Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

The Author of the Dialogues now before us, notwithstanding the length of the Johafonian proceffion, joins himself to it; not however, we apprehend, with a view to fwelling his praife, but rather that he might blot out part of his epitaph, and pluck from his buft fome (prigs of that wreath of laurel with which his admirers have adorned it. His profeffed aim is, to form a comparative eftimate of the merits and defects of the late Earl of Chefterfield and this moralift; but these appear to us to be not always dealt forth and weighed by even handed Juftice. The partiality of the writer is apparent. While, therefore, we exprefs our approbation of the elegance and fpirit with which thefe Dialogues are written, we must add, that we cannot subscribe to the fentiment which prevails in them, nor recommend them as containing fo fair and candid an appreciation of Dr. Johnson's learned character, as we could have wifhed.

The matter to be difcuffed is managed by three fpeakers;-a Colonel, who is the devoted admirer of Lord Chesterfield,-an Archdeacon, who is reprefented as an equally ardent admirer of Dr. Johnfon, and a Lady Caroline who helps on the dialogue, preferves order, and is made a kind of umpire between the dif putants. The Colonel is the foldier, open, bold, and brave, but undertaking more than he can atchieve. The Archdeacon is a lefs courageous advocate, defending the object of his declared idolatry, very unlike a fervent admirer; while the lady, notwithstanding her refpect for a black coat, feems for once to think that the red one has the best of the argument.

The Colonel will have it, that his favourite, the nobleman, was in truth, "take him for all in all," as good a man, as found a moralift, and as eloquent a writer as the renowned philofopher; and one would fuppofe that he had fully established his pofition; for in the fecond Dialogue he breaks forth into the following apoftrophe: O Chesterfield, I have read thee with the eyes of a father, anxious, not only for the temporal but eternal intereft of his children, and my heart tells me, that, in the fight of our great all feeing Parent, the work for which thou art vilified on earth must have more of merit than of fin!'-But allowing that it has more of merit than of fin, this by no means fets his favourite upon an equality with the author of the Rambler. As one anxious for the eternal intereft of bis children, it is furprifing that the Colonel fhould be fo attached to Chefterfield, whofe Graces are no relations of the Chriftian Graces, nor do his works teach us the way to heaven.

So far from his being any where found to be an advocate for religion, and refembling Addifon, whom Mandeville called a parfon in a tye wig, he does not even infift on virtue as a thing of eternal and immutable obligation, but only feems to plead for it fo far as it is connected with and makes a part of

good

good-breeding. How then can he be pronounced fo found a moralift as Johnfon, the characteristic feature of whofe writings is a nervous morality, built on the trueft principles, and pointing to immortality? The fentiment he is faid (p. 8.) to have given, on being asked, what were the highest pleafures of human life, does not imply a recommendation of vice, and confequently is not on a par with the nobleman's objectionable letter. An inceffant zeal for moral excellence was his ruling paffion, and no one ever wrote with a more fincere defire to infufe that zeal into others. In this refpect he evidently bears the palm from the noble Earl.

As men, they both had their defects, which it can be no pleafure to us to draw forth and compare. To fay the truth, each moved in fo very different a fphere, that their lives admit of no clofe comparison.

In eftimating their respective merits, as writers and as critics, this objection does not hold. Here RANK has nothing to do. Their merit, as writers, muft be determined folely by the merit of their works. Thefe are before the Public, and every one is at full liberty to compare them. We can fubfcribe to what is faid in thefe Dialogues of the eafe and elegance of thofe of the Earl of Chefterfield, while we cannot but exprefs our furprise, that the Archdeacon, and Lady Caroline, fhould join with the Colonel in opinion concerning thofe of Johnfon. The Lady, in fumming up the character of the latter, defcribes him in a line from Pope, as a Being darkly wife; and the Archdeacon expreffes his idolatry of him (Strange idolatry) in the following quotation (fomewhat altered) from Dr. Young,

"His judgment juft, his fentence ever frong,

Because he's right, he's ever in the wrong *.

