Compilation, even though this had been the original' publication of them, which we are pretty confident it is not. 22. The Hiftory of the Troglodites; Tranflated from the French of M. de Montefquieu. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Buckland. The little hiftory with which the reader is here presented, is extracted from the first volume of the Lettres Perjanes, which were published by M. de Montefquieu, in 1721. It is esteemed, as the tranflator obferves, one of the most beautiful, and finished pieces of moral painting, that ever was exhibited. Monfieur D'Alembert calls it, un morceau digne de portique," a compofition that would have done honour to the firft geniuses of antient Greece." The Lettres Perfanes have been twice tranflated into English. In the year 1722, by Mr. Ozell; and in 1762, by Mr. Flloyd. The public is nevertheless obliged to this tranflator for fupplying the English reader with an edition of this elegant fiction at a small expence. He has with tolerable fuccefs imitated the laconic, pure, and brilliant ftile of Monfieur de Montefquieu. 23. Morning Amufements of the K of P. Or, the Modern Syftem of Regal Policy, Religion, Justice, &c. Translated from the Paris Edition juft imported. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Robinson. Though this is a very daring, yet it is fo artful a forgery, that it may impofe upon any man prepoffeffed against his Pn my, who is fuppofed to be the author. Religion, fays he, is abfolutely neceffary to a state, none but fools will difputę this maxim; a king must be very unskilful to suffer his fubjects to abuse it; but a king must be wanting in wifdom to really profefs any. Pay proper attention, my dear nephew, to this religion is the greatest of all tyrants over the heart and mind, as it agrees neither with our paffions nor the extenfive political views proper for a monarch. The true religion of a prince is his own intereft and glory. The state should dispense with his adopting no other. He may nevertheless preferve an external cafual religion, to amuse those who obferve and are about him.? This quotation fufficiently proves the author to be of the fame ftamp with the coward who thought himfelf fafe because he could thruft his head into the bush, while all the reft of his perfon was expofed. Admitting his P-n my to be poffeffed of all the vices and immoralities this writer imputes to him, yet he destroys his own purpose, by making diffimulation his my's diftinguishing feature, which is abfolutely inconfiftent with his character in the publication before us; so that on on the whole, however ingenious the performance may be, we can confider it in no other light than that of a political bull. 24. Royal Mornings. 16mo. Pr. Is. 6d. Becket. This is an attempt towards a tranflation of the fame piece; but it is difficult to determine, whether this tranflator, for fuch we imagine he thinks himself, is more ignorant of French or English; it would be fuperfluous to point out any one of his mistakes, as the whole feems to be one great erratum. 25. Solomon in all his Glory: or, the Mafter Mafon. Being a true Guide to the inmost Receffes of Free Masonry, both Antient and Modern, &c. &c. Tranflated from the French Original, publifhed at Berlin; and burnt by Order of the King of Pruffia, at the Interceffion of the Free-Mafons. 8vo. Pr. 25. Robinson. This appears to be a real translation which has never before appeared in English, and conveys the beft idea of masonry of any pamphlet we ever met with upon the subject, the copperplates greatly illuftrating the author's descriptions. We may, therefore, venture to recommend it to fuch as are curious to become acquainted with the myfteries of masonry, and would rather pay two fhillings than five guineas for their initiation. 26. The Midnight Spy, or, a View of the Tranfactions of London and Westminster, from the hours of Ten in the Evening, till Five in the Morning; Exhibiting a great Variety of Scenes in High and Low Life, with the Characters of fome well known Nocturnal Adventurers of both Sexes. 12mo. Pr. 25. Cooke. Those who have read the Devil upon Two Sticks, and LowLife, or one half of the world does not know how the other lives, will plainly perceive that this is a motley imitation of both those performances; of the first, as it pretends to explore fuch scenes, and in fuch a manner as nothing but the unroofing of houses could lay open; of the fecond, as its plan, and great part of its contents may there be met with in a much better dress. The language and fentiments of this performance are very contemptible, and if it can afford any amufement, it must be to fuch nocturnal adventurers as are reprefented in the elegant frontifpiece. By an advertisement prefixed, all perfons are cautioned against pirating this valuable performance at their peril.— a caution we think, entirely needlefs, for borrowing from this work would be literally robbing the Spital. 27. The 27. The Manner of fecuring all Sorts of Brick-buildings from Fire; or a Treatise on the Construction of Arches made with Bricks and Plaifter, called Flat-Arches, and of a Roof without Timber, called a Bricked-Roof: with the Addition of fome Letters that have paffed between the Count of Efpie, and Peter Wyche, Efq; on this Subject. Adorned with Copper-Plates, ferving to illuftrate the whole Work. Written in French by Monfieur le Compte d'Espie, and tranflated by L. Dutens. 8vo. Pr. 25. Piers. We have inferted this pamphlet here on account of the very great importance of the fubject. The number of houfes deftroyed by fire in England within these ten years paft would appear incredible, were they to be prefented to the reader in one view. The method here proposed seems to us the most practicable for preventing fuch misfortunes, and was chalked out by the count d'Efpie, at the defire of an eminent and patriotic alderman of London, who, we are told, has actually carried it into execution. 