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and wildness, and by that law governing the univerfe and every part of it.-UNIVERSAL REASON-giving bound and measure to all things; affigning them a certain nature, and enduing them with certain properties; and being thus the foundation of all their reality, the caufe of all their power and virtue, and the origin of all their good.-UNIVERSAL MIND -communicating with a fenfe or tafte of order and proportion, of harmony and beauty, intellectual delight and happinefs, branching out into many minds, and making them partakers of its own pure unity, and all-comprehenfive univerfality; yet ftill remaining in itself intire and complete, pure and fimple. Through this procefs, Plato leads us on to the Knowledge of the DEITY, a point which he has always principally in view, because, according to his doctrine, true virtue depends on it.

Thus we have endeavoured to give a fuccinct abstract of the argument of this dialogue, which, we apprehend, will be more fatisfactory to our Readers, than extracts from the dialogue itself; as it is in general too prolix and fyllogistical, to be agreeable to the modern tafte. It might moreover difguft perfons of extreme delicacy, as the philofopher sometimes indulges himself in vulgar conceits, and makes ufe of very low images and illuftrations.

We nevertheless recommend it to the perufal of the attentive and judicious, who will find great fubtlety and strength of reasoning in Plato's manner of expreffing himself. And though the dialectic art feems to be out of fashion, as being tedious and abounding with repetitions, yet without a proper knowledge of it no one can argue with clofenefs and precifion, or be able to manage a dispute to advantage. To the modern inattention in this refpect, we owe the many rambling productions which, being incoherent and unconnected, can never answer the purpofe of conviction, though, for the fame reasons, they render refutation a difficult labour.

A Differtation on the Scrofula or King's Evil; in which the Caufes and Nature of this Difeafe are attempted to be demonftrated; and from which the Prognofis, together with the moft natural and rational Method of Cure, is endeavoured to be deduced. By William Scott, M. D. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Cooper.

TH

HIS gentleman having acquainted us in his preface, that the account given by the antients, of this disease, is very fuperficial and imperfect; that thofe of more modern date (tho

he

he is forry to fay it) are still less to the purpose; and after praifing Dr. Home for his fingle attempt to write a regular account of it, affures us, that if he had not thought this work confiderably more compleat than any thing that has yet appeared, he fhould not have been fo impertinent as to trouble the public with it, &c. Having thus excited an expectation in the public of fomething new, the refult of much experience and reflection, on the King's Evil, if our author fhall have fulfilled it as much to their fatisfaction, as he has to his own, they must be greatly obliged by his performance. But hav ing thoroughly perufed his fixteen fections (which he calls aphorifms in his preface) as well as his own comments on them, we were forry to find, that Dr. Scott's differtation is, in a great meafure, conftructed on those antients and mos derns he has condemned, and a few whom he has allowed to have collected fome good materials on the fubject. So that the utmoft merit of this compleat Treatife muft terminate in its being an induftrious Compilation of what others may have wrote, lefs profeffedly, on the Scrofula.

Amongst the many moderns quoted, or referred to, by our Author, two feem to have been his Fellow-collegiates, who have lately wrote their inaugural Differtations at Edinburgh, on the fame disease. After fome general compliments to each of thefe performances, he calls one a fhort and incompleat Account of the Distemper, and the other ftill a more lame Effay. At the fame time there is fuch evident juvenility in his own performance [tho' we do not pretend to limit the Author's age from fuch a circumftance] that we fhould not be furprized to hear, his own inaugural Thefis was on the fame fubject, and that this pamphlet is modelled from it: no very uncommon expedient for commencing a medical Author. We would not, however, be understood to caft any general reflection on thefe academical Thefes, which are very proper, and often very ingenious; neither is the present Differtation, whatever might be its origin, without the merit of much industry and reading, as well as a tolerable arrangement of the fubject. But when the Author's judgment is more advanced, and his felf-admiration fomewhat fubfided, he will be able to discern, that its merit was not fufficient to allow him to exult fo greatly on the ruin of the antients, the moderns, and his cotemporaries. The fections are generally short, (and partly transcribed, as he owns, from Dr. Home, ard a MS. in the university) but moft of their lines and fentences are re-printed, as full and pregnant Texts to his fubfequent Notes, which compofe their retinue, and atteft their quality and importance.

As

As Dr. Scott has engaged in his Preface, that if this Treatife is well received, he ftill propofes, fome time or other, to make it a more finifhed work,' we would propofe, in order to its better future reception, on his further experience of the Disease 1. That his next edition be more modeft, and less condemnatory of whatever ancients and moderns may be liberally cited to contribute to it. 2. That in praifing his medical mafters in the university [the abilities of many of them intitling them to confiderable refpect] he ftudy more temperance and delicacy; fince a certain chastity of praife is neceffary to make it relifhed by perfons who have tafte as well as merit:-Ne rubeant pingui donati munere to fay little of a Writer's confining his applaufe too illiberally, too locally, which may be fometimes thought a defect in his own taste and addrefs.

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3. That he would contract a more intimate acquaintance with the purity of his mother-tongue, fuppofing that to be English, than appears in the prefent edition; efpecially as he quotes much Latin, and fome Greek, in itExtera cur quaerit, fua qui vernacula nefcit. For instance, I remember myself of feeing a man, p. 9, 29. Nor do not ufe fufficient exercife, p. 14. Is neither of a due colour or [nor] confistence, p. 26. This matter is nothing elfe than pieces of fat, p. 30. Deobftruating [deobftruent] medicine, p. 41, I would [fhould] imagine, p. 43.'

