Art. 22. Richardfoniana, or occafional Reflections on the moral Nature of Man, fuggefted by various Authors, ancient and modern, and exemplified from thofe Authors; with feveral Aneċdotes interfperfed. By the late Jonathan Richardfon, jun. Efq. 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Dodfley.

Fabellas garrit Aniles. This Mr. Richardfon was a good fociable kind of male goffip, whofe chief bufinefs it was to pick up and rétail or file anecdotes and ftories. His book differs from the common jeft books only on account of fome moral reflections which are cafually interfperfed. And many of his little ftories, for which he quotes, ridiculously, enough, Dr. Sandilands and others, we have heard retailed a hundred times the coffee-houfes. He was the fon of Mr. Richard fon the painter.

Art. 23. Original Letters, Dramatic Pieces and Poems. By Benjamin Victor. 8vo. 3 Vols. 11. 1 s. Boards. Becket.

Poor, honeft, old Ben Victor! one of the best natured creatures in the world! We proteft that we have seen ten times worfe poetry, and twenty times worfe profe!

Art. 24. An actual Survey of the great Peft Roads between London and Edinburgh. Drawn on a Scale of Half an Inch to a Statute Mile. By Moftyn John Armstrong, Geographer and County Surveyor. 8vo. 7 s. 6 d. Sold at No. 3, New-Round. Court, Strand, and by the Bookfellers, &c.

This volume comprehends the roads from London, by York and Wetherby, to Newcattle; and from Newcastle, by Berwick, Coldftream, and Kello, to Edinburgh; with the poft towns, villages, and churches, nobility and gentry's feats, caffles, and ruins; inns, woods, hills, &c., the courfe of the rivers, coaft, and cross roads, fituated on, or within three miles of either fide the post-road.

• The mile-ftones, as numbered from each flage, turnpike bars, and bridges; the boundary, or divifion of each county; Roman roads and ftations; with the places where the most memorable battles were fought, are accurately pointed out, and properly diftinguished.

The whole of this map (which includes 4000 fquare miles) is correctly engraved, and carefully printed on 44 octavo pages of finė paper; with a general map, exhibiting, at one view, the roads between London and Edinburgh.

• With each engraving is given a page of letter prefs, containing the nobility and gentry's names whofe feats are inferted in the plan; the diftance of each ftage from London and Edinburgh; and of all the principal crofs-roads leading from the great pofi-roads, inns, &c.

To the whole is prefixed, the ftages, distance, and fare of the northern poft-coaches, &c. with tables of the poft-stages, chaife and horfe hire; meafured diftances; an explanation, and alphabetical index; and, in order to render the book of real fervice to every gentleman or lady who travel thefe much-frequented roads, blank pages regularly intervene, for the purpofe of keeping a journal of travelling expences or private occurrences.

This Travelling Companion is humbly prefented to the Public, as the only book of roads extant in England from ACTUAL SURVEY, fince Ogilby and Morgan's perambulation, which is of fo long a REV. Sept. 1776. R

date,

date, as the reign of Charles II. fince which period, the courses of the roads are totally altered. Upon the whole, it is hoped, that this will be found to be executed on the most useful and intelligent plan that has hitherto been attempted.' AUTHOR.

The foregoing account is copied from a fugitive advertisement of the Author's, in which the merit of the work feems to be very honeftly and properly fet forth. We must take the accuracy and correctnefs for granted; and, on that fuppofition, we should be glad to fee the other principal post-roads of this kingdom delineated in the fame manner.

Art. 25. The Reformation of School mafters, Academy-keepers, Surgeons, Apothecaries, Phyficians, Lawyers, Divines, Farmers, Irish White Boys, and other Rioters. Founded upon evident Principles, and a long Series of Obfervations: Addreffed to the King, and both Houses of Parliament, that British Subjects may be no longer impofed upon by fcheming Pretenders. 8vo. 1s. Printed for the Author, and fold by Bew. 1775.

Grofs ignorance, proceeding from a bad education, is the fruitful fource from whence this Writer derives the numerous evils which disturb the peace of fociety, and deftroy the happiness of individuals.

This defect, he fays, is not owing to the poverty, neglect, or want of affection in parents, but to a fet of impoftures not unlike fwinglers, who pretend to teach Latin, Greek, Mathematics, and all other sciences, although they never learned the principles of either.' And as this fpecies of fraud, when viewed in its confequences, is, in the estimation of the Author, of a far more criminal nature than that of forgery, he thinks it ought, at leaft, to be punished with equal feverity.

