mour, having been fufficiently exhaufted, and many of his obfervations appearing trite and common. It will, indeed, always be the fate of writers, who fet out late in their career, to find the most ftriking occafions for exerting themselves already laid hold of by others. Thus even Rabener himself is almost totally eclipfed by fucceeding a Swift, and it will always be remembered, to Mr. Platner's difadvantage, that Erafmus, Rigault, Lipfius, and others have written before him.

We shall tranflate part of a dialogue between two physicians, Father and Son; by which the reader may form a notion of Mr. Platner's talents for raillery and fatire.

F. Well, Son, you have now taken your degree, and have no farther occafion to study an art, which you are authoriz❜d to practise.

S. I am afraid, Sir, I fhall find, nevertheless, fome difficulty, at first setting out.

F. Ay! how fo?

S. To fay the truth, I am apprehenfive, the fick who put themselves under my care, at prefent, will be in no little danger, from my want of experience.

F. Like enough-but how does that affect you?

S. Is it not fufficiently affecting, Sir, to think of facrificing to our ignorance the lives of those who place their confidence in our skill?

6

F. That's true; but there is no other way of arriving at the reputation of an eminent phyfician.

S. Is it poffible?

F. Very poffible, fon; as one Phoenix rifes out of the afhes of another, fo muft the lofs of half your patients be the means of procuring health to the rest.

S. At that rate, to call in a young phyfician, or to determine upon death, is the fame thing.

F. Much the fame, fon, much the fame; and therefore young phyficians would have nothing to do, did not people imagine they may have made new discoveries, and poffefs fecrets altogether unknown to the old ones; who are recommendable only on account of the number of patients that have paffed through their hands. A young phyfician has only to affume a magisterial air, and a dictatorial method of prefcribing medicines out of the common way, and he is fure of practice.'

Here follows a variety of precepts and cautions, refpecting the young phyfician's behaviour to his brethren of the faculty, to nurfes, to the furviving friends of deceafed patients, and laftly, to the journalists and news-writers, whofe business it is

to

to publish his reputation and fuccefs. After which we come to the article of hazarding experiments.

<S. You tell me, Sir, a young phyfician ought to make new experiments: pray upon whom is he to make them?

F. On the poor, and people whom nobody knows.

S. Have we a greater right, then, to rifque the lives of the needy and the ftranger, than of the rich and the celebrated? F. Doubtless, fon, moft affuredly.

S. I thought all ranks of people were equally averse to die. F. That may be: but you will do much better to try experiments on the poor than on the rich.

· S. Well, that I can't find out. F. No! I'll fhew you prefently. Pray, fon, to what end, do you think, conduces the exercise of our art?

S. Certainly its end is to render health to the fick. F. O Lord! O Lord! how ftrangely you are out! S. Why, Sir, am I guilty of any abfurdity in that? F. Of all abfurdities the greateft I ever heard in my life. S. Be fo good then, Sir, as to inform me, without further circumlocution, of what I am wanting to know.

F. Come here then, you novice, and mind what I fay to you. The chief end of the art of phyfic is (d'ye fee?) to line the phyfician's pocket; and whatever care we take, if it bring us no profit, it is all labour loft.

S. Then we fhould never attend any but the wealthy.

F. We ought, at leaft, to have them always in view: and if now and then we are obliged to throw away our time and trouble on a moneyless patient, it should be on the favourite fervants, or poor relations, of fubftantial perfons, who will employ us themselves or recommend us to others: though, indeed, we must fometimes do it also, to avoid the reproach of inhumanity, which may hurt our reputation. But, except in fuch cafes, it fhould be a ftanding rule, to proportion our vifits to our fees. Make thou therefore thy experiments on the poor; and of these only fuch as have no connections with the rich : the friendlefs, the widow, and the fatherlefs, fuch as no body cares for while living, nor will give themselves any trouble about when dead. It were prudent alfo to prefer fuch as, having been long fubject to ling'ring difeafes, are become burthenfome to themselves, and to ev'ry body about 'em.

'S. Why fo?

F. Because, if thefe die, the fpectators will look on with indifference, and give themfelves no trouble to enquire how you difpatched them. Befide all this, the pooreft objects are much the best for this purpofe, having themfelves no great attach

ments

ments to life; but on the contrary, methinks, they fhould be charm'd with the profpect of an end to their miferies.

S. I believe, Sir, I fhall find few patients of that difpo-. fition.

F. Why not? Death is certainly as lucky an accident as can happen to fome fort of people.

S. To whom pray, Sir?

F. To thofe who have not bread to keep them alive.

S. But may they not as well be ftarv'd, as die under the hands of a phyfician?

F. No, furely; an able physician will dispatch them easier and fooner than hunger.

S. But ftill, Sir, what right have we to dispose thus of the lives of any of our fellow creatures?

F. A pretty queftion, truly! Do you reckon nothing on the public good? In taking away the lives of a parcel of miferable, ufelefs wretches, do you not acquire experience to fave those of the rich and fortunate; men of power and wealth, the guardians of the public, and pillars of the ftate? And have not, in this view, even the poor wretches in question the ineftimable privilege and honour of dying for the good of their country? What can be defired more? What do not such patients owe to the interpofition of the phyfician, who felects them to be offered up fo glorious a facrifice! Quam dulce et decorum eft pro patria mori!-But I fee a fervant. I am fent for to a paAnother time we will refume the fubject.

tient.

