fince we might fay of them, as Pope, with lefs juftice, fays of the ladies, Most novels have no character at all. A dull, infipid narrative, interrupted with trite obfervations, and hackney'd reflections, is common to much the greater part; which are diftinguishable, in point of merit, only by the different capacities of their respective authors to write and read: and even in this, perhaps, the fuperior merit of fome, is owing merely to the genius of the printer. The best and worst that we are inclined to fay of the Bracelet is, that the language is tolerable; and the story, as it is not the most affecting, fo it is not the dulleft we have been obliged to read. K-n-k Written by a Lady. 12mo. This performance, which is written chiefly for the ufe of the ladies, is confeffedly the work of an old woman; and is allowed to ⚫ contain not one fingle stroke of wit or humour throughout the whole.' This conceffion may, perhaps, be only a trap laid to take in the good-natured critick; as when a lady, who is not fo very old, or remarkably ugly, as to defpair of a compliment, affects to fuppofe herfelf not young, or not handsome; and, by that means, lays a man under a neceffity of faying a civil thing, which otherwife he would never have thought of, Politenefs, however, muft give way, in fome measure, with us Reviewers, to truth; and our duty to the public must take place of our complaifance to individuals. We fhall not, therefore, directly contradict the above affertions refpecting this work; the plan and execution of which, indeed, are not unworthy an old woman. There are, alfo, no great talents of humour difplay'd throughout the whole: but that there is no wit to be found in it, we deny. On the contrary, there is more wit, good fenfe, and just fatire in this old woman's novel, than in one half of thofe, which have been written for fome years paft. We apprehend, nevertheless, that the story is too little intereffing, and the narrative too fhort, to make fo confiderable a quantity of good advice, and wholfome inftruction, go down with the common run of female readers. Thofe of a fentimental turn alfo will, perhaps, find as little entertainment in the perufal of reflections that, however juft, are neither new, ftriking, nor unK-n-k common. Art. 26. The juvenile Adventures of Mifs Kitty Fr. Vol. I. 12mo. 3s. few'd. Smith. Miferable, lying, obfcene trash; impofed upon the public for the genuine ftory of a noted young proftitute. Art. Art. 27. An Essay to facilitate the inventing of Landskips. Intended for ftudents in the art. 4to. Is. 6d. Boydell. This is a collection of landscapes formed after a hint of Leonardo da Vinci; who observes, that if we look at fome old wall covered with dirt, or the odd appearances in fome ftreaked ftones, we may difcover feveral things like landfcapes, battles, clouds, uncommon attitudes, humourous faces, draperies, &c. Out of which confused mafs of objects, the mind will be furnished with abundance of defigns and fubjects perfectly new. The Author of this effay has endeavoured to improve upon the above hint, by making fuch imperfect forms, with fome degree of defign, on one page; with correct landscapes, drawn from them on the oppofite ones. He informs us, a larger work is intended upon this plan. N Art. 28. An Essay on Brewing. With a view of establishing the principles of the art. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Dodsley. Mr.Combrune, the Writer of this treatise, fays, truly, in his introduction, The business of brewing formerly was, and now generally is, in the hands of men unacquainted with chemistry, and ignorant that their art has any relation to that science, tho' it is, in reality, a confiderable branch of it: confequently, from the want of a due knowledge of the elements and inftruments neceflary in brewing, and from never once imagining, that there were certain fixed and invariable principles, on which they ought to proceed, the advances made in this art could not but be flow.' He has defined the business of brewing to be, 1. To extract all the fermentable parts of the máit, in the best manner poffible. 2. To add hops, in fuch proportions, as experience teaches them will preferve and meliorate the beer. And, 3. fuch a proportion of yeast, as to obtain a perfect fermentation. The generality of brewers will be ready to alledge, that these three particulars are already fufficiently understood; and that it would be a much more useful work, to publish a remedy for those imperfections, or diseases, fuch as cloudiness, &c. that beer is naturally, or accidentally, fubject to. But if the three defigns, above laid down, be executed according to the known rules of chemistry, fuch a remedy will not be wanted; for beer brewed upon clear and evident chemical principles, is neither naturally or accidentally fubject to cloudinefs, &c. nor to any disorder whatever. Premiums have formerly been advertised for difcovering a remedy for cloudinefs in beer: I fufpect no remedy can be found adequate to the difeafe; but am certain, from experience, that if beer is brew'd according to the rules laid down in this Effay, fuch diforders will be prevented.' After this, we expected to have the process of brewing laid down, and justified from philofophical principles; but in this expectation we T 3 were were entirely disappointed, it being rather a treatife on malting than brewing. It may, indeed, be juftly faid of this book, that it is poffible, an inquifitive brewer or baker may collect a fmattering of natural philofophy from it-It will never make a brewer of a philosopher. The following are the heads of the fections into which this book is divided. SECT. I. Of fire. II. Of Air. III. Of Water. IV. Of Earth. V. Of the Thermometer. VI. Of the vine, its fruit and juices. VII. Of fermentation. VIII. Some further thoughts on fermentation. IX. Of the nature of barley. X. Some farther confiderations on malting. XI. Of the different properties of malt. XII. Obfervations on defective malts. The general properties and qualities of the various articles thefe contents enumerate, are philofophically confidered; but if the reader enquires, what proportion of water to put to a given quantity of malt at what degree of heat the malt is to be put to it-how long the math fhould ftand-the requifite quantity and quality of hops: how