broke with infamy by a court-martial.' Now this is so far from being the cafe, that, if it were poffible to bring an officer to a court-martial for refufing a challenge, he must certainly be honourably acquitted, either in France or England, especially in this kingdom, in confequence of an article of war, which declares the fender, acceptor, or carrier of a challenge, ipfo facto, cashiered.

Letter XVI. contains an account of fome Roman antiquities in the neighbourhood of Nice.

Letter XVII. to XXIV. inclufive, continues the Author's defcription of the manners, cuftoms, religion, commerce, manufactories, &c. of Nice. They comprehend many particulars which may be interesting to thofe who intend to vifit that city; but as thefe matters may be thought of little importance to the generality of our Readers, we fhall now proceed to the fecond volume, which begins with

Letter XXV. The Doctor, accompanied by his lady, Mifs C, and Mr. R—, a native of Nice, in the beginning of September, embarked on board a gondala, at Nice, and rowing along the coaft, and fleeping every night on fhore, arrived on the fourth day at Genoa, having been detained one day by bad weather.

Letter XXVI. Having spent a few days at Genoa in vifiting the most remarkable churches and palaces, they proceeded in the fame manner along the coaft to Lerici, where they quitted their bark and proceeded by land to Pifa. Having seen the famous hanging tower, the Doctor declares it to be his opinion, contrary to that of many other travellers, that its prefent inclination is owing entirely to the foundation giving way on one fide, and this he concludes from the pillars on one fide being confiderably funk. But nothing excited his admiration fo much as the brafs gates in the cathedral, reprefenting the hiftory of the Old and New Teftament, defigned and executed by John of Bologna. Having hired a return-coach for four zechines, our travellers proceeded along the banks of the Arno, through a delightful country, to Florence. Speaking of the people of fafhion of this city, the Doctor tells us, that they are remarkably referved and punctilious to ftrangers. If we may be allowed to fpeak from experience, we should say that it is much lefs difficult for a ftranger to gain admittance into genteel company in Florence, than in any other part of Italy.

Letter XXVIII. Here we have the pleasure of attending the Doctor into the famous gallery belonging to the grand duke. With regard to the celebrated Venus of Medicis, he thinks there is no beauty in the features, and that the attitude is aukward and out of character. As to beauty of features, it depends fo much on the ideas of the beholder, and is a thing fo utterly

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incapable

incapable of definition, that we shall not endeavour to dispute the point; but in refpect to her attitude, we cannot help being of a contrary opinion, as we are unable to conceive any poffible attitude more graceful and proper for a naked female, than that of the Venus de Medicis. The Doctor barely mentions the most remarkable curiofities in Florence, and refers us to Keyfler for a more circumftantial detail.

Letter XXIX. In this letter the reader will find a defcription of our Author's journey through Sienna to Rome, together with his obfervations on his arrival in that city. young gentlemen (fays the Doctor) who go to Rome will do well to be upon their guard against a set of sharpers (fome of them of our own country) who deal in pictures and antiques, and very often impose upon the uninformed ftranger, by felling him trafh as the production of the most celebrated artifts.' The English, he obferves, are particularly exposed to this impofition, on account of their supposed wealth and pretenfions to tafte. I have seen, (continues the Doctor) in different parts of Italy, a number of raw boys, whom Britain feemed to have poured forth on purpose to bring her national character into contempt: ignorant, petulant, rash, and profligate, without any knowledge or expe, rience of their own, without any director to improve their understanding, or fuperintend their conduct.' The most remarkable phenomenon of this kind, which I have feen, is a boy of feventy-two, travelling through Italy for improvement, under the auspices of another boy of twenty-two.'

