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indefinite, and that of knowledge is often tyrannical. It is hard to fatisfy those who know not what to demand, or those who demand by design what they think impoffible to be done. I have indeed difappointed no opinion more than my own; yet I have endeavoured to perform my task with no flight folicitude. Not a fingle paffage in the whole work has appeared to me corrupt, which I have not attempted to reftore; or obfcure, which I have not endeavoured to illuftrate. In many I have failed like others; and from many, after all my efforts, I have retreated, and confeffed the repulfe, I have not paffed over, with affected fuperiority, what is equally difficult to the reader and to myself, but where I could not inftruct him, have owned my ignorance. I might eafily have accumulated a mass of seeming learning upon eafy fcenes; but it ought not to be imputed to negligence, that, where nothing was neceffary, nothing has been done, or that, where others have faid enough, I have said no more."

As to the work itself; the prefent Editor hath prefixed the feveral prefaces of Pope, Theobald, Hanmer and Warburton, as alfo the dedication and preface of Heminge and Condell, and Shakespeare's life by Mr. Rowe. Of Mr. Pope's notes the Editor hath retained the whole; in order, as he fays, that no fragment of fo great a writer may be loft. With Dr. Johnson's leave, however, as Mr. Pope's attempts on Shakespeare do fo little honour to his memory, a future editor who affected to revere that memory ought to have fuppreffed them; at leaft thofe of them which were the most exceptionable.— Of Theobald's notes, the weak, ignorant, mean, faithlefs, petulant, oftentatious Theobald, the prefent Editor hath generally retained those which he retained himself in his fecond edition; and these, we must acquaint our Readers, are not a few nor unimportant.Of Sir Thomas Hanmer's notes, Dr. Johnfon profeffes, and we find no reason to disbelieve him, that he hath inferted them all, -To Dr. Warburton he is ftill more obliged than to any of the preceeding commentators, at leaft in point of quantity.To the author of the Canons of Criticism he is alfo equally obliged in point of quality; but we know not to what caufe we must impute it, that the Editor is fo extremely fparing of confeffing his obligations, from this quarter.

As to the Editor's own notes, it poffibly will not be expected they should be fo numerous, or fo important, as those he had an opportunity of borrowing from his predeceffors: the Reader will meet with fome of them, however, here and there interfperfed among the reft, and like the reft, bona quædam, mala, mediocrą. If the Reader fhould complain that thefe are too few and infignificant, we can only impute their paucity and want of importance to a notion entertained by the Editor (the most unfortunate fure that ever entered into the head of a commentator !) that the Reader

Reader is more, and better pleased with what he finds out himfelf, than with what the most fagacious fcholiaft can point out to him. But this plea, if admitted, would of course be urged too far, and even fuperfede the task of any commentator at all. Indeed Dr. Johnson feems full as little folicitous about the fuccefs of his annotations, as he could poffibly be about the compofing them; it is to be wifhed, however, for the fake of his own reputation, that he had always treated the poet with the fame candour as he profees to have obferved toward his brother

Commentators.

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A Letter to the Right Reverend Author of the Divine Legation of Mofes demonftrated; in Anfwer to the Appendix to the fifth Volume of that Work: with an Appendix, containing a former literary Correspondence. By a late Profeffor in the University of Oxford. Octavo. Is 6d. Millar and DodЛley.

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HEN a perfon of gentle and amiable manners, of unblemished character, and eminent abilities, is calumniated, and treated in the most injurious manner by a haughty and over-bearing Coloffus, it must give pleafure to every generous mind, to fee fuch a perfon vindicating himself with manly freedom, refenting the infult with proper fpirit, attacking the imperious aggreffor in his turn, and taking ample vengeance for the injury done him. Such is the pleasure which every impartial Reader, every true republican in Literature, will receive from the perufal of the Letter now before us.

It can be no fecret to any of our Readers, that the Author of the Divine Legation of Mofes has, for many years, treated men of the most refpectable character, in the moft illiberal and contemptuous manner; nay, often, with the most wanton infolence; that he has (to borrow the language of the elegant and fpirited Author of this Letter) affumed the high office of Inquifitor General and Supreme Judge of the opinions of the Learned, and exercifed it with a ferocity and a defpotifm without example in the republic of letters, and hardly to be paralelled among the difciples of Dominic; exacting their opinions to the standard of his infallibility, and profecuting with implacable hatred every one that prefumes to differ from him.

