Page images
PDF
EPUB

in our opinion, never without juftice. The prefent is a burlesque parody on the whole work, the monk being here a methodist preacher, and his firft temptation a leg of pork, &c. There is confiderable humour in fome parts, and particularly in the poetical imitations; but the undertaking, upon the whole, was too great for the author's ftock of wit. Vulgarity and indecency are frequently obfervable; and the description of the new monk's death is difgufting. The author's purpofe would have been more fuccessfully answered by a selection of certain paffages. The whole of the Monk cannot be injured by ridicule.

[blocks in formation]

A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocefe of Landaff in June 1798, by R. Watson, D. D. F. R. S. Bishop of Landaff. 8vo. 15. Faulder. 1798.

The zealous epifcopal politician who, at the beginning of the year, endeavoured to animate his countrymen' amidst the alarm of threatened invafion, now appears in a character more fuited to his ftation, as the adviser and admonisher of the clergy of his diocefe. The prefent pamphlet, however, is of a fimilar complexion with the prelate's addrefs to the people in general, though it is oftenfibly confined to the minifters of the church. He informs us, that he had no intention of publishing this charge, but that the request of his clergy, and a formal application from the magiftrates of the county of Monmouth, induced him to prefent it to the world.

He enters upon politics before he treats of religion. He profeffes himself to be ftill actuated by thofe principles on which the Revolution was founded; but declares, that he feels no dislike to any one for thinking differently from him, and that he has no propensity to profelyte others to his fentiments.'

Indeed' (he adds) all prejudices and predilections with refpect to particular men, all petty differences of political opinions, ought not, in the prefent fituation of the country, to be fo much as mentioned. For the question is not now, as it has usually been, whether this or that man fhall be the minister of the crown; but whether we shall have a government to be administered?—Not, whether the ministers or their opponents are the wifest and most difinterested statesmen; but whether both parties are not infinitely wifer, and more difinterested, and fitter to serve the country, than the felf-erected committee of England, affociated with a French directory? The queftion is not now, as it was in the rebellions of fifteen and forty-five, whether we fhall have a monarch of the houfe of Brunfwick, or of the houfe of Stuart; but whether we thall have any monarch at all?—The queftion is not "now, as it was in the great rebellion, whether the church of England fhall be governed by prefbyters, or by bishops; but whether we shall any longer have a church of any kind?' P. 3.

1

In reference to the conteft in which we are engaged with ene mies who wish to erect a republic in this country, the queftions are nearly fuch as the bishop has ftated: but it feems alfo to be a queftion of fome moment, whether the administration should continue to be exercised by those who have long fwayed the cabinet.

The prelate admits, that fome things might be altered for the better, both in church and state;' and he fpeaks of a parliamentary, reform, as a defirable meafure; but he, at the fame time, declares his opinion, that no plan of that kind

6

Ought to be attempted, or adopted, in the prefent crisis of the fate of the nation. When the contagion of French principles fhall have been corrected by an experience of the mischief attending them; when the audacity of French ambition fhall have been checked by the courage of this country; when peace shall be reftored, and Europe fhall be tranquillized; then, perhaps, but certainly not till then, ought the queftion of reform to be agitated by the legiflature of the kingdom. I fay by the legiflature of the kingdom,-for, whenever it fhall be difcuffed, I hope it will be weighéd with impartial and comprehenfive wifdom, by those who are capable of difcerning its utility or inexpediency, and not decided by clamorous meetings of ill-informied or ill-defigning men.' P. 9.

[ocr errors]

He proceeds to take notice of the fpirit of turbulence and difaffection, of envy and difrefpect to fuperiors, and of hardened impiety, by which certain individuals in many parts of the kingdom' are influenced. He advifes the clergy to exercise their paftoral care' in reclaiming fuch perfons, and judiciously exhorts them to ufe, on fuch occafions, gentle language and found argument,' rather than have recourfe to feverity of expostulation and harfhnefs of rebuke.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

In fpeaking of the rights of men,' of 'liberty and equality,' he argues as if the laft expreffion, in the application intended by thofe who make ufe of it, referred to an equality of property or condition; a misconception which we have before had occafion to correct. Of the effects which would follow the fuccefs of our enemies in an invafion, he has drawn a picture which, we fear, would be realifed.

The nation' (he fays) will be ruined by exorbitant impofitions,--our naval power will be destroyed,—our commerce transferred to France, our lands will be divided (not amongft thofe who wickedly covet their neighbours' goods), but amongst French foldiers, who will be every where ftationed, as the Roman foldiers were of old, to awe the people, and collect the taxes,-the flower of our youth will be compelled to ferve in foreign countries, to promote the wicked projects of French ambition,-Great Britain will be made an appendage to continental defpotifin.' P. 18.

The remainder of the charge contains a reprobation of democracy, arguments in favour of the doctrine of the immortality of the foul, and various incidental remarks,

A Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of the Univerfity of Cambridge, by William Frend, Candidate for the Lucafian Profefforfhip. Svo. 6d. White. 1798.

