This Discourse relates to a difpute begun in the London Chronicle many months ago. The fubject of it is of little importance to the generality of readers, and there are but few, we apprehend, who will have the curiofity to confult the Chronicle upon what has already beer advanced concerning it. R.

Art. 20. A Letter to Mr. S. Fothergill, occafioned by his Remarks on an Addrefs and Sermon lately published by Mr. Pilkington. 8vo. Is. DodЛley.

S.

This defender of Mr. Pilkington, who figns himself T. J. apprehending that Mr. Fothergill had used Mr. P. rather un

civilly in his Remarks, takes up the cudgels in behalf of his friend, and lays about him with true polemical zeal. The chief point in difpute is the Doctrine of Water-baptifm, for which Mr. T. J. contends, in oppofition to the spiritual notion of baptism entertained by the Quakers.

Art. 21. Remarks upon a Letter to a Diffenting Minifter, concerning the Expediency of ftated Forms of Prayer for public Worship. By a Diffenting Minifter. The fecond Edition. To which is now added, an Examination of the Preface to a new Plan of Chriftian Worship, called the Chriftian CommonPrayer-Book, or Univerfal Liturgy, lately published; with a Defence of Water-Baptifm. 8vo. Is. Waugh.

In this miscellaneous pamphlet are many fenfible and weighty arguments in defence of Free Prayer, and in oppofition to stated forms. The Preface above-mentioned is, in particular, closely examined, and ftrictly animadverted upon. As the Remarker appears to be a man of found learning, folid understanding, and acute penetration, the Advocates for Liturgic and precompofed forms, will do well to attend impartially to what he has to offer on the other fide of the queftion. It is a fubject of great confequence to the peace and profperity of the Christian Church; and therefore, we fhould be glad to fee it thoroughly debated, with a spirit of candor, meekness, and charity, worthy fo ferious, fo important an occafion.

Art. 22. The Ambafadors of Chrift delineated; in divine Sketches taken from real Life. Being a characteristic Dialogue, copied from an original Plan in the School of evangelical Experience, &c. By a Lover of Truth. 8vo. 6d. Keith.

Low, illiterate, methodistical cant and nonfenfe. It is written in what the Author imagines to be verse; in such a strain as

Ye callous hearts, the gospel feek;

That hammer flinty hearts will break

It will be long, we doubt, ere any one will be able to hammer a little common fenfe into the heads of these ignorant and prefumptuous

enthufiafts,

enthufiafts, who are the bane, and difgrace of the Chriftian Religion. Oh! Wh! Oh! Wy! ye original raisers of all this myftical duft, how much have ye to answer for! How many eyes have ye blinded, how many underftandings have ye perverted, how many heads have ye turned!-However, it is hoped ye are not intentionally guilty of all this mifchief, and that the following couplet from this your ingenious disciple, is not applicable to you, as it certainly was not defigned for you,

Such hypocrites their fouls do cheat,
And poft to hell by heaven's gate.

POETICA L.

Art. 23. The Songs of Selma. From the Original of Offian, the Son of Fingal. 4to. IS. Griffiths.

The piece here verfified is not one of the least affecting of Offian's poems; the fubjects of them all being either tragical or warlike, which laft circumftance may be confidered as more extenfively tragical. It recounts the unhappy catastrophe of the loves of Salgar and Comla; the death of Morar, a very martial chief; and the pathetic lamentations of Armin for his only fon and his only daughter; with the death of her heroic lover Armar, arifing from a fucceffion of fatal, but natural miftakes. Offian fuppofes thefe mournful fongs to have been accompanied with the harp, by fome former bards, at the feafts of Fingal king of the Highlands, at his palace of Selma.

We imagine, whoever compares the beginning of the profe, but not profaic tranflation of the Gallic original, with the following verfification of it, will not think the latter unjust, nor without fome merit. The invocation is addressed to the Evening Star, and is faid by Mr. Macpherson, in a note, to be very beautiful and harmonious in the original.

Fair light! that, breaking through the clouds of day,
Darteft along the weft thy filver ray;

Whose radiant locks around their glory fpread,
As o'er the hills thou rear'ft thy glittering head;
Bright Evening Star! what fees thy fparkling eye?
What fpirits glide their mould'ring bodies nigh?
The ftorm is o'er; and now the murm'ring found
Of distant torrents creeps along the ground;
Around the rocks the lafhing billows cling;
And drowfy beetles rife on feeble wing;
Acrofs the plain I hear their humming flight:

But what, bright beam! is feen by thine all-piercing fight
Ha! thou dost haften smiling to the weft,

In Ocean's wat❜ry bed to take thy reft

With open arms its waves thy form embrace,

Bathe thy bright locks, and hide thy lovely face.
Farewel, thou filent harbinger of night!

All the reft of the verfion is nearly as correfpondent to the original and may even read more intelligibly and fmoothly to many ears. But we acknowlege, for our own parts, that the poetical profe and imagery of the firft tranflation delighted us beyond this verfification of it, the execution of which is more to be commended than the de:fign. We think the fecond Transfufer might have reflected, that the antiquity of the fubjects, whether fictitious or hiftorical, and the novelty of the high metaphorical, and yet concife, manner of recounting them, muft lofe fome part of that variety and change, that antique air and fpirit we find, or fuppofe we find, in Mr. Macpherfan's tranflation, by its being reduced into modern rhyme and metre; notwithftanding both the long and the lyric English measure were introduced in different parts of the performance; which, indeed, our prefent author has judiciously done, to preferve what variety he could. But ftill this is less various, more common, and appears to us more languid than its English profe. It feems like fcowering the field of Scriblerus, or attempting to polish an Otho. When we imagine ourfelves engaged in remote antiquity, among chieftains of fimpler manners, and in fcenes of lefs artificial life, we feem very naturally to wish, that their manner of expreflion, although in our own language, fhould vary as much from the préfent manner, as our notions of their fituation and cuftoms differ from what we experience of our

⚫own.