In the appendix to the fifth volume of the Divine Legation*, the Bishop of Glocefter feverely attacked the learned and ingenious Dr. LoWTH; who now fteps forth to do himself juf tice, to defend his opinions and his character, and to expofe the fophiftry, buffoonry and fcurrility' of his antagonist. How far

See Review for Sept, laft.

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he hath fucceeded in this attempt, under all thefe heads, it is not for us to determine; but, on the whole, he hath acquitted himself in fo mafterly and fatisfactory a manner, that we do not remember ever to have received equal entertainment from the perufal of any work of this kind. But to the Letter itfelf:

I cannot but think myself, fays the Doctor, much obliged to your Lordship, for the diftinguifhed honour which you have done me, in making me the fubject of an APPENDIX to your great work of The Divine Legation of Mofes Demonftrated: an honour, which you have hitherto conferred on no one, except a late noble lord and myfelf. I heard indeed from every quar ter, that you had taken it into your head, that I had. affronted you; and that this imagined affront lay rankling at your heart. You expreffed your indignation, with much vehemence and loud menaces, to almoft every one whom you met: except to myfelf; whom you, at the fame time, received with fair words and a smooth countenance: infomuch that I was then really perfuaded, that what I had heard of your refentment was all an idle and groundless report, However I did not imagine, either that the fubject on which we differed was fo important in itself, or the person who differed from you fo confiderable in your efti mation, as to merit fo formal a process, and fo folemn a chastisement. I thought you might poffibly whip me at the cart's tail in a Note to Divine Legation, the ordinary place of your literary executions or pillory me in the Dunciad, another engine, which, as legal proprietor, you have very ingenioufly and judiciously applied to the fame purpose: or perhaps have ordered ine a kind of Bridewell correction by one of your Beadles, in a pamphlet. I never flattered myself with the expectation of being exhibited on a scaffold, erected on purpofe for me, and in fo confpicuous a place. I can do no less therefore than make my acknowledgments to your Lordship upon the occafion; as Sir John Owen did to my Lord Prefident Bradshaw, of infolent and brutal memory: having, together with feveral peers, received fentence of condemnation in the High Court of Justice, the honest Knight made a low reverence to his mock Lordship, and gave him humble thanks for the great honour done him in being condemned to lofe his head like a noble Lord; for, being but a poor Gentleman of Wales, he fwore he was afraid he fhould have been hanged.'

Having thus paid his refpects and due acknowledgments to his Lordship, our Author proceeds, without farther compliments, and with all proper freedom, to enquire into the grounds of his refentment, and the merits of the question in difpute. He ftates the cafe, with great clearness and openness, as it lies before the Public; and reminds his Lordship of what formerly passed between them in private, in regard to the book of Job. According to

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the Doctor's account, the truth of which we are not to question, there seems great want of fairness and openness in his Lordship's conduct it appears that he drew the Doctor into a conference, a pretended treaty of peace; while he knew that his Cherokees and Iroquois, (as our Author styles the Bishop's under-writers) were falling at that very time upon his back.' But for the particulars of this affair, we must refer our Readers to the pamphlet.

