A great book, in this way (fays Dr. Horne), is indeed a great evil, if the point can be fettled in a fmall one. The fuperfluity of naughtinefs fhould be cut off; all flourish and declamation, felf-adulation and perfonal altercation, rhetorical amplification and digreffion, every fentence not immediately ad rem, as ufelefs and noxious excrefcences, pared away; that point difcovered on which the difpute turns, and the opponent closely confined to it. Terms fhould be defined, to prevent ambiguity and evafion; arguments and objections carefully collected, and methodically arranged; ftated and anfwered with all poffible concifenefs and perfpicuity; leaving as little room, as may be, for replies and rejoinders; the fad confequence of which is, not only lofs of time and temper to the writers, but difguft to the readers, who grow weary, and, defpairing of being able to fix their opinions, refolve to give themfelves no farther trouble about religion." E. III. Delivered, July 9, 1786, in the Surry Chapel, BlackfriarsBridge, by the Rev. Mr. Venn, and published, with fome Variations and Additions. By an attentive Auditor, and humble Ad. mirer, in hopes it may please and edify many others, as it edified and pleased the Editor. 8vo. Is. Bew. From the title of this fermon, The good and righteous King, the reader might conclude it was fomewhat of a merely civil and political nature: but he will find it very different. The text is Ifaiah, xxxii. 1-4. It bears fome marks of Methodifm; without being deftitute of learning. It also manifefts an earnest zeal for morality and good works, together with fome reflections on minifters, on the fervice of the church of England, and on those who diffent from it. But, we find that Mr. Venn has difclaimed this Difcourfe by a public advertisement.-We have therefore nothing farther to add,-except the just and fevere cenfùre which falls on thofe who have temerity and prefumption enough to publish, under the name of another perfon, without permiffion or authority, a compofition furreptitiously obtained: and given to the world, as hath fometimes been the case, in fuch a form, and with fuch imperfections, as may ferve only to render it difgraceful to the reputed author.-But we do not think that these lait mentioned, difreputable circumftances, are chargeable on the present publication. CORRESPONDENCE. To the MONTHLY REVIEWERS. H. AUDI alteram partem, is a motto you would ever wish to support, in the little unavoidable controverfies of your page of Correfpondence. When you have indulged me with a hearing, the subject will of courfe be difmiffed, as it ought. Your Correfpondent, G. B. has not kept ftrictly within the bounds of truth, in saying that my Explanatory Appeal, which you reviewed, was written in confequence of my being difowned; when in fact my difownment, idle as it was, was rather in confequence of my having written the Appeal; that publication, which contained a difownment of church authority in fome points, being one principal charge of offence against me. When G. B. fhall have learned more caution, and added more knowledge to his zeal, he may know that a perfon born and and educated in the community of Quakers, and profeffing and practising the worship peculiar to that Society, is both legally and virtually a Quaker, however he may be treated, or however unfolicitous he may be to avail himself of any Society fanction, for publications which have no connection with it. Bath, March 22, 1787. Yours very fincerely, WILLIAM MATTHEWS. *We are obliged to An old Friend, for pointing out to us a miftake in page 351 of our Review for November laft, refpecting the capacity of the Swedish kanne, or the English measure correfponding to 100 Swedish cubic inches. Prof. Celfius, in the Stockholm Acts for 1739, has given an accurate comparison of the ftandard Swedish foot with thofe of feveral other nations, and, among the reft, with the English foot copied by Graham from the Royal Society's ftandard. He finds the Swedish foot to be less than the English, in the proportion of 1000 to 1027; and the Reviewer of the Article alluded to, calculating on a fuppofition that the inch was lefs in the fame proportion, made 100 Swedish cubic inches equal to 92 and a fraction of ours; not aware, that the Swedish foot is divided and fubdivided decimally; for though he had often met with the expreffion decimal, or geometric inches in the Swedish writers, he imagined, from this very circumftance of its being mentioned only in particular cafes, that this divifion was used in those cafes only, for facility of computation. The fact however is, that the Swedish foot is conftantly fo divided; and therefore though the foot itself be lefs, the inch, or tenth part of that foot, is greater than the twelfth part of ours: according to the proportions above stated, the Swedish inch is equal to 1,168 English, and the kanne contains nearly 159 English cubic inches. Our ingenious Correspondent has deduced from a different fource (the weight of a kanne of water given by Bergman) almost the fame conclufion, that the kanne is equal to nearly 160 of our cubic inches. We must therefore request to readers to correct the error in page 351, and read i kanne equals 5 wine pints English nearly. This gentleman thinks we are mistaken alfo with regard to Mr. Scheele's weights, and indeed it appears likely, confidering his profeffion, that he used most commonly the medical weights; which, in Sweden, are divided exactly in the fame manner as with us, though there is a little difference in their abfolute weights; the Swedish being less than the correfponding denominations of ours, in the proportion of 23 to 24. Wherever grains are mentioned, they belong unquestionably to this fpecies of weight, for the Swedes have no fuch denomination in any other. In Be the cafe as it may with Scheele, it is plain that Bergman used very frequently, and, we believe, in every inftance where grains are not fpecified, the common or civil weight; in which the pound is divided into 32 half-ounces, called lods or loths (femuncia, lotbones); the lod into 4 quintlins or drams; and the dram into 276 aces. his original differtation on mineral