compilements, from his lives of the firft James, the firft Charles, and Oliver romwell. It may therefore, be now fufficient, if we barely apprize our Readers, that he proceeds on the fame plan, animated by the fame zeal for freecom, and perfevering in the fame laboricus method of producing evidence from the various writers who have borne teftimony to the mifrule and tyranny of the Stuarts. He appears likewise,' in this, as well as in his former publications, to have been favoured with some original, new materials, communicated by gentlemen, equally defirous with himself, of contributing towards the farther fecurity of our liberties, by increasing our abhorrence of arbitrary fway, from additional proofs of the cruel and wanton manner in which it was exercifed by the Stuart-race, in proportion as their power of tyrannizing extended. Art. 25. Royal Mornings. From the French.

Is. 6d. No Bookfeller's Name.

Small 8vo.

We have here a tranflation of a little fatirical piece, entitled, Matinées Royales. The King of Pruffia is reprefented (by fome anonymous Wit, who is moft certainly no friend to that illuftrious prince) as difcourfing to his nephew on the following topics, viz. the origin of his family, the manners of his subjects, religion, juftice, politics, literature, drefs, pleasures, alliances, &c.The following thort fpecimen will clearly fhew our Readers the Author's defign, and give them a tolerable idea of the manner in which it is executed.

Religion is abfolutely neceffary in a state. This is a maxim which it would be madness to difpute; and a king muft know very little of politics, indeed, that should fuffer his fubjects to make a bad use of it; but then it would not be very wife in a king to have any religion himfelf. Mark well, my dear nephew, what I here fay to you; there is nothing that tyrannizes more over the head and heart than religion; becaufe it neither agrees with our paffions, nor with thofe great political views which a monarch ought to have. The true religion of a prince is his intereft and his glory. He ought, by his royal ftation, to be difpenfed from having any other. He may, indeed, preferve outwardly a fair occafional appearance, for the fake of amufing those who are about him, or who watch his motions and character.

If he fears God, or, to fpeak as the priests and women do, if he fears Hell, like Lewis the XIVth, in his old age, he is apt to become timorous, childish, and fit for nothing but to be a Capuchin. If the point is to avail himself of a favourable moment for feizing a province, an army of devils, to defend it, prefent themfelves to his imagination; we are, on that fuppofition, weak enough to think it an injuftice, and we proportion, in our confcience, the punishment to the crime. Should it be neceffary to make a treaty with other powers, if we remember that we are Chriftians, we are undone, all will be over with us; we should be conftantly bubbles. As to war, it is a trade, in which any the least fcruple would fpoil every thing; and, indeed, what man of honour would ever make war, if he had not the right to make rules that fhould authorife plunder, fire, and carnage?

I do not, however, mean, that one fhould make a proclamation of impiety and atheifm; but it is right to adapt one's thoughts to the rank one occupies. All the popes who had common fenfe, have held no principles of religion but what favoured their aggrandifement. It would be the fillieft thing imaginable, if a prince was to confine himself to fuch paltry

Y 4

paltry trifles as were contrived only for the common people. Befides, the best way for a prince to keep fanaticifm out of his country, is for him to have the most cool indifference for religion. Believe me, dear nephew, that holy mother of ours has her little caprices, like any woman, and is commonly as unconftant. Attach yourself, then, dear nephew, to true philofophy, which is ever confolatory, luminous, courageous, difpaffionate, and inexhaustible as nature. You will then foon fee, that you will not have, in your kingdom, any material dispute about religion; for parties are never formed, but on the weakness of princes, or that of their minifters. There is one important reflexion I would wish you to make; it is this; your ancestors have, in this matter, conducted their operations with the greatett political dexterity; they introduced a reformation which gave them the air of apostles, at the fame time that it was filling their purfe. Such a revolution was, without doubt, the most reafonable that could ever happen, in fuch a point as this; but fince there is now hardly any thing left to be got in that way; and that, in the prefent pofition of things, it would be dangerous to tread in their footsteps; it is therefore even beft to stick to toleration. Retain well, dear nephew, the principle I am now to inculcate to you; let it be your rule of government, that men are to worship the divinity in their own way; for, fhould you appear in the leaft neglectful of this indulgence, all would be loft and undone, in your dominions. Have you a mind to know why my kingdom is composed of fo many fects? I will tell you in certain provinces the calvinifts are in poffeffion of all the offices and pofts; in others, the lutherans have the fame advantage. There are fome, where the catholics are fo predominant, that the king can only fend there one or two proteftant deputies: and of all the ignorant and blind fanatics, I dare aver to you, that the papifts are the most fiery and the most atrocious. The priests in this fenfelefs religion are untameable wild beafts, that preach up a blind fubmiffion to their wills, and exercife a complete defpotifm. They are aflaffins, robbers, violators of faith, and inexpreffibly ambitious. Mark but Rome! obferve with what a ftupid effrontery the dares arrogate to herself dominion over the princes of the earth! As to the jews, they are little vagrants; poor devils, that at bottom are not fo black as they are painted. Almoft every where rebuffed, hated, and perfecuted, they pay, with tolerable exactnefs, those who endure them, and take their revenge by bubbling all the fimpletons they can light on.'

