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that lead him into a train of reafoning, the purpofe of which is to prove, that arthritic diforders rather proceed from debilitation of the nervous fyftem, than any morbific matter received into the conftitution. His arguments on this head are fenfible enough, but fuch as are well known to every Edinburgh ftudent, who has attended Dr. Cullen's lectures; the copious fource whence fo many new opinions in medicine (often as unacknowleged as in the prefent inftance) are derived.

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One piece of information, however, we have gathered from the work before us, which is, that people of middling condition are people of no condition at all. This evidently appears, from comparing two paffages within three pages of each other. The Writer first afferts, P. 10, that most people of any condition make a daily moderate ufe of wines; and then, p. 13. that there is not an hundredth part even of those of middling condition, that can be faid to make a common use of wine.' Thefe middling people therefore are nobody; an idea that seems, indeed, at prefent, very generally to prevail.

POETICAL.

Art. 23. An Epistle from the Rector of St. Anne, to the Vicar of Rochdale. Dedicated, without Permiffion, to the Lord Bishop of London. 4to. 2 S. Bew. 1779.

*

More fruit from the tree of Difcord planted fome time ago, in the parish of St. Anne, Weftminster. The produce of this tree, of which we have, more than once, given our Readers a tafte, hath proved harsh and difagreeable to fome palates, though perhaps not altogether unpleafant to others." It is bitter," quoth my Lord of London : "It is four," faith Dr. Richardfon +: "It is both bitter and four," exclaimeth Dr. Hind : "It bath a fine flavour," cry the friends of Mr. Martyn--[the Gentleman fuppofed to have been chiefly concerned in plucking and diftributing this fruit] "It hath fomewhat of the Sub-acrid, to which we are not much averfe," say the Monthly Reviewers.

In plain fpeech, the dedication to a Bifhop, of this Epiftle to a Vicar, is a long, laboured, biting fatire, in profe; founded, if we rightly collect, from the dedication itself, on his Lordship's having (officially) interfered in the quarrel between the late Rector of St. Anne's and his Curate,-contrary to what the latter had been led to expect from a declaration made by his Diocesan, that he would not interpofe at all, perfonally, in the difpute.-How far the Bishop's afterward licenfing a fucceffor to Mr. Martyn, in the curacy, was a breach of this promife, we leave to the decifion of thofe who are more deeply verfed than we are in ecclefiaftical casuistry.

The Epiftle to the Vicar of Rochdale is a poetical flight to the

tune of

"Ye Commons and Peers

"Come lend me your ears.

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And is equally fevere upon the Doctor who is fuppofed to fend it, and the Doctor to whom it is fent; but we do not think it is quite

*See Review for November laft, p. 392.

+ The prefent Rector of St. Anne's.

The late Rector of St. Anne's: now Vicar of Rochdale.

fa

pleasant a morceau as the ballad on Ecclefiaftical Gallantry ||, alhough, as we guess, it is written by the fame Author :- who concludes his prefent performance with the following ftroke at the priest. bood:

The times are no more
Like times heretofore,
When Priests were allow'd to difpofe

Of kingdoms the fate,

In Church and in State,
And e'en to lead kings by the nose.
While Ignorance reign'd,
They held and maintain'd,
That Laymen were bound to refign
Their fortunes and lives,
Their daughters and wives,
By force of commiffion divine.

That thus they alone
For fin could atone,
They only to heaven arrive;
If aught they prefer'd
To them, they aver'd
They here nor hereafter could thrive.

The tale was believ'd,
And all b'ing deceiv'd,

The Priesthood was held in refpe&;
No fceptic arose,

With ftrength to oppose,

Or courage, the cheat to detect.

But all things below,

Too furely we know,

Are fubject to Time and to Chance:

PHILOSOPHY's birth

ENLIGHTEN'D the EARTH,

And REASON awoke from her TRANCE.

