peared not likely to produce any great change. We were pleafed therefore at feeing this Extract, and of being able to give, though in the decifive language of a catalogue-article, our opinion on the work In the original Request, M. Calonne appears in a very advantageous light. His flyle is forcib e, his arguments manly, and his language clear. We can fee in every part of it, the best traits of that character which we drew from the foreign work, noticed at large in our Number for October. Yet, at times, we find a little embarraffment, where the minifter could probably have spoken plainer, if he had dared to do it; and in those moments of difficulty, we can detect the greatest number of faults: in one or two inftances we think alfo that we perceive a little contradiction. But, on the whole, it difplays great acute nefs, ftrong judgment, and accurate difcrimination. This Extract is fometimes a fummary; but in the most brilliant paffages, the words of the author are exactly copied.

La Lettre Addrefjze au Roi, par M. de Calonne. 8vo. 15. Debrett, Reponfe Critique a la Lett e Adrifte au Roi, par M. de Calonne. Le 9 Fevrier, 1789. Par M. de Soyres. 8vo. 15. Stock

dale.

The Letter, with the Anfwer, may truly be ftyled political pamphlets. M. Calonne feems to have been actuated by a little difappointm nt, and his language is proportionally animated. M. de Soyres is more caim and more argumentative; but not more convincing.

Lettre aux Etats Généraux de France. 8vo. 15. Ridgway.

The author has escaped from his keeper, and raves at large: in more fober truth, however, liberty never more certainly degenerates into licentioufnefs than when enjoyed as a novelty, and endeared as being unexpected. Our author may therefore be allowed to be unufually animated, and even zealously enthufiaftic.

Du Coüedic à fa Patrie, Expatrié en Angleterre, demandant la Liberté de la Preffe par la Néceffité des Loix pour la Liberté du Peuple François. Svo. 25. 6d. Ridgway.

M. du Coüedic was the victim of defpotifm, while defpotif reigned in France. During his refidence in England, the flame of liberty has burnt with enthufiaftic ardour. Yet his zeal is tempered with knowledge and good fenfe; and we would recommend his Obfervations on the Liberty of the Prefs, and on Lettres de Cachet, to Englishmen, if it were poffible that Englifhmen fhould ever be in a condition to profit by them. To his own countrymen, they may fill be useful. The reflections on the neceffity of a particular conftitution for France are admirable: we have read nothing more animated, or, in general, more juft,

Difcours

Difcours d'un Membre de l'Affemble Nationale à fes Co-deputes 800. 1789.

This fpeech was not delivered; and indeed its extent, though the author promifes to be flort, rendered it improper, as the reasoning purfued made the delivery impolitic. The author thinks that the national affembly have carried the reforms too far they have difgraced the king, loofened the bands of fociety and the reftraints of law, feduced the army, impoverified the clergy, and deftroyed the national fpirit. This fpeech has been attributed, we think, however, without reafon, to M. Lally de Tollendal.

Memoire des Miniftre du Roi, addressé à l'Assemblée Nationale le 24 October, 1780. 410.

This Memoir relates chiefly to the importation of corn; but the minifters, with great force and propriety, expoftulate with the affembly on the want of fubordination which now prevails, while they expect that regular fupply which is confiftent only with an established government.

A Letter from Pope Pius VI. to the French Nation, tranflated from the Original, by Vr. Goynard du Bournay. 410.

Bell.

Ridendo rerum (altered with a pen to verum) dicere, quid vetat If the author from this motto meant to afk, why we fhould not fpeak the truth awhile we are laughing, we can an fwer, that we have no objection to it. To fpeak truth, in a vein of ridicule, (ridenti dicere verum) quid vetat ? as Horace really wrote, is a very different queftion. Our author compofed his letter, we fufpect, during a fit of laughter; and, as he laughed himfelf, fuppofed that his readers would be affected in the fame way. On this account, he altered the faty it's words with great propriety, for we believe the merriest of his readers can perufe the little pamphlet, with the unmoved gravity of a cynic.

