ples, from the ftory of Jephtha's daughter bewailing her virginity upon the mountains. The author of these volumes poffeffes talents for compofition both in verfe and in profe. He is not deficient in learning; but in wit, humour, or delicate raillery, he does not excel. The fubject on which he writes is too dry and barren to admit of fo long a commentary; though a meditation on a broomstick may amufe us for three pages, it will exhauft the most indefatigable attention, if extended to three volumes. Such a vaft circumference of description, on a theme fo narrow, puts us in mind of the old philofopher, who, after having entered into an Egyptian temple, and looked about for the idol of the place, at length discovered a little old black monkey fitting in the fhrine." ART. III. The Book of the Seven Chapters. Containing a new System of National Policy. With a Poffcript on Parliamentary Elocution, and an Utopian Scheme for the Confideration of the Rev. Mr. Wyvill. London. Small 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Baldwin. THIS HIS book is dedicated to Mr. Pitt, "not because he poffeffes talents fuperior to the prefent race of men; not because he is the son of the great William Pitt; not because he is the prime minifter of a powerful kingdom; but because he is the nobleft work of God, AN HONEST MAN." After celebrating his hero for his "daring act of patriotifm in snatching the reins from a mad Phaeton in the midft of his career,' and humbly propofing to "offer up Lord North as an expiatory facrifice for the profperity of the nation," he lays down his new fyftem, which is nothing else but the old proverb, "that honefty is the beft policy;" or, as it was early expreffed by Plato," that a nation never can be flourishing till power be vested in a philofophic prince or minifter, who fhall render virtue triumphant over vice." The political hemisphere, for fome time past, has not correfponded to this sublime idea; for he tells us, (p. 73) that the public language of politicians and minifters has been " that undue influence and corruption were indeed great evils, but natural and unavoidable as convulfions or earthquakes; and that, without a bribed majority, no minifter can poffibly conduct the business of the ftate." This fentiment excites his juft and warm indignation, and he boldly affirms, (p. 75)" that every member of parliament, who accepts of a place or a penfion, is a traitor to his country; that neither man nor devil dare deny the following conclufions: that a bribing minister, and a bribed parliament, are the most wicked of all human beings; that a B 3 form form of government cannot be perfect which fubfifts by uni verfal corruption, that is, by the conftant affiftance of Satan; and that it is infamous, as well as unconftitutional, in the members of either house to fell their bodies to the minifter, and their fouls to the devil.". To remedy thefe alarming evils, and raife the phoenix of the conftitution from its afhes, he requires only the following poftulata: "That there fhall be a patriot king, a virtuous minifter, and an uncorrupted people." He propofes the following scheme to leffen the national debt, previous to the millenium: "That all enormous fortunes, unjustly acquired, whether at home, or in the east, or in the weft, fhall be restored to the public; and that every member, of either houfe, who fupported the mad minifter, (Lord North) fhall be trebly taxed until the hundred millions, by them accumulated, be difcharged." Notwithstand ing the trite and beaten topics which this volume contains; the violent party-fpirit with which it is written; and the Utopian, not to fay ridiculous air which it fometimes affumes, it contains many juft political reflections, illuftrated fram hiftory, which we would particularly recommend to the younger clafs of readers. The following paffage merits the attention of the public. The manufacturers at Norwich, Leeds, Hallifax, Sheffield, and Manchefter, tell us, that their beft hands conftantly make Monday a holiday; and by thofe of Birmingham, I am affured, that the generality of their people feldom fettle to work until Wednesday morn ing. Here then is a lofs to the nation, and to the workmen themselves, of one third of what ought to be the entire produce of their labour. This lofs to the nation amounts to a very large fum. But the lofs to each individual workman is proportionably much greater; for, to the lofs of two days wages in every week, we must add the money fpent in liquor during these two idle days, which may be fairly efti, mated at the earnings of one day, at the very leaft; fo that there remains, for the fupport of himfelf and family, exactyone half of what he would earn, if he could be fatisfied with one day in seven for relaxation and amufement. But this habitual diffipation is productive of a ftill greater injury to the community; it impairs his strength, dimi nishes his years of utility, and brings him prematurely on the parish, without a fingle farthing in ftore for the fupport of his wife and children. Let us now fuppofe that every labouring manufacturer, in full employment, were compelled, by a general law, to leave, in the hands of his employer, the wages of one day in every week, to be appropriated to the maintenance of difabled or fuperannuated workmen and their families. Let thefe fums be paid weekly to a receivergeneral of every parish. Would there be any thing inequitable or unjuft in fuch a lawr: Would it not, on the contrary, relieve many of the inhabitants of manufacturing towns from a very heavy, and a very inequitable tax? Would it not, by eafing these towns of enor mous mous poor-rates, enable them to lower the price of their goods and would it not finally prolong the lives of many useful individuals, and, render them much more valuable members of society? Birmingham railes upwards of thirteen thousand pounds per ann. for the maintenance of the poor: a heavy tax on the induftrious, for the fupport of improper objects of charity: a weight fufficient to turn the balance in favour of Ireland, where no fuch tax exifts, if that country fhould ever rife to a competition with Britain in the articles of plating, japanning, &c. This confideration militates equally in favour of the fifter kingdom, against Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds, and other manufacturing towns. In anfwer to this obfervation, it will be faid, that when the manufactures of Ireland increase, she will find it equally neceffary to provide for the poor in a fimilar way. I am of a different opinion, for the following reafons. When the poorrates were first established in this kingdom, their prefent incredible extent and oppreffive influence