try. In this fituation, above all the little prejudices of a profeffion, for he had no profeffion but that of Solon and Lycurgus, he fet himself to correct the grievances of the law, and to amend the vocation he had adorned. The union of the kingdoms was projected too by him; and it was not to his difgrace, that the Princefs, whofe prejudices he had conquered, and whofe efteem he had gained, offered him up as one of the firft facrifices on the altar of Utrecht.'

There is fomething very noble and fpirited in this portrait of the great Somers, though perhaps the piece is not altogether confiftent: for fure the acknowlegement, that the great man was not juftifiable in obtaining a grant of the crown lands, is not quite compatible with the divinity which the Writer afcribes to him! We come now to his account of

Sir ROBERT WALPOLE, Earl of Orford,

Is only mentioned in this place in his quality of Author: it is not proper nor neceffary for me to touch his character here.-Sixteen unfortunate and inglorious years fince his re'moval, have already written his eulogium!'

A ftrange reflection this! However we may pardon the partiality which fhews itself in favour of fo near a relation, and perhaps applaud the principle, yet we cannot excuse the Writer who offers fuch an affront to the Reader's understanding. Is it matter of eulogium to Sir Robert's memory, that his fucceffors acted as ill as himself, and that we have been unfortunate and inglorious fince his removal? Were we not in the fame lamentable condition during his adminiftration? Were not British fubjects infulted, plundered, and mangled by the Spaniards? Did we not conclude a fhameful convention with them? At home, was he not the patron of an open and avowed prostitution of all honour and principle? Are we not indebted to him for a heavy load of debt, a rapacious fwarm of placemen, and a fcandalous troop of penfioners? Have not our misfortunes and difgraces of late years been owing to the continuance of that corrupt and debilitating plan which he purfued, and in which he gloried? and have we not very lately recovered our honour and credit under the direction of contrary maxims?

But our Author's prejudices, perhaps, render him as averse to the now reigning fyftem of policy, as he is partial to former measures. Light hints, and diftant farcafms, often lead to the difcovery of latent principles: and probably it will not be difficult to determine the writer's bias from the following farcaftic allufion. Speaking of Lord Clare, he tells us He often oppofed the court from perfonal difgufts, often returned to it

• from

&

⚫ from private views; loudly ftigmatized the traffic of peerages, yet bought both his barony and his earldom; and approaching ⚫ his resemblance to very modern patriots, offended the king, by

accufing him of a defign to introduce a body of German • horfe.' Alas! how difficult a talk it is for a man of the most liberal caft of mind, to conquer the over-ruling power of family and party connections?

We cannot think it neceffary to make any apology for the freedom we have taken with the Ancestor of our Author, fince he himself has inftructed us to fay, that- It were an affront to the latter, to fuppofe that one is not at liberty to treat the former as he deserved.'

The next who fucceeds in the catalogue is

HENRY ST. JOHN Viscount Bolingbroke,

With the most agreeable talents in the world, and with great parts, was neither happy nor fuccessful. He wrote against the late king, who had forgiven him; against Sir Robert Walpole, who did forgive him; against the pretender and the clergy, who never will forgive him. He is one of our beft writers; though his attacks on all governments and all religion [neither of which views he cared directly to own] have neceffarily involved his ftyle in a want of perfpicuity. One must know the man before one can often guefs his meaning. He has two other faults which one should not expect in the fame writer, much tautology and great want of

'connection.

That Bolingbroke wrote against the king, who had forgiven him, is certain; but that he wrote against Sir Robert Walpole, who did forgive him, we cannot admit. He wrote against Sir Robert, because he did not forgive him; and because he pre vented his being reftored to thofe honours which he wished to That Sir Robert was implacable against him, appears from a speech which he made in the house, and which he concluded with the following imprecation- May his attainder • never be reverfed, and may his crimes never be forgotten !" However, we agree with the Writer, that Bolingbroke had neither fyftem or principle.

recover.

The last character we shall take notice of, is

SARAH duchefs of Marlborough.

It is feldom the publick receives information on princes and favorites from the fountain-head: flattery or invective is apt to pervert the relations of others. It is from their own • pena

004

pens alone, whenever they are fo gracious, like the lady in queftion, as to have a paffion for fame and approbation, that we learn exactly, how trifling and foolith and ridiculous their views and actions were, and how often the mischief they did proceeded from the most inadequate caufes. We happen to know indeed, though he was no author, that the duke of Buckingham's repulies in very impertinent amours, involved king James and king Charles in national quarrels with Spain and France. From her Grace of Marlborough we may col lect, that queen Anne was driven to change her miniftry, and in confequence, the fate of Europe, becaufe fhe had dared to affect one bed-chamber woman, as he had done another. The duchefs could not comprehend how the cousins Sarah Jennings and Abigail Hill could ever enter into competition, though the one did but kneel to gather up the clue of favour, which the other had haughtily toffed away; and which the could not recover by putting the Whole Duty of Man into the queen's hands to treach her friendship.

