Art. 21. A Poetical Epifle to the Rev. Mr. Madan, on the Publication of his Thelyphthora. By a Nymph of King's Place. 4to. 1 s. Fielding and Walker. 1781. This nymph hath the affurance of preffing the Monthly Reviewer into her fervice-a grave and grey-headed old fellow, who hath not vifited King's Place, or any other fuch place, for thefe forty years! But this wanton lafs is not content with trying the force of her enchantments on one old subject; fhe is anxious to make the fame wicked experiment on another: and by way of a frolic (like a true nymph of King's Place !) fhe accofts the old Thelyphthorite himself: come, Madan, to my arms, And taste the sweets of my unrivall'd charms. We hope the can entertain him with fomething better than her poetry. Art. 22. Marriage and its Vows defended. By a Female 4to. ''Tis needlefs!-this path the Reviewers have trod, And temper'd with ftrength and with juftice the rod ! Ah! good Mrs. Chriftian, we are not to be coaxed into complaifance. We remember the ancient apothegm-" To fpare the rod, is the way to spoil the child." This charge, we hope, will never rife up in judgment against us! And yet we are difpofed to be lenient to a poor female, and to forgive her first flip. But, if we fend her "fin no more, left a worse the must take care, to in peace, away thing come upon her." Art. 23. The Political Prieft: or, Propagation with a Vengeance! A Satire, by a Married Woman; with a Prologue, by a Married Man; and a Preface, by an Old Batchelor. The whole addreffed to the Female Sex, and dedicated (without Permiflion) Stockdale. 1781. to a certain Rev. Polygamift. 4to. • Reviewers too I S. Sick to the foul, read here and there a page, More than enough to spawn their monthly rage. B...k. The Spawning of rage!-now this is propagating new metaphors D: as the poor old batchelor ;' for, instead of propagation, 'tis a fhape- D lefs abortion! 66 4to. Art. 24. An Epifle to the Magifterial Reviewers of Modern Li- See Rev. June 1780, p. 495. The Monthly Review does not, on the prefent occafion, feem to be the principal object of our Satirift's reprehenfion. different different opinion, returns the compliment by declaring them to be execrable critics :-" And fo we fay all!" cries every damn'd author, from St. Giles's to Cripplegate, Art. 25. A Parody To which, among other Pieces, are added, feveral occafional Effays, addreffed to Mr. Lee Lewes, upon his Exhibition of Mr. Alexander Stevens's Leature on Heads. 4to. 2 s. Macgowan. 1780. The Author of these important ftrictures on players and fidlers, has in nothing fhewn his want of judgment more than in reminding us, by his title-page, of the july admired RoSCIAD. Art. 26. Poems, Divine and Moral, on feveral Occafions. By Thomas Wilkins, Minor. 40. 3s. T. Payne. 1780. Sternholdian! Art. 27. A Letter from Betty to Sally; with the Answer, &c. 410. Is. Fielding, &c. 1781. Kitchen manners, and kitchen morals, properly displayed in flipflop verfe, well fuited to the fubject, being such as any cook wench may be fuppofed to fcribble to her dear Sal,' whom the chufes to truft with the fecrets of "low life below ftairs." DRAMATIC. Art. 28. A Short Account of the Situations and Incidents exhibited in the Pantomime Entertainment of Robinson Crufoe, at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane. Taken from the original Story. 8vo. 6 d. Becket. 1781. The fcenery very pretty. But what will the lovers of natural fim-' plicity fay to poor honeft Friday's being invested with the volatile powers of Harlequin ? MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 29. The Second Part of the Abbey of Kilkhampton; or, Monumental Records for the Year 1980. 4to. 2 s. 6d. Kearley. See our account of the First Part, in the Monthly Review for November laft, p. 392. Art. 40. Art. 30. Effays on Friendship and Old Age, by the Marchioness de Lambert. Tranflated from the French, by a Lady. With an Introductory Letter to William Melmoth, Efq. 8vo. Boards. Dodfley. 1780. 