This publication belongs to the clafs of hiftorical novels; a species of writing against which we have repeatedly stated objections that appear to us unfurmountable, arifing from its tendency to lodge in the memory of the young reader a confuled mafs of facts and fictions. The author, whofe name, Anne Maria Mackenzie, is announced at the clofe of the preface, is of a different opinion, and maintains that this kind of tale holds the proper mean between the extravagance of the antient romance, and the infipidity, or the improbability, of the modern novel. She urges in its favour its tendency to restrain the writer's imagination from that unbounded licence, which creates a fucceffion of horrible images, and real or fuppofed preternatural appearances. Thefe he has purpofely avoided in this ftory: but, at the fame time, fhe has very fuccefs fully combined a series of perplexing and myfterious events, which are in the iffue happily difentangled and elucidated. The story is laid in the reign of Edward II. The hero of the tale is Raymond, an adopted fon of De Spencer, one of the king's favourites, but afterwards difcovered to be the real fon of the king, by a clandeftine marriage with Lady Lancafter : the heroine is Ella, the daughter of Earl Fitzroy, who has fallen a facrifice to Mortimer's revenge. The story of their loves is interwoven with many circumitances borrowed from real hiftory, or eafily connected with it. The cruel fate of the wretched Edward at Berkley Castle is pathetically defcribed: the characters of Mortimer and Ifabella are introduced in a manner very confiftent with hiftorical truth; and the ftory is diverfified by pleafing defcription, and told in correct language.

Art. 39. Elifa Powell; or, Trials of Senfibility: a Series of original Letters collected by a Welth Curate. 2 Vols. 12mo. 75. Boards, Robinfons. 1795.

As a pathetic tale, this is a performance of confiderable merit. The fituation and incidents are uncommonly interefting, and are well contrived to leave on the mind of the reader a ftrong impreffion of the folly of concealment, and the fatal confequence of yielding the reins to paffion. In the former part of the flory, feveral characters are introduced, which fhew the writer to be very capable of a lively and humorous defcription of manners: but, as foon the reader is introduced to Elifa Powell, he ceafes to fmile, and exchanges gay amusement for tender fympathy. In the principal hero is exhibited a highly wrought pattern of generofity and benevolence. The writer diverfifies his ftyle according to his characters with confiderable command of language; and, from a pleafing Address to Summer, introduced in the courfe of the narrative, he appears to be tolerably fkilled in the art of verfification.

Art. 40. Count St. Blancard; or, the Prejudiced Judge. By Mrs. Meek. 3 Vols. 12mo. 9s. fewed. Lane.

This work is avowedly a tranflation from the French. It is probably the labour of fome induftrious emigrée; as the French idiom predominates, and fome errors of the prefs are difcoverable. The story is well chofen, and is divested of the immorality, party, and levity, which are too frequently found in the lighter productions of French writers.

-To

-To thofe who feek amufement in tracing the former manners of France, we may recommend this little work. It may divert a folitary hour, without endangering youth or difgufting age,

Art. 41. The Traditions, a Legendary Tale. Written by a Young Lady. 12mo. 2 Vols. 75. fewed. Lane. 1795.

From an advertisement prefixed to this novel, and from an uncommonly numerous lift of subscribers, under whose patronage it makes its appearance, we are led to confider it as an offering of benevolence to diftrefs. It appears to have been written by a young lady, probably of fome diftinction, certainly of fome talents, to serve one of thofe unhappy foreigners whom the convulfion of the times has thrown into this country. The piece is of the romantic caft, and is more adapted to raife aftonishment and terror than to excite pity. The language is correct, and the story is of good moral tendency. The principal fault of the work is that it gives too much encouragement to fuperftition, by connecting events with preceding predictions, and by vifionary appearances, for which the reader is not enabled to account from natural caufes.

Art. 42. The Abbey of Saint Afaph. By the Author of Madeline, or the Caftle of Montgomery. 3 Vols. 12mo. 9s. fewed. Lane. 1795. Although in a novel it is certainly not unreasonable to expect novelty, nothing is more rare than to find it. The hackneyed tale of a young man of rank falling in love with a fair damfel of unknown birth and no fortune, who, after a series of adventures, is discovered to be of high defcent and heiress to a large eftate, and rewards the patient fidelity of her difinterefted admirer, is the ground-work of this novel. With this story is interwoven another, not lefs hackneyed, of a concealed marriage, an abandoned wife, a ruined and repentant hufband, and a happy re-union. Thefe mingled tales are interwoven with a fufficient variety of fubordinate incidents to render the whole tolerably amusing; and fome good moral reflections are interfperfed. Had the author been contented with relating the rife, progrefs, obftru&tion, and completion of thefe tender attachments, we should have pronounced the novel on the whole a pleafing performance: but he has thought it neceffary, in compliance with the prefent rage for the terrible, to conduct the reader into a horrid cavern, (where the father of the heroine has been fhut up for the unmerciful term of nineteen years,) and there to terrify him with a fiery spectre emitting from its gaping jaw fulphureous flames, and fending forth horrid fcreams, and with a moving and fhrieking fkeleton,-only that he may afterwards have the pleasure of finding that he had no occafion to be frightened, the fpe&re being only a man, its infernal flames nothing more than a preparation of photphorus, and the inhabitant of the fkeleton not a ghost but a rat. The grofs improbability and ludicrous abfurdity of this part of the work are fufficient to annihilate the small portion of merit, which might otherwise have been afcribed to this performance.

