POET. I cannot, dare not this prefumption use. G. ANG. Then your lucky hour you'll lofe. When their commands fuperior Beings lay, They're held as facred, and you must obey. POET. But ah! how dare I afk, that am unknown, And can for public good no actions own? G. ANG. The King, like Heaven, expands A fhrewd Angel this! But he wanders from the fubject, and enters into a long detail of the Queen's voyage and nuptials, telling the Poet how With tottering feet She trod the yacht, her dearest Lord to meet. And how Gallia came to oppofe her paffage, In a gilt chariot which dragoons furround. As to the King, our Author promifes, that if he is a good man, and behaves himself as he ought to do, he fhall occupy that throne in heaven which was formerly in the poffeffion of the Devil.-Query, Whether this Writer is qualified to shine moft as a Courtier or as a Poet? Art. 12. Ode on the Return of Peace. Also the Speech of Europa. 4to. 6d. Becket. A phenomenon which we cannot account for. The Author is no Poet, and of this truth he feems, by his preface, to be confcious; what then, in the name of common enfe, could induce him to write verses, and what is more, to print them? Does he think that any thing is good enough for the public, or that their stomachs are fo fharp fet for poetry, that whatever has the leaft form or appearance of it, will go down? If he has fallen into any fuch miitake, his bookfeller, no doubt, will foon cure him of it. Art. 13. Ode in imitation of Horace, Ode I. ad Macenatem. Addreffed to his Grace John Duke of Montague, the most beneficent of Mankind. Jan. 30, 1748. To which is jurjoined, the original Ode of Horace, illuftrated by a new Interpretation. By Sir William Browne, M. D. 4to. 1s. 6d. Owen. It is unfortunate for this Author, for the public, and for ourselves, that our venerable friend Martinus Scriblerus is now upon his travels through foreign countries. He alone could have been equal to the task of reviewing the work of this punctilious Bard, this poetico-critico-heraldico fculptorico sir William Browne! Such a formal piece of compofition we do not remember to have feen fince the commencement of our Review. Such affectation of fingularity, fuch literary Quixotifm, fo much grave trifling, and pompous infignificance, in the narrow compafs of a pamphlet, have we never yet met with. Wherever fophiftry could prevaricate, or fingularity could innovate, the fenfe of Horace has been perverted, and the text has been altered. Where the connection and and the interpretation were obvious to every intelligent fchool-boy, they have been laboriously obfcured by forced divifions, by idle conjectures, and impertinent allufions. All this, however, might be endured, as only one fhørt Ode of Horace has been thus broken upon the wheel of critici(m, did not the Critic threaten us with farther comments ejufdem nominis et coloris. Now may all the powers of fenfe and taite forbid it! Gods of ancient wit and elegant fimplicity, defend your Horace from the cicatrizing hand of this medical Critic! The following ftanza is taken from his Ode in imitation of the first Some march in Mars's fanguine train, While wives fuch sports bemoan. Plane, not plain for the univerfe; that would be contrary to all the rules of etymology, for the word is derived from planus. But then why not trane inttead of train? did you not know that this word is derived from trano? Ah! oculatiffime medice! Tu, bone, nutafti femel, In the Knight's interpretation, or literal tranflation, are these verses: My pleasure is the fhady grove, Where nymphs and fatyrs freely rove: Where, while the Mufes aid I find, I turn my back upon mankind. Indeed! could the elegant, the polite Roman pay mankind such a scurvy compliment? Ah! Sapientium octave ! Linguæ ? MEDICA L. annon obfervafti fcabiem Art. 14. The Principles and Conflituence of Antimony. By William Redmond, M. D. 8vo. I S. Curtis. When a Doctor, or a doctoring Bookfeller, has a mind to get money faller than the ordinary courfe of practice or trade will permit, he difcovers a Noftrum, he prints advertisements, he recites a number of cafes, he gets as many cures attefted, he procures a patent, and he publishes a pamphlet. This being the regular courfe, thofe who duly go through it, are, therefore, regular Phyficians. We have only to add, that Dr. Redmond has graduated himself through all or moft of thefe requifites, that his all-powerful medicine is called the Antimonial Pill; and that it cures the gout, rheumatifm, cancers, all manner of nervous disorders, fcurvy, low-fpirits, and palfy. MISCELLANEO U S. Art. 15. The