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under confideration. The work is very copious, and though we have turned it over with due attention, we cannot say, that any term of confequence, which relates to the art of war, occurred to us, as being omitted.

The full merit of a literary compilation, can never be gathered from extracts out of it: a compiler may felect judicioufly in one inftance, and injudiciously in another; and there are examples of each kind in the work before us. Of the latter clafs, we have particularly in our eye, the long extract from Dr. Hamilton's Differtation on the Mechanic Powers; where, without any reafon, that gentleman's objections to Sir Ifaac Newton's 2d Cor. to the 3d law of motion, are introduced, notwithstanding they are obviously ill founded.

But, although works of this kind are always understood to be compilations from other authors, in the choice of which the compiler's judgment is chiefly fhewn, Captain Smith's work is not deftitute of original, and even curious matter; as a proof of which, we shall give the following extract:

English ARTILLERY, in the reign of Edward VI. that is, about the year 1548, confifted in the following establishment;

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Total charges of the artillery for one year

1547 9 2

But in the 109 gunners above mentioned, there are included fees

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The establishment of artillery in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1597, may be gathered from the following: Allowances to officers within one quarter, ending the last of March 1597.

To Sir George Carew, knight, lieutenant of her Majesty's ordnance, for his allowance one quarter,

To William Parkeringe, furveyor of her? Majefty's ordnance, for his like quarter's allowance,

To Stephen Riddlefden, clerk of her Majefty's ordnance, for his like quarter's allowance,

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To John Lee, keeper of her Majesty's flores, ditto, To George Hogge, and John Linewrayce, clerks of the deliveries, ditto,

To William Cudner, clerk to Sir George Carew, knight, ditto,

Clerks daily attending in the faid office:

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d.

XVIII

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Richard Palfreyman,

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Edward Parkeringe

VI.

William Scott,

VI.

Richard Haynes,

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Thomas Lemmon

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V 1.

John Squire,

VI.

Richard Lental,

V 1.

£. VXVIII XVII VI

That is 5181. 17 s. 6d. for one quarter's falary.'

These two accounts, we are informed, were taken from a manufcript of the late Reverend William Goftling, and communicated by Captain William Goftling of the Royal Artillery. There appears to be fome miftake in the latter, as the feveral fums, when added together, do not amount to any thing like the fum total put down, either in numerals or in the note following them. They form a ftriking contraft with the prefent ftate and pay of the fame department.

On the whole, we think Captain Smith's book will prove acceptable and useful to every military officer who studies his profeffion, and wishes to make himself mafter of it.

ART. VIII. A fuccessful Method of treating the Gout by Blistering. With an Introduction, confifting of Mifcellaneous Matter. By William Stevenfon, Physician at Wells. 8vo. 2 S. Bath, printed by Cruttwell, for Dilly, London. 1779.

THE

HE mifcellaneous introduction, mentioned in the titlepage, is a very defultory comment on the trite adage vita brevis, ars longa. It is fufficiently ftored with abuse of the

Author's

Author's brethren of the faculty; which, though tolerably fmart and lively, might, we think, as well have been omitted. To depreciate the honefty, fenfe, and knowledge of all others in the trade, is a project rather too hackneyed to be used with fuccefs at this day; and charges of this fort, if injudiciously made, are very apt to recoil upon the affailant. Thus, it will only be imputed to an unacquaintance with the writings and practice of modern phyficians, that they are charged with blindly adopting the tenets of their forefathers; when, alas! the real ftate of the cafe is, that fashion, and fondness for novelty, have left scarcely any thing ftable and fixed in the whole medical science. Equally unfortunate may be an attempt at puffing one's felf, when made without due confideration of what others have done before us. Our Author's two Irish cafes, of the cure of nervous fevers by large dofes of wine, which he felects as inftances of methods of treating disorders not upon medical record,' will only fhew him to be little converfant in the writings of Huxham, Pringle, Lind, Cleghorn, and a multiplicity of others, of equal repute.

Not to dwell any longer, however, on introductory matter, we proceed to the more direct fubject of the piece. The Author gives us two chapters; one on the nature; the other, on the caufe, of the gout. We fhall not pretend to follow him in all his rambling excurfions about and about the field of argument; it will be fully fufficient to mention fome of his leading opinions on the fubject. He entirely agrees with Dr. Cadogan (whofe manner of writing and thinking he very much adopts) in denying any hereditary propenfity to this diforder. He reprefents all diftinction between the gout and rheumatism as merely arbitrary and hypothetical; fuppofing, that both of them equally proceed from the accumulation of acrid matter, in confequence of taking in more aliment than the body, when full grown, can expend. How far this notion will agree with the hiftory of the rheumatism, and the time of its appearance, we leave our readers to determine.

