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blood-devoted banner-of a banner the emblem of mifery and deftruction, as one of the moft, grofs and daring infults which can be offered to the throne of Mercy and Omnipotence.

Mr. Wanfey has had feveral opponents, and he may have had feveral defenders; we know of but one. This gentleman, who ftyles himself "A friend to civil and religious liberty," has publifhed a pamphlet, entitled, Rights of Difcuffion, or a Vindication of Diffenters of every Denomination, with a Review of the Controversy, Sc. The ground which is here chofen is certainly tenable, but we cannot think that our author has taken every advantage which his position would allow. He has our hearty thanks, how ever, for vindicating, in the best manner he is able, THE RIGHTS OF DISCUSSION: there is nothing intolerant in affecting, that that man who is an enemy to thefe rights is a coward; he is afraid of difcuffion; he is afraid to meet his adverfary, and therefore he kulks into the dark receffes and the labyrinths of mystery.

A very ufeful compilation has lately been published at an eafy price, entitled, The Univerfal Reftoration, exhibited in a Series of Extracts from fome of the most remarkable Authors who have written in Defence of that interesting Subje&t. The authors, whose works are laid under contribution, are Winchefter, White, Seigs voik, Chauncy, Newton, and Petit,ierre.

Mr. BROWNE, late of Sidney College, Cambridge, has published an Elay on Univerfal Redemption, tending to prove that the general Senfe of Scripture favours the Opinion of the final Salvation of all Mankind. In this effay, which evinces much read ing and knowledge, Mr. Browne very juftly contends, that the English reader has been led into the idea of eternal punifhments by the tranflators of the Greek text, who have given to the word avios, in tranflating it everlasting, a more ex. tenfive meaning than it will bear.

Mr. MALHAM'S Infant Baptifm defended, &c. is a very loofe and unfatisfactory performance; the fubject has been difcuffed an hundred times before in a much more competent manner.

A fociety of Unitarian Chriftians, in the west of England, has printed, at its own expence, a little volume of Morning and Evening Prayers for the Ufe of Individuals, to which are added, Prayers on particular Subjects. These prayers are fimple and pious, but fimple and pious as they are, we are afraid they would hardly be be licenced

"By a lover of purity in religious worship," who has pub.ifhed a pamphlet, showing, The Divine Inflitution of David's Pfalms, and the Unlawfulness of ufing uninfpired Hymns in Divine WorShip!

Dr. MACLAINE has published an octavo volume of Discourses on various Subjets, delivered in the English Church at the Hague. They are fcarcely fubjects for criticilm: they preferve fuch an uniform mediocrity of style and fentiment, that there is nothing to praife: whether their inutility and inadequacy, even to amuse, is a fufficient ground for cenfure, we do not determine.

Mr. PRATT, whofe profpectus of a quarto polyglott bible we mentioned in a former Retrospect, has now altered his plan, and published the Profpectus for an octavo Polyglott. The material alterations which have taken place are, first, the reduction of the price from twelve guineas to feven pounds; fecondly, the Hebrew text is printed with an elegant type; and, thirdly, the accents are omitted in the Greek. Mr. P. in his appendix, complains of the treatment which his former profpectus received from the Bri tifh Critic, and repels their objections.

Dr. SMITH's Lectures on the Nature and End of the Sacred Office, &c. &c. are written with much piety and earnestness : the occafional introduction of allegory enlivens his difcourfes, and, on young minds, is likely to make the happieft impreflion. We are forry to fay that Dr. Smith has admitted into his work many Scotticisms, and inelegant expreffions.

Mr. ESTLIN, the very refpectable friend of the late Rev. David Jardine, of Bath, has published two pofthumous volumes of Sermons from the original manufcripts of that gentleman: they are fuch as would be expected from the pen of Mr. Jardine by those who knew his talents, and who knew his temper. The unitarian tenets of the author may make his pofthumous works lefs generally relifhed than if he had embraced a more fafhionable fyftem of theology: but it is impoffible that any one fhould read thefe difcourfes without being ftruck with their feioufnefs and folemnity, without admiring, and, it is to be hoped, imbibing the liberality and philanthropy which they breathe.