waters, published in the Stockholm Acts, he gives the contents of each of the waters he examines, in lods and decimals of the lod, and mentions no other weight throughout throughout the whole. As this denomination of half ounce appears The weight of a kanne of diftilled fnow water is given by Bergman, Ch: We are favoured with W. N's friendly communication. Had R-m * The two pamphlets, concerning which, inquiry is made, in a letter bearing the poft-mark of the Isle of Wight, will doubtlefs be noticed; but they must wait their turn, with a multitude of other publications, which, though neceffarily delayed, are not overlooked. We should be happy if the limits of our Journal were more adequate to the extent of our plan: the patience of authors, and the friends of authors,' would not, then, be fo frequently exercised. ttt In answer to Ignotus, who enquires concerning the character of a book entitled, "The Rational Dame,"—we have no fuch article in our lift. 1st We are forry that it is not in our power to affift L. E. in pro- *** Mr. Woodboufe must excufe our not publishing the intelli- pp. 292. P.q. fr. bot. For injection, r. 293. par 3.1.2, put a comma injections. after just, 291 1.20 . read, twhere the whole system was in a proper to says he was on the Spot. read, who THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For MAY, 1787. ART. I. The Life of Dr. S. Johnfon, concluded: See our laft Month's Review, Art. I. IN N March 1752, Dr. Johnfon felt a fevere ftroke of affliction, in the death of his wife. Under the care of Mr. Hawkesworth, fhe was buried at Bromley, and her difconfolate husband wrote a Latin infeription for her tomb, in which he celebrated her beauty. With the fingularity of his prayers for Tetty, from that time to the end of his life, the world is fufficiently acquainted. By her first husband, Mrs. Johnfon left a daughter, near as old as Johnfon. Of her fecond marriage, there was no iffue. With Mrs. Ann Williams, a person of extraordinary endowments, and, though blind, of an active and cheerful difpofition, Mrs. Johnfon had contracted a close intimacy. This friend the recommended to her husband's protection. Mrs. Williams was the daughter of Zachariah Williams, a phyfician in South Wales. To relieve himself from folitude and melancholy reflections, Johnson took her home to his houfe in Gough-fquare. In 1755, Mr. Garrick gave her a benefit, which produced 2col.; in 1766, fhe publifhed a quarto volume of mifcellanies, and thereby increased her little ftock to 300/. This and Johnson's protection fupported her through the rest of her life. We are told that Kitty Fifher left her card at Johnson's houfe. Those who knew him, will hardly believe this ftory: for what purpose should he fee a woman, whose person was venal? His Biographer, however, acquits him of all amorous paffions. He fays that Johnfon was myops, or near-fighted, and doubts whether he ever had a perception of beauty. If he ever felt the impreffion, it was from Molly Afton, who is represented as a republican, and a declaimer for public liberty. Upon this lady, Johnfon made the two following verfes: Liber ut effe velim fuafifti, pulchra Maria: Ut maneam liber, pulchra Maria, vale. Which may be thus tranflated: Man's born for freedom, Tyrant, we agree: * See Rev. vol. xxxiv. p. 355. VOL. LXXVI. In In 1750, one Lauder, of infamous memory, published an "Effay on Milton's Ufe and Imitation of the Moderns." The Biographer tells us, that Johnfon affifted this man, from motives of enmity to the memory of Milton: but it appears, that while Lauder's work was in the prefs, the proof fheets were submitted to the inspection of the Ivy-lane club. If Johnfon approved of the defign, it was no longer than while he believed it founded in fact. With the reft of the club he was in one common error. As foon as Dr. Douglas efpoufed the caufe of truth, and with ability that will ever do him honour, dragged the impoftor into open day-light, Johnfon made ample reparation to the genius of Milton. He convinced Lauder that it would be more for his intereft to make a full confeffion of his guilt, than to ftand forth the convicted champion of a lie; and, for this purpofe, drew up in the ftrongeft terms, a recantation, which Lauder figned, and published in quarto, addreffed to Dr. Douglas, 1751. It is painful to be thus obliged to vindicate Johnson against the infinuations of the man, who has undertaken to be his Editor, and the guardian of his fame. During the two years in which Johnfon entertained the Public with his Rambler, the great work of the Dictionary was ft.!! carried on, fometimes by flow degrees, and occafionally with vigour. The morbid melancholy, of which he complained early in life, and which was probably caufed by that disorder that brought him to the prefence of Queen Anne, returned upon him at intervals, and clouded his understanding. In a fhort time after the Rambler ceafed, Mr. Hawkefworth projected the Ada venturer. The fi: Number was publifhed November 7, 1752, and the Paper continued twice a week, till the 9th of March 1754. To this undertaking, Johnfon contributed his affistance. All the effays marked T are of his writing. His price was two guineas for each paper. Dr. Jofeph Warton's effays are well known. From another quarter, Hawkesworth had fome fupplies, but that fource foon failed. Sir John Hawkins imagines that the perfon here intended was Dr. Bathurst, one of the Ivy-lane club; but if he will take the trouble to enquire, he will find that the late Bonnell Thornton was, in the beginning of that undertaking, embarked with Dr. Hawkefworth. The connection did not laft long, and Thornton fet up a new Paper, called the Connoiffeur. The propofal for forming the Labours of Hercules into a pantomime, was of Thornton's writing. When it is confidered that Johnfon, about the age of 20, drew up the fate of his cafe for an eminent phyfician in Stafford fhire, and received for anfwer, that the fymptoms tended to infanity, who can wonder that he was troubled with melancholy and dejection? And yet the lion was often roufed. He wrote by fits and ftarts, but always with vigour, and the power of genius. He 12 (:10 for "settled" or fifeed. |