"I do all I defire to do there, in doing nothing but what I .. ought." He will practife "that double ceconomy, which is fo rarely "found, or even understood. I mean, not only that inferior œconomy, which confifts in the management of the receipts "and iffues of the public revenue; but that fuperior œconomy, "which confifts in contriving the great fchemes of negotiation "and action.” The laws he frames will be generous and comprehenfive; that is, in Lord Verulam's nervous expreffion, "Deep, not "vulgar: not made upon the fpur of a particular occafion for "the prefent, but out of Providence of the future; to make "the eftate of the people ftill more and more happy, after the manner of the legislators in antient and heroical times." • Above all, he will study to restore and fecure upright manners and principles; knowing thefe to be the very frength and • vitals of every state. As by all these means he will put the natural and internal fprings of government into action; fo he will keep up that action in its full vigour, by employing ability and merit: and hence, men of genius, capacity, and virtue, will of course fill the most important and public ftations, in every department of the ftate. To fulfill this great purpofe, he will fearch for men, capable of ferving the Public, without regard to wealth, family, parliamentary intereft, or connection. He will defpife thofe idle claims, of priority of rank, or feniority in ftation, when they are unsupported by fervices performed in that rank and station: he will fearch for those, wherever they are to be found, whofe active fpirits and fuperior capacity promife advantage to the public. He will not abuse this power indulged to him, of fuperceding fuperior rank, by preferring his own favourites. If he finds the appearance of ability and worth among the friends or dependents of his enemies, he will truft them with the execution of his most important designs, on the fuccefs of which, even his own character may depend. 6 Having no motive, but the welfare of his country; if he cannot accomplish that, by fuch measures as his heart approves, he will not ftruggle for a continuance in power, but bravely • and peaceably refign. Rev. April, 1758. Though we give all due praife to this Writer's elegant and polifhed ftile, we cannot forbear obferving, that even his own excellence is as ftrong an inftance of effeminacy, as any he has defcribed; for he is by no means master of that bold and nervous diction, which diftinguishes men of deep thought and vigorous minds. He feems more attentive to the harmony of his periods, than the weight of his arguments; and we all know, that the greater number, who are not judges of fense, are captivated with found. In fhort, the reverend Writer has affociated with the gay throng, in order to reform them, till he has been debauched himself. He has catched the manners he meant to expofe, And is himself the Fribble he defcribes. But whatever may be the ruling principle of the age, two principles appear to be particularly predominant in our Author. We mean, the Pride of Opinion, and the Luft of Gain. The dictatorial, dogmatic air with which he delivers his fentiments, is a strong indication of the former, and the wide margin and diminutive page of his book, furnish an inconteftible proof of the latter. The reverend Writer, however, has difcovered his modeft eftimation of his own worth, under the character of a Political Writer: And though he tells us, that it is only ideal, yet there feems to be no great doubt, that his own dear felf was the original from whence he drew the following fine picture. He would chufe an untrodden path of politics, where no party-man ever dared to enter. ⚫ He would be difliked by party-bigots of every denomination; who, while they applauded one page of his work, would execrate the next. The undisguised freedom and boldnefs of his manner, would please the Brave, aftonish the Weak, difguft and confound • the Guilty. Every rank, party, and profeffion, would acknowlege he had done tolerable juftice to every rank, party, and profeffion, their own only excepted. He would be called arrogant by those who call every thing arrogance, that is not fervility. If he writ in a period, when his country was declining; while he pointed out the means from whence alone honeft hope could arife, he would be charged by fefibbling fycophants with plunging a nation in despair. • While While he pointed out the abuses of freedom, and their fatal effects, he would be blackened by defigning whisperers, as the enemy of freedom itself. The worthlefs of every profeffion would be his fworn enemies; but most of all, the worthlefs of his own profeffion. • As he would be reviled and defamed by the diffolute great, without caufe; fo he would be applauded by an honest people, beyond his defervings. Though his abilities were small, yet the integrity of his ⚫ intentions would make amends for the mediocrity of his talents. As fuch a Writer could have little pretenfions to literary fame, fo he would not be intoxicated with the fumes of literary ⚫ vanity: but would think, with Sheffield, that One moral, or a mere well-natur'd deed, Does all defert in fciences exceed. Yet, though he fcorned the gildings of falfe ambition, and riches acquired by adulation; he might not, poffibly, be un• conscious of that unfought dignity, that envied fuperiority to wealth and titles, which even the love of wisdom and vir<tue give. Should any of the Great, therefore, affect to disdain him, on account of his private station, he might, perhaps, reply, < with Perditas I was not much afraid; for once or twice * His free and unconquered fpirit would look down with contempt on views of intereft, when they came in competition with views of duty. Nay, were