150 Dialogues on the Ufes of Foreign Travel. fhip dignifies with the name of natural. Still I declare againft his European travels. The manners of each state are peculiar to itself, and best adapted to it. The civility, that prevails in fome places on the Continent, may be more ftudied and exquifite than ours, but not therefore to be preferred before it. Those refinements have had their birth from correfpondent policies; to which they are well fuited, and from which they receive their whole value. In the more abfolute monarchies of Europe, all are courtiers. In our freer monarchy all fhould be citizens. Let then the arts of addrefs and infinuation flourish in France. Without them, what merit can pretend to fuccefs, what talents open the way to favour and diftinction? But let a manlier character prevail here. We have a prince to ferve, not to flatter: we have a country to embrace, not a court to adore: we have, in a word, objects to pursue, and interefts to promote, from the cares of which our finer neighbours are happily difburthened. "Let our countrymen then be indulged in the plainness, nay the roughness of their manners: but let them attone for this defect by their useful fenfe, their fuperior knowlege, their public fpirit, and, above all, by their unpolished integrity. • Would your Lordship's favourite Athens have done wifely (or rather did it do fo) to exchange the fimplicity and manly freedom of its antient character, for the fopperies and proftrations of the Afiatic courts? Nay, would the fofter accomplishments of Athens, in its best state, have done well in a citizen of Sparta! Your Lordship fees what to concude from thefe hints. For my own part, my Lord, I efteem politenefs, in the reasonable fenfe of the word, as the ornament, nay more, as the duty of humanity. But, under colour of making this valuable acquifition, let no culture of the human mind, no inftruction in letters and bufinefs, no difcipline of the paffions, no improvements of the head and heart, be neglected. Let the foundation of thefe effential virtues be laid deep in the ufual forms of our public, if you will, or (as you know I had rather) in the way of a more attentive and moral, becaufe private, Education. Let the commerce of the world, in due time and under due regulation, fucceed to this care; and your Lordship will find your young gentleman as fully accomplished in all respects as, in reafon, you fhould wifh to fee him.' The remainder of this Dialogue contains fome very fenfible flections with regard to our univerfities; and, in the conclun, the philofopher, in a kind of prophetic ftrain, prefages the future future excellence of thefe feminaries: which prophecy, we hope, is now, happily fulfilled. From the foregoing fpecimens, the Reader may perceive, that the point in difpute is left, in a great measure, undecided. The Writer, however, anticipates this objection, and premises, that the Formalifts, as he calls them, will be out of patience, as he fuppofes, at this fceptical manner of debate, which ends in nothing. Nevertheless, it is to be wished, that a full and fatisfactory reply had been made to Mr. Locke's arguments, which, in fact, prove too much. The reafons against entrusting a youth abroad upon the continent, apply, with little lefs force, against venturing him amidst the vicious fcenes of this metropolis. In fhort, the difference of difpofitions and inclinations does not feem to have been fufficiently confidered in the courfe of the debate. It would be impoffible to preferve many from the taint of vice, though they fhould have the benefit of a private education, and remain immured within the walls of a country manfion-house. But, grant it practicable to retain the purity of their morals by fuch narrow regulations; yet, as they will have fewer vices, fo, on the other hand, they will have fewer excellencies. Befides, a youth of natural good fenfe, and good difpofition, will foon be taught by experience and reflection to check the immoralities of his early years, which will be little more than frailties of the blood. If we are formed for fociety, if the business of the world is a duty upon men of certain ftations, the wider the focial circle is extended, the better will they be qualified both for the delights of private intercourfe, and the management of public concerns. We cannot conclude without obferving, that the character of Mr. Locke does not appear to be fo well fupported as that of Lord Shaftesbury. The philofopher is made to exprefs himself in a style too flowery and figurative, as may appear from fome inftances marked in Italick. Add to this, that there is fometimes an eagerness and afperity in his argument, which is by no means characteristic: for, even in his controverfy with the reverend Bishop, Mr. Locke always exprefled himself with great compofure, and now and then with pleafantry. But whatever trivial objections may be made to the conduct of thefe DiaLogues, we will venture to fay, that they will afford the Reader an elegant entertainment. GOTHAM; a Poem, By C. Churchill. 4to. 2 s. 6d. Flexney, &c. WE E are truly forry to fee a Poet, whofe writings we have fo often and fo heartily recommended, offering fuch an infult to the taste, judgment, and generofity of the public, as he has moft egregioufly done, by the prefent publication.To that public whofe munificent encouragement he has, on a former occafion*, in fo becoming a manner acknowleged!-To that public how abfurdiy ungrateful, in obtruding on it an idle and infignificant account of his being proclaimed King of Gotham-How mean, too, his fallacious Advertisement, in which a compleat poem appeared to be publifhed, though this is only Book I.