continually paffing: fo that when the weather did not invite him to go by water, he would commonly walk the distance between London and Richmond, with any acquaintance that offered, with whom he might chat, and reft himfelf, or perhaps dine by the way. One fummer evening, being alone, in his walk from town to Hammerfmith, he had over-heated himself, and, in that condition, imprudently took a boat to carry him to Kew: apprehending no bad confequence from the chill air on the river, which his walk to his houfe, at the upper end of Kew-Lane, had always hitherto prevented. But now, the cold had so seized him, that the next day he found himfelf in a high fever, and fo much the more to be dreaded, that he was of a full habit. This, however, by the ufe of proper medicines, was removed, fo that he was thought to be out of danger; till the fine weather having tempted him to expofe himself once more to the evening dews, his fever returned with violence, and with fuch fymptoms as left no hopes of a cure. His lamented death happened on the 27th of Auguft, 1748.

"His teftamentary executors were, the Lord Lyttelton, whofe care of our Poet's fortune and fame ceafed not with his life; and Mr. Mitchell, a gentleman equally noted for the truth and conftancy of his private friendship, and for his addrefs and spirit as a public minifter. By their united intereft, the Orphan play of Coriolanus was brought on the ftage, to the best advantage; from the profits of which, and the fale of manufcripts, and other effects, all demands were duly fatisfied, and a handfome fum remitted to his fifters. His remains were depofited in the church of Richmond, under a plain ftone, without any infcription.'

The learned Writer of this Life remarks, that Mr. Thomfon himself hints, fomewhere in his works, that his exterior. was not the most promifing, his make being rather robust than graceful; though, in his youth, he had been thought handfome. We fuppofe the paffage here hinted at, is that in the Cafile of Indolence, where the Author is thus described :

A Bard here dwelt, more fut then Bard befeems,
* Who, void of envy, guile, and luft of gain,
On virtue ftill, and nature's plealing themes,
Pour'd forth his unpremeditated train :

We are told, in a Note, that the following lines were written by a friend.

The

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The world forfaking, with a calm difdain,
Here laugh'd he, careless in his eafy feat;

Here quaff'd, encircled with the joyous train,
Oft moralizing fage: his ditty fweet

He loathed much to write, ne cared to repeat.

"His worst appearance (fays Mr. Murdoch) was, when you saw him walking alone, in a thoughtful mood; but, let a friend accoft him, and enter into converfation, he would inftantly brighten into a moft amiable afpect, his features no longer the fame, and his eye darting a peculiar animated fire. The cafe was much alike in company; where, if it was mixed, or very numerous, he made but an indifferent figure: but with a few felect friends, he was open, fprightly, and entertaining. His wit flowed freely, but pertinently, and at due intervals, leaving room for every one to contribute his fhare.--The autumn was his favourite season for poetical compofition, and the deep filence of the night the time he commonly chofe for such studies; fo that he would often be heard walking in his library, till ncar the next morning, humming over, in his way, what he was to correct and write out the next day. The amufements of his leisure hours were civil and natural hiftory, voyages, and the relations of travellers, the moft authentic he could procure.-Although he performed on no inftrument, he was paffionately fond of mufic, and would liften a full hour at his window, to the nightingales in Richmond gardens. His tafte was exquifite in the arts of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. In his travels he had feen all the moft celebrated monuments of antiquity, and the best productions of modern art; and studied them fo minutely, and with fo true a judgment, that in fome of his defcriptions, in the Poem of Liberty, we have the masterpieces there mentioned, placed in a ftronger light perhaps than if we faw them with our eyes; at least more juftly delineated, than in any other account extant: fo fuperior is a natural tafte of the Grand and Beautiful, to the traditional leffons of a common Virtuofo.

"As for his more diftinguishing qualities of mind and heart, they are better reprefented in his Writings, than they can be by the pen of any Biographer. There, his love of mankind, of his country, and of his friends; his devotion to the Supreme Being, founded on the most elevated and just conceptions of his operations and providence, fhine out in every page. So unbounded was his tenderness of heart, that it took in even the brute creation: judge what it must have been

towards

towards his own fpecies! He took no part in the poetical fquabbles, [there were always poetical fquabbles] which happened in his time, and was refpected and left undisturbed by both fides :-nor was he ever feen ruffled or difcompofed, but when he heard or read of fome flagrant inftance of injustice, oppreffion, or cruelty.

"These amiable virtues did not fail of their due reward. His friends loved him with an enthusiastic ardor, and lamented his untimely fate in the manner that is still fresh in every one's memory."-Peace be to his honeft gentle fhade! May his laurels bloom; may his fair fame flourish, while the love of TRUTH, of CANDOR, and of BENEVOLENCE, continue to warm the hearts of the virtuous, the ingenious, and the generous part of

mankind!

G

A fecond Argument in Defence of Chriftianity, taken from the antient Prophecies, applied to the most remarkable Events in the Life and Character of Jefus Chrift. By the Author of "An Argument taken from the Conceffions of the most antient Adversaries." 8vo. 5s. Newbery.

