There is nothing, perhaps, prefents us with more exact, or more frequent pictures of human life in general, than those kind of publick meetings, which periodically draw together a concourse of a great variety of perfons of all kinds and stations, and for all manner of purposes: here are difeafes and health, gay diverfions and biting pains, kill-time amusements and languid fpirits. Mufick, dancing, cards, and a mix'd company of people, who seem to have entered into a combination of appearing outwardly pleased with each other, (whatever heart-burnings there may be within) are almost all the ingredients which constitute what is generally called a publick place.'

Of our author's agreeable manner of moralizing, we shall quote also the following short inftance.

• Pale spectres crawl from the card or billiard tables one moment, and vanish the next, like ghofts, and become lumps of clay. This confideration pursued, would naturally lead to reflexions, that might perhaps be thought too grave: I will, therefore, imitate the politenefs of dame Quickly, who, whilft there was the least remaining hope of the life of her friend, Sir John Falstaff, endeavoured to comfort him with the confideration, that there was no need to think upon God as yet."

After thus paying the tribute juftly due to the merit of this piece, we cannot fupprefs our opinion, that, in any future work, the writer will do well to avoid larding it quite fo much with the bits and scraps of unneceffary quotations; fince, however they may enrich the pages of a poor writer, they ought to be very pertinent and ftriking indeed, when abruptly breaking into the fentiments of a good one.

Art. 12. Memoirs of the Life and Actions of James Keith, FieldMarshal in the Pruffian Armies. Containing his conduct in the Muscovite wars against the Turks and Swedes; and bis behaviour in the fervice of the K. of Pruffia, against the French and Auftrians. By Andrew Henderfon, Author of the Edinburgh hiftory of the rebellion. 8vo. IS. A. Johnson, Weft

minfter-hall.

Mr Henderson is not a Thucydides, nor a Livy; neither is he equal to his countrymen, Robertfon or Hume; but thus much we can fay for Mr. Henderfon, that he is an induftrious compiler; witnefs his History of the Rebellion-His Life of John Earl of Stair-His Memoirs of Duncan Forbes, Lord Prefident of the Court of Seffion-His Admiral Vernon-His Marshal Daun-His present Marshal Keith :—and some others, which we cannot recollect.

Art. 13. To David Garrick, Efq; the Petition of I. in behalf of herfelf and her fifters. 8vo. 6d. Cooper.

Mr. Garrick is here charged with mil-pronouncing fome words in cluding the letter I. as furm for firm; vurtue for virtue; and others

with

with respect to the letter E, a fifler-vowel ; as Hurcules for Hercules; or EA, as Urth for Earth. These little inaccuracies have furnished an indefatigable pamphleteer with an opportunity for making a fix-penny touch, mifcalled a petition, as it rather bears the form of a remonftrance.

The following epigram was occafioned by the publication of this pamphlet.

To Doctor H.

Upon his Petition of the Letter I, to D
G-, Efq;

If 'tis true, as you fay, that I've injur'd a letter,
I'll change my notes foon, and I hope for the better:
May the juft right of letters, as well as of men,
Hereafter be fix'd by the tongue and the pen;
Moft devoutly I wish that they both have their due,
And that I may be never mistaken for U.

Art. 14. The Origin and Production of proliferous Flowers, with the culture at large for raifing double from fingle, and proliferous from the double. By J. Hill, M.D. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Baldwin.

We lately mentioned this gentleman's treatise on the method of raifing double flowers from fingle *; and we are now to recommend another tract of the fame kind, to fuch of our readers as are curious in the culture of the flower-garden; one of the most pleafing and most rational amusements in which a man of leifure can pafs his time.

By proliferous flowers, the author means thofe which have a fecond arifing, with a new talk, from the centre of the firft; and fometimes even a third from this fecond. Of these he enumerates the proliferous ranunculus, anemone, geum, rofe, carnation, and chamoemile; illuftrating his obfervations on their origin and production, with elegant copper-plate figures of each; and concluding the whole with his fyftem of culture, in order to proliferation: but his directions being founded more on conjecture than experiment, we refer the curious reader to the doctor's painphiet, for farther particulars.

* See Review, for January last.

Art. 15. Reflections upon what the World commonly call Good luck and Ill-luck, with regard to Lotteries; and of the good uje which may be made of them. Tranflated from the French of the ingenuous Monf. Le Clerc. 8vo. I s. 6d. Henderfon.

In this fenfible and judicious performance Monf. Le Clerc fhews, that the words, good and ill-luck, as applied to lotteries, to games depending upon chance, and a thoufand other incidents of human life, are mere terms of course, thrown out at random, without any meaning at all, at least very dark and unintelligible in the conception of moft that use them. He expofes, with great clearness and accuracy,

the

vulgar notion, that there is fome strange unintelligible quality, fome principle of good or ill-luck inherent in fome perfons, or fomewhat peculiar attending upon, and, as it were, fixed to them, which makes them fuccessful or the contrary. This he does, by proving particularly, that neither deftiny, nor fortune, which is but another name for chance, nor what the heathens called a man's good or evil genius, and fome chriftians ftill term his good or evil angel, nor God himself, is the real caufe of men's good or ill luck, either in lotteries, or in any other matters, which have no neceffary dependence upon the skill and prudence of the perfons who engage in them. In the courfe of what he advances upon this fubject, the reader will meet with many things, that deferve more ferious attention than is generally bestowed upon them, and some very pertinent reflections upon the notions the heathens entertained concerning fatality and fortune.-There is likewife a long and fenfible digreffion concerning true liberality.

POETICA L.

Art. 16. A Paftoral Elegy. 4to. 6d. Dodley.