Hiftory and Antiquities of the County of Effex. Compiled from the best and most ancient Hiftorians; from Domesday Book, Inquifitions poft mortem, and other the most valuable Records and and MSS. c. particularly from the Collections of the late Rev. Mr. Holman, and Mr. Samuel Dale; including thofe of Mr. Richard Symonds, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Nicholas Jekyl, the Rev. Mr. John Oufley, Mr. Humphry Wanley, who furnished Materials out of the Harleian Library, and the great Improve ments of the late moft accurate Mr. John Booth. The whole digefted, improved, perfected, and brought down to the prefent Time. by Philip Morant, M. A. Rector of St. Mary's, Colchester, &c. and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Illustrated with Copper-plates. Folio. 10s. 6d. fewed. Whifton, Davies, &c. The preface to this work informs us, that materials for a history of the county of Effex have been collecting for above a century past, by the gentlemen whofe names are mentioned in the title; that these materials were put into the hands of the author; and that the prefent publication is but a part of the work: which is intended to be contained in one volume in folio. This first part of the work comprizes the hundreds of Chelmsford and Witham; and feems to be accurately compiled, though not very elegantly printed. Art. 16. A View of the Gold Coin and Coinage of England, from Henry III. to the prefent Time. With Copper-plates. Folio. 9s. in boards. Snelling. As we cannot trace the gold coinage of this kingdom farther back than the reign of Henry III. it is probable that the golden penny of that prince was the firft English money made of that precious metal. Here, therefore, as he could go no higher, our author's view commences; and is continued down to the guinea and quarter-guinea of George III. The feveral coins in the whole feries are accurately confidered and defcribed, with refpect to type, legend, forts, rarity, weight, fineness, value, and proportion. The engravings feem to be very exact: but this is a circumftance which will beft appear from an actual comparison of the prints with the original pieces. This author's biftory of our filver coinage was mentioned in the Review for March 1762, P. 237. Value twenty pence. Art. 17. A Plan for improving the Trade at Senegal, the Lords Commiffioners for Trade and Plantations. Dodfley. Addreffed to 8vo. 6d. It is well known, fays the fenfible Author of this little pamphlet, to people who have travelled, and been attentive to the ways of men in different countries and stations of life, that a free labouring man, in a free country, where the fruits of his labour are entirely at his own difpofal, works harder than any flave in any part of the world. A Porter in London, for inftance, does more work in one day, than any four plaves in the West Indies in the fame space of time. Nor is this owing to the difference of climate; the conftitution of a Negroe being fuited to a hot country, and well agreeing with labour. Again, not a few people, he fays, imagine that the Blacks are naturally lazy and wicked, beyond the rest of mankind; which is not fact. But, continues he, they may with good reafon affirm, that flaves of all forts are very lazy, and extremely addicted to those kinds of wickedness which offend and disturb fociety. For these reasons, he thinks it certain, that if the Negroe flaves in the Weft-Indies were fet at liberty, and obliged to work for their subfiftence, they could be hired to plant and prepare fugars, &c. fo as to raife them cheaper than by the prefent method of purchafing and maintaining them for that purpofe. In the prefent ftate of things, indeed, he admits, that it would be almoft impoffible to stop the flave-trade, or alter the conflitution of the fugar-iflands; but imagines he could propofe a plan for fettling a new colony in Florida, the neutral islands, and in Senegal, on a much better footing. The latter place only is the object of the prefent fcheme; which, tho' only the outlines of it are here fketched, is evidently the defign of an able hand: but as it is much to be doubted, whether the Government will either adopt it, or enable private perfons to do it, we fhall pass it over. We cannot difmifs this pamphlet, however, without taking particular notice of a paffage or two, which may poffibly be of fervice in the eftablishment of future colonies, and which the Writer defires may be regarded with attention. "In fettling a colony, or forming a good government, fays this Projector, great care ought to be had not to frame any laws against any thing