The merit of his verfification we fubmit to the judgment of the public; and fhall content ourselves with prefenting the following lines as a fpecimen of the whole :

Lo! with vermillion cement I the way,
By which thy daily triumphs pafs, will lay.
Beneath thy pomps will bid the fapphires glow,
Will all about thy battlements bestow.
The blaze of rubies will each tow'ry gate
With the carbuncle's ruddy mirror plate.
And ev'ry ftone that darts the ray most bright,

Of ev'ry hue that faireft meets the light,

Shall thy whole courfe of walls robe in refplendent light."

}

All this elaborate and pompous defcription is founded on thefe two verses in the prophet, chap. liv. ver. 11, 12. "O "thou toffed with tempeft and not comforted! behold I

will lay thy ftones with fair colours, and lay thy found"ations with fapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleafant ftones."

ART. XIII. An Effay on the Life, Character, and Writings, of Dr. Samuel Johnson. 8vo. 2s. 6d. ftitched. Dilly. London, 1786.

LE

ET no man truft to pofthumous reputation,"-" De mortuis nil nifi verum,"-were favourite maxims of Dr. Johnson, which have been abundantly verified and confirmed by his own pofthumous hiftory. Few men have been fo much flattered during their life as Dr. Johnfon, by a circle of witlings and petty authors, who looked up to him as a dictator; repeated his fayings as if they had been the refponfes of an oracle, flattered his prejudices, and worshipped his abfurdities. But no fooner had he entered that region of repofe, where, according to his own expreffion,

"No hoftilities invade

Th' oblivious grave's inviolable shade,"

than all the dark spots of his character, the peevishness of his weak, and the ravings of his frantic, moments, were published to the world by thofe very perfons who had been in the chofen circle of his friends, his companions, his favourites, and his flatterers! The voracious appetite of the public is at laft gratified and difgufted; curiofity turns afide from the thrice-told tale; and even Mr. James Bof

well's

well's daughter Veronica is likely to be defrauded of her promised dowry *

*.

This Effay on the Life, Character, and Writings of Dr. Johnfon, contains no new incidents in his hiftory or anecdotes of his life. His general merit as an author and a man is acknowledged upon the whole, though controverted in particular inftances. The chief object of this author is to attack his political principles, where certainly he lies open to criticism.

In thefe political productions many pofitions are laid down in admirable language, and in highly polished periods, which are inconfiftent with the principles of the English conftitution, and repugnant to the common rights of mankind. As a political writer he makes much more ufe of his rhetoric than of his logic; and often gives his reader high-founding declamation inftead of fair argument. And, indeed, in characterizing those who differ from him in fentiment, he feems fometimes to pay fo little attention to truth, equity, or candour, that, in perufing his pieces, we are inclined readily to affent to a propofition of his own, that "there is no credit due to a rhetorician's account either of good or evil." However we may refpect the memory of Johnson, and however unwilling we may be to speak of him with harfhnefs, those who impartially perufe his political publications will be obliged to confefs that few party pamphlets have appeared in this country which contain greater malignity of mifreprefentation. Even Swift, who carried the rancour of party to a great height, hardly equalled the malignity of Johnfon's reprefentations of those who dif fered from himself on political fubjects. It feems difficult to fuppofe that he could feriously believe many things that he has advanced concerning those whofe political fentiments were different from his own and, if he did not, it is ftill more difficult to vindicate his conduct.

The petitions prefented to the king about the year 1769, and in which many of the beft and worthieft men in the kingdom undoubtedly concurred, are reprefented by Dr. Johnfon as containing "the fenfe only of the profligate and diffolute." And he was fuch an enemy to public affemblies of the people, and fo little inquired whether what be advanced was truth in matters of this kind, that he maintained that meetings held for directing reprefentatives are feldom attended but by the idle and the diffolute." No man, who had ever attended many meetings of that kind, could be of this opinion; and next to a man's advancing things which he knows to be falfe, is his afferting things which he cannot know to be true.

In 1775 he published his " Taxation no Tyranny; an Answer the Refolutions and Addrefs of the American Congrefs." The ftyle

volume

on

* Mr. Boswell has Bequeathed the profits of his quarto Johnson's Life to his daughter Veronica. Vide his journal of a Tour

to the Hebrides.

of

of this pamphlet must appear extraordinary to those who are ac quainted with the termination of the great conteft which then fubfifted between Great-Britain and the American colonies. The terms which he employs in fpeaking of the congrefs, of the people of America, and of their caufe, are grofsly indecent, and unworthy of a man of letters, a Chriftian, or a philofopher. They reflect difhonour only on himfelf; and we are grieved that fuch fentiments fhould be couched in fuch language, and should proceed from fuch a man.

Dr. Johnson contended that the parliament of Great-Britain had a legal and conftitutional power of laying upon the Americans any tax or impoft, whether external or internal, upon the product of land, or the manufactures of industry, in the exigencies of war, or in the time of profound peace, for the defence of America, for the purpofe of raifing a revenue, or for any other end beneficial to the empire;' and that they had "a right to bind them by ftatutes; and to bind them in all cafes whatsoever." Every impartial man is now convinced of the injustice and ridiculousness of these claims; and there are few who do not lament that any attempts were ever made to enforce them.

It must always be regretted that a man of Johnson's intellectual powers should have had fo ftrong a propenfity to defend arbitrary prin ciples of government. But, on this fubject, the ftrength of his language was not more manifeft than the weakness of his arguments. In apology for him, it may be admitted that he was a tory from principle; and that much of what he wrote was conformable to his real fentiments. But to defend all that was written by him, his warmest friends will find impoffible.'