From the education of youth, our Reformer proceeds to the practice of phyfic, a review of which affords him an ample field for animadverfion. To furgeons and apothecaries he gives no quarter; he reprefents them, in general, as crafty, vain, and avaricious, without honesty or humanity, literary knowledge, or medical fkill. He contends, that as they never were at proper fchools to learn the principles of medicine,' there is a manifeft impropriety in committing to them the preservation of the life and health of our failors and foldiers: that having nothing to guide them in their fatal prac tice they must deftroy more British fubjects, both by fea and land, than fickness, with all the enemies of our king and country.'

The plan recommended for correcting the medical abuses pointed out by the Author, is the following:

1o. Our Legislature is to compel all furgeons and apothecaries to defift from acting as phyficians. 2°. To reunite the furgeons and barbers. 3. To appoint a phyfician to every regiment, except in garrifons, where he can attend two or three regiments, and the number of furgeons is to be diminished in proportion. 4°. To command the phyficians to attend the fick foldiers in time of peace and war with the fame affiduity. 5°. Every man of war going upon a long voyage is to have one phyfician, with a fufficient number of furgeons according to its rate. For as thofe men are the bulwarks of the nation, it is proper they should have the fame requifites, as other fub

jects,

jeas, for the preservation of their health.-6°. To complete the remedial part of this law, our Royal College of Phyficians should be raised to an university for medicine, for as the practical part of this fcience cannot be acquired fo perfectly in any part of the kingdom as in London, it seems to be the best place for its cultivation.'

The administration of justice next engages the Writer's attention. The principal evil which he specifies under this head, is the practice of eftablishing precedents as rules of decifion. He compares our • present baristers to empirics in medicine, and alleges, that the profeffion of law' is not lefs polluted by quacks than that of phyfic.'

The remedy propofed for the evils of this claís is a new and concife code of laws, to be compiled from our ftatutes, our general cuftoms, Juftinian, the Pruffian code, the Coutumier of Bernes in Switzerland, and that of the King of Sardinia.'

To divines the Author recommends a perufal of this pamphlet, and expresses a wish that the Legislature would take fpecial care not to allow any of them to become tutors to noblemen or gentlemen, in our univerfities, before they give public proofs of knowing the elements of the education neceffary for members of the House of Lords or Houfe of Commons.'

In the last chapter, intitled, The Reformation of Farmers, Irish White Boys, &c. the members of the Legiflature are advised to adopt the following cuftom of long ufage in the King of Sardinia's dominions,' viz. any one of his (the King of Sardinia's) fubjects, that wants land to till, may go to the neareft nobleman or gentleman, who has wafte land, and pitch upon as much as he thinks he can manage, and demand feed, with all the implements neceffary for agriculture. There are commiffaries in every ditrict to let a proper value upon this land, &c. and it is to be paid out of the fruits of the tenant's labour; he cannot be turned out of his little farm unle s he commits fome misdemeanour, and if it be proved, that the commiflary wronged him, they are feverely punished, without any expence to the poor man for profecution.'

The Writer of this picce is, we believe, a well meaning man, and fome of his obfervations are unquestionably juft, but it is certainly with a very ill grace that he appears in the character of a literary reformer, inveighing against the ignorance of fchoolmafters, academy-keepers, &c. when almost every page in his book prefents us with proofs that he has yet to learn the art of writing his own language grammatically.

Art. 26. A Defcriptim of the Ifland of Nevis; with an Account of its principal Defeajes. By James Rymer. 8vo.

I S. Evans.

It is impoffible for a man of the leat tate or knowledge to read this pamphlet, without being extremely difgufted by the vanity, af fectation, and ftupidity of the Writer.

Art. 27. An Effay on medical Education; with Advice to young Gentlemen of the Faculty, who go into the Navy as Surgeon's Mates. By James Rymer. 8vo. I s. od. Evans.

If Mr. Rymer imagines that he poffeffes the qualifications which are requifite either for the inftruction or entertainment of the Public,

we beg leave to tell him this plain truth, that he is egregiously mistaken.

Art. 28. Mifcellanies. By the Rev. Richard Shepherd, B. D. late Fellow of C. C. C., Oxford. 8vo. 2 Vols. 7 s. Flexney, &c. 1776.

