poses the cause which it means to ferve; and fhows it to the world in the last efforts of life, in the very gafp and writhing of death itfelf. Slander then makes one fpring, to fix again the old poniard of Buchanan in the heart of Mary. But the dagger falls from the feeble hand of agonizing nature, and the cause expires the fooner from the exhaufting effort.

We have thought ourselves obliged, in juftice to the truth, and to Mary, to fay thus much against Dr. Robert fon's mode of writing here concerning her. We have one point more to cenfure, and shall then have little of our task remaining, but to praise.

[ To be continued. ]

in

ART. IX. An Effay towards a Definition of Animal Vitality, read at the Theatre, Guy's Hofpital, January 26, 1793, which feveral of the Opinions of the celebrated John Hunter are examined and controverted by John Thelwall, Member of the Phyfical Society. 4to. 2s. 6d. Robinsons.

THE intention of the author, in the few pages before us, is

to refute a doctrine fuppofed to be inculcated by Mr. John Hunter in his lectures, that blood is endued with a principle of vitality; and to explain what is meant by the term life upon principles different from what has been generally taught and admitted. In entering upon his tafk, the author confelles that he never perfonally attended the lectures of the profeffor whofe opinions he undertakes to examine, and that his knowledge of the ideas he attributes to him on the fubject, is derived from the manufcript lectures of one of his pupils, and from a paffage in the British Encyclopædia; but as thefe cannot be fuppofed to convey complete and adequate notions of the doctrine in queftion, it would be improper to give an opinion of the arguments used by the author to refute them. Leaving therefore this part of the work, we fhall proceed to lay before our readers the outlines of our author's own fyftem, by which he thinks he has explained, in an eafy and fatisfactory manner, what has baffled the efforts of the greatest geniuses in all ages to comprehend. Egypt, Greece, and Rome, are, it is true, against me; the "ancients and the moderns. Ariftotle and Plato, Plutarch, "Mofes, and John Hunter; and yet against this hoft of giants "I prefume to lift my pigmy lance, and brave the unequal "combat." "It has generally been fuppofed," he fays, "that "the life of an animal is occafioned by the fuper-addition of a "vital or animated fubftance, to an organized material frame.' This, in the human fpecies at the leaft, has been imagined to

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be

Facts tending to fhow the Connexion of the Stomach, c. 413 be of a fpiritual or immaterial nature. But though he readily admits, that a fine and subtle material fubftance or agent may actuate a more grofs material body, he cannot conceive how an immaterial fubitance can operate upon, or affect a material one. And a little further on, he denies the existence of any thing but matter. "Where there is no matter," he says, "there muft ❝ be vacuum, where no vacuum, there must be matter." This is certainly a concife way of demonftrating. We are ready to admit, with the author, that we cannot explain in what manner fpiritual or immaterial beings perform their functions. But as we are equally ignorant of many of the properties of matter, and cannot explain how attraction, repulfion, gravitation, &c. are performed, which we know to exift, we cannot think that our inability to comprehend the mode of action of spiritual or immaterial beings, is a fufficient reason for denying their exiftence. To the existence of life, according to this author, are neceffary, a specific organization, put in action by a specific ftimulus. "The blood, in its paffage thro' the lungs, collects "a fomething," he fays, "which generates a specific heat." "But what is this fomething?" he very properly afks: "It is "not atmospheric air; for it has been proved, that no air is "contained in the arteries." After taking the whole range of nature, he finds nothing fo likely to answer the purpose as the electric fluid.

On a subject so abftruse and difficult, a writer may, without being liable to cenfure, be allowed to err; but to suppose that the vital principle is collected from the atmosphere, by the action of the lungs, is to refufe life to every being that is destitute of lungs, as well as to the foetus in utero, and the chick in the egg, which is too abfurd to merit a refutation. Neither does this author feem to have been very happy in his choice of the electric fluid for his agent; which, from what we know of its properties, is calculated to deftroy, rather than to produce, animal life,

ART. X. Facts, tending to fhow the Connexion of the Stomach with Life, Difeafe, and Recovery. By Charles Webfter. 8vo. Is. 61, Murray.

THAT

HAT the ftomach is an organ of great importance to the animal machine, fubject to a variety of difeafes and affections, and participating in the affections of the rest of the body, is what we readily admit; that its functions, being vitiated or impaired, materially affect and diforder the reft of the body, is allowed. But these effects we have been used to confider as

confequences

414 Fals tending to fhow the Connexion of the Stomach, Sc.

confequences of the importance of its office, in digesting and preparing the food with which the body is nourished and fuftained; (for fuch as is the fpring or fountain must also be the streams that emanate and flow from it) and of its fympathy, arising from the number and variety of its nerves, by which it appears to have a connexion with the most remote parts of the machine. But that it is a vifcus of more importance than the brain, heart, liver, &c. becaufe animals are found without those parts; that it is to be confidered as an animal, having affections, paffions, fenfes diftinct to itself, is what the arguments of this author, however ingenious, have not led us to believe; neither do we think he has been more fuccefsful in explaining the phenomena of difeafes by his new doctrine, than others have been who were contented with the old fyftem of indigeftion and fympathy.