The gout, then, according to him, is the fimpleft diforder' in the world. It is an attempt of the conftitution to make a fore. As fhe is unable to do this herfelf, art fteps in, and with her infallible blister-plafter, accomplishes the great purpose. What, then, is the disorder cured by this simple procefs? It is, fays the Doctor, boldly. After the termination of a perfect fit, thus managed, the conftitution is as free of gout as if it never had it.' Notwithstanding this direct affertion, we cannot think our fanguine Doctor means quite fo much as he feems to say ; for a little awkward explanation follows, which appears to admit, that this foul, acrid, fore-making ftuff, ftill fubfifts in the conftitution, though it cannot be called gout, till it

actually

actually brings on another fit of that difeafe. For, who knows whether it may not rather chufe to fhew itself next time in the form of eryfipelas, fcurvy, hoemorrhoids, or the like? We agree with him, however, that it is a point of moment gained,' if the violence of a gouty paroxyfm be, almost totally, carried off by bliftering; and we think him right, in recommending this fpirited method of treating the foe, rather than any attempts to fubdue him by loads of naufeous drugs, which will more probably deftroy all remains of a good conftitution. But here, again, our Author, by the warmth of indifcriminate cenfure, has been led to expofe himself: for, in proof of this propenfity to overload arthritic patients with the contents of an apothecary's fhop, he cites, not the practice or writings of the most eminent phyficians of the present time (whom we may venture to call as enlightened and unprejudiced as himself), but the obfolete fyftems of Shaw and Ball.

The efficacy of the bliftering-practice is fupported by two cafes, which are fubjoined to the treatife. One of them is the Writer's own, from which we learn, that he indulges himself in fuch a daily quantity of liquor as elevates, without intoxicating; holding the comfortable doctrine, that liquors, if old and found, are the inward cloathing of the body, in our foggy damp atmosphere.' That, with fuch a principle, he should have no great faith in medical water-drinking, is not surprising; but, that he should fo warmly difpute the efficacy of the Bath waters, in producing a fit of the gout, is furely rather to be imputed to prejudice than impartial obfervation.

The language of this piece is more distinguished by its spirit than its accuracy.

ART. IX. Lectures on the Catechism of the Church of England. By William Gilpin, M. A. Vicar of Boldre, near Lymington. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. fewed. Blamire, &c. 1779.

HESE Lectures are addreffed by Mr. Gilpin to the young

T gentlemen who were educated by him at Cheam school, and they are well calculated to imprefs their minds with juft views of their most important interefts,-to make them happy in themselves, and useful members of fociety. His chief endea vour is to engage the attention of youth to the evidences of religion, and the great doctrines of Chriftianity; obferving, very justly, that if the mind be deeply imprcfled with thefe leading truths, it requires only a flighter leffon on morals; and that he who seriously believes the gofpel cannot well fail of being a good Chriftian.

In the courfe of his Lectures, he endeavours to fhew, that fcarce any of the great truths of the gospel were fo wholly new, but that fome notices of them, or at leaft refemblances, may

be

be traced even among the Heathen nations-among thofe efpe-. cially which were more polifhed; and perhaps among all, if we were more intimately acquainted with them and as this fhews either a great harmony between reafon and revelation, or, that thefe preparatory notices originated immediately from the Deity, it always appeared to him an argument (he fays) which carried great conviction. If thefe notices are fuppofed to have been wholly of Jewish origin, ftill the unforced adoption of them (he thinks) fhews their agreement with reafon; and therefore ftrongly opposes the endeavours of thofe who labour to fet reafon and revelation at variance.

In preffing moral rules, Mr. Gilpin fometimes prefers a quotation from Horace to a text from fcripture, obferving, and, in our opinion, very juftly, that Horace is, in one fenfe, better authority than an apoftle. If his unenlightened mind, fays he, had fuch juft and noble fentiments, what may be expected from a Chriftian?'

He introduces his firft lecture with a fhort hiftory of the Catechifm, which may not be unacceptable to the generality of our Readers:

It was among the earliest cares, fays he, of the first promoters of the Reformation, to provide a Catechifm for the instruction of youth. But the fame caution, with regard to the prejudices of men, was neceffarily to be used in this matter, as had been used in all the other religious tranfactions of thofe times. At first, it was thought fufficient to begin with fuch common things, as were acknowledged both by Papifts and Proteftants. The firft Catechifm therefore confilled fimply of the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer: and it was no eafy matter to bring even thefe into general ufe. They were received by the people, in the midit of that profound ignorance, which then reigned, as a fpecies of incantation; and it was long before the groffness of vulgar conception was even enlightened enough to apprehend, that the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer, meant fimply to direct their faith, their practice, and their devotion.

This was all the progrefs that was made in catechetical inftruction from the beginning of the Reformation, till fo late a period as the year 1549. About that time a farther attempt was made by Archbishop Cranmer, as it is commonly fuppofed. He ventured to add a few cautious explanatory paffages; which was all the prejudices of men would yet bear. The great prudence, indeed, of that wife and good man, appeared in nothing more than in the easy movements, with which he introduced every change.

In the year 1553, a farther attempt was hazarded. A Catechifm was published by authority, in which not only the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer were more fully expounded; but a brief explanation alfo of the Sacraments was added. This bold work, however, was not ventured in the English tongue; but was published in Latin, for the ufe of fchools. Archbishop Wake, whofe authority I chiefly follow, fuppofes this Catechifm to be the first model of that, which is now in ufe.

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• Thus

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