Protracted to the morning hour,
The fnoring audience feel his pow'r;
Conftant at ev'ning fermons, where
Young Maffillons fatigue the ear
With their divifions and citations,
Their fenfe-perplexing explanations;
With their three heads, and poor pretence
Of common-place-book eloquence,
The fprite is often seen to nod,
E'en in the very house of God;
Frequenting theatres at nights,
Where he invariably delights
At lack of pathos, or of wit,
To gape with critics in the pit,
To car of ebon, thus invok'd,
A pair of owls the demon yok'd,
And through the murky fhades of night
Slow rifes gaping to the light;
With his eyes fhut he gropes about,
His weight o'er Joan extending out,
And breathing ftupifies her breaft
With all the lethargy of reft.'

Incontinent le pére au grand cordon
Prend fon grimoire, évoque le Démon,
Qui de Morphée eut autrefois le nom.
Ce pefant Diable eft maintenant en France,
Vers le matin, lorfque nos Avocats
Vont s'enroüer à commenter Cujas,
Avec Meffieurs il ronfie à l'audience,
L'après-dinée il affifte aux fermons
Des aprentifs dans l'art des Maffillons,
A leurs trois points, à leurs citations,
Aux lieux communs de leur belle éloquence.
Dans le parterre il vient bâiller le foir.

Aux cris du moine il monte en fon char noir

Par deux hiboux trainé dans la nuit fombre.
Dans l'air il gliffe, & doucement fend l'ombre,
Les veux fermés il arrive en bâillant,

Se met fur Jeanne, & tâtonne & s'étend,
Et fecouant fon pavot narcotique,

Lui foufle an fein vapeur foporifique,'

The defcription of the Temple of Folly is fketched with a bold and glowing pencil: it ceafes to be a tranflation, for it has the force and freedom of an original. On turning to Voltaire, we found it tolerably exact. Its originality refulted in a great degree from a little, and we may add a justifiable, amplification; yet, in one or two paffages, we difcovered a few omiffions, though they may have arifen from the numerous changes which have been made in fucceffive editions, often

Т3

pirated

pirated ones; pirated (it is a novelty in literary annals, and apparently a contradiction) by the author himself.

The defcription of the infernal regions is full of humour, and the most bitter farcafm. The heroes of antiquity, thẻ best of men, were found there, becaufe, they died without confeffion Voltaire, however, when he ftrikes at fuperftition, often fecretly aims a shaft at religion. The translator has executed this part of his task alfo very well. We fhall felect an extract from it. We need only premife, that the Cordeliers have an invincible hatred to the Dominicans; and it is a Cordelier to whom this fpectacle is fuppofed to be revealed. A prieft, with frock half black, half white, In corner fullen ftruck his fight;

Hair, in a bowl-dish cut, he wears,
Quite close and rounded to his ears:
This creature pied, the Cordelier
Regarding with malicious fneer,
Says to himself, Yon' thing I fee
Sure a Dominican must be;"

66

Which tempts him fudden to exclaim,
"You, Mr. Pyebald, what's your name?"
Alas!" returns the mournful fhade,

'Tis Dominick, a faint by trade."
At mention of a name fo great,
You might have feen the monk retreat,
And cross himself; nor could he credit
The thing, although the faint had said it.
"What! fentenc'd to the depth of hell,
And to inhabit this dark cell,
Can, like a heretic," fays he,
"A faint, apostle, doctor, be?
You, of the faith a zealous teacher,
A man of God! a gofpel preacher!
You found in this infernal place?
Sure there is fome defect in grace.
Poor mortals! what is your mistake,
When litanies to faints you make!"
Our Spaniard, clad in habit pied,
Then thus with doleful voice replied:
"Of mortal vanities no more
Think we, the world for us is o'er.
Of human errors why this fufs?
Of import what are they to us?
Here to be tortur'd is our lot,
And canoniz'd where we are not;
The faint moft popular on earth,
In hell has often a hot birth;
Whilft he for ever lives in heav'n
To Satan whom the world had giv❜n.

In

In the black catalogue behold

Juftly my bloody name enroll'd!

For that a perfecutor I

The Albigenfes caus'd to die,
With rage unworthy my employ;
Which furely was not to destroy :
So now I fuffer in my turn,

Deftin'd, for having burnt, to burn."

In this paffage the author has kept very closely, often pointedly, to the original: we do not add the latter, as it would make our article too extenfive.-On the whole, we must repeat our commendations of the author's talents: we wish they had been employed in a more fuccefsful task. We fear the reasons we formerly alledged, added to the author's being unknown, and the work imperfect, have prevented the fale more powerfully either than want of novelty or the languor of the dogdays.

An Efay on Pronouncing and Reading French. By Mr. Des Carrieres. 8vo. 35. 6d. in Boards. Elmfly.

TH HIS is a work of great labour and, ingenuity: the founds are distinguished with precision, generally explained with propriety, and marked with accuracy. Yet the utility of the work may be questioned: we have formerly obferved, that the French pronuciation cannot be attained by rules alone. Even these before us, the most correct that we have seen, will not fuperfede the neceffity of a mafter; for there is a tone, a rythmus, peculiar to every language, which no rules can teach. With the affiftance of a mafter, these laboured and minute distinctions are useless: the pronunciation of French is then learned, like that of English, by our children, from imitation only. If we look nearer, we fhall find, that to attempt to defcribe founds, or the manner in which they are formed, leads the author into ridiculous difcuffions, not from any error of his own, but from defcribing by words, what words cannot give an accurate idea of: take the first instances which occur.