This is one of the many poor imitations, which have appeared fince the publication of Mr. Grey's celebrated elegy, written in a country church-yard. Perhaps the two following verfes, being part of Melancholy's addrefs to our Poet, will fatisfy the reader's curiofity, with refpect to the whole.

"Ah! hither bend thy pitying looks, for here
Remorfelefs death is doom'd to do a deed,
That from the general eye will ask a tear,

And claim of me fome more impaffion'd meed.
Too foon fhall anguifl tell with trembling tongue,
At length is come the ominated woe:

Then catch this lyre, and all as it is ftrung,

Strike the fad ftrains that in thy bofom glow.'

To catch the glowing strains, and frike the lyre, might perhaps be reckoned tolerably poetical; but to catch the lyre, and frike the frains, are fuch expreffions as, we prefume, will be thought fufficient famples of a train in truth fad enough.

SERMONS fince March.

N the Death of the Princefs of Orange--At the English church, Rotterdam. March 4, 1759 By Benjamin Sowden, Minifter of the faid church. 8vo. 6d. Waugh.

2. The Scripture Doctrine of Predeftination fated and explained, in two difcoveries before the University of Oxford.-At St. Mary's, June 18, 1758. By William Parker, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty, and F. R. S. 8vo. 1s. Rivington.

3. At Stafford Affizes, March 25, 1759. By Ralph Barnes, A, B. 8vo. od. Shuckburgh.

4. Jacob's

4. Jacob's difficult Prophecy, Naphthali is a hind let loofe, he giv eth goodly words * (Gen. xlix. 21.) made out and explained. At the Wednesday-lecture at St. James's church, at Bury St. Edmund's, Auguft 30, 1758. By R. Kedington, D. D. Rector of Kedington, in. Suffolk. 8vo. 6d. Hawkins.

• Dr. Kedington endeavours to fhew, from the hiftory of the New Teftament, that our Saviour made Galilee, which included the tribes of Zabulon and Naphthali, the first and chief scene of his miniftry; and that his twelve difciples were very probably all chofen from thence; and having firft preached in those parts, afterwards as Evangelifts and Apoftles, propagated the gofpel to the ends of the earth. Now from this he is of opinion, that an eafy and very natural explication of Jacob's prophecy will follow. For it being faid of Naphthali (the feat of Chrift's miniftry, and firft folemn publication of the word) he giveth goodly words, it evidently means, we are told, that the word of God should be preached in Naphthali: and he is faid to be a hind let loose, which knowing no baunt, runs here and there at large, and in all directions, where it pleafes, as giddy fancy, or fudden fear, points the way; it is hereby plainly fignified, that by means of the difciples, who first taught the gospel in this region, it should be divulged and spread, as was actually the cafe, in all parts: fo that by Naphthali is a bind let loofe, he giveth goodly words, is foretold, that in Naphthali fhould the good words, or good tidings of falvation be first taught, and then fpread and difperfed every where, like a bind let loose, over the face of the whole earth.

No expreffion, the Doctor thinks, could be invented stronger and fuller, than, be giveth goodly words, to fignify the glad tidings of falvation; and no fimile in nature more proper than that of a bind let loofe, to exprefs the publication of the gospel in all parts. And thus,' fays he, as a man, who, after repeated trials, at length finds his way out of fome obfcure cave, or inclofed and dark place, and perceives himself forthwith furrounded with a clear and full light; fo have we, in this enquiry, at length emerged out of the greateft obfcurity, into the moit evident and perfect knowlege: a knowlege, indeed, fo obvious and plain, now made manifeft, that it even feems wonderful that inquifitive perfons could ever overlook it: and yet, to increase the marvel, has it lain in all ages of the church hid from the eyes of men.'

5. The Nature and Offices of Piety and Courtefy confidered,-in tavo difcourfes, at St. Mary's, before the Univerfity of Cambridge. By John Mainwaring, B. D. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. 4to. Is. Whiston.

On the late GENERAL FAST, Feb. 16, 1759. continued fince March, viz.

8. The Signs of the Times. At the Old Jury, by Samuel Chandler, .D.D. F.R. and A. SS. 8vo. 6d. Noon.

9. At the Mayor's Chapel, Briftol. By the Rev. R: Olive, Vicar of Burnham. 4to. 1s. Henderson.

10. The Scripture Dorine of a religious Faft. By Michael Fefting, A. M. late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Rector of yke-Regis, Dorsetshire. 8vo. 6d. Hitch.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For MAY,

1759.

A Treatise of Captures in War. By Richard Lee, Efq; 8vo. 4 S. Sandby.

I

T may feem ftrange, that the fcience of public law has been

fo little cultivated in this nation, which has ever been renowned for politicians, and which, from its commercial influence, and other peculiar advantages, is capacitated to take the lead in the affairs of Europe. Switzerland, Germany, and Holland have proved the beft nurseries of this branch of legal fcience, while in England it has been entirely neglected and difregarded.

But, perhaps, we fhall not be at a lofs to account for this unnatural neglect, when we confider how much the common law has been the darling of this kingdom; and how many circumftances have concurred, to make the civil law the fubject of averfion, and even ridicule among.us.

The ingenious Dr. Blackstone obferves, that the clergy (who in the early times were lawyers likewife) took a diflike to the common law, and attempted to introduce the civil in its room, which was more conformable to their arbitrary fyftem. The laity, on the other hand, who had feverely felt the effect of many Norman inftitutions, found themfelves interefted to preferve the old conftitution, and adhere to the common law. In this conteft the laity prevailed, and king Stephen published a proclamation, forbidding the ftudy of the laws then newly imported.