Far to the left, o'er meads and happy vales, And lead the fportive dance.'— Thefe lines,, though not free from defects, are pleasingly picturefque. The moft faulty are the 15th and 16th. It is not to the world,' but the ambitious ftreams,' that madly foaming' is applicable; but either epithet, instead of illuftrating the comparifon, is contradictory to it. The man who, tired with a busy world, buries himfelf in retirement, may, with juftice, be compared to a fream that glides filently away through folitary vallies; but not to a torrent bursting from the mountain. On the whole, this poem, though not always equal, poffeffes much merit; and its author had little to dread from candid criticism, much lefs, To be hung, drawn, and quarter'd, in the next Review!' The Louftad. An Heroi-comic Poem. Canto II. By Peter Pindar, Efq. 4to. 2s. 6d. Kearley. We may be cloyed with fweets; & toujours Perdrix ne vaut rien. Good Peter, change your tune; it grows tiresome; and your fubject leads you to language not the most delicate. Curb your Pegafus, and, for once, grow modeft.- -We fhall felect fome of the leaft offenfive lines. Confcience, a terrifying little fprite, That, bat-like, winks by day and wakes by night, As fharp as weafels hunting eggs or mice ; Who, when the light'nings flath, and thunders crack, Bids the poor trembling tongue make terms with Heav'n, Bids spectres rife, not very like the Graces, With gogling eyes, black beards, and Tyburn faces; With fcenes of fires of glowing brimstone scares, Spits, forks, and proper culinary wares For roafting, broiling, frying, fricaffeeing, The foul, that fad offending little being: That That ftubborn ftuff of falamander make, DRAMATI C. Diamond cut Diamond; a Comedy in Two Acts. 8vo. 15. Debrett. 8vo. The first of thefe works feems to be a literal tranflation; the fecond is adapted for the ftage; both differ in fome refpects from that which is performed at Covent-Garden. It is a pleafant farce, in the ftyle of a pantomime: the author feems to come warm from the fchool of Figaro, and employs his bowwindows, his chefts, and garden-walls, with great dexterity. In private dances, in the country 'fquire's hall, it was not once uncommon to fet up a chair, or a ftool, for a partner to fome forlorn lady who wanted one. This undoubtedly was the original of this new method of dramatic management, where the chairs play a confpicuous part, and are often as useful as the actor: they occafionally feem to be more fo; and the most witty fcenes of the piece are thofe in which these wooden actors are employed. The French have undoubtedly improved on our plan, and they have added another improvement. The parts are acted by the individual utenfils, and not, as we learn from the Spectator, by actors difguifed and covered by painted canvas. The great advantages of this alteration are, that they ftand ftill, are obedient, and never indisposed at a minute's warning-But to be ferious. In the Midnight Hour the contrivances are not always intelligible, from the tranflator's attempt to fhorten the reprefentation. The fcene is laid in the original in England; but English manners, and English places, are often mistaken and mifreprefented.. The Diftreffed Baronet: a Farce. In Two Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury-lane. By C. Stuart. 800. Debrett. The This farce would not fucceed on the ftage till the lawyer had been made an honest man: we are more faftidious, and require alfo a little probability, and fome real humour. Pop's character is too glaring even for a farce; and miss Sophia's tranfformations too improbable, to impofe on a blind man. lawyer's honefty appears an affected garb: the baronet's fudden reformatiou promifes little ftability; and the reconciliation is effected very abruptly, and from motives apparently unfatisfactory, Medical MEDICA L. Medical Commentaries for the Year 1786. Decad II, Vol. I. By Andrew Duncan, M.D. 8v, 6s. Robinsons. Authors, for different and oppofite reafons, change the titles of their works, or continue them through a long feries without any variation. Dr. Duncan has politically combined the advantages of each method, by retaining the title of his work, and changing only the mode of numbering his volume: readers may begin the fecond Decad, who did not choose to be encumbered with the whole fet; and those who have already pur❤ chafed the Medical Commentaries will continue a work, whose title and plan are nearly the fame *, Dr. Duncan tells us, in his Preface, that a work which com prehends the progreffive improvements of a science must contain volumes of different value, according as the annual progrefs is more or lefs rapid, and congratulates himself on the importance of this volume. We confider the Medical Com mentaries as a very useful and refpectable compilation; and we mean not to reflect on it, by obferving, that this apology is not fupported by the works analyzed; for they are fometimes more than two years old. The volume before us is undoubtedly much more important than the laft; but, whatever is added to the value of this must be detracted from the editor's attention, in the tenth volume, fince fome, at least, of the stores must have been already in his hand. The editor's remark, probably occafioned by our hints in the article relating to the last year's volume, have drawn these obfervations from us. We muft, however, repeat the fatisfaction we feel in Dr. Duncan's annual vifit, and our wish to receive many of a fimilar kind. Treatife on the Venom of the Viper; on the American Poifons; and on the Cherry Laurel, and fome other Vegetable Poisons. Tranflated from the Original French of F. Fontana, by Jofeph Skinner, 2 Vols. 8vo. 135. in Boards. Murray. To the merits of Fontana we have often borne a willing teftimony; and of this work, we have given a very ample