Snatch'd from the fource whence their existence role, Anne fatis eft, Lector? fi plus velis, cape Libellum. Art. 15. Matthæi Prioris Alma Libri tres Latino verfus donati Opera et ftudio Thomæ Martin, A. B. &c. 8vo. I S. Hawes, &c. Had Prior's Alma been originally written in Latin verfe, a good reafon might have been given for tranflating it into English; but why Mr. Martin has given himself the trouble to turn it out of a living language into a dead one, we cannot fo eafily conceive. If he did it in order to embellish Prior's thoughts, by the fuperiority of claffical expreffion, we doubt he has mifcarried in his defign. Art. 16. The late Administration epitomised; an Epifle to the Right Hon. William Pitt, Efq; 4to. Is. Bathoe. Worfe, a thousand times worfe, if poffible, than the Bell-man's veríes. Art. 17. A Song to David. By Chriftopher Smart, M. A. Fletcher, 4to. Is. From the fufferings of this ingenious Gentleman, we could not but expect the performance before us to be greatly irregular; but we shall certainly characterife it more juftly, if we call it irregularly great. There is a grandeur, a majefty of thought, not without a happiness of expreffion in the following ftanzas. Sublime-invention ever young, Of vaft conception, tow'ring tongue, Notes from yon exaltations caught, O'er meaner strains fupreme. His mufe, bright angel of his verse, For all the pangs that rage; Bleft light ftill gaining on the gloom, He fung of God, the mighty fource On which all ftrength depends; From From whofe right arm, beneath whofe eyes, Commences, reigns, and ends. The world, the clufte ing fpheres he made, The multitudinous abyfs, Where fecrely remains in blifs, Tell them, I AM, Jehovah faid There is fomething remarkably great, and altogether original, in the last quoted ftanza. We meet with fome paffages, however, in this performance that are almoft, if not altogether, unintelligible. Few Readers probably will: fee into the Author's reafon for diftinguishing his feven pillars or monuments of the fix days creation, by the feven Greek letters he hath felected. Thefe, we conjecture, are made choice of, as confecrated for the following reasons. Alpha and Omega, from a well-known text in the Revelation. Iota, Eta, and Sigma, because they are used to fignify our Saviour, on altars and pulpits. Theta, as being the initial of Osos. God; and Gamma, as denoting the number three, held facred by fome Christians, Our Poet's allufions alfo, in this little piece, relate frequently to fubjects too little known, and far fetched. Thus, For adoration beafts embark," &c. We remember to have fomewhere read, a ftrange ftory of a certain quadruped which puts to fea on a piece of timber, in order to prey on fish. But we have no account of fuch embarkation in any natural Hiftorian of credit. Again, For adoration, in the fkies, The Lord's Philofopher efpies The Dog, the Ram, the Rofe. Now it is poffible that many of his Readers may not know any thing of a conftellation called the Rofe; which is a name given it by a particular Aftronomer, inftead of another much better known. It would be cruel, however, to infift on the flight defects and fingu larities of this piece, for many reafons; and more especially, if it be true, as we are informed, that it was written when the Author was denied the use of pen, ink, and paper, and was obliged to indent his lines, with the end of a key, upon the wainscot. Art. 18, The Prophecy of Genius. Infcribed to the Reverend Author of the Prophecy of Famine. 4to. 6d. Cabe. Abufes Churchill for being abufive. Like the old woman who apo logised logifed to the Lady for her daughter's unpolite delivery of a meffage: • Indeed, Madam, fays fhe, I'm forry to fay it; but Nanny has no more manners than my —.' Art. 19. The rural Conference, a Paftoral. Infcribed to Mr. C. Churchill. 4to. Is. 6d. Williams. An abfurd medley of poetry, politics, love, and lampoonery. The Author abuses Lord Bute most outrageously: but that Nobleman may think himself well off, that so mean a Writer did not take it into his head to draw the pen in his Lordship's defence. In that cafe, the Earl would have been fcandalized indeed: at prefent, nobody's reputation will fuffer, except the Author's. Art. 20. Ode on the Duke of York's fecond Departure from England, as Rear Admiral. Written aboard the Royal George, by the Author of the Shipwreck. 4to. 1s. Millar. There is no fpecies of writing requires fo much delicacy and art as panegyric; nor any kind of poetry more nice and difficult than the Ode: if our ingenious Bard, therefore, hath not fucceeded fo well on this, as on a former, occafion, it must not be imputed to the want of poetical abilities in general. He feems to poffefs all the native fire and fenfibility of true genius; there is an ease and dexterity, however, as well as a kind of artificial propriety, to be acquired in the practice of every art; and which, we doubt not, by application, and a little critical information, our Author may attain. His friends will probably inform him of thofe exceptionable fhort rhymes and fplay-footed lines, into which he hath, in all probability, been led by preceding OdeWriters: we shall only quote the concluding paffage of his poem, relative to himself and patron: No happy fon of wealth or fame, To court a royal Patron came! Was one fad lengthen'd tale of woe, The tale your facred pity mov❜d; Then touch my ftrings, ye bleft Pierian Quire! Perhaps the Chief to whom I fing, And tune to war the nervous ftring. Tho Tho' all the powers of genius he poffefs, With daring pencil can display The fight that thunders on the wat❜ry way, To him, my Mufe, these warlike trains belong! Art. 21. The Poetical Calendar, &c. Vol. III. for March. 