Letter XXX. In viewing the antiquities of Rome the Doctor discovers, that the moderns retain more of the customs of the ancients than is generally fuppofed. In the capitol he found an antique ftatue of a child emaillotè, that is, rolled up from the feet in a tight bandage like an Egyptian mummy. This cruel, abfurd, and infamous cuftom, ftill continues in France and Germany! He faw likewife in the fame place a buft of Julia Pia with a moveable peruke, dreffed exactly in the present taste, except that no part of it was frizzled, nor was there any appearance of powder and pomatum: improvements (fays the Doctor) which the beau-monde have borrowed from the natives of the Cape of Good Hope.'

Letter XXXI. begins with obfervations on the gardens of the Italians. He defcribes that of Villa Pinciana, which, though it contains a number of ftatues which merit attention, is neververtheless, upon the whole, a contemptible garden. The Italians (fays our Author) understand, because they study, the excellencies of art; but they have no idea of the beauties of nature. From this garden we are conducted to the famous church of St. Peter, which, upon the whole, he allows to be a mafter-piece of architecture; but in confidering its internal or

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naments, he condemns particularly the four coloffal figures which fupport St. Peter's chair, as being infinitely too large and clumfy. Hence he takes occafion to obferve, that the implements of popifh fuperftition, fuch as relicks of pretended faints, ill-proportioned fpires and belfreys, and the naufeous repetition of the figure of the cross, which is in itself a very mean and difagreeable object, only fit for the prifons of condemned criminals, have contributed to introduce a vitious taste into the external architecture, as well as the internal ornaments of our temples.' It is indeed great pity that the labours of painting fhould have been fo generally employed on the fhocking fubjects of the martyrology!

From St. Peter's we are conducted to the Pantheon, which, fays the Doctor, looks like a huge cockpit open at top. Why not like an inverted porridge-pot, with a hole in the bottom?

Letter XXXII. mentions the coloflæum, circe, naumachia, baths, aqueducts, common-fewers and fepulchres, defcriptions of which are to be met with in various travels.

Letter XXXIII. In this letter, among other things, the reader will find the Author's opinion of the celebrated groops of Laocoon, and of Dirce, both which he allows to be exquisite.

Letter XXXIV. The Doctor fets out on his return to Florence, by way of Terni, a road which we advise all future travellers to avoid. The whole company underwent fo much fatigue, danger and vexation, that their fafe arrival at Florence feemed miraculous.

Letter XXXV. Making a fhort stay at Florence, our travellers return by Pifa to Lirici, where they embark for Genoa, and thence to Nice; and thus ended their Italian expedition, after which the Doctor found himself fo perfectly well, that he no longer defpaired of revifiting his friends in England.

Letter XXXVI. begins thus: You afk me whether I think the French people are more taxed than the English? but I ap prehend, the question would be more apropos, if you asked whether the French taxes are more infupportable than the English; for, in comparing burthens, we ought always to confider the ftrength of the shoulders that bear them. When I fee the country of England fmiling with cultivation; the grounds exhibiting all the perfection of agriculture, parcelled out into beautiful inclosures, corn-fields, hay and pafture, woodland and common; when I fee her meadows well-ftocked with black cattle; her downs covered with fheep; when I view her teams of horfes and oxen large and firong, fat and fleek; when I fee her farm-hoofes the habitations of plenty, cleanliness and convenience; her peafants well-fed, well-lodged, well-cloathed, tall and ftout, and hale and jolly; I cannot help concluding that the people are well able to bear thofe impofitions which the

public neceffities have rendered neceffary. On the other hand, when I perceive fuch figns of poverty, mifery, and dirt, among the commonality of France, their unfenced fields dug up in defpair, without the intervention of meadow or fallow-ground, without cattle to furnish manure, without horfes to execute the plans of agriculture; their farm-houfes mean, their furniture wretched, their apparel beggarly; themfelves and their beafts the images of famine; I cannot help thinking they groan under oppreffion.'

Letter XXXVII, contains a farther account of the climate of Nice.

Letter XXXVIII. The Doctor makes an excurfion over the mountains to Turin.

