abodes know not the arts of defamation; fecure themselves in innocence, they have no idea of the wiles of popular life; their hours pafs unalloyed by envy years fucceeding years with the utmost serenity-and age fteals upon them unperceived. C Happy people! free from the hurry of the bufy world, and the phrenzy of ambition. bleft with the bounties of providence, induftry furnishes their homely fare, and contentment gives a zest to the various employments of ruflic life-Ye Eaft-India murtherers and plunderers, and all ye who riot in the wages of rapine, extortion, and injuftice, fay, can ye boaft eafe and tranquillity like this ?' In this fequeftered part of the world, the Author discovered a loft friend, who here abandoned himself to defpair, for having been forced by an uncle, on whom he was dependent, to contract a marriage recommended merely from interefted motives; in which compliance he made a facrifice of a former tender attachment, the reflection on which imbittered all his moments. But when his deferted love had funk into a fettled melancholy, which ended only by drowning herfelf, and his uncle died of grief at the fad effects of his avaritious fchemes, he grew quite frantic, and retired to pine away in this Foreft, where his wishes for death were gratified by his being accidentally gored by one of the red deer who was pursued by the hounds. There is an obfervable inconfiftency between this ftory, and the mention of it in the title: there, indifcretion is charged on the lover; in perufal, however, the uncle is exhibited as the blameable party. We are informed by the Introduction, that this short letter is pubJifhed by the Writer as a fpecimen, and that if the public ufe it well, a continuation of his ramble is at their fervice; but if this letter is neglected, he threatens revenge by configning the remainder to the flames. This tafte of his writing, however, for it is but a tafte, would incline us, chiefly indeed out of regard to the Author, to beg him, even in that cafe, to alter his vengeful refolution, and think what pangs of repentance he will feel, the moment the curling flames fnatch inevitably to that oblivion fo much.dreaded by Authors, excellencies no one but himfelf can then regret the lofs of. would thus deprive himself of the confolation to be derived from honouring a minority of admirers as the difcerning few. He Art. 29. The Hiftory of Mifs Sommerville. 8vo. 2 Vols. 6 s. in Vellum. Written by a Lady. Small Newbery and Carnan. If a novel is agreeably written, without having fome farther view, a moral purpose, or at least humour, to recommend it; or, if it contains good inftructions without being conveyed in an entertaining form, the work has no real claim to commendation. The adventures of the unfortunate Mifs Sommerville, interwoven with those of her friends, though too long to enter into, are very agreeably delivered, and will not fail to intereft thofe readers who are poffeffed of any fenfibility. They will be particularly affected by her unhappy fate, after all her difficulties appear to have been furmounted--For this narrative does not depart from human nature and probability, fo far far as to wind up the adventures of all the parties to a happy confummation. Some bafe characters, graced with all the pageantry of wealth and title, are held up defervedly to deteftation, and though. the catastrophe is fatal in the principal perfonage of the hiftory, the lively reader will meet with much entertainment in perufing it. POLITICAL and COMMERCIAL, Art. 30. The Question ftated, whether the Freeholders of Middlefex loft their Right, by voting for Mr. Wilkes at the laft Election. In a Letter from a Member of Parliament to his Conftituents. 8vo. I s. 6d. Woodfall. Though there is little credit due to the profeffions of an anonymous title-page, yet the prefent malterly pamphlet is generally fuppofed to have been really the work of a celebrated baronet, member of parliament for a great fea-port town in the northern parts of this kingdom. It is written on the popular fide of the question, and contains many obfervations and arguments which highly merit the attention of the Public, and will afford great pleafure to the zealous friends of, and ftaunch advocates for, the glorious caufe of Liberty. Art.31. The Cafe of the late Election for the County of Middlesex, confidered on the Principles of the Conftitution, and the Authorities of Law. 4to. I s. Cadell, Here we have the other fide of the queftion, ftated with all the accuracy of an able lawyer; and fuch we fuppofe the Author to be. He is well verfed in parliamentary proceedings; and he propofes to fhew, from the records of parliament, and the authorities of law, that the houfe of commons is legally invefted with the power they have exercifed with respect to the late determination of the election for Middlefex. He farther contends, that, in the general principles of reafon and conftitutional policy, they ought to have fuch a power;that it cannot, confiftently with the prefervation of public liberty, be lodged any where elfe; and that, in the inftance in question, they have exercifed this right not only according to the established law and ufage of parliament, but in conformity with the adjudications of the courts at Westminster, on the like occafion. His reafonings on thefe points, if they do not entirely fatisfy the mind of the penetrating reader, will, however, convince him of the great abilities of the writer. * A pofition of which the author of the Question ftated, does not feem to be fo clearly convinced. Art. 32. A Letter to the Author of the Question Stated. Ey another Member of Parliament. 