of care. The purport of the prefent undertaking will, therefore, be found appertaining much more to fach parts of tabularian discipline, as come under the diftinction of NOVELTY, and not treated on in a direct way, than at all applicable to the investigation or cure of difeafe; unless in occafional allufions or medical references evidently branching from the fubject, and tending to corroborate and improve the intentional uniformity of the whole. It being the predominant with of the writer, to render this publication fuch kind of collateral appendage to THE STABLE DIRECTORY, as may conflitute in both, a complete chain of useful and entertaining inftruction for the improvement of the fpecies; their management in fickness or bealth, the field or stable, including, under diftin&t heads, fuch facts from experience and inferences from nature, as will, the author is earnestly induced to hope, procure him the approbation of thofe, by the fanction of whofe extenfive patronage he has been already so very highly honoured.' INTRODUCTION. We need fay nothing more, in addition to the remarks which wa made on the first volume of this work. See Rev. vol.lxxix. p.88. Art. 63. Terraquea; or, A New Syftem of Geography and Modera Hiftory. By the Rev. James Gordon, Vicar of Barragh, in Ireland. Vol. II. 8vo. pp. 383. 55. 3d. Boards. Dublin. London, Dilly. 1793.

From the preface to this continuation, it appears that the notice taken in our 6th volume, New Series, of the former part of the work has been diffatisfactory to the author. We pointed out a paffage in Chambers's Dictionary relative to the Baobab-tree, which oppofes an affertion of Mr. Gordon: we have fince learned, from Adanfon's Journey into Senegal, that Mr. G.'s is the more juft ftatement. We alfo intimated a preference of Guthrie's book, which still appears to us more compreffed and convenient: but we are well aware that the rapid accumulation of geographical knowlege may enable cur author, before the completion of his plan, to give accounts of many countries that will be very fuperior to thofe of Guthrie. Finally, our ftrictures were very fhort: which is inevitable at fome feafons when the prefs teems with productions, and forces us to incur great arrears with the public.

Of German literature Mr. G. thus fpeaks:

In works of fancy, wit, and humour, the Germans have had but little fuccefs; a brilliancy of imagination, though doubtless to be found in fome individuals, being by no means prevalent in genera among them. In dramatic writings they feem to have chiefly failed. Comedy appears not to be much their object, and tragedy, which oftener employs the pens of their writers, is commonly compofed in a bad tafte, the characters often unnatural, or extravagant, and the plots frequently bearing a tincture of barbarifm. The caufe of this failure is probably the want of encouragement; the French language prevailing in all the courts, and French plays exhibited in preference to German. In hiftory the Germans difplay far lefs of animation than accuracy and method, and contribute little to the pleafure, but much to the information of their readers; their compofitions on this fubject confifting mostly of dry matter of fact, without thofe pleafing reflections, and elegant defcriptions, which fo much

enliven

enliven the works of fome hiftorians, particularly the British. In geheral we may allow that where laborious inveftigation, fteady perfeverance, and cool judgment, are neceffary, the Germans are hardly furpaffed by any people; as in jurifprudence, and experimental philofophy, particularly chemistry, for the discoveries and improvements in which the world is highly indebted to German industry.'

We fhall repeat, in the words of our former article, that "the author's plan appears to be well executed;" and that his work is compiled from an extenfive reading of our modern voyagers and travellers." Tay.

Art. 64. An Addrefs, by Richard Worthington, M.D. to a difingenuous Writer for the Monthly Review. 8vo. 1s. Rivingtons. 1794The great increase, which a few years have lately produced in the number of publications in this country, has obliged us to make a material alteration in our method of performing our duty to the public. Even in our account of works of principal importance, we are often neceffitated to be much lefs liberal of extracts than formerly; and with refpect to inferior books, among which we must always rank fuch as treat on beaten topics without any novelty of argument or excellence of ftyle, we have found it impracticable to do more than barely offer, in a few words, a general opinion on the leading characters of each production. In this concife and, as it may be called, cenforial manner of criticizing, if we fhould fometimes be thought to affume an unbecoming tone of decifion, our apology is that we must otherwife be neceffitated either wholly to overlook many pieces which ought to be announced to the public, or to render many articles nothing more than a dull and uninterefting table of contents. If our larger articles, in which we ftate at fome length the grounds of our judgments on books, have not obtained for us fuch a degree of credit with the public, as to authorize us to give a general opinion on works which do not appear to us to merit, nor to require, a more particular examination, we have indeed laboured in the fields of literature, during more than forty years, to very little purpose.

