cient Romans, as it cannot nearly interest any present reader, and must be drawn from writings that have been long known, can owe its value only to the language in which it is delivered, and the reflections with which it is accompanied. Dr. Blackwell, however, seems to have heated his imagination so as to be much affected with every event, and to believe that he can affect others. Enthusiasm is indeed sufficiently contagious; but I never found any of his readers much enamoured of the glorious Pompey, the patriot approv'd, or much incensed against the lawless Caesar, whom this author probably stabs every day and night in his sleeping or waking dreams. He is come too late into the world with his fury for freedom, with his Brutus and Cassius. We have all on this side of the Tweed long since settled our opinions: his zeal for Roman liberty and declamations against the violators of the republican constitution, only stand now in the reader's way, who wishes to proceed in the narrative without the interruption of epithets and exclamations. It is not easy to forbear laughter at a man so bold in fighting shadows, so busy in a dispute two thousand years past, and so zealous for the honour of a people who while they were poor robbed mankind, and as soon as they became rich, robbed one another. Of these robberies our author seems to have no very quick sense, except when they are committed by Caesar's party, for every act is sanctified by the name of a patriot. If this author's skill in ancient literature were less generally acknowledged, one might sometimes suspect that he had too frequently consulted the French writers. He tells us that Archelaus the Rhodian made a speech to Cassius, and in so saying dropt some tears, and that Cassius after the reduction of Rhodes was covered with glory.-Deiotarus was a keen and happy spirit-The ingrate. Castor kept his court. His great delight is to shew his universal acquaintance with terms of art, with words that every other polite writer has avoided and despised. When Pompey conquered the pirates, he destroyed fifteen hundred ships of the line.-The Xanthian parapets were tore down.-Brutus, suspecting that his troops were plundering, commanded the trumpets to sound to their colours.-Most people understood the act of attainder passed by the senate.-The Numidian troopers were unlikely in their appearance.-The Numidians beat up one quarter after another.Salvidienus resolved to pass his men over in boats of leather, and he gave orders for equipping a suf. ficient number of that sort of small craft.-Pompey had light agile frigates, and fought in a strait where the current and caverns occasion swirls and a roll. -A sharp out-look was kept by the admiral.-It is a run of about fifty Roman miles.-Brutus broke Lipella in the sight of the army.-Mark Antony garbled the senate. He was a brave man, well qualified for a commodore, In his choice of phrases he frequently uses words with great solemnity, which every other mouth and pen has appropriated to jocularity and levity! The Rhodians gave up the contest, and in poor plight fled back to Rhodes.-Boys and girls were easily kidnapped.-Deiotarus was a mighty believer of augury.-Deiotarus destroyed his ungracious pro geny. The regularity of the Romans was their mortal aversion.-They desired the consuls to curb such heinous doings.-He had such a shrewd invention, that no side of a question came amiss to him. Brutus found his mistress a coquettish creature.. He sometimes, with most unlucky dexterity, mixes the grand and the burlesque together; the violation of faith, Sir, says Cassius, lies at the door of the Rhodians by reiterated acts of perfidy.—The iron grate fell down, crushed those under it to. death, and catched the rest as in a trap.-When the Xanthians heard the military shout, and saw the flame mount, they concluded there would be no mercy. It was now about sun-set, and they had been at hot work since noon. --- He has often words or phrases with which our Tanguage has hitherto had no knowledge.-One was a heart-friend to the republic.-A deed was expeded. -The Numidians begun to reel, and were in hazard of falling into confusion. The tutor embraced his pupil close in his aims.-Four hundred women were taxed who have no doubt been the wives of the best Roman citizens.-Men not born to action are inconsequential in government-collectitious troops. -The foot by their violent attack began the fatal break in the Pharsaliac field.-He and his brother, with a politic common to other countries, had taken opposite sides. His epithets are of the gaudy or hyperbolical kind. The glorious news. -Eager hopes and dismal fears.-Bleeding Rome-divine laws and hallowed customs-merciless war-intense anxiety. Sometimes the reader is suddenly ravished with a sonorous sentence, of which when the noise is past, the meaning does not long remain. When Brutus set his legions to fill a moat, instead of heavy dragging and slow toil, they set about it with huzzas and racing, as if they had been striving at the Olympick games, They hurled impetuous down the huge trees and stones, and with shouts forced them into the water; so that the work, expected to continue half the campaign, was with rapid toil completed in a few days. Brutus's soldiers fell to the gate with resistless fury, it gave way at last with hideous crash. -This great and good man, doing his duty to his country, received a mortal wound, and glorious fell in the cause of Rome; may his memory be ever dear to all lovers of liberty, learning and humanity!— This promise ought ever to embalm his memory.The queen of nations was torn by no foreign invader.-Rome fell a sacrifice to her own sons, and was ravaged by her unnatural offspring: all the great men of the state, all the good, all the holy, were openly murdered by the wickedest and worst. Little islands cover the harbour of Brindisi, and form the narrow outlet from the numerous creeks that compose its capacious port.-At the appearance of Brutus and Cassius a shout of joy rent the heavens from the surrounding multitudes. Such are the flowers which may be gathered by every hand in every part of this garden of eloquence. But having thus freely mentioned our Author's faults, it remains that we acknowledge his merit; and confess that this book is the work of a man of letters, that it is full of events displayed with accuracy, and related with vivacity; and though it is sufficiently defective to crush the vanity of its Author, it is sufficiently entertaining to invite readers. "SOME ARGUMENTS IN PROOF OF A DEITY." IT will certainly be required, that notice should be taken of a book, however small, written on such a subject, by such an author. Yet I know not whether these Letters will be very satisfactory: for they are answers to inquiries not published; and therefore, though they contain many positions of great importance, are in some parts, imperfect and obscure, by their reference to Dr. Bentley's Letters, Sir Isaac declares, that what he has done is due to nothing but industry and patient thought; and indeed long consideration is so necessary in such abstruse inquiries, that it is always dangerous to publish the productions of great men, which are not known to have been designed for the press, and of which it is uncertain whether much patience and thought have been bestowed upon them. The ́principal question of these Letters gives occasion to observe how even the mind of Newton gains ground gradually upon darkness. * Literary Magazine, Vol. I. 1756, p. 89. |