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none. This opens too the grounds of that excellent caution, which the Apoftle administers to his early converts, against being feduced by the rudiments of this world; but • that vain Philofnphy, which was then working, and, as he ⚫ might easily forefee, would work afterwards incredible mifchief to the Christian Religion. Dr. Patten indeed steps in, ⚫ and tells us, that St. Paul had no fuch meaning, as we ⚫ afcribe to him; or, at least, that he did not mean the Græcian Elements only, but likewife thofe firft and fimple prin❝ciples of Reafon and Common Sense, which we have made the foundation of all Religion. But we may affure this "Doctor, that he knows as little of Human Nature, as he • does of the state of the world at the promulgation of Chrif tianity; or else he would fee the extreme propriety of the ⚫ admonition, in the sense we understand it. For the beft, ⚫ and indeed the only prefervative against vain Philofophy, is a • fober exertion of our Natural Powers, and a firm adherence ⚫to the dictates of Common Senfe: it would therefore have ⚫ been strange in St. Paul to have denied us the use of these • Powers, and to have bid us ftifle those common notions, that • refult from the exercise of them, if he meant to guard us. againft that Philofophy, which might probably feduce us from Christianity itself.

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Thus it appears from this general view of it under Plato and Ariftotle, how Chriftianity has fuffered by being re• moved from its proper bafis of Natural Religion, and by ⚫ being engrafted upon Syftems and Opinions. And were we to view it under the management of private men, who were not attached to any particular Philosophy, but yet • who deferted the principles of Nature and Reafon, we 'fhould find it undergoing ftill the fame fate. We fhould • find, for inftance, eminent Lights and venerable Fathers of the Church, miftaking it as grofsly, and enforcing it as ab< furdly, as if they had had no poffible means of difcovering what was the real Nature and End of its Inftitution. Thus we might fee Tertullian, at the conclufion of the fecond century, running out into all the wildnefs and frenzy of Enthusiasm, and inculcating such rigours for Chriftian duties, as were utterly incompatible with human life. We might fee the Fathers of the fourth century, fuch as Bafil, Chryfoftom, Athanafius, or Jerom, declaiming against marriage, establishing Monkery, and fending men to worship ⚫ at the tombs of martyrs. And we might fee the Fathers of ⚫ every fucceeding century, teaching fuch doctrines, and encouraging fuch fuperftitions, as have not only no relation REV. July, 1756,

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to Christianity, but plainly contradict the nature and defign of it. Now to what is it poffible to ascribe all this, but only to a defertion of Reason, or the dictates of Common • Sense?

And, What fhall we fay now to this Doctor of Ours, who has laboured with all his might to deftroy Natural Religion, to difcredit and explode the ufe of our intellectual powers, and to reprefent Reafon, or the dictates of Com• mon Senfe, as nothing better than the fuggeftions of the Devil? and what fhall we fay to the extreme propriety of his doing this in the face of an Univerfity; a place, originally inftituted for the improvement of Reason, and the culture of Common Senfe?'

We could have wifhed that our Author had not given his antagonists any reafon to complain of him, for omitting fome words in a citation from their writings. Speaking of Mr. Hutchinson, they fay, "That he never offended with his tongue, "never spoke with more warmth than was ftrictly justifiable, "we fay not." It should feem as if Mr. Heathcote looked upon this as denying that he ever did offend in the manner there related. So he has reprefented it in two places, p. 87, 99. If he understood "we fay not," as meaning, "we fay he did not"-tho' this makes the sentence as oracular as Aio te Eacidem Romanos vincere poffe,

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Yet, in justice, the whole paragraph should have been recited. However, he could not mean to reproach Mr. Hutchinson by it; for, on the contrary, he makes his disciples, by this reading, fpeak better of their master than they own he deserved.

MONTHLY

I.

CATALOGUE

For JULY, 1756.

POETICA L.

A New Tranflation of Telemachus, in English Verfe. By Gibbons Bagnall, Vicar of Home-Lacy, Herefordfhire. No. I. 12mo. 6d. Owen.

The merit of Archbishop Fenelon's Telemachus having been long established in Europe, we fhall only obferve, that it is fill difputed, among fome Critics, under what denomination that excellent work fhould pafs. Some maintain, that the Telemachus is a mere Romance, written, indeed, in the fpirit of anti-quity, but no poem: while the Chevalier Ramfay, and others, contend, that it is a poem, and only wanting in Numbers to

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make it a compleat Epic. Of this opinion is Mr. Bagnall; yet however highly he esteems the work, he thinks it capable of ⚫ fome improvement, from Harmony and Numbers. For want of this variety, (especially in the didactic parts, which frequently take up almost a whole book together) the fentiments, however excellent in themselves, are dry and tedious. To diverfify, and give a life to thefe, was one of the principal things I had in view; and what was attended with the greatest difficulty. It was like travelling for many miles over a dead flat, with no variety of profpect to entertain the fight. A • ftrict literal tranflation, in these cafes was not to be expected: · a paraphrafe was often neceffary, often unavoidable; and the * best Translatörs we have (even Mr. Pope, the Prince of them) ⚫ have given a fanction, by their practice, to this kind of liberty. It is fufficient, in works of this nature, if nothing inconfiftent ⚫ be introduced if we never deviate fo far as to lofe fight of our author."

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As the Archbishop had much recourfe to antiquity to embellish his work, the Tranflator has referred to thofe paffages, in his margin; and has not only felected notes from the different editions of Telemachus, but has now and then added a comment of his own.

For a specimen of the improvement that the Telemachus is likely to receive from Mr. Bagnall, we fhall, from this his first Number, prefent our Readers with his defcription of Calypfo, which is by no means the leaft beautiful paffage of the book.