The preceding remarks are not fo much intended as an answer to the Addrefs' now before us, as a juftification to the public of our conduct in having given what we judged a fair and impartial character of Dr. Worthington's fermens, without loading our pages with heavy quotations. On revifing the article, and comparing it with Dr. W.'s ftrictures, we cannot difcover the fmalleft reafon to retract our judgment, nor to foften the terms in which it is expreffed. To the charge of difingenuity we plead, Not guilty; and, for our acquittal, we confidently appeal from Dr. W.'s fentence to the established laws of criticifm, and to the good-fenfe and candour of our readers. The orthodoxy of the publication (in the peculiar fenfe in which we used the term, as denoting the fyftem of belief commonly called orthodox,) was not fo much the object of our cenfure, as the contempt with which the writer treated polemical difcuffion, even in a fermon on one of the principal topics of polemical divinity;-and,

* See Rev. for October last, p. 220.

not

notwithstanding all that Dr. W. fays, in this Addrefs, about appealing in a plain way to the declarations of Scripture only, we still maintain, without much fear of rational contradiction, that, on doctrines purely theological, the only road to the truth is that learned criticifm, which inveftigates the genuine fignification of thofe paffages of Scripture, to which different theologians have annexed different meanings. E.

Art. 65. Reafons for quitting a Country Neighbourhood. In a Letter to a Friend. 8vo. Is. 6d. Owen. 1795.

We fincerely with that the ingenious writer of this letter may experience, in another hemifphere, that quiet which he has not been able to find in his native country: but, at the fame time, we fear that he will be disappointed; for, though America be not difgraced by religious perfecution, its inhabitants are fubject to the infirmities of human nature, and like other men doubtless exhibit inftances of impertinent intrufion, detraction, contention, and frivolity. Political difcuffions are alfo to be found there as well as here, and are carried on with perhaps no less animation, not to fay acrimony. This appears very ftrikingly from the bitter reproaches caft by various defcriptions of Americans even on their favourite Washington and his government, on account of his endeavours to preferve neutrality in the prefent contest among the European powers, and to avoid a rupture with Great Britain. Perfons who are in easy circumstances, and not obliged to work for their livelihood, must have fome amusements; and perhaps card parties and fummer vifits to the fea coast are as harm. lefs as any to fuch, the author probably will find, the wealthy Americans refort as well as the wealthy English; and the former, we may prefume, will occafionally difplay no lefs ardor in purfuit of pleasure than the latter; if this offend him, his fituation furely will not, in this respect at least, be bettered by emigration. America has lawyers, too, as well as England; and we may venture to fuppofe, that a hatred of litigiousness is no part of the profeffional creed of thefe gentlemen in one hemisphere any more than in the other; they must starve in both, if men would agree to live without them, by either having no difputes, or fettling them by the arbitration of neighbours.

We lament, with the author, that his Rector, in other respects a worthy man, fhould be fo intolerant as to withdraw his friendship from a parishioner of amiable character, merely because the latter could not stretch his religious faith as far as the former. Faith is not.. an act of volition; a man cannot make himself believe at pleasure, and therefore he ought not to be blamed for not doing what it is not in his own power to do. The person who does blame him on fuch an account, and breaks off a connexion with him, may be pious, may be learned, may be in general humane, but cannot be charitable, cannot be humble, cannot be juft. There is perhaps nothing more difagreeable about intolerance, when it does not proceed to acts of downright perfecution, than its arrogant felf-fufficiency. An intolerant man neceffarily affumes a fuperiority over thofe who differ from him, the more infulting as it is unfupported by fair pretenfions. A minifter of the church of England pretends not to be an infallible guide, nay, he REV. FEB. 1795.

R

difclaims

difclaims the character in words: but ftill, by an unaccountable inconfiftency, he he fitates not to pronounce thofe to be in error, who differ from him; fo that this fallible guide is qualified to decide infallibly. On what has the church of England always juftified her feparation from that of Rome ? On the right of private judgment on the right of individuals to think, to examine, to weigh, to difcufs, and ultimately to decide, for themfelves. What name, then, fhall we give to the conduct of thofe who admit a principle, but punish or perfecute those who act on it;-who have one meafure for themfelves, and another for their neighbours ;-who claim it as a right to exercife their own judgment, and to differ from a religion which, at the origin of the difference, was the established religion of almost all Europe, but who declare all thofe to be heretics who prefume to follow their example, and ftand by the decifion of their judg ment; who reject the doctrine of infallibility as unfcriptural, and yet expect that others fhould fubfcribe to it, by receiving as infallible the decisions of their national church? Such a conduct is as infulting as it is unreasonable; and the Rector who takes his fhare in it ought to blush for his inconfiftency.

