being that which is engraven by the hand of God himself on the hearts of mankind." Such are the fentiments of this anonymous Author, who is no contemptible writer, though we cannot be altogether of his opinion, with regard to the feverity of the profecutions carried on against Mr. Rouffeau. Art. 21. L'Eleve de la Nature. The Pupil of Nature. 12mo. 2 vols. Paris. 1764. Imported by Becket and De Hondt. This is an entertaining Romance of a very fingular kind: the hero is a youth, who is brought up, or rather confined in a cage, till he is three and twenty years old; at which time he is firft taught to fpeak, and introduced to the knowledge of the world and of mankind. This performance is divided into two parts: in the firft of which the author proposes to point out the means of forming a good man, happy in the poffeffion of himself; and in the fecond to render fuch good man ftill happier in making him a good citizen. There is fomething ingenious and philofophical in the defign, as well as in the execution of this romantic work; the author, however, appears to have attended too little to the method in which we originally acquire our ideas, to give us any high opinion of his abilities as a philofoper. Art. 22. L'Homme en Société, ou nouvelles Vues politiques et œconomiques pour portér le Population au plus haut degré en France. The Man of Society; or political and economical Views respecting the Increase of Population in France. 8vo. 2 vols. Amfterdam. The means prescribed by this writer chiefly regard the internal police of a state, a circumftance to which the French government hath ever paid a particular attention. Our author points out, nevertheless, a confiderable number of defects, and some of them in their best inftitutions. How many might not he have difcovered in the police of the cities, towns, and counties of England; where almost every evil of this kind is left to work its own remedy; or, if it rifes to a great excefs, is checked by an act of parliament, frequently more deftructive in its confequences than the evil itself! Art. 23. Daniel in Der Lewer Grube, &c. Daniel in the Lion's Den; a Poem, in fix Cantos. By M. F. C. de Mofer. 1763. Nothing is more common, than for one or two good productions in any fpecies of writing, to give rife to a multiplicity of imitations; which generally grow worse and worse, in a tedious fucceffion, till an end is put to their impertinence, by their becoming totally contemptible. The fuccefs of a Gelner and a Klopflock, in lately treating some scriptural fubjects in harmonious profe, seems to have fet all the German poetafters to work, at their mongrel profaic verfe; a method of writing for which great beauty of fentiment might poffibly atone, but nothing fhould recommend to imitation. We do not mean by these reflections to condemn condemn Mr. Mofer's work as totally deftitute of poetical beauties: Yet after a perufal of the authors above mentioned, we cannot but be very fenfible of the mediocrity of the prefent performance: not but that it is very poffible it may give fufficient encouragement for fome other Ger. man ftudent to favour us with a fimilar poem on the fiery furnace, and the fingular adventure of Shadrach, Mefhech, and Abednego. Art. 24. Entretiens de Phocion fur le Rapport de la Morale avec la politique. The Difcourfes of Phocion, an Athenian General, on the Connection between Politics and Morals. Tranflated from the Greek of Nicocles, with Remarks. 12mo. 1763. This fuppofed tranflation from the ancient Greek is a modern origimal; it makes the Grecian general declaim on the various fubjects of laws, manners, the principles of polity, the particular interests of states, and the general good of mankind. Art. 25. Dorina Nove Hierofolymæ de Domino, &c. The Doctrine of the New Jerufalem, refpecting the Lord. To which are added, The Doctrine of the New Jerufalem concerning the Scriptures.-The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerufalem, taken from the Decalogue.-The New Jerufalem Doctrine of Faith.-The Continuation of the laft Judgment, and of the fpiritual World. 4to. 1764 We have here one of the most extraordinary publications that perhaps ever appeared: notwithstanding, among the many ordinary ones we are pettered with, we frequently meet with fome that are very fingular. Our readers may have heard of theatrical pieces being exhibited by their Majefties command, and at the particular defire of feveral perfons of quality; but we prefume they have never heard before of a book being published by the exprefs command of the Lord. At least, we remember to have heard of but one performance, viz. the tracts of the divine Herbert, that was ever honoured by fuch an imprimatur. Our anonymous Author, however, may poffibly be poffeffed of this peculiar privilege; as we find he is himself an occafional inhabitant of the New Jerufalem. It is now feveral years ago, he fays, that he published five other treatifes on the following fubjects, viz. on the nature of heaven and hell; on the New Jerufalem; on the laft judgment; on the white horfe; on the planets, and the different worlds in the univerfe: in which treatises he communicated to the Chriftian world, a number of profound and important fecrets. We fear, however, the Chriftian world hath been but little edified by these tracts; as we do not remember to have ever heard of them before: but perhaps they were published in our Author's new Jerufalem, for the benefit of the good Chriftians in that part of the universe.