46

"During ordinary hunger," the author fays, the power of "the ftomach over the mufcles is diminished, which ftate is called weakness; there is a diminished action of the heart and arteries, particularly at their extremities, as appears "from the weak and frequent pulfe, drynefs, paleness, shrinking, and lanknefs of the furface and features; diminished fecretion, as appears from the dry mouth, and from the flac"cid breafts of nurses; a lefs free refpiration, yawning, hiccup, "weak voice, fenfibility to cold, feebleness of mind, and peevish"nefs, with various other fymptoms in different individuals. "On the fight of food," he adds, "the mouth fills with water; " and, on taking fome, the efurient ftate, with its fymptoms, "is removed, the ftomach feels comfortable, the mufcles and organs, particularly thofe moft fatigued, recover their firength, the circulation is promoted, the fecretions flow, the refpira"tion becomes free, the countenance brightens up, ferenity and vigour are imported to body and mind, and the heart opens with benevolence." All this is intelligible; but do we not fee fimilar appearances of debility in plants, when denied their proper pabulum, water and air? And do we not find, on fprinkling them with water, or removing them into the air, the half withered leaves and flowers recover their verdure and beauty, the drooping and languid boughs or limbs become erect and firm, and the whole plant restored to its priftine vigour? What follows is not fo clear and intelligible; "If fever, inflammation, and "hæmorrhagic difeafes," the author fays, "were affections

merely of the heart and blood veffels; nervous diseases of the "brain and nerves; dropfy and fcrophula of the lymphatics; "fcirrhus of the other glands; ulcers of the fkin; dyspnea and "cough of the lungs; rheumatifm of the large joints, and gout of the fmall; jaundice of the ducts of the liver, and diabetes of the kidnies; thefe would oftener exist together:

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but

but being symptoms of ftates of the ftomach, and as different ftates of the fame organ cannot exist at the fame time, the fyftem is thus not readily overpowered by a confluence of diseases," &c. We confefs we do not fee the connexion between the ftomach and many of the dif afes here enumerated, and other parts of the work appear to us equally paradoxical: but, as from the author's advertisement, we may expect a further developement of his doctrine, we shall defer our remarks until we see in what manner the apparent contradictions are reconciled.

ART. XI. Sermons, on Various Subjects, intended to promote Chriftian Knowledge and Human Happiness. By the Rev. Luke Booker, LL. D. Minister of St. Edmund's, Dudley. 8vo. 6s. Rivingtons.

THE author himself, in his preface, has given a fair account of these fermons: " They were written to be preached ra"ther than to be published. Perfpicuity and plainnefs, there"fore, are qualities which he has been more folicitous to attain ❝ than elegance and refinement. Had his mind been pre-occupied by the idea of publication, his diction might have been "more polished and correct; but would it not have been lefs "warm and impreffive? He would then have written from "the head; whereas thefe difcourfes flowed from the heart."

They appear to be the work of a zealous and faithful minif ter, rather than of a profound, or learned divine. They are (or aim to be) pathetic, rather than argumentative; perfuafive, more than convincing; addreffed to the feelings, rather than to the judgment of the hearers.

The reader who wishes to find questions stated with precifron, and difcuffed with vigour; or the nature, extent, and limitations of particular duties accurately defined and ascertained, will not here be gratified. But the plain chriftian, who defires to have his piety re-animated amidst the daily feductions of the world, will find in Dr. Booker a friend very anxious to promote his fpiritual welfare.

The language in many places wants dignity: in many others, it is too flowery for the pulpit. Let the fubject there treated of be what it may; let the preacher addrefs himself to the judgment, or to the affections; let him reafon clofely, or declaim vehemently; on all occafions, and before all audiences, we would enjoin fimplicity. All the beauty, and all the vigour, that can be found in language, not only may confift with, but cannot fubfift without, fimplicity.

However, in excufe for the author, it should be obferved,

that

that it appears from page 104, that he is young; and from his preface, and an advertisement fubjoined to this volume, that he is a poet a circumftance which, indeed, lives in our recollection as readers, though not as reviewers.

Sermon III. on Charity, has what the author calls, “A Prefatory Addrefs;" which fills two pages before we come to the text. This exordium might as well have been a part of the fermon; and feems intended only to excite attention by its fingularity. But we rather with it fairly away. For we are unwilling to believe, that "many who afcend the pulpit upon

charitable occafions, to ferve the caufe and melt their hearers, "are wont to speak of charity, not only as "covering a multi"tude of fins," but every fin; not only as the greatest, but as "the whole duty of man. So far is this from being the case, that the interpretation of this paffage which reprefents charity as covering a man's own fins, has by many been controverted*: though perhaps fufficiently fupported by the very fame expreffion in the Greek (a) in James v. 20, where its sense, in our opinion, cannot be doubted.

Sermon XVIII. On Humanity to the Brute Creation, has feveral pathetic touches. We fhould be happy to find some preacher of the highest abilities beftowing all the force of his oratory on this affecting topic.

As a fpecimen of the author's ftyle and manner, we shall give the following paffage from this fermon:

"To particularize inftances of barbarity-to inform you what animals are abufed and cruelly treated, is perhaps unneceffary. "All "Nature cries aloud." The inhabitants of air, earth, and water, arraign the fanguinary tyrant, man, for innumerable and unwarrantable cruelties committed upon them.-The domeftic bird that feeds before your door-that is moft fignalized for his noble and courageous fpirit, is mutilated and defpoiled of his crimson honours and his plumy pride. Afterwards he is armed with weapons of inhuman invention, to lacerate and kill his heroic adversary, who, in the fame manner, is alfo mutilated for the conteft :-And all this is done, for what?-to make sport for, and perhaps to ruin, an unfeeling multitude!--to make them hazard the profits of industry, or the well-earned fortunes of their ancestors!-to provoke the fhocking oath, the fierce difpute, the murderous battle of beings in human fhape, who call themselves Chriftians !-O blessed Saviour of men! are thefe the characteristics of thy followers, and the actions that will meet thy approbation at the day of judgment? Are fuch perfons "the merciful" who fhall be " blefed" with mercy," the Peace"makers, who fhall be called the Children of God?"—Alas! my

* See Bowyer's Conjectures on the New Teftament, 1 Pet. iv. &.

hearers,