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Part of the Platonic philofophy refpects the origin of evil. To account for the existence of those characters of imperfection called natural evil, by which the world is diftinguished, recourfe is had to the nature of matter; in creating which, we are told in general that, as the Deity formed fomething oppofite to his own nature, it must neceffarily be imperfect. In anfwer to the question wherein the imperfection of matter and the evils arifing from it confift? we are inftructed in the tendency which the parts of matter, originally disordered and agitated, have at all times to return to their original fluctuation, under the influence of a power that participates of this inquietude.' Moral evil is explained in this effay as proceeding from the union of matter and fpirit.-The general view of the fubject Dr. O. gives in the following words:

The globe therefore which we inhabit, as well as the planetary orbs, are habitations fitted for imperfect beings, who pass from one to another in a courfe of expiatory trials, whereby their natures acquire a likeness to that of Deity; and they find him the enjoyment of perfect felicity, as foon as this purpofe is accomplished. Evil therefore is confidered by Plato, as it was by his mafter Pythagoras, not as a principle but as an accident. It is a tranfient alienation from order and rectitude, occafioned partly by appetites of which matter is the parent, and partly by weakness and human imperfection. Goodnefs, on the contrary, is an effential perfection of God, which is included in our idea of his existence. Our bufinefs therefore in life is to gain a resemblance to the Divine Mind, by an imitation of his moral perfections; and to fly from this evil world, or to live apart from it as much as our nature and circumftances permit, by avoiding, to be misled by its allurements, or contaminated by its impurity.'

In noticing Plato's doctrine of the pre-existence of the foul, Dr. O. gravely tells the story of Er, the Armenian; remarking that many readers will find difficulty, perhaps, in discovering whether the Greek philofopher ought to be confidered as relating a fact or inventing an apologue. Now we conceive that no individual of common fenfe can have the least difficulty on this head for that Plato invented this fable to support an hypothefis is much more probable than the idea of his having received it by an actual revelation. The abfurd obfervations of the philofopher in his Phædon, with a view to prove that knowlege is no more than the remembrance of paft tranfactions, (OT ημιν η μαθησις εκ άλλο τι η ανάμνησις τυγχανεν εσα) his prefent admirer terms ingenious; and, in defcanting on his doctrine of the immortality of the foul, Dr. O. places a belief of a future ftate among axioms, or self-evident truths. If this be an axiom, how, we would afk, can it be faid that Chriftianity has brought immortality to light?

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In taking our leave of this effay, we must not pass over in filence the numerous errors in the Greek quotations, (e. g. yvwro Θεω for αγνώσω Θεω, Ρ. 92.) which may have poffibly been occafioned by the author's diftance from the prefs. To him we cannot with any propriety attribute them, as he appears to have bestowed fo much attention on his subject.

ART. X. Hiftorical Views of Devonshire; in Five Volumes. By Mr. Polwhele, of Polwhele, Cornwall. Vol. I. Large 8vo. pp. 214. 6s. Boards. Cadell jun. and Davies.

MR. Polwhele is already known to the world by produc

tions which have placed him in a refpectable and advantageous light:-his poetry, in particular, has proved him. to be a man of fenfibility and imagination. It might be thought that fuch a bias would difqualify him for the employment in which we here find him engaged: yet we may reasonably allow, that the quick obfervation and penetrating attention of the poet may be very useful in researches of this kind. lively genius, under due correction, and fraught with a requifite fhare of knowlege, may render inquiries, which in themfelves would be rather dry and infipid, both entertaining and inftructive.