Darkly wife, and ever in the wrong, are words not very applicable to this great writer. His works evince not only great depth of erudition, but the clearest head, and the acuteft judgment; and, though not free from defects, and erroneous criticifms, are a most valuable addition to English literature, and are deferving of peculiar applaufe, as making fcience fubfervient to virtue.

*Univerfal Paffion, Sat. vi.

Mo-y.

ART. IX. The Hiftory of the Union between England and Scotland, by Daniel De Foe: with an Appendix of Original Papers; and a copious Index. 4to. 11. 7 s. Boards. Stockdale. 1786.

HE Editor of this valuable work has prefixed to it a Life

THE

of its Author; a man well known in the literary and political world. Mr. De Foe was born about the year 1663, and died in 1731. He paffed through a great variety of fortune, and met with difficulties and ill-treatment not only from the party which

li 2

he

he oppofed, but also from that which he efpoufed. This, indeed, was really honourable to him: a fincere friend as he appears to have been to the cause of liberty, civil and religious, he could not always concur in the measures and principles of those who profeffed at least to be profecuting the fame defign. By this means, like many other worthy perfons, he often fell under the cenfures of those with whom he appeared to be united. Several inftances of this kind are here enumerated, in his own words. We infert, as a teftimony in his favour, the following short palfage from his Appeal, in which, with independence and modefty, he difapproved of the intemperance (as he thought) adopted by Government, in 1714, contrary to the original purpose of George I.: "It is, and ever was, my opinion, that moderation is the only virtue by which the tranquillity of this nation can be preferved; and even the King himself (I believe his Majefty will allow me that freedom) can only be happy in the enjoyment of the crown, by a moderate adminiftration: if he fhould be ob liged, contrary to his known difpofition, to join with intemperate councils, if he does not leffen his fecurity, I am perfuaded, it will leffen his fatisfaction. To attain the happy calm, is the confideration that fhould move us all; and he would merit to be called the nation's phyfician, who could prefcribe the specific for it: a conquest of parties will never do it; a balance of parties may." -Such, adds the Editor, was the political teftament of De Foe; which it had been happy for Britain, had it been as faithfully executed, as it was wifely made.'

[ocr errors]

De Foe was not only a writer, but also a great projector, in the reign of King William, which he ftyles a projecting age. Several of his fchemes are briefly mentioned, and whether they were seriously attended to or not, certain it is, we are informed, that when he ceased to be a hofter (which he had once been), he was, without folicitation, appointed Accountant to the Commiffioners for managing the duties on glafs.' He is chiefly known as an author: his Robinson Crufoe, which has paffed through feventeen editions, and been tranflated into other languages, will ftill preferve his memory: but his diftinguished sphere, or that to which he principally applied himself, appears to have been policy and trade.

"It is no eafy tafk,' fays the Editor, to afcertain the value or the titles of many of our Author's writings, if we except those which he corrected himself and published in his life-time. His poems, whether we regard propriety of fentiment, or fweetnefs of numbers, may, without much lofs of pleasure or profit, be refigned to thofe who, in imitation of Pope, poach in the fields of obfolete poetry for brilliant thoughts, felicities of phrafe, or for happy rhymes. De Foe's ecclefiaftical pamphlets may be relinquished to the perufal of thofe who delight in ecclefiaftical

10

polemics.

1

polemics. But his tracts, political and commercial, the lovers of that liberty, which he ably defended, and the friends of that trade, which he liberally explained, muft wish to see rescued from oblivion, and republifhed without the contamination of matter, lefs engaging and inftructive. Dryden and his contemporaries had brought dedications into difgrace by the fulfomeness of their flattery and the fervility of their ftyle, The dedications of the prefent day have abfurdly run into the contrary extreme. But the writers, who are permitted to dedicate their works to royal patrons, ought to perufe De Foe's dedicatory epiftles to King William and Queen Anne, wherein they will find dignity of fentiment and delicacy of praise, conveyed in language, at once elegant and inftructive: his Dedications of The Hiftory of the Union of England and Scotland would alone juftify this remark.'

