1 he might have done on this volume: throughout the firft part, the pages are not numbered, neither are the diftinct articles; and when a valuation is made of fums of money, which is frequently done, it is according to the Gallic ftandard: we think as it was thought proper to publish this collection here, a valuation should have been added in the notes according to the English-mode.-Notwithstanding thefe objections, we are perfuaded, the felection will be generally acceptable to the learned and the curious, and may alfo prove ferviceable to many readers. Hi. NOVELS. Art. 47. Emilia de St. Aubigne. By the Author of Ela*. 12mo. 3s. fewed. Elliot and Co. 1788. This author, apparently without intending it, is an advocate, or apologift, for vice. Charlotte and her Right Honourable lover, who bave tranfgreffed against the laws of religion and virtue, should not be difmiffed with a kind of applaufe, due only to the votaries and followers of both. The ftory comes not within the line of probability; but the fentiments arising from the fituations of the feveral perfonages, are fometimes forcible and just. A.B. Art. 48. Gli Affari del Giovane Verter, &c. i. e. The Sorrows of Werter, tranflated from the original German into Italian, by Conrade Ludger. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. fewed. Hookham. 1788. Mr. Ludger profeffes to have tranflated this work carefully, from the original; we cannot, however, recommend it as a very faithful or very elegant copy. In fome inftances, indeed, it expreffes Werter's meaning more fully than the French tranflation, or the Englith, which is avowedly borrowed from it, and may therefore be agreeable to those who cannot read German. Gil. DRAMATIC. Art. 49. The Works of Mr. Congreve. A new Edition; ornamented with Copper-plates. To which is prefixed, a Life of the Author, 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. fewed. Lowndes, &c. 1788. This edition will be rendered the more acceptable to its purchafers, by its having the Life of the Author prefixed. The account of Mr. Congreve, with the remarks on his writings, are chiefly taken from Dr. Johnfon's Lives of the Poets.-The Poems on feveral Occafions are added to the Plays.-What more can we fay, in refpect of the works of an author to well known in the poetic world? Art. 50. The Impoftors: A Comedy. Performed at the Theatre This play is, in most respects, fo much inferior to the other productions of the fame author, that we can hardly believe our eyes, when we fee the refpectable name of Richard Cumberland, Efquire, in the title. It would be the extreme of cruelty to extend fuch an See Rev. vol. xxviii p. 166. infirm body on the rack of criticism; and charity obliges us to give the coup de grace at once. Col. Art. 51. The Hymeneal Party; or, the Generous Friends. A Comedy. By a Young Gentleman. 8vo. 25. Stalker. 1789. In the prologue to this comedy, the author With grateful heart he feels for favours past;' and alludes, as he tells us, to fome kindneffes fhewn the author, ia endeavouring to get it [the comedy, he muit mean] on the ftage.'The kindneffes, we fhould have fuppofed, were in preventing its exhibition; and it would have been equal kindness to have prevented its publication. We think that the author is too old to be whipped, and yet rather too young for any feverer or more ferious correction; we fhall, therefore, fpare him for this time, if he will promife for the future to be a good boy, and do fo no more. Do Art. 52. The Pannel. An Entertainment of three Acts. Stalker. 1789. 8vo. 1s. The editor informs us, that this entertainment is merely an abridgment, with fome trivial additions, of Bickerstaffe's comedy of "Tis well it's no worse;" a title which the editor thought ineligible; bat fince he chofe to difcard it, we think he should have adopted that of -'Tis pity it's no better. POETRY. D." Art. 53. Pieces of Familiar Poetry, by Florifer. 8vo. pp. 68. 1s. 6d. fewed. Printed at Birmingham, and fold in London by Baldwin. 1789. SPECIMEN. • A Frenchman, whom a fricafee At dinner fuited to a T, Up to the highest pitch of praise The cook's nice art began to praise." Surely this is the first poet who ever made a word stand as a rhime to itfelf!