Lettres fur le deifme. Par M. Salchli, fils, professeur à LauJanne. That is,

Letters on Deifm. 8vo. At Paris, for Guillyn. 1759.

If Mr. Salchli is not the moft fubtle cafuift and difpaffionate reafoner, he is as zealous a declaimer, and as florid a rhetorician, as we remember to have met with.

Under the denomination of deifts, he comprehends all those who, cither directly or indirectly, difpute the truth of revelation. In his first five letters, he gives us a hiftory of deifm; which, he fays, took it rifes in England, and thence has extended itself over the rest of Europe. He launches out, and very justly, into fevere invectives against Collins, Tindal, and other English fcepticks; attributing the grand caufe of deifm to ignorance, or the want of a perfect knowledge in the principles and defign of religion. Nothing, fays Mr. Salchli, can be conceived more fhallow and fuperficial than is the pretended learning of the deifts. " Un catéchisme fouvent auffi mal expliqué que peu entendu, quelques mots de Latin, un cours de philofophie affez fuperficiel

fuperficiel. Voilà les 'etudes de la premiere jeuneffe. Au' fortir des colleges, le jeune homme eft envoyé dans une univerfité; il, feuillette quelquefois Thomafius, Bartole ou Cujas; et fi la beauté de fon genie lui permet de vaquer à tant de fciences, il s'occupe, dans fes heures de loifir, de quelques ouvrages libertins, de-brochures fur un point de religion, ou de quelque abrégé d'histoire. Telles font les connoiffances de la plupart de ces meffieurs!' This may be, and, doubtlefs, is the cafe with many, we wish we could fay all, avowed deifts: but we, who live in the land of deifm, have too much reason to know them better than Mr. Salchli; and we are forry to fay there are too many, who have not the excufe of ignorance to plead in their juftification.

Our author takes a great deal of pains to difprove the deistical tenets of the Marquis D'Argens; particularly those to be met with in his Philofophie du bon-fens. He has advanced, however, little more than has been often repeated, and to as little purpose, before. On the whole, we do not think this work merits half the encomiums beftowed on it by its admirers, nor can we rank our profeffor, notwithstanding his learning and good intentions, with a Sherlock or a Leland.

Moyens de conferver la fanté aux equipages des vaiffeaux; avec la maniere de purifier l'air des falles des hôpitaux, &c. Par M. Duhamel du Monceau. That is,

An Enquiry into the means of preserving the health of seamen, on fhip-board; with the method of purifying the foul air of the wards in hofpitals. 12mo. At Paris, for Guerin and De la Tour. 1759.

The many ingenious and useful pieces, with which Mr. Duhamel has already obliged the publick, have fufficiently distinguished him as a valuable member both of the literary and political community. The prefent work, which we learn was undertaken at the inftance of the count de Maurepas, is a farther proof of his good sense and unwearied attention to the service of mankind. Our readers, however, will excufe our entering into the particulars of this treatise, as the methods principally pointed out are fuch as are generally known to our countrymen, and for which they are greatly indebted to that judicious philofopher, and indefatigable patriot, Dr. Hales,

Nouvel

Nouvel Effai fur les grands evenemens par les petites caufes, tiré de l'hiftoire. 12mo. A Geneve. 1759.

A new Effay, on the great events which have arifen from trivial caufes. Illuftrated from hiftory. By Mr. Richer.

Of Mr. Richer's former Effay we gave fome account, in the 18th volume of our Review, p. 641. The prefent work appears intended as a fequel to it, and will perhaps be more generally efteemed, as the hiftorical tracts it contains are lefs known than many of thofe which compofed his firft volume.

As we have already mentioned the defign of the author, we fhall quote only the following inftance of the fatal confequences fometimes attending the removal of the most infignificant and innocent prejudices.

A beard was efteemed formerly in France as a badge of liberty, and the people were not a little proud of wearing it long, and of curling it to render it ornamental. The monks and friars, who affected to defpife the little vanities of the world, took it in their heads to fhave their beards; and the then bishop of Roan, taking it extremely ill that the laity did not follow fo pious an example, began to preach against beards in the pulpit; and by degrees work'd himself to fo high a pitch of oppofition, that he excommunicated all those of his diocese who would not confent to be fhaved. Hereupon, the bigots, indeed, foon permitted themselves to be trimm'd; but the more worldly-minded, accustomed to join the idea of privilege to that of their beards, conceived their liberties and properties at ftake, and, like true patriot, went to loggerheads, and had their brains beat out in defence of the hairs on their chin. The commotion grew fo general, and its confequences fo dangerous, that Lewis VII. found himself neceffitated to take part with the clergy, and have his own beard taken off, to bring smooth chins into fashion at court, and by that means to overcome the prejudices of the populace.'

Recueil important fur la question, de favoir fi un juif, marié dans fa religion, peut je remarier après fan baptème, lorfque fa femme juive refufe de le fuivre et d'habiter avec lui. That is, Arguments concerning the difpute, whether it be lawful for a Jew, married to a woman of his own religion, to marry again, on his embracing christianity, on condition his wife refuses to cohabit with him afterwards. 2 vols. 12mo. Paris. 1759.

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