[ocr errors]

Befide the Dedications, this work of De Foe's is introduced by an ample Preface relative to the French invafion of Scotland, in 1707, which, fays he, had it fucceeded, bad fair for tearing up the very foundation of our conftitution,-and restoring, not only tyranny and arbitrary government, but even Popery itfelf.'

The work itself confifts of, A general hiftory of Unions attempted in Britain-A view of the ftate of affairs in each kingdom, prior to the treaty in Queen Anne's reign-An account of this treaty as it was conducted in London-A farther account of its procedure in Scotland-Minutes of the Parliament of Scotland, with obfervations thereon (which form a confiderable part of the volume)-Exact copy of the Act of Ratification of the treaty of Union, as it was paffed in the Parliament of Scotland, with the Exemplification thereof from England, as it ftands recorded in Scotland, by order of the Parliament there : -to all which is added, an Appendix, containing an account of tranfactions fubfequent to the Union, with a great variety of original papers relative to the subject.

The work appears, to us, to be not only of the inftructive, but even of the entertaining kind: the ftyle is different from that of the present time, but by no means unpleasant. To those readers who wish for information concerning memorable events relative to their own country, this volume will, doubtlefs, be acceptable, as contributing both to their amufement and improvement.-A large and very good Index is added.-The Introduction, by De Lolme, &c. has been published separately: See the POLITICAL clafs of our prefent month's Catalogue.

Ii 3

Hi

ART.

ART. X. The Transactions of the Society inftituted in London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Vol. V. 8vo. 4s. Boards. Dodley, &c. 1787.

[ocr errors]

T gives us great pleafure to fee this truly patriotic Society proceeding, with fo much alacrity and fpirit, in the publication of their valuable improvements and discoveries, and in their unremitting attention to thofe ingenious arts, and useful purfuits, from the fuccessful culture of which, not only our own country, but mankind in general, receive the greatest and most lafting benefits.

CHEMISTRY.

Under this article we have only one Paper, viz. A fuccessful Method of preventing Stone Retorts from breaking; or stopping them when cracked, during any chemical Operation, without losing any of the contained Subject. By Tho. Willis.

The lofies frequently fuftained by the cracking of veffels during a chemical operation, are of great confequence in many of our manufactories; the breaking of large crucibles, containing a quantity of fluid metal, not only retards the work for a confiderable time, but is a great expence to the proprietor; and the discovery of a method to prevent fuch accidents must be of confiderable importance to all perfons who are interefted in large and Valuable works.

Mr. Willis diffolves two ounces of Borax in a pint of boiling water, and adds to the folution as much flacked lime as will make it into a thin paste, which, with a painter's brush, is spred over the retort, and fuffered to dry. When the retort is to be ufed, it is again coated with a pafte made of linfeed-oil and flacked lime, well mixed. The retort is covered with this pafte all over, except that part of its neck which is to be inferted into the neck of the receiver. This method of preparing the retorts, Mr. Willis has found, by many years experience, to have been fuccefsful in preventing them from cracking, during any operation, even in the ftrongeft heat.

If at any time, during the operation, a retort fhould crack, Mr. Willis fpreads the oil-compofition thick on the part, and fprinkles fome powdered flacked lime on it, which immediately ftops the fillure, aud prevents any of the contained matter from pervading; it withstands even folid phosphorus, which is well known to be a molt penetrating fubftance. The pafte may, eafily, and without danger, be applied when the retort is red hot. As this pafte never cracks with the most intenfe heat, it makes an excellent lute; and it has this advantage over many others, that it does not indurate fo as to endanger the breaking of the necks of the veffels, when they are to be feparated.

The

« ПредишнаНапред »