Judge SCRUP, and the worthy old counsellor PEST Take a fmack of the brimftone contained in the water. Any one of the phyficat gentlemen flew'd; Since the day that King BLADUD first found out the bogs, Thefe excellent waters to cure his own hide: With candour, good fenfe, and profound erudition, } Ods f Ods bobs! how delighted I was unawares For ladies that bathe, and for ladies that drink; A tune you should take, that the water may pafs; I've a deal more to fay, but am loth to intrude On your time, my dear mother, fo now I'll conclude. Letter the twelfth contains a ludicrous and fevere, but nevertheless juft and pertinent fatire on the head-dreffes of the ladies. One would think it impoffible for the power of fashion itself to fupport its cause against fuch a defcription as the following:- Enter the hair-dreffer; And firft at her porcupine head he begins To fumble and poke with his irons and pins, w The next letter contains an account of a ridiculous public breakfast; and it is followed by an epiftle from Mifs Prudence, in which the informs her correfpondent that she has been elected to methodism by a vifion; but there is an indecency in this letter for which the humour of it can by no means atone. In the last epiftle we find little more than the old ftory, that the piper is to be paid, and a melancholly detail of Bath-expences; yet we cannot dismiss the article without making our acknowledgments to the Author for the uncommon entertainment his book has afforded us. L.. MONTHLY MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JUNE, 1766. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 10. The History of the Troglodites. Tranflated from the French of Mr. de Montefquieu. 8vo. 6d. Buckland, &c. HE celebrated Lettres Perfannes have been twice translated into TEnglish, Art by Ozell, and fince by one Mr. Flloyd. The latter of these translations, it feems, was unknown to the gentleman to whom the public is obliged for the prefent verfion of this elegant fiction,-taken from the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th letters. It was no hard task to excel the former; and, in truth, both are much excelled by the present tranflator: who, poffibly, has published this ftory of the Troglodites as a specimen of an intended new tranflation of the whole series. If we are right in our conjecture, it will be fortunate for the reputation of M. de Montefquieu; for that excellent author, in common with the belt writers of his nation, hath fuffered not a little from the inelegant pens of our common doers from the French. Art. 11. The Principles of the English Language digefted, for the Use of Schools. By James Elphinstone. 12mo. lant, &c. 3s. Vail Mr. Elphinstone has here given an abridgment of his larger work, published about a year ago, under a fimilar title: fee Review for October last, p. 274. Art. 12. The Merry Miller; or the Countryman's Ramble to London. A Farce of two Acts. 8vo. IS. Davenhill. Too poor a performance even for Bartholomew fair. Art. 13. Witticisms and Strokes of Humour. Collected by Robert Baker. 8vo. IS. Bathoe. The Author of this new jeft-book finds great fault with the dull collections already offered to the public,--and he has added one to the number. Art. 14. Travels through Italy, containing new and curious Obfervations on that Country; particularly the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Ecclefiaftical State, the Kingdom of Naples, the Republics of Venice and Genoa, &c. with the most authentic Account yet publifhed of capital Pieces in Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture; including Remarks on the ancient and prefent State of Italy, of the Arts and Sciences which have flourished there, and of I afte in Painting with the Characters of the principal Artifts. By John . Northall, Efq; Captain in his Britannic Majefty's Royal Regiment of Artillery. Illuftrated with a Map of Italy, a Route of this Tour, and feveral Copper-plates. 8vo. 6s. Hooper. The Editor of thefe travels informs us, in his preface, that the Auwas an English gentleman, who undertook this tour of Italy, as the finishing part of a polite education.' From this manner of mentioning the Author, we conclude, that Capt. Northall is not now living; and fome have even questioned whether he ever did live: looking Rev. June, 1765. THOR I i on on the name as entirely fictitious. Suppofing, however, the reality of our Author's existence to be undoubted, let us attend to what the Editor fays of his character, and abilities for fuch an undertaking as the prefent. The Captain, he tells us, was accompanied by fome other gentlemen, who had all the advantages of procuring accefs to the most valuable curiofities in public places, and private palaces;' that he had a 'curiofity equal to thefe advantages;' that he was not only a gentleman, but a fcholar, a gallant officer, an experienced engineer, a good draughtf man, and a fine judge of paintings, fculpture, and architecture.' With these requifites, and fo ample a field for the difplay of his abilities, the Reader will naturally expect a finifhed production, in Capt. Northall's recital of his travels; and, in truth, the style of his book is by no means inelegant: but with refpect to the matter of his obfervations, we meet with very little that is not to be found in Keyfler, Blainville, and other more voluminous writers, whofe performances are made to fubfcribe largely towards the notes