This, fays Dr. Lowth, is a true ftate of my particular cafe. But indeed, my Lord, it is matter of common complaint, and a real hardship upon us free fubjects of the Republic of Letters in general; that we cannot go on quietly and peaceably in the public road, upon the ordinary bufinefs of our calling, without meeting at every turn a sturdy bravo, who disputes our paffage, claims the highway as his own, and falls upon us with his cudgel, if we do not keep juft to the track in which he or ders us to walk. You give yourself out as Demonftrator of the Divine Legation of Mofes: this fubject you look upon as your exclufive property; by what title, I cannot fay: furely not as first Occupier; for the Divine Legation of Mofes had been often demonftrated before and it would be no prefumption even in a young Student in Theology to undertake to give a better, that is, a more fatisfactory and irrefragable Demonftration of it in five pages, than you have done in five volumes. However, in quality of Demonftrator General of the Divine Legation of Mofes, you lay in a further claim as Lord Paramount in all the realms of fcience. For the Divine Le gation of Mofes, it feems, contains in it all knowledge divine and human, antient and modern: it treats, as of its proper fubject, de omni fcibili, & de quolibet ente; it is a perfect Encyclopedia; it includes in itself all History, Chronology, Criticism, Divinity, Law, Politics, from the Law of Mofes down to the Jate Jew-Bill, and from Egyptian Hieroglyphics to modern Rebus-writing; and to it we are to have recourfe, as to an infallible oracle, for the refolution of every queftion in Literature. It is like Lord Peter's brown loaf: it is mutton, and it is beef; it is fifh, and it is flesh; it is meat, and it is drink: in it are contained inclufivè all the necessaries of life; and a dreadful anathema hangs over the head of the unbeliever and gainfayer. For whatever it may pretend in theory; it admits in fact of no tolerance, no intercommunity of various fentiments, not the leaft difference of opinion: to diffent, is a capital offence; to be filent, is a criminal referve; even to praife, unless in fuch high ftrains of Panegyric as fhall come up to the full standard of the great Proprietor's extravagant felf-eftimation, argues a malig nant parfimony, a difrefpect, and an indignity: the charge has been openly avowed, and a smart correction has been publicly inflicted on the offender. The Demonftrator of the Divine Li

gation

gation of Mofes doth indeed in his pretenfions beftride the narrow world of Literature, and hath caft out his fhoe over all the regions of Science. He puts me mightily in mind of King P1CROCHOLE, when he had taken the caftle of Clermauld; by affault indeed, and in all the forms, but without refiftance; for the place was open and defenceless. Upon this foundation he fets up for Univerfal Monarchy; he makes an imaginary expedition through Europe, Africa, and Afia; his three Minifters, the Duc de Menüail, Count Spadaffin, and Captain Merdaille, perfuade him, that he is the most puiflant and chivalrous Prince that ever appeared fince Alexander the Great, and that he has actually conquered all the world: and behold, he frightens the poor Pope out of his wits, and feizes his dominions; he vanquifhes and baptizes Barbaroffa; he kills and flays all the dog Turks and Mahometans; he gives away countries, and difpofes of kingdoms; and bounces, blufters, and fwaggers, as if he were really fovereign Lord, and fole Master of the Universe.'

Having thus fettled preliminaries with his antagonist, the Doctor proceeds directly to the matter in debate between them. In examining his Lordfhip's anfwer, he takes his Lordship for his guide, and tries it by thofe rules, which he has laid down, in order to fix, with certainty, the character of an Anfwerer. In the preface to the Doctrine of Grace, his Lordship speaks of a mode of anfwering which confifts in Sophiftry, Buffoonery, and Scurrility. This judicious diftribution of the fubject fuits Dr. Lowth's purpose fo exactly, that he begs leave to borrow it, and treats of the Bishop's answer to him under these three heads; which, with fome animadverfions on the critical part, towards the conclufion, which is of a character fomewhat different, compleatly takes in the whole of his Lordship's Appendix.

Dr. Lowth begins with the argumentative, or rather the fo= phiftical' part of the Appendix, and confiders the queftion, whe ther, under the Patriarchal Government, idolatry was punifhed by the Magiftrate?-We are forry we cannot, within the li mits affigned to this article, give our Readers a competent idea of what the Doctor has advanced on this fubject.

He concludes this part of his Letter, in the following manner: So much for the principal and argumentative part of the Appendix. When I called it Sophiftry; I paid a compliment to much the greatest part of it, which it by no means deferved. Sophiftry implies addrefs, and management, and arti fice; fomething specious, plaufible, and impofing; some semblance, colour, or fhadow of argument: even to this paltry merit Your argumentation has not the leaft pretenfions; it is fuch argumentation, as never was produced by any one bred up in the principles of LOGIC.'

The Doctor now proceeds to the Buffoonery' of his Lordship's Appendix, difplayed in two curious paragraphs, (fee Review

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