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Thus it fares with our hopes; when love fills the heart,
In fun-fhine they rife, and in clouds ftill depart;
But Venus herself never fhines in her fphere,

Till that mourner the night bathes her cheek with a tear.
NOVEL S.

Art. 35. The Life of Mrs. Jufman. 2 vols. 12mo.
Lewis. 1782.

654

The Author, we underfland, complains of the negligence of the printer, and we think with reafon; for we have feldom feen any thing fo mangled and mutilated. Seventy-five pages of the original MS, have, we find, been burnt by fome accident! But on this occafion, inhead of offering our condolence, we prefent our congratulations both to the Author and the Reader. For our parts we felt the obligation in a very high degree; and as for the Author, he hath various reafons to confole himfeif with whenever he thinks of it. If the critical reader fhould complain (as probably he will, should such a reader ever condefcend to perufe thefe volumes) of the improbability of the flory, he may expect to hear of the fatal fire. If he should find fault with the abfurd, incoherent, and contradictory political reasoning with which thefe volumes abound, the progrefs of his criticifm will be stopped by the fame fire. It is by the lucky intervention of this element, that the Author is fo admirably excufed from making it appear credible or probable that a man could court the fame lady three times have two children by her at different intervals and in different characters, and yet not know her to be the fame perfon! The principal fufferers by the fire feem to be the late minillers; for our Author wished to make them appear pure and unblameable: but alas! the fire burnt all up like " bay and fubble ;" and thefe ministersbut SEPULCHRES are facred; and we have too much delicacy to difTarb the ASHES of the DEAD! Art. 35. An Interesting Sketch of Genteel Life: By a Lady. 3 vols. 12mo. 6s. fewed. Law. 1782.

This interefting Sketch' is one of the moft tedious and uninterefing things imaginable: unlefs (as in this fair lady's estimation!) love and marriage fhould be deemed the only ends of our existence. The ladies are all beautiful and accomplished; the men (one indeed excepted) are deferving of their charms; and after a few changes and chances they are united-" with every qualification neceffary to make the marriage flate happy !"-We will not be fo ungrateful as to moleft their repoie, fince they have fo effectually contributed to ours! Art. 37. The Fortunate Sifters; or the History of Fanny and Sophia Bemont. 12mo. 2 vols. 65. Noble. 1782. The hacknied cant of a novel-writer by profeffion! Art. 38. Friendship and Matrimony; or the Hiftory of Emilia and Henry of Lord and Lady P -, and of Frederick and Fanny. Now first published, from the feveral Originals as found among the Papers of the late Henry Manfel. Efq. With an occafional Preface, &c. 12mo. 2 vols. 68. Noble. 1782. The preface informs us that the editor received thefe papers as a reward of his great morit as a conjurer! We should not have guefied

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at the editor's or author's poffefing fuch merit, if we had not been. informed of it by fuch authority.

However, it is fit to apprize the reader, that the idea of conjuration Only entered into the heads of two country bumpkins, who, we doubt not, were fools enough to fuppofe that even the parfon of the parish was a conjurer too!-Oh! rare Dick, and Colin Clout!

Art. 39. Genuine Anecdotes of Sir Richard Eafy and Lady Wagtail. 25. Cd. Goadby."

12mo.

An obfcene and most wretched catchpenny, written from principles which must excite the deteftation of all men of goodness, and in a manner which must provoke the contempt of all men of fenfe. MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 40. A New, Complete, and Univerfal Roman Hiftory, from the earliest authentic Accounts of that great Empire to the De fruction of Rome by the Goths and Vandals under Auguftulus; and the taking of Conftantinople by the Saracens and Turks, in the Reign of Conftantine Palæologus. Containing a genuine and circumftantial Account of all the remarkable Events and fingular Occurrences, during a Period of above Two thoufand Years. In which the Political Cuftoms and Ufage of the Romans are particularly attended to, and the various Modes of Government In Five Parts. which were adopted by them to preferve the State. Including new Remarks on the Rife and Progrefs of the Empire; on its Decline and Fall in the Weft after the Death of Conftantine the Great, and on the Events which haftened its utter Ruin Together with a complete Table in the Eaft at a later Period. Illuftrated with Notes, and interof the Kings and Emperors. fperfed with Reflexions, applicable to the Government of all civilized States, and particularly adapted to the Genius of a free The whole People; being abfolutely neceffary to be perused by all true Friends to the British Conftitution at this Time. carefully digested in regular Order, and collected from the beft Authorities. By William Henry Melmoth, Efq; Editor of the 12mo. 3s. Hogg. 1781. new Univerfal Story Teller.