8vo. 6d. Bathurst. The author of the Question Stated having mentioned with applaufe Dr. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England; but, at the fame time, intimated that the learned commentator had, upon a late occation, departed from the principles which he had inculcated and avowed in that celebrated performance ;-the writer of this letter, who is probably no other than Dr. B. himself, has thought it expedient to refute this charge of inconfiftency, to vindicate the genuine fentiments 8 fentiments of the perfon fo attacked, and to fhew that his judgment, however erroneous, or fingular, has always been uniform and feady. Erroneous, fays the letter-writer, it may poffibly be, and very probably it was fo, firce he could not intirely agree with either the miniftry or the oppofition, in their conduct with refpect to Mr. Wilkes. He concurred with the latter in difapproving the vote of the 2d of February; because he thought it beneath the dignity of parliament to cenfure any libel (however atrocious) that was merely directed against a minifter. In the reft of the questions he heartily concurred with the majority, whenever he happened to be prefent: And in all of them he followed, without regard to any party-connexions, the fentiments which he had formed for himself, and which he always had publicly avowed.' To elucidate this matter, our Author enters on a comparison of the thoughts of the profeffor, as delineated by himfelf in his Commentaries, with the words of the politician, supposed to have been delivered in parliament. The doctrine which the profeffor is faid to have fupported in his fpeech, in the H. of C. is faid to have been" That the house of commons had a right to adjudge Mr. Wilkes incapable of being elected to ferve in this prefent parliament." In oppofition to this docrine, the author of the Question Stated quotes the learned profeffor's enumeration of legal difabilities; but the writer of this letter complains that thefe quotations are unwarily and inaccurately made, and that his fentiments are thereby misrepresented. We must refer to the pamphlet for particulars, and fhall only add, that we think this apology for the celebrated commentator will be very fatisfactory to every candid and competent reader. He has induftriously avoided faying any thing on the political merits of the principal queftion in difpute. My only intention,' fays he, in this Addrefs, was to vindicate to you and the public, from the charge of inconfiftence and duplicity, the character of one, who, though warmly attached to his Sovereign and the free conftitution of his country, detefts all the violence of party, from which inconfiftence is infeparable; and who had much rather be, and be cfteemed, an honest man, than the ableft politician in Europe.' < Art. 33. Confiderations on the Times. 8vo. 1 S. Almon. The author has conceived a bad opinion of the Times; and recommends the restoration of annual parliaments, as the most promifing remedy for the diforders of our body politic. Art. 34. The Fate of Tyrants, or the Road from the Palace to the Scaffold. 8vo. I s. 6d. Fell. Charles I. is here held up, a royal fcarecrow, to fucceeding princes, of arbitrary inclination. The pamphlet confifts merely of ftale fcraps of history, obviously thrown together-because it was convenient for fomebody that a pamphlet fhould be made. Art. 35. The Battle of the Quills; or Wilkes attack'd and defended. A Selection of the moft interefting Pieces relative to John Wilkes, Efq. Written by Him, his Adverfaries, and Partizans, from the time of his declaring himself a Candidate for Middlesex.―― With With his Addrefes, Speeches, Middlesex Inftructions, &c. Evo. 2 s. Williams. Ufeful to those who neither read the Magazines or News-papers. Art. 36. The Rights of the People to petition, and the Reasonableness of complying with fuch Petitions. In a Letter to a leading great Man. 8vo. 1 s. Williams. A new edition of an old tract first published in Sir Robert Walpole's time, aad addreffed to that celebrated fateiman,-if we are not miitaken in the import of the initial letters at the head of the prefatory epifle. The Writer ftrenuously contends for what nobody will conteft with him: the right of the people to petition for redrefs, where they find themselves aggrieved. Art. 37. Two Letters to the Court of Directors for Affairs of the United Thefe letters are figned "Alexander Dalrymple;" and the defign of the writer was to diffuade the company from the measure mentioned in the title. Art 38. The Political Contest; containing a Series of Letters between Junius and Sir Will. Draper: alfo the whole of Junius's Letters to his Grace the D*** of G******. 