the particular occafion on which it was written. But that intention (if we give any credit to the anecdote with which it is introduced to the reader) having been obviated, and the work being both temporary and local, the occafion, perhaps, in a great measure, forgotten, and the circumstances at any time intelligible but to a few, the papers, of course, were no longer worth preferving ;-at least, not worth committing to the prefs.-They have, however, as we fee, by fome means or other, been fnatched from the hand of Oblivion; and here they are offered to the public, under the odd title of a Political Romance: which feems to befit them as well as if they had been called Memoirs of a Mouse-trap. The occafion which gave birth to this little allegorical performance, is thus pointed out by the anonymous Editor: For fome time Mr. Sterne lived in a retired manner, upon a small curacy in Yorkfhire, and probably would have remained in the fame obfcurity, if his lively genius had not difplayed itself upon an occafion which fecured him a friend, and paved the way for his promotion. A perfon who filled a lucrative benefice, was not fatisfied with enjoying it during his own lifetime, but exerted all his intereft to have it entailed upon his wife and fon, after his decease. The gentleman who expected the reverfion of this poft, was Mr. Sterne's friend, who had not, however, fufficient influence to prevent the fuccefs of his adverfary. At this time Sterne's fatirical pen operated fo ftrongly, that the intended monopolizer informed him, if he would fupprefs the publication of his farcafm, he would refign his pretenfions to the next candidate.' The title of this piece, it appears, was to have been, The Hif tory of a good warm Watch-coat, with which the present Poffeffor is not content to cover his own Shoulders, unless he can cut out of it a Petticoat for his Wife, and a Pair of Breeches for his Son.'-The pamphlet was fuppreffed, and the reverfion took place. The piece is written more in the manner of Swift than of Sterne's other humorous productions; or, perhaps, it may be confidered as an imitation of the admirable Memoirs of P. P. Clerk of this Parish,' written by Pope. Art. 54. The Hiftory of Paraguay. Containing, among many other new, curious, and interefting Particulars of that Country, a full and authentic Account of the Establishments formed there by the Jefuits, &c. Written originally in French, by the celebrated Father Charlevoix. 8vo. 2 Vols. 8 s. 6d. Boards. L. Davis. 1769. The character of Charlevoix and his writings being fo univerfally known †, and so much having alfo, lately, been communicated to our Readers, relating to Paraguay, and the Jefuits, we think it needlefs to enter particularly into the contents of the prefent publication; of which we fhall, therefore, only add, that those who have not read the original work, at large, will find confiderable entertainment in the This account is copied from the anecdotes of his life lately publifhed by another anonymous hand, + His accounts of Hifpaniola, of Japan, and of Canada, are in every library of confequence in Europe. Particularly in our two laft Appendixes. perufal perufal of this abftract §: but, if they would carefully avoid being, in any inftances, mifled by the good Father's pious partiality to his order, they muft make the requifite allowances for his religion, his country, and his connexions. Art. 55. The Fox unkennelled; or, The Paymaster's Accounts laid open. Art. 56. Anti-Midas: a Jubilee Prefervative from unclaffical, ignorant, falfe, and invidious Criticifm. 4to. I s. 6d. Pyne. We have found it difficult to fpeak with certainty of the defign and character of this piece. On perufing a few pages, at the beginning, we fufpected that the Author intended to attack the Ode, in fomewhat of the ftyle and manner of our worthy friend SCRIBLERUS; but on proceeding farther, it rather appeared that his meaning was, to defend Mr. Garrick's performance, againft certain criticisms which have appeared in the news-papers. Had the Author been a declared enemy, Mr. G. we dare fay, would have fmiled at his efforts; but nothing, furely, is fo vexatious, as the Marplot-like officioufnefs of an injudicious friend! The ambiguous countenance of this production reminds us of a ftory told of the late Mr. Rich, the manager of Covent Garden theatre. An Author who had left the manufcript of a new play with Mr. R. waited on him to know what acceptance the piece was likely to meet with: "Sir!" faid the Bard, in a moft obfequious attitude, "have you perused my play?” “ "Yes," replied R. deliberately, fnuffing up his rappee, firft at one noftril, then at the other, "I have read it:-but-pray-Mr. -, is this your comedy, or your tragedy?" SERMONS. I. The Blefjedness attending the Memory of the Juft, represented-at Hackney in Middlefex, Nov. 12, on the Death of the Rev. Mr. Fimothy Laugher, who died Oct. 29, 1769. By Andrew Kippis, D. D. To which is added, the 'Address delivered at the Interment; by John Palmer. I S. Buckland. II. A Farewell Sermon, at Trinity Church, Leeds, Nov. cth, 1769. By James Scott, B. D. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Crowder, &c. III. In the Cathedral of Sarum, before the Governors of the General Infirmary, at the Anniversary Meeting, Sept. 29, 1769. By the Right Rev. Charles Lord Bishop of St. David's. Nicoll. IV. In the Cathedral at Lincoln, before the Governors of the County Hofpital, on its being opened for the Reception of Patients, Nov. 9, 1769. By George Stinton, D. D. Chancellor of the Church of incoln, and Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Rivington, &c. V. At the Separation of the Rev. Mr N. Phene to the Paftoral Office, in the Church of Christ at Hertford, Nov. 15, 1769. By Thomas Towle, B. D. With an introductory Difcourfe, by John Angus. Pearch. 1 S. § original was printed in three large quartos, and publihed in France, about twelve years ago. COR WE E have been favoured with a letter from the Editor of The Letters fuppofed to have passed between St Evremond and Waller, in which he fays, The Reviewer of that work has made fome mistakes which I am perfuaded you will have the juftice to rectify. He charges the Editor with the difguftful artifice of paying compliments to himfelf, under the affumption of his characters. He was too hafty in his animadverfion; thofe letters are fometimes apologized for, but never praised. The Editor was incapable of fuch a filly vanity; the mutual compliments that appear in thofe letters, are founded on the well-known merits of the respective characters, allude to their writings, or arife from their lives-thus Waller tells St. Evremond, that his misfortunes fhew how elegantly he can complain. [See St. Evremond's works paffim.] Thus St Evremond compliments Waller on his fuperior wit and understanding.' "The Reviewer reckons, among other fictions in this work, the ftory of Grammont's marriage with the Lady Hamilton, but this is not a fiction. The Editor had this anecdote from a perfon of great diftinction, to whom it was communicated by those who well knew the family.' In answer to this charge the Reviewer fays, that he has not imputed the compliments paid by the Editor of the letters to himself as an artifice; but has obferved only, that in reciprocal commendations of the letters by the writer of both parts of the fuppofed correfpondence, there is fomething difgufting. He found in a plaintive letter from St. Evremond to Waller, and in a confolatory letter of Waller to St. Evremond, this exprefiion, Your misfortunes fhew how elegantly you can complain. This has fufficiently the appearance of a compliment to the letter-writer, to produce difguft, and may with as much propriety be referred to the letter written for St. Evremond, as to any paffages fcattered among the letters he wrote for himself. In reply to Waller, St. Evremond, among other things, tells him that he is the moft engaging friend he ever found, and immediately refers to his laft letter for illustration and proof. The words are these : So kind and yet fo perplexing, fo engaging and yet so volatile a friend, have I never found. From the beginning of your last letter I expected nothing less than a ferious lecture in practical philofophy-— but we have hardly got to the end of one fentence, till the philofopher, inftead of inftructing his friend how to bear with misfortune, writes an encomium on misfortune itself ' If this is not a compliment paid to Waller, in confequence of the letter written for him, it is impoffible to write one. How ingenious,, lively, and pleafing muft the letter be, that difplays an engaging volatility without example, and can at once excite perplexity, admiration, and delight! But the Reviewer has reckoned, among other fic. tions, the ftory of Grammont's marriage with the Lady Hamilton, which is not a fiction. This he confeffes; but if it is a fault to be ignorant of what it was impoffible he fhould know, he humbly conceives that the Editor of the letters himself is not innocent. Every body does not learn anecdotes from perfons of great