Art. 43. The Caftle of Ollada. A Romance. fewed. Lane. 1795.

12mo. z Vols. Gs.

This performance is very properly entitled a Romance. The writer appears to have a fancy plentifully stored, from former romances,

with

The

with images of love and terror, and a memory not ill furnished with the terms and phrafes which belong to the school of fiction. ftory, which is laid in Spain, tells of a beauteous damfel, the daughter of a haughty and cruel baron, whofe charms enamour Henrico, a peafant of myfterious defcent. Their moonlight interviews within a friendly grove; the hero's encounter, in a well-defcribed tournament, with a wealthy duke to whom his mistress had been devoted; with fundry mifcellaneous escapes and refcues; are in the true style of romance. Some of the inferior characters are well sketched, particularly that of the fimple, credulous, prating Villetta, Matilda's waiting-woman. Had the writer confined himfelf to his love-tale, and opened it more at large by a fuller difplay of scenery, fentiment, and character, the performance would have been more complete: but, in order to gratify the fashionable tafte, he has introduced a ftory of a caftle fuppofed to be haunted by ghofts, but at length difcovered to be inhabited by a fet of coiners; which will, we apprehend, afford the reader little amufement. We must add that the occupation of these coiners is reprefented in too favourable a light. The introduction of these incidents has increased the intricacy of the general ftory, and has obliged the writer to spend a great part of the fecond volume in explaining myfteries, which after all are not very clearly unfolded, when he ought to have been interefting the feelings of his readers in the fortune of his principal characters. The language is in general correct but fometimes, in attempting to elevate his ftyle, the writer falls into affected statelinefs; for example, when he speaks of a horfeman conceding half his beaft' to another perfon. The pointing is frequently inaccurate; in the very first fentence of the book, the fenfe is concealed by a wrong ufe of the parenthesis. We mention these trifles becaufe, notwithstanding the defects of this performance, we difcern in it promifing marks of ingenuity.

THEOLOGY, &c.

Art. 44. A Differtation on the Infpiration of the New Teftament, as proved from the Facts recorded in the Hiftorical Books of it. To. which is added, a Sketch of the Arguments, by which the Infpiration of the Old Testament may be proved in the eafieft Method. By P Doddridge, D. D. 12mo. PP. 79. 1s. 6d. Longman.

1793.

The differtation here re-publifhed originally made its appearance as an appendix to the third volume of that popular, and in many refpects valuable, work, Dr. Doddridge's Family Expofitor; and we understand that it was never before feparately published. Whatever opinion may at prefent be prevalent concerning the infpiration of the books of fcripture, a work intended to establish this point, from the pen of Dr. Doddridge, may well merit,a republication. The editor's declared intention, in (at prefent) bringing forwards this work to the public, is to obviate the objections which have lately been made against the infpiration of the New Teftament; which, he is of opinion, it does in fo effectual a manner, as to fuperfede a particular reply to fome late publications in favour of focinianifm.

Art. 45. Sermons fur les Circonftances préfentes, &c. i. e. Sermons on prefent Circumftances, delivered in the French Church in

Threadneedle

Threadneedle Street, London. By Louis Mercier, one of the Minifters of that Church. 8vo. pp. 209. 3s. 6d. fewed. Cadell jun. and Davies. 1795.

The old French fchool of preaching, now perhaps almost extinct, had its points of excellence. Among thefe the principal was, that it made fermons direct and animated addreffes, rather than cool didactic effays. Is it not poffible to retain this excellence, and, at the fame time, to difmifs the cant of mysticiẩm, and to prune the luxuriance of puerile declamation? The fermons here prefented to the public furnish a proof, in experiment, that this may be done. M. Mercier treats fubjects, in themselves univerfally interefting, in a most interesting manner; and, in his difcourfes, we fee a handfome structure of eloquence erected on the firm bafis of good fenfe. The political events of the present times are more fparingly introduced than, from the title, the reader might be led to expect; and when any allufion is made to them, it is with much temper and moderation. The leading defign of the work is to inculcate a regard to the univerfal principles of religion and morals; and it enforces them with a degree of energy and pathos which entitles the author to the refpectable appellation of a Chriflian orator. The fermons are fix in number.

