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which, though especially of late highly confidered by them, ⚫ was never but fubordinated to their general fyftem, they bore it with even pleasure, hugging themselves in the irreparable damage, they justly knew we were doing ourselves in the • opinion of the public, and in the fair handle they saw it would give them for repairing of Dunkirk, which had ever • been their capital object, and the reproach for which from hence they treated as fo premature, that the French king, in his manifeft, made no fcruple of giving the lie in the face of all Europe to the ministry here, without fcarcely mincing the term: an usage, which, if undeserved, must in this nation • create a refentment equal, if that were poffible, to fo enorm❝ous an outrage, unless it should be utterly dead to that sensi bility of honour, the lofs of which is ever one of the fureft ⚫ and most deplorable fymptoms of an approaching diffolution."

In the 14th and 15th pages of this pamphlet, the very little service the treaty with Ruffia could have been of to the immediate intereft of Great Britain, however Han-r might have thereby been benefited, is fully demonftrated; as well as the incomprehenfibility of the immediate fucceeding one ftruck up with P-a, whereby that made with Ra was effectually defeated.

His reflections upon the neglect of the foldiery the neglect of the foldiery are judicious; those on the navy are also worth attending to, and in the following extract are contained too many melancholy truths.

It must not have been, in those times, an undiverting fcene, though rather of the loweft droll kind, to have attended one of your little men of power's levy, to have noted the figure and air of those animalcules who were plyers at it: to have feen wretches of birth, and fortune, without the plea ⚫ of want, and valuing themfelves only according to the price they • propofed fetching at that infamous market, paying their court to one perhaps their inferior in every point, except that of. which too was a scandal to themselves, as he might power, never have got into it, but for their abjection and fupine remiffness in leaving that field open to him, of which they • were afterwards mean enough to cringe to him for any little • fhare of the harveft, he would please to allot them, on their felling themselves and country to obtain it. One fees, me◄ ⚫ thinks!

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thinks! one of thofe illuftrious idlers, daubed over with embroidery, and perhaps betaudered with a ribbon, emphati'cally expreffing, by his address, his hunger for a place or penfion, somewhat in the manner of Plautus his fycophant: • Nunc fi ridiculum hominem quærit quifpiam, Venalis ego fum cum ornamentis omnibus,

• Inanimentis explementum quærito.

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Yet out of the fpiritlefs beggars of this stamp, vacancies ⚫ of employs were often, if they could not, properly speaking, be called filled, at least so abusively bestowed, as to exclude those much worthier fubjects who difdained to folicit for what, in all good policy, they ought to have been fought ⚫ for, and courted to accept. Whilft the groveling mob of dependents, and fubalterns, could naturally be no more dif pleased at seeing power and profit run in those muddy channels, than a fhoe-boy at not seeing the streets clean, who is to get his livelihood by the dirt of them. The comparison be low; but can it be lower than the object of its application? for what could be more favourable to fuch as they, than to fee places of the most national importance within the reach of every thing but merit, that greatest requifite, and therefore the surest of exclusion, and now become even the sport, as it were, of chance or caprice, dealing them out at random, to fome, for having perfunctorily discharged a provincial office without any affinity to public affairs, or any converfancy of theirs in them; to others for the empty found-fake of some name, once of account, but which nature never meant them to fill, or for fome trivial in" fignificant circumstance, of no more relation, or proportion to the general fyftem of things, than the shooting of London6 Bridge, or taking a west-country barge with a man of war's boat's-crew, would be to the direction in chief of the Navy.

Thus a mean, frivolous, and falfe tafte univerfally prevailing, the times themselves being no longer favourable to the forming of great men for the service of their country, one might, amongst the eminent poft-lollers of those times, * have pointed out, more than one fecretary of state that could ♦ not write, and ambassadors that could not speak.'

Though

Though our author prefents us with this picture as of former times, it is much to be feared it may be reconciled to the prefent, for even in these days we have marked that

Whilst the ruling band proceeded very folemnly, making ⚫ capital points of trifles, and trifles of capital points; though one would have hardly thought them very tempting models of imitation, the times themfelves look too ftrong a tincture of their worthleffnefs. All the liberal arts and sciences, whether of peace, or war, with their effential train of dependences, fell into neglect, and difregard, whilft they were fo industriously cultivated in a neighbouring nation (whose follies alone were thought worthy of imitation, and that a • most aukward one indeed!) and whofe vices, though to the

full as great, and as rife as any where elfe, are however dignified, if that were poffible, by some tafte, and compenfated by fome virtues.'

