other notice of it than this, which his own vindication renders receflary, and which he hopes will be fufficient, without expofing his name, to make the writer ashamed of his conduct.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

It having been judiciously hinted to us, that the infertion of the titles of thofe books and pamphlets, whofe confideration is occafionally deferred, on the blue covers of our Review, will sufficiently announce their publication, and prevent needless repetition in the courfe of the volume, we fhall, for the future, adopt that method. -At the fame time, having contracted our plan refpecting foreign books, we propofe to extend it in the notice taken of English publications: many of which we have hitherto poftponed fine die, either because we had little to fay of them, or that they merite lefs to be faid-Finding, however, from repeated remonstrances, that the authors of thefe pieces think themfelves neglected, and that writers, in general, are fo thirsty after literary glory, that they had rather be "damned to fame," than faved in obfcurity, we fhall for the future endeavour to give fome character of every book and painphlet, that comes from the prefs, whofe exiftence is not induftrioufly concealed from us, or totally beneath animadverfion.

ll

We should be glad to hear again from our whimfical correfpondent, the English, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Lulitannian: but he will excufe us, if we think the tranflator, he menti ons, excufable, if not juftifiable, after the apology he made for deviating, in a matter fo merely literal, from the original He will give us leave to doubt, alfo, as he is confeffedly no poet himlelf, whether he is fo competent a judge, as he may imagine, of the poetical merit of the verlion he cenfures. But, granting he be abi plura nitent non nos offendimur maculis.

We are much obliged, to our unknown coadjutor, for his learned and ingenious account of the 3d vol of Mr. Bryant's Mythology; but, as we are informed the impreffion of that volume was destroyed at the late fire at our printer's, we shall beg leave to poftpone the infertion of it till it be reprinted.

On account of the fame unfortunate accident, we must apologize to our correfpondents, for the omiffion of feveral letters irrecoverably loft; as alfo to the public in general for the indifpenfible delay, that will thence be occafioned in the publication of the LONDON CA

TALOGUE.

The Editor hopes, alfo, for the indulgence of the public, on account of fuch defects and omitions, as may have efcaped him in this number, under the circumftances attending the alm.oft total de ftruction of the literary and printing materials connected with the REVIEW.

THE

LONDON REVIEW,

FOR APRIL, 1776,

The Original Works of William King, LL. D. Advocate of Doctors Commons: Judge of the High Court of Admiralty and Keeper of the Records in Ireland, and Vicar General to the Lord Primate. Now first collected into three Volumes: with Hiftorical Notes and Memoirs of the Author, 8vo. 3 vols. 12s. Conant.

The farcafm, thrown out by the learned author of the Ramder against a certain modern Dramatist, viz. that he had written more than he had read," is peculiarly characteristic of moft of the literary geniufes of the prefent day;

Thofe half-learn'd witlings, num'rous in our ifle,

As half-form'd infects on the banks of Nile.

Of how different a character were inoft of the favorite writers of the laft, and the beginning of the prefent, century; whofe claffical atfufions, hiftorical references and scientific illuftrations demonftrate their wit, however sportive and fanciful, to have been as inferior to their erudition, as it was amenable to their judgment. Hence of fo different a caft are the greater part of their writings, that it requires more knowledge than falls to the lot of fuperficial readers, to understand and relish them. Of this kind, at least, are feveral of the productions of Pope, Swift, Prior, Arbuthnot, and, though laft, not leaft either in magnitude or luftre of that conftellation of wits, our author Dr. William King; the peculiar vein of whofe humour, joined to the benevolence of his difpofition, gained him the admiration and fecured him the esteem of fome of the greateft and beft of his contemporaries. From the fcattered manner, however, in which his writings have VOL, III. been

been hitherto published, there are few of his admirers, as the prefent editor obferves, who have been able to obtain a complete copy: a defideratum which is here fupplied, and fome pieces of confiderable merit preferved, which were in danger of being loft to the world.

