IS

ricans is passed over; the disease which made fuch trash palatable
begins to abate.- We are come to a solemn pause in our affairs-and
may perhaps now be inclined to open our ears to the voice of reason
and humanity; which has been too long drowned in the over-bears
ing clamour of interested and hireling politicians.

* The present dispute can never be ended to the advantage of either
party, unless Britain thall prescribe the terms. To point out the pro-
priecy of generosity in these terms, is one great design of the follow,
ing essay. The noblest feelings of a conqueror are, when he resolves
to adopt the vanquished into liberty and freedom.' So says our Au-
thor; and confidering the present state of things, thinkest thou not,
gentle Reader, that it is right seasonably, generously, and nobly
fpoken!
Art. 21. Remarks upon General Howe's Account of his Proceedings

on Long Island in the Extraordinary Gazette of O&tober ictb 1770.
8vo. Fielding & Walker.

Blames general Howe for not permitting the troops to form the
lines at Brooklyn; by which this Author thinks our opportunity was
loft, of crushing the rebellion at once.-He says, 'Had the comman-
der in chief chosen to follow the judgment of the other generals,
and formed the lines, the rebel army was at their mercy, and ebe
war would have been at an end. The terror of the foreign troops
was then fresh, and operated in its full force; and the rebels never
would have got men to enlift in another army to oppose theirs.-Whe:
ther general Howe acted wisely, in not exposing the troops at that time
to the attack of a place which he mighe gain possession of with less
risque, must be left to the discussion of military men who were upon
the spot, and knew all the circumstances of both armies; but the
opinion that the entire defeat of the army in Long Iand would have
put an end to the rebellion, is mere presumption; and, confidering the
itate and temper of America at that time, destitute of probability.

The Gazette referred to is printed at length, and makes up above one-third part of this puny production.

B-ny
Art. 22, Confiderations on the present State of Affairs between Eng-

land and America. 8vo. Nourse.
Against the American war; sensible, not violent in favour of the
it donies; totally against allowing their independency; abounding in

new remarks, and offering heads of a plan for an accommodation, the
terms of which, perhaps, will be deemed, as matters are now fito-
ated, more favourable to the mother country, than she has, at pre-
sept, any great reason to expect. We approve the independent spirit
of the Author, and we will give his dedication to Lord North, entire,
as a specimen of his style, which is rather free than elegant,

My Lord,
HAVING, on a former occafion, expreffed an approbation and
confidence in your lordship, as a minifter, which your Lordship very
foon after convinced me was TOTALJ.Y unmerited; I take this occasion
to retract that praise which I am sorry, for the interest of this coun-
ery, was so ill' founded! In such a situation, your Lordship cannot
wonder that I do not subscribe myself

Your Lordfhip’s most obedient humble servant,
January 1778.

The AUTHOR

Рньо

ol 이

PHILOSOPHICAL.
Art. 23. An Analysis of the Electrical Fire; setting forth, from

the Lecturer's own Experiments, that it neither attracts, nor re-
pels ; nor is attracted, or repelled, by points ; or, any other way;
is not material, nor inherent in bodies, nor in the clouds, &c. &c.
&c. By Thomas Kirby. Printed for the Author. 8vo. 6d. Sold
by White. 1778.
This is a poor, ignorant, and, inoffensive creature, who speaks
ill of nobody, except us Monthly Reviewers t, -and that is next to
nothing-whom he charges with having had malevolent designs
against

science itself, in the account we formerly gave of some nameless and forgotten pamphlet of his; which was, says he, attacked by the Monthly Reviewers, in one of the most malevolently designed criticisms, against science, that ever disgraced literature.'-He tells the Reader, however, that he expects to hear from these gentlemen again.' He does not seem to be aware that he has taken an infallible method to prgcure a second audience.

The Royal Society seem to have joined us in this conspiracy against science. Speaking of the cause of the precession of the equinoxes, he says that. Julius Cæfar, Pope Gregory, and our own astronomers, have all foiled themselves at it.-In my Ejay on Criticism I, I published the real cause, and sent one of the pamphlets to the Royal So. ciety; and although it is eighteen years since, the truth of it has never been acknowledged by any one, that I have heard of, excepting my unknown friend, Philomath.—But some, who have seen it, perhaps are ashamed to own it, as it explodes all the pheroidical nonsense of Sir Isaac.'-He talks too of having there evinced the absurdity of the theory of the tides, more perhaps, than it deserves; the nonsense of which is all Sir Isaac's own.'