2 s. 6 d. The Marchionefs de Lambert ftands high in the rank of French ladies, authors, and literati. She was amiable, and diftinguished in the feveral relations fhe filled in life, and at its different periods. The introduction to this work gives a very pleasing, and we are perfuaded a just account of her temper and manners. The ingenious lady, who offers the prefent tranflation to the Public, complains, but in no ungentle terms, that Mr. Melmoth ha:h taken no notice of the Marchionefs, in his Advertisement prefixed to his tranflation of Læfius, though he mentions with honour Monf. de Sacy, who had alfo written on the fubject of Friendship. For this feeming neglect Mr. Melmoth is politely rallied, in fome pretty verfes which introduce the Effays before us. The Effays themselves are here prefented in a pleafing English drefs. Of the treatife on Friendship we may properly. fay, what we are told was faid by Voltaire, "It proves that the writer deferved, herfelf, to have friends." The effay on Old Age is fenfible and pious; we fuppofe it contains the maxims and fentiments which contributed to the honour, ufefulness, and tranquillity in which the paffed her last years, and which were not finished till the age of eighty-fix. She died in 1733. N. B. A tranflation of the whole Works of the Marchionefs de Lambert was printed fome years ago, by Mr. Owen, near TempleBar; of which a new edition, in 2 vols. 1 zmo, is just published. H. L A W. Art. 31. Obfervations on the Riot Act: With an Attempt towards the Amendment of it. By a Dilettante in Law and Politics. 8vo. I S. Cadell. 1781. There is fome fenfe and fome whim in the obfervations of this Dilettante in Law and Politics. The world will no doubt think itfelf indebted to him for his ingenuous difcovery that the Act, commonly called the Riot Act, has a right to that title from its caufing riots, inftead of quelling them. For, having premifed that no correfpondent caufe has yet been affigned for the horrid outrages of june laft, and having laid it down as a principle, that when thofe bad qualities in the human fpecies' (the restraint of which is the object of law and government) appear in open day-light, we may rationally conclude, that law and government are out of joint;' he tells us, that with a thorough conviction of this truth, he fits down to examine what there is in the prefent laws and government of this country, which could be the cause of fo much diforder; and finds, upon a very little examination, that it immediately arifes from the errors and defects of one of our ftatutes commonly known by the name of the Riot Act.' 6 He proceeds to explain what has occafioned thefe errors and defects, and they at laft appear to be owing to this ftatute's being mil underflood (this however implies not error in the ftatute, though it may be a defect; because obscurity is certainly a defect), and to a mistaken notion of its having fuperceded the common law. He then fubjoins a propofal for its amendment, which takes up near one half of his pamphlet, and which, if enacted, many may think ufelefs for want of a claufe to compel people to read and remember it.' He endeavours to make the law laid down in it level to every understanding: the endeavour is generous, and public fpirited. But, in truth, few perfons think much of studying Riot Acts in quiet times. When riots happen, a general terror and confternation prevails; and when they have fubfided, fome conjuror ftarts up, and proposes to four the ftable-door, &c."-The regulations which this Author offers, bear a particular retrofpect to the month of June laft; as is evident by his claufe empowering military officers to act as juftices of the peace,' and by another claufe relating to the tumultuous affembling of perfons under pretence of petitioning the Legislature, or any other pretence tending to overawe or abridge that independency in which the happy conflitution of these realms has placed all the members of its Len giflative body. Thefe are pretty vague expreffions! good Mr. Dilet tante;-our Crown lawyers would make a dextrous application of them. General and indefinite phrafeology, though it may fucceed in a pamphlet, furnishes opportunity to an ingenious lawyer to extract quidlibet ex quodlibet" and therefore highly dangerous to intro duce duce into our ftatute-book. "Mifera fervitus ubi jus eft vagum; we Art. 32. The Trial of George Gordon, Efq; commonly called &c. Several different publications of this very interefting trial have been announced in the papers; but we have feen only Mr Gurney's, as above, which has every appearance of authenticity and correctness. It is a valuable and important record-in which feveral points of law, with respect to treason, and to the subjects right to petition, &c. are ably and learnedly difcuffed. MEDICAL. T. Art. 33. Salivation Exploded; or, a Practical Effay on the Venereal Disease. With Cafes, &c. &c. By Charles Swift, Surgeon. 8vo. 2 S. Bladon. 1780. The purpose of this pamphlet is to fhew, that Mr. Swift is fuperior to all the world in the cure of the venereal disease. His Practical Efay contains nothing for the inftruction of the faculty, except that a compofition of camphor, antimony, and fulphur, forms the belt alterative in this disease-but the particular recipe for this purpose, as well as for an injection, on which he places much confidence, he deelines giving. Art. 34. Modern Improvements in the Practice of Phyfic. By Henry Manning, M. D. Author of the Treatife on the Difeafes of Women. 