The truth is, Dr. Johnson was neither a whig nor a tory. He had never examined either his religious or political creed. From early prejudices, which all his philofophy and learning could never overcome, he was a high-churchman and a jacobite; and, having transferred his allegiance from the family of Stuart to the houfe of Hanover (after he had. received his penfion) he found himself in that confufion, and dilemma which a profelyte from intereft must ever feel.

This pamphlet is candid and impartial; and, upon the whole, highly favourable to the character of Dr. Johnfon.

ART. XIV. Sermons on various Subjects. By James Ogilvie, D.D. Chaplain to the Right Hon. Lord Forbes, Curate of Egham, late Rector of Weftover Parish in Virginia. 8vo. 6s. boards. Murray. London, 1786.

IN a very clegant and affecting preface Dr. Ogilvie acquaints us with the occafion on which thefe fermions are published.

The

The author of thefe Sermons, deeply fenfible of his obligations to the benevolent parishioners of Egham and of Thorpe, and to a very refpectable lift of fubfcribers, takes the opportunity both of returning them his public thanks, and of fubmitting to their candour an apology for the imperfections which he is conscious will appear in the prefent publication.

• When the late troubles in America broke out, the author was a beneficed clergyman in Virginia. Holding the fame principles with respect to government that are maintained in the Church of England, he was under the neceffity of rejecting the measures adopted by those who took the lead in that country. This was foon followed by the loss of his preferment and property, and the profcription of his perfon. Ta be deprived of a comfortable refidence, and to become in one hour deftitute, was a trying and a heavy calamity. This, however, was aggravated by the piercing reflection that he must leave behind him an amiable wife, (who had been accustomed to look forward, with wellfounded confidence, to better prospects when the united her fortunes to his) and three young children. Yet he accounted the enduring thefe diftreffes to be preferable to the facrifice of his civil and religious principles.

In 1778 he arrived in England, where, in addition to the small penfion allowed him by government, he laboured to maintain himself and his family by officiating for fome time as chaplain on board the Vigilant man of war; an appointment he fhall ever with the utmost gratitude acknowledge to have received folely from the humanity of the Earl of Sandwich, without any other recommendation than the author's fufferings; and, fince that time, by ferving the curacy of Egham.

On the conclufion of the war, after a feparation of five years, his wife determined to come to England, and fhare with him the humble rewards of his labours. But her refolutions were not accomplished. Her conftitution, naturally delicate, had been too much impaired by accumulated fufferings. She struggled against them with religious fortitude, in the fond hope that each fucceeding fummer would enable her to undertake the voyage. Animated by affection, the believed herself equal to the undertaking, and took leave of those friends who had commiferated her diftreffes. It was a folemn and a last farewel! She died before she could carry her purpose into execution!

6

During this anxious fufpenfe, the firft idea of the prefent publication was suggested by the benevolent parishioners of Egham; and the author's apology for the imperfect manner in which it appears, is, that, ever fince the laft melancholy event, his health and fpirits have been fo impaired that he has been utterly incapable of giving thefe Sermons the correction which they ftand in need of. He has already too long delayed the publication, in the vain hope of rendering it lefs unworthy the patronage of his fubfcribers: he now entreats their favourable admiffion of his apology, and returns them his moft fincere acknowledgments for their kindness and liberality.'

But, in reality, they ftand in need of no apology whatever. They turn on the most useful and interefting fubjects; abound

abound with the nobleft fentiments of Christian piety and philanthropy; and are written in a style remarkable for its perfpicuity, purity, and neatness. The fubjects of these Sermons are the following: 1. The Faith of the first and latter Ages. 2. The Nature and Reward of Purity of Heart. 3. The Nature and Effects of genuine Contrition. 4. The Advantages of devoting the Heart to the Service of Religion. 5. The Difpofitions neceffary for partaking the Lord's Supper. 6. The Afcenfion. 7. The Nature and Advantages of Prayer. 8. The Tendency of a well-spent Life to make Death happy, 9. Religion the only Means of Happiness. 10. Guardian Angels. 11. Confolations in Affliction.

On thefe topics, that comprehend the great doctrines of religion, and involve the beft interefts of mankind, Dr. Ogilvie treats in a judicious and animated manner; discovers an extenfive reading and reflection; and makes that mingled appeal to the understanding and the heart which is beft calculated to convey at the fame time instruc tion and perfuafion. The following extract from the fermon on "Religion the only Means of Happiness," may serve as a fpecimen of the author's manner.

Life and immortality are faid, with great truth and propriety, in fcripture to be" brought to light through the gospel *." Pagan philofophers beheld thefe objects" darkly, as it were, and through a glafs." The reafoning of Socrates upon this fubject, in the admired Phedon of Plato, is metaphyfical, and appears to me to be inconclufive and ambiguous. It is, indeed, obvious, that his own difciples were by no means thoroughly convinced of it. But the apostle Paul fpeaks upon this fubject with a certainty that carries conviction to the mind of every follower of Jefus. "We know," fays he, "that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens t."

A better argument than thofe that are employed by this great philofopher, has been drawn from those paffions of the human mind that demand a gratification, to which the world affords not any objects that are fully adequate. Ambition toils, as it were, on the fide of an eminence, whofe fummit it cannot reach. Hope, diffatisfied with what it is in poffeflion of, carries its eye forward into futurity with anceafing ardour, and looks at laft to another world for fruition. Even Admiration is excited almoft perpetually by the wonders of Nature, without being gratified. And, while we view the planetary worlds, we are fenfible that the mind, before its curiofity refpecting thefe can be fatisfied, must be difincumbered of its material vehicle, and at liberty to range at large in the universe.

* 2 Tim. i. 10.

† 2 Cor. v.. I.

. Now,