What we have faid of this pamphlet is fufficient to furnish the readers with an idea of its merits; for the reft we recommend them to perufe the piece itself, in which we can affure those who have any tafte for politics, that they will find fome pleasure.

It is written with spirit and correctnefs, and intermixed with an entertaining vein of irony. Upon the whole, it seems to be the production of a man of genius, who in some places affects a fingularity of ftile that becomes him: if he has any fault, it is making, fometimes, his periods too long; and this perhaps may be owing to the corrector of the prefs.

ART. VI. The Life and Memoirs of Mr. Ephraim Triftram Bates, commonly called Corporal Bates, a broken-hearted Soldier: Who, from a private Centinel in the Guards, was, from his Merits, advanced, regularly, to be Corporal, Serjeant, and Pay-mafter Serjeant; and, had he lived a few Days longer, might have died a Commiffion-Officer, to the great Lofs of his lamentable Lady, whofe Marriage he had intended to declare as foon as his Commiffion was figned; and who, to make up for the Lofs of fo dear an Husband, and her Penfion, which then no Duke on Earth could have hindered, in order to put Bread

into the Mouths of feven small Children, the youngest now at her Breaft, the fweet Creatures being two Twins, publishes these Memoirs from the original Papers, fealed up with the Seal of dear Mr. Bates, and found, exactly as he mentioned in his laft Will and Teftament, in a Oven, never used, where, in his Lifetime, he fecreted many State-Papers, &c. &c. &c. 12mo. Pr. 35. Owen.

"R. Triftram Bates, the hero of this motley production, was

a native of Dorsetshire, and from his infancy manifested a strong liking to a military life; as appears by the following letter, fent to his mother by the schoolmaster, who had the care of his education.

• Madam,

"Your Son has very good Parts, but applies them very ftrangely. People in the neighbourhood complain of broken, • windows done by him, which he calls storming their castles. • When chickens are loft, and found on him, he fays he only went a maroding. His books are all military, and what< ever he fees in them he inftantly puts in practice. He cuts off their springs of water, fo that their pumps are all. dry in the parish; and when I punish'd him for it, though "my arm is now tir'd of doing it, he cries, I read of the duke ' of Marlborough's doing fo. But, thefe are trifles. A neigh'bour's fow, near her time, was decoy'd by him into his chamber, and fed till fhe farrow'd, and brought fixteen pigs: He invited his fchool-fellows to partake as long as • they latted, and now has turn'd the fow home. He was punish'd for this; but he stood to it that it was no crime 'to intercept an enemy's provifion. The owner, who had ' propofed paying his rent out of them, threatens law. Pray • send me money to fatisfy the fellow; and as foon as conve→ ❝nient order your fon home. Who ain,

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• Your loving friend,

Ebenezer Birch, M. A.

Fellow of Queen's, Oxon, and curate of →→→→→.

'P. S.

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P.S. I now teach French, dancing, mufic, and fencing, having learned a little of each when I was last in London. I have, alfo, advertis'd in the best London papers, which • you will read (as, at your public house, I have too often seen the London Evening) and, for my parts and abilities, have 'fixt on fome worthy and capable friends there,-cousin Twift, the rope-maker, in Hemp-yard--Mrs. Cardinal, the noted milliner in Marigold-court, by the Strand-nephew Hyde, currier-my good friend Slice, the eating-house in Gun-powder-alley-with many others."

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In confequence of this elegant epiftle he was called home; and foon after eloped with a recruiting ferjeant, with whom he enlifted as a foldier; whereby he entirely forfeited the good graces of his parents. Being skilled in gunnery and other branches of the mathematics, and having the highest notions of honour, he determined to advance himself in life; and to owe that advancement to nothing but his own merits. In this view he was disappointed, being never able to rise beyond that rank under which we find him diftinguished in the title page of this book.

The authors of the CRITICAL REVIEW, who are warmed with pleasure when a work of any merit falls in their way, and never condemn without regret, never, they hope, without juftice, lament their being obliged to pronounce this book among thofe of the lowest class, with which either the caprice of the book fellers, or the partiality of writers have wearied out the public patience. From beginning to end there is nothing interesting; no fettled plan of adventure to engage the attention or warm the imagination; we find the author attempts often, but in vain, to be witty; and we have extracted the following paffage, because it seems to be the higheft pitch of humour to which he could strain his extraordinary talents.

But the diftant found of drums from the city, one morn 'ing, engaged his attention, "even there, perhaps, I may "learn fomething, fays he, though I fear it." On enquiry, the valiant army of London was to be reviewed. I'll go, fays Bates: He arrives: dunghils are ftormed: prisoners ranfomed: mines fprung: batteries raifed; and difmounted

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