account in our 57th volume. We are glad to fee that it is now become our own by a very accurate tranflation. We can fafely give it this character, as we have compared it, in many parts with the French tranflation, from which it is confeffedly taken. It may be right to add, that the French edition was corrected by, and published, under the infpection of the original author; to that this work cannot be ftyled the fhadow of a fhade. The *Dr. Ludwig, Dr. Duncan's predeceffor, in the work published at Leipfic, on a fimilar plan, Commentaria de Rebus in Medicina Geftis,' has done the fame. lan language is frequently unadorned, and no additional notes have occurred in our examination: indeed the translator puts his work into our hands without pretenfions, without apology, or the flighteft address. A Treatise on the Intermittens Febris, commonly called the Ague and Fever. By S. Thompfom. 8vo. IS. Wade. Agues avaunt! Dr. Thompfon drives you all, Yes, gentle reader, the author understands his bufinefs; for he tells us, that apothecaries cannot even prepare a common laxative: You must have recourfe to Dr. Thompson's purifier of the blood. DIVINITY. A Charge and Sermon, delivered at the Ordination of the Rev. Mr. John Deacon, at Leicester. Small 8vo. 15. 6d. Buckland. This gentleman was ordained a minifter of an Anabaptift congregation, and profeffes a fincere belief in the Trinity, as well as that adults are the only proper fubjects to be baptized by the primitive mode of immerfion. The Sermon, Charge, &c. neither by the elegance of their form, nor the peculiar excellence of their fubftance, are entitled to any particular remark. There is one part of the ceremony which we do not recollect in fimilar fituations, viz. the queftions put to the church, concerning the motives which induced them to choose Mr. Deacon, and whether they were unanimous in their choice. A Manual for African Slaves. By the Rev. James Ramsay, M. A. Small 8vo. 3d. Longman.. This is a very useful little work, collected from authors truly refpectable. Its tendency is to infpire the flaves with a religion whofe principal tenets are, a chearful love of God, a fociable benevolence to their companions, and a ftrict fidelity to their mafters. We highly approve of the plan, and fincerely wish it fuccefs. Thoughts on various Causes of Error, particularly with Regard to Modern Unitarian Writers. By the Rev. John Weddred. 8vo. 6d. Rivington. Mr. Weddred examines the caufes which may have occafioned the apoftacy of the Unitarian reformers; and has very neatly and plaufibly explained them: at least he has pointed out what may have been the fource; what they really are, muft fometimes be looked for in the hearts of individuals, into which our author does not penetrate; and, if he did, where we should be cautious how we followed him. He fpeaks a little too con➡ temptuously of modern philofophy, evidently with a view to Dr. Priestley: if the fact were examined, it would, we believe, be found, that philofophy did not make Dr. Priestley an Unitarian, but was the caufe only of his opinions being published, or of their exciting any attention. The influence of true phi lofophy lofophy on religious opinions would, at any rate, be a curious, perhaps an useful fubject of difquifition. A Sermon, preached on the Death of Thomas Moffatt, M. D. By Samuel Peters, A. M. 4to. Bond. Dr. Moffatt was one of the exiled loyalifts, a native of Scotland, who was to have gone in the train of biflop Berkley to America, but was detained by fickness, and followed him in the fubfequent year. He lately closed an useful and exemplary life, at the advanced period of eighty-feven years. The preacher of his funeral fermon appears to be conscious of the weight of his task, but he fails in the execution: the substance is frequently trifling; and the language inelegant and confused. The fubject only, with the admirers of Dr. Moffatt, will fave it from oblivion. MISCELLANEOU S. Sketch of a Tour through Swisserland. With an accurate Map. Izmo. -2s. 6d. Half-bound. Kearney. This little book is defigned for the pocket of the traveller; and it contains an account of the curiofities, and other circumftances, which properly adapt it for this purpofe. The author aims at being useful, and at giving information, without difplaying his own importance, or collecting what may be of little fervice: he has fucceeded fo well, that we scarcely find an ufeJefs word in this Sketch; and if it had not been attributed to Mr. Martyn, profeffor of botany at Cambridge, we should have perceived that it was the production of one, who knew not only when to fpeak, but the more difficult task of being filent. As a fpecimen, we shall felect part of what he fays on the canton of Berne. • Berne is a large and handfome city, on a long peninfula formed by the river Aar, almoft in the middle of the canton. It is well built of good freeftone upon arcades; the high street is broad, and a stream of clear water runs through it. • Some of the public buildings are handfome, others are even elegant. The cathedral is a good Gothic ftructure, with a lofty tower: it is placed on a bold terrace, which is a public walk; feveral rows of horfe chefnut trees fhade it from the fun, and it looks upon a diverfified and richly cultivated country. By the fide of the cathedral is the Stifft, or dean's house, a handfome building, where the confiftory is held. A few paces above this is the college, where the youth destined for the miniftry are inftructed; in this college is the library, which is rather chofen than voluminous, it has near 1200 manuscripts, of which M. Sinner has published a judicious catalogue; portraits of celebrated perfons; and a fmall museum. The great hofpital for poor citizens, and the infirmary, are large, handfome edifices. The town-houfe is ancient; by the |