8vo. 5 s. Boards. Murray. 1780. Art. 35. Modern Improvements in the Practice of Surgery. By A.. the fame Author. 8vo. 5 s. Boards. Murray. 1780. These two volumes are a manufactory from a number of the most eminent modern writers in phylic and furgery; fome of whom are tranfcribed at fo unmerciful a rate, as may perhaps excite the notice of the poffeffors of the copy-right. The work is very far from being what it pretends to be; for, while fome inftances of improvement are given quite at length, from the original authors, others are entirely paffed over. The chirurgical volume is almost wholly compofed of Mr. Pott's Works, and Bell on Ulcers. "A. RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIA L. Mr. Madan's fcheme, though difguifed in the fober drefs of religion, fuck all over with texts of Holy Writ, like the Phylacteries of the old Pharifees, is in reality fo flattering to the taste of a licentious age, that we do not wonder that good and virtuous men are alarmed with a dread of its confequences-confequences equally perilous to Christian purity and domeftic peace. The gayer wits, who lie in wait for fomething new and extraordinary, have eagerly feized on the maxims of Thelyphthora to raise a laugh laugh at the Author's expence. A grave preacher's delivering holy features, to encourage a tyrant's haughtiness and a libertine's luft, afforded a delectable opportunity for the exercise of humour and ridicule! It was fport to fee a faint engaged in the work of a finner; and when Scripture was tortured to credit impiety, the fport was heightened only because it was unexpected; and instead of examining the work, in order to detect the fophiftry of the Author, the only employment of thefe wits was, to difcover a joke that might tickle the fancy of the Reader. But while the wicked enjoyed this mischievous fun, fome of the righteous were ready to tremble for the ark of the Lord;-as if, forfooth, the whole weight of it had retted on Mr. Madan's fhoulders, and would fall to the ground if he withdrew his affistance! The Author of the prefent performance appears to lament very fincerely Mr. Madan's apoftacy from the truth: and confiders his Thelyphthora, as, on the whole, an irrational, anti-fcriptural, and very pernicious book,' and he believes that it will be found at last among the wood, hay, and flubble, which fhall be burned at the GREAT DAY.' 'I confider this, fays Mr. Towers, as a fad proof of that gentleman's awful declenfion from true religion.' The Author being of congenial fentiments with Mr. M. in fome favourite points of doctrine, which fmell ftrong of the Tabernacle, feems alarmed left Calvinism should receive a wound through the fide of its most popular profeffor. To refcue it from an imputation of affording the least encouragement to Mr. Madan's fyftem of Polygamy, feems to be one grand object of the Author in the prefent performance. 'I am confident (fays Philalethes to Monogamus), that you are wifer than to approve the fentiments which he hath lately published to the world : fo I hope you will not think the worfe on that account of the doctrines which he once preached; becaufe, as the doctrines Peter preached were not made bad by his inexcufable fall, though thereby the name of Christ was dishonoured; fo the truths once delivered, either at St. Swithin's, London Stone, and at other places, by the Author of Thelyphthora, are no lefs excellent, notwithstanding his fall. Let, therefore, the fhame of this publication fall upon himself, but let God's truths still be honoured." Mr. Towers hath adopted many of the arguments of the Monthly Review on the fubjects of Marriage and Polygamy, and added fome of his own, which ftill farther tend to fhew the futility, and expose the pernicious tendency of Mr. Madan's work. This dialogue, though it hath fome good reafoning, and is here and there enlivened by a gleam of humour, is, in general, fo very deficient in point of language, that we are afraid the merit which it hath will be loft, for want of a happier method of displaying it to the world. N. B. A Correfpondent defires us to note, for the information of our Readers, that the above mentioned pamphlet is not the work of a writer of the same name,' to whom the Public is indebted for fome valuable Remarks on Hume's Hiftory of England.-Our correfpondent is rather inaccurate in referring to the fame name: the author of the Remarks on Hume is Dr. Jofeph Towers, one of the respectable edi tors |