mushrooms of various kinds, which fpring up one day and decay the next. Novels generally ufher in the Winter as fnow drops do the Spring, and, like them, have little beauty to recommend them, befides early appearance. Mr. Buckhorfe fteps forth among the first productions of this kind, which we have yet feen, and feems to prefage much future dulnefs; being intirely void of every thing that can entertain or inftruct his readers, though with an awkward pretence to the ironical humour of Fielding, who has done in romance what Pope attributes to lord Burlington in architecture, Fill'd half the world with imitating fools.' The scene is laid in very low life, and therefore not ill-fuited to the hero of it, notwithstanding which Mr. Buckhorse, whose name is borrow'd to adorn thefe memoirs, has not, in our opinion, any obligations to the author of them, as we fincerely believe that renowned athletic to have been at least as capable of writing them himself. Art. 12. The Jilts: Or, Female Fortune-Hunters. Three Though we have taken the trouble (and trouble it most certainly was) to drudge through this notable performance, we need go no farther than the title page for a character of it. We shall take the liberty therefore to inform the author of it (who if he thinks proper may acquaint the public) that, his mufe, whoever fhe is, is an arrant jilt, promifing pleafure and enjoyment, and miferably dif appointing her cully, the reader. We will venture moreover to pronounce, That if he is a fortune-bunter in the world of literature, the has egregioufly mistaken her talents, and, like other fortunebunters, will, as foon as difcover'd, meet with their fate, and be kick'd out of company. Art. 13. POEMS by the celebrated Tranflator of Virgil's Æneid. Together with the Jordan, a Poem: in Imitation of Spencer. Efq; 4to. Pr. 15. Cooper. By The editor informs us that these poems were written by the celebrated Tranflator of Virgil's Eneid; but the reader will perhaps afk, Who was he? Mr. Dryden, or Dr. Trapp, or Mr. Pitt? fomc circumstances alluded to in the Poems, evidently point out the latter, but no thanks to our editor, who, to fay the truth, would have fhewn more regard to the memory of his friend by the concealment than by the publication of thefe pofthumous pieces, which feem to have been hastily written, and of courfe extremely incorrect. The collection, however, is but finall, confifting only of an imitation of Horace Sat. v11. Book 2. and another of Epift. 10. B. 1. another of Epift. 19. B. 1. fome fragments of a rhapfody on the art of preaching from the Ars Poetica, verfes on a flower'd carpet, and an epigram on Mr. Pitt's houfe at Encomb. The imitations are but poor, poor, the verfification very indifferent, as will appear from the following short fpecimen ; Strait for your two beft wigs you loudly call, But blefs the moment when you turn you back.' Back and make are not the best of rhimes; we meet afterwards with fome worse, fuch as on and town, curse and divorce, fhoe and toe, more and hour, up and top, run and own, Spence and prince; with many other fuch unequal matches, that fhew great careleffness in the author. There are nevertheless a few tolerable lines, and but a few, to be met with here, amongst which these are perhaps the best. • When once a genius breaks through common rules, If Pope, the prince of wits, tho' fick a bed, Subjoin'd to Mr. Pitt's (if they are Mr. Pitt's) pofthumous pieces, is the Jordan, a poem, in imitation of Spencer, that is, like other imitations of him, a string of obfolete words put together without any meaning: take for a fample of our author's abilities the four first lines of his last stanza. So may your hours foft-gliding steal away, Art. 14. Reafons humbly offered to prove that the Letter printed at the End of the French Memorial of Juftification, is a French Forgery, and falfely afcribed to His Ri H- -fs. Vir omnium qui funt, fuerunt, erunt, princeps virtute, fapientia ac gloria. Huic ego homini, Quirites, tantum debeo, quantum hominem homini debere vix fas eft. Octavo. Pr. Is. Collyer. Cicero. We cannot fay that this Pamphlet, though much admired, has anfwered our expectation. It is a piece of Irony calculated to depreciate and bring into ridicule the talents of our modern Alexander. But, we think the author might have placed his original in a much more advantageous attitude, and more conformable to nature. The T 3 touches touches are extravagant, the ftile is unequal, the diction incorrect, the fatire ill-edg'd, the humour often flat, and flovenly; and the subject ill-chofen; for, as we apprehend, the directions which the author condemns are not unjustifiable. Though the performance is afcribed to an honourable gentleman whofe wit and understanding we revere, we fhould judge it to be the production of fome North-briton from feveral peculiar modes of expreffion, fuch as thefe for those, ftand difculpate, a frequent repetition of the words fuccumb and Phenomenon, and many other Scotch idiotifms that occur in almost every page of the pamphlet. We must own however, that it contains a good number of poignant sarcasms, and many strong sketches of character. Art. 15. The Grand Objections to Inoculation confidered: With Cafes that tend to confute the only plaufible Arguments made use of in prejudice to fo beneficial a Practice. To which are added, Remarks on a Letter upon Inoculation, lately published. Pr. 6d. Cooke. The author of this tract feems to have been rather too impatient to appear in Print; but perhaps this impatience was the effect of his philanthropy or milk of human kindness. His matter is like that of an imperfect inoculation, neither fufficient in quantity for the largeness of the subject, nor well digested. In order to refute the opinion that other diftempers may be ind. culated with the fmall-pox, he produces five cafes in which the patients did well, though inoculated with matter from the bodies of perfons who, befides the fmall-pox, were difeafed with the fcurvy, itch, or king's evil. Thefe hiftories are very fuperficially related, and many of the material circumftances advanced from hear say. It were to be wished that phyficians of extenfive practice would obferve whether the fmall-pox, by inoculation, do not often refemble an imperfect fermentation, giving vent to the most active particles of the gas variolofum, but leaving a crudity in the juices which renders them unfit for circulating through the glandular strainers, and produces fcrophulous humours, tubercles on