Letter XXXIX. Having spent two winters at Nice, the Doctor and his family fet out on their return to England. They paffed through Antibes, Toulon, and Marseilles, in their way to Aix en Provence, where the Doctor refolves to continue fome time for the fake of the waters, from which he received fingular benefit.

Letter XL. comprehends a defcription and fuccinct history of Aix and its waters. As to the boafted cheapnefs of living in the fouth of France, our Author is perfuaded that a family may live for less money at York, Durham, or Hereford, than in this city. This letter contains likewise the particulars of the journey from Aix to Lyons, through Avignon,

Letter XLI. Boulogne, June 13, 1765. In this epiftle, which is the laft in the book, the Doctor continues to complain of the inconveniencies of travelling in France, and concludes, that pofting is much more convenient and reasonable in England.. Our carriages and horfes are much better, and our drivers more obliging and alert, owing to the poffibility, if we are ill-ufed at one inn, of being accommodated at another. The Doctor, throughout his whole journey, had very frequent difputes with landlords, poftmafters, and poftilions, which must certainly have rendered his tour much lefs agreeable than it otherwife might have been. Of this he feems convinced; for in this letter he is of opinion, that the only method of travelling with any degree of comfort, is to fubmit to impofition, and to ftimulate those who serve you by extraordinary gratifications. We cannot take leave of the Doctor without thanking him for the entertainment we have received in the perufal of his travels; which, as they are the work of a man of genius and learning, cannot fail of being useful and inftructive, particularly to thofe who intend to make the fame tour.

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B...t

A large

A large Collection of ancient Jewish and Heathen Teftimonies to the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, with Notes and Obfervations. Vol. 3d. Containing the Teftimonies of Heathen Writers of the third Century, and to the Converfion of Conflantine, the first Chriftian Emperor. By Nathaniel Lardner, D. D. 10s. 6d. Buckland, &c.

THE

4to.

HERE are few divines whofe writings we perufe with greater pleasure than those of the learned and judicious Author of the work now before us. An air of genuine integrity and fimplicity of defign appears in every thing that comes from his pen; he feems to have nothing but truth in view; and may be faid, with great juftice, to have done as much service to the Chriftian caufe as any writer of the prefent age.

*

This third volume of his collection is divided into nineteen chapters; in the first of which we have an account of the persecution under Severus, and Spartian's teftimony to it, with remarks. Spartian is a heathen author, one of the writers of the Auguftan hiftory, and flourished in the time of Dioclesian, or foon after. He has mentioned not only the time of this perfecution, but alfo the fubftance and defign of the emperor's edict, more particularly, than any of our Chriftian authors. In the life of Severus, he fays:- Having paffed through Antioch, he gave to his eldeft fon the manly gown, and appointed him conful with himfelf. And prefently, whilft they were yet in Syria, they entered upon their confulfhip. After that, having enlarged the ftipends of the foldiers, he went forward to Alexandria. In his journey through Paleftine, he enacted feveral laws. He forbad, under a fevere penalty, that any fhould become Jews, He also published a like edict against the Chriftians.'

This, our Author obferves, determines the beginning of the perfecution to the year of Chrift 207, the tenth year of the reign of Severus, when he and his fon Caracalla were confuls together. The defign of the edict is reprefented to be to reftrain the increafe of Chriftianity.

Mofheim (de reb. Chriftian ante C. M. p. 456) obferves upon this edict, that the words of it, as reprefented by Spartian, fhew, that Severus only intended to hinder the increase of the church, and ordered fuch to be punished, who forfook the religion of their ancestors.. They, therefore, who were. Chriftians by birth, he fays, or were fuch, before the time of this edict, had nothing to fear from it.

This obfervation Dr. Lardner thinks of no weight. All perfecuting ets, he fays, may have been in this form. They

For our account of his ift and 2d Vols. fee Rev. Vol. XXXII. and the No. for January last.

may