The author of Reflections upon the Clergy of the Established Church is a decided friend to the inftitution, and has taken the liberty, which ought to be allowed, not merely to every friend to the ecclefi

aftical

aftical establishment, but to its moft inveterate enemy-fas eft et ab bofte doceri to point out in it what he confiders to be an accidental abufe, or radically wrong. The author of this little work claffes his reflections under the following heads: The importance and policy of fuch a body as the clergy is in England; the dignified, largely beneficed, and unofficiating clergy; the laborious clergy. Under the firft head he defends the prefent unequal diftribution of church property; he confiders the whole of it, collectively taken, to be but a small allowance for the body at large; and if there were not several portions of preferment very confiderably larger than the reft, men of talents and ftudy would not facrifice their time in the facred fervice. Against the policy of this unequal diftribution of clerical preferment, however, the author has himself offered one of the most complete and convincing arguments that can poffibly be urged; for, under the fecond head, he complains that the dignified clergy are lukewarm! To be fure; they have at tained the object of their wishes, and are fatisfied let those be zealous who are ftill in the purfuit: from the poor curacy to the epifcopal chair, or even the prebendal ftall, is a long and laborious journey; the travellers are weary, and it is very natu ral that they should take reft and refreshment: fome of them, perhaps, fall asleep, and who can wonder at it?

A writer, who figns himself "An old friend and fervant of the church," has published A Letter to the Clergy of England, pointing out fome pupular Errors of bad Confequence. This good gentleman complains that times are very much altered for the worse : and, with his ideas on the subjects of religion and government, he may very well exclaim, in a tone of lamentation and despair, that there has been a strange revolution in men's minds, as well as in their fortunes.

Mr. GRAVES' Effay on the Character of the Apofiles and Evangelifts, contains the fubftances of several difcourfes delivered in the chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, of which this author is a junior fellow; the prefent effay, the object of which is to prove, that the apoftles and evangelifts were not enthusiasts, evinces much piety and candour.

Dr. VINCE'S Two Difcourfes, preachea before the University of Cambridge, in anfwer to Mr. Hume's objections against the truth of Christianity, have all that acute reafoning and weighty argument which

would be expected from him to thofe, who are still wavering in their belief, we recommend the perufal of thefe fer

mons.

The public is indebted to Mr. HENRY KETT for an excellent work on prophecies, in three octavo volumes; the great object of it is to afford a new interpreta tion of fome obfcure paffages in the Revelations, and to fhow that the career, which infidelity at prefent fo triumphantly purfues, is in obedience to the divine commands, and that, in due time, the deluded people, with fhame and contrition, will fee the error of their ways, and be brought, by the light of prophecy, to the pure doctrines of Chriftianity. The following is the title of the publication, Hiftory the Interpreter of Prophecy, or a View of Scriptural Prophecies, and their Accomplishment in the past and present Occurrences of the World, with Conjectures refpecting their future Completion, by Henry Kett, B. D. &c.·

Mr. WHITAKER's Family Sermons, as the title implies, are intended for the ufe of domestic affemblies: not holding the fame creed with this reverend author, we are better pleafed with his practical than his doctrinal difcourfes.

To Mr. MARSHALL's Sermons on Various Subje&ts is added an addrefs to the Deity, in the manner of Dr. Fordyce.

Mr. GRAVES's Sermons have the merit of mediocrity, fo far as concerns compofition, and the demerit of intolerance and mifreprefentation, either ignorant or wilful, when they touch upon the state of the nation with whom we are at war. Mr. Graves has not yet learned of his divine Mafter how to love his enemies.

A great number of dull declamatory difcourfes have been published on occafion of national thankfgiving for victory, confecration of colours, and other fubjects connected with military and naval a chievements: in compaffion to the authors, we fhall not perpetuate the remembrance of them. Faft fermons are also very many, and very monotonous.

BIOGRAPHY.

Mr. BANNANTINE has published Memoirs of Colonel Edward Marcus Defpard: Mr. B. was fecretary to this active and unfortunate officer, when he was superintendant at Honduras. From this circumftance of their connection, it is not wonderful that he should fpeak in terms of ftrong indignation concerning the myfterious and feemingly hard treatment which his friend has received from the govern

ment,

ment, which owes fo much to his fervices. Such treatment, as is here defcribed, excites feelings, to which an Englishman, with fhame be it fpoken! DARES not give

utterance.