the lungs, or obftructions in the myfentery. Art. 16. A full Account of the Siege of Minorca, by the French, in 1756. With all the Circumftances relating thereto. Otavo. Pr. Is. Corbett. This is a lame account patch'd up from our own news papers, and the French gazettes, by a person who pretends to uncommon impartiality, though in effect he appears to be a warm admirer of the enemy, by his minute panegyric on the French officers and foldiers; and the unfair account he has given of feveral interesting particulars. He fays four hundred of the garrifon were killed and wounded during the fiege; and that not above four hundred and nineteen of the enemy were flain. Whereas not above one hundred and twenty Englishmen were loft, and the reduction of the place coft the French above three thoufand, at the most moderate computation. He . He gives a circumftantial detail of the exploits performed by the individuals of the enemy; but does not mention a fyllable of the gallantry of captain Scroop, who quitted his command at fea, and ferved as a volunteer in the fort; Or of the heroifm of major Conyngham, who, upon hearing the French intended to befiege the fort, returned from Nice, where he waited for a paffage to England, in confequence of an order from the Duke of Cumberland; who, when he thought the fervice of his country required his prefence, ventured to disobey that order, laid out all the money he could raife, in purchafing neceffaries for the defence of the place, hired a veffel at his own expence for the tranfportation of them, left his la dy, far advanced in her pregnancy, in the midft of ftrangers, returned to share the dangers and fatigues of a long and bloody fiege, which he could have avoided without the leaft dishonour; exerted himfelf with equal skill, courage, and activity, in the defence of the fortrefs, until he was wounded in two different parts of his body, and taken prisoner; and who from the whole of his behaviour acquired fuch reputation among the enemy, that they allowed him to wherefoever he should think proper, by an exprefs article of the capitulation, which this candid writer has fuppressed. go His language is fuitable to his candour. He fays the French fleet appeared rallied; that the English fhips fought as Spirt prompted them to bear down.-That the French troops were all upon merchant fhips. That Mr. Byng's fleet found herself, &c. He calls Anftruther fort, the fort of Strugen. He fays the French made breaches in the body of the place; whereas it was never battered. That the Duke de Fronfac carried an account of the furrender of that place before it was furrendred; and that the general officers in the fort, were Mr. Blakeney, a ferjeant major, two adjutants, and two engineers.-In a word, it is a very contemptible performance. Art. 17. A full and particular Anfwer to all the Calummies, Mif reprefentations, and Falfehoods, contained in a Pamphlet, called A Fourth Letter to the People of England. Sumite materiam veftris, qui fcribitis, æquam. Viribus, et verfate diù quid ferre recufent, Octavo. Pr. Is. Harris. Horat. Daniel Defoe was a political writer, of great virulence, and some genius, without the leaft tincture of principle. He fometimes found his account in anfwering his own productions; and when we perused the title of this pamphlet, we concluded the author of the Fourth Letter to the people of England had followed his example. We were the more induced to believe this was the cafe, as Dr. Sh has not fcrupled to declare publickly, that though he writes well against the M- -y, he could write much better in their defence or vindication; thereby hinting, that he was in utrumque paratus. But it foems the miniftry will not take his word for his talents; and fo, in T 4 ftead ftead of refuting his own libel feriously, he ferves it up again in a Hachis feafoned with a double proportion of gall. It is to be hoped he has exhausted all his virulence, and that for the future he will be as harmless as the dove. We wish the Gt would take fome notice of him, otherwife the poor creature will break his heart. In the mean time we would advise him to abstain from irony, and remember the fate of the afs in the fable, that affected the air, manners, and familiarity of the favourite fpaniel. Every author is not animal rifibile; There is fome difference between laughing and braying. Art. 18. The Sham Fight; ar Political Humbug. A State Farce, in two Alls. As it was acted by fome Perfons of Diftinction in the M-d n, and elsewhere. Oh tempora! Oh mores! Heu ftirpem invifam, Octavo. Pr. I 5, The Perfona Dramates in this Humbug, are Reynard and Grim, prime M- -rs two. Vulture, Gripe, Bite, Fleecer, Shark, privy Crs. Bung, a great Ad-1; French Min-rs, failors, merchants, tradefmen, and others. The scene is fhifted occafionally between France, Mahon, England, the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, Lincoln's-Inn Fields, and Wapping. The author, not content with making the French characters fpeak broken English among themfelves, reprefents them as ignorant of their own language. We find a minifter of France faying mon cher amie, another exclaiming facra Dieu, and obferving that the larger rivets their alliance with the English. They addrefs themselves to Reynard in thefe Words; Mons, Sans plus ceremonie, prinez d largent, je vous prie. The author fhould be a Welshman by his articles; he prefixes the fign of the feminine gender both to God and the Devil; for, we find la Diable as well as la Dieu, in which hur was poffitably mistaken. We will not even excufe a French taylor for exclaiming vanterbleu. To the character of this piece we may apply the motto, O tempora! O mores! whether we regard the genius and modesty of the author, or the unities and manners of the drama; for, indeed the State Farce is a very melancholy performance. Art. 19. A Letter from New Jerfey in America, giving fome Account and Defcription of that Province. By a Gentleman, late of Chrift's Colledge, Cambridge. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Cooper, If we confider this as a private letter from one friend to another, we must own it is fprightly, elegant, and not unentertaining; but as a mefs for the public, we think it is too meagre and unfubftantial; yet the defects of the piece feem owing rather to the barrennefs of the fubject, than to want of talent in the author, whofe diction is fpirited, correct, and concife; his obfervations on the manand customs of the American planters, negroes, and native In pers |