At other times, by way of infult and derifion. Thus, when he would reprefent the forces of Cataline as mean and contemptible, he fays, "O terrrible war! in which this band of profligates are to march under Cataline. Draw out all your garrifons again this formidable body!" And at other times, in order to give the greater force to his argument, he seems, as it were, by this figure to recall and correct what he had faid before: as in his oration for Milo: "But it is foolish in us to compare Drufus, Africanus, and ourfelves, with Clodius; all our other calamities were tolerable, but no one can patiently bear the death of Clodius.” In pronouncing the firft of thefe paffages, we should affume an over-acted approbation, and fuch a tone of voice as feems to exclude all doubt of the integrity of the perfon we fneer at: this tone is low and drawling, and must be accompanied by a Lifting-up of the hands, as if it were a crime to think otherwife than we speak. In the fecond paffage, we must affume a fear, as if occafioned by the most terrible danger. The voice must be in a high tremulous tone, and the hands lifted up, with the palms and fingers open, as if to defend us from approaching ruin. In the third paffage, we muft affume a difapprobation approaching to contempt: the voice must be in a low tone, and the right-hand with the palm and fingers open, waved from the left to the right, as if to fet afide fomething too infignificant to be attended to; but the last member must have the tone of approbation, as if the object of it were fomething very noble and Lacred. Satan beheld their plight, And to his mates thus in derifion call'd. O friends, why come not on those victors proud? And breaft (what could we more?) propounded terms As they would dance; yet for a dance they feem'd. Milton's Paradife Loft, b. vi. v. 609. This paffage, as Mr. Addifon obferves, is nothing but a Aring of puns, and those very bad ones too: but whatever may be its merits in other refpects, it affords an excellent opportu nity of practising the pronunciation of irony. It must begin by an affected furprize, and proceed with a seriousness and feeming fincerity till the feventh line, when the word for is to have an emphasis with the rifing inflexion, and to be pro Bounced nounced with an air of uncertainty, whether it were a dance or not. A fneer commences at perhaps, which must be pronounced with a fly arch tone, as if perfectly fecure of the confequences of another onfet.' The author concludes with a praxis, adapted to the foregoing rules, and containing a great variety of examples in profe and verfe. On this occafion, we cannot refufe our fincereft tribute of applause to the industrious, ingenious, and worthy author, for this laudable attempt to facilitate the acquifition of one of the most pleasing and important accomplishments, which the youth of either fex can poffible acquire. The New Rofciad, in the Manner of Churchill, containing a judicious, humorous, and critical Defcription of our present Dramatic Characters. 410. 2s. 6d. Macklew. THIS judicious, humorous, and critical defcription, is fo to tally void of judgment, humour, and criticifm, that, were it not for the malevolence of its contents, it would be unworthy even of cenfure. The mind is offended to behold ignorance affume an authoritative tone, and deliver dogmas in ungrammatical and unintelligible language; but our difguft is increased when it attacks the reputation of persons whose abilities have juftly acquired them fame in their profeffion. Fortunately, however, the malice of the writer is fo effectually counteracted by his dulness, that little attention can be paid either to his panegyric or his fatire. He profeffes to write in the manner of a poet of acknowleged merit, whom he refembles in nothing more than ill-nature, the fize of the page, and the enormous price of the pamphlet; for it will never be allowed, that the art of imitating Churchill confifts in plagiarifms of thoughts, words, and even rhymes, with a fervile imitation of the plan and machinery of the Rofciad, which, in the hands of this imitator, are incongruous and abfurd. The following quotation affords an uncommon confusion of ideas. As yet uncertain was the gen'ral voice, As yet 'twas doubtful where to fix the choice; Its head a vifionary fabric rear’d. No ftately columns in fet order plac'd, No coftly paintings here the building grac❜d; But all difpos'd with decency was feen, High in the midft, in thrones devoid of state, By mighty Shakspeare's fide, great Johnson fate.' Strange to tell indeed! and yet ftranger to behold! Earth opening, a lofty dome appearing from the gap, and the bead of this dome turning builder, and rearing a visionary fabric, which fabric, or lofty dome, was without columns, and in which were thrones without ftate; in, not on, these thrones fate great Johnson; but how many of them he contrived to fit in at the fame time, we muft leave to the conjecture and fagacity of our readers.-Need we be at farther pains to defcribe what the powers of difcrimination are in a mind capable of conceiving fuch a jumble of incoherences! The task is degrading; but, left it should be fuppofed we have unjustly selected a single weak paffage, we will cite another or two equally abfurd (they offer them felves in every page), that no doubt may remain in the mind of a candid reader in what esti mation to hold this ftrange farrago, which the author has attempted to impofe upon the world for the dictates of unpre judiced and found criticism. In folemn march the few proceffion came, All forts and fizes hurrying to fame; The deaf, the blind, the lame, all join the throng; Thus bravely match'd, a mighty troop appear'd.' Here is a folemn proceffion of a mighty troop of the deaf, blind, and lame, of all forts and fixes, bravely match'd, flowly burrying to fame, in which the young ones led the old, and the old ones led the young. In dark oblivion buried be his name, Confign'd by