Abufe of Parliaments, faid to have been written by the late Mr. Ralph, the hiftorian; who prefixed to it the following advertisement: "As an act of justice to the memory of a great man, it is neceffary to acquaint the reader, that he ftands indebted for this difcourfe to the celebrated Algernon Sydney." Upon the authority of this advertifement, and at the request of a friend, the Editor tells us, he has annexed this treatise to A. Sydney's Works; though by the ftyle in which it is written, the author's manner of reasoning, and the books which are cited in it, he is convinced that it is the production of a different hand. POETICAL. Art. 31. Indolence; a Pcem. By the Author of Almida. 4to. I 5. Becket. 1772. The Indolence which is the fubject of the prefent panegyric, is not fordid floth,' nor the lazy apathy of the ftoics, but, in the words of the poem itself, Philofophic reft, The inward funshine of th' unruffled breaft; These are my theme, for these I touch the lyre. The public owes this pleafing poem, in praise of still Life, to the ingenious Mrs. Celefia, author of Almida, a tragedy; of which we gave a pretty full account in our Review for February 1771, and to which article we now refer for a critical investigation of this Lady's poetical powers. Art. 32. Two Lyric Effays. I. An Ode to Genius. II. An Ode to Independence. 4to. 1 S. Becket. 1772. There are paffages in thefe odes which would lead us to expect, that he who could produce fuch lines at Seventeen, would not be an unfuccessful wooer of the Mufes at Seven-and twenty. Where we fee promifing indications of genius, it were cruel to damp the ardour of a young candidate for the bays, by being too fevere on his defects. It would be equally cruel, however, not to hint at fuch marks of inattention as he may eafily avoid in his future compofitions. For instance, where he praises — that bleft, that equal state That fcorns the fmiles and frowns of Fate,' It feems to be faying nothing when he adds, that a perfon thus happily fituated, Unenvying fees the wretch that O er fad Siberia's wafte of fnows.' goes It is, furely, needlefs to remark, that wretchedness, of any kind, is not the object of envy! Our youthful Bard meant to fay, that an independent man needs not envy the dreary adventurer who expofes himself to toils and dangers in fearch of wealth; but his endeavour to fhew the fuperiority of the condition he would prefer, lofes its proper effect, by only defcribing it as being a better situation than one that is worfe. There There are fome other little flips, which will occur to the critical reader; but we fhall only take notice of the pitiful expletive, p. 7.. Each Mufe around did fill the fky, With trains of various minstrelsy." We need not expatiate on fo obvious a blemish it is a fault which, we dare fay, the Author's better tafte will never fuffer him to repeat. Art. 33. The Epocha; or the Review. M DCC LXXII. 4to. I s. 6d. Bladon. A fatirical view of the times; in which the Author has fhewn more spirit than judgment, or elegance of talte in poetical compofition. Art. 34. Political Poems: a Compilation. By Junius. 8vo. Is. Crowder. 1772. The name, JUNIUS, is a good hit. It will catch the eye of the paffenger as he glances at the quarto and octavo ranks and files, in the bookfeller's windows. Some of Churchill's poems, Goldfinith's Deferted Village, Addifon's Addrefs to Liberty, and a few other pieces, have afforded J. nius the Compiler, a collection of extracts and icraps, to fill up the prefent catch-penny touch; but as it is a patriotic catch-penny, we with it all poffible fuccefs: efpecially as the difinterested Editor has declared that his defigns will be anfwered if the people of England are, by this collection, incited to love their country more,' and that he fhall not think his labour fruitiefs, fhould the pieces ferve to fan the dying embers of patriotifm, and keep alive its flames in the hearts of all our fellow-fubje&ts.'-To all which, no good Englishman can have any objection. Art. 35. The Panthern Rupture; or, a Difpute between Elegance and Reafon, with their final Separation. To which are added, Pantheon Epifiles; or, the modern Art of polite Letter writing. I s. 6d. Rofon. 1772. 