Dr. Milner and Mr. Frend were candidates for the profefforfhip,' vacant by the death of Dr. Waring. Mr. Frend objects to the right of his competitor to be a candidate; propofes a new mode of claffing equations; and gives fome demonftrations from a work now in the prefs, as a fpecimen of his mathematical abilities. Rejecting entirely the generation of equations, he gives a direct demonftration of the values of the co-efficients of the unknown terms, in fome cafes of cubic equations. To thofe who hold the pofition, that an equation has as many roots as it has dimenfions, he propofes the following equation,

99' 53

x+301 x=301

and offers one half of the profits of the profefforfhip to the ingenious workman who may discover the ninety-nine roots. The ne gative algebraifts, as Mr. Frend calls the advocates for negative and impoffible roots, are attacked with some spirit; and, with regard to the doctrine of fluxions, hints are thrown out, from which it appears, that the writer is not entirely fatisfied with the decifion of the controverfy on that fubject in the beginning of the century. Mr. King's Apology; or a Reply to his Calumniators. 8vo. 25. Wilkins. 1798.

The real Calumniator detected: being candid Remarks on Mr. King's Apology; or, Reply to his Calumniators. 8vo. Is. 6d. Downes. 1798.

From these pamphlets it appears that Mr. King was accused of an offence of a very indelicate nature, and that this accufation induced him to write a long apology, in which he says, the subjects treated will be found materially to concern every person who refides in a great metropolis.' The detector attempts to contradict Mr. King's statements; with what truth, it is impoffible for us to judge; and indeed the decifion does not lie within our provincé.

The Life and Adventures of Peter Porcupine, with a full and fair Account of all his authoring Tranfactions; being a fure and infal lible Guide for all enterprising young Men who wish to make a Fortune by writing Pamphlets. By Peter Porcupine himself. 12mo. IS. Wright. 1797.

The authoring tranfactions' of this writer have been fufficiently notorious; and, if they have excited the defire of many perfons to know who Peter Porcupine is, fuch curiofity may be amply gratified in the prefent pamphlet, where his origin and education will be found to correfpond with the taste and delicacy of his literary productions. Some pages, and thofe not the leaft vaJuable, are employed in refuting the charge, that our minifters

had hired the author's pen. Perhaps fewer words might have anfwered this purpofe; but the admirers of Mr. Pitt will not be difpleafed at the labour that has been beftowed on rescuing the character of that statefinan and his affociates from fo foul an accufation

A Letter addreffed to the Honourable Court of Lieutenancy on the prefent State of the Difcipline of the armed Affociations of the City of London. By an Officer of the London Militia. 6d. Debrett. 1798.

[ocr errors]

The writer of this letter urges, that the different corps of the city of London fhould not only be united under one head, but fhould obferve an exact uniformity of difcipline. At present scarcely two corps are drilled in the fame manner; and this difference our author justly confiders as an error that might be fatal, if the various companies fhould ever be required to act as one body. But fuch a cafe is not likely to occur, unless we can fuppofe an invading enemy to approach the very walls of the city. The uti lity of thefe affociations, in our opinion, confifts in the defence which they may afford againft partial riots and commotions. The fubject, however, is worthy of consideration in other lights. Virtue's Friend; confifting of Effays, first published periodically, on Subjects connected with the Duty and Happiness of Mankind. Vol. I. 12mo. 25. Johnfon. 1798.

[ocr errors]

Thefe effays exhibit little vigour of compofition, or variety of fancy; yet they may be ufeful to young perfons. A vein of juft thinking pervades them: the duties recommended are illuftrated by apt inftances; and the whole work tends to imprefs the mind with proper diftinctions between virtue and vice, and to give it a turn for rational purfuits.

ANSWER TO A CORRESPONDENT.

6

A READER Condemns Mr. Browne's vindication of a paffage in Addifon's works (fee p. 88 in this volume); but we do not altoge ther agree with the objector. The fame correfpondent atfirms, that, in our critique on a series of plays, appears a hoftile declaration against metaphor; but this is a grofs mis-statement; for we objected to metaphorical abfurdity, not to the judicious ufe of me. taphors, which, when introduced with skill, give a pleafing variety to language.

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

DECEMBER,

1798.

Proceedings of the Affociation for promoting the Discovery of the interior Parts of Africa, containing an Abstract of Mr. Park's Account of his Travels and Discoveries, abridged from his own Minutes, by Bryan Edwards, Efq.; alfo geographical Illuftrations of Mr. Park's Journey, and of North Africa at large, by Major Rennel. Printed for the Affociation. 4to.*

MR. PARK'S journey to the inland parts of a continent which few Europeans have vifited, and his various dangers in a country where fanaticifm and cruelty reign uncontrolled, and in which the moft malignant paffions of the heart are not checked either by humanity or by true religion, have strongly excited the curiofity of the public. This, we doubt not, will be amply gratified in his own work, which we impatiently expect. In the prefent article we muft content ourselves with exhibiting the outline of his travels in a geographical view; and, as we have the affiftance of to able a guide as major Ren-' nel, we fhall endeavour to extend the knowledge of Africa, from the only part of his illustrations which we can conveniently abridge, viz. the concluding chapter.

This vaft country, which, in the time of Rome's fupremacy, was the fcene of proconfular magnificence, and might, if Carthage had triumphed, have been the miftrefs of the world, continued to be, even in the moft enlightened periods, the fcene of wonders; and quid novi fert Africa, was a queftion as common as at prefent. The knowledge, which the generality of the Ronans acquired of it, was confined to the maritime regions, bordering on the Mediterranean, where magnificent ruins (which have been defcribed by various travellers, particularly Shaw and Bruce) ftill exift: but it was better known by the philofophers and geographers. The Phoenicians were

*It does not appear that this work is on fale. CRIT. REV. VOL. XXIV, Dec. 1798.

Cc

« PreviousContinue »