joined with the inferior ranks in complaints against the nobles. This ftate of things feemed to portend, or, together with other concurring causes, prepared the way for, that great change which now took place in the Danish conftitution. Frederic III. was beloved by the inferior people, especially for his gallant and humane behaviour during the fiege of Copenhagen by the Swedes, which happened in his reign. At the next meeting of the ftates, the commons and clergy under the fecret influence of the court, to exprefs their regard to the king, went in a body to the Houfe of Nobles, and made firft only this propofition, that the fucceffion of the crown fhould be fettled on the king's family and defcendants. This proceeding appeared the more novel and audacious, as whatever related to matters of confequence to the realm had hitherto originated from the nobles, who nevertheless now faw that whether they confented or not, the measure would be carried, in despite of all oppofition. Yet in this ftate of things, fome of the nobility were imprudent enough to irritate and exafperate the other orders, who broke up in the utmost rage, vowing never to meet the nobles any more, 'till they had taken the fulleft revenge on their pride.' Accordingly they pitched on a place where to continue their feffion apart, and at length came to the ftrange refolution, as in a fit of defpair, immediately to wait on the King in a body, and make him a tender, not only of an hereditary right of the crown of Denmark for his family, but also of an abfolute uncontroulable dominion over all ranks and degrees of his fubjects. In this fatal determination there was not a voice diffentient in the whole affembly; to fuch a pitch of wrath and indignation had the haughtiness of the nobles excited them." The nobles were inexpreffibly furprized and fhocked to hear from the mouth of the prefident of the commons himself that fuch was their refolution, that it was irrevocable, that they would ftand to it at all hazards, and that if the nobility refufed to give their fuffrages, their own fhould be fufficient. The nobles laboured to gain time under different pretences, and would have delayed the commons by deliberations and harangues; but instead of waiting to attend to them, they repaired in a body to the court, where they made the King the folemn offer proposed, and we may conclude met with a gracious and hearty reception. The court, whofe policy throughout the whole of this great event was keen and vigilant, had already taken all the neceffary precautions to fruftrate any intention the nobles might form of making an escape from the city. After feveral hefitations, delays and terrors, they were obliged to fend the ampleft notification to the court, of their readiness to submit to whatever should be demanded of them. Soon after which the whole body of the nobility were farther obliged to pay their folemn homage, REV. June 1774. Ff and

and fwear fidelity and implicit obedience to the King, who was feated on a throne erected on a fcaffolding for that purpose. This they did on their knees in the prefence of the army, and the Burghers of Copenhagen, who were all under arms, and furrounded them on every fide.

The account of this tranfaction forms a great part of the first volume, from which we can only present our readers with the foregoing short relation. For various circumftances attending the revolution, together with many judicious remarks and reflections, we must refer to the volume, which we doubt not will be read with pleasure, though we think the Author is, in this part of the work, more prolix than was neceffary.

The Commons did not find the advantages they had hoped for, from this refignation of themselves, without terms, to the will of a monarch: however it is acknowledged that though Frederic III. arrived at arbitrary power by the odious means of deceiving the lower orders of the realm into a belief that it was neceffary for the common good, to alter the conftitution, yet after they had placed him in the feat of abfolute royalty, he acted in fuch a manner as to efface, as far as practicable, the appearance of the defpotifm that had been eftablifhed. Those measures excepted, which were indifpenfably requifite to confirm and ftrengthen fuch an establishment, he took none that betrayed the leaft inclination to rule otherwife than as a mild and good-natured mafter; and fhewed on all occafions an unfeigned propenfity to promote the welfare of his subjects.'

Christian V. on account of the difficulties in which he was involved by his wars with Sweden, was obliged to exert the arbitrary authority tranfmitted to him from his father. His inclinations, we are told, were mild, but his fituation required peculiar abilities to moderate the excefs of power annexed to it. The examples fet before him by the other abfolute princes of Europe, in his time, were too contagious to be refifted; and he was hurried into an imitation of them, through thofe falfe notions of perfonal glory that usually furround a defpotic throne.'

The two Danish monarchs who are moft extolled, and we believe justly, in these volumes, are Chriftian VI. and Frederic V. the laft of whom died in the beginning of the year 1766. The reprefentation which is given of them, both as men, and as princes, is indeed very amiable. Dr. Andrews feems to embrace every opportunity of fpeaking in their praife. The reigns, fays he, of Chriftian VI. and of his Son Frederic V. may not improperly be ftyled the golden age of Denmark; fo far as fuch a title may be applied to a country fituated in no very defirable climate, and under a government as arbitrary and defpotic in it's principles as any in Chriftendom. When the allowances