with which the prefent work is illustrated. But were we to confider this book merely as a judicious compilement from the best Authors who have made the tour of Italy, we fhould, perhaps, view it in neither a difhoneft nor a contemptible light; and, in this view, it will, we apprehend, be found a very entertaining and a very ufeful pofl-chaife companion, for unexperienced travellers in the fame route. Art. 15. Reflections on Originality in Authors, being Remarks on a Letter to Mr. Mafon, on the Marks of Imitation; in which the abfurd Defects of that Performance are pointed out; and the abfolute uncertainty of Imitation in general is demonftrated in various InRances: with a Word or two on the Characters of Ben. Johnfor and Pope. 8vo. Is. Horsfield. There is a pedantic pertnefs, and a boorifh petulance in thefe Reflections, being Remarks,' that would render them dif. greeable to the polished reader, were there any merit in the arguments; but a spirit of Anding fault, and an ambition of attacking the opinions of a diftinguished writer, are the burden of the book. Indeed, the rudeness of the title-page might fufficiently apprife the Reader what he was to expect within. But let us hear what this felf-fufficient hypercritic has to fay, and wherein he points out the abfurd defects he mentions. I prefume, fays the author of the letter to Mr. Mafon, to give it for a certain note of imitation, when the properties of one clime are given to another; upon which this Remarker fays, could we furnish one inftance to this fage conclufion, any man of common fenfe would place it, not to the fcore of imitation but abfurdity :-very fevere indeed! the ingenious letter-writer is here, by implication, deprived of common fense, fince he abfolutely does impute it to imitation; and, what is more, he is abfolutely in the right too; for though abfurdity may be the effect, yet imitation is the caufe:-but the unhappy Remarker's inability to make this diftinction, occafioned this abfurd defect.'-That it is owing to imitation when the properties of one clime are given to another is evident from this, that the paftoral poets of our own country have frequently introduced into our climate the properties of thofe of Greece and Italy, occafioned by imitating the peculiar expreffions and defcriptions of their authors; and of this not only one but an hundred inftances might be produced, were it worth while to pay any further regard to fuch arguments. 1. Art. 16. Cafli Innocentis Anfaldi O. P. Placentini in Reg. Taurin. Athen. S. T. Prof. de Romana Tutelarium Deorum in Oppugnationibus Urbium Evocatione Liber fingularis. Editio quarta. 8vo. 3s. 6d. few'd. Payne. This is a new edition of Father Anfald's treatife on the evocation of the tutelary Gods in the Roman ficges.-The book had merit enough to go through three impreffions among the Venetians, and it is now reprinted at the Clarendon prefs in Oxford. น. Art. 17. An Effay on the Hiftory of Hamburgh, from the Foundation of that City, to the Convention between the Senate and Burghers, in 1712. Tranflated from the French of M. A. Dathe. 8vo. 5s. Ofborne. This book, which is not ill-written, may afford fome amufement to those who have any connexions with the city of Hamburgh; but will not appear in a very important light to the generality of English readers. Art. 18. Directions for a proper Choice of Authors to form a Li brary, which may both improve and entertain the Mind, and be of real Ufe in the Conduct of Life. Intended for thofe Readers who are only acquainted with the English Language. With a correct Lift of proper Books on the feveral Subjects. 8vo. Is. Whif ton, &c. This is, for the most part, a judicious felection; but, as the judg ments and taste of men will always vary from each other, we imagine there are many books in this lift which might have been well omitted; and not a few that, in our effimation, should have been added. Nevertheless, as we have no better, indeed no other directory of the kind, this publication may be of ufe to thofe who ftand in need of fuch helps. Art. 19. A Plan for the more speedy Execution of the Laws relating to the new paving, cleaning, and lighting the Streets of Wefminfter. By Charles Whitworth, Efq; 8vo. 6d. Walter. Propofes the inftitution of parochial committees, to affift the commiffioners in the infpection of the streets, and keeping them in due repair, according to the intent of the acts of parliament relating to the great improvements now going forward in our flourishing metropolis; the inhabitants of which are much obliged to Mr. Whitworth for his attention to this fubject, and for the judicious regulations which he has planned. Art. 20. The Hiftory of Inland Navigations. Particularly thofe of the Duke of Bridgewater, in Lancashire and Chefhire; and the intended one promoted by Earl Gower and other Perfons of Diftinction in Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire. Part the fecond. Illuftrated with a whole sheet geographical Plan, fhewing, at one View, the Counties, Townships, and Villages through which thefe Navigations are or will be carried. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Lownds. We have already given our fentiments of thefe noble fchemes for the improvement of our happy country, which, if not checked by our political diffentions, might, in every fenfe, fpeedily bid fair for taking the lead of every other nation on the face of the globe. I i 2 Art. 21. |