congregational form of church government. In the prosecution of his studies, he very soon began to doubt the validity of presbyterian ordination, avowed his perfect conversion to episcopacy, and declared that he could find no way of reconciling his conscience, while he neglected the practices of the ancient church. He accordingly took an affectionate farewel of his people at West-Haven, and proceeded to Boston, in company with Messrs. Cutler and Brown, the, former president, and the latter tutor, of New-Haven college; both of whom had also been converted to episcopacy,proposing to embark for Engiand to obtain holy orders in the church, where they arrived on the 15th of December, 1722; whence they immediately proceed ed to London, and were politely received by Dr. Robinson, the bishop of London, and the society for propagating the gospel. Mr. Cutier was ordained to take charge of the new church in Boston, and Mr. Johnson to take care of the church at Stratford in Connecticut. The former also received from the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge the honours of a degree of Dr. in divinity, and Mr. Johnson of master of arts. Having taken leave of their friends, they embarked for America in July, 1723, and Mr. Johnson arrived at Stratford to take charge of his little flock, consisting of about twenty families, by whom he was joyfully received. Mr. Johnson's conversion to the episcopal church; the particular books which he read, which assisted to promote that conversion; the commotion that in consequence was excited in the colony of Connecticut; the conference with the trustees of the college, and Governour Saltonstall, &c. &c. are all amply detailed by Dr. Chandler, and include many traits, which must afford interest and amusement to the lovers of ecclesiastical history. In the month of February, 1729, Dr. Berkeley, then dean of Derry in Ireland, arrived in America, and resided two years and an half in Rhode-Island. “As his coming to America, (says Dr. Chandler) had an important effect upon the religion and learning of the country; and as Dr. Johnson always considered the period in which bishop Berkeley resided in this country as one of the most interesting periods of his life, it may not be amiss to give a more particular account of that extraordinary person, and of the business that brought him hither, than has probably been laid before the American reader in one view." On comparing the sketch of the life of Bishop Berkeley in the work before us, with the life in Dr. Aikin's general biography, we find it to be generally correct, though the latter is more full and satisfactory; but wherever we are made acquainted with the life of this celebrated gentleman and scholar, we are most profoundly impressed with the highest admiration of the disinterestedness of his character, of his learning, his christian charity,his discernment, and patriotism. At the period of Mr. Johnson's conversion to episcopacy, the church of England had scarcely any existence in Connecticut. There were thirty families at Stratford, chiefly from England, under the care of Mr. Pigot, the intimate friend of Dr. Johnson, and who no doubt was very instrumental in producing his conversion. Mr. Johnson, while minister at Stratford, frequently made excursions into the neighboring towns, and preached with peculiar success; the episcopal church making very visible progress in Connecticut; and in the year 1736, upon inquiry, there were found to be no less than seven hundred families in the colony. Great acquisitions were afterwards made to the church by the wild enthusiasm introduced by Mr. Whitfield, and propagated by his followers. Mr. Johnson pub lished tracts, in defence of the church, which involved him in much controversy,particularly with Mr. Dickenson of Elizabethtown, in New-Jersey, and Mr. Foxcroft of Boston. These controversies reach down to 1736, and are detailed at much length by Dr. Chandler. These publications were much approved of in Eng land, and obtained for Mr. Johnson, in 1743, from the university of Oxford a degree of Doctor in divinity. Dr. Johnson had two sons, who were educated at Yale college, for whom he composed a compendium of logick, including metaphysicks, and another of ethicks, for their better instruction in these studies; which were printed together, in an octavo volume by Dr. Franklin, for the use of the college in that city, then about to be erected, and of which Mr. Franklin was one of the most active promoters. In 1754 the trustees of NewYork college unanimously elected Dr. Johnson president, who accept ed, but with great reluctance. For the history of the establishment of the college, in the city of NewYork, whose charter was granted in October, 1754; the violent opposition which arose among the trustees, respecting what denomination of christians should predominate in the government and immediate direction of the college; the violent clamour in consequence excited in the province and legislature of New-York; the vigorous exertions made by Mr. Johnson to promote the interests of the seminary; the benefactions it receiv ed, &c. &c. we refer our readers to the work itself. In 1763 Dr. Johnson resigned the office of president, and went to his peaceful retreat at Stratford, where he passed the remainder of his days; not however in inglorious ease. He resumed the charge of his old mission, and was again kindly received by the peo ple of Stratford in character of their minister, in 1764, upwards of forty years after he had first en tered into this relation with them. He entered into the controversy between the Rev. Mr. Apthorp and Dr. Mayhew, on the subject of an American episcopate, and wrote a short vindication of the society for propagating the gospel. "On the morning of January 6, 1722, the most glorious epiphany he ever beheld, he conversed with his fam ily on the subject of his own death, with the greatest cheerfulness and serenity. He expressed his wishes that he might