Mr. PUGH has published the third edition, confiderably abridged, for the purpofe of reducing its price, and extending its circulation, of the Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of Jonas Hanway, Efq. As this is an instructive and amusing work, we are happy to fee this republication of it.

Mr. THOMAS COMBER has compiled from the original manufcripts of his great grand-father Dr. Comber, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of that dignitary. In this volume is a great deal of dull genealogic detail, which fcarcely any one out of the family will think himself interefted in perufing. The execution of this work is not entitled to very high encomium : but the author merits praife for the motive of his publication, namely, to hold up the character of an amiable, learned, and pious man as a model for imitation.

An interefting volume has been publifhed of the British Public Characters of 1798. The authors of thefe biographical fketches have been laudably diligent in their collection of authentic materials, and their publication is in no way contaminated with the violence of party-fpi

rit.

Mr. SEWARD, the compiler of Anec dotes of diftinguished Perfons, has lately published a fimilar compilation, entitled Biographiana. We do not feel much difpofed to felicitate the public on the number, which within these few years has encreased fo much, of anecdote-books; the fame ftories are repeated over and over again in fimilar, if not the fame, language. Many of the anecdotes which compofe thefe volumes (there are two), have been told before. It must be acknowledged, however, that Mr. Seward is above the ordinary clafs of compilers; for moft of his ftories are related with a degree of fpirit and vivacity, which keeps alive the attention, and affords entertainment to indolent and unfrequent readers.

Mr. ADOLPHUs has published two voTumes of Biographical Memoirs of the French Revolution in a ftrain of fuch decided and extravagant partiality, as to render him entitled to but very meagre credit. Among all the characters of whom Mr. A. has given the biography, there is not an individual whom he does not regard as utterly execrable, except the king

and his friends, who are described as fu pereminently virtuous. Manuel, who faved the king's life by the facrifice of his own, forms no exception; it is not wonderful, therefore, that Mr. PAINE's vote on the trial fhould procure for him no favor or respect. Far from it, very far from it: Mr. Paine is infulted in a manner grofs, vulgar, and contemptible; but fortunately in a manner fo grofs, fo vulgar, and fo contemptible, as to reflect difgrace only on the author. Thefe biographical memoirs, as they are called, will of courfe have a momentary circulation; but they will fink into merited contempt, and, if the author is fortunate, into speedy oblivion.

Mr. HICKMAN has published, in two large octavo volumes, Memoirs of the Life of Charles Macklin, Efq. principally compiled from his own Papers and Memorandums, &c. &c. The date of Mr. Macklin's nativity has been long the fubject of difpute; the veteran himself ufed to infift that he was born in the last year of the last century. This, one would think, was pretty good authority: it does not, however, fatisfy his biographer, who contends that he was a much older man; that, when he was thirty years old, having engaged himself in a company of ftrolling comedians, the greater part of whom were younger than himself, and better qualified in their profeffion, Mr. Macklin felt himself afhamed of his inferiority, and hefitated whether he fhould not give out that he was ten years younger than he actually was, for the purpose of palliating his inequality. A circumftance occurred during this hesitation which foon decided the bufinefs. The heroine of this company was a most beautiful girl of nineteen, and her charms were not loft upon Mr. M. who, feeling that the disparity of their years might be an impediment to their union, refolved at once upon an elifion of ten years from his life. Whether Mr. Macklin in his latter days really forgot this youthful manoeuvre, or whether he did not choose to acknowledge it, cannot now be decided. It will very properly be inquired what authority has Mr. Hickman to difpute the truth of Mr. M's. own statement relative to his age? Mr. H. brings forward no written documents, but relies on the oral evidence of the widow of Mr. Macklin, who is now alive, and who afferts, from the recorded teftimony of Mr. Macklin's mother and his nurse, that he was born about two months before the battle of the Boyne: this battle was fought