HE character and merit of this learned Author are fuf

THE character and of are

pieces. Befide the proofs of erudition in the hiftorical, chronological, and critical notes which he added to his Translation of Baron Holberg's Introduction to Univerfal History, and in his Differtations upon the Origin, &c. of Languages, which the public received with great regard, we alfo refer our Readers to our account (in the Review for September, 1755) of The Argument in Defence of Chriftianity, taken from the Conceffions of its moft antient Adverfaries, Jews and Pagans, Philofophers and Historians.

The fecond Argument exhibits a well-digefted fyftem of judicious and pertinent obfervations, relative to a subject

By this our Biographer does not mean, lamenting him, as the cuftom is, in regard to eminent Poets, in Odes and Elegies facred to the memory of the deceased; for he takes notice that the Poets did not at all exert theinfelves on this occafion." Only one Gentleman, fays he, (Mr. Collins) wrote an Ode to his memory." We remember another performance, however, on Mr. Thomson's death, entitled, Mufidorus, an Elegy, &c. by Robert Shiells, a young North-Briton; bred a mechanic, and deftitute of education, but not deftitute of genius. He adored Thomson, and ftudied his manner. REV. April, 1762.

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which

which hath much engaged the attention of the public; and which is here treated with accuracy and candor: the Author justly disclaiming all attachment to particular hypotheses and parties.

The work is divided into ten Chapters, to which is prefixed, a suitable Introduction, to give an idea of those general principles of moral and religious truth, which are the bafis and fupport of the Argument. From the reasonable, focial, and religious character of man; his confeffed relation to God, and dependence upon his protection; his capacity for contemplating the Author of his existence, and acquiring by the exercile of reafon, and the difcipline of virtue, a fitnefs for happiness;-is inferred, the probability of his exiftence in a future ftate, where the mind may reasonably expect a more perfect knowlege of thofe great objects, God and Nature of which, in the prefent ftate, it can obtain only very inadequate and imperfect apprehenfions. He obferves, that the mind does not arrive at its full perfection in this world, which is with great propriety to be regarded as an introductory fcene of Being, in a ftate of probation. Man is capable of immortality; but the nobleft faculties of his immortal fpirit are by few cultivated as they ought to be, and by none fo fully improved or exerted as not to be ftill capable of much greater improvements and productions. The heart of man, and his hiftory and affociation, prove the truth, reafonablenefs, and neceffity of religion. Our hopes and fears, our natural confcience, founded on the cffential difference between good and evil, right and wrong; our power of acting with or against truth and reafon, and the acknowleged certainty that we are accountable for our conduct, though only a very fmall fhare is accounted for in this brief ftate of trial, are ftrong arguments for a future ftate of retribution. And there seems to be much weight in the fummary connected view he hath given of the moral evidence" The sufferings of men prove the prefent life to be a ftate of DISCIPLINE, and DISCIPLINE infers PROBATION; for men are proved by the exercife of patience, and every other virtue: and a ftate of PROBATION neceffarily infers a future ftate of RETRIBUTION. In this world FOLLY, VICE, and MISERY prevail; in the next, therefore, we may reasonably expect WISDOM, VIRTUE, HAPPINESS."

Our Author, in the former Effay, vindicates the cause of Christianity upon the evidence of the Adverfary only, whofe Conceffions are admitted as fufficient to afcertain the principal

5.

facts.

facts in the gospel. This (fays he) is human evidence; but the argument in the prefent performance is divine. The fame facts which were before proved from history, are here fhewn to be accomplishments of antient prophecies. But the most remarkable events only are infifted upon, such as the time of Chrift's appearing, his birth, his forerunner, his character, life, death, burial, and refurrection, with the confequences of this his victory over fin and death, to himself and all who believe in him, and the great effufion of the holy spirit upon his difciples on the day of Pentecoft; after which event, the oracles delivered by them bear fufficient teftimony in favour of all they relate. If these most important facts are fhewn to be foretold by the prophets, the argument from prophecy must be allowed to be conclufive. In the profecution of this argument, Dr. Sharpe fhews great caution and prudence, as he hath no where prefumed to alter the original text, in order to give any force to his criticifms or reafonings. He hath attempted to make his Tranflation as literal as poffible, and always conformable to the rules of the language from which it is made all is plain, fimple, and natural; no double fenfes, no double accomplishments, no accommodations are contended for, nothing is left unaccounted for, or uninterpreted. The Author profefles as much freedom in thinking as any one can pretend to; accepts the Adverfary's challenge upon his own terms; and declares that he is a Chriftian, because he thinks the Evidence produced for Chriftianity unanfwerable. He alfo freely confeffes, that he hath neither learning nor ingenuity enough to discover any fallacy in the proof he has offered. He makes no particular answer to the Writings of Mr. Anthony Collins, because he apprehends that Gentleman did not understand the Argument from Prophecy; and though he hath neglected the trifling productions of modern infidels, who have never read the Jewish books, nor underftand their language, or hiftory, he hath fully examined and refuted the arguments and objections of the Rabbins, and particularly of the Author of Nizzachon, who claims by his title, the victory over Chriftians, in oppofition to Jefus as the Meffiah.

Our Author, in executing his fcheme of reconciling the Prophecies of the Old Scriptures, which materially regard the New, with the facts contained therein, hath endeavoured to eludicate what is dark, and explain what is difficult; and to manifeft the whole to be a fyftem worthy of the facred character impreffed upon it: what no believer ought to be afhamed of, nor at a lofs to defend, against any attack.

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