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Art. 26. Political Sophiftry detected: or brief Remarks on the Rev. Mr. Fletcher's late Tract entitled American Patriotism. By Caleb Evans, M. A. 12mo. 3 d. Dilly.

Mr. E. appears to be no more inclined to put up, than his Salopian antagonist. He re-enters the lifts with his ufual vivacity, and deals about his blows with his accustomed vigor and alacrity. He, here, vindicates himself from the charge of inculcating dangerous politics; and alfo urges, farther, thofe pleas in favour of Liberty; which he fo properly maintained in his former Reply to Mr. F. difcuffing, as he goes along, the various arguments offered by the Vicar of Madely, in defence of a British taxation of American property; with other points, relative to this difpute. Art. 27. Some Obfervations on Liberty. Occafioned by a late

Tract. By John Wefley. 12mo. 3d. Foundery, &c.

Another anfwer to Dr. Price! How amazingly do the Dr's. opponents multiply! And we are glad to fee this: for, though the greater part of what is advanced, on the principles of liberty, by the difputants on either fide, may tend to perplex and confound an ordinary reader, yet men of fuperior difcernment will be able, as Horace fays, to strike light out of this smoke-to extract gold from this great heap of drofs. And the fubject, after fo general a difcuffion, will be better understood than heretofore.--Mr. W. (among others of Dr. P.'s antagonists) has many fhrewd remarks, which, from his quaint and popular manner of conveying them, may feem to ftrike with peculiar poignancy.-What advantage, from all these materials, may not be drawn, by a perfon of Dr. P.'s capacity; and what may we not expect from his candour and public spirit!

POLITICAL.

Art. 28. The Duenna, a Comic Opera, in Three Acts, as it is performed by his Majefty's Servants. 8vo. 1 s. 6 d. Johnston. 6d. The Author has borrowed Sheridan's mould, in which the famous Covent Garden Duenna was fo faccefsfully formed, and he has melted into it a mass of political bafe-metal, which refembles the original caft as much as a Birmingham fand half-penny does the genuine coin of the Tower-ftamp. It is one of the most impudent court fatires we have ever feen; and yet, at the fame time, a very unmeaning, common-place, contemptible catch-penny. Some of the fongs are, however to give the Grub his due] tolerable parodies on thofe of Mr. Sheridan's Duenna.

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LAW.

Art. 29. The Trial of an Information iffuing out of the Court of King's Bench, on the Profecution of William Baily. Clerk, against Francis Newman and John Hunt, Efqrs; two of his Majesty's Juftices of the Peace for the County of Somerfet; for certain Trefpaffes and Misdemeanors, at the Alizes at Taunton, in the faid County, April 1, 1776, before the Hon. Sir Beaumont Hotham, Knt. one of the Barons of his Majesty's Court of Exchequer. 4to. I s. 6d. Newbery, &c.

A fine check to the tyranny of over bearing country Juflices!

Rev. April, p. 326.

NOVELS and MEMOIR S.

Art. 30. The Life of the Swedish Countess De G**, written in German by the late ingenious C. F. Gellert, Profeffor of Leipfic. Tranflated from the German by the Rev. Mr. N**. 8vo. 2 s. 6 d. Donald fon.

This is a vile tranflation of the beautiful work mentioned in our -Jaft, poflibly, the old one reprinted.

Art. 31. Ifabella, or the Rewards of Good Nature. By the Author of the Benevolent Man, and the History of Lady Ann Nevile. 12mo. z Vols. 6 s. Bell.

Death! duels! adulteries! fornications! burning livers, and breaking hearts! what would the prefent race of novelifts do without you, ye horrid train? yet, notwithstanding all this terrible business and the diffufe and ill modulated language in which thefe volumes are written, the work has fome merit. For Ifabella is a very amiable picture of conjugal tenderness and prudence.

Art. 32. The History of Lady Sophia Sternheim: attempted from the German of Mr. Weiland *. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. Jones. If a Writer has genius fufficient to rife above the barrennefs and infipidity of modern novels, it requires no fmall fhare of good fenfe and tale to avoid extravagance and improbability. The prefent work, like the former productions of Mr. Wieland, is faulty in this refpect. We observe many just and striking fentiments; much boldnefs of colouring; and a great variety of characters and incidents; but we every where meet with violations of nature and propriety. The virtuous characters are elevated to a degree of perfection, and the vicious funk to a depth of villainy, fcarcely to be fuppofed: incidents are related too extraordinary to be credited; and events are brought about, which though they furprife by their novelty, evidently appear to be the creation of fancy.

POETICA L.