in June, 1689. William M'Laughlin, the father of old Shylock, who foftened the Irish patronymic into Macklin, commanded a troop of horfe in the army of James the Second on that memorable day: his fond wife partook the fortune of her hufband, and, with the infant in her arms, encountered the dangers of an engagement. The royal army was routed, and Charles was conveyed from the fcene of action in a turf-kib to a diftant part of the country, where he lived almoft without food for two days, in confequence of the abfence of his mother who nurfed him, but was affording confolation to her afflicted husband. Such is the ftory here told of Mr. Macklin's birth: if it be true, at the time of his death that veteran must have been above 107 years of age! and he must have acted on the ftage within feven years of his death. Thefe volumes which, as we before stated, were compiled chiefly from Mr. Macklin's own papers and memorandums, contain a fuccin&t hiftory of the ftage during a period of one hundred years; they contain his criticilms on Garrick, Quin, Foote, &c. &c. With fuch materials before him, a biographer must have been dull indeed not to have made his volumes entertaining: we are not difpofed to compliment Mr. Hickman very highly on the execution of his task: his style is very carelets and flovenly, and the reflections which he now and then makes are fuch as would come from a school-boy.

A biographical memoir has been tranflated from the German, entitled, The Confeffion of the celebrated Countess of Lichtenau, late Mrs. Rietz, now confined in the Fortress of Gloglau as a State Prifoner. Thefe confeffions are faid to be drawn from papers and memorandums found in poffeffion of the countefs at the time of her arreft now, as thefe confeffions relate the circumstances of her arrestation, it is indifputable that fome part of them muft have been written after that event. The countefs was the daughter of a trumpeter: herself and her fifter were brought up to the trade of proftitution by their own mother; they were both kept by the late king of Pruffia before he afcended the throne; and the fubject of the prefent biography preferved her unrivalled fway, after the period of his afcer-fion, to the day of his death. Her amorous intrigues, various and deep as they were, were, if

"A kind of basket placed on a car, and ufed principally for the purpose of conveying turf from the bogs to the habitations of the Irish." MONTHLY MAG. XLVII.

poffible, exceeded in variety and stratagem by her political machinations: the was known in every court of Europe, and the king was acceffible only through her means. On the death of his majefty the was immediately arrefted; and there is eve ry probability that he will be kept in confinement during the remainder of her days.

Mr. HUTCHINSON's Biographica Medica, &c. is a carelefs compilation from other dictionaries: he acknowledges himfelf to be under particular obligations to the authors of the General Biographical Dictionary: but who, from fo loofe and general acknowledgment, would conceive that he had taken nearly two hundred lives verbatim from that valuable work, particularly after having ftated, that in the execution of his own, "he has not recurred to dictionaries only, nor contented himself with fupplying the defects of one dictionary from another, and cutting off the redundances of all, &c. &c." There is fomething extremely difingenuous in fuch a measure as this is, and, we may add, extremely fimple; for it was abfolutely impoffible that the plunder of fo large a booty from the Biographical Dictionary should pass undetected and uncenfured.

CLASSICAL LITERATURE.

Mr. MORRIT has published a very learned and conclufive Vindication of Homer, and of the ancient Poets and Hiftorians who bave recorded the Siege of Troy; in Answer to two late Publications of Mr. Bry ant, with a Map and Plates. It is more than thirty years fince Mr. Bryant's differtation was written; and it is fince that time that M. Chevalier has made the celebrated discovery that the modern iffue of the Scamander is artificial; a difcovery which removes all the geographical diffi culties of the Iliad, and totally fubverts the bold hypothefis of Mr. Bryant. Mr. Morrit traced the difcovery of M. Chevalier on the spot, and, in common with many other English gentlemen, Mr. STOCKDALE, Mr. DALLAWAY, and Mr. BERNEY, gives pofitive evidence of its accuracy. Mr. Morrit has treated his adversary with all the candour and urbanity which are due to his deep learning and venerable age.

It is with pleafure we are enabled to announce the fourth and fifth volumes of Mr. CARR's tranflation of the Dialogues of Lucian; it is fo long a time fince the former volumes appeared, that we began almoft to defpair of feeing the work brought to a conclufion. Mr. Carr has, however, concluded his work, and with honour to himself his tranflation is free, 3 Y fometimes

:

fometimes even paraphraftic; and he has taken many liberties with the original which fome perfons may think not quite juftifiable but we prefume there are not many who will regret that fome of the low buffoonery and licentioufnefs of Lucian are omitted in this lively and fpirited tranflation.

