31. Dorval; or, the Teft of Virtue. A Comedy. Tranflated from the French of Monfieur Diderot. 8vo. Pr. 15. Ed. Dodfley.

Monfieur Diderot is one of the most eminent among the reigning Beau Esprits at Paris. His productions abound with good fenfe; but not without an alloy of French refinement, which must prevent his pieces from being fo current in Eng land, as they are in France. The Fils Naturel is ftrongly tinctured with both those qualities; however, it is no more than juftice to acknowledge, that the tranflation before us is equally faithful, elegant, and fpirited.

32. The Hiftory of Mrs. Drayton and her two Daughters. In 3 Vols. 12mo. Pr. 95. Noble.

Of all the novels we have been lately doomed to review, this is the most infipid.— -Sibi conftat, indeed! for it is consistent in its dulnefs and barrenness of invention from first to last. The narrative presents a dead flat to the eye; but it is intersected with horrible defiles and deviations from the characters drawn by the author at his first setting out.

This fame Mrs. Drayton is and is not a good fort of woman, but in reduced circumftances. She has two daughters, who are and are not beautiful, fenfible, and virtuous. One of them is and is not a giddy-headed girl; and the other a flaid one, becaufe fhe cannot be otherwife. Their names are Clara and Arabella. They live in the country; and a lady Freak, who is married to a baronet, whirls down Arabella, the merry girl, to her country-feat. Before they fet out, one Mr. Burnaby, a Weft Indian of fortune, courts Clara, and gains hers and her mother's confent to marry her. In the mean time, one colonel Freeman fees Arabella, and likes her; but Sir Charles Freak, lady Freak's husband, and lord Frolick endeavour to debauch her.- -An advertisement in the news-papers of Mr. Burnaby having broken his neck, alarms Clara and her mother: it proves, however, a falfe alarm.Lord Frolick can make nothing of Arabella; but falling in love with her fifter, not knowing her to be fo, he and his pimp contrive her ruin.

Arabella had now conceived a kindness for colonel Freeman; but lady Freak maliciously tells her he is married; and here, or hereabouts, we may venture to end the first volume of this very important hiftory.

In the fecond volume, the reader can scarcely entertain a doubt that a duel was fought between lord Frolick and Mr. Burnaby. The latter is defperately wounded, but recovers; and, in fhort, is married to Clara. Arabella preferves her

virtue by making an elopement from Freak-park to her mo ther, and at laft marries colonel Freeman.

Such are the outlines of this infipid history, which, as usual, is eked and pierced out by fubordinate characters, trifling incidents, and improbable adventures.

33. The Cruel Disappointment; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Emmeline Merrick a Novel (founded on Fat.) In z Vols.

Pr. 6s. Bladon.

12mo.

There is fuch a refemblance between this and the preceding performance, both in the plot and ftile, that we can almoft pronounce both to have been written by the fame pen.

One Mr. Ledger retires from trade, and leaves his business to his nephew, who, on his father's becoming a bankrupt, had been taken care. of by his uncle, as was likewife Mrs. Emmeline Merrick, his niece, and the heroine of our history. The reader is here to obferve, that Mr. George Ledger's mother. was a vixen, and had broke the heart of her husband, who was a clergyman. Young Ledger falls in love with Emmeline, as the does with Mr. Thornton, a flafby young fcoundrel, who becomes bankrupt, and fhoots himself through the head. Em meline then takes her uncle's advice, and marries young Ledger. Before the ceremony is completed, the bridegroom's mother returns immenfely rich from the Eaft Indies, and recognizes her fon, by a mole he had on his right fhoulder ; and thus finishes our hiftory.If the reader requires any farther account of it, let him confult the latter part of the preceding article.

34. The Farmer's Daughter of Effex. By James Penn, Vicar of Clavering cum Langley, in the County of Effex, and Lecturer of St. Ann and Agnes, Alderfgate. 12mo. Pr. 3. Bladon. This novel exhibits a new, and (we think) a very laudable attempt towards fermonizing. The farmer's daughter, who poffeffes every perfection of mind and perfon, is debauched when young, and runs through a feries of diftreffes, which af ford the reverend author various opportunities of introducing religious and moral reflections upon the ways of the world, and the deformity of vice. We are of opinion, however, that he miffes part of his intention, by exceeding the bounds of probability, fince the variety of wretchedness through which hist heroine paffes, must have been as infupportable by human nature, as the catastrophe of her story is irreconcileable to credibility and the common occurrences of life. The performance, upon the whole, has merit, and discovers a good heart in the au thor.

35. The

35. The Woman of Fashion: or, the Hiftory of Lady Diana Dormer. In 2 Vols. 12mo. Pr. 65. Wilkie.

As we live at a time when novel-writing is in vogue, we know it is vain to attempt to difcourage it; but we may appeal to our readers whether we have not always endeavoured to bring it within the bounds of virtue and probability. We have therefore often given the outlines of thofe novels which are the least exceptionable in point of decorum; and we have fometimes had the pleasure to obferve that our remarks have been attended with effect.

Modern novels, in general, may be divided into two claffes; those that contain nothing interefting either in the characters or the incidents; and those which endeavour to interest us by a ftring of improbable, unnatural events. The publication before us partakes of both kinds; and we should think ourselves inexcufable, should we offer to analyfe it. The deformity of vice cannot be too much expofed, but in this story a veil is thrown over its monftrous parts; neither can we see the leaft virtuous purpose it can answer; not to mention that the execution of the whole is flat and infipid.

36. A Letter to the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Od. Containing fome Animadverfions upon a Character given of the late Dr. Bentley, in a Letter, from a late Profeffor in the University of Oxford, to the Right Rev. Autbor of the Divine Legation of Mofes demonftrated. 8vo. Pr. Is. Wilkie.