Thefe, with feveral other expreffions that might be refer red to, are not English idioms; neither are we certain that all of them are Scotch. Indeed, our Author fays, he hopes

his Readers will overlook fome fmall faults," fuch as thefe, perhaps; to which indulgence in others we have no objecti-. on; but our not overlooking them may prevent his repeating them and we hope Dr. Scott will reflect, that a just admonition may be more friendly than an ill-founded compliment. For the reft, we acknowlege his pamphlet may deserve the perufal of fome Practitioners, while it promifes industry and reflection in his own practice.

Death, a Poetical Elay. By Beilby Porteus, M. A. Fellow of
Chrift's College, Cambridge. 4to. Is. Whiston.

BOUT twenty years ago, one Mr. Seaton bequeathed a certain eftate to the university of Cambridge she rent of which was to be annually given to that Mafter of Arts, who should write the best English poem on certain fub

Vid. an Extract from Mr. Seaton's Will, Rev. vol. IV. p. 508.
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jects fpecified in the will; to be determined by the ViceChancellor, the Mafter of Clare-Hall, and the Greek Profeffor, for the time being. See the feveral accounts we have given of former prize-poems, for Mr. Seaton's reward, particularly, those written by Mr. Smart.

This is the poem of the prefent year, which has entitled the Author to the bequeathed gratuity; and which circumftance were alone fufficient to prejudice the public in it's favour.

The poet begins, with a striking defcription of the throne of Death, attended by his parent Sin, and all his various minifters. He then pathetically laments the state of

Ill-fated man, for whom fuch various forms

Of mis'ry wait, and mark their future prey!'

In confequence of this dreadful picture, he arraigns the juftice of the Almighty; but retracting cries,

Could fuch foul ills

• Fall from fair Mercy's hands? Far be the thought,
The impious thought! God never made a Creature
But what was good.- He made a living Man:
• The Man of Death was made by Man himself.
• Forth from his Maker's hands he sprung to life,
• Fresh with immortal bloom; no pain he knew,
No fear of Death, no check to his defires

• Save one command.".

The Author poctically defcribes the effects which the difobedience of the first pair had on the rest of the creation, and fends Adam forth to till the ground, fuftained by hope in the benevolent promife of his Creator.

• Chear'd with the view, Man went to till the ground
From whence he rofe: fentenc'd indeed to toil

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As to a punishment, yet (ev'n in wrath

So merciful is Heav'n) this toil became

The folace of his woes, the fweet employ

Of many a live-long hour, and surest guard

Againft difeafe and Death.- Death tho' denounc'd

Was yet a diftant ill, by feeble arm

Of Age, his fole fupport, led flowly on.

Not then, as fince, the thort-liv'd fons of men
Flock'd to his realms in countless multitudes;

• Scarce in the courfe of twice five hundred years
• One folitary ghoft went fhiv'ring down

To his unpeopled fhore.'

He now defcribes the long life of the Patriarchs, laments our prefent unhappy fituation, and then proceeds to enumerate the manifold fhapes affumed by the king of terrors, in his vifits to the prefent world. Envy, between two brothers,

fift

firft introduced murder: Ambition faw, and foon improved the deed.

One murder made a Villain,

• Millions a Hero

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Princes were privileg'd

• To kill, and numbers fanctified the crime."

He then introduces Luxury, as a ftill greater enemy to man

kind.

In th' embattled plain

• Tho' Death exults, and claps his raven wings,
* Yet reigns he not ev'n there fo absolute,
So mercilefs, as in yon frantic scenes

• Of midnight revel and tumultuous mirth.'

The poet addreffes himself to the self-murderer thus:

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Think, O think,

And e'er thou plunge into the vast abyss,

Paufe on the verge awhile, look down and fee
Thy future mansion. Why that start of horror?
From thy flack hand why drops th' uplifted fteel?
• Didft thou not think fuch vengeance must await
• The wretch, that with his crimes all fresh about him
⚫ Rufhes irreverent, unprepar'd, uncall'd,

Into his Maker's prefence, throwing back,

• With infolent disdain, his choiceft gift?'

To these fucceed the immediate vifitations of Heaven, fuch as Deluge, Tempest, Pestilence, and Earthquakes.

In no common form

• Death then appears, but starting into fize
Enormous, measures with gigantic ftride

• Th' astonish'd Earth, and from his looks throws round
Unutterable horror and difmay.'.

Our poet concludes his Effay, with a pathetic prayer to the
Almighty, of which the following lines are a part.

• When my foul starting from the dark unknown

• Cafts back a wifhful look, and fondly clings
To her frail prop, unwilling to be wrench'd
From this fair scene, from all her custom'd joys,

⚫ And all the lovely relatives of life,

Then fhed thy comforts o'er me; then put on
The gentleft of thy looks.-

Let no dark crimes

In all their hideous forms then starting up,

• Plant themselves round my couch in grim array,

• And ftab my bleeding heart with two-edg'd torture,

• Senfe of paft guilt, and dread of future woe.
Far be the ghaftly crew! And in their stead,
Let chearful Memory from her pureft cells
"Lead forth a goodly train of virtues fair
• Cherish'd in earliest youth, now paying back

With

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