Art. 33. The Progrefs of Freedom, a Poem. By J. Champion, Efq. 4to. I s. W. Davis.

O D-n-nt! infernal dæmon! How long wilt thou harafs us with thy insatiable demands? Take, take one victim more. Art. 34. Clifton, a Poem, in Imitation of Spenfer. 4to. 2 s. Bristol printed, and fold by Robinson in London. One more, then, and be satisfied!

Art. 35. The Haunch of Venifon, a poetical Epistle to Lord Clare. By the late Dr. Goldfmith. 4to. I s. 6 d. Kearfly.

In the true ftyle of familiar Humour.

Can

Art. 36. The Cave of Death, an Elegy. Infcribed to the MeI S. of the deceased Relations of the Author. 4to. mory terbury printed. Sold in London by Robinfon.

The Cave of Death is a family vault, and the poem a memoir of the Author's relations. It does honour to his piety; and the poetry is not defpicable.

• Tranflated by the late Mr. Jofeph Collyer.

"

+ Thofe Readers whofe delicacy may be offended with the name of this deity are defired to take the Poet's advice, and mollify damnation with a phrafe."

Art.

Art. 37. Ode, occafioned by Sir William Browne's Legacy of two Gold Medals, to be difpofed of annually for the Encourage ment of Poetry in the University of Cambridge. 4to. Almon.

6 d.

Nothing in it! Art. 38. A Prophecy of Merlin, an Heroic Poem, concerning the wonderful Success of a Project now on Foot to make the River from the Severn to Stroud in Gloucestershire navigable. Tranflated from the original Latin, annexed, with Notes explanatory. 4to. 1s. Bew.

This man of doggrel ought to have barked in Stroud only. To bring their canal into Paternofter Row was ridiculous. Art. 39. The Fair Villager, a Tale; with other mifcellaneous Poems. 4to. 1 s. 6d. Becket.

Not contemptible. Art. 40. An Afylum for Fugitives, No. I. and II. To be continued occafionally. 12mo. I s. each.

Almon.

If we except the humorous and ingenious epistle from Lord St-y to Lady Caroline ***, the rest of thefe fugitives might have taken their final flight without any public complaint. The fecond Number, in particular, is a mere hotch potch of ftale politics. Art. 41. Poems on different Occafions. 12mo.

3s. Becket. A pretty, elegant, rural nofegay, formed in the best taste and man. ner of Shenftone, and compofed of many fair and pleafant flowers. We would recommend it to the Author to withdraw, in a future edition, his Ode on St. Cecilia's Day.

Art. 42. Poems on various Occafions; confifting of original Pieces and Translations. By Samuel Bentley. 8vo. 6 s. Boards. Stevens. This honeft man is exceedingly angry with us for having laughed feven years ago at a poem of his called Dove Dale, or the River Dove, or by fome fuch title; and he fays that his verses will last as long as Dove fhall flow ;-and he has wrote verfes about us;-aye, and he has called us fectaries and Prefbyterian parfons.-Now, we fwear by the river Dove, that, had we really been fuch, we should have thought ourselves most fortunate; had we kept a fehism shop, ther would our fchifm fhop have kept us-Then had we not been condemned to hard labour, or to perufe this man's performances.-But, "of a bad bargain make the best;" fo we shall e'en pocket our refentment, and fish for a little fun. For,

Dogs have oft uncommon parts,

And proficients been in arts:
Letters fome, and figures know,

And at cards their learning fhew.

This is a fpecimen of the poetry that must laft while Dove fhall flow.' Well, let us proceed:

Then guard your hearts, ye Utt'xeter fair ladies.

In the whole corps of Reviewers, confifting of English, Welch, and Irish, Scotch, and Dutch doctors of laws, who are, at the same time, efquires, five men midwives, and fifty Prefbyterian parfons, was not found one who could undertake to pronounce the local word in the above line,

The

The fmart republication, the fudden furprife, are the very life of poetry. A fhepherd being folicited by his fellow fwains to fing, With graceful motion, bowing down his head,

Smiling confent, with mildest accent faid,

WHAT SHOULD I SING?

There lies the beauty of the whole; had he begun directly, there had been nothing in it. By and bye he begins, and the theme of his fong is haymaking:

The grafs full grown, and all in perfect bloom,
Relentless Time devotes to meet its doom.
The mower flout-

He makes his way, the grafs is cut off young,
A moral leffon to the giddy throng.

The furprising is the fruitful fource of the fublime, and in nothing more than when it arifes from contradiction: thus, first of all, the grafs is full grown, and devoted by relentless Time, and, immediately after, it is cut off young. But-all this is really too terrible to laugh at. There is a degree of vilenefs which finks below ridicule, and none but the members of a spouting-club can make sport of the bellman's verses.

