He confiders his subject under the following diftin&t heads :-I. Of fong-writing in general. II. On ballads and paftoral fongs. III. Paffionate and defcriptive fongs. IV. Ingenious and witty fongs. On each of these heads his remarks are pertinent, ingenious, and entertaining. In his choice of our English fongs, of which this volume contains about 130 (and which he has claffed in the fame manner with the effays, each of the difcourfes ftanding as an introduction to the poetical clafs which follows it) he has been fcrupulous to infert none but fuch pieces as deferved the honour of selection, both from the merit of the poetry, and the purity and chastity of the fentiments they contain: and in his choice he has very laudably guarded against offending that charming delicacy of the fex, which every man muft admire, and ought to refpect.' He does not pretend to have culled every valuable production which this branch of poetry affords. For, as he rightly obferves, difference of taste will always prevent uniformity of judgment, even where the faculties of judging are equal;' and therefore, he adds, I have been much lefs folicitous to give a collection to which nothing could be added, than one from which nothing could reasonably be rejected.' We will venture, however, to recommend one piece to his notice, in cafe of a fecond edition, to which the merit of this compilation will certainly conduct it, viz. that beautiful compound of wit, fentiment, and paffion-"Sweet are the charms of her I love," &c. which we have heard afcribed to the celebrated Barton Booth. 'We fhall point out the clafs of Readers for which this publication is calculated, in the words of the ingenious Compiler's preface:The foft warbler, fays he, who fills up a vacancy of thought with a tune, in which the fucceffion of words gives no idea but that of a fucceffion of founds, will here be much difappointed in meeting with the names of Prior, Congreve, and Landfdown, inftead of Arne, Brent, and Tenducci. The midnight roarer of coarse jeft, and ob fcenity, will be still farther out of his element. But to those who are enamoured with that facred art which, beyond every other, elevates and refines the foul, to whom the fprightly lyre of Horace and Anacreon, and the melting mufic of Sappho fill found, though ages have paffed fince they vibrated on the ear, I will venture to promife a fource of enjoyment, from the works of thofe great mafters whofe names adorn this collection, which I hope they will not think too dearly purchased by the perufal of fuch introductory matter as is fubmitted to their candid examination.' The original pieces added to this collection, are in no refpect unworthy the good company into which they are introduced. NOVEL S. Art. 26. The Unequal Alliance; or, the Hiftory of Lord Ashford. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Noble. This production is replete with romantic folly, and offers not one circumftance that can recommend it to attention. Art. 27. The Indifcreet Connection; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Lefter. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Noble. 1772. In these volumes the fair fex will meet with fome of thofe leffons of prudence, which many of them are too apt to neglect. Ff4 Art. St. Art. 28. The Younger Brother. A Tale. 12mo. 2 Vols. 55. fewed. Newberry. When we confider the imperfection and demerit of the generality of the works of this clafs, we cannot but beftow our commendation on the prefent volumes. They are written with a degree of humour, and a knowledge of life, that render them both interefting and agreeable. St. Art. 29. The Birmingham Counterfeit; or, Invisible Spectator: A Sentimental Romance. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6 s. Bladon. 1772.1: A Birmingham Shilling recites its travels and adventures, on the hacknied and worn-out plan on which the Adventures of a Guinea*; with a multitude of other Invifible Spies, have been written. LA W. Art. 30. The Rife and Practice of Imprisonment in perfonal Actions examined; and a Mode of Proceeding offered, reconciling the ancient and modern Practice, in Aid both of Debtor and Creditor. By a Barrister at Law. 8vo. I s. 6 d. Wilkie. 1772. There are here many pertinent, and fome acute obfervations; but the method propofed to relieve the hardships complained of, appears not of fufficient efficacy. The difeafe calls for a remedy of more powerful operation. Opiates will furnish only a temporary aid. The medicine to be applied, ought to work a radical, and a perpetual cure.. St. Art. 31. An Introduction to the Law relative to Trials at Nifi Prius. By Francis Buller, Efq; of the Middle Temple. 4to. 18 s. Bathurst. 1772. The requifites for executing this undertaking were only labour and diftin&tnefs; and thefe qualities, the Author has very fully exerted. His work confits of feven parts. The first part, which he divides into three books, treats of thofe actions which may be brought for injuries affecting the perfon, and which have relation to perfonal and real property. The fecond enumerates thofe actions which are founded on contracts and engagements. The actions given by fatute, and the criminal profecutions, which have a reference to civil rights, are explained in the third and fourth parts. The fifth examines into traverfes of inquifitions of office, and prohibitions. Evidence in general is the object of the fixth; and the feventh regards the general matters relative to trials at Nifi Prius.-This work is, with propriety, dedicated to the prefent Chancellor, as it is compiled from his Lordship's papers. St. MEDICA L. Art. 32. An Efay on the Bilicus or Yellow Fever of Jamaica: collected from the Manufcript of a late Surgeon. By Charles Blicke. 8vo. Is. 6d. Becket. 