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1795, with an Appendix concerning the Convention Act; the Letters of Mr. Pole and Mr. Hay, and the Refolutions appointing the Catholic Committee.

38.

An Inquiry into the Impolicy of the Continuance of the Prohibition of Diftillation from Grain in Great Britain, in which its injurious Effects on Agricul ture, and its Tendency to produce a Deficiency of National Subfiftence, are particularly confidered. By William Dixon, Jun. 3s. 6d.

Outlines of a Plan for the better Cultivation, Security, and Defence of the British Weft-Indies. By Captain Layman, of the Navy.

Remarks on the Danger attendant on Convoys, with a Propofition for the better Protection of Commerce from Sea Risk and Capture, addreffed to every Merchant in Great Britain. By Richard Hall Gower, Author of Practical Seamanship, &c. 1s.

An Inquiry into the past and prefent Relation of France and the United States of America, extracted from the firit Number of the American Review. By the Author of a Letter on the Genius and Difpofition of the French Go

vernment.

4s.

A Letter to Lord Vifcount Melville upon the general State of the Navy, &c. with an Appendix of official and authentic Documents.

A Narrative of the Hardships and Sufferings of feveral British Subjects, who effected their Efcape from Verdun; with an Appendix, containing Obfervations on the Policy and Conduct of Bonaparte. 4s.

DRAMATIC.

Young Albert, the Rofcius, exhibiting a Series of Characters from Shakefpeare, and other Authors. 8.

NOVELS.

Self-Controul. 2 vols. 8vo. 11. 1s.

Amatonda, a Tale from the Gerinan of Anton. Wall. 12mo. 6s.

Travels of a British Druid, or the Journal of Elynd, with appropriate Reflections for Youth. 2 vols. 9s.

Frederick, or the Memoirs of my Youth, interfperfed with occafional Verses. 2 vols.

12s.

POETRY.

8

Commerce, a Poem, in five Parts, with Notes in Illustration of the Morality and Argument of the Context. 8vo. 68.

Agnes, or the Indian Captive, a Poem, in four Cantos, with other Poems. By the Rev. John Mitford, A. B.

7s.

The Works of William Mafon, M. A. Precentor of York, and Rector of Afton. Published under the Direction of his Executors. 4 vols. 8vo. 21. 2s.

S

The Wonders of a Week at Bath, in a Doggrel Addrefs to the Hon. T. from F. T. Efq. of that City. 7s.

A Poetical Effay on the exifting State of Things. By a Gentleman of the University of Oxford. 2s.

Babylon, and other Poems. By the Hon. Annabella Hawke. 6s.
The Storm, and other Poems. By Elizabeth Darwall. 5s.

MISCELLANIES.

Letters, Serio-comical and Ironical, on Education, from Cameleon, an experienced Schoolmafter, to his Brother. 6s.

X

Two Letters from Thomas Falconer, A. M. of Corpus Chrifti College, ford, to the Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine, on the Articles in the Edinburgh Review relating to the Oxford Strabo. 1s.

The Art of preferving all Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Subftances, for feveral Years. By M. Appert. Tranflated from the French. 12mo. 5s. The thirty-firft and thirty-fecond Reports of the Society for bettering the Condition of the Poor.

1s. each.

The firft Lines of a Syftem of Education, according to Philofophical Prinsiples. 8vo. 85.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Dr. Laurence, of Oxford, is printing a Critical Examina. tion of the Unitarian Verfion of the New Teftament.

Mr. Henry Jacob, the Author of a Hebrew Grammar, and Mr. A. J. Valpy, have it in contemplation to fuperintend a new Edition of the Hebrew Bible, with Points, and with the Latin translation of Arius Montanus interlined. The Hebrew text will be taken from Vander-Hooght. The Work will be comprised in two handsome Volumes royal octavo.

The Third and concluding Volume of Mr. Parkinson's Organic Remains of a Former World, with Twenty-three coloured Plates, will be published, in the middle of June.

An abridged and corrected Edition of Dr. Rambach's Meditations and Contemplations on the Sufferings of Chrift, in one Volume, Octavo, will appear in the course of this Month.

A new Edition of Pope's Works, with a Selection of Notes from Mr. Bowles's Edition, is preparing for Publication.. It will be elegantly printed in eight or ten finall Volumes.

The State Papers and Letters of Sir Walter Afton, afterwards Lord Afton, Ambaffador in Spain in the Reigns of James I. and Charles I. are printing uniformly with thofe of Sir Ralph Sadler, in two Quarto Volumes.

Captain Hamftead, of the Royal Navy, will speedily publifh an Effay to explain the Caufe of Gravity.

Col. W. Kirkpatrick's Translation of Tippoo Sultaun's Letters, is nearly ready for publication.

Mr. N. Carlifte's Topographical Refearches in Wales, are expected to appear in May.

ERRATUM IN OUR LAST NUMBER.

We have been reminded in a friendly manner, that we were guilty of an error in afcribing the Environs of London, the republication of which our laft Number announced, to the Meffrs. Lyfons, jointly. It was the performance of Mr. D. Lyfons alone. By a fimilar inadvertence we used the term "fubfcribers," inftead of purchasers."

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For APRIL, 1811.

"On fe perfuade mieux pour l'ordinaire par les raifons qu'on a trouvées foi-même, que par celles qui font venues dans l'efprit des autres.' PASCAL.

Men are ufually better fatisfied with the arguments which they invent for themselves, than with those which are fuggefted by others.