4to. Intended, we fuppofe, as a fatire on the new temple of Tafte in Oxford street, called the PANTHEON. Bishop Hall has divided his Virgidemiarum into two claffes of fatirical writing, viz. the biting fatire, and the toothless. The prefent harmless performance may be ranked under the latter denomination; as it feems unlikely to bite any one, except the bookfeller. Art. 36. Songs, comic and fatirical. By George Alexander Stevens. icmo. 3 s. fewed. Waller, &c. 1772. Stevens is the D'Urfey of the age; but he has outdone D'Urfey as much in the number of his fongs, as he has excelled him in the artidle of humour. Here is a large volume of thefe merry compofitions, all written by the comic pen of the celebrated Lecturer on Heads, &c. The occafion of their prefent appearance, in a collective body, is thus related by their Author: See an account of thefe fatires, and of the author, in the 7th ́ volume of our Review, p. 351. A paultry collection of fongs + having lately made its appearance, to which the publisher has, with uncommon effrontery, prefixed my name as the editor, and upon my difclaiming the impofition, has even had the affurance, in a public advertisement, to affert that he had my authority for fo doing;-although I have more veneration for the public, than either to trouble them, or load the daily papers with an altercation between a little country fhopkeeper and a ballad-maker, yet I once for all beg leave to ftate the real fact. About four years ago I exhibited my LECTURE at Whitehaven, and having occafion to ufe this man's fhop, he took the opportunity of fofliciting me to give him a few comic fongs," becaufe he had a mind to publish a volume to pleafe his cuftomers in the part of the country where he lived;" and at the fame time opening a fong book, thewed me feveral under my name, which he told me he purposed to print in his collection my reply was; Sir, there is not one of those printed as I wrote them; and Jome to which my name is affixed are really not mine."-" But, Sir, replied my chapman, will you pleafe to give yourself the trouble to mark fuch of them as are yours?"Why really, Sir, I am ashamed of them."-" Lord, Sir, they'll do very well here; pray, Sir, take the book home, and be fo obliging as to mark them for me.-And, if it would not give Mr. Stevens too much trouble, I fhould be greatly obliged if he would just put a mark upon any other fongs in the book that he thinks worth printing." This was done, and the volume returned the next day. From hence I could not imagine he would do more than infert my name to the fongs I had owned; and I folemnly declare he had to authority from me to ufe it otherwife.-What I did was a meer act of common civility;-1 had not then, nor have I fince had any connections with the man; and upon this ground alone he has had the modefty to charge me with a breach of promife by my difavowal.This, among other reasons, has induced me to publifh my own fongs, which I now claim as property, and have entered in the hall books of the Stationers Company.' This anecdote of the Whitehaven bookfeller, reminds us of a fimilar ftory, of a scheme laid by the famous Edmund Curl, for obtaining the Bishop of London's Imprimatur to a new edition of Rochefter's poems. The particulars are well known. NOVEL S. Art. 37. The Involuntary Inconftant; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Frankfort. By the Editor of the Fatal Compliance. 12mo. 2 Vols. s. fewed. Jones. 1772. There are fcenes of diflrefs in thefe volumes, but they fail to affect the heart: we cannot fympathize with what is extravagant, and out of the order of nature. st. Art. 38. The Precipitate Choice; or, the Hiftcry of Lord Affory. and Mifs Rivers. By a Lady. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Jones. 1772. A variety of incidents, fancied without propriety, and expreffed. without elegance, cannot furnish entertainment to a mind, in the Entitled The Choice Spirit's Chaplet. 12mo. 3 s. Hawes, &c. fmalleft St. st. (mallest degree cultivated by ftudy or reflection. We should pity thofe readers to whom this production prefents any thing interesting. Art. 39. The Tripph of Benevolence; or, the History of Francis Wills. 12mo. & Vols. s., fewed, Vernor, &c. 1773. In thele volumes there is fome knowledge of life, with a confiderable portion of humour, tendereefs, and fentiment, Art. 40. The Fine Lady; a Novel. By the Author of Mifs Melmath. 12mo. a Vals, s. fewed, Lowndes. 1772. . The vivacity of this novel gives it a degree of intereft with the reader, which the Author has agreeably heightened, by the art with which the Bory unfolds itfeii. St. Art. 41. The Memoirs of Miifs (F'illiams: A History founded on Facts. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Johnfon. 1772. st. We have here the reveries of a pious and well' difpofed, but weak religionit. Art. 42. Mimes of Francis Dillon, Eft. In a Series of Letters written by himself. 12mo. 2 Vois. 6s. Hookham, &c. 1778. The details in this performance are molt infufferably tedious, and are mixed with a vulgarity which is difgafting in the highest degree. LA St. W. Art. 43. A New Law Dictionary; containing the Interpretation and Definition of Words and Terms used in the Law; alfg the Law and Practice, under the proper Heads and Titles. Together with fuch Learning as explains the History and Antiquity of the Law; our Manners, Cultoms, and original Government. The ninth Edition. With great Additions and Improvements, from the lateft Reports and Statutes, to this Time. Also many new Titles, not in any other Work of the Kind. Originally compiled by Giles Jacob. Now corrected and greatly enlarged by Owen Ruffhead and J. Morgan, Efquires. Folio. 