12mo. Is. 6d. Coote. This volume contains fome tolerable pieces; particularly the Kite, a mock heroic poem, written by Dr. Bacon: of which, with feveral other pieces, Meffieurs Fawkes and Woty have plundered the Gentleman's Magazine. MISCELLANEOU S. Art. 22. A Repertory of the Endowments of Vicarages in the Diocefe of Canterbury. By Andrew Coltee Ducarel*, L. L. D. F. R. S. and F. S. A. Commiffary of the City and Diocese of Canterbury. 4to. 2s. Rivington. This performance is given as a specimen of the method which the Editor propofes to follow, in a general Repertory, or Lift, of the Endowments of Vicarages throughout the kingdom; a work intended, fays the learned Editor, for the fervice both of Vicars and of their Parithioners. The former, he obferves, ufually come into their Livings unacquainted with the particulars of their legal incomes; most of which being fmall and unfufficient, they are thence fometimes tempted to demand more than their dues. While, on the other hand, those who should pay them, take advantage of the Minifter's ignorance or doubt concerning his rights, and refufe to acknowlege them. The difcoveries of Endowments, therefore, he conceives, will tend, not only to the right determination of law-fuits, but to the prevention of them, by fhewing both parties, to what they are entitled: and thus, will be of common benefit, to the Clergy, as well as to Impropriators, and to the reft of the Laity. For thefe reafons, he hopes the public will approve this fpecimen of his undertaking; that the feveral Bishops would favour him with the names, and dates, of all Endowments in their refpective Registries; and that the fame affittance will be given him by fuch of the Nobility, Clergy, and Gentry, as have in their cuftody ancient records of any kind, in which Endowments are entered.、 Author of a Differtation on fome Anglo-Gallic Coins; fee Review, vol. XIX. page 305. Art. 23. The Rudiments of Mufic; or, a fhort and eafy Treatife en that Subject. The third Edition; with confiderable Additions; particularly Inftructions for Song; and a Plan for Teaching a Number of People collectively, the Four Parts of Pfalmody. By Robert Bremner. To which is annexed, a Collection of the beft best Church Tunes, Canons, and Anthems. Small 8vo. 25. Printed for the Author, at the Harp and Hautboy in the Strand. Though there have been two former inpreffions of this little treatise, as appears by the title, yet this being the first publication of it in London, it has fome claim to our notice. Any perfon who is capable of the leaft perception of harmony, or knowlege of mufic as a fcience, cannot but be fenfible what must be the effect of a number of people joining to make a noife, under the notion of praifing God, without having any fettled principles to govern their voices, or to regulate their time: and under the conduct of a Leader who has none for himself, beyond a conceited caprice, ever altering for the worfe Such was the ftate of Pfalmody lately in Scotland, when a respectable committee, compofed of the principal Magistracy of Edinburgh, undertook a reformation of church-mufic. These Gentlemen felected a number of pfalm-tunes, which, with a proper introduction to mufic, were by their appointment published by Mr. Bremner, then living at Edinburgh. The great fale of this work, and the effects of it in general, gave the beft fanction to the undertaking and execution. Mr. Bremner having now opened a mufic-fhop in London, has pub. lifhed a new edition of his work, for the benefit of English congregations; many of which, both of the establishment and the diffenters, may, we apprehend, confiderably improve their pfalmody, by attending to the very plain and practical rules contained in this judicious tract. Art. 24. The Jefts of Beau Nafh, late Mafter of the Ceremonies at Bath. 8vo. Is. Briftow. There is great difference between telling a story, and printing it. In the latter cafe, we miss the arch look, the expreffive tone, and the fignificant gefture, the effential falt and feafoning, without which, the weil-told tale, the fmart repartee, and the humourous jeft, are infipidly' repeated on paper. Few are able to write, though many can hit off, a joke viva voce, with tolerable fuccefs; and there is no doubt but Nafh himfelf, who probably threw out many of the bons mots here published, with that native pleasantry and humour, which could not fail to raife the laugh, or work whatever effect he intended, would have made no better figure in print than the humble Editor of his " Witty Sayings." "Some of thefe jelts, fays the Editor, have, indeed, been often repeated in company, and a few of them have found their way into fome novels; but none, that I know of, have ever been inferted in the books of Jefls."And if a great number of thofe which are inferted in this bock had been left out of it, the public stock of wit and humour would have fuftained very little diminution. Some of the repartees and jefts, however, are paffable enough; of which the two following are inferted as fpecimens. Mr Nafh being one day at a public entertainment, where a Gentleman was prefent who fat feveral hours without fpeaking a fyllable; and, as from the character of the perfon, there was great reafon to fufpect that his filence was owing to a fupercilious contempt of the com pany, |