We doubt not, indeed, that the literary world will think itself under great obligations to this accurate and ingenious i or, whofe hiftorical notes afford a number and variety of entertaining anecdotes and much agreeable information refpecting the principal writers and other remarkable perfonages and characters of the times.

We fhould neither do juftice to him, his author or our readers, if we did not give an ample extract from the memoirs of this diftinguifhed writer, as well as from his writings.

"Our author was the fon of Ezekiel King, gentleman, of London; and had the honour of being allied to the noble houses of Clarendon and Rochefter. He was born in 1663, bred with the ftricteft care from infancy, and, at a proper age placed, as a king's fcholar, under the tuition of Dr. Bulby, at Weftminfter fchool; where his natural good talents received fuch improvements from cultivation, as might be expected from fo admirable a mafter. From Westminster he was elected to Christ Church, Oxford; and admitted a student there, in Michaelmas term, 1681, at eighteen years of age t. Happy in this fituation, he made ufe of the advantages it gave him. He had a ftrong propenfity to letters; and of these valuable treasures he daily increafed his flock.

"Early in life, Mr. King became poffcfied of a small paternal eftate in Middlefex. From his occafionally mentioning" his tenants in Northampton and Leicestershiret," his Biographers have fuppofed him to have been a land-holder alfo in thofe counties; but, as we have no authority for fuch a fuppofition, it appears of little weight. They are mentioned only as inland places, and therefore adding greater strength to the ridicule that paffage throws on Mr. Molesworth.

"From the circumftance, however, of his going out compounders when he took his firft degree, it is plain that he had a tolerabie fortune, which enabled him to indulge his genius and inclination in the choice and method of his ftudies; ranging freely and at large through the pleafant fields of polite literature, and ravished with the fweet purfuit, he profecuted it with incredible diligence and affiduity.

"He took his first degree in arts, Dec. & 1685; proceeded regularly to M A. July 6, 1688; and the fame year commenced

author.

"A

In his Adverfaria, p. 261, of this volume, he calls lord Harcourt his cou fin; and fee what he fays, p. 244, of his great grandfather.

+ Wood, Ath. Ox. vol. II. col. 1064.

See p. 50, of this volume.

Wood, Fafti, vol. 11. p. 226,

"A religious turn of mind, joined to the warmest regard for the honour of his country, prompted, him to refeue the character and name of Wickliffe, our first reformer, from the calumnies of Monf. Varillas. The thing had been publicly requested alfo, as a proper undertaking for fuch as were at leifure, and would take the trouble. Mr. King, therefore, deemed himself to be thus called forth to the charge, readily entered the lifts; and, with a proper mixture of wit and learning, handfomely expofed the blunders of that French author, in Reflections upon Monf. Varillas's Hiftory of Herefy, Book I. Tom 1. fo tar as relates to English matters, more efpecially thofe of Wickliffe *."

66

"About this time, having fixed on the civil law for his profeffion, he entered upon that line in the University.

66

In 1690, he tranflated, froin the French of Monfieur and Madame Dacier, "The Life of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the Roman Emperor; together with fome felect Remarks on the faid Antoninus's Meditations concerning himfelf, treating of a natural Man's Happiness, &c. as alfo upon the Life of Antoninust."

"About the fame time he wrote "A Dialogue fhewing the way to Modern Preferment ;" a droll fatire, which contains fome folid truths, under the difguife of a conversation between three illustrious perfonages; the Tooth-drawer to Cardinal Porto Carero, the Corncutter to Pope Innocent XI, and the Receiver General to an Ottoman Mufti.

"July 7, 1692, he took his degree of Bachelor and Doctor in Laws and Nov. 12, that year, by the favour of Dr Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury, obtained a Fiat, which, admitting him an Advocate at Doctor's Commons, enabled him to plead in the courts of the civil and ecclefiaftical law.