ART. I. Memoirs of William Paley, D. D. By George Wilfon Meadley. Second Edition, corrected and enlarged: to which is added an Appendix. 8vo. pp. 406. 10s. 6d. Cradock and Joy. 1810.

WE

E have so often had an opportunity of giving our warm teftimony to the usefulness of Dr. Paley's writings, that it appears unneceffary to recapitulate what may be eafily found in our volumes, (particularly vol. iv. ix. xxi. xxii. and xxxi.) We have not, however, hefitated to express our opinion that in fome parts of his Moral Philofophy, there are things equivocally expreffed, and opinions given without the characteristic decifion which becomes a public teacher; and we have now occafion to remark this with the more regret, as it has given Dr. Paley's biographer an opportunity, no doubt very fair in his opinion, to render this life a vehicle for the fupport and diffemination of many of thofe diforganizing principles, both in church and flate, which it has

Y

BRIT, CRIT, VOL, XXXVII, APRIL, 1811,

ever

ever been our plan and our duty to oppofe. Our regret too is heightened, when we find that, as far as the present account may be credited, Dr. Paley was in conversation a much more open friend to the principles we allude to, than we could have difcovered from his writings. The outlines of his life are thefe;

William Paley, defcended from an old and refpectable family in Craven, in the Weft Riding of Yorkshire, was born at Peterborough in July, (the day unknown,) and baptifed August 30, 1743. His father was Vicar of Helpftone in Northamptonfhire, and a Minor Canon of Peterborough. In 1745, he was appointed head-mafter of Giggleswick School, where young Paley was educated under his eye, and early exhibited" greater abilities, united to a more ftudious difpofition, than ufually belong to boys of that age." In other refpe&s, he does not appear to have differed much from the general character of youths who afterwards attain no preeminence. His bad horfemanfhip,-his being present at the trial of Eugene Aram,-his attendance, when in London, at the theatre and the Old Bailey, are amufing, per haps, in dilated and minute biography, but there is nothing in them characteristic.

In November 1758, he was admitted a fizer of Chrift's College, Cambridge, and after his return to Craven, studied mathematics under Mr. Wm. Howarth, a teacher of fome eminence at Ditchforth near Topcliffe. In October 1759, he became a refident member of Chrift's College. On this occafion his father faid, "my fon is now gone to college-he'll turn out a great man-very great indeed-I'm certain of it; for he has by far the cleareft head I ever met with in my life." His tutors at college were Mr. Shepherd, for mathe matics, algebra, &c., and Mr. Backhouse for logic, metaphyfics and moral philofophy; " in which the doctrines of Locke, Clarke and Hutchefon, were principally difcuffed.” Paley's courfe of ftudy, however, was frequently desultory, and he appears to have mixed a good deal in company, although without injury to his morals or proficiency. Here he ftudied the human character in all its forms, and even added fomething to his knowledge of it among the lower claffes' during the exhibitions at Stirbitch fair. We have, likewife, ample proof in thefe memoirs, that at college he acquired the efteem and affection of many worthy members.

"Being fo much in company, it was wonderful how he could find fufficient time for reading; yet he never failed to diftinguifh himself. After he became a graduate, it is difficult to fay in

what

what ftudies he most excelled. His knowledge was general; ro thing escaped his notice; and he feemed converfant in every branch of science, and in every fort of information."

It was not, however, until he had been almoft three years an under graduate, that he faw the neceffity of a more regular courfe of study in order to qualify himself for academical honours, and thefe he obtained with the moft flattering fuccefs. Soon after taking his bachelor's degree in 1763, he was engaged as fecond affiftant in an academy at Greenwich, kept by Mr. Bracken. We are furprised, however, to learn that at this time he had fo little tafte for claffical literature, that he confeffed Virgil was the only Latin poet whose works he could read with fatisfaction.

In 1765, he gained the firft of thofe prizes given annually by the reprefentatives of the University to Senior Bachelors, the authors of the two beft differtations in Latin profe; the fubject propofed was a comparifon between the Stoic and Epicurean philofophy, in which Mr. Paley took the fide of

the latter.

In 1766, he left the academy, but continued at Greenwich as private tutor to a young gentleman, and on taking Deacon's orders, became affiftant curate to Dr. Hinchcliffe, then vicar of the parish. On June 24, of this year, he was elected a fellow on the foundation of Chrift's College; and at the enfuing commencement completed his degree of M.A. He did not, however, return to his refidence in College until October 1767, when he engaged in the business of private tuition. On the 21st of December he was ordained prieft, at St. James's Chapel, by Bishop Terrick. In 1766 he had fucceeded Mr, Backhoufe as tutor in his college, and with Mr. Law, the other affiftant tutor, (the late Bishop of Elphin) inftituted a courfe of lectures on a new plan, which they hoped would be calculated for the benefit of their pupils, and more likely to engage their attention. In 1771, Mr. Paley was appointed one of the Whitehall preachers.

The following is stated to have been his mode of paffing his day, while tutor,

Mr. Paley was a strict economist in the distribution and management of his time. He ufually attended chapel at morning prayers, read or wrote whilft at breakfast, and then dedicated the remainder of the forenoon to his public or private pupils, After this, he indulged himfelf in a walk, for the benefit of his. health, extending or shortening his distance, so as to be back. about the time the dinner bell was rung, that he might haftily, exchange his morning dress, in which he made a very fingular ap

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