Not to be influenced by, or give car to knavifh, tattling fervants, or others.'

Not to be too free of advice, nor trouble any but those who “defire it."

To defire fome good friends to inform me which of these refolutions I break or neglect; and to reform accordingly.' Not to talk much, nor of myfelf.' Very hard, again! Not to boast of my former beauty, or strength, or favour • with ladies.'

Not to hearken to flatteries, nor conceive I can be beloved by a young woman; et eos qui hæreditatem captant, odisse as • vitare.

Not to be pofitive or opinionative.'

Not to fet up for obferving all these rules, for fear I should • obferve none.'

17. Laws for the Dean's Servants, 1733.-No mafter ever understood the management of fervants, or was better ferved than, Dean Swift; chiefly owing, perhaps, to the severity of his difcipline; of which the prefent fet of laws affords a ftriking inftance. Not but that his severity was fufficiently tempered with kindness; but the latter, fingly, might have proved ruinous to both parties :-there is an excellent remark, on this fubject, in Gordon's account of the life of Mr. Trenchard, in his preface to Cato's Letters. As many of our readers may not be poffeffed of the book, they will not be difpleased to see the paffage inferted here. To his fervants he [Mr. T.] was a juft and merciful mafter. Under him they had good ufage and plenty; and the worst that they had to apprehend in his fervice, was now and then a paffionate expreffion. He loved to fee chearful faces about him. He was particularly tender of them in their fickness, and often paid large bills for their cure.-For this his compaffion and bounty, he had almost always ill returns. They thought that every kindnefs done to them, was done for their own fake; that they were of fuch importance to him, that he could not live without them; and that, therefore, they were entitled to more wages. He ufed to obferve, that this ingratitude was infeparable from inferior fervants; and that they always founded fome fresh claim upon every kindness which he did them. From hence he was wont to make many fine obfervations on human nature, and particularly on the nature of the common herd of mankind. Pref. p. xlvi. edit. 12mo. We return now to our Review of the collection before us.

18. Character of Mrs. H-d*.' 1727. We have here a pleafing picture of this female court-favourite; who was juftly admired for her beauty, wit, and many private virtues. What

Afterwards Lady Suffolk.

he

he fays of the religious part of her character, is not incurious. In religion fhe is at least a Latitudinarian, being not an enemy to books written by the Free-thinkers; and herein he is the more blameable, because fhe hath too much morality to stand in need of them, requiring only a due degree of faith for putting her in the road to falvation. I fpeak this of her as a private lady, not as a court-favourite; for, in the latter capacity, fhe can fhew neither faith nor works. If fhe had never seen a court, it is not impoffible that he might have been a friend.'-Our Author never mifies an opportunity for a good stroke at the court; and his ftrokes are the more to be regarded, as his knowledge of and averfion to courts was not gathered from the perufal of fatires, or from common-place raillery; but from a perfonal acquaintance with courtiers and great people.

19. Character of Dr. Thomas Sheridan. 1738. From this paper we learn, that Dr. Sheridan (who died in 1738) had, befide his skill in the Greek and German languages, a very fruitful invention, and a talent for poetry; that his English verfes were full of wit and humour, though neither his verfe nor profe was fufficiently correct; and that he left behind him a very great collection, in feveral volumes, of ftories, humorous, witty, wife, or fome way ufeful, gathered from a vast number of Greek, Roman, Italian, Spanish, French, and English writers*. His chief fhining quality, adds our Author, was that of a schoolmafter here he fhone in his proper element. He had fo much fkill and practice, in the phyfiognomy of boys, that he rarely miftook, at the firft view. His fcholars loved and feared him. He rather chose to fhame the ftupid, but punifhed the idle, and exposed them to all the lads, which was more fevere than lafhing. Our Author, in this paper, gives the following account of Dr. Sheridan's fon, who has fince made fo diftinguifhed a figure as an actor, manager, and orator. --- He [the doctor] had one fon, whom he fent to Weftminster-fchool, although he could ill afford it. The boy was there immediately taken notice of, upon examination. Although a mere ftranger, he was by pure merit elected a King's fcholar. It is true their maintenance falls fomething fhort;-the Dr. was then fo poor that he could not add fourteen pounds a year, to enable the boy to finish the year; which, if he had done, he would have been removed to an higher clafs, and, in another year, would have been fped off (that is the phrafe) to a fellowship in Oxford or Cambridge. But the doctor was forced to recall him to Dublin, and had friends in our Univerfity to fend him there, where he

If Dr. Sheridan's collection were as valuable as his friend the Dean here intimates, it is trange that his fon, the celebrated actor, hath never yet committed them to the prefs. M 2

hath

hath been chofen of the foundation; and, I think, hath gotten an exhibition, and defigns to ftand for a fellowship.'