"In 1693, he published a tranflation of "New Manners and Characters of the two great Brothers, the Duke of Bouillon and Marefchal Turenne, written in French by James de Langdale, baron of Saumieres." The Tranflator's Dedication, to his honoured friend Sir Edmund Warcup," is printed in this collection §

"Either in this or early in the following year, appeared a very extraordinary morceau, under the title of An Anfwer to a Book, which will be published next week, intituled, A letter to the Reverend Dr. South, upon occafion of a late Book, intituled, Animadverfions on Dr. Sherlock's Book, intituled, A Vindication of the Holy and Ever-bleffed Trinity. Being a Letter to the Author. What effect this had in favour of Dr. South, may be seen in Dr. King's own words.

"In August 1694, Mr. Molefworth publishing his "Account of Denmark as it was in the year 1692," our author took up his pen

once

Mr. Edward Hannes, another young studert of Chrift Church, had alfo hand in this tract, which is the first in the prefent collection. See Vol. III. p. 296.

+ Athen. Ox, ubi fupra.

once more in his country's caufe, the honour of which was though to be blemished by that account; Mr. Scheel, the Danish minifter having prefented a memorial against it.* Animated with this fpiri he drew up a cenfure of it, which he printed in 1694 under the title of "Animadverfions on the pretended account of Denmarkt." This was fo much approved by Prince George, confort to the Princefs Anne, that the doctor was foon after appointed fecretary to her royal highnefst.

"It may not be improper to mention in this place, that Mr. Molefworth's book underwent another examination, the fame year, in "Denmark vindicated, being an Answer to a late Treatife, called, An Account of Denmark as it was in the year 1692 fent from a Gentleman in the Country to his Friend in London." This writer, who dedicates to Prince George, and figns himself J. C. D. has taken up the matter in a very serious point of view, and left the whole field of pleasantry and ridicule to Dr. King, which, in his able hands, appears to have been the most fuccessful method of attack.

"In 169, he took a fhare with his fellow-collegians at Chrift Church, in the memorable difpute about the genuineness of Phalaris's Epiftles. His first appearance in that controverfy was owing to his being accidentally prefent at a converfation between Dr. Bentley and Mr. Bennet the bookfeller, concerning the MS. of Phalaris in the king's library. Mr. Boyle, when anfwering Dr. Bentley's Dif fertation, applied to our author for the particulars of what paffed on that occafion; which he received in the fhort but expreffive letters which Mr. Boyle has printed in his book, in 1698||, with the tefti

See vol. 1. p. 59.

+ Vol. I. p. 35.

Ath. Ox. vol. II. col. 914.

Vol. I. p. 141.

monies

As few controverfial pieces were ever written in finer language, or more an fully, than, this "Examination;" fo none perhaps ever abounded fo much in wit, ridicule, and fatire; the point being not fo much to confute, as to expose, the learned Differtator: for Mr. Boyle, in his Preface to the "Epistles of Phala "ris," had fignified his own diftruft of their genuineness, and, in effet, declared himfelf very indifferent about it. Bentley, on the other hand, who had nothing in view but to fapport what he had afferted, by proving the Epiftles fpurious, *though he is far from being deftitute of strokes of humourous satire, abounded chiefly in argument and erudition; and by thefe gained over all the Reafoners and the Learned, while the Laughers, who make an infinite majority, were carried away by the art of Mr. Boyle's performance. In short, though the haughtinefs, the infolence, the rude temper, and pedantry, of Dr. Bentley, made him Softly odious; yet, to give him his due, his Differtation on the Epistles of PhaJaris," with his answer to the objections of Mr. Boyle, is one of the most illafinous monuments of fagacity, nice difcernment, fkill in criticism, and depth of erudition, that ever was erected by a man of letters. If, to use the words of Mr. Boyle, in the Preface to his "Examination," he did carry his critic fin fo far as to affert, not only of Phalaris, but of his Editor alfo, that they neither of them wrote what was afcribed to them," he went no farther than the difcerning, unprejudiced, and learned part of the public went with him. What thare Mr. Boyle had in the edition of Phalaris, which no doubt he was put upon to raise a hitle reputation in letters, is not easy to determine: but many are of opinion,