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The hiftory of Devonshire, in three volumes folio, the public are now expecting +: but the author has met with confiderable difcouragements and difficulties to impede his progress. From his Profpectus, we learn that two volumes, at a fubfcription of four guineas, were originally promised; he has now engaged to add a third without advancing the price; modeftly expreffing his hope that all his fubfcribers, on receiving the Profpectus, will pay their firft fubfcription.-Befides other caufes which, in the general courfe of things, concur to delay thefe publications, I have, (he fays,) been repelled by events that do not neceffarily attend purfuits like mine! my scheme of writing has been well nigh fruftrated-my warmest expectations have been nearly blafted.-Violent illness, and for more than two years the languor of indisposition, I deem, the slightest of my misfortunes !'It is not without concern that we also

For this author's other works we refer the reader to Rev. for Feb. 1790, New Series, vol. i. p. 203; alfo Rev. for March ditto, P. 303.

† One volume of this large work has made its appearance, and, which is rather extraordinary, it proves to be the second. Mr. Polwhele has reafons for this plan, which are fatisfactory, at least to him. felf, we hope alfo to others: but we fhall take no farther notice af them until that folio book comes under our review.

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read the following note in the volume before us, occafioned by an incidental mention of the late Mr. Badcock:

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Long before his death, his literary pursuits had been often interrupted by a dreadful indifpofition: Heaven knows that at this moment, I am but too fenfible what his fufferings must have been! The ill health of my predeceffors, I fear, was entailed on me with the hiftory! There seems to be a fatality in the attempt;-not to mention the imperfect works of Sir W. Pole, of Weftcote, or of Rifdon; Milles, and Chapple, and Badcock, have either fallen victims to the history of Devon, or died in the midft of their labours. It was this idea which chiefly induced me to print my collections for the general hiftory in the prefent form, without loss of time. If I drop before the completion of this work, the public will here poffefs a variety of useful notices, which from the multiplicity of my papers, their diforder in numerous inftances, (to any other eyes than mine) the endless diverfity of the MS. and the difficulty of decyphering a great part of it, and from many other circumftances, no writer fucceeding me could poffibly bring forward. They are notices which in this cafe would be inevitably lost.'

The publication now before us is the first of Mr. Polwhele's five smaller volumes, or hiftorical views; concerning which work he farther fays,

It interferes not in the leaft with the main undertaking, yet will probably be deemed a repofitory of curious notices. Here may be registered at large a multiplicity of papers to which references only can be made in the history.-I fhould with to be understood, indeed, that one great object for the publication of historical views, is to create difcuffion, fuggeft fubjects for enquiry, and open fresh fources of intelligence, fo that every point worthy notice may be mentioned and ascertained, and in fhort that nothing of confequence may be omitted in the hiftory.'

Accordingly, he entreats his correfpondents to furnish him with any remarks which may promote the defign. Such is the account which the author gives of thefe peculiar volumes; to which we should add that of the hiftorical views (vol. I.) the prefent impreffion is intended for fubfcribers only, at 6s. a copy.'

It appeared to be juftice to Mr. Polwhele and the public to ftate his fituation, and his account of the work in hand: we proceed now to make the reader fomewhat more acquainted with the book before us. Its general denomination is- of the British Period, from the firft fettlement in Danmonium to the arrival of Julius Cæfar, 55 years before Chrift.'-By Danmonium we are to understand, Devon and Cornwall, together with additions gradually formed from neighbouring counties.-The above general defcription of the volume divides itself into no less than eleven fections, under the following heads :-View of the inhabitants of Danmonium-of the Danmonian fettle

ments

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ments, divifions of land, and government-of their religionof their civil, military, and religious architecture-of pafturage and agriculture-of mining-of manufactures-of commerce of language and learning-of perfons and populationof the character, manners, and ufages of the Danmonians during the British period: which fection clofes the volume.