20. The History of the Second. Solomon, 1729.' The Dean, here, gives a very humorous account of his friend Dr. Sheridan, whofe indolence and indifcretions were continual fubjects for the exercife of our Author's fatirical talent. He also falls moft outrageously on the character of the Doctor's wife; whom he defcribes in the following fevere terms: her character, fays he, is this: Her perfon is deteftably disagreeable; a most filthy flut; lazy and flothful, and luxurious, ill-natured, envious, fufpicious; a fcold, expenfive on herself, covetous to others; fhe takes thieves and whores, for cheapnefs, to be her fervants, and turns them off every week: pofitive, infolent, an ignorant, prating, overweening, fool; a lover of the dirtieft, meanest company.'-In another place, he fays, fhe was, in every regard, except gallantry, (which no creature would attempt) the moft difagreeable beaft in Europe.'

[The remainder of our Account of thefe Pofthumous Pieces, may be expected in our next.]

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For AUGUST, 1765.

RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL.

Art. 8. A Vindication of the Moral Character of the Apofile Paul, from the Charge of Infincerity and Hypocrify brought against it by Lord Bolingbroke, Dr. Middleton, and others. Shewing at the fame time, from his Example compared with that of our Lord, and the other Apofiles, the true and proper Meajures to be taken for the Converfion of the fervs. By Caleb Jeacocke. 8vo. Is. Flexney.

S.

T

66

HE late Lord Bolingbroke's charge against St. Paul, is thus cited by Mr. Jeacocke*, from the fecond Vol. of his pofthumous works, P. 319. Peter, fays his Lordship, converfed and eat with the Gentiles at Antioch, till the arrival of certain Jews made him feparate himself from the former, fearing them which were of the circumcifion; and Paul, who reproached this prince of the apoftles fo harfhly for his hypocrify, if he did not diffemble to the elders the dotrine he taught to the Gentiles, did at leaft diffemble fo far to the public, when he came to Jerufalem, and joined in the most folemn act that the most rigid obfervers of the law could perform, as to exprefs a zeal for obfervances he did not much

This Mr. Jeacocke is, if we miftake not, that remarkable person who, for many years, was prefident of the Robin-Hood Society; and much applauded by thofe who only knew him under the denomination of the Baker. We have been informed that he is now in the commiffion for the Peace.

value, and for a law he thought abrogated: for that was the cafe, and the doctrine is inculcated throughout his Epiftles. In short, he carried his indulgence fo far, or he diffembled fo far, that he became as a Jew to the Jews, that he might gain the Jews, and to them that are without the law, that is, to the Gentiles, as without law, that he might gain them too. We have his own words for this, and he boasts of it."

Again, page 347. Note-" St. Paul, inftead of grafting Chrif tianity on Judaifm, infifted on an entire abolition of the latter; to which however he had conformed most hypocritically on more occafions than one."

Dr. Middleton's objection is extracted from his Curfory Reflections on the Difpute or Diffention which happened at Antioch, between the Apoftles Peter and Paul ;'—in thefe words: " Paul, the apoftle of the Gentiles, and, by that character, the more engaged to vindicate their liberty, knowing Peter's fentiments on this question (who he says in the foregoing paragraph, was clearly convinced that the ceremonies of the law were fuperceded and abolished by the difpenfation of the gospel) to be really the fame with his own, was fo fcandalized at his diffimulation, that he could not abftain from reproaching him very feverely for it in public; yet, when it came afterwards to his own turn to be alarmed with the apprehenfion of danger from the fame quarter, he was content to comply and diffemble too, and in order to pacify the Jews, affected a zeal for their legal rites and obfervances, by the Advice of James, who then prefided in the church of Jerufalem."-And again, "Paul had carried his zeal for Chriftian liberty fo far, and declared himself every where fo roundly against the ceremonies of the law, both by preaching and writing; that when he was driven afterwards to a change of conduct, his diffimulation proved too late, and instead of pacifying the Jews, provoked them only the more."