diftinction, and he hopes it will be generally allowed, that to conclude a fact which had not been recorded, and which was found among fictitious facts, to be itself a fiction, was to conclude rationally.. The Editor of the letters hints, that there are other ftrictures in the Review which might eafily be fet afide; if he will point them cut, they shall be confidered, and, if not defenfible, given up. .8 APPENDIX TO THE MONTHLY REVIEW, VOLUME the FORTY-FIRST. FOREIGN LITERATUR E. ART. I. Les Saifons, Poëme. The Seafons, a Poem. 12mo. Amfterdam, 1769. TH HIS volume, befides The Seafons, contains feveral little pieces by the fame Author which have been published before; they confift of what the French call pieces fugitive, three tales, called, L'Abenaki, Sara Th- and Ziméo; and fome oriental fables. As the poem only is new, we fhall take no further notice of the rest. It is impoffible to convey a perfect idea of a poem in any language but that in which it is written; becaufe no perfect idea can be conveyed without extracts; and extracts in a verfion rather exhibit the tranflator's abilities, than thofe of the author. Our Readers, however, may form fome judgment of the merit of The Seafons, by the Author's idea of his fubject, as it appears in a preliminary difcourfe, which will fuffer little by a tranflation, and which is, perhaps, one of the beft effays on paftoral poetry extant: for both thefe reafons, we fhall give it entire. I have here fubmited to the judgment of the public, a work of a new fpecies, fuch at least as hath not hitherto been attempted in our language. Many perfons, eminent as well for taste as literature, have thought that neither the particulars of rural nature, nor rural life, could be exhibited in French verse: but when I began my poem, I had made few reflections; I was young, and what thefe perfons thought impoffible, appeared to me not even to be difficult. • As As I was bred up in the country, where I faw the people who were employed in the cultivation of it happy, nothing occurred in my infancy but rural objects, and men content with their condition. I had obferved, very early in life, the revolutions, the phænomena, the beauties and the bounty of nature; nor could I obferve them with indifference. I was delighted with the rural pictures which I found in the writings of Ovid, Virgil, Lucretius, and Horace; and I was prompted by that pleasure to imitate them. I began to write verfes, and the beautiful colours of a fine evening, the fplendor and freshness of the morning, and the pleasures of a good harvest, were my fubjects. My age was the time when what we love naturally flows into verfe. I had pleafure in painting fuch objects as forcibly ftruck me; I had a paffion for this kind of painting, and if I have mistaken paffion for talents, I have erred in common with many artists who deferve at least the indulgence of the public. The compofing, and the hearing of poetry, gives pleasure to every man in proportion to his fenfibility. There are few young people who have not written verfes: and there is not a tribe of favages in America or Africa, a herd of barbarians in Afia, or a polished nation in Europe, without poets and poetry. The inhabitants of a fertile country, and temperate climate, were the first that cultivated rural poetry: Daphnis and Theocritus were Sicilians. Among happy people, whofe employments were embittered neither by toil nor anxiety, men who were born with a genius for poetry, celebrated the quiet felicity which they enjoyed: their theme was their pleafures, of which it was impoffible to fpeak without fpeaking of nature, from whence they were derived they were pleased with their condition, of which they contemplated the circumstances; they felt an interest in them all, and there were no particulars of a pastoral or rural life, which they judged unworthy of their fong: they had no idea of any other nature than that which fupplied their wants, nor of any other characters or manners than those of the relations, the friends, and neighbours that were dear to them their pictures were as fimple as their manners; they were juft, though they were ruftic; they painted with exactnefs, and even with grace, but they painted for themfelves: to fhepherds their poems were delightful, but they pleafed lefs thofe who were ac cuftomed to the refinements of artificial life. When many fmall nations were fwallowed up in one great one; when war and luxury fucceeded to the quiet and fimplicity of rural life, the peasants began to fuffer oppreffion, thote who |