1772. Whether Mr. Charles Blicke, who, in an advertisement prefixed to this publication, and dated from the Old Jewry, gives a fomewhat circumftantial account of the Manufcript from which it is collected, was really impofed upon by his friend, the furgeon deceased; -or whether the faid Mr. Blicke be a literary Nonentity, or rather * See Rev. vol. xxiii. + De la Maine one one of those inoftenfible beings who frequent the prefs, with a view of raifing contributions on the public by new-vamping old materials, our enquiries have not enabled us to determine. This, however, is certain, that the prefent effay is nearly a verbal tranfcript, with a few alterations and omiffions, of one of the tracts contained in a collection published above 20 years ago, entitled, Eays on the Bilious Fever, &c. by John Williams and Parker Bennet, phyficians in Jamaica; who had a literary controverfy on this fubject, which they terminated by murdering each other. An account of this fingular tranfaction, and of the prefent effay, in its original drefs, may be found in our 7th volume, July 1752, page 71. We would, on this occation, remind our friendly correfpondent, J. C. (whofe favour, in communicating to us his detection of this republication, we acknowledged in our last month's Correfpondence) that this very cafe furnishes an answer in point ad hominem to his complaint of our too long delaying our accounts of new publications. He threw away his money, it feems, by trusting to the early account given of this Effay by fome Journalists and now the more patient part of the public may fave theirs, by having waited for the juter, though later, information given by others; and which they were enabled to give, in confequence of that very delay. MISCELLANEOUS. 1 B..y. Art. 33. The African Trade for Negro-Slaves fhewn to be confiflent with Principles of Humanity, and with the Laws of revealed Religion. By Tho. Thompson, M. A. fome time Fellow of C. C. C. 8vo. 6d. Canterbury, printed; and fold by Baldwin, in Londan. We must acknowledge that the branch of trade here under confideration is a fpecies of traffic which we have never been able to reconcile with the dictates of humanity, and much less with those of religion. The principal argument in its behalf feems to be, the neceffity of fuch a refource, in order to carry on the works in our plantations, which, we are told, it is otherwife impoffible to perform. But this, though the urgency of the cafe may be very great, is not by any means fufficient to justify the practice. There is a farther confideration which has a plausible appearance, and may be thought to carry fome weight; it is, that the merchant only purchafes those who were flaves before, and poffibly may, rather than otherwife, render their fituation more tolerable. But it is well known, that the lot of our flaves, when moft favourably confidered, is very hard and miferable; befide which, fuch a trade is taking the advantage of the ignorance and brutality of unenlightened nations, who are encouraged to war with each other for this very purpofe, and, it is to be feared, are fometimes tempted to feize thofe of their own tribes or families that they may obtain the hoped-for advantage and it is owned, with regard to our merchants, that, upon occafion, they obferve the like practices, which are thought to be allowable, because they are done by way of reprifal for theft or damage committed by the natives. We were pleased, however. to meet with a pamphlet on the other fide of the question; and we entered upon its perufal with the hopes of finding fomewhat ad vanced which might afford us fatisfaction on this difficult point. The writer appears to be a fenfible man, and capable of difcuffing the argument; but the limits to which he is confined render his performance rather fuperficial. The plea he produces from the Jewish law is not, in our view of the matter, at all conclufive. The people of Ifrael were under a theocracy, in which the Supreme Being was in a peculiar fenfe their King, and might therefore iffue forth fome orders for them, which it would not be warrantable for another people, who were in different circumflances, to obferve. Such, for inftance, was the command given concerning the extirpation of the Canaanites, whom, the fovereign Arbiter of life and death might, if he had pleased, have destroyed by plague or famine, or other of those means which we term natural caules, and by which a wife providence fulfils its own purpofes. But it would be unreasonable to infer from the manner in which the Ifraelites dealt with the people of Canaan, that any other nations have a right to pursue the fame method. Neither can we imagine that St. Paul's exhortation to fervants or flaves, upon their converfion, to continue in the state in which Christianity found them, affords any argument favourable to the practice here pleaded for. It is no more than faying, that Christianity did not particularly enter into the regulations of civil fociety at that time; that it taught perfons to be contented and diligent in their ftations: but certainly it did not forbid them, in a proper and lawful way, if it was in their power, to render their circumftances more comfortable. Upon the whole, we must own, that this little treatife is not convincing to us, though, as different perfons are differently affected by the fame confiderations, it may prove more fatisfactory to others. Art. 34. The real Views and political Syftem of the Regency of Den mark fully explained. Tracing the true Caufes of the late Revolution at Copenhagen. Supported by authentic Papers. By Chriftian Adolphus Rothes, formerly Counsellor of Conference, Secretary of the Cabinet of his Majefty Chriftiern VII. and great Affessor of the fupreme Council at Altena. Published originally in French at Hamburgh, and immediately fuppreffed through the Intereft of the Queen-Dowager. With an Appendix by the English Editor. 8vo. 2 S. Bladon. Contains nothing new, and has the fufpicious appearance of being merely the work of industry, always on the watch for every occafion of raifing contributions on credulity.-As to Monfieur Chriftian Adolphus Rothes, with all his magnificent titles, we know nothing about him, and there may, for aught we can tell, be fuch a perfon: but we will venture to fay, that if he was once in office at the Court of Denmark, he is not now in the fecret of its late transactions. Art. 35. An Effay on Satirical Entertainments. To which is added, Stevens's New Lecture upon Heads, now delivering at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket. With critical Observations. 8vo. I s. 6d. Bell. 1772. Mr. Stevens having never committed to the prefs his famous and truly humorous Lecture upon Heads, fome Friend + has here done t † See the previous advertisement. it for him. Mr. S. we hear, is by no means fatisfied with this friendly Art. 36. Theatrical Biography: or, Memoirs of the principal It has been remarked, that Suetonius wrote the Lives of the On the whole, thefe Theatrical Lives, though not of the most 1772. The Dutch are the best qualified to pronounce on the merit of Art. 38. A Modeft Defence of the Charity Children, and the com- Mr. Wingfield greatly difapproves the scheme for an houfe of in- + condemned to be hanged for s_ Iy, the у всё mouth after this Book was published fee newspapery Bardoned. for July. |