were not forefeen. Ireland poffeffes the great advantage of beholding the fatal confequences of our exceffive charity accomplished and realized. She has too much fagacity not to fhun this rock. Superficial readers will accufe me of inconfiftency in thus reafoning against a tax for the maintenance of the poor, forgetful of what I have before written in oppofition to the taxes by which they are oppreffed. A moment's reflection will evince the fallacy of this fug geftion. The induftrious poor cannot be too carefully and indulgently protected and fupported by the legislature. The idle and profligate poor are the moft worthlefs and ungrateful part of the creation, and therefore merit no attention: they are a burden to the community, and a difgrace to human nature; yet fuch are the objects generally re lieved by parish officers. The power of every ftate depends, not on the affluence, but on the economy of her fubjects. The republic of Holland affords a ftriking example of the truth of this axiom. The fureft means of in ducing a habit of economy, is to tax every object of idle gratification I this fyftem had been adopted, adminiftration would not have been perplexed with petitions from the trading part of the nation. The real burthen of taxation is to be eftimated, not by the fum impofed, but by the articles taxed. If the taxes impofed on this country were judicioully transferred from the indigent to the wealthy, from the neceffaries to the luxuries of life, the burthen would hardly be felt, and the gratitude of the people, in uniton with a patr ot king, would fupport the minifter againit every attempt of venality and disappointment.' Although this new fyftem of policy contains little or no thing new, it is written with neatnefs, precifion, and fpirit. ART. IV. Mifcellanies, by Mr. Pratt. 8vo. Four Volumes, 12s. boards, Becket. London, 1785. TE HE author, in his preface, informs us what we are to meet with in the volumes before us. "Of thefe pieces," fays many are new, and many collected from fugitive papers, he, " B 4 which which the author, at different times, gave to periodical publications. They are now offered to the world in a revised, and, it is hoped, in an improved state, with a great variety of originals." It is ominous to ftumble in the threshold. The reavery der will perceive, that the second fentence does not convey the idea intended to be expreffed. Either the latter must be written inftead of "they" or, which is better, "they" may remain, and "with a great variety of originals" be expunged. As the fentence now ftands, they, though the author does not intend it, must have a reference to the pieces, both old and new; and the reader muft conclude that, befides the "new pieces," he is to be regaled" with a great variety of originals." : It is with regret that we withhold our approbation from those who endeavour to amuse or inftruct the public: their labours are great, and fcanty their rewards. But every confideration for the feelings of individuals, muft give place to the fituation in which we ftand. We are willing to allow to the good intentions of Mr. Pratt the applause which they merit his pen is dedicated to the cause of virtue. Nor are we averfe from granting, that there are many paffages in his works, where pathos, fancy, and poetic energy appear; and that he is fometimes natural and eafy. But we are, at the fame time, obliged to fay that, upon the whole, he is feeble, incorrect, ungrammatical, frothy, meretricious, and affected. Like an inferior painter, unable to give beauty to his muse, he has decked her in all the glitter of tinfel. Inftead of that "fine frenzy" which fhould poffefs her, fhe now raves like a bedlamite, and now dies for a mere nothing, like an hyfterical female. His profe, though there are ftrokes of nature, and good painting, in fome of the tales, is congenial with his poetry. He appears folicitoufly to avoid the expreffion of nature, and to pursue, with avidity, all the tortuofities of affectation. That degree of reputation enjoyed, in fome circles, by our author, obliges us to pay more attention than would otherwife have been neceffary, to this collection of his works. The underling corruptors of tafte demand only a flight notice; they die, and are forgotten: but a writer who has acquired fome popularity is more dangerous, and therefore claims a minuter examination. It would be our pride, could our best efforts contribute, in the fmalleft degree, to the restoration of that chastity of ftile, and claffical fobriety, from which the writers of the age, especially the poets, are every day more and more departing. With thefe views we enter upon a more particular examination of the Mifcellanies before us; and Thall endeavour to eftablifh the opinion we have formed, by extracts from the work; without obferving any other arrange ment, ment, except the order of the pages in the different volumes. • Where water gushes, and where woods extends.'-ver. 1. P. 25Addreffing death, on the decease of Goldfmith, and other poets, the author makes Genius fay, • Sore haft thou thinn'd each pleasing art.'-ib. p. 69. boldly applying thinned to the art, inftead of the artist. He informs us that to take the chair is to stand: Till Rofcius came, and took the chair, He flood, in attitude prof nd -ib. p. 96. • How often have I flew t'p. 97. We are told that a writer may return to his subject without having ever quitted it: So to return e're I digrefs.'-p. 126. But perhaps it is only Mr. Pratt who can perform this atchievement. • All load this bofom with a fraught so fore.'-179. We can form no idea of a fore freight (not fraught); it offers no picture to the mind. But, however incongruous the epithet, it ferved as a rhyme to before. Smit with the fplendor of the fhining ore, Thou noble youth fhoud'st spurn th' harmonious strain, How the Prince of Wales (the noble youth here addressed) fhould fpurn the harmonious ftrain, and yet not let a Briton ftrike the lyre in vain, is not easy to be conceived. If we understand our author, his intention was to advise, that the princely ear fhould he fhut to the ftrains of venality, and open only to the founds of his immaculate lyre. If this be his intention, his words do not express his meaning; nor indeed have they any meaning at all. A new delufion o'er the fenfes play.'-p. 225. And each brave impulse of fublimer hearts Are oft fubverted.'-ib. Speaking of a certain fpecies of females, he fays, they languish out their lives in filken fighs, Gay, gaudy, giddy human butterflies.-p. 226. With what propriety the epithets gay and giddy are applied to beings who languish out their lives in filken, or any other kind of fighs, we leave the reader to judge. The |