compofition and grammar. He perpetually recalls to our recollection, the mob of gentlemen who write with eafe; and if he is determined to continue to folicit the attention of the public, we would advise him to alter his plan, and to compofe with ferious preparation and ftudy. The production of a literary performance, ought to be an effort of profound thought, and unwearied patience. No important work was ever conceived and executed without throes.— The fpirit of laws occupied the careful attention of Montefquieu during twenty years. And, if fo great a genius found it neceffary to deliberate fo long upon a fhort work, how large a portion of time must be requifite to enable an or dinary man to lay his compofitions with advantage before the ftern tribunal of criticifm!!! ART. XI. The Progrefs of Romance, through Times, Countries, and Manners; with Kemarks on the good and bad effects of it, on them refpectively; in a Courfe of Evening Convertations. By C. R. Author of the English Baron, the Two Mentors, &c. 2 vols. fmall 8vo. 53. fewed. Keymer, Colchefter. Robinson, London. THE platform of this work is ingenius; but its execution is feeble and inadequate. From the romances of different ages, a great deal of light may be reflected with regard to the progreffion of manners. But in order to catch this light, there is neceffary a deep spirit of philofophy. In thefe volumes, however, there are no traces of penetration. The ignorance of the author is even extreme. We are prefented with no accurate state of the fituation of romance, either in ancient or modern periods. We are enlightened by no emanations of tafte; and we are inftructed and furprized by no perfpicacity of fentiment. Every thing here is far below mediocrity. A long enumeration is made of romances; but of these many were never read by the author, and many were evidently mifunderstood. Nor do we find fo much as a lively or juft portrait of any one performance of this fort. A giddy and petulant vanity, a glaring want of information, and an infipid exuberance of words, pervade and difgrace this performance. This opinion, we believe, will be fubfcribed to by every candid critic; and in order to illuftrate it to our readers, we fhall lay before them the following extract from the performance : Hortenfius, Euphrafia, Sophronia We are now com < Soph. My good friends, I rejoice to fee you. ing to a period within my memory and obfervation, and I shall ask Euphrafia a few questions. Euph, Euph. As many as you pleafe. I expect your affiftance. Soph. Pray give us your opinion of the modern French novels? Euph. I will in a few words. That the beft are the most ex cellent, and the worst the most execrable of all others; and most of those I have read, fall under one or the other of thefe denominations. Soph. You will give us your remarks upon the best of them. Euph. Are there any that you have particularly in view? Soph. I was thinking of thofe of Monf. Marivaux, the Payfan Parvenue, and Marianne. Euph. The works of Marivaux are of capital merit, they are pictures of real life and manners, and they have the advantages of higly polished language and fentiments; the Payfan Parvenue is fomewhat exceptionable, his French morality it not fuitable to an old English palate, but his Marianne has no fuch abatements, "the needs no foil, but fhines by her own light." It has indeed been tranflated into English more than once, but never fo as to do justice to the original. The first was published in 1742, it was a very poor literal tranflation, but yet it was read by every body with avidity; foon after another attempt was made by a ftill worfe hand, this is called, Indiana, or the virtuous Orphan; in this piece of patchwork, many of the fine reflections, the most valuable part of the work are omitted, the ftory, left unfinished by the death of M. Marivaux, is finifhed by the fame bungler, and in the most abfurd manner. It puts me in mind of what was faid to a certain tranflator of Virgil: "Read the Commandments, friend-tranflate no farther, Soph. Is the Payfan Parvenue tranflated into English? Euph. It is, but not much better than Marianne, nor is it well known, it is frequently confounded with the Payfan Parvenue of the Chevalier Mauhy, which without half its merits is much more popular. This laft work has been twice tranflated, the first bears the title of The fortunate Country Maid; the fecond is called, The virtuous Villager, or The Virgin's Victory, both are well known to the readers of circulating libraries. Hort. Did not M. Crebillon write fomething of this kind? Euph. Les Egarément de Cœur et d'Esprit, which was never popular in England, though it was in France. Some pious perfon, fearing it might poifon the minds of youth (it is really exceptionable) wrote a book of meditations with the faine title, and this was the book that Yorick's Fille de Chambre was purchafing in the bookfeller's fhop. • Hort. All this is Greek to me. My intelligence came by reading Mr. Gray's letters to his friends, in one of which he wishes to read eternally new romances of Marivaux and Crebillon. 6 • Hort. Euph. You find that Mr. Gray did not defpife these books. So it feems; but he did not know how to call them. Euph. That was because he never had read the true romances, but confounded all fictions under that name; but I understand your meaning, and your raillery alfo. ENG. REV. June, 1785. Vol. V. Hort. I want to catch you tripping, but you always elude my traps. Proceed, I will not interrupt you again impertinently. Soph. Pray was not Marianne finished by Madame Riccoboni Euph. No; but I wish it had. She wrote one of the books or divifions, to fhew that fhe could write like M. Marivaux, and then gave it over. think Madame Riccoboni a writer of great Soph. Don't you merit? Euph. Capital. Her novels are first rates, and she wrote several pieces for the ftage with fuccefs. I think Jenny Salisbury below the rest of her novels, becaufe in it fhe attempted to paint English manners, without being fufficiently acquainted with them, and fhe has made ftrange work with English names and families. Her letters of Madame de Sancerre, and Valiere are excellent, and all her other works are in the first rank of novels. Soph. I have feen a collection of novels published by Dr. Croxall, are they of any eftimation? Euph. They are an early felection of novels, tranflated from the Italian, Spanish, and French writers, of which we have made mention, none of them deferve farther particularizing. wife. Mrs. St. Aubin's works are in the rank of mediocrity like M. Prevot was the author of the Marquis de Bretagne, the Chevalier de Grieux, and fome other pieces which belong to the fame clafs. 