To Time's latest hour,
The CHURCH will deplore,

Th' effect of these fatal events;
Their influence spread,

Struck BIGOTRY dead,

And ruin'd the TRADE of the SAINTS.

We now from contempt,

Are scarcely exempt,

The rabble but fcoff at, and flout us;
The better fort too,

Conceive they can do,

In fpirit'al matters without us.

* Vid. Review above referred to.

REV. Feb. 1779.

M

If

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That PRIESTS are the JEST of Mankind.

Art. 24. An Elegy on the Death of David Garrick, Efq. By the
Author of the Ode to the Warlike Genius of Britain.
Becket, &c.

4to.

I S.

The Mufes have not ftrewed the flowers of Parnaffus over Gar→ rick's bier in fuch profufion as might have been expected. The prefent is, perhaps, the fairest tribute of the kind that hath yet been offered:

The Paffions' Mafter lowly lies,

Lo! Death's cold hand hath clos'd his eyes,
That fhone with luftre bright;

Around his confecrated urn,

Let Anguish weep and Anger burn,
And Envy die with spite.
Ye Mufe-infpir'd, lament his end,
Who, living, was the Mufes' friend,
The Drama's lofs deplore!
Where is afpiring RICHARD fled ?
In Roscius' grave, MACBETH lies dead;
And HAMLET is no more!

Ye fons of mirth and gallantry,
No more your fprightly RANGER fee!
Or BENEDICT admire;

Loft with the archnefs of his eye,
DRUGGER and LEON breathless lie,
And KITELY fhall expire.

With SHAKESPEARE's fire his breaft was fraught,
'Twas he embodied SHAKESPEARE'S thought:

Where the Bard's fancy flew,
He caught the phrenzy in his eye,
(Rolling from earth unto the fky,)

And gave the portrait true.

Whatever merit there may be in the feveral offerings brought to the thrine-we had almoft faid-of our adored Rofcius, may we not, after all, conclude, that none are fo unfit to celebrate the merits of lot friends, as thofe who most fincerely lament them? Art. 25. Poems. By the Rev. W. Tafker, A. B.

2 s. 6d. DodЛley, &c.

4to.

The pieces contained in this collection are, I. An Ode to the Warlike Genius of Great Britain; of which we have given fome account. II. An Ode to Curiofity, a Bath Eafton Amusement. III. A Poetical Encomium on Trade, addrefied to the Mercantile City of Bristol. IV. An Epitaph intended for the Rev. [and juftly lamented] Mr. Eccles, late of Bath.-In the poem addreffed to the city of Bristol, are fome anecdotes relative to Chatterton, and Rowley's Poems; for the authenticity of which the Author is a ftrenuous advocate.

For

For a fpecimen of Mr. Tafker's poetical abilities, befide the extract given, in our laft Month's Review, from the Second Edition of his Ode to the Genius, &c. we may refer our Readers to the stanzas felected from his Elegy on the Death of Mr. Garrick, in the preceding Article.

Art. 26. The Difconfolate Widow. A Christmas Tale; or, a New Year's Gift to my Friends. 4to. 6d. Stockton printed; and fold by Goldfmith in Paternofter-Row, London. 1778.

See below.

Art. 27. The Provoked Steed, and the Broil. Two Tales. By the Author of the Disconfolate Widow. 4to. I S. Stockton printed; and fold by Goldsmith in Paternofter-Row, London. 1778.

Trifles, bv a Writer from whom better things may be expected. Art. 28. A Bridal Ode on the Marriage of Catherine and Petruchio. 4to. 1 S. Bew. 1779.

The celebrated Mrs. Macaulay (now Mrs. we know not her prefent name) is here made a subject of ridicule, on account of her fecond entrance into the honourable ftate of matrimony. Satire, perhaps never wore a more impudent afpect, and never was her rod more flagitioufly applied.

S.

Art. 29. Epifle to Admiral Keppel. 4to. Is. Fielding.