Mr. McCARTNEY, minifter of Old Kilpatrick, has tranflated The Treatife of Cicero de Officiis with fidelity, but without much elegance: he has frequently illuftrated the text in his notes and obfer

vations in a manner fuitable to the capacities of young perfons.

It may be proper to mention that Meffrs. ROBINSONS have fplendidly republifhed, both in quarto and octavo, Brotier's accurate and valuable Edition of Tacitus.

PHILOLOGY AND CRITICISM.

A duodecimo volume has been publihed by fubfcription, entitled, The Structure of the English Language, exhibiting an eafy and familiar Meibod of acquiring a grammatical Knowledge of its conftituent Parts. A work of this kind is particularly ufeful to foreigners, and to them indeed it is principally addreffed. On the whole it will be confidered as a useful performance, although perhaps the method might have been made fomewhat more " eafy and familiar;" the typographical errors, which greatly perplex thofe for whom this work is intended, are utterly inexcufable.

L'Abbé TARDY, late M. A. in the univerfity of Paris, has published, in French and English, An explanatory pronouncing Dictionary of the French Language, wherein the exact Sound and Articulation of every Syllable are diftinctly marked according to Mr. Walker's Method. This work has every appearance of being likely to prove an ufeful affiftant to the ftudy of French: it seems to be executed with industry, ability, and accuracy.

Mr. OWEN has published the fourth part of his Welsh and English Dictionary. This laborious and ufeful work is now conducted to the end of the letter I.

Mr. SEYER, of Corpus Chrifti college, Oxford, has published a very ingenious differtation On the Syntax of the Latin Verb. He ftates in his advertisement, that this volume is only a fmall part of what is intended to be an entire grammar of the Latin language, which, if the profent fhould meet with approbation, he defigus to accomplish. We fincerely hope that he will not be difcouraged from the completion of his purpose.

We can fpeak in terms of the higheft approbation of The Latin Primer, by the

Rev. R. LYNE: this is one of the most fimple, eafy, and excellent introductions to the ftudy of the claffics that we know of: it is divided into three parts; the first containing rules for conftruction (which it has long been lamented are very infufficiently furnished in our fchool grammars) elegantly from the Latin poets: the fecond part affords rules of pofition, teaching the claffic way of writing Latin with regard to the arrangement of words according to the peculiar idioms and cuftoms of the Latin tongue the third part into which this very ufeful work is divided, contains a large and plain defcription of the Latin verfe, and of the many kinds of compofition in verfe, a fammary account of Terence's metres, and a more minute one of metra Horatiana. The prefent edition (the fecond) is revifed and enlarged by the author.

The title-page of Mr. CRABB's Com-. plete Introduction to the Knowledge of the German Language betrays a degree of confidence and felf-fuperiority which is very unbecoming: Mr. Crabb's grammar is refpectable, but far from being fo complete as he is willing we fhould imagine.

The Rev. Mr. TASKER has published a fecond edition of his Series of Letters to a profeffional Friend, examining the feveral Wounds and the Deaths mentioned in the Iliad, the Encid, and the Pharfalia of Lucan, and trying them by the Teft of Anatomy and Physiology. Mr. Tafker has executed this laborious undertaking with confiderable dexterity. The prefent work, however, is not confined to this fingle fubject: Mr. T. treats on a great variety of fubjects connected chiefly with criticifm and phyfiology.

NATURAL HISTORY AND
PHILOSOPHY.

We cannot more properly introduce this article than by noticing the publication of Tracts relating to Natural Hiftory, by the Prefident of the Linnæan Society: fome of these tracts have already been before the public, but they are now, for the first time, collected into a volume. The first article is a tranflation of Linnæus's preface to the Mufæum Adolphi Frederici, a work containing defcriptions of the various natural productions in the mufeum of the then king of Sweden: its date is 1754. The fecond article is as originally published in the first volume of the Linnæan Tranfac tions: it is a general outline of the progrefs of natural hiftory. Obfervations on the irritability of vegetables form the fubject of the third paper, which Dr. Smith read before the Royal Society in 1799.

The

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