From thefe fpecimens of M. Mercier's pulpit eloquence, we are led to hope that he will meet with fufficient encouragement from the public, to induce him to execute his defign of printing another vo lume of fermons on various fubjects.

Art. 46. The Padobaptift Mcde of adminiftering the Baptifmal Ordinance defended. By William Miller. 8vo. pp. 140. 2s. 6d. Matthews. 1794.

This pamphlet is a continuation of the author's juftification of pæ dobaptifm, entitled "Catholic baptifm examined;" fee Rev. New Series, vol. xv. p. 346. Mr. Miller takes much pains to afcertain the meaning of the term baptize, and to fhew that, in the performance of this rite, the immerfion of the fubject is not required; and that the injunction prefcribes the application of water to the fubject rather than of the fubject to the water. We cannot perfuade ourselves that the question can merit, nor that it requires, the attention which has been bestowed on it: but thofe who deem otherwife will thank Mr. M. for the affiftance which he has given them in fettling their judg ment on the fubject.

Art. 47. Sermons on Practical and Important Subjects. By the late Rev. W. F. Jackson, tried and convicted for High Treafon in Dublin, April 23, 1795. 8vo. pp. 239. 4s. fewed. Evans.

The peculiar circumftances attending the latter part of the life of Mr. Jackson, and the unfortunate manner in which his existence was terminated, may poffibly attract fome portion of public curiofity towards thefe fermons. We do not, however, find them poffeffed of fo much intrinfic merit, as to be likely to occafion their being much read and admired. They are written, it is true, with a confiderable degree of animation, and bear fome marks of defaltory reading: but the compofition is loofe and immethodical, the style flashy and puerile, and the fentiments are trite and fuperficial. One thing, however, we mult fay in favour of the fermons; that, whatever eccen

9

tricity

tricity there might be in the author's political creed, in theology he was fufficiently orthodox.

Art. 48. The Miffionary; a Poem. To which are fubjoined Hints on the Propagation of the Gofpel at Home and Abroad. Respectfully infcribed to the New Miffionary Societies. 12mo. is. Button, &c. 1795.

This author ftrongly pleads for a revival of our zeal for promoting the good work of Evangelizing the heathen; and he offers many pious confiderations in fupport of the truly Chriftian defign of multiplying the converts to our holy religion, in every part of the habitable globe, where the harvest is plentiful, but the reapers are few. In the POEM prefixed to the HINTS ON MISSIONS, the amiable character and exalted merit of the pious and intrepid miffionary is highly drawn: but, we are forry to add, the poetry is by no means equal to the height of this great argument," as Milton expreffes himself in his fublime exordium to PARADISE LOST.

Art. 49. Chriftian Knowledge, in a Series of Theological Extracts and Abridgments; affectionately addreffed to Philofophical Deifts, Socinians, Chriftians, and Jews. By a Lover of true Philofophy. Volume the Firft. 8vo. pp. 400. 6s. Boards. Cadell jun.

and Davies.

1795

The extracts in defence of religion, contained in this volume, are chiefly made from three works long ago published: the firft, a learned introduction to a book entitled Hora Solitaria, in which the belief of a Trinity in the divine nature is fhewn to have prevailed in various nations from the most remote period; the second, Dr. Scott's Chriftian Life, whence paffages are selected on the divinity of Christ, his redemption, the folly of atheism, and the proofs of divine providence ; the third, Stackhoufe's Hiftory of the Bible; the extracts from which are on the nature of Chrift, his fufferings, the inftitution of facrifices, and the prophecies of the Meffiah. The paffages from Dr. Scott are abridged, and feveral original notes are added.

Though the prefent is given as a firft volume, the editor intimates that it does not fuit him to exceed the limits here prescribed to his little work: but he refers to other writers on his fubjects, particularly Burkitt, Whitby, Doddridge, Bishop Newton, Heylin, Bryant, Addifon, Weft, and Beattie. The Editor's intention is laudable: but we have our doubts whether these extracts will engage the attention of many readers, who are not already inclined to ftudy the subjects in the original authors; and to fuch as are, abridgments of this kind are of little ufe.

Art. 50. Six Sermons preached before the Right Hon. Paul le Mefurier, Lord Mayor of the City of London. By George Stepney Townley, M. A. Chaplain to his Lordship, &c. 8vo. pp. 110. 3s. Boards. Rivingtons. 1794..

The leading character and fpirit of these fermons are political. The principal object of the preacher appears to have been to arm the minds of his fellow citizens against the attacks of modern philosophy, and to ftrengthen their attachment to the English Conftitution in Church and State. The doctrine of equality is combated with more zeal than

7

ought