-perhaps, however, he bore in mind the well known line"None but himself can be his parallel ;" and recollecting that the excellence of a rhime confifts in the perfect fimilarity of found, wifely concluded, that no two different words could produce fo admirable an effect as the fame word repeated. We can hardly fuppofe this to have been a lapfus pennæ, as the following tags are nearly of the fame complexion: When perchance I am fick, or to ftudy averse, If our counfel could have any weight (though we acknowlege that it would proceed from interested motives), we fhould advise this bard to abstain from such fruitless applications, &.2. Art. Art. 5,4 Ox The Garland; a Collection of Poems. 4to. 2s. 6d. ford, printed; and fold by Robfon, &c. in London. Snow-drops, crocufes, violets, cowflips, &c. entwined by fome young bard (as we fuppofe) to adorn the brows of his matchlefs Laura, and his divine Sophy.- Aye, time was, when even we deemed it mighty pretty to weave fuch garlands for the Lauras and Sophys of former days, and pour out the dulcet frain to 66 Lillies and roles, And eyes, lips, and noses, Or tip of an ear As Bumper Squire Jones hath it: but thofe were "other times !"yet we remember them without repining, for, as this poet fingeth— Life ftill has joys, if not, like youth's, elate With transports high,-yet conftant and ferene.' Which couplet we leave with our readers, as a fpecimen of the author's poetry; referving our praife for his next production, fhould it haply rife above that mediocrity, which marks the character of thefe gentle fonnets and love-verfes; most of which were originally printed in the Gentleman's Magazine, whence they are now collected, with fome additional pieces. Art. 55. The Sick Laureat; or, Parnaffus in Confufion. A Poem. In which the Merits and Defects of fome of our principal Modern Poets are examined and afcertained, 4to. pp. 29. 25. Kearsley. 1789. The famous Seffion of the Poets furnished the plan on which this poem has been conftructed; together with many other pieces of the kind. The laureat is fuppofed to have been reported fick, or dead; on which The hundred pounds a year, and butt of fack, The Lord Chamberlain fits as judge of their feveral pretenfions and talents-each bard fets up his claim-and fome of the characters, as poets, are tolerably hit off. At length, in the midft of the contention, in rushes Warton, and the difappointed candidates vanish. The original thought, which, we believe, was Sir John Suckling's, and which has produced fo many imitations, mult furely have been regarded as a mafter-piece of wit, or it would not have been fo frequently followed as a model. For us, we never much admired either the parent work, or the generality of its numerous offspring: though it must be acknowleged, that there was merit in The Diaboliad; and we did acknowlege it in our account of that very fevere fatire (fee Rev. vol. ivi. and lvii.). The prefent performance is not deftitute of wit, humour, or poetry. Art 56. The Royal Aftronomer; fhewing as how a Star gazer cannot fmell the Rofe of Beauty, and con the blue Star-book, at one and the fame Time. By Tom Plumb. 4to. 2s. Kearfley. 1789. Tom Plumb, like his favourite model, Peter Pindar, who was fometimes very unhappy in his choice of fubjects for his fatire, hast here here unluckily stumbled on a moft improper object for ridicule, viz. the very meritorious and inoffenfive Dr. Herfchel; whom he laughs at, and treats as a mere ftar-gazer-a Partridge, or a Gadbury-bufy.. ing himself o'nights in peeping at the heavens, through his vaft telescope, instead of remaining in bed with his wife. On this laft circumitance, all the wit of the poem turns ;-but furely this is too poor for a grave and formal cenfure! Art. 57. Adverfity; or, The Tears of Britannia. A Poem. By a Lady. With a beautiful emblematical Etching of a celebrated Poet on Horfeback. 4to. pp. 36. 2s. Surely this lady's time might be more ufefully fpent than in folKirby. 1729. lowing the idle trade" of verfe-making, as Pope ftyled it is there no employment for the needle, in the family to which the belongs?— No doubt there is; and we cordially advife her to apply to it with induftry, in compenfation for the hours mif-fpent in fruitless attempts at poetry. This advice may feem harsh at prefent, but it is meant for her real advantage; and hereafter perhaps, if not just now, it may be fo accepted-fuch things have been. Art. 58. Begum B-rke to Begum Bow. A Poetical Rhapsody on Cotemporary Characters. With a Dedication to Lord George Gordon, in Newgate. 