On a fubject fo uncertain and obfcure, it is almost wonderful that fo much should be written. Some part, however, of the book is employed in answering objections, removing difficulties, or confuting hypothefes advanced by others. Yet, with this and other allowances, far more is offered to attention, than on a topic fo remote, and fo involved in darkness, could be reasonably expected. We cannot but admire the industry, the acuteness, and the fagacity, which the collections and remarks, well-founded or not, will be allowed to discover. Mr. Polwhele very naturally and properly avails himself of the labours of his predeceffors: Carte, Borlafe, Bryant, Whitaker, &c. The firft, indeed, as an antiquary, he freely cenfures; though, as an hiftorian, he allows him merit. To Borlafe and Whitaker he affigns due praife, but finds reafon to diffent from each, which he does with candour and respect; if he betrays any difpofition to a petulant kind of cenfure, it is when his more direct co-adjutor, Mr. Chapple, falls in his way; from whofe manufcripts he notwithstanding inferts feveral extracts, and fome of great length. Mr. Borlafe* deferves every encomium which he has received; in our opinion, he ranks with the first in his line of ftudy, whether he be right or not as to fome of his conjectures. Be'fides these more modern English writers, the author afcends to thofe of remoter date; also to those of different languages, from whom alone, indeed, we can expect any certain information, or rather, we may fay, any glimmerings of light, concerning very early periods :-but Mr. Polwhele inclines to admit accounts relative to them which learned men have either exploded, or have confidered as of fo dark and dubious a nature as not to afford fatisfactory dependance. The opinions of Mr. O'Halloran and Col. Vallancey obtain greater favour with him than other able and fenfible writers can allow them to deserve. Accordingly, he carries us far back indeed for the first colonization of Danmonium. He aims to prove that- our primitiye colonists emigrated from the eaft before the existence of the European or Continental fettlers.' Again he fays, If it be afked, at what period are we to fix the emigration from the Eaft, or from Armenia, to the British ifles? I answer, that,

See Monthly Review for June, 1754, vol. x. p. 415.

probably,

probably, it was not long after the difperfion from Babel-at the destruction of the great monarchy or empire of Nimrod.'To fupport this, he produces the authority of the Saxon chronicle; and he labours to fhew that the difputed paffage is incorrupt, and that Dr. Gibson's propofed infertion of Armorica. for Armenia is not merely needlefs, but contrary to the defign of the writer. Richard of Cirencester is a farther witness in favour of this emigration. After other reflections, and fome doubtful authorities, we are conducted to a higher tribunal-'All parties feem, (he fays,)" to appeal to Cæfar;" let then Cæfar decide the question.'-The proofs, if proofs they may be called, which are by thefe means afforded, arife rather from implication, than from any direct affertions.

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We incline, with Mr. Ledwich, to think that it is time to have done not only with fictitious but also with merely conjectural history, and to adhere, as far as we can attain them, to the folid documents of truth. We are fomewhat surprised not to have observed the name of that refpectable antiquary* in the prefent volume. Yet, while it is true that fabulous and obfcure accounts can yield little fatisfaction, we will not with a fupercilious and confident air pronounce on all that has been advanced in fupport of an early colonization, as utterly deftitute of the leaft probability. This early colonization is with Mr. Polwhele a favourite point, kept conftantly in his eye: most of his readers will affent in general to the juftice of his relation if applied to the Belga, who from the coafts of France might have peopled this ifle: but numbers, if not all, of them will hefitate concerning the far more diftant emigrations from the eaft, of which he feems to be thoroughly satisfied: though it muft be confeffed that fome men of learning and ability, as well as others of impetuous temper and heated imagination, have allowed a degree of favour to the fentiment. Here we may not improperly notice a quotation made from the ingenious and learned Dr. Campbell, who intimates that "the fertility of this ifland in the British period is a certain proof, that it was inhabited long before our antiquarians have thought proper to colonize it."

The extracts which we might produce from this work are of greater length than our limits will generally admit: all that we can do is to offer a few paffages, by which fome judgment may be formed of the writer's ftyle and manner. The 4th fection treats of Danmonian architecture; a subject, it might be fuppofed, fufficiently fterile and fcanty, yet here occupying upwards of fixty pages: it is introduced as follows:

See Rev. for May and June 1793, vol. xi. p. 30. and 197.

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