POETRY.

Redemption, a Poem, in Five Books. By Jofeph Swain. 8vo. 25. 6d. Boards. Mathews.

Some fmall pieces of Jofeph Swain's have appeared in the Theological Mifcellany. His prefent humble attempt, as he modeftly ftyles it, was fuggefted by the rev. Mr. De Coetlogon;' who has furnished it with a preface, in which we are told, that,

What he (that is the author) means is to throw the infal lible dictates of the fpirit of infpiration into humble metie, and in the modeft ftrain of feriptural fimplicity and godly fincerity. He writes not for the regions of polite literature; having never derived any advantages of that fort from a liberal, or even claffical, education. He hopes, therefore, not to be judged by the

fevere

fevere rules of Criticifm-perfectly fatisfied if what he has advanced in thefe pages will itand the test, and promote the cause, of piety and truth,

We, accordingly, fully fatisfied with the author's good intentions, will wave all juridical authority in this cafe, and refer the poem to the inferior clafs of readers, whose taste it will probably fuit, and whofe religious fentiments it may tend to frengthen or improve. We with not to be understood as ap proving every doctrine or pofition contained in this work, but must declare that we found a fimplicity and energy in fome paffages that both furprised and pleafed us. The author fays that he means at fome future period (if the Lord will) to add five books more to the prefent work, on the fame fubject.' Verfes to John Howard, F. R. S. on his State of Prifons and Lazarettos. By W. L. Bowles. 4to. 15. 6d. Dilly.

Mr. Howard's highly laudable and peculiar fpecies of benc volence has infpired many an epcomiaftic ftrain; among which this is not the leaft commendable. The fhort poem, however, on the death of Mr. Headly, though not noticed in the title page, ftrikes us as a fuperior performance. Mr. Headly published the 'Beauties of ancient Poetry,' which we noticed in Vol. LXV. p. 9.

It is alluded to in the following picturefque paffage. The concluding lines are not fo correctly expreffed as we could wish, but the image is beautiful:

Nor ceas'd he yet to ftray, where, winding wild,
The Mufe's path his drooping fteps beguil'd,

Intent to rescue fome neglected rhime,

Lone-blooming, from the mournful waste of Time;
Or mark each scatter'd sweet, that feem'd to smile
Like flowers upon the long-forfaken pile.

Far from the murmuring crowd, unfcen, he fought
Each charm congenial to his fadden'd thought.
When the grey morn illum'd the mountain's fide,
To hear the fweet bird's earliest fong he hied:
When meekeft Eve to the fold's diftant bell
Liften'd, and bade the woods and vales farewell,
Mufing in tearful mood, he oft was feen,
The lait that linger'd o'er the fading green.
The waving wood, high o'er the cliff reclin'd,
The murmuring water-fall, the winter's wind,
His heart's mild miferies oft feem'd to fuit,
Like mourning gales on the refponfive lute.'

Sonnets. The tavo laft in Commemoration of the late W. Jackson, Efq. By William Groombridge, 1s. Printed for the Author. Thefe Sonnets afford but little materials for criticifm: they are neither good enough for praise, nor bad enough to be treat ed with feverity. If Mr. Groombridge has received the advantage

vantage of a liberal education, they will not add much to his literary credit; but if that has been contracted, they afford no unfavourable fpecimen of his genius and abilities.

The Filt: a Pocm 4.10. 15. Printed for the Author.

The Jilt is a fair object for the fhafts of fatire, and affords a copious fubject for an author's humour to difplay itself to advantage. Both are attempted in the prefent pocm, but with little fuccefs: for the humour is commonly feeble, and the fatire pointless.

DRAMATIC.

The Sword of Peace; or, a Voyage of Love; a Comedy, in Five Acts. Firf performed at the Theatre Royal in the Hay-market. Svo. 15. 6d. Debrett.