The paragraph which occafioned this spirited letter is addreffed to bishop W- -n, and runs thus: "And here, more opportunely for the illuftration of what I am faying, than for your own purpose, you introduce the incomparable Bentley as Standing in the foremost rank ́of modern critics: of grammatical and verbal critics, I agree with you. He could judge, with great penetration of the age of an author, by the dialect, the phrafe, and the matter; by Thericlean cups and Sicilian talents; this was his proper fphere of fcience, and in this he excelled. But in matters of pure tafte, a fine difcernment of the different characters of compofition, colours of ftile, and manners of thinking, of the interior beauties and excellencies of writing, in regard to all this, what was he? Unus caprimulgus aut foffor. What then has he to do here ?"

Ay, what indeed? replies the author of this letter. Your lordship has asked a question, which I really cannot eafily refolve; and, but that you have prevented me in it, the very queftion I fhould have taken the liberty of putting to your lordship.

VOL. XXIII. June, 1767.

For what anfwer can we give? Is it to be thought that you conceive this fovereign contempt of Dr. Bentley's tafte and ge nius from an acquaintance with his works? with his original works I mean; for, although a great and elegant genius will break forth, even when employed in the underwork of criticifin and expofition, (as witnefs your lordship's learned labours. on the Hebrew poefy) yet undoubtedly it is in compofitions of an original fort, where the proper eftimate of the genius of an author is to be formed. Let me then with all due respect demand of your lordship, from which of the original productions of Dr. Bentley's pen is it that you have collected these very unfavourable fentiments concerning him? In which of his labours have you traced the brutal ignorance of a goatherd, the clownish ftupidity of a hedger and ditcher? Indeed, my good lord, these are hard words; worfe by one half than you bestowed upon the prophet Ezra, who escaped your fatire with the appellation only of a femi-barbarian. Could you have given worfe language to a country curate at a vifitation? Is your lordship sure that thefe expreffions are perfectly elegant and perfectly true? are they fit for one scholar, one gentleman, one Christian divine to bestow upon another? do they give us any impreffion of your Lordship's manners, of your wit, or of your judgment?'

After fome other remonftrances on the impropriety of opprobious language among men of letters, the author proceeds more particularly to the vindication of Dr. Bentley,

:

I have juft now, fays he, defired your lordship to refolve me in which of Dr. Bentley's original works it was, that you had discovered fuch convincing marks of the meanness and contemptible rufticity of his genius was it in his declamations from the pulpit that he betrayed this utter ignorance of the beauties and excellencies of writing? Did ever herdfinan from his obfervations on nature, and the fabric and conftruction of man, argue up to the Divine Author and Creator of all things with fuch ftrength of reasoning, fuch convictive eloquence, as are to be found in his lectures? Did ever hedger and ditcher give such edifying, fuch fatisfactory reafons for the bope and the faith that was in him, as are given in his famous Commencement Sermon ? Many clowns*, my lord, it must be confefs'd, have preached before kings, and ftill continue to preach; but does Dr. Bentley's fermon before the king impeach him of inurbanity? Surely not; and it will be hard to think with your lordship, that the fame perfon, who was capable of compofing in fo good

* It is incumbent on the preachers at court to answer this farcaftical infinuation.

a ftyle

a ftyle himself, fhould be incapable of forming any judgment with refpect to that of another man. I flatter myself therefore I may conclude, that it is not in the pulpit your lordship will arraign Dr. Bentley; it is not for his labours in the cause of religion, the inftruction of mankind, and the confutation of atheifin, that your lordship (fo confpicuous for merits of the fame nature) means to degrade and difgrace his memory.'

Having confidered the reputation which Dr. Bentley acquired by his confutation of atheifin, and his anfwer to Mr. Collins, he goes on in this manner- - What, my lord! will you allow the author of The Remarks no place but amongst grammatical and verbal critics? will you expel him from the fociety of liberal and well-accomplished scholars ? was he fit for no higher ufes, than like a juggler to play with Thericlean cups and Sicilian talents ? was this his proper Sphere of Science; and did he really excel in nothing higher? are there no fparks of genuine Attic wit, no fallies of native humour, no polished strokes of temperate and cleanly ridicule, (not fuch I mean as your lordship's pleafantries upon the fin of Sodom) to be found in that work? are there really no dawnings of a pure taße, no shadowings of a difcerning faculty to be found? Your lordship says no-He poffeffed them not→→→→ He was a clown, a clumfy blockhead-What an error have the learned of all the nations in Europe been in!

Surely, my lord, without difparaging your lordship's learned labours, these were works as profitable to mankind, and as serviceable to religion, as determining the æra in which the poem of Job (call it drama or dialogue) was composed; your lordship fees I give you credit for having actually decided that important queftion; and am willing to allow you the reputation of having, from "a fine difcernment of the different characters of compofition, colours of style, and manners of thinking," made fuch nice discoveries in a language, of which there is now extant but one volume, as not only to have been able to fix the date of this poem (the Homer of the Hebrew claffics), but to have pointed out to pofterity the Auguftan era of Hebrew poefy, though you readily allow there was very little variation in the language from the time of Mofes to the Babylonih captivity.

In the conclufion there are fome smart obfervations on his Lordship's allufion to the pillory, the fcaffold, the cart's tail, &c. in the fecond page of his Letter to the author of the Divine Legation.

37. A Defence of Strictures on Dr. Lowth, refpecting Liberty. With Obfervations on other Men and Things. 8vo. Pr. 15. Flexney. The first part of this work was published under the title of The Proteftant