A decent congratulation on the Admiral's late honourable acquittal. Decent, we mean, in regard to the numbers in which this poetic compliment is conveyed; but the friends of certain gentlemen in administration will not, perhaps, allow that it is altogether decent with respect to the manner in which certain great perfons are introduced: fome of whom are attacked, en passant, with all the virulence of party fatire. Sir H. P. in course, is not spared.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 30. The Maritime Campaign of 1778. A Collection of all the Papers relative to the Operations of the English and French Fleets. To which are added, Strictures on the Publication made in France, by order of the Ministry, concerning the Engagement on the 27th of July; illuftrated with Charts and Plans, on Six Copper-plates. By J. M. a Lieutenant in the Fleet. Folio. 6s. Sewed. Faden. 1779.

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We have here a very curious and inftructive review of the maritime tranfactions of the last year, respecting the war between France and England; a campaign, which as the Editor of this work remarks, though not very decifive, is become one of the most interesting in the naval history of our country.' The plans are ample and fatisfactory; and from an attentive perufal of the whole publication, the English reader will probably fee reafon to conclude with the Author, that although certain late arrangements (here enumerated and explained) may for a while, give a kind of energy to the French fleets, and even procure them fome tranfitory fuccefs, yet that it is not in the nature of things for them to acquire a fuperiority over the British navy.

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SCHOOL-BOOK S.

Art. 31. Grammatical Inftitutions, or a Practical English Grammar: on a Plan entirely New. By James Wood. Izmo. I s. 6 d. Vefey and Whitfield. Newcastle.

In the preface to thefe Inftitutions, Mr. Wood tells his readers, that notwithstanding the labours of many ingenious and learned men to diffuse a correct knowledge of the English language, whoever will take the trouble of examining into the ftate of grammatical learning, as it exifts at prefent (to ufe the Author's own words) in our English fcho ls, will find it to be fill in its infancy. This is to be imputed, he fays, to the want of method in the feveral grammatical treatifes adopted in our schools; which makes the generality of masters look upon it as a fcience too abftrufe for the capacities of children, and only fit for thofe of maturer years.-His inftitutions are intended to remove this inconvenience, and to render the attainment of English grammar eafy to the most ordinary capacity.

Mr. Wood's intentions do him honour; but we do not think his Inftitutions fufficiently clear and plain for persons of the most ordinary capacity.

Art. 32. An Introduction to English Grammar. By Joshua Story, Izmo. 1 s. 6d. Newcattle, printed and fold. 1778.

The Author tells us he proceeds on a different plan from any hitherto purfued. In the notes, rules, &c. brevity and perfpicuity, the utile dulci of every treatise for the use of schools have been confulted with attention, and nothing, he adds, is omitted, which is effential towards promoting a critical knowledge of the English lan guage. The examples of bad English are numerous, and of that kind, fays our grammarian, which will require all the fkill a learner can poffefs to rectify them, for they are collected from a variety of reading, and are molt of them fuch mistakes as fome of our beft English writers have fallen into, fo that the judicious reader will easily perceive they differ very much from fuch as are generally to be met with in works of this kind, where the errors are fo glaring, that a boy of fenfe, entirely ignorant of grammar, can rectify them.

On the whole this grammar feems very well calculated for the purpose, under the direction of some proper inftructor.

SERMON S.

I. Preached before the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in the Abbey. Church, Westminster; January 30, 1779. By John Lord Bishop of Exeter. 4to. 1 s. Payne. 1779.

There is nothing that we can fay concerning the difcourfe before us, which can fo ftrongly display the excellent understanding and heart of this good prelate (Dr. Rofs), as the following extract:

It was long, and almoft univerfally thought, that pains and pe nalties were neceffary to promote the glory of God, and the interest of Religion; and that thofe, who had the power, had the right to torment and punith their fellow-creatures here for the good of their fouls, and to fecure their falvation hereafter. Hence arofe irreconcileable hatred and refentment; and the world was often filled with

confufion

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