SINGLE SERMONS.

K.

HE peaceful End of the perfect upright Man, recommended to Confideration. On the death of that learned Divine, Dr. John Guyfe. Nov. 29, 1761. By John Conder. Buckland, &c, 2. Before the Mayor and Corporation of Chefter. Oct 26, 1761, being the anniversary of his Majefty's acceffion. By Ed. Mainwaring, A. M. Prebendary of Chefler. Longman.

3. The Hope of Immortality, a most powerful Motive to fervent Charity.-At Barbican, Dec. 6, 1761. On the death of the late Rev. and learned Mr. Jofeph Burroughs. By Daniel Noble. Henderfon. 4. On the Origin of Faith.-Before the University of Oxford. At St. Peter's, Oct. 28, 1761. By John Rotheram, M. A. Fellow of University College. Sandby.,

5. At St. Laurence Jury, near Guildhall, Nov. 18, 1761, before the fociety for promoting religious knowlege among the poor. By Thomas Jones, M. A. chaplain of St. Saviour's, Southwark. Field.

6. Jefus the King of Kings.-At Liverpool, on the day of their Majefties coronation. By John Johnfon. Printed for Johnson near the Monument.

7. At the Temple Church, Nov. 15, 1761. On the death of Dr. Thomas Sherlock, late Lord Bithop of London, who departed this life July 18, in the 84th year of his age. By Samuel Nicolls, LL. D. mafter of the Temple, rector of St. James's, Weftminster, and chaplain in ordinary to his Majefty. Whifton, &c.

8. In Lambeth Chapel, at the confecration of the right reverend fathers in God, John lord bishop of Lincoln, and Thomas lord bishop of Bristol, Dec. 28, 1761. By Peirfon Lloyd, M. A. fecond ma ter of Westminster school. B. Dod.

The Hiftory of England, from the invafion of Julius Cæfar, to the Acceffion of Henry VII. Vol. II. Containing the reigns of Henry III. Edward I. Edward II. Edward III. Richard II. Henry IV. Henry V. Henry VI. Edward IV. Edward V. and Richard III. By David Hume, Efq; 4to. Millar.

H

AVING, in our account of the preceeding volume * delivered our fentiments concerning the manner of Mr. Hume's treating this early part of our Hiftory, we now with pleasure proceed to the confideration of the second volume, which opens with the reign of Henry III.

To the speculative and intelligent, the history of the reigns included in this volume, will prove extremely curious and in-: terefting; though perhaps to the generality of readers it may appear dry and un-entertaining, in comparison with the reigns of the Tudors and the Stuarts, which, as they approach nearer to the present manners and cuftoms, are more generally understood, and confequently more agreeable.

-To enter into the rude policy of the feudal reigns, and to discover the principles which influenced the civil and military operations of our brave and unpolished ancestors, requires a deeper infight into antiquity, and a clofer degree of application, than falls to the lot of our modern ftudents, who delight in the flimfy productions of prostituted genius, conftrained by neceffity, or feduced by vanity, to flatter the prevailing depravity of tafte, which feems to forebode the decline of literature.

If however, the admirers of modifh ease and elegance, can for once bend their attention to fubjects which require

* See Rev. Dec. 1761. VOL. XXVI.

G

trength

ftrength and folidity of judgment, they will find their labour amply repaid in the perufal of this hiftory, wherein Mr. Hume has given a very clear and accurate account of the religion, laws, manners, and cuftoms of thofe early times, with the state of trade and commerce, the value of money, and price of commodities, with fuch fhrewd and fuitable reflections upon the whole, at the end of each reign, as may enable the attentive reader to trace the gradual advances, by which we rofe from a condition of hofpitable barbarifm, to our present imperfect ftate of modern refinement.

*

The wars which Henry III. waged against his Barons, and the confequences they produced, are well known. The King being defeated, was obliged to confirm the Great Charter, the corner ftone of our liberties. The contest however between the King and his Nobles, feems to have been merely whether there should be one or many tyrants; for the people were alike oppreffed by both; and though it is true, that the Great Charter contained fome provisions in their favour, yet in those days, when power was the measure of right, they were not in a condition to render those provisions effectual. In fhort, this reign is almost a continued fcene of tyranny, rapine, and violence: even the courtiers of the King's household, and men of title, were public robbers, and being convicted, faid in their excufe, that "they received no wages from the King, and were obliged to rob for a maintenance." But no people were more cruelly oppreffed at this time than the unhappy Jews.

"Intereft," fays our Hiftorian, " had in that age mounted to an enormous height, as might be expected from the barbarism of the times and mens ignorance of commerce. There are inftances of fifty per cent. paid for money. Such profits tempted the Jews to remain in England, notwithftanding the grievous oppreffions to which they were continually expofed from the prevalent bigotry and rapine of the age. It is easy to imagine how precarious their ftate must be under an indigent prince, fomewhat reftrained in his tyranny over his native fubjects, but who poffeffed an unlimited authority over them, the fole proprietors of money in the kingdom, and hated on account of their riches, their religion, and their ufury: Yet will our ideas fcarce come up to the ex

* We fay hofpitable, because in thofe early times the doors of the nobility were in a manner open to all comers; and the number of their retainers, &c. is incredible. But this hofpitality proves the dependance of the people, who in return for their fubustence, were in the most abject fubjection to their lords.