long they ought to boil in the wort-directions for cooling, working, tunning, and preferving the beer-under the various circumftances of the materials, or variations of the weather? if these things are fought, and fomething of the kind will naturally be expected under fuch a title as the book bears, we can affure our teaders that they will meet with no fatisfaction concerning these points. Art. 29. Obfervations on the Ufe of bathing warm and cold: and the difcafes it will cure without a doctor, &c. 8vo. Is. 6d. J. Davis and M. Cooper. This appears to be another link of that curious chain mentioned in the laft article in our laft Month's Review. POETICA L. Art. 30. Ovid's Epiftles tranflated into English verfe; with critical effays and notes. Being part of a poetical and oratorial lecture, read in the Grammar School of Ashford, in the county of Kent; and calculated to initiate youth in the firft rudiments of tafic. By S. Barrett, A. M. Mafter of the faid jchool. 8vo. 3 S. 6 d. Richardfon. An elegant tranflation of Mr. Pope's Paftorals into Latin verfe, and a very judicious fcheme for the improvement of Lilly's Grammar, by reforming the order of the tenfes agreeable to that of Varro, have fufficiently diftinguifhed Mr. Barrett as a compleat master of the La tin tongue he appears, however, in common with many other profeio of the learned languages, not to be equally mafter of his own. It was not therefore the most confummate act of prudence, perhaps, to publish the present tranilation; which, in the opinion of many, is faulty enough. The minor critics have, indeed, dealt unmercifully with fome paffages, and in particular with the following: O had, by ftorms, (his fleet to Sparta bound) The parenthesis in these lines, and the Tranflator's having termed a ftormy fea the mad profound, have afforded much room for critical feverity and ridicule. But, to fay the truth, it is an eafy matter, by the mean arts of verbal criticism, to make the beft lines appear ridiculous; and Mr. Barret need not be ashamed of the above, while the following pafs uncenfured in Mr. Pope's tranflation of the Iliad. Down plung'd the maid, (the parted waves refound) She plung'd, and instant shot the dark profound®. We do not mean, however, to enter upon a vindication of our Tranflator's performance. This, were we ever so well inclined to it, the justice due to our Readers would prevent: for, indeed, we deem this tranflation, on the whole, fo very indifferent, that unless Mr. Barrett's own excufe, viz. its coming from hands too full of bufinefs to write correctly,' be admitted, we fee not what can be offered in its defence; thinking the less that is faid about it, and the fooner it is forgotten, the better. Book xxiv. 1. 105. K-n-k Art. 31. An Imitation of the Twenty-fecond Ode in the first book of Horace. Folio, 6d. J. M. near St. Paul's. This is wrote in the perfon of one Juftice of Peace, and addreffed to another. But who the faid Juftices are, or what they would be at is quite a mystery to us. Art. 32. A Simile. Folio, 6 d. Cooper. An ingenious little poem, (though it reflects on a truly great man) which every body has feen, as it has been copied into all the Chronicles, Monitors, Magazines, &c. Art. 33. Corinna vindicated. Folio, 6d. Cooper *. Wittily answers the foregoing. Another smart answer to the Simile was published in the Monitor, entitled Doll Common. Another Edition of Corinna vindicated, was published by Hooper; with the Simile annexed. Price 6d. RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL. Art. 34. An Anfwer to the Diffenting Gentleman's third Letter to the Reverend Mr. White, with fome occafional Remarks upon what he had advanced against the Church of England in his first; especially where he has attempted to prove the Church of Jesus Chrift, and the Church of England, to be conftitutions of a quite different nature: fhewing, the whole of what he has objected, to be founded either on mifreprefentation or mistake, and supported by falfe and inconclufive reafoning. By John Landon, Rector of Nuftead and Ifield in Kent. 8vo. 25. Robinfon. The Reader will find nothing in this piece, but what has been often repeated in the controverfies between our Church and the Diffenters; controverfies, indeed, on which nothing new can be expected. The principal fubjects Mr. Landon touches upon are, Church Power, the Church's Authority in Controverfies of faith, our Conftitution in Church and State, the Sacramental Teft, Sponfors in Baptifm, Confirmation, and the Terms of Ministerial Conformity. R Art. 35. A new History of the Old and New Teftament, in a fhort, eafy, and instructive manner. Minimo. Is. R. Davis. We ufually mention the fize, as well as the price, of the several publications that come before us; but we were at a lofs to determine under what denomination to clafs this little volume. By the shape it fhould be a fort of quarto, for it is two inches long, two inches broad, and three fourths of an inch thick.-However, leaving its reverend Author, Mr. John Hervey, to determine what dimenfions he chufes to abide by, let us proceed to the more important article of fubject mat ter, if Mr. Lancelot Temple will give us leave to use fo offenfive a phrafet. As this minikin book feems intended merely for children, fome may think that it ought not to have been allowed any place in a Review of literature. Very true: and had the publisher's advertilement mentioned the real defign, we fhould never have fent to him for a copy. But as other purchasers may, in like manner, be misled by the terms in which this new history is advertised, it will be expected that we fhould inform our Readers what kind of inftruction it is likely to afford them. This new history then, is no other than a kind of rhiming table of contents to the feveral books of the Old and New Teftament: but they are fuch rhimes as we do not think good enough for the ears of children five years old. Indeed, one might be puzzled to determine, whether they are not intended to turn the facred Scriptures into ridieule. If there be really fuch a perfon as Mr. John Hervey, a divine, and author of this production, what will the Reader think of him, after the perufal of the whole of his account of the book of Ruth? which may be given as a fpecimen of the reft. Vid. Sketches, &c. by Lancelot Temple, Efq; Ac |