The whole is written in the fame ftrain; there are feveral good strokes in it, but a writer of true genius and humour would poffibly have executed our Author's plan in a more masterly way.

THEATRICAL.

Art. 26. Fallaff's Wedding, a Comedy, &c. The Second Edition. By Mr. Kenrick. 12mo. 6d. Wilkie.

This is reprinted, according to the firit edition, mentioned in our laft Month's Catalogue, p. 240.

Art. 27. Falstaff's Wedding, a Comedy; as it is acted at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane: being a Sequel to the Second Part of King Henry the Fourth. Written in Imitation of Shakepeare. By W. Kenrick. 8vo. Is. 6d. Davis, &c. The above mentioned comedy, much altered by omitting the hiftorical parts; the king, lords, and commons, being all turned th as little

mony

ceremony as were the members of the rump parliament, by Oliver Cromwell. Thus reduced, and perhaps better adapted to the ftage, Mr. Love, an actor of confiderable merit, ventured on the part of Falstaff, for his own benefit; and the performance, notwithstanding the boldness of the attempt, with respect both to the Author and the Player*, was not ill received. A fuitable prologue and epilogue were added, on this occafion: which are printed with this edition of the play.

* This performer was, however, no novice in the part, having before frequently played Shakespeare's Falstaff, with more fuccefs than any other who hath attempted it can juftly boaft, fince Quin entertained the town with his inimitable exhibition of this very difficult and fingular character.

POETICA L.

Art. 28. The Race. By Mercurius Spur, Efq; With Notes, by Fauftinus Scriblerus. The fecond Edition. With large Additions and Alterations. 4to. 2s. 6d. Flexney.

We have heard that Mr. Mercurius Spur Efq;' hath objected to the flight cenfure we paffed on his first edition, because we gave no specimen of his poem, in fupport of the judgment we prefumed to form of it. We fhall now, therefore, (partly in regard to this young Bard's complaint, and partly on account of his large additions and alterations, and more efpecially because we really think there is confiderable merit in his performance) proceed to a more particular account of it.

The fubject and defign of this poem, are thus explained by the bard himself:

The fubject is, a Race.

Unlike the Race which fam'd Newmarket boasts,

Where pimps are P-'s companions, whores their toasts,
Where jockey-nobles, with groom-porters* vye

Who beft can hedge a bett, or cg a dye.
Nor like the Race, by ancient Homer told,
No fpears for prizes, and no cups of gold:
A poet's Race, I finga poet's prize
Who gold and fighting equally defpife.

To all the rhyming brethren of the quill
Fame fent her heralds to proclaim her will.
Since late her vot'ries in abufive lays
"Had madly wrangled for the wreath of bays;
"To quell at once this foul tumultuous heat,

The day was fix'd whereon each bard should meet.
"Already had the mark'd the deftin'd ground,
"Where from the goal her eager fons should bound,
"There, by the hope of future glory fed,
"Prove by their heels the prowess of the head;

And he, who fleetest ran, and firft to fame,

"The chaplet and the victory should claim."

The proclamation thus iffued, the feveral writers and scribblers of the age become candidates for the prize, and severally refort to the place appointed for the conteft.

* What does the Author mean by groom-porters? There is fuch an officer at court, as the Groom-porter: but we never before heard of Newmarket groom-porters!

3.

Το

To view the various candidates for fame,

Bookfellers, printers, and their devils came.

Many of the trade are accordingly introduced, as fpectators, with fa tirical glances at the diftinguishing characteristics of each individual bookfeller and printer: but not a word more of the devils,-whether from fear or favour, is best known to the Author himself.