allowances are made which thofe two effential confiderations require, it will appear that no people have had lefs reafon to complain of the faults of administration, than the inhabitants of Denmark, for the fpace of near forty years: a long tract of time, when we reflect that during the whole of it, the intereft of the commonwealth has been invariably confulted as the capital and main object; and this too by abfolute princes, invited by a multiplicity of motives to act otherwife; and encouraged by that most potent of all incentives, the ftrength of examples on all fides, to lift under the standard of ambition. Brilliant views, when attended with any plaufibility, are seldom refifted even by the moderate. How much wifdom and prudence, therefore, must these two illuftrious monarchs have been endowed with, to have withftood the many temptations thrown in their way by the defigning and the interested. With what fagacity muft they have acted, to fteer through the numerous difficulties that could not fail being encountered by princes who were determined to preferve at once the tranquillity of their dominions, and the dignity of their crown.-Infpired with a thorough conviction of the neceffity for applying to the bufinefs of their ftation, they wholly devoted themfelves to this arduous task. They called forth their whole capacity, and kept it alive by a conftant courfe of vigorous exertion. By perfifting unremittingly in this conduct, they learnt the great art of accommodating themselves to circumftances; and were enabled to face with fuccefs, the trials and viciffitudes of the times they lived in. By managing with spirit and dexterity the various opportunities that offered, they rofe fuperior to all difficulties; and found means to reconcile the happiness of their fubjects, with their own perfonal grandeur and pretenfions. When truth empowers mankind to speak well of their rulers, they cannot be too loud in their praife. It is the noblest retribution a great mind can propofe. To beftow it faintly or curforily is abfolutely criminal. It robs the proprietor of his due.-Swayed by these motives, we cannot too much extoll the great qualities of Christian VI. and Frederic V. of Denmark. We cannot too cordially unite with the whole Danish nation, in acknowledg ing their worth. Haraffed and oppreffed by the misconduct and the ambition of former administrations, the Danes will never forget to whofe paternal cares, to whofe mild and equitable government they were fo long indebted for the bleffings of peace, and the introduction of thofe arts that are the fource of domeftic felicity. The aufpicious, the facred names of those two glorious monarchs will ever be remembered with the warmest sentiments, and the ftrongest expreffions of gratitude; and, one may fafely add, will powerfully conduce to raise up imitators of their virtues.'

This may appear to have fomewhat of the air of declamation; but the more particular account given of the conduct of these princes, feems to justify the applaufe which the writer beftows. To form a farther judgment we must leave our readers to confult the hiftory itfelf; to which we must also refer them for a view of the Danish trade, manufactures, &c. together with remarks on the laws and internal government of Denmark; which laft article, by way of Appendix, conftitutes a great part of the fecond volume. These laws have one excellence, of which we cannot but take notice, because it is greatly defirable that we fhould have the fame advantage in our own country; the Author tells us, they are remarkable on account of their plainnefs and brevity; they are expreffed with fo much precifion, and are fo little fubject to ambiguity, that they require no labour and effort of the understanding to comprehend them.'

We shall only add, that in perufing this compilement, we have met with confiderable entertainment, and fome information. The late revolution in the Danish Court is too recent and too little understood to allow the Hiftorian to fay much on the fubject, and therefore the reader must not expect an account of it in the prefent performance.

ART III, Sketches of the Hiftory of Man. 4to. 2 Vols. 11. 16s. boards. Cadell. 1774.

T

HIS work, for which the Public is indebted to the very ingenious Author of the Elements of Criticism, will afford both entertainment and inftruction to the generality of readers. It contains many pertinent and curious obfervations on a great variety of useful and important fubjects, fome of which, indeed, are treated in a way fomewhat fuperficial and imperfect, and others with less precifion and accuracy than their importance deferves. For this, however, the candid Reader will make favourable allowances, and will rather be difpofed to wonder that the Author, amidst the various duties and occupations of an active life, fhould execute the feveral parts of fo extenfive and bold an undertaking fo fuccefsfully as he has done, than to find fault with imperfections that were naturally to be expected, and, in fome measure, unavoidable.

The Author's ftyle, though not elegant, is, in general, plain, eafy, and perfpicuous; disfigured indeed, occafionally, with vulgar phrafes, and low turns of expreffion. The Reader too, it must be acknowledged, is fometimes a little difgufted with the Author's illiberal reflections, of which we could point out feveral examples. What he has fo extravagantly and unjustly advanced with respect to the English public schools

(vol. I. p. 450.) deserves particular reprehenfion. We freely acknowledge, that the plan of education at our fchools is liable to many just exceptions; but the cenfures of Lord K. are by no means pertinent to the fubject: and what he fays of the youth at Eton school receiving vales from ftrangers, is fuch a caricature of a sketch as will do but little credit to his Lordship's pencil.

That the work, however, upon the whole,, has a very confiderable degree of merit, cannot, without manifeft injuftice, be denied. A love of liberty and of mankind appears throughout; the Author's views are enlarged, his knowledge is extenfive, and many of his remarks are extremely acute and ingenious: in a word, both the Philofopher and the Politician may derive no fmall advantage from an attentive perufal of his performance; for though both the philofophical and the political reader will, no doubt, often differ from him in opinion, yet the hints which he throws out occafionally, may open new views to each, and lead to very ufeful and important enquiries.

The following work, (fays he, in his Preface) is the fubftance of various fpeculations, that occafionally amufed the Author, and enlivened his leifure hours. It is not intended for the learned; they are above it: nor for the vulgar; they are below it. It is intended for men, who, equally removed from the corruption of opulence, and from the depreffion of bodily labour, are bent on ufeful knowledge; who, even in the delirium of youth, feel the dawn of patriotifm, and who in riper years enjoy its meridian warnth. To fuch men this work is dedicated; and that they may profit by it, is the Author's ardent with, and probably will be while any fpirit remains in him to form a with.

6

May not he hope, that this work, child of his grey hairs, will furvive, and bear teftimony for him to good men, that even a labo rious calling, which left him not many leifure-hours, never banished from his mind, that he would little deferve to be of the human fpecies, were he indifferent about his fellow-creatures:

Homo fum: humani nihil a me alienum puto.

Most of the fubjects handled in the following sheets, admit but of probable reafoning; which is not a little flippery, as with respect to many reasonings of that kind, it is difficult to pronounce, what degree of conviction they ought to produce. It is eafy to form plauible arguments; but to form fuch as will ftand the test of time, is not always easy. I could amufe the reader with numerous examples of conjectural arguments, which, fair at a diftant view, vanish like a cloud on a near approach. In the first sketch of this book, not to go farther, he will find recorded more than one example. The dread of being misled by fuch arguments, filled the author with anxiety; and after his utmost attention, he can but faintly hope, that he has not often wandered far from truth.

Above thirty years ago, he began to collect materials for a natural history of man; and in the vigour of youth, did not think the

under