1. ou. Keep your mouth in its natural fituation, as it is when you are filent; that is, your lips joined, but not clofe; put them forward a little, and draw back your tongue; then emit a voice out of your lungs, fo that the air in coming out may make your lips vibrate, and infallibly that voice will have the found of ou; as you found oo in cool, fool.

· 2. U. Your mouth is formed as to found ou, that is, your lips are not joined clofe; put your lips forward a little, as if you were going to whistle; bring your tongue to your under. teeth; then emit a voice, which, will be a infallibly.'

T 4

น

The

The following direction is not very intelligible.

· 13. un. Let your mouth be formed as to found cu; then let the air beat your palate, and go out through your nose and mouth at the same time; the found of un will be heard.

Be very careful to keep your mouth open; for if you bring your lips together, you will emit a grunting noife like that of a pig.'

We shall felect another: it is a little ludicrous, and we think incorrect, fince, inftead of fwelling the tongue, the cheeks feem to be contracted.

18. ille. Your tongue is brought forward: its end preffes against your under teeth, fo that its middle part fwells, and touches flightly your upper-teeth, and its fides touch the infide of your cheeks; by which the air is stopped at first, then fent out by ceafing to fwell your tongue.

It is very neceffary to fwell your tongue till the fides may attain to your cheeks. The Parifian cockneys, by not taking that trouble, cannot found this confonant, and instead of it found two i's: they fay mei-ieur, moui-ier, Verfai-ies, inftead of meilleur, mouiller, Verfailles: others fay mélicur, moulier, Ver fales, which is not better.

These two confonants, gne, ille, are called liquid, because the pofition of your tongue, fwollen and touching your palate or your cheeks, provokes the fpittle, and makes your mouth

water.'

If there are fituations in which a master cannot be procured, or, if our opinion of the neceffity of one be not adopted, we have not feen a better guide than M. de Carrieres. We shall not mention the few little inaccuracies which have ftruck us, fince no Englishman, in any fituation, founds all his words unexceptionably to another ear, equally cultivated and correct. The errors to which we allude, are in the powers of fome English vowels in particular combinations.

Sermons on the Chriftian Doctrine as received by the different Denominations of Chriftians. To which are added, Sermons on the Security and Happiness of a Virtuous Courfe, on the Goodnefs of God, and the Resurrection of Lazarus. By Richard Price, D.D. LL.D. F.R.S. 8vo. 5s. in Boards. Cadell.

A T this period, when difputes relating to the fpeculative parts of the Chriftian religion are fo numerous, and, in fome inftances, carried on with warmth, perhaps with illiberality, we were pleased to see Dr. Price, in his advanced life, coming forward to give his opinions, profeffedly for the fake of his congregation and the world, without defigning to engage in controverfy. We have indeed often differed from

Dr.

Dr. Price in his calculations, and in his political fyftems: we think him fometimes a little faulty in this volume; but we can‹ freely praise his good intentions, we can chearfully join in the commendations of his warmest friends, respecting the defign and the general execution of thefe Sermons.

We have formerly obferved, that the difputes which have prevailed do not relate to thofe parts of Chriftianity which, in a practical view, are most effential. The great outline of our religion includes every fect: we are all furrounded by a circle, fituated in it, in groups fometimes excentrical, sometimes almoft on the extreme verge, but ftill so closely connected, that we may join with extended hands, and hail each other as brethren. Such is now the liberality which prevails, that in general we do fo, while there is a repulfive atmosphere around some fects, not very remotely fituated, that seems at leaft to forbid a clofer union. The Calvinifts and Socinians live, for inftance, on terms of friendship; while the Socinian and Athanafian are at war: again, the Socinian expreffes a greater abhorrence of the Arian than of any other fect. Thefe little varieties are perhaps accidental: sometimes we have fufpected that it has been thought neceffary to intrench mok fecurely against the nearest neighbours; and occafionally, the temporary unions may have arifen from a regard, an attention to the general intereft of diffenters. Even the moft violent oppofitions, as Dr. Price juftly remarks, are now flight debates in comparison of former perfecutions, when Socinus could imprison, and perhaps haften the death of an amiable perfon, who differed from him in one point only.

The defign of these discourses, which Dr. Price announces in the firft Sermon, is fo near to the opinions we have more than once endeavoured to inculcate, that it must neceffarily meet with our most unreserved approbation.

It is impoffible, when plain and honeft men hear the dif ferent parties among Chriftians contradicting one another in the manner they do; one faying, this is the Gospel of Chrift; and another faying the contrary; and all pofitive and dogmatical it is, I fay, impoffible that, in fuch circumftances, a plain man, unaccustomed to enquiry, fhould not be puzzled, and thrown into a ftate of perplexity and distraction. Most of thefe parties lay the greateft ftrefs on their accounts of the Gofpel; and too many go fo far as to connect falvation with them, and to confign to hell all that do not receive them. I fhould do an effential fervice could I remove the ftumblingblocks which thefe litigations throw in the way of common Chriftians. And my chief intention in the prefent difcourfe is to attempt this, by fhewing you that Chriftians of all parties, however they may cenfure one another, and whatever oppofition

there