All this in 378 duodecimo pages! 'Tis impoffible. When will the race of quacks be extinct?-When the flock of human cullibility is exhausted, and men have learned to use their common fenfe in rejecting what lies beyond the limits of poffibility. Till then, ye quack-divines, doctors, authors and bookfellers-labour with all your might, for the harvest is plenteous!

Art. 41. A View of Society and Manners in High and Lew Life:
Being the Adventures in Eugland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
In which is comprized a Hiftory
France, &c. of Mr. G. Parker.
2 vol. 6s. fewed. Whieldon.
of the Stage Itinerant.

1781.

12mo.

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The Author feems to have given us his real hiftory, and it is not He appears to have borrowed nothing but an unentertaining one. the general title of his book, for which he ftands indebted to the ingenious Dr. Moore; but he fhould not have promised us a view of Society and Manners in HIGH LIFE, as we have fcarce a peep be yond the limits of the lower sphere. Mr. Parker is however a lively writer, poffeffed of confiderable natural talents, by the aid of which

he

he contrives to intereft us in the perufal of his adventures, in the ea. pacity firft of a Strolling Player, and afterwards in that of an Itinerant Leaurer, on a plan fimilar to that of the celebrated George Alexander Stevens. Among other amuling particulars, he has given perhaps the most complete account of the various arts and tricks practifed by she multifarious tribe of fwindlers, fharpers, and cheats, for which the prefent age and nation, we had almost faid, is become infamous, This part of Mr. Parker's work may really prove ferviceable to the Public.

Art. 42. Literary Amusements; or Evening Entertainer. By a Female Hand. 12mo. z vols. 6s. Noble. 1782. Amufements for the illiterate !

NATURAL HISTORY.

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Art. 43. Supplement to the CAMPI PHLEGREI: Being an Account of the great Eruption of Mount Vefuvius, in August 1779. Communicated to the Royal Society of London by Sir William Hamilton, K. B. F. R. S. his Britannic Majefty's Envoy Extraordimary and Plenipotentiary at the Court of Naples. Folo. 21. 125. 6d. Boards. Naples, printed in 1779, and fold by Cadell in London.

Of Sir William Hamilton's moft fplendid and curious work, the CAMPI PHLEGREI, we gave an account in the 56th volume of our Review, p. 380. The narrative part of this Supplement was printed in the first part of the Philofophical Transactions for 1780; and an abftract of it appeared in our Review for April 1781; but our limits allowed us to mention very few of the phænomena, nor could we make Joom for any confiderable part of the Author's highly entertaining defcription; the whole of which we have, with inexpreffible fatisfaction, reperufed, in the prefent very fine edition.-Sir William has here added a French tranflation of the letter-prefs part of his work, which is printed in opposite columns; and the whole is beautifully illuf trated by coloured prints from the drawings of M. Peter Fabris: both the drawings and illuminations being copied from nature, under the inspection of our very ingenious and indefatigable Author.

HORTICULTURE.

Art. 44. A Treatise on the Culture and Management of the Bear's Ear; or Auricula Urfi: With Directions for raising it from Seed. By a Florist. Small 12m0. I s. Wallis. 1782.

To thofe who find gratification in the healthful, innocent, and rational amufements of the flower-garden, and are fond of cultivating one of its most beautiful ornaments, we recommend this little treatife, which contains every thing neceffary to be known upon the fubject, either by the fimple gardener, or the candidate for the first hopours at a florill's feat.

SCHOOL-BOOK. Art. 45. Profody made eafy. By the Rev. William Nixon, A. B. Jately Principal of the Dublin Academy; and now ap

Mr. Parker gives the following derivation of this term: It is derived from the German, in which language Schwindel fignifies to cheat. This is, indeed, one acceptation of the German word.

pointed

pointed Mafter of the Endowed School of Youghal, by his Grace the Duke of Devonshire. 8vo. 25. Cork printed, and fold by Buckland in London. 1781.

An acquaintance with the rules of profody is effential to accuracy in the pronunciation of the Latin language. The practice of verfification facilitates fo neceffary an acquifition; and, as far as our knowledge extends, is established in all the greater fchools, and at the Universities, where the claflics are ftudied on an elegant footing; though we have been informed that it is neglected by the generality of the Diffenting tutors :- hence it is, that we feldom meet with a Diffenting minister who can read five lines of profe or verfe without fome mistake in the pronunciation. We do not fay this to charge them with ignorance, but to awaken their industry.