From thefe charges of hypocritical temporizing, Mr. Jeacocke undertakes to vindicate the apoftie of the Gentiles; and his arguments deserve to be attended to; but at the fame time, we are forry to fee Paul defended at the expence of poor Peter: whofe fincerity is thus called in queftion. Peter,' fays our Author, in his difcuffion of this quellion,' [Whether the Gentiles, on their becoming Chriftians, fhould conform to the law of Mofes ?] was evidently of the fame opinion with the apostle Paul, and the rest of the affembly; and upon going afterwards to Antioch, he entered into the greatest intimacy with the believing Gentiles, by converfing and eating with them as brethren. But when fome zealous Chriftian Jews, who were otherwife minded, came down to Antioch, he fearing their refentment for thus freely converfing with uncircumcifed Gentiles (though believers) withdrew himself, contrary to the judgment of his own mind, and broke off that fellowship with the Gentiles, which he had before maintained.-Which behaviour created great uneasiness, and was the ground of diffention and feparation among the difciples of Chrift, having a direct tendency to lead thefe Gentiles to question, whether their belief and profeflion of Chriftianity would be available to obtain the favour of God, unless they were circumcifed? For this inconfiftency of conduct in Peter, fiift converfing intimately with them, and then forfaking them without any jult caufe, Paul, who had more refpect and concern for the truth of the gofpel than the power of men, freely reproved him, and withstood him to the face, for as he fays plainly, "he was to be blamed,"

We shall not enter into any difpute with our Author, whether St. Paul or St. Peter were the most chargeable with temporizing and trimming, in order to pleafe and humour the Chriftian Jews. Every judicious friend to the Chriftian religion will, we imagine, deem it most prudent to let the apoftolical diffentions reft, in that peace into which they happily fubfided, above fixteen hundred years ago.

Mr. Jeacocke is at great pains to evince, from St. Paul's writings, that it was by no means the apostle's defign, to prove the abolition of the Mofaic inftitution neceffary, in order to establish the Christian difpenfation. The converted Jews were to be fo far Jews ftill, that they were not to defire to forfake the law of Mofes, and to get the mark of circumcifion out of their flesh;' neither on the other hand, were the Gentiles to imagine, that in order to be difciples of Chrift, they must become Jews, and be circumcifed.' In fhort, our Author is of opinion, (and he thinks his opinion ftands confirmed, not only by the example and doctrine of St. Paul, but alfo by the authority of our Lord, his apoftles, and the firft ages of Chriftianity) that if a Jew fhould be profelyted to Chriftianity, at this time, the law of Mofes would, neverthelefs, have an obligatory force upon him.' Our Lord, adds he, inftead of repealing the law, confidered himself as a Jew, and as fuch complied with the customs and law of Mofes.And the apofiles, he continues, in another place, trod faithfully in the steps of their blessed master, and conformed to the ancient religion of their fathers, continuing to obferve and keep the laws and cuftoms of Mofes,Seeing, therefore, that neither cur Lord, nor any of his apoftles, required the Jews, upon their believing in him, to forfake the law of Mofes, Mr. Jeacocke thinks he may venture to affirm, that no other person can have any authority at this time to require it. And hence he concludes, that if we would treat the Jews with that moderation and benevolence, which are due to our fellow-creatures, and which the gospel itself requires; if the teachers and propagators of Chriflianity, of every denomination, fhould entertain this fentiment, and allow the fame liberty to that people, which our Lord and his apottles allowed, namely, that if they would, on believing in him, be baptiz d, and partake of the memorial of his death in the facrament, they might continue to obferve their own cuftoms; the great ftumbling block to their embracing the gospel would be removed; the partit on wall between the Jews and Chriftians would be taken away; a general converfion to Christianity might be expected; and confequently the prophefies would be daily drawing nearer and nearer to their accomplishment.'

Mr. Jeacocke declares himself fenfible that the notion here advanced will have popular prejudice and long established opinion to encounter with, and that much oppofition may be expected; but he affures his readers, that his determination is, not to enter into any controversy on this topic which we are very glad to hear,-for, were a contest to arife on the fubject, as warm and as diffufive as that occafioned by Middleton's Enquiry concerning the Miraculous Ponyers, &c. the poor Reviewers would have a woeful time of it.

Art. 9. Brief Animadverfions on fome Paffages in the Eleven Letters to the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, just published under the Name of the late Rev. Mr. James Hervey. By a fincere Friend to the true Religion of Jefus Chrift. 8vo. 6d. J. Payne.