In the present treatise, Mr. Kirby, to use his own language, gives us plenty of electrical nonsense, all his own. The Lecturer mentioned in the title page, it is to be observed, is not the Author himself, as seems to be there intimated; but a person at whose course he saw fome electrical experiments exhibited above thirty years ago ; at which time, he tells us, most of these remarks were made; and since which time he has never, he owns, been master of an electrical apparatus ; nor indeed appears even to have seen one. He talks of Iteel and iron being, perhaps, in one of the first classes of electrics ;-of his having heard that a light shock was once produced from rubbing on a gun barrel ;-of fire not being material, &c.' In short, the poor man is

totally ignorant of the most common experiments in electricity; and • sve take this opportunity of telling him so, not out of malevolence,' but REAL KINDNESS. DR A MA TI c.

Biw-y. Art. 24. Poor Vulcan; a Burletta, in Two Acts. As performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. 8vo,

A very tolerable imitation of the popular dramas of Mr. O'Hara. C. + Our critic here forgets that Sir Isaac Newton comes in for a share of Mr. Kirby's abuse. Edit.

Vid. Rev. vol. xviii. p..181.
M4

Art.

.

Art. 25. The Cozeners; a Comedy, in Three Acts. As it is

performed at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket. Written by. the late Samuel Foote, Esq; and now published by Mr. Colman,

8vo. I s. 6 d. Cadell. 1778. Art. 26. The Maid of Bath; a Comedy of Three Aets. By

the late Samuel Foote Esq. 8vo. 18. 6 d. Cadell. A greater critic than the Reviewers, we mean the Lord Chancel. lor, having palled his judgment on one impression of these comedies ; the proprietor, Mr. Colman, has fubmitted the prefent impreffion to us and to the Public. Of his own edition he fpeaks thus :

• Some copies of spurious impreffions of this comedy, and of the Maid of Bath, having been printed and circulated before the application to the Court of Chancery for an injurētion, it has been thought advisable, in vindication of the property of the Editor, as well as in justice to the deceased Author, immediately to commie to the preis genuine editions of the two dramatic pieces abovementioned, together with the Comedy of the Devil upon Two Sticks, which had been also, without authority, advertised for publication.

• On inspection of the spurious impressions, it appears that all. the errors of careless and ignorant transcribers are there religiously preserved; and all the additions and improvements, made by the facerious Writer, are omitted. Many instances of this will occur on perusal of this Comedy; in which, besides the relloration of feveral passages always spoken on the flage, the Reader will find a whole scene, at the end of the First Ad, and another, frill more entertain. ing and popular, at the beginning of the Third ; both which were wholly wanting in the spurious impressions.

: Unauthorized publications are not only always detrimental to private property, but commonly prove injurious to the Public; for the copies being obtained by clandestine and indirect means, are, for the most part, as has happened in the prefent instance, incorrect and imperfect.'

These two Comedies, in confequence of their having been orally published on the stage for fome years paft, are fo familiar to the Public, that a comment on them is almost superfluous. They abound with that whim and pleasantry which distinguished the Author, who was as negligent in the conduct of his dramatic fables, as he was warm in the pursuit of character. The comic perfonages of Aircaftle in the Cozeners, and of Flint and Lady Catherine Colditream in the Maid of Bath, are conceived and written in a vein of humour pecu. Jiar to the facerious and irregular Writer.

C. POETICA L. . Art. 27. Bagley; a Descriptive Poem; with the Annotations

of Scriblerus Secundus. To which are prefixed, by the same, Prolegomena on the Poetry of the present Age. 410. 35. Bew. 1778

Not Scriblerus Secundus, but Scriblerus Norbus, Scriblerus Vagrans ft Suppofititius. It is highly disagreeable to us to find the name and honours of our old friend and correspondent affumed by such a pigmean critic as this; and, certes, were he not now investigating the interior parts of Ethiopia, he would feel forę wrath and excandele Gence.

The

Secundus L.

The poem itfelf is one of the most foolish things imaginable. No fewer than thirty-fix dull, dismal pages are employed (as it appears from the notes, for it is impollible to find it out from the texi) to

burlesque our modern poetry, particularly the prevailing taite for
figurative expreffor. Ia thart, the Author is fucla a fumbler in his

attempts on that shy nymph IRONY, that we would advise bim to
give up the idea of publihing his next proposed Scriblerus Secundus
for fear of the Hagellations of our venerable friend.
Art. 28. Sonnets and Odes, translated from the Italian of Pe-

trarch ; with the original Text, and some Account of bis Life.
- 12mo, 3s, fewed. Davies.

