The ninth paragraph on his first plate runs thus: tho' we are obliged to have the ground-plane below the bafe-line, yet the parts which are in it will be produced by the rules above it, and as it were beyond it, at a diftance in a perSpective proportion, as thofe in the ground plane, are distant from the bafe-line.'

Here obferve the firft it fignifies the ground-plane, the fecond it the bafe-line, the third it has ftill another meaning, and the fourth it muft fignify the plane of the picture. The reft of the paragraph is nonfenfe: he should have faid, at a distance, whofe proportion to the real given diftance of the original object is regulated by the pofition of the fpectator, 's eye. Then comes a problem, teaching us to find the reprefentation of a given point; in this problem he uses the term, vanishing point, without having firft defined it.

*

In a fubfequent paragraph he indeed tells us, that S is the ⚫ vanifhing point of the original line, A B; because the line A B vanishes in that point. Which is not true, for it is the perfpective reprefentation S B, of the line A B, which vanishes in the point S, and were it as true as itis falfe, it could by no means be called a definition. He might as well have faid, the line A B vanishes in the point S, becaufe S is the vanishing point of the original line A B; or that two and two make four, because four confifts of twice two.

Before we quit this firft plate, we muft obferve the abfurdities in which his wrong choice of a diftance for the eye has involved him; and firft, The fhaded fide of the house, at H. which is a perpendicular plane, at right angles to the plane of the picture, fcarce reprefents more than one fourth of the extent he ought to fuppofe it. The fame blunder is committed again in the pier at I. whofe enlightened fide reprefents a plane at right angles to the picture of only one fourth of the extent he fuppofes it, which is monftrous. The direction of the shadows is falfe, and the diftant steeple which terminates his view, exhibits a fide which it is impoffible fhould be feen, if S be, as he fuppofes it, the center of the picture. This is a fault, that a child who had learned perfpective a week, could not have committed. And what is more extraordinary, there is not one of the fix plates, which illuftrate this work, but abounds in fimilar abfurdities. Strange, that a man who defpifes knowlege, fhould take it in his head. to be a teacher; or that one who calls himself an artist, should

*Our readers, in general, it is hoped, will excufe our referring, in this manner, to Mr. B's plates, which we cannot copy -Thele paragraphs are more particularly intended for thofe who are polieff

ed of Mr. B's book.

be at pains to publish a book, which fo evidently proves him ignorant in every branch of the art he treats of.

One more extract from this treatise on perfpective appears neceflary, as it will fhew the reader how well Mr. Bardwell has kept the promise he made, that no mathematical knowlege fhould be neceflary to understand his book. There are many inftances of his having forgot this: we fhall content ourfelves with the fifth paragraph of the explanation belonging to the fecond plate.

• In order to understand the nature of the generating lines, and angles, (not yet defined) and the diftance of the picture, heing placed above the horizontal line, fuppofe they were turned or lifted upon their axis, the vanishing line DE, till the eye-point O is directly oppofite to the point of fight, then they would be in a visual plane, which paffes from the fpectator's eye parallel to the ground-plane: the intersection of which plane, with the imaginary plane or picture, is the vanishing line of that plane, or horizontal line."

Indeed Our Author had done well to recommend to his unmathematical readers that dictionary, out of which he picked all these hard words. For till fuch readers are acquainted with the fignification of fuch words, they may fancy their ignorance of mathematical terms, is the obftacle to their understanding Mr. Bardwell. We can, however, affure them, that the learned and unlearned may equally profit by the preceding paragraph in which we apprehend the latent meaning is beyond the power of mere mathematicians to develop; fo that if ever thofe gentlemen have puzzled Mr. Bardwell, it is not his fault if he is not now even with them.

MONTHLY

I.

CATALOGUE

For SEPTEMBER, 1756.

Fourth Letter to the People of England. 8vo. 2s.
Collyer.

Having pretty fully, tho' in a narrow compafs, fpoken of the three preceding pamphlets published by this Incendiary, under the title of, Letters to the People, we fhall take up little more of our Reader's time, on the prefent occafion; but content ouricives with the following fketch of such patriots as Mr. Letterwriter, from a pamphlet entitled, An Impartial View, &c. See page 41.

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Men,' fays this brother-politician, who are the tools of a ⚫ wrong-headed party, and fit for their employ, [who] acknow

lege

A

lege they write for a Poft, or the Pillory. In fhort, men who fcribble for bread, and do not fo much regard the contents as the fale of their productions.-Men who have done their utmost to be bought, but who have been found not worth the meaneft purchafe.Under this portrait, the author writes, AND SHARE YE, MY COUNTRY MEN, TO BE IDLY DUPED BY SUCH AS THESE! dad b CII A Letter to the Gentlemen of the Common Council. By a Citizen and Watch-maker. 8vo. 6d. Cooper.

called himself a Mermette

་་་་་

This is one of the few occafional productions that deferves to ⚫ be remembered, after the occafions which gave rife to them are elapfed. The author is pleafed to call himself a Watch-maker; and in one page (24) he condefcends to write in that character: but then, as in another (15) he treats of an obftinate, unskilful pilot, and bad fteerage, in as accurate, he might as well have and if we confider the general drift of his performance, the character of an Apothecary would have fuited him better than any other. For tho' he addreffes himself gravely to the Common-Council, on the fubject matter of their intended Addrefs, and treats of the manner in which they ought to make their approaches to the throne, as the principal object of his attention, citris plain, by the fequel, that this is done by way of vehicle only, for the more eafy and effectual conveyance of a medicine, which he would have us believe is the only true catholicon for the disorders of the times. In fhort, this occafional author takes particular care (p. 5) not to be mistaken for one of thofe gentlemen, who are patriots through their indigence, and whofe declamations are their fubfiftence; and fo far forgets his watch-making charact even in the only page in which he makes use of it, as to offer the ufe of his poor abilities to Mr. Fowke, in cafe his affair fhould become a matter of national enquiry: which muft imply, he has the honour to fit in one of the houses, at leaft for national enquiries can be made no where elfe; nor, on fuch an occafion, could his abilities be elsewhere ferviceable. What the ingredients are which compose this catholicon of his, it is fit fhould be unfolded in his own words, which here follow:

:

Our patriot writers unanimoufly declare for turning out all ⚫the great officers of ftate, at prefent in the adminiftration. This propofal hath too much violence in it; nor is it eafily practi cable. It thath an air of party, which would prevent its own good effects, if it were carried into execution. It would probably continue an unseasonable, and therefore deftructive oppofition. Nor, for the honour of our country, would I willingly afk, whether, if all thefe gentlemen were turned out, we have others of more unblemished integrity, and more acknowleged abilities, to fill all their places, However, there are too gentlc⚫ men of apparent fuperiority to all others in either party. They ⚫ have both continued long in offices of greatest truit and power, with unfufpected reputation. They differed last year in their

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judgment of public meafures. Their conteft was maintained with a warmth, which might naturally rife from their mutual conviction. Their reconciliation is now become neceffary to the welfare, perhaps, to the very being of their country. If their conteft was of virtue, they will eafily be reconciled. Great ⚫ fpirits cannot long maintain little refentments, and if the love of country be their prevailing paffion, it will fubdue all others; for in effect there is but one paffion in the heart of man. Their common friends may propofe and fettle the terms of their union; but the nation, in these her diftreffes, calls upon them, implores, conjures, I had almost faid, commands them to unite. • She hath more than enough to gratify their perfonal ambition ; enough to indulge them in obliging and making happy their mutual friends,

Permit me, Gentlemen, nor is it wholly foreign to the pur pofe of this Letter, permit me to mention fome of thofe advan· tages, which, I am perfuaded, will arife from this union. If they are each of them fuperior to every other man, most capable of ferving the public; if they were fingly opposed to each other last winter, who shall be able to form an oppofition against ⚫ them when united? The measures neceffary to retrieve the honour of the nation, will eafily then be carried into execution: not diftreffed by midnight debates, which not only fruitlessly confumed fo many valuable hours, but, must have rendered the fpeakers liftlefs and inattentive to next day's business. If they are not wholly inexcufable, in throwing away the winter in these unprofitable debates, let us remember, that one of these gentlemen was actuated by the human refentment of being turned out of his employment; nor can we fuppofe him lefs fenfibly affected for his friends. The other probably imagined, if he could excufe the, meafures of the minifter, for instance, the Heffian treaty, he might have influence enough over him to direct ⚫ him afterwards to better counfels. But fuch is the gratitude of ambition, that this gentleman must have been long fince convinced, he was miftaken in his hopes; and that a man so tenaçious of governing, as obftinately to hold his power amidst the errors, or let us call them the misfortunes, of his adminiftration; amidst the dangerous refentments of the people, will never admit a partner in his administration. For if we know any thing of this gentleman, fearfulness, and timidity is no part of his character, from whence we may believe he had no fhare in the late timid expedients, by which Minorca, was loft. But, indeed, what fhare of power or confidence could, he expect, who was at once feared, and hated.'

Where indications are fo ftrong, labels are unneceffary: then as to the Medicine itself, it does not become, us to pronounce, whether the palate, the ftomach, or the conftitution of the patient would bear it; and whether it can be adminiftred, or not, even the prefcriber himself does not seem to have fufficiently con

fidered

JO POLITICAL.

ly grommpboo 295 fidered. Divide and govern is an old maxim; and it must be owned, this is no bad graft upon it. But party-policy is one thing, and public good another; and the interesting question to 15the community, is not, Who fhall govern us? but whether we can be governed better? And if fo, by what means?

or

IV. German Politics; the Modern Syftem examined and refuted; wherein the natural ftrength of Germany and France are compared ; the nature of the balance of power explained; and our inability to maintain, in our prefent circumftances, a war on the continent, is demonftrated. 8vo. 2s. Doughty.

This is merely a new edition of a pamphlet firft published in the year 1745.

IV. An Impartial View of the Conduct of the Miniftry, &c. In answer to the many invidious attacks of the Pamphleteers, &c. 8vo. Is, Robinfon.

C

We have here a performance which deferves a more than ordinary attention. Never were attacks of this kind made with more

violence and never did great perfons attacked discover more con

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tempt, either for the matter they contained, or the confequences they might produce. The candid and confiderate, however, who defired to be informed of the merits of the cafe, by a full and fair hearing of both fides, could not help wishing for fuch a Reply, as might furnish them with the premifes they wanted: Such a Reply they thought was due to the public; and if not offered at all, they juftly apprehended the rafh and cenforious would be glad to infer, it was, becaufe none fatisfactory could be offered. Such a Reply is now before them; for tho' it is called an Impartial View, it is, in effect, a Party-Vindication :— founded on peculiar informations and inftructions, as as we are, in more than one place, given to underfland; and from thence it derives its importance..

The two great points propofed by the Author to be examined, are there:

1. Whether the minifters have acted upon principles of true patriotifm, and found policy? and in cafe any miscarriages may have happened, whether they are not to be attributed more to chance, and the want of that unattainable fore-knowlege, not in the power of man to acquire, than any defect in their capacities? And,

2. Whether feditious fpirits, who may have propagated infa/mous reports, to the minifter's prejudice, are to be credited upon their fimple evidence, in oppofition to facts, reafor, and their concomitant arguments?

Of the intelligence on which this performance is founded, the Reader is defired to accept the, following specimens.

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Our