The field on which the race is to be run, is next defcribed; and here,

High on a hill, enthron'd in ftately pride,
Appear'd the godde:s; while on either fide
Stood Vice and Virtue, harbingers of fame,
This flamps a good, and that an evil name.
On flow'rs thick scatter'd o'er the moffy ground
The nymphs of Helicon reclin'd around;
Here, while each candidate his claim preferr'd,
In filent ftate the goddess fat and heard.

Not far from hence, across the path to fame,
A horrid ditch appear'd-known by the name
Of Black Oblivion's Gulph. In former days

Here perish'd many a poet and his lays.

Close by the margin of this horrible ditch, flood the Reviewers, armed with dreadful clubs to knock poor authors into the ble flod.Mr. Spur, in revenge of paft provocations, is very alert in his frequent attacks of the Reviewers; efpecially in his preliminary addrefs to the critics. He defcribes them (with what truth it may not become us to enquire) as the implacable foes to literary merit; and it is acknowledged, he retaliates on them the affronts he may have received, with fpirit and vivacity. Wit is of no party; and we freely allow, that fome of the fmartest things in this performance, are to be found in the Author's ridicule of the critics. We think him particularly happy in the latter of the two following couplets:

Merit, alas! with them is no pretence;

In vain the pleas of poefy and fense:

But ftrange! to Dulness they deny the crown;

And damn.even works as flupid as their own!

A good hit, Mr. Spur! in return for which, you fee, we have generously taken care, by this article, to fave you and your poem, from the Gulph of Oblivion.

But, room for the candidates!- thefe are fucceffively characterised as they appear, addretting themfelves to the goddefs, and imploring her favourable regard. Of this part of his work, the skill, and the defcriptive powers of our bard, the reader may form fome conception, from the following fpecimens:

*Does this epithet relate to their poverty as authors or as men? If the former, it was no great injuice if they did get a tumble into the ditch, in reward of their vanity and prefumption in aiming at the wreath if the latter, we confefs, they were rather objects of charity; and it would have been more commendable to have recommended them to the overfeers of the parish workhouses.

:

Here'

Here Johnfon comes-unbleft with outward grace,
His rigid morals ftamp'd upon his face,
While ftrong conceptions ftruggle in his brain
(For even wit is brought to bed with pain)
To view him, porters with their loads would reft,
And babes cling frighted to the nurse's breaft.
With looks convuls'd he roars in pompous ftrain,
And, like an angry lion, fhakes his mane.
The Nine, with terror ftruck, who ne'er had feen
Aught human with fo horrible a mien.
Debating, whether they should stay or run-
Virtue Reps forth, and claims him for her fon,
With gentle fpeech the warns him now to yield,
Nor ftain his glories in the doubtful field;
But wrapt in confcious worth, content fit down,
Since Fame, refolv'd his various pleas to crown,
Though forc'd his prefent claim to difavow,
Had long referv'd a chaplet for his brow.
He bows; obeys-for Time fhall first expire,
E'er Johnson ftay, when Virtue bids retire.'

Those who are perfonally acquainted with the excellent author of the Rambler, will perceive that our poetical painter has, in one or two refpects, rather over-charged this picture: particularly in the 10th line: but the Doctor is amply made amends by the compliment at the close of the description..

There are fome exquifite touches in the following sketch :

Next Wilkes appear'd, vain hoping the reward,
A glorious patriot, an inglorious bard,
Yet erring, hot far wide of Freedom's mark,
And rais'd a flame, in putting out a spark:
Near to the throne, with filent ftep he came,
To whisper in her ear his filthy claim;
But (ruin to his hopes) behind food near
With fix'd attention and a greedy ear,
A fneaking priest, who heard, and to the croud
Blab'd, with moft grievous zeal, the tale aloud.
The peaceful Nine, whom nothing lefs could vex,
Flew on the vile affaffin of the fex,

Difown'd all knowledge of his brutal lays,

And scratch'd the front intended for the bays.

But we cannot truly fay, that our Author hath dealt equal juftice to every character he hath here attempted to draw. Some fevere and invi-` dious ftrokes are aimed at feveral perfons, against whom the Poet hath perhaps conceived an unjust prejudice; and we are forry that any thing which hath the appearance of spleen or fpite should interfere, to fubftract from the merit of the lefs malignant parts of his production :-which, though not a correct and highly finifhed piece, is greatly improved in the prefent edition; and, on the whole has no inconfiderable claim to the approbation of the public: there is, for the most part, genuine wit in the Author's conceptions, frength in his expreffion, and harmony in his numbers.

Art. 29.