Art. 43. Garrick's Looking-glass; or, the Art of rifing on the Stage. A Poem in Three Cantos. Decorated with Dramatic Characters. By the Author of *****. 4to. 2 s. 6d. Evans.

This Looking-glafs is neither fo brilliant as the works of Butler or Swift, or fo polished as thofe of Prior. It is, however, of no coarse manufacture, and the purchaser may, by looking into it, contemplate the theatre tanquam in fpeculum; nay even the retired Roffius, having left the public funthine, may now falute this glafs t, &c. Art. 44. Omiah's Farewell. Infcribed to the Ladies of Lon. don. 4to. I s. Kearfly.

Our Covent Garden poets have metamorphofed Omiah into an Ovid.

Art. 45. An Elegiac Tribute to the Memory of a departed Friend. 4to. Is. Johnson.

See what was faid of this young Writer's "Elegiac Verses to a young Lady, on the Death of her Brother;" Review, February, P. 163. The Author appears to have a natural turn for this fpecies of poetry; but his efforts are not, as yet, extremely vigorous: he will probably, foar higher, as his pinions grow ftronger.

Art. 46. The Flight of Freedom; a Fragment. 4to. I s. 6 d.

Williams.

Freedom emigrates, at laft [in compliance, no doubt, with the humour of the times] to America; and the veffel which conveys the vagrant goddess, is a ftrange awkward thing,-not Apollo's nor Elijah's fiery chariot, but a kind of poetic tumbril, which moves grating along, like an heavy-loaded broad-wheel waggon, over a turnpike road newly gravelled; and rumbling a thousand times worse than

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"Shine out, fair fun, till I have bought a glass,
That I may fee my fhadow as I pafs."

SHAK. Richard.

Sir Richard Blackmore's wheels, to which it was faid the Knight ufed to accommodate the found of his verses.

Art. 47. The Revolution, a Poem. Canto the Firft. By Charles Crawford, M. A. 4to. I s. 6 d. Becket. Mr. Crawford's abilities are not unknown in the literary world. His Differtation on the Phæden of Plato was announced to our Readers in the forty-ninth volume of the Review, p. 437, &c. Of his poetical talents a fpecimen was given in vol. 50, p. 407, from his elegiac poem, entitled Sophronia and Hilario. In his prefent performance, his defign is

To fing the hero, whofe aufpicious arms

Drove from the British realm a tyrant King.

'Great William's fame' is, indeed, a noble theme; but not, we fear, at this time, a favourite one; except with the fmall remainder of the Old Whigs: who ftill delight in filling a bumper to the GLORIOUS MEMORY, on the 4th of November.

The dignity of the Epic, however, we apprehend is too high for the reach of this Bard,-whofe turn feems rather to be for fatire. As an invective against Popery, and arbitrary power, Mr. C.'s performance may be read, with fome degree of approbation, by the zealous WILLIAMITES and advocates for LIBERTY: but as an HEROIC POEM, it will not, in our opinion (fo far as we may venture to conclude from the prefent fpecimen) rank with the Henriade of his favourite Voltaire, nor even with Leonidas, or Wilkie's Epigoniad. But we reserve our criticisms till the completion of the work; to which, for the fake of the principles it inculcates, whatever may be thought of the poetry, we heartily with fuccefs.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 48. The original Works of William King, LL. D. Advocate of Doctors Commons, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, Keeper of the Records in Ireland, and Vicar general to the Lord Primate. Now firft collected into three Volumes, with historical Notes, and Memoirs of the Author. 8vo. 3 Vols. 12 s. Conant. There were two Dr William Kings of the univerfity of Oxford, both men of wit and humour, and both Tories. One (the Author of thefe volumes) was of Chrift-church; the other, who was of later ftanding, was of St. Mary Hall. The former wrote chiefly in Englih, the latter in Latin: but in name, title, genius, principles, and difpofition, they were pane gemelli. The ingenious Advocate's works are now more fully collected than they have hitherto been. They are well known, and have many admirers; and therefore, need not here be more particularly announced. Our Author was a bon vivant, and Pepe uled to fay of him, that he could write verfes three hours after he could not fpeak. The Editor is commendable for his great attention and accuracy, and for the entertaining variety of his notes and anecdotes.

Art. 49. John Buncle, jun. Gentleman. 8vo. 3s. Johnfon. Another Sentimental Journey maker, mounted on one of the milky mothers, and wofuily galling her, after the nobly wanton courfer of Sterne.

Art.

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