28. The Hiftory and Antiquities of St. Saviour's, Southwark; containing Annals from the firft Founding to the present Time ; Lift of the Priors and Benefactors; Defcription of the Building, Ornaments, Monuments, remarkable Places, &c. with Notes. By Arthur Tiler. 8vo. Pr. 1s. Wilkie. However uninteresting such compilations as this before us may appear to those who do not live on the spot, we never can difcourage them; and if every parish in England would collect an account of its own antiquities, foil, fituation, rarities, and other peculiarities, we might expect to fee a complete natural and topographical history of this kingdom. 29. The Hiftory and Antiquities of the City of Dublin, from the earlieft Accounts; compiled from authentic Memoirs, Offices of Record, Manufcript Collections, and other unexceptionable Vouchers. By the late Walter Harris, Efq. With an Appendix containing an Hiftory of the Cathedrals of Christ-Church and St. Patrick, the Univer fity, the Hofpitals, and other public Buildings. Also Two Plans, one of the City, as it was in the Year 1610, the other as it is at prefent, from the accurate Survey of the late Mr. Rocque; with feveral other Embellishments. 8vo. Pr. 6s. Knox. For the reasons affigned in the preceding article, we moft heartily recommend this performance to the patronage of the public. 30. Thoughts 30. Thoughts upon some late Pieces, particularly The Death of Abel and the Meffiah. 4to. Pr. 6d. Hinton. A puff to recommend the heavy dung carts of German poetry which are daily perfuming this metropolis. 31. Poems on Various Occafions. By Robert Scott. 8vo. Pr. 25 Burnet. This bard gives fome intimation as if the publication before us had been owing to the ingenii, largitor, venter, a certain natural failing he had to eat and drink when he was hungry. He concludes an epiftle, containing a concife hiftory of the war in Portugal, and the fubfequent peace in 1762, with the following humorous, but at the fame time melancholy, lines, which we hope will recommend the perusal of his book to our readers. Grim war, amidst his horrid train, Now leaves the defolated plain; Where, as I can no longer serve, I have his gracious leave to starve *. • Then you shall see your friend once more, As poor, and honeft, as before : Meanwhile, with love fincere and fervent, I am your ever-humble fervant. 32. The Race. By Mercurius Spur, Efq. With Notes, by Fauftinus Scriblerus. 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d. Flexney. Notwithstanding the fresh reinforcements of abuse against the Critical Reviewers with which Mr. Spur returns to the charge, we see no reason to retract the character we gave his poem in vol. XIX. p. 73. *This was pretty near literally the cafe. After seven years spent in his country's fervice, in an useful ftation, for which no provifion is made, the author was carried afhore at Portsmouth, with a fever upon him, neither quite dead nor alive; where he had the pleasure of lying feveral hours on the beach, till, with much difficulty, fomebody was found that had humanity enough to give him a lodging for three or four times its worth. There his pay was struck off, and he was left to the care of Providence, which referved him for-God knows what.' 33. The 33. The Curate. A Poem, inscribed to all the Curates in England and Wales. By E. Lloyd, Author of the Powers of the Pen. 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d. Richardfon and Urquhart. The hardships of a dependant clergyman, and the fuperci lious demeanor of rectors towards their curates, is the fubje&t of this writer's invective. This performance is of the fecond clafs of fatirical compofitions. His ftrokes are fometimes indelicate, and his language profaic; but many of his animadverfions are unquestionably just, 34. The Birth of Christ, an irregular Ode. By Thomas Gibfon, M. A. Late Prebendary of Peterborough, and Rector of Pafton and Polebrook, in Northamptonshire, 4to. Pr. 15. Wilfon and Fell. The editor of this ode informs us, that he accidentally difcovered it in his father's library, where it had been fuffered to remain unnoticed and forgotten many years; that on this occafion, the author told him, he wrote it when he was young, about the year 1715, at Queen's College, Oxford; that Dr. Lancaster the provoft, and many others read it with approbation; that, in particular, his ingenious friend and countryman, Mr. Tickell, then of Queen's College, paffed fome encomiums upon it, and gave him hopes that the public, upon reading it in print, would do the fame; that he had yet too much diffidence to believe his abilities as a poet would ever be allowed, and no great inclination or ambition to give the world, by this fpecimen, any opportunity to judge of his ta lents, or his pretenfions to that character. The editor adds, that though he had the author's permiffion to dispose of the manuscript as he thought fit, he kept it by him more than fifteen years, and has now fent it to the prefs in compliance with the repeated folicitations of fome judicious friends. Though this ode exhibits no lively strokes of imagination, magnificent imagery, or animated expreffions, yet it is by no means deftitute of poetical merit; it is written with an unaffected fimplicity; which, perhaps, is not improperly calculated for the defcription of that humble ftation in which our Saviour appeared at his birth. 35. Lachryma Elegiaca, five Querelæ Epiftolares. Autore Reverendo J. D. Cotton, de Efra Bona in Agro Effexenfi, Vicario. 4to. Pr. 1s. 6d. Caflon. The most perfect elegy expreffes no other fentiments, breathes no other accents but those of love and grief. Its proper language is the tender effufion of the heart. Thefe |