The writer of this letter appears to be ashamed at not being able to live with as much fplendor on his eftate as had been difplayed by his ancestors. This furely is a weakness. Had his eftate been diminished by his own folly or extravagance, he might well blufh at the confequence: but when the diminution had been occafioned by the will of his father, made with the letter-writer's full approbation, which divided the paternal inheritance between all the children, without regard to primogeniture, he had much lefs caufe for blufhing than for feeling a manly and honeft pride in an event which he had generously concurred with his father to produce. Guilt alone fhould hang down its head. The nil confcire fibi, nullâ pallefcere culpá, should be the author's fupport; and, while he was contcious that the economy which he was obliged to practice originated in prudence and juftice, and proceeded from no fordid motive, he might fmile at those who fhould ignorantly or ill-naturedly afcribe it to avarice.

On the whole, we are of opinion that, had this gentleman poffeffed a little more firmnefs of mind, a little more philofophy, he might have found, except folely in point of religious liberty, as much eafe and quiet in England as he is likely to experience on the other fide of the Atlantic.

ᏚᏂ . Art. 66. A Picture of the Isle of Wight, delineated on the Spot, in the Year 1793. By Henry Penruddocke Wyndham, [of Salisbury.] 8vo. 5s. Boards. Egerton.

Mr.Wyndham informs us that, having paffed a few fummers in the Ifle of Wight, he thought he could not employ fome leisure hours more agreeably to himfelf, nor more ufefully to the public, than in tranfmitting to paper the obfervations which he occafionally made in his repeated excurfions. He adds, I was the more induced to this amusement, because I felt, myself, the want of proper inftructions, on my first acquaintance with the ifland, which might point out the beautiful varieties of its little diftrict, or which might connect

them

them in fuch a manner, as to make them acceffible to the best advantage.'

In carrying his idea into execution, we think that Mr. W. has fucceeded, we may fay, admirably, for a work of this kind; in which fo many points of information were to be detailed with care and accuracy, as well as with tafte and judgment. We have seen a variety of accounts of this favourite fpot, and we have perambulated the island itself with perhaps more attention, and more extenfively, than the generality of thofe fummer-travellers who make the fashionable tour of Hampshire;-and, on the whole, we really confider this volume as the most complete and comprehenfive guide or directory through the Isle of Wight that has yet appeared, within the fame compaís. The defcriptive parts may poffibly be confidered as drawn with too much warmth of picturefque colouring, with too much epithetic admiration of the fcenic beauties: but all this exuberance may be excufable in a traveller who is endowed with a lively imagination, and may be justly placed to the account of grateful acknowlegement of the pleasure afforded him in his excurfions through this, perhaps unequalled, affemblage of grand and fingular objects, and of delightful profpects.

Art. 67. De Rhythmo Græcorum, liber fingularis; in ufum juventutis Coll. En. Naf. olim confcriptus, et nunc demum in lucem editus. 12mo. pp. 150. 35. 6d. Oxonii, Fletcher. 1789. Londini, Rivington. This little tract on Greek rhythm has accidentally fo long escaped our notice, that we must now content ourselves with merely regiftering it in our pages, that fuch of our readers, as may not otherwife have heard of it, may know that it is replete with ingenious and learned remarks on the mufical, the poetical, and the profaic rhythm of the Greeks, and every where difcovers an erudition worthy of its Right Rev. Author, whom we understand to be the present Bishop of Chefter, Dr. Cleaver.

Art. 68. Silva Critica: five in Au&tores Sacros Profanofque Commentarius Philologus: concinnavit Gilbertus Wakefield, A. B. et Coll. Feju apud Cantab. Nuper Socius. Quibus accedunt Tres Hymni Orphici, e Condicibus MSS. nunc primum Doctis in Lucem Dati. Pars Quarta. 8vo. pp. 253. 5s. fewed. Robinfons. 1793.

Pear-c.

Few perfons, who are capable of understanding and relishing works of learning, are unacquainted with Mr. Wakefield's talents for criticifm, or need to be informed of the nature and merit of the work of which the prefent volume is a continuation. It is fufficient merely to announce the publication to the learned world, and to fay that the author, with his ufual induftry and ingenuity, has commented on various paffages in the Scriptures and in profane authors; every where offering new elucidations and emendations of difficult paffages, and illuftrating and confirming his remarks by pertinent quotations.

Among a few rather quaint expreffions, that of a rational bill, at a house of entertainment, fhould not be allowed to ftand in a fecond edition.