-an impertinent and fuperfluous Introduction to nobody knows what-To twenty-four pages of fuch ill-polished, unharmonious, and maimed lines, as fcarce the imperfect state of our poetry a century and a half ago, could excufe or tolerate! P. 7. P. 5. Hallow the feaft with pfalmody, and thofe Briefly but this to prove, that by no act Or purchase made, Europe in chains can hold The fons of India, and her mines of gold. This is certainly not poetry, but meafured profe; fuch as we find in the writings of Withers and Quarles. The Author of this poem, indeed, was ever inattentive to that effential part of poetry, a perfect Harmony; but these flattern lines, in which the Hiatus, fo difagreeable to a musical ear, fo frequently occurs, muft furely have been the production rather of determined negligence, than of an abfolute ignorance of melody. This defect, however, in a great degree, is vifible in all Mr. Churchill's writings. Yet, if this poem, founded on the most infignificant subject, is nothing more than an idle bagatelle, it has, at least, a negative excellence; for here is but little of that malignant fatire which the fpirit of faction has, in his other pieces, poured, without diftinction, on the virtuous and the vile, There are only a few reflections fcattered through this performance, on objects which the Author thought of little importance, viz. on his G-d, his Bible, his Country, and his K-g. With refpect to the Saviour of the world, it was furely the moft daring impiety to mention his name as the fignature of one of the twelve Months, and to affociate it with minced pies, calves heads, Welchmen's leeks, April-fools, bastards, and pyfters, the emblems of the other months he mentions; this is • See Review for November laft, p. 387. fuch fuch a mark of folly, or of audacious profanenefs, as no man who has the leaft reverence for things facred, can look upon with indifference! His-what was once his, Bible, is licentiously turned into the moft fhameful burlesque: Manhood shall steal an hour, a little hour, (I't not a little one?) to hail my power. And in the following wretched couplet, The fhowers which make the young hills, like young lambs, &c. His Country-by this grateful and patriotic Bard, his country is honoured with the appellation of GOTHAM! His K-g is infulted with the oblique farcafm of printing xox in Italics the fecond George, as a bleffing to mankind. How long the licentious fpirit of the times will efpouse this Poet, and indulge him in all his egregious faults, we cannot foresee: but we would advise him, for the future, to spare his God the infult of introducing his name, or his counfels :-to treat the Public with more gratitude,-his Country with more deference,—and his K-g with more respect. GOTHAM, nevertheless, contains fome images that still evince the true Poet, and the man of genius; but yet it is, upon the whole, unworthy both of its Author, and of the attention of the public. However, as confcious of the trivial import of this first book, he seems to acknowlege its infignificance; and, at the end of it, promifes us fomething of more confequence, in the sequel: Thus far in fport-nor let half Patriots (thofe Who shrink from ev'ry blast of power which blows, Would hear my thoughts, but fear to speak their own, He dares to speak, what they scarce dare to think. The Reader will obferve, that our Author lofes no opportu→ nity of aiming a stroke at his old declared enemy Prudence; and we must not forget to obferve, that neither does he let flip any occafion of celebrating his worthy friend Mr. Wilkes; of whom he here makes this melancholy mention : By By fools defpis'd, by faints unblefs'd, By friends neglected, and by foes opprefs'd. May the fate of his friend prove a timely warning to our adventurous Bard! and induce him to take due care of himself! MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For FEBRUARY, 1764. RELIGIO U.S. Art. 1. Revelation examined with Candour: Or, A fair Inquiry into the Senfe and Ufe of the feveral Revelations exprefsly declared, or fufficiently implied to be given to Mankind from the Creation, as they are found in the Bible. By a profeffed Friend to an honeft Freedom of Thought in religious Inquiries, Vol. IIId. 8vo. 5s. Johnston. HE two former volumes of this work having, for many years, The tin former of the public, were well go for that it years neceffary for us to take any particular notice of them. This additional volume contains Differtations on the following fubjects: 1. That the world was bleffed with divine revelations from the beginning 2. On the natural advantages of the Sabbath, and one ill-judged abufe of it. 3. Of the bleffings derived to the world through Abraham. Of 4. God's bleffing to Abraham continued to his fon Ifaac. 5. The fame bleffings continued to Jacob. 6. Of the principles by which God governeth the animal world. 7. Of the hiftory and character of Jofeph. 8. Of many magnificent Egyptian buildings. 9. Of the lake Ma ris, and Jofeph's canal. 10. Jofeph's favour to the idolatrous priesthood objected to him. 11. On infpiration by dreams. 12. Antwer to the charge brought againft Jofeph for enflaving the Egyptians. As our Author, in his preface, with a peevifh and querulous fpirit, the too frequent attendant on the infirmities of old age, has thought proper to throw out fome harsh cenfures upon Reviewers of works of learning, and declared them neither the objects of his emulation or envy, we give him that pardon which his age may be thought to claim ; and are pleafed with an opportunity of laying before our Readers a fhort character of this work in his own words, which will convey to our Readers a very juft idea of the performance, and cannot be offenfive to its Author: See conclufion of his preface, page xvi. But to return, and in the wonted fenile practice, conclude where I began; let me obferve, that there is one character of an aged Author, in which writings may fome. times glory, viz. that they are the work of years; and in truth, this is well entitled to that honour. The materials have been long and flow in the collecting. and not hafty in the compofition; and what is a yet furer character of age, there is but little done.' There is one thing, however, which we must take the liberty of fayupon this occafion, and which, we hope, will be a fufficient anti dotę |