21. 2s. Beecroft, &c. 1773. The reputation of Jacob's Dictionary precludes the neceflity of our faying any thing with regard to its utility; but our aw-readers will be glad to learn that a new impreffion of this work, which has long been wanted, is at length published, with fuch very confiderable adı ditions and improvements, thaty as the Editors profefs, the prefent book contains 257 pages more than any former edition.' DRAMATIC. Art. 44. An Hour before Marriage; a Farce of two Acts. As it was attempted to be acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. 8vo. 1 s. Johnston. 1772. A prefixed advertisement informs us that Moliere's Marriage Forci has furnished not only the general defign of this piece, but the fabftance of two or three entire scenes; that as much of the excellent original has been preferved, as the adapting of the fubject to English manners would permit; and that little more has been added, than was neceffary to the conftruction of a fable, that of the French duction being fo naked as hardly to deferve the name, pro We learn, alfo, that the Author is a gentleman of Dublin; and that this petite piece is a firft attempt. We are here, likewife, in A a 3 formed Je formed of its ill fuccefs on the first night of its appearance on Co. vent Garden theatre. This Farce, however, is not ill written; nor deftitute of either humour or character. It has afforded us entertainment in the perufal; but as we were not prefent when, as the title-page expresses it, it was attempted to be acted,' we cannot pretend to affign the grounds of diflike on which it was rejected by the audience. Perhaps its miffortune was owing to fome deficiency in refpect of that artificial contrivance which feems neceffary to make a play act well, as the phrafe is. If fo, a more intimate acquaintance with the theatre, if the Author chufes to cultivate this pleating and lucrative branch of writing, will, probably, enable him to guard against any defect of this kind in his future productions. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 45. Reflections on Celibacy and Marriage. In four Letters to a Friend; in which the Advantages and Difadvantages of the two States are compared. 8vo. 1 s. 6 d. Hawes and Co. 1771. Thefe four letters recite fome ferious yet cheerful converfations fuppofed to have paffed at a weekly club, on the fubjects mentioned in the title. The rules of this little fociety are here exhibited, and the reafonings on each fide of the fubject in queftion delivered with a degree of fpirit, good humour, and good fenfe. We will particularly recommend this little pamphlet to the perufal of the batchelors, hoping that it may be a means of quickening them to enter into the matrimonial engagement: by which, if conducted with tolerable prudence and good fenfe, they are fo likely to advance their own peace and happiness, as well as contribute to the welfare of fociety. In one of the letters the Writer fpeaks of the reiterated accounts of conjugal infidelity in England, with which the papers have been fo much taken up for a twelvemonth paft; and which, it is faid, I here with propriety, mention, as from thence, with much feeming pleafure, libertines take frequent opportunities of inveighing against marriage. About half a dozen women have, within the year, in all England, been unfaithful to the marriage bed; at least they have been charged with infidelity--every fober mind regrets it—but what are half a dozen to the thousands and ten thousands of good and virtuous women in England, who fteadily walk in the paths of virtue-Shall we, for the fuppofed crime of a few illuftrious offenders, think hardly of the whole women in a great and populous nation?— Above three times that number of men are every year hanged in England for theft and robbery--as well may we fuppofe all the people of England to be thieves and robbers. Illiberal prejudice may think, unjudging calumny may fay, that thoufands are equally guilty-Who are thefe who blush not from a few detached facts, to draw fuch wide, fuch invidious conclufions ?-Even they who fecretly rejoice in the prevalence of vice; even they who wish the fences of chastity thrown down-Let us give up thefe unfortunate deferters from virtus and honour to the bitter reproaches of their own heart-let us, with a generous pity, regard thofe families they have dishonoured-but let us not involve in their guilt thoufands who never heard of their crime, and ten thousands who detest it.' The |