This favorite duchefs, who, like the proud duke of Espernon, lived to brave the fucceffors in a court where she had domineered, wound up her capricious life, where it feems the had begun it, with an apology for her conduct. The piece, though weakened by the prudence of those who were to correct it, though maimed by her grace's own corrections, and though great part of it is rather the annals of a wardrobe than of a reign, yet has ftill curious anecdotes, and a few of those fallies of wit which fourfcore years of arrogance could not fail to produce in fo fantaßic an understanding. And yet by altering her memoirs as often as her will, the difappointed the public as much as her own family. However, the chief objects remain; and one fees exactly how Europe and the back tairs took their places in her imagination and in her narrative. The revolution left no impreffion on her mind, but of queen Mary turning up bed-cloaths; and the proteftant hero, but of a felfifh glutton who devoured a difh of peas from his fifter-inlaw. Little circumftances indeed convey the most characteriftic ideas; but the choice of them may as often paint the genius of the writer, as of the perfon reprefented.

Mrs. Abigail Hill is not the only perfon tranfmitted to pofterity with marks of the duchefs's refentment. Lord Oxford, boneft Jack Hill, the ragged boy, the Quebec-general, and others make the fame figure in her hiftory that they did in her mind.-Sallies of paffion not to be wondered at in one who has facrificed even the private letters of her miftrefs and bene• factress!

• We

Her Grace's picture is here drawn from the life. We fee pride, peevishnets, difcontent, and petulance, in every feature. Indeed it must be confeffed, that our Author paints with a bold and mafterly pencil; though he is not always happy in the juft diftribution of light and fhade.

N. B. We think it proper, before we difmifs this article, to take notice of fome former works of this honourable Author, by which he has acquirea that reputation which we have with pleasure acknowledged in the Introcution. To his pen we are in lebted for the spirited and elegant letter from Xolo the Chinese philofopher to his friend at Pekin; and some of the most admired effays in the late paper called the World, are faid to have been penned by this animated and agreeable Writer.

R--d

The Laws of Chance: or a mathematical investigation of the probabilities arifing from any propofed circumflance of play. Applied to the folution of a great variety of problems relating to cards, bowls, dice, lotteries, &c. By Samuel Clark, teacher of the mathematics. 8vo 4s. T. Payne.

HE vaft utility of the mathematics, in the various purfuits and occupations of human life, is fufficiently known; and those who have thoroughly ftudied its principles, justly confi-der it as the fplendid lamp that lights us through the mazes of nature, or as the infallible clue of genius, which leads us through the intricate labyrinths of philofophy. Hence the greatest men have thought their time well employed in explaining its doctrines, and applying it to a great variety of fubjects. But, we know not by what fatality, mathematical fcience hath been confidered as an acquifition not to be attained without the greatest difficulty, and most intenfe ftudy. A little experience, however, would convince fuch perfons of their mistake: and as the theory of Chances has been of late but too much reduced to practice, we could wish that those who are so paffionately fond of the latter, would allot fome part of their time to the ftudy of the former : for we are perfuaded, that the entertainment and fatisfaction they might receive from thefe fpeculations, would create a relifh for the fciences, animate them with a defire of being acquainted with thofe truths which add a luftre and dignity to the human mind, and, at the fame time, effectually withdraw their attention from thofe pernicious diverfions which have proved fo fatal to many who have purfued them.

In the mean time, we would not be understood to fuggeft, that the doctrine of chances is one of the most easy branches of the mathematics, and therefore proper for a learner. The very reverse of this is true, if the fubject be pursued to its ut

moft

moft extent; but it is also certain, that when the mind is thoroughly fixed upon any object, the difficulties will vanish in proportion as we advance. One caution, however, may not be improper, viz. That all ftudents fhould be very careful to proceed gradually, and not attempt the moft abftrufe and complicated parts of the subject, before they are well acquainted with the fundamental principles, and capable of applying them to the folution of fimple and eafy problems.

If this caution be obferved, the work before us will prove an eafy introduction to the Laws of Chance, Mr. Clark having removed the difficulties attending this branch of science, and rendered the doctrine of Chances eafy to be understood: in order to which, he has fhewn the methods of folving the most easy cafes of each problem, and then the manner of giving a general folution. In the introduction to his treatife, the fundamental rules are laid down in nine articles, and their ufe exemplified in feven eafy problems; in the body of the work are also a great variety of problems, folved from the rules laid down in the introduction.

But that the reader may judge for himself of Mr. Clark's manner of folving his problems, we have extracted the following from his introduction.

PROB. III.

• To find the probability of throwing two aces precisely in one throw, with four common dice.

SOLUTION.

Let us fuppofe the aces on 2 dice taken away, and on the other 2 only the aces left, then in each throw, we shall be ❝ certain to have 2 aces come up. Now the two dice without aces may come up 25 ways, with each of which the two aces must come up alfo. But as we are at liberty to reduce any other 2 dice, it follows that as many different pairs as can be taken in 4, that is 6, just so often muft 25, the chances upon • the dice without aces, be repeated to give thofe required, equal 150 1296°

to 150, whence the required probability is

COROLLARY.

It is evident that 1296-150, leaves the chances for miffing two aces precifely, that is, 1146, these contain those for throwing either no ace, one, or three at leaft, whence to find the chances for throwing three aces at leaft, in one throw