1777.
To tranflate Petrarch is a task for the first poetical abilities, fup-
ported by the truest and most delicate judgment; but it is a tal of
the forbidding kind. Interwoven with the finest poetical imagery
and sentiment, there are so many triling conceits, that the labour
of felection and exclusion would be at once tedious and difficult.
The lietle that this author has done toward translating him, is done
badly, and what he calls fome Account of the Author's life, would
disgrace the pen of an apothecary's apprentice.

L. Art. 29. Prayer; a Poem. By Samuel Hayes, M. A. late

Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 4to. is. Dediley.

This Writer complains of the wayward flesh' and original fin, and the Pope, and of a pharifaic krave called Claudius ; and, in truth, we malt own that his complaints are- -very heavy! The poem, however, obtained Seatoo's prize, for the year 1777.

L. Art. 30. Prophecy; a Poem. By the Rev. Samuel Hayes,

M. A. 410. I s. Dodsley.
Mr. Hayes feems determined to flart from the winning post, and
begins here, too, with original fin; but when he speaks of our good
mother Eve's fuffering the forrows of conception,' we apprehend
he forgets him felf.-Having been Fellow of a college, he mistook
conception for childbearing. Any one else would have known that
forrow had licile to do with the former. The poem ranks in merit.
with that on Prayer, and, of course, obtained the prize *. Ն,
Art. 31. The Fate of Lervellyn ; or, the Druids Sacrifice: a Le-

gendary Tale. To which is added, the Genius of Carnbre, a
Poem. By a young Gentleman of Truro-School. 410. 2 s. 6 d.
Dilly.' 1778

School-boys should be encouraged to scribble, but should not be
fuffered to print. The exercise of young imagination is always
useful, but the indulgence of youthtul vanity is often dangercus.
We have here nothing to praise but the Author's diligeace; and all
we shall condescend to blame, is the conduct of his matter, who
ought to have saved his blossoming pupil from the public eye. L.

• For the year 1776 ;--Mater Reviewer has put the first laft.

Pricser's nevil.'

4to, 6 d.

IS.

Art. 32. The Garrulous Man; a Parody upon L'Allegro of Milton. Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Miller.

Bath printed. Sold by Dodsley.

Vive la bagatelle ! should this Writer have put on his title-page ; for a more empty bagatelle have we no fear of finding:

L.
Art. 33. The Auction ; a Town Eclogue. By the Honourable
Mr.

410.

Bew. 1778.
• Half-dress'd and unberoug'd she hastes away,

And weeping, bellows, in distracted tone.'
Somebody has called Patience a sleepy virtue, but that Somebody
was never, certainly, a Reviewer. In short, we have been fo per.
tered with this sort of trash, that, though proclamations have not
of late been very successful, we must issue the following,

By THE REVIEWERS,

A PROCLAMATION, Whereas it hath been represented to us, upon the oaths of several of our trusty and well-beloved booksellers, that certain journeymen

taylors, shoemakers, barbers, Spitaldfields-weavers, and other han..dicraftsmen, and that certain appprentices, shopmen, &c. have af

sembled in certain clubs, called Spouting-clubs, and, having there intoxicated themselves with porter and poetry, have prefumed to make rhymes, and discharge them on the Public, under the title of Squires and Honourables, &c. &c. to the great annoyance of faid Públic, and of us, the said Reviewers ; We do hereby ordain and decree that every such journeyman taylor, fhoemaker, barber, Spitalfields-weaver, or orber handicraftsman, and that every apprentice, shopman, &c. fo offending in future, shall, for every such first of fence, be chained to the compter, for a space, not exceeding twelve, nor less than six days; and that they and each of them Thall, for every such fecond offence, be not only chained to the compter for the said space of time (more or less) but be obliged to wear bobwigs, and flapped hats without girdle or buckle, for the space of fix months.

Given under our hands at the corner of the Adelphi, this 16th day of February, in the 29th year of our reign.

Signed,

MISCELLANEOUS.
Art. 34. The Case of the Commissary General of Provisions, and

Stores of the Province of Quebec, &c. 8vo. od. Fielding and
Walker.

In June, 1768, John Christopher Roberts, Esq; was appointed, under the Great Seal, to the place abovementioned; but, in 1776, she, to his great surprize, found himself superseded, by a new appointment of a Mr. Day to the said office ; without any reason aligned, to the complainant, for such treatment.

This Pamphlet sets forth, more particularly than our limits will allow us to do, the nature and extent of the injury sustained by Mr. Roberts; with some aggravating circumstances ; among which, the infolence of office is not the leaft.-As, however, his deprivation does not appear (according to the opinion of Mesl. Danning, Glyon, and

several

SCRIBLERUs. L.