8vo. 15. Newbery. This collection, from the news-papers, of the celebrated Letters figned Junius, will probably gratify many gentlemen, who might wish to preferve thefe fpecimens of elegant invective. The Editor, however, has unluckily praifed the writer for his candor, as well as his elegance. He might, with equal propriety have complimented Lady ******** on her chastity. Art. 39. The Defcription of a Parliament in no inftance fimilar to the prefent. 8vo. 1 S. Almon. 1769. Parliaments in no inftance fimilar to the prefent, were those in the corrupt reigns of Charles and James, when the national affemblies were filled with placemen and penfioners. The Author's fincffe, in his title-page, is fomewhat like that of Swift in his defcription of the place of the damned :-after fhewing that Hell must be where the damn'd are, i. e. damn'd lawyers, damn'd priefts, damn'd statelinen, damn'd rogues, damn'd lyars, &c. he concludes, And Hell, to be fure, is at Paris, or Rome; Art. 40. A Speech without Doors, upon the Subject of a Vote given on the 9th of May, 1769. 4to. 6 d. T. Payne. The vote here alluded to, is that by which Mr. Lutterell was declared duly elected for Middlefex. The fenfible author of this speech without doors declares for the fuccefsful fide of the queftion, and argues upon the common received principle, that in all cafes of election by a majority of votes, wherever the candidate for whom the moft votes are given, appears to have been, at the time of election, under a known legal incapacity, the perfon who had the next greatest number number of votes (if under no legal incapacity) ought to be confidered as the perfon duly elected: and he concludes, after a thorough invefligation of this maxim, that Mr. Lutterell had, upon every principle of reafon and every rule of law, as well as according to the uniform ufage of parliament, conferred upon him, a clear title to fit. as one of the reprefentatives for the county of Middlefex. DRAMAT I C. Art. 41. Dr. Laft in his Chariot; A Comedy: as performed in the Haymarket. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Griffin. 1769. Drawn from that inexhauftible fountain of true comedy, Moliere. His Malade Imaginaire has furnished the English with this laughable performance, in the dedication of which, to Mr. Foot, the tranflator acknowledges his obligations to that legitimate fon of HUMOUR, for one entire scene (the confultation of the phyficians) and feveral hints throughout the piece. The Editor has rejected fome scenes in the original, which he thonght could not poffibly fucceed on the English ftage; and has fubftituted thofe in which the character of Dr. Last is introduced. In this character, the Editor has the difadvantage of appearing merely as a copyift, (after the great original by Foote), but he has acquitted himself better than copyifts generally do. Art. 42. The Captive; A Comic Opera, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. 8vo. 1 S. Griffin. The comic part of Dryden's Don Sebaftion, which is a disgrace to that celebrated play, thrown into the form of a finging farce, as the prefent alterer himfelf justly terms it in the advertisement, though in the title-page this trifle (another of his frank and honeft appellatives) is dignified with the name of an OPERA. S E R M ON S. * I. Ecclefiaftical Merchandize fhewn to be unlawful-with a brief Res mark on the prevailing Sin of Bribery: preached at the Archdeacon's Vifitation in Sudbury, Suffolk; May 25, 1769. By Henry Croffman, M. A. Rector of Little Cornard, Suffolk. Oliver. II. National Sin, the Cause of national Trouble,-before the Amicable Society of Burgeffes of Shrewsbury,-in the Parish Church of St. Julian, Salop, May 3. By T. Warter, M. A. Baldwin. Iil. The Pretences of Enthufiafts confidered and confuted ;-before the Univerfity of Oxford, at St. Mary's, June 26, 1768. By William Hawkins, M. A. Prebendary of Wells, late Poetry-profeffor, and Fellow of Pembroke-college in Oxford. Published by Defire. Rivington. ERRAT A. May, page 395. line 20, for afcent of the vapors which from the tail, read, afcent of the vapors which form the tail. 398. line 7. for zodiac light, read, zodiacal light. June, page 493. line 35, for climination, read, elimination. 494. line 27, for notion, read, motion. 495. line 5, from the bottom, for Cardinal de Laynes, read, Cardinal de Luynes. 499. line 10, from the bottom, for the greatest publick effect, read, the greatest poffible effect. |