Few things have occafioned fo great a variety of clashing opinions, or have had fo wide an influence on the tempers, the morals, and the customs of mankind, as the fentiments entertained respecting this quality called Courage.

The world, who has been a blockhead from the beginning, and is not likely to grow a whit wifer to the end, the world, I fay, has, almoft univerfally, he'd Courage to consist in action and prowess; in the wrathfulness and de. th doing hand of an Achilles; or in the kindling fpirit of thefe, who will not bear the fmallest appearance of an infult, who will burst through all the bands of friendship and humanity, rather than allow the flighteft word or look of imagined difrefpeét to pats unrevenged or unblooded. Wherefore, as truth and nature he buried un ́der fuch an accumulation of customs and prejudices, it may be neceffary to fet up fuch criterions and land-marks, as fhall fave us from ftraying in our difquifition and search after this so highly respected virtue.

All are clearly agreed in their ideas of this pofition, that Courage and Fear are in their natures incompatible; that whereever Courage is, fo far as it prevails, it cafts afide Fear; and that wherever Fear is, fo far as it prevails, it cafts afide Courage.

Now, one of the fuseft fymptoms of Fear, is anger; for, what should provoke us to anger against that from which we have nothing to apprehend? I once law a huge mastiff walking peaceably through a country village, when a little wretch of a cur rufhed from one of the hamlets and made a furious affault: he sprung up toward the throat of the patient creature; but not being able to reach it, he exercised his inveteracy by biting at his heels. The noble brute, being thus teized and pestered by his defpicable adverfary, fet a monstrous fore-paw upon him and preffed him to the earth, while, lifting a hind leg, he poured upon him the lowest mark of contempt; and then permitted the impotent animal to rife, who ran all dismayed and yelping away. I question if this prince of dogs, in all his conquefts and engagements with his equals in combat, had ever given fo inconteftable a proof of the truth of his courage as he did at this period.

• The laid little anecdote may ferve to illuftrate an approved obfervation, that cowards are cruel, but that the brave delight in forbearance and mercy. The reafon of this is deeply founded in nature.

• Cowardice has no concern or intereft in any thing fave Self. Provided that Self is fafe and unhurt, it cafes not what calamities may fall or be poured upon the reft of mankind. When it feels an apprehenfion of danger, however diftant, it conceives an implacable hatred against the point or party from whence the danger may proceed: wrath and revenge anticipate REV. Jan. 1774.

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the dreaded damage in its bofom; and it is ftudious and folicitous, by all, by any means, however treacherous or deadly, to prevent the nearer approach of the hurt apprehended.

Let us now enquire, what portion of genuine Courage the heroes of the applauded cultom of duelling can beast.

The man who, purpofely and deliberately, thirfts after the blood and life of his fellow, is poffefted by as dark and inhuman a dæmon, as he who dwelt among the tombs. But, duellifts are not wholly of this malignant nature; it is not cruelty, but cowardice, that compels them to engage. The world, difpaffionately, hallcos them at each other, as it would fet maftiffs or game-cocks at variance for the diverfion of the fpectators. It fays to thefe combatants, "For fhame, gentlemen, be juft to your own honour; refpect yourfelves above God and mankind! better to bleed, to perish, than to live with reproach." And thus, frequently, without refentment or ill-will to their opponents, men plunge their reluctant weapons into the bofoms of each other, being feared and impelled thereto by the spectre called Cenfure, which they dread even worse than death or futurity.

• Courage may well be supported in time of action or conteft; it has not leifure to fink or droop during an agitation of fpirits. But, when thefe ftays are removed, when calamity or death comes to meet us in all the filent apparatus and black pomp of impending deftruction, the Courage that can give it an undifmayed and calm welcome must be from above.

The moft indubitable, the most divine fpecies of courage, fubfifts in PATIENCE-when the foul is divested and ftript of all external afliftances; when the affaults are all on one fide, and no kind of action offenfive or defenfive is admitted on the other, to maintain the flame of life, or fupport failing existence; but where all the concerns of Self are fubmitted, without reluctance, to the worst extremes, to all that the world can inflict, or that time can bring to pafs; fuch a PATIENCE opens the gates of the foul upon eternity, and lends it wings to iffue forth in beatified benevolence upon God and all his creatures.'

How rare a quality is confiftency either in conduct or fentiment! Who would imagine, after reading the foregoing difquifition concerning Courage, and the Writer's warm and pious encomium on the virtue of Patience, that this very Christian philofopher, in the next volume, involves one of his worthieft characters in a tavern-duel! the circumftances of which are related wholly to the duellift's praife, without one word of cenfure for his giving way to that anger which Mr. B. has fet down as one of the fureft fymptoms of fear;' or for his total want of the most divine fpecies of courage,' which fubfifts in PATIENCE!'

In vol. iii. we have a juft remark on Mr. Richardson's celebrated PAMELA, which we do not remember to have before met with. Lady Cranfield obferving Mifs Grenville with • Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded,' in her hand, afks her opinion of that book. I think, Madam,' replied the young lady, that the author has much of nature in him; and touches the paffions, at times, with a tender and happy effect: but then, I blush at the manner in which he undresses our fex. Indeed his ideas are much too frequently and unneceffarily wanton. Neither can I wholly approve the title of the book: Can virtue be rewarded, by being united to vice? Her master was a ravisher, a tyrant, a diffolute, a barbarian in manners and principle. I admit it, the author may fay; but then he was fuperior in riches and ftation. Indeed, Mr. Richardson never fails in due respect to fuch matters; he always gives the full value to title and fortune.'