he called to fo fevere a trial, he would even dare to make the greatest and the rareft of all honeft facrifices, that of friendship itself, to truth and virtue.' Upon the whole, we are of opinion, that this fuperficial performance may do great prejudice among weak minds. The national manners are, in many places, reprefented in a false, and every where in an unfavourable light. The Writer has even tortured our virtues into odious fhapes, and reprefented them as dangerous to the public; while he has coloured the failings of the French, and endeavoured to make them appear as national benefits. His work can ferve no other purpose than to create a Bb 2 de defpondency or diffatisfaction at home, and give encouragement to our enemies abroad. The Doctor boafts, that his poifon has circulated, that his book has been tranflated into foreign languages. The Author of. the Letters to the People of England, vaunted in the fame strain, and perhaps with equal propriety. But the tranflation of their works is rather a proof of their demerit. Had they been wrote on fubjects of fcience, the notice taken of them abroad might be deem ed prefumptive evidence of their worth; but Foreigners undoubtcdly will be prone to encourage any performances which flatter their power and virtue, and reprefent us as in a defpicable fituation. Befides, they know that our liberty often renders us turbulent and feditious, and they may hope that thefe ftimulatives may fo operate upon our reftlefs nature, as to excite a spirit of difcontent, which may impede the operations of government. It is to be feared, that our enemies foment a faction among us, which is not fufficiently attended to. It has been thought, that France has formerly numbered even the members of a British parliament among her penfioners; and there can be little room to doubt, but that fome of our political Writers are retained in her fervice, to fcatter the feeds of diffention in the bowels of their own country. We would not be thought to infinuate, however, that the Doctor writes under French influence, although he is fo great an admirer of that nation: and, indeed, his work is too inconfiftent, to have been penned upon any fuch premeditated fyftem of iniquity. We fincerely wifh, the Doctor may feel the fatisfaction of meaning well, for we are unwilling to question the goodnefs of his heart: and must do him the justice to believe, that he is rather crazy than corrupt. Ra A New Method of learning with facility the Latin Tongue, containing the rules of genders, declensions, preterites, fyntax, quan, tity, and Latin accents, digefted in the clearest and concifeft order, enlarged with variety of folid remarks, neceffary not only for a perfect knowlege of the Latin tongue, but likewife for understanding the beft Authors: extracted from the ableft Writers on this language. With a treatise on Latin poetry. Tranflated from the French of Me. de Port Royal. 8vo. 2 vols. Fos. Nourse.. TH HE name of Port Royal, to whom the Public is indebted for feveral ingenious productions, in various branches of literature, is a fufficient recommendation of the performance now how before us. The Author, of whom a particular account is given in the Tranflator's preface, has omitted nothing that can contribute to improve and illuftrate this art, which," as Quintilian obferves, is neceffary to children, agreeable to those advanced in years, and amufing to retired perfons, who apply themfelves to polite literature.' His folid and judicious re marks, illuftrated by examples, and confirmed by authorities front the antients, ferve to demonftrate with how much reafon the fame great mafter † obferves, that they are much mistaken, who make a jest of grammar, as a mean and contemptible art; fince, in respect to eloquence, it is the fame as the foundation in regard to a building; unless this be deeply laid, the whole fuperftructure must tumble down.' Our Author entitles his work a New Method; becaufe he is the first of modern grammarians, that drew up inftructions for learning Latin in a language known to beginners, that is, in their mother tongue. Hence he takes an opportunity to expofe the obfcurities, defects, fuperfluities, and errors, that render the common method of teaching, which in France was by Defpauter's Latin rules, in England, by Lilly's, a great impediment to the progrefs of education. It is true, fome English mafters, as Holmes, Milner, &c. have lately endeavoured to remove this difficulty, by introductions of various titles, drawn up in their native language: but their labours feem to be calculated only for boys, and not to take in a more comprehenfive fcheme of grammatical learning. The Port Royal grammar feems therefore to be the only attempt that has answered this double view of initiating young pupils, and grounding thofe of riper judgment, It will be of ufe not only to thofe who are employed in teaching, but likewife in general to fuch as are defirous of having a perfect knowlege of this tongue, and learning it of themfelves by eflablifhed rules, which may be of further advantage to them in the ftudy of the Greek, or of any other language. What the Author urges against laying down Latin rules to learn Latin, is very judicious, and plainly evinces the abfurdity of that practice. For who is it,' he fays, that would pre tend to draw up a Hebrew grammar in Hebrew verse, or a • Greek grammar in Greek verfe, or a grammar in Italian verse to learn Italian. To propofe the rudiments of a language in the very terms of that language which of course are unknown to beginners, is fuppofing them to be already masters of what they want to learn, and to have attained the object which they have caly begun to pursue. Quint. lib. I. c. 8. Quint. ibid. c. 4. • Since Bb 3 |