4to. pp. 20. Is. 6d. Thornton. It has been obferved, that "wit is of no party." has been inferred from her being occafionally found in every party. Perhaps this At prefent fhe is, certainly, with the court; and has chofen to aim her fhafts at Mr. Burke. He is here fuppofed, in the ferment of a long heated brain,' to feel himself tranfmigrated into a Begum; and, under this impreffion, he addreffes this poetic rant to the Begum Bow, as to a fifter: opening to her all his distracted mind, refpecting the woful ftate of his own fituation as a public man; together with that of his poetical affociates.-The ridicule on the party is artfully turned; and the poetry has uncommon merit. A warm encomium on Mr. Pitt concludes the piece. The last couplet is, The King reftor'd, ftill keeps his Treas'ry Boy, And half the nation will go mad with joy.' Art. 59. The Winter's Affembly, or Provincial Ball; a Poem. Low whispers through the half-lit ball-room reign, Now the full light declares the near approach In 1s. Dilly. The Prince and Abingdon, with various din.' If, reader, thou wifheft for more, fend to the bookfeller. Moo-y, Begums, in Hindoftan, are princeffes of the Haram. Art. Art. 60. Verfes on his Majesty's Recovery. By Samuel Hayes, A. M. late Senior Ufher of Westminster School. 4to. 1s. 6d. pp. 18. Cadell. Mr. Hayes feems to wish that the loyalty which dictated the fe verfes will, at leaft, palliate every defect in the performance.'--We are content. On fubjects of this kind, indeed, what can be expected? What was ever atchieved? Art. 61. The English Parnaffus: being a new Selection of Didactic, Defcriptive, Pathetic, Plaintive, and Paftoral Poetry, extracted from the Works of the latest and most celebrated Poets, &c. By the Rev. John Adams, A. B. 12mo. pp. 352. 3s. fewed. Kearsley. 1789. This compilement is diftinguished from moft other collections of the kind, by the admiffion of many very modern names-even of living authors. The former publishers of poetical mifcellanies (a fort of books now prodigiously multiplied) contented themselves with extracting only from the works of our most celebrated poets; but, here, the honours of felection are lavished, not only on a YOUNG, a THOMSON, a POPE, &c. but on fuch writers as 66 But as Mrs. Slip flop fays, comparisons are odoriferous."-We will therefore only add, in regard to the prefent article, that the compiler's praife is that of having provided for his readers, an innocent entertainment-to fay the leaft of it: or, to speak in his own language, nothing is admitted which has not a tendency either to improve the taste of the young reader, or to infpire fentiments of wifdom, virtue, and benevolence.' THEOLOGY. Art. 62. A Difcourfe on Sacramental Tefts. Delivered at Cambridge, October 30th, 1788, at a general Meeting of Deputies of the Congregations of Proteftant Diffenters in the County of Cambridge, By R. Robinfon. 8vo. pp. 27. Is. Dilly. This Difcourfe abounds with a variety of matter, which fhews the fpirit and ingenuity of the author: and, as we cannot help confidering facramental tefts as a profanation both of reafon and religion, we fhall gratify our readers by giving them an epitome of this fermon, in the author's own words: 6 Non-conformity is a noble caufe, and we are engaged in it, not by misfortune, but by choice. By contending for the fufficiency of Scripture, we provide for the improvement of the mind, by affirming the liberty of all Chriftians to act agreeably to their own convictions; particularly we plead the caufe of young men preparing for the ministry; that their minds may be unfhackled; that they may not be obliged to allow a conclufion, before they have examined the pemifes; that they may have no temptation-to prevaricate for reard, and no fear of difmal confequences for thinking differently from others.' Instead of the ufual train of, firft, faith; then, quotation of authorities; and laftly, reafon : we would, first, reason; then, build faith upon evidence; and reject all authority to call us to account; except that to which Jehovah hath faid every knee shall bow. We affirm the plainuefs of the Gospel, the capability of all |