'Hort. You have not yet made mention of the most eminent writers of our country, Richardfon and Fielding. Euph. I hope you did not think it poffible for me to forget them. Mr. Richardfon published his works at a confiderable giftance of time from each other. Pamela was the first, it met with a very warm reception, as it well deferved to do. I remember my mother and aunts being fhut up in the parlour, reading Pamela, and I took it very hard that I was excluded. I have fince feen it put into the hands of children, fo much are their understandings riper than mine, or so much are our methods of education improved fince that time. Soph. It is a general mistake in regard to the youth of our time, they are put too forward in all refpects. Let us return to Pamela. I can remember the time when this book was the fashion, the perfon that had not read Pamela was difqualified for converfation, of which it was the principal fubject for a long time. You will give us your opinion of this, and the other works of Mr. Richardfon? Euph. To praife the works of Mr. Richardfon, is to hold a candle to the fun; their merits are well understood in other countries befides our own; they have been tranflated into French, Italian, and German, and they are read in English frequently, by` the people of the first rank in all the politeft countries in Europe. A lady of quality in France, fent an epigram to one of Mr. Richardfon's family foon after his death, which I will give you kere. "RICH "RICHARDSON tu nés plus! "Le cœur humain en vous regret "Son plus profound Obfervateur, "Son plus eloquent interpret, "Son plus parfait Legiflateur. " I was defired to give a literal tranflation of it. Hort. You will favour us with it I hope? Euph. It is as follows: 6 "RICHARDSON is now no more! Hort. Very clofe indeed to the original. Soph. But your remarks on Richardfon's works? Euph. I will hazard a few remarks on them, which perhaps may be allowed, because no perfon whatever has read them over with more pleasure and delight than myself. It seems to me that Pamela is the chef d'œuvre of Mr. Richardfon. The originality, the beautiful fimplicity of the manners and language of the charming maid, are interefting paft expreffion; and find a fhort way to the heart, which it engages by its best and nobleft feelings. There needs no other proof of a bad and corrupted heart, than its being infenfible to the diftreffes, and incapable to the rewards of virtue. I fhould want no other criterion of a good or a bad heart, than the manner in which a young perfon was affected, by reading Pamela.' The form of dialogue which has been adopted in th prefent work, is an addition to its imperfections. It correfponds not with the fubject; and the perfonages being fictitious, they excite no intereft. On the prefent occafion, the adoption of the form of dialogue can only be confidered as an indication of a propenfity to be garrulous. At the fame time, it is very difficult to fupport this mode of compofition. And, indeed, though many of the ancients excelled in it, few of the moderns have been able to employ it with advantage. ART. XII. Obfervations on the Ufe of Opium in Difeafes, fuppofed to be owing to morbid irritability. By Alexander Grant, Senior, Surgeon of his Majesty's military Hofpitals, during the late war in North America. 8vo. THE intention of this pamphlet, which is dedicated to Mr. Adair, is to fhew the good effects of opium, after the ineffectual ufe of mercury in fome fyphilitic patients. The author's mode of adminiftering opium in thefe cafes, is, to begin with a grain and a half the first night, increasing the dofe night and morning. till he finds it anfwer the pur F 2 pofe. He has obferved in moft inftances, the disease yield to four or fix grains in the day; fometimes he has been ob liged to increase it to eight, and in one cafe of an obftinate cancerous lip, he raifed it to 24 grains in a day, dividing it into three dofes. If a tremor fhould come on, which fometimes happens, from the free use of opium, or if the body be inclined to coftiveness, Mr. Grant finds it neceffary to give gentle purges in the early period of ufing the medicine, by which these complaints are effectually removed. This mode of practice is illuftrated by feveral cafes much to the purpose. We fhall felect one for the information of our readers. William Rockett, thirty-feven years of age, had ulcers on each tonfil, and almoft the whole of the fauces, with violent pains in his bones. Thefe complaints were of three months standing; mercurials, and other medicines, had been administered during the whole of that time. 'He was of a thin habit of body, with a pulfe from an hundred and twenty to an hundred and thirty ftrokes in a minute. He be gan with one grain and a half of opium the first night. On the third day, no alteration having taken place, I increased the dofe one grain. The next day, to appearance, the ulcers feemed not quite fo angry; and in every other refpect he was better. On the eighth day, he appeared weak, and his throat in gene'ral relaxed. I omitted the opium, and began with the Peruvian bark, in as large dofes as the patient's ftomach could bear, and ordered him to make use of an aftringent gargle. 'On the tenth day, the bark occationing naufea, I was obliged to leave it off. The pain in his bones returning with violence, I again gave him two grains of opium at night, and one in the morning. The next day he was better. On the twelfth day, as he was much the fame, I increased the 'dose, one grain in the morning, and continued this plan to the fiftyfecond day, without varying the dofe; when every thing feemed to go on fo extremely well, and the pains of the bones having left him, I omitted the two grains in the morning. In a week afterwards all the ulcers were healed; and he was gaining ftrength daily. I continued one grain at night, for a fortnight longer, and discharged him from the hofpital perfectly cured.' In fungous ulcers, whether venereal or not, accompanied with great irritability or pain, the author recommends an opiate poultice. The cataplafm confifts of the common oat-meal poultice, with which a folution of the thebaic extract, in the proportion of three drachms to eight ounces of cold water is mixt. This he recommends to be applied cold. It certainly is a very material circumftance, to determine. from various authorities, the dofe of opium which may be 5 given |