resemble, in the manner of his death, his good friend the bishop Berkeley, whom he had greatly loved, and whose exit he had ever esteemed happy. Heaven granted his wish; for soon after he had uttered these words, like the good bishop, he instantaneously expired in his chair,without the least struggle or groan; so that he may rather be said to have been changed or translated, than to have died." Two days after, his remains were interred in the chancel of Christ church, Stratford, where a handsome monument has been erected to his mem ory. Thus lived, and thus died, a man, the narrative of whose life involves much interesting anec dote; who was respectable for his understanding and his learning, and still more pre-eminent for suavity of manners, and the benevolence of his heart. The great Racine, the father of the French drama, after having exalted the glory of his genius to the utmost limits allotted to humanity, regretted, at the age of thirty-eight years, that he had done every thing for the world, and nothing for his God. Cæsar, at the same age, lamented, on the tomb of Alexander, that he had yet done nothing to secure to himself durable renown. This passion for human glory conducted the conqueror of Pompey to actions which should be disdained by a noble heart, and it was, on the contrary, at an advanced age, by contempt of glory, that the author of Andromaque elevated Racine above himself. Very different from these men was the character of Dr. Johnson. His whole life was active, vigilant, and efficient in the service of his Maker; in magnifying the holy office of a clergyman; in reclaiming the vicious; in quickening, to a sense of their duty, the negligent and careless; in influencing the ignorant; in strengthening and confirming the serious and religious; in visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, and cloathing the naked. Private virtues are the more sublime, as they do not aspire to the approbation of others, but only to the testimony of one's own conscience; and the conscience of a good man is of more value to himself, than the praises of the universe. As we have already protracted our review to an immoderate length, we will only give the following extract from our author as a favourable specimen of his style and manner. Vol. III. No. 2. N While the Dean refided at Rhode-Island, he compofed his Alciphron, or Minute Phithe manner of PLATO. The defign of lofopher; written by way of dialogue, in it was to vindicate the Chriftian religion, in answer to the various objections and cavils of atheists, libertines, enthufiafts, corners, criticks, metaphysicians, fatalifts, to thefe dialogues, the author affirms, that and Scepticks. In the advertisement prefixed he was "well affured one of the moft noted writers against Christianity had declared, he had found out a demonftration against the being of a God." JOHNSON, in one of his vifits to the Mr. Dean, converfing with him on the subject of the work then in hand, was more particularly informed by him-that he himfelf (the Dean) had heard this strange declaration, while he was present in one of the deifical clubs, in the pretended character of a learner-that COLLINS was the man who made it—and that the demonftra tion was what he afterwards published, in an attempt to prove that every action is the effect of fate and neceffity, in his book entitled, A Philofophical Inquiry concerning point be once established, that every thing Human Liberty. And, indeed, could the is produced by fate and neceffity, it would naturally follow, that there is no God, or that he is a very useless and infignificant being, which amounts to the same thing. As this strange anecdote deferves to be more generally known, a place is given it in this memoir. When the Dean was about leaving America, Mr. JOHNSON made him his final vifit. As he retained a strong affection for Tale College, the feminary in which he was educated, and with which he had been otherwife connected, he took the liberty, on this occafion, to recom. mend it to the Dean's notice; hoping that he might think proper to fend it fome books, and not expecting, or aiming at any thing further. But within two years from that time, Dr. BERKELEY, affifted by feveral gentlemen who had subscribed money for his intended college at Bermuda fent over a valuable collection of books, as a prefent to Tale College. It amounted, including what he had given before, to near one thousand volumes, of which two hundred and fixty were in folio, and very large. The coft of this collection could have been little less than five hundred pounds ferling. At or about the fame time he tranfmitted to Mr. JOHNSON a deed, in which he conveyed to that college his farm in Rhode-Island, confifting of ninety fix acres. The annual intereft of it was to be divided between three bachelors of arts, who, upon examination by the rector of the college, and a minifter of the Church of England, fhould appear to be the best claffical fibolars; provided they would refide at college the three years between their bachelor's and master's degrees, in the prosecution of their studies; and the forfeitures, in cafe of non-refidence, were to be given in premiums of books, to thofe that performed the best xercifes. NOVELS, which are founded on historical incidents, are little adapted to interest the attention and affect the imagination, from the recollection, which will intrude into the mind, of the real extent of the facts, and the consequent conviction, which will be induced, that the rest is fiction. But any one, who is acquainted with the early history of Virginia, will not only feel this embarrassment, while reading the novel before us, but will often be disappointed by the recollection of having before read the same events, narrated in precisely the same language. book, Mr. Davis* refers his readers to Smith, Purchas, and others. How far he is indebted to them, not only for incidents, but for paragraphs and pages, we cannot assert; but by the evidences of plagiarism, which we will adduce, we cannot repress the suspicion, that it is greater than we can prove. We will present our readers with a few extracts from the life of Smith, in Belknap's "American Biography," and direct them to the pages of "The first settlers of Virginia," in which they are generally copied verbatim. "Proceeding up the river, another company of Indians appeared in arms. Their chief, Apamatica, holding in one hand his bow and arrow, and in the other a pipe of tobacco, demar.ded the caufe of their coming; they made figns of Amer. Biog. p. 255.