fenfe to everlasting shame.' Configning a perfon to everlasting fhame by forgetting him, is a mode well worthy of our author, An ignis fatuus would have prov'd his fire Without thy light, which warm'd his foul with fame Here we have light warming a foul with fame, which fame he (Mr. O'Keeffe, the perfon in question) calls his can, and which we should imagine the author meant to allow him, did be not inform us, in the latter part of the line, that it is the claim of True humour. As to the light, which turned an ignis fatuus into fire, it was emitted by Mr. Colman; and, were Be inclined to enter into a refearch fo deep, we should never be be able to determine whether the fame that followed belongs to Mr. Colman, Mr. O'Keeffe, or the faid Mr. True-humour. Applaufe he gains, nor can the critic find A fault that age might not excufe behind.” Mr. Macklin, we are told, is fo perfect, that he has no faults behind, which, age might not excufe; but whether at critic could or could not discover a fault before, of this unfortunately we are left in total ignorance. To notice all the falfe rhymes, halting verfes, and errors in language and construction, in the prefent performance, would be endless. We shall therefore conclude with a quotation from this judicious, humorous, and critical defcription of our prefent dramatic characters (the author means of our prefent actors), and which he has dedicated to George Colman, efq.-without that gentleman's permiffion, we may fairly prefume. What! does he mean to give the playhouse rules? POLITICA L. England's Alarm on the prevailing Doctrine of Libels, as laid down by the Earl of Mansfield. By M. Dawes, Efq. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Stockdale. N fome pamphlets lately published on the doctrine of libels, It was contended that juries have a right, to judge of the law as well as the fact; and that this right has been invariably. exercised from the beginning of the English monarchy. But, however confiftent with the spirit of the English conftitution fuch a doctrine may appear to be, the allegation of ancient and invariable ufage with refpect to the exercife of this fuppofed right, though countenanced by the opinion of fome lawyers, loosely delivered, is not fupported by history. This is doubtless a strong objection to the validity of the popular claim as an ancient right. But to fupply the deficiency, the prefent author has recourfe to the conftitution of the Athenian government; infifting, that as Socrates appears to have been condemned by a jury of his countrymen, English juries are entitled to the fame right of trial in the cafe of libels. The author, apparently apprehenfive of the weakness of this ar gument, ventures yet a step farther in fupport of his favourite doctrine, and insists, by more than implication, that the judicial tight for which he contends is actually inherent in mankind. This, though a fhort, is not a very fatisfactory mode of reasoning: nor indeed is there any thing throughout the pamphlet that deferves to be confidered as found argument. The doc 4 trine, trine, instead of being proved, is from the beginning taken for granted; and though founded only in hypothefis, is urged in a ftrain of the moit petulant expoftulation with a noble and learned lord; whofe unblemished integrity, however, no less than his great abilities, the author acknowleges. A Cleam of Comfort to this diftracted Empire, 8vo. 2s. Debrett. Poor Britannia! how much is the perfecuted by the cruelty of her own ungrateful children! at one time her tranquillity is difturbed with ideal apprehenfions; at another, her miferies are infulted with ironical confolation. This author is to Bri tain what the comforters of old were to Job; and to strengthen the allufion, that great example of patience was not more over whelmed with calamity than, according to the modern .com-, forter, is now the British conftitution, under the guidance of the prefent minifters. The author informs us, in the conclufion of the pamphlet, that if a change of the administration should be attributed to his efforts, he would exclaim in the words of the poet, fublimi feriam fidera vertice.' It is pity that the darknefs of the political atmosphere cannot afford fo much as a gleam of comfort to gratify his ambition. • A Plan for finally fettling the Government of Ireland upon Conftitutional Principles. 8vo. 15. 6d. Stockdale. When in the courfe of our periodical examinations we meet with any political theorem which appears paradoxical, we think proper to recite it in the author's own words, left it fhould be imagined that we had mifreprefented his meaning. For this reafon we have extracted the following paragraph in the present pamphlet. Whoever will analyfe a civil fociety into its effential members, will find, that all those members are reducible to three claffes, or, in other words, that a civil ftate requires only three things as neceflary for its exiftence; the first, food; the fecond, clothing and houfing; and the third, defence. On the fuppo fition of a paix perpetuelle, or perpetual peace, the article of defence might be omitted; but as the nature of man renders fuch a fyftem altogether ideal, this article of defence becomes as effentially neceflary as the two former, Beyond thofe three articles then, all expences that people in focial.communities incur, are neither more nor lefs than taxes; nay, strictly speaking, are more taxes and burdens than thofe paid to government; for thefe laft are abfolutely neceffary for the being of a ftate, but the others are only requifite to its well-being.'. We must acknowlege we should be of opinion, that the propofition with which this paragraph concludes is directly the reverfe of the truth; nor could we hesitate a moment to fuppofe that the author was joculars were we not convinced, on a farther perufal, that he is ferious, But though we unfortunately differ from him with respect to the principle which is the bafis L of |