We have here a collection of the various productions of Mr. Shepherd's pen, which have appeared separately, in verfe and profe, at different times, within the last twenty years; from his excellent Ode to Love (recommended in our 15th vol. 1756) to his late Sermon in defence of Ecclefiaftical Subfcriptions.-The most confiderable pieces contained in these two volumes are, I. The Nuptials, a didactic Poem;' of which an account was given in our 26th vol. p. 65. II. Letters to Soame Jenyns, Efq; on his Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil:' of thefe Letters (if we mistake not) two former editions have been already mentioned in our Review. III. Hector, a dramatic Poem:' an account of this performance hath alfo been given. IV. Four Difcourfes from the Pulpit:' these we likewife remember to have noticed. There is an entertaining variety of other poems-elegies, odes, characters, &c. fome of which we fuppofe to be new. Alfo a very fenfible Letter on Education,' addreffed to William Jones, Efq; of the Inner Temple;' the defign of which is to fhew, that the mode of education prevailing in our great schools, is wretchedly bad;' and we are of opinion that there is but too much weight in every one of this ingenious Author's objections. Art. 29. Lord Chesterfield's Advice to his Son, on Men and Manners: or, a new Syftem of Education, &c. 8vo. 2 s. fon and Urquhart. 1775.

Richard

We have had feveral of these collections from Lord Chesterfield's Letters. This was one of the first of them; but, in the crowd of publications, it escaped our notice, till very lately. It is a pretty compendium of rules and maxims of politenefs, &c. and may ferve to initiate young readers into that knowledge of the world, and thofe principles of what is called good breeding, which are rarely to be found in preceptive books. The obfervations are properly arranged under diftinct heads. DRAMATIC.

Art. 30. The Metamorphofes; a Comic Opera. In Two Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in the Hay Market. The Mufic by Mr. Dibdin. Svo. I S. Lowndes. 1776.

To this dramatic trifle' is prefixed the following advertisement:

I have repeatedly affured the Public, that they fhall be faithfully acquainted from whence I borrow any materials to work up my Dramatic Trifles. In the METAMORPHOSES will be found fome incidents taken from Moliere's Sicilien, particularly the circumftances of Don Pedro's giving away his ward in a mistake, which is here exactly as it is in the French,

We observe fome material alterations in the prefent edition of this poem (which hath alfo a new title, The PHILOGAMIST) Occafioned, poffibly, by fome conteft between GENIUS and JUDGMENT; in which the former hath been obliged to fubmit.-In fuch contefts, if the God of Love be concerned in the iffue, he will ever be a lofer.

• The

The Servant who, from fimplicity, betrays his Mafter's fecrets, will be directly known for a character in George Dandin. In short, what is taken from thefe two Comedies, together with hints from other publications, make near a third of the piece.

Thus have I faithfully performed my promife to the Public, whose kind protection I should very little merit could I deceive them. C. DIBDIN.'

We heartily with the Author a continuance of the kind protection of the Public,' which, on fome future occafion, we hope he will not fo very little merit,' by producing a piece more worthy to entertain them than his present theatrical olio.

POETICA L.

Art. 31. A Congratulatory Poem on the late Succeffes of the British Arms, particularly the triumphant Evacuation of Boston. 4to. 18. Baldwin. 1776.

The title page fufficiently indicates the irony of this Congratulatory Addrefs to the Public; and the Author's peroration, if we may borrow the term, will fhew that the poetry is above mediocrity:

Oh! ne'er, though fhame and ruin fhould attend,
Ne'er fhall the mafter to the vassal bend,

While British veins can pour a drop of blood,
While yet a veffel rides the crimfon'd flood;
Though faction rave, though party fcribblers rage,
And headstrong patriots ceafelefs combat wage;
With noble pride we fcorn the vulgar throng,
And boast at least a firmness in the wrong.
Thus the flow afs, with fortitude untam'd,

For length of ears and obftinacy fam'd,

Treads down the fence, and fpoils the cultur'd ground,
Though maftiffs bay, though peasants hoot around,
Though half the village at his heels arife,

And ceafelefs cudgels vibrate in his eyes.'

Art. 32. The Frolics of Fancy, an Epiftle to a Friend. By Rowley Thomas. 4to. 1 s. Richardfon and Urquhart.

Mr. Rowley Thomas's Fancy may be allowed, when in a flow of fpirits,' to frolic in private, in any carelefs, wayward manner the pleases, but he should not let her play any unfeemly gambols in the public view.-Sir! it is indecent to fend your undreffed Muse into company with fuch flatternly verfes at her tail as thefe:

The bounty, as if 'twas given.'

*

And when they meet the wretch abroad

Say every cutting, cruel word.'

One would fcarce imagine that the above lines could have been written by the fame pen that issued the following fummons:

Hither, Fancy, come along,

Fill the goblet, join the fong;

The tube with Indian weed embrace,

And pledge each Mufe and Sifter Grace,' &c. P. 2 and 3. For the fake of his livelier frolics, and provided Mr. T. will, for the future, be a little more civil in his attention to the Sifter

R 3

Graces,