When a lady wields the Sword of Peace,' furly must be the critic's foul, if he breathe hoftile defiance. We accept the olive branch, and neither hint a fault, or hefitate diflike.' Yer, if in a future attempt, fhe would court the comic Mufe, perhaps a little more variety of character, a more intricate plot, which fhall hold expectation tiptoe,' and more interesting fituations, might lead the audience to applaud with warmth what they may now more cooly approve. Sentiment too has funk, as the School for Scandal' rofe; but we learn, with pleafure, that fuch a character as David Northcote exists, who can feel and act fuitably to fentiments, which, we fear, have fometimes difguised the villain, and rendered even virtue fufpected.

The Benevolent Planters, a Dramatic Piece, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Hay-market. Written by Thomas Bellamy. 8vo. 15. Debrett.

This little piece was produced, as a temporary popular publication, to add to the emoluments of Mrs. Kemble's benefit. In this view, it is not a fubject of criticifm. If there are many Benevolent Planters' the labour is already effected, fince many flaves are fuppofed to be liberated each returning anniversary: of the games. Mrs. Kemble's part is fimple, pleafing, and af fecting; but if this dramatic trifle anfwered the end for which it was produced, we think the author not very judicious in challenging more cool and difpaffionate criticism.

&c.

DIVINITY, RELIGIOUS, The Conduct to be obferved by Diffinters, in order to procure the Repeal of the Corporation and eft Acts, recommended in a Sermon, prea bed before the Congregations of the Old and New Meetings of Birmingham, Nov. 5, 1789. By Jofeph Prieflicy, LL.D.

This is a very plain, candid, and difpaffionate difcourfe, ftating the fubject in the clearest manner, and replying to dif ferent objections very fatisfactorily. So far as it goes, we think it unanswerable; and we have not fo great confidence in those

arguments

arguments which Dr. Priefley has omitted, as to rest on them very fecurely. In this fermon he has properly compensated for his hafty letter to Mr. Pitt on the fame fubject. The more than we have yet follicited,' is the only exceptionable and suspicious paffage in the whole fermon.

The Principles of the Revolution afferted and vindicated, and its Advantages flated, in a Sermon preached at Caftle-Hedingham, Effex, Nov. 5, 1788. By R. Stevenfon, 8vo. 15. Didly. By a little effort the author reduces the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Gun powder Plot, and the Revolution, to the fame anniversary. His difcourfe, however, chiefly relates to the Revolution, and contains an hiftorical account of that event, with the preceding circumstances and the confequences. He paints James and his odious intruments in the blackest colours; indeed we think in colours too black, for we have long fince learnt to give the devil no more than his due.'

A Sermon, on the Progress of Divine Revelation, preached on Sunday, April 13, 1788. 4to. is. Cadell.

I am not come to destroy but to fulfil.' This text fuggells to the preacher the confideration of the progrefs of revelation, by the immediate and fenfible communications of the power of God, and afterwards by the more remote influence of prophecy, inculcated on the Jews by a troublesome and ceremonious ritual, which was done away on the coming of our Saviour, as it was only calculated to keep awake a lively remembrance of the Redeemer; to be a type of his future coming to fuffer for our fins. Our author conceals the reafon of this publication, but we fufpect it to be fome mifreprefentation of his doctrine, particularly of the latter part of it. In this, however, we may be mistaken; but we have little doubt in recommending this fermon as pious, judicious, and practical. The language is for cible and perfpicuous.

On the Confideration due to the Clergy from their Importance in Socity. A Sermon preached at the Anniverfary Meeting of the Sons of the Clergy, of Pembrokeshire. By Charles Symmons, B. D. 410. 15. Williams.

Mr. Symons' text is from 1 Cor. xii. 26. And whether one member fuffer, all the members fuffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.' This elegant and judicious allution leads the author to examine the connexion of the different parts of which the more modern complicated fyftem of fociety confifts. He then confiders the pricfthood particularly, gives a fhort history of the inftiturion, compares the former luftre of this order with its prefent flate, and adds a warm animated encomium on the virtues and abilitics of many eminen: divines of the eighteenth century. His next object is the fociety by which he was appointed: he explains the fource