The foregoing cenfure of this great mafter of novel-writing, the SHAKESPEARE of romance, is justly due to the defects of that otherwife admirable genius; who was certainly reprehenfible for indulging his imagination, as he frequently did, in the luxury of undreffing his ladies: an indulgence by no means be coming the character of a moral writer.

In the fame volume we meet with a good ftory of a fifher man, which is introduced in a converfation on the venality of férvants, especially thofe of the nobility, &c.

When I was at the Marquis della Scala's, in Italy,' faid Mr. Thomafon, he once invited the neighbouring gentry to a grand entertainment, and all the delicacies of the season were accordingly provided.

Some of the company had already arrived, in order to pay their very early refpects to his excellency, when the major domo, all in a hurry, came into the dining room.

My lord, faid he, here is a moft wonderful fisherman below, who has brought one of the finest fish I believe in all Italy; but then he demands fuch a price for it! Regard not his price, cried the Marquis, pay it him down directly. So I would, please your highnefs, but he refufes to take money. Why, what would the fellow have? A hundred ftrokes of the ftrappado on his bare fhoulders, my lord; he fays he will not bate of a fingle blow.

Here, we all ran down, to have a view of this rarity of a fisherman. A fine fish, a moft exquifite fine fish, cried the Marquis! What is your demand, my friend? you fhall be paid on the inftant. Not a quatrini, my lord; I will not take money. If you would have my fish, you must order me a hundred lafhes of the ftrappado upon my naked back; if not, I hall go and apply elsewhere.

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Rather than lofe our fifh, faid his highness, let the fellow have his humour. Here! he cried to one of his grooms, difcharge this honeft man's demand; but don't lay on over hard, don't hurt the poor devil very much.

The fishmonger then ftripped, and the groom prepared to put his lord's orders in execution. Now, my friend, cried the fifhmonger, keep good account I befeech you, for I am not covetous of a fingle ftroke beyond my due.

We all ftood fufpended in amaze, while this operation was carrying on. At length, on the inftant that the executioner had given the fiftieth lafh, Hold! cried the fifherman, I have already received my full fhare of the price. Your fhare? queftioned the Marquis, what can you mean by that?

Why, my lord, you must know I have a partner in this bufinefs. My honour is engaged to let him have the half of whatever I fhould get; and I fancy that your highness will acknowledge, by and by, that it would be a thousand pities to defraud him of a fingle ftroke. And pray, my friend, who is this fame partner of yours? It is the porter, my lord, whe guards the out-gate of your highnefs's palace. He refused to admit me, but on the condition of promifing him the half of what I fhould get for my fish.

Oho!-exclaimed the Marquis, breaking out into a laugh, by the bleffing of heaven, he fhall have his demand doubled to him in full tale.

Here, the porter was fent for and ftripped to the skin, when two grooms laid upon him with might and main, till they rendered him fit to be fainted for a fecond Bartholomew.

The Marquis then ordered his major domo to pay the fisherman twenty fequins; and defired him to call yearly for the like fum, in recompence of the friendly office he had rendered him'

We cannot take leave of this Author without obferving, to our Readers, that in perufing Mr. Brooke's novels, we have been frequently reminded of the wild, the romantic, the enthufiaftic, the vifionary John Buncle. There feems, indeed, a great fimilitude between thefe two original geniules. They are both religious champions, though they fight under different banners. Mr. Buncle's zeal for the Unitarian fcheme is well known to his readers; and, in like manner, our Author's attachment to the Trinitarian hypothefis, is equally (though lefs frequently) avowed and manifefted, even in a novel. Of this a notable inftance occurs, in vol. ii. p. 48, of the prefent work; to which, however, we must refer our Readers, as we have already extended this article to its proper length.

ART.

ART. VI. State Papers called by Edward Earl of Clarendon. Volume the Second. Folio. Large Paper 11. 155. in Sheets. Small Paper 11. 5s. 6d. Oxford printed, and fold by T. Payne in London. 1773.

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part great collection, we blamed the Editors for not always paying a due attention to the order of time in which the papers ought to be inferted; and we mentioned two inftances in particular, wherein it appeared to us that letters had beenintroduced in an improper place. It hath fince been fuggefted to us, that we were too hafty in our cenfure; and that, if we had compared the letters in queftion, with the rule and its exceptions laid down in the preface, we fhould have found no juft caufe for complaint. Not having, at present, that edition of the Clarendon papers by us to which we then referred, we cannot fay how far this ftricture upon our conduct is well founded. But we intimated, at the time, that it might be deemed too minute criticism, to enlarge on the inadvertencies which had, as we thought, occurred to us; and it must be acknowledged, that a fagacious and diligent editor may occafionally have good reafons for the tranfpofition of his materials, which may not immediately be perceived, even by an attentive reader.

The Reverend Dr. Richard Scrope, of Magdalen College, Oxford, is the fole publifher of the volume before us. The difficulties attending the undertaking, and which have occafioned the progrefs of it to be flower than could otherwife have been defired, are ftated by him in the preface; from which we learn, with pleafure, that the truftees of the late Lord Hyde have indulged the Editor with much fuller powers of felection than were formerly given to him, in conjunction with his colleague.

It was mentioned in the first volume, that this entire collection of manufcripts confifted of two parts, viz. of fuch papers as were given to the University by the noble defcendants of the first Earl of Clarendon, and of fuch as were communicated by the late Richard Powney, LL. D. in order to be published jointly with the former, of which they were originally a part. But fince that time there has been tranfmitted to the Univerfity a third and very material portion of the collection, which was in the poffeffion of Jofeph Radcliffe, Efq; one of the executors to Edward Earl of Clarendon, who was grandfon to the firft Earl, and died in the year 1723.

Some other material acceffions have also been made to the collection; for much the greater part of which the Public is indebted to the unwearied zeal and induftry of the very worthy

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