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She faid. And compass'd with a beauteous band
Of Nymphs, obfequious to her great Command,
Herself the fairest; onward, led the way
Erect and taller by the head than they.

So the fair oak upon the fpacious plain,
Luxuriant Queen, extends her awful reign;
Pleas'd on the lawn her ample fhade to throw,
And nods fuperior to the fhrubs below.

Charm'd with her beauty, and becoming grace,
The heroe follow'd with fubmiffive pace.
Her robe, which true Sidonian dye declar'd,
Carelessly pendent from her neck appear'd.
Her treffes gathered in a knot behind,
Neglected fell, and wanton'd in the wind.
Her fparkling eyes Divinity confefs'd,
Join'd with a sweetness not to be exprefs'd.

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Altho' the preceptive part of Telemachus might gain fome advantage from Numbers, yet we doubt if this tranflation will fucceed. What the world admires in Fenelon, is his language; which Voltaire happily calls a cadenced profe; and if the Archbifhop is tedious in his descriptions, which the best judges are now agreed he is, we cannot expect to fee that fault rectified in the circumlocution of Rhyme.

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When Gentlemen have taken much pains to little purpose, and are likely to reap neglect inftead of applaufe, we always feel fome concern for their misfortune; but the principle from which our commiferation arifes, alfo prompts us, now and then, to throw out a friendly hint, that they may turn their attention to more profitable, or more fuccessful ftudies. It is not enough, that they have confulted their friends; for, in general, friends either cannot, or will not, tell them the truth; the bookfeller is generally the first who lets them into the unwelcome fecret.

Thefe confiderations have made us the lefs fevere on the tranflation of Telemachus; efpecially too, as the Author feems, by his preface, to be a man of good fenfe, and real modefty: of which our readers will be convinced when we inform them, that he frankly recommends his work only as a Narcotic, that may adminifter comfort to those who want fleep.

II. Britannia and the Gods in Council. A Dramatic Poem.

By Mr. Averay. 4to. 1s. Kinnerfley..

We are at fome lofs to fay, whether Mr. Averay has moft fuccefsfully imitated the manner of his great predeceffor Mr. Antient Piftol, or of the renowned Hurlothrumbo. In fome places he seems to have strongly caught the fpirit of the former, in others, of the latter; and, now and then, he even out-Hurloes the one, and out-Pillols the other. In a word, his performance feems fo well adapted to yield the highest delight, to every real admirer and judge of heroic-poetry, that we cannot do better justice between the Author and the Public, than to recommend it to every one who has tafte enough rightly ro relifh the following morfels which cannot fail to make the reader lick his lips, and long for the whole piece.

Britannia addreffes Jupiter.

O thou Supreme! unlimited in pow'r !
Who formdft and rowlft in the unbound abyfs,
From nothing glitt'ring the celeftial orbs,'-&c.
Thus much for invocation; now for a fimile.

Like gaping earthquakes lofty mountains gorg'ng'-
From Jupiter's charge to the inferior Gods, in council:
Therefore, ye Gods, who Gallia's cause espouse,
And ye, who Britain's warlike ifle intend

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In this affembly most auguft to fav'r
Proceed alternate, I your voice will hear-

Bacchus declares for France, on account of her wine; and avers, that
'To Love it is the beft and fureft friend
And to old age a cordial life-reftor'ng :-
Mars declares for Britain, and afferts, that

• One British warrior will in combat beat
Three ftouteft heroes of the Gallic race !'

Minerva is much in the fame fentiments. In her panegyric on the Britons, the informs Jupiter, that

Their fwords of pureft fteel, and horrid edge Well temper'd, flaming, they high circling wave, Then with diftended nerves, and fwifter force Revengeful ftrike, and cleave their foes afunder. O Rare Averay!

III. A British Philippic. Infcribed to the Right Hon. the Earl of Granville. 4to. Is. Kinnersley.

The Author of this poem is neither a Tyrtæus nor a Demofthenes; for inflead of ufing every motive to roufe the courage of his countrymen against their perfidious foes, he very coolly tells them, that

Th' immortal Bard,

Who fightless fung, in never dying ftrains,
Revolted Angels, and fair Eden's lofs,
In vain would ftrike his Epic lyre, to raise
Th' inactive spirit of this drowfy ifle,
To that unconquerable height, to which
Our venerable ancestry afpired.

Altho' we'may, without poffeffing the spirit of prophecy, prognof ticate, that the Numbers of our Briton and Bard [1. 42.] (were he ever fo fo well difpofed to infpirit us) will never transform a coward into a brave man, yet are we far from thinking, that the British Courage is fo greatly funk, as he reprefents it. Sure we are, if it is, this writer ought not fo publicly to have told us fo. A daftard may be impelled by praise, to fomething; but when told, that nothing is expected, his pufillanimity will never make an effort.But abitracting from this error of plan, the fentiments are, in general, juft, tho' common; and most of the characters are drawn with truth, tho' not with any masterly diftinctions. Some wit the poem certainly fhews, but little poetry; fome fatyr, but no elevation of fentiment. The diction never rises to the fublime, and is often unharmoniously profaic. The poem confifts of 321 lines, of which

'Mille die verfus deduci poffe.

At the beginning of the late Spanish war, we remember a British Philippic, which tho' no very extraordinary poem, yet furpaffed this. The following paffage, however, from the prefent production, merits fome attention.

See that affemblage of the fons of wealth,
Whofe pity and humanity extend

To dumb creation! With what coftly care
They ftudy to preserve the brutal race
From vulgar perfecution! Truly great
Were fuch benevolence, could their defign
Deferve fo laudable a name ! Alas!
What are they but monopolifts in blood,
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