--Firßt Settlers. p. 19. peace, and were hofpitably received." The paragraph following this in the novel is a little varied from the Biography. Kecoughtan, where the natives, know"They proceeded down the river to ing the needy state of the colony, treated them with contempt, offering an ear of corn in exchange for a musket, or a fword." Amer. Biog. p. 261.--Firft Setthers, p. 21. The five paragraphs which succed this in the novel, ase a little varied from the Biography. Compare p. 265 of the Biography, "The Indians astonished," &c. with pages 26, and 27 of the novel. "Powhatan then fet fuch a price om. his corn, that not more than four bushels could be procured; and the neceffary fupplies could not have been had, if Smith's genius, ever ready at invention, had not hit on an artifice which proved fuccessful. We had fecreted fome trifles, and among them a parcel of blue beadsy In a historical novel we look for historical facts, as the basis of the story; but we know not by what right an author avails himself of the labours of others in this more than in any other kind of composition, without acknowledging his obligations. Near the close of his axed to the novel, We learn the name of the author from the extracts from reviews, and from the letters pre which, feemingly in a careless way, he glanced in the eyes of Powhatan. The bait caught him, and he earnestly defired to purchase them. Smith, in his turn, raised the value of them, extolling them as the most precious jewels, refembling the colour of the fky, and proper only for the nobleft fovereigns of the universe. Powhatan's imagination was all on fire; he made large offers. Smith infifted on more, and at length fuffered himself to be persuaded to take between two and three hundred bufhels of corn, for about two pounds of blue beads.”Amer. Biog. pp. 274-5. Firft Settlers. pp. 62-3. "Having finished the neceffary bufinefs of the season, and dispatched the fhip, another voyage of difcovery was undertaken by Capt. Smith and fourteen others. They went down the river in an open barge, in company with the fhip, and having parted with her at Cape Henry, they crofled the mouth of the bay, and fell in with a cluster of idlands without Cape Charles, to which they gave the name of Smith's Ides, which they ftill bear." Biog. p. 277. Firf Settlers, p. 63. "Smith having ftuck his fword into a ftingray, the fish raised its tail, and with its fharp indented thorn, wounded him in the arm. The wound was extremely painful, and he prefently fwelled to that degree, that they expected him to die, and he himself gave them orders to bury him on a neighbouring ifland. But the furgeon fo allayed the anguish and fwelling, that Smith was able to eat part of the fish for his fupper. From this occurrence, the place was diftinguished by the name of Stingray-Point, which it still bears." Biog. pp. 279-80. First Settlers, p. 65. "All things being prepared for the ceremony of coronation, the present was brought from the boats; the bafon and ewer were depofited, the bed and chair were fet up, the fcarlet fuit and cloak were put on, though not till Namontac had affured him that thefe habiliments would do him no harm; but they had great difficulty in perfuading him to receive the crown, nor would he bend his knee, or incline his head in the leaft de gree. After many attempts, and with actual preffing on his fhoulders, they at laft made him ftoop a little, and put it op. Inftantly, a fignal being given, the men in the boats fired a volley, at which the monarch farted with horrour, im agining that a defign was forming to deftroy him in the fummit of his glory; but being affured that it was meant as a compliment, his fear fubfided, and in return for the baubles of royalty received from King James, he defired Newport to prefent him his old fur mantle and deer fkin fhoes." Biog. pp. 286-7. First Settlers, pp. 74-5. "The fupplies procured by trading being infufficient, and hunger very prefing, Smith ventured on the dangerous project of furprising Powhatan, and carrying off his whole ftock of provifions. This Indian prince had formed a fimilar defign refpecting Smith; and for the purpose of betraying him, had invited him to his feat, promifing that if he would fend men to build him a house, after the English mode, and give him fome guns and fwords, copper and beads, he would load his boat with corn." Biog. p. 292. Firft Settlers, p. 77. But excepting the sentiments excited by observing so many unaccountable instances of unacknowledged transcription, we confess that we have perused this novel with pleasure. Many parts of it, for which we are exclusively indebted to Mr. Davis, are highly ingenious; and if he had added a few prefatory remarks expressing his frequent obligations to others, not only for incidents, but for many of the paragraphs, in which they are narrated, we might, with the exception of a few passages, have given it our entire approbation. To the novel is affixed a pompous "memoir of the author," the perusal of which has probably fur nished to him far higher gratification, than it will give to any of its readers. We cannot quote any part of the story, but in justice to Mr. Davis, and to give our readers a specimen of his style, we will subjoin a few extracts, which will lose nothing in being detached from the work. The party encamped at evening, round a cyprefs, which invited them t |