merely irreligious, nor against immorality, except that fort which immediately affects fociety. I fay, immediately, for if we go to draw inferences from what may be the confequence of allowing, or winking, at a bad example, we shall be in the highway towards establishing the Inquifition: for, however, we may condemn the proceedings of that tribunal, yet, if we in the leaft endeavour to punith a man for any crime except violence or fraud, we are certainly impelled by the very fame principles with thofe of the Holy Office. That thofe laws against irreligion and immorality, are the bane of fociety, and tend towards the deftruction of a commercial country, or, indeed, any country, is plain, if we compare the countries where these laws fubfift and are put in force, with the places where they are not. Not to bring fuch glaring inftances, as to compare Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Barbary, the finest countries naturally in the world, with England and Holland, I fhall confine myself to North-America, and compare the province of New-England, our oldeft fettlement there, with that of our lately fettled one, Pennfilvania; and let any one give me any other tolerably probable reafon, for the one excelling the other fo much in commerce, the improvement of lands, &c. but that Pennfilvania owns no laws merely religious, nor punishes any man for a crime that does not immediately affect fociety. Let it be confidered alfo, that, wherever religious laws fubfift, and are put in force, there we fhall find more violence committed, with other crimes that directly affect fociety, than in countries where fuch laws have no being." Now, tho' we do not think this Writer's facts fufficiently fupport his arguments, he is undoubtedly, in a great measure, politically right. Univerfal toleration, in fpeculative and indifferent matters, is at once the the proof and the means of a flourishing government; but it is not fo ealy, perhaps, as this Writer imagines, to distinguish between offences that only mediately, and thofe which immediately, affect fociety. Art. 18. The Adventures of Mark the Rambler. Written by Mark the Rambler was a poor, filly, drunken barber; who being confined for debt in the Fleet rifon, and having no better employment, amufed himself with writing the infignificant hiftory of his own infignificant life in which we are told, that, when a 'prentice, he ran away from his mafter; was charitably received into Winchester college; became afterwards a ftrolling player; returned to his trade; had a wife and children; grew idie and fottifh, ramoling about from ale-house to ale-houte, till he reduced his family to beggary, and himself to a jail. These are the great circunftances of this wretched life: the reft being only a continued detail of how many eggs and rathers he eat, and how many quarts of ale he drank, at the feveral tippling houses which he frequented. Never have we beheld author in fo debafed before! never fubject was more unworthy of the prefs! never did the prefs produce a more contemptible work! Art. 19. A Letter from the Hon. Thomas Hervey to the late King. To which is prefixed, one to the Duke of Newcafile, recommending the Contents of it to his Grace's furtherance and favour. 8vo. Is. Woodfall. Altho' the fubject of this Letter be of a private nature, we do not think it altogether of fo little concern to the public, as the Writer intimates. The public, indeed, cannot interfere to redrefs the Author's grievances, or make up for his difappointments. They may feel, however, a juft refentment for his injuries; and be properly affected with the picture of a great mind, reduced by family infults, the negligence of a Phyfician, and the neglect of a Minister of State, to the lowelt ftate of dereliction and defpondency. Art. 20. An Examination of the Oratorios which have been performed this Seafon at Covent-Garden Theatre. 8vo. 1s. Kearfly. Tafte, judgment, and fome humour, are to be found in the remarks and obfervations contained in this performance; it would yet have been prudent at leaft in the Author, if, after feverely cenfuring fome of the moft admired Oratorios ever performed, he had not confined his encomiums folely to the Cure of Saul; which, whatever merit may be allowed it, both as a poetical and mufical compofition, hath not received the public fanction fo fully, as to fcreen our Examiner from the fufpicion of partiality. Art. 21. A Charge delivered to the Grand Jury, at the General Quarter Seffions of the Peace, held at Guildhall, Weftminster; on Wednesday April 6, 1763. By Sir John Fielding, Knt. Chairman |