc dimittis paraphrafed, Balaam's Bleffing on Ifrael, Numbers xxiv. v. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. A Hymn, the Trials of Virtue, the Ignorance of Man, Verfes written originally in Perfic, Matthew xi. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour, &c. By James Merrick, M. A. Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. 4to. Is. DodЛley.

The intention of these poems is good, and the execution is tolerable.

Art. 14. The Foundlings, an Elegy. 4to. 6d. Flexney.

Scriptorum Chorus omnis amat Nemus et fugit urbem. This Foundlingman locks the door of his garret, as foon as he feels the mufe coming upon him, flies down five pair of stairs, and runs with fuch prodigious hafte out of town, that when he gets into the fields, he is quite out of breath:

Far from the madding tumults of the town,

Which where bright thought fhould reign ufurp the feat;

Far from thofe tempefts which reflection drown,

I feek with breathless hafte a calm retreat.

As foon as he is arrived at this calm retreat, down he lies, fupine upon a mofs-grown bank, where Phoebus himself durft not fhew his face, except when conducted by the mafter of the ceremonies, Mr. Breeze:

There on fome mofs-grown bank fupinely laid,
Where close entwining boughs exclude the day;

Save when by quick fhort fits amid the glade,
Sol feebly darts a breeze-conducted ray.

Sol, however, is not the only impertinent intruder. Mrs. Luna, proud of her filver fpangled pettycoat, makes her appearance, and, like another Lady ***, brings a whole train along with her. Nay, the raifes 4, octres and devils and all, enough to fright an innocent Bard out of

Or

Or when the filver-mantled Queen of night,
In filent pomp leads forth her shining train;
When fancy'd fpeêtres guilt-ftruck minds affright,
Then wakeful ftretch'd along the défart-plain.

But ample amends are made him by the enjoyment of Lady Lonely Contemplation, who acted as midwife at the birth of Mrs. Stience. The heavenly sweets of this Lady it feems, unlike thofe of other Ladies, never cloyed our vigorous Bard in the leaft:

Thee, lonely Contemplation, to enjoy,

To whom fair Science owes her humble birth;
Thy heavenly sweets to tafte, which ne'er can cloy,
And rapture-borne range far above the earth.

That confounded noise which drove him fo precipitately out of town, is now fo dwindled away, that it has fcarce more effect upon the air than the found of St. Paul's clock upon Windfor terrace :

Now the hoarfe murmurs of the diftant throng
Subfiding, faintly ftrike the diftant air;
And that rude din which erft impell'd fo ftrong,

Now scarcely undulates the whifpering air.

Now it is that lonely Contemplation begins to work, and the poor town pays for it; a fad fcene, a giddy fcene of wretched grandeur and glit tering woe; over which a black cloud is fufpended, like Sancho Pancha hanging by his breeches from the oak:

Here let me reft- hence view with thought ferene,

Those realms of wretched grandeur, glittering woe;

A fable cloud o'erhangs the giddy scene,

And fheds dark influence on each mind below.

It is not long, however, before he difcovers a chimney on fire, in a heufe that was built by Mr. Virtue, an ingenious Designer; and the light ftreaming from thence is a great confolation to him. The name of the mistress of this houfe was Charity, and the maid's name Inno

cence.

But fee-pure glory ftreams along the plain,
bleft pile which Virtue's hand did raise;
Where Charity extends her welcome reign,

From yon

And Innocence her tender rule obeys.

In the yard belonging to this house were two large maftiff bitches, called Cruelty and Neceffity, that wanted to devour a number of poor children, who were screaming out to Heaven, in the apartments:

From Cruelty's enfanguin'd jaw fecure,

Whole rage too oft Neceffity commands;

There rett the helpless offspring of the poor,

Thence lift to Heaven their aid imploring hands.

These fame children being fnatched from the root from whence their existence rofe, as links broken from the long chain of nature, are like faplings which the tempeft blows down from an oak, and scatters abroad, till the west wind drives 'em into a fnug corner; where they foon forget to mourn, and are ready to burft with gratitude.