-Nay, reader, don't think we treat this writer with any unbecoming irony: other Theologues may think what they will of the New Jerufalem, and make what diftinction they please between the church militant and church triumphant; our Author affures us, that there is no difference between his fpiritual world and ours: the New Jerufalem Jerufalem being a perfect reprefentation of the prefent ftate of Chriftendom; the fouls of the departed, eating, drinking, and behaving at least as much like Chriftians there, as we do among one another here. That we may not be fuppofed alfo to mifconftrue, or mifreprefent him, take his own words for the truth of thefe particulars. "Homo eft homo æque poft mortem, et talis homo ut non fciat aliter quam quod adhuc fit in priori mundo, videt, audit, loquitur ficut in priori mundo; ambulat, currit, fedet, ficut in priori mundo; edit et bibit, ficut in priori mundo; dormit et evigilat, ficut in priori mundo; delitio conjugiali fruitur, ficut in priori mundo," &c. It is about nineteen years, according to our Author, fince first he obtained the privilege of making his excurfions into the fpiritual world, or into thofe regions whither all men go after death, and remain till they are finally carried up to heaven or plunged down into hell. Thefe regions he defcribes as exactly fimilar to the countries upon earth; being diverfified with hills and dales, feas and rivers, forests and gardens, just like France and England. To different nations, however, he allots different departments in this his world of fpirits. As to the Englifh, who are doubtlefs greatly obliged to this writer for his good opinion, he places them in the centre of it; becaufe, fays he, they think more freely than any other people on earth, and ought to have a diftinguished place in the New Jerufalem. For thefe, therefore, he hath erected two large cities, each about as big as London; both which he knows very well, having frequently walked about their streets. He doth not inform us, however, whether they are paved in imitation of the narrow lanes of London, or the broad streets of Westminster. As to the Dutch, they are not fituated quite in the center; they are nevertheless tolerably comfortable; wear as many breeches, are as much fubject to their wives, and love money just as much as they did on earth. Among the many celebrated perfonages of our Author's acquaintance in his New Jerufalem, he informs us he faw Luther and Calvin; of whom the former was in but a very fcurvy fituation, though the latter spent a very agreeable life, because he recommended, with St. James, the addition of works to faith. As to poor Melanchton, who preferred faith to works, our Author tells us, he is lodged in a place not a whit better than a dog-kennel; and that withal fo confoundedly cold, that he is obliged to wrap himself up in a bear's fkin, for fear of being starved to death. During one of his vifits, our Author had the honour to be introduced to that celebrated monarch Lewis XIV. who is confiderably respected there, for his good government over the French nation; he happened, indeed, to come into the prefence chamber jult in the nick of time, when this monarch was telling his courtiers, that he had been taking a tour to Paris, in order to advife his fucceffor, not to admit of the Bull Unigenitus, as it muft neceffarily prove deftructive to his people. -We have, in this circumftance, another inftance of the fecrecy with which matters are carried on at the court of Verfailles. Not a fyllable tranfpired, or got into any of the Gazettes, about the apparition of Louis the XIV. having paid a vifit to his prefent Chriftian Majefty. And yet this conference happened on the 13th of December 1759, at eight a clock in the evening precifely; of which all future compilers of the French history are by us defired to take particular notice. As to our Author's theological tenets, they are almost as whimsical. as as his narrative of facts is chimerical and vifionary; there is, however, fo much fatirical fhrewdness intermixed with his obfervations and reflections, that we are fomething at a loss to form a judgment of his motives and defigns in regard to the publication of this ftrange farrago. Were we invefted, indeed, with the office of literary coroners, and fhould fummon a Middlesex jury to hold an inqueft on the body of this work, we make no doubt, Great wit to madness is so near allied, that they would be unanimous in bringing in their verdict, lunacy. Art. 26. Anti-Contract Social, dans lequel on refute d'une maniere, claire, utile et agreeable, les principes pofés dans le Contract Social de J. J. Rouffeau, Citoyen de Geneva. Par P. L. de Bauclair, Citoyen du Monde. The Social Compact refuted, in a precife, useful, and agreeable Manner. 8vo. Paris. 1764. The citizen of the world, who undertakes to refute the citizen of Geneva, in fo precife, useful, and agreeable manner, is one of the moft confufed, unedifying, and difagreeable writers we have ever met with. His performance indeed would not be worth mentioning, did it not ferve to enhance the juft reputation of Mr. Rouffeau; whofe treatife, if in any part defective, can only be fuccefsfully attacked by men of fuperior genius and understanding; which appears by no means to be the cafe with Mr. P. L. De Bauclair. Art. 27. Abregê Chronologique de Hiftoire generale d'Italie, depuis l'An. 476 jufqu'au Traité d'Aix la Chapelle, &c. A chronological Abridgment of the general Hiftory of Italy, from the Year 476 to the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle in 1748. By Mr. de St. Marc. 8vo. 8vo. Paris. 1763. Imported by Nourfe and Vaillant." This chronological abridgment is written in imitation of that of the hiftory of France by the celebrated Henault, and is extremely well executed. Art. 28. Le Pitture antiche d' Erculano e contorni incife, con qualche Spiegazioni, Tomo terzo. The antient Paintings discovered in Herculaneum, engraved on Copper-plates, with Explanations and Illuftrations. Vol. 3. Naples. 1763. This third volume of the engravings made after the pictures taken from out the ruins of Herculaneum, contains fixty plates, exhibiting a great variety of fymbolical and other figures. The most remarkable are, plate 2. a Bacchus finely coloured. The 11th, the three Graces naked, beautifully executed. The 28th, 29th, 20th, and 31ft, reprefenting feveral female dancers, in very graceful attitudes. The 3zd, and 33d, Faunufes and rope-dancers. The 37th, a Hermes with another Bacchus well coloured. 49th, Pfyche between two Cupids. The de 7 fcriptio: fcriptions and explanations of each plate, are ornamented by elegant Art. 29. Effai politique fur la Pologne. A political Effay on the prefent State of Poland. 8vo. Paris. This work is not ill written, but feems to be an hafty production, Art. 30. L'Efprit de la Religion Chretienne oppofe au Mœurs des The Spirit of the Chriftian Religion directly oppofite to the This is a fenfible and well-meant treatise; we could wish, however, Art. 31. Des veritables Interêts de la Patrie. The true Interefts of a Nation. Rotterdam. 1764. Contains a variety of fenfible and judicious observations on the inter- Art. 32. Philofophie Rurale, ou Economie generale et Politique Rural Philofophy, or the general and political Economy of There is fomething very empirical in the title-page of this work; 9 INDEX. |