Every attempt to facilitate this elegant art (without which the great beauties of Latin poetry will be loft) deferves commendation. In this view Mr. Nixon is entitled to the public regard for the pains be hath taken in unfolding the principles, and illustrating, by claffic examples, the various measures of Latin verfification; and the most eafy and certain methods of fcanning, in particular, the beautiful Odes of Horace. But while we pay our Author this general compliment for his diligence and ingenuity, we cannot avoid pointing out a very flagrant error in grammar, which we are furprised fhould have escaped his eye, or the eye of those learned fchool-malters who have affixed their names to it by way of recommendation.

In Rale 9th, App. [Vid. page 15.] the Author fays- Virgil lengthens federe:-and then produces the following line from the Roman poet to illuftrate his remark:

"Sub terræ foderē larem penitufque repertæ."

Doth Mr. Nixon suppose fodere to be the infinitive mood of the verb ? If he doth, he is egregiously mistaken. It is the third perfon plural, preterperfect teafe, indicative mood. It is wrong to make re in fodere and la in laren to be long. The two first fyllables of fodere he makes fhort; whereas, in the perfect tenfe they are always long. Mr. Nixon very properly makes la in laris [Rule 15. 4. page 18.] to be fhort; and yet, in App. I. p. 19, he fays-Virgil lengthens

lärem.'

The above line, by Mr. Nixon's leave, fhould be thus fcanned: Sab terra fő | dêre lă | rem pěni | tufque rě | pertæ. On the whole, we think this little treatife to be a very useful manual to the ftudent of the Latin claffics; and we very cordially join Our recommendation to that of Mr. Rider and Mr. Paterson t. Art. 46. A Practical Grammar of the French Language, by N. Wanoftrocht. The Second Edition, with Additions and Improve ments, by the Author. 12mo. 3 s. Johnfon. 1782.

Having already expreffed our approbation of this Grammar, we now only mention it to inform our Readers, that it appears in this edition with confiderable improvements.

• Sur-master of St. Paul's School.

+ Late Master of Mason's Yard Academy, and Author of the Latin verie tranflation of Pope's Windfor Forett, &c &c. &c.

RELIGIOUS.

RELIGIOUS.

Art. 47. The Study of the Scriptures recommended. An Attempt to illuftrate the Beauty of fome Parts of Scripture; particularly the Song of Mofes in the 32d Chapter of Deuteronomy, and the Epifle of St. Paul to Philemon. With an Endeavour to vindicate that Paffage in the 9th Chapter of Romans, where the Apoftle fays, "He could with himself accurfed from Chrift for his Brethren." To which is added a fhort moral Effay. By Crito. 8vo. 2 s. Coventry printed. London, fold by Rivington.

This pamphlet is written, to ufe the Author's own words in his odd preface, in an unconnected and digressory manner. When he 'fubmits it with all its faults to the candour of the good-natured,' be adds a promise (as fome amends for what might not be approved), of a little moral effay at the end, that fhall afford both profit and pleafure; this moral effay, he fays, is not my compofition (as the reader will eafily perceive), but what I accidentally met with.' After all this, when we come towards the end, we find the moral effay, from which fuch high expectations were to be formed, wholly omitted; and the Author farther tells us that a learned friend informs him, that this, which he intended as a principal ornament of his publication, has been before printed. His tract on the Song of Mofes prefents us with feveral obfervations from different writers, particularly from Dr. Smith's Longinus. Dr. Fordyce comes in for very high praifes, for this Author fays, he took the hint of his prefent attempt from a fermon which he heard the Doctor deliver. The illuftration of St. Paul's Epiftle to Philemon contains remarks which have been often made on that beautiful compofition. In confidering that particular paffage in the Epistle to the Romans, as mentioned in the title page, our Author oppofes an interpretation offered fome time ago by Dr. Bandinel, and endeavours to eftablish what has been more generally received. We are at a loss to conjecture what should have induced this writer to publifh his lucubrations; but, no doubt, he had his motives. He wanders often from his immediate fubject, but he properly recommends the study of the Scriptures, and fpeaks very juftly of their excellence. Art. 48. A Letter to the Clergy of the Church of England. 8vo. I ŝ. Baldwin. 1781.

Something-but we hardly know what-about fetaries, heretics, infidels-defigns to undermine the Church by maligning its minifters, feducing its partizans, diffolving the tics of fubordination and fellowship which connect them: dangers arifing from the abuíes of religious freedom; the neceffity of a firm union among the clergy, who are to repel all attacks on their office and character; who are to confider themselves, both feparately and collectively, as the guardians of the truth, and whofe office it is to prevent any violences being committed against it.

What thofe formidable attacks are, and how the enemy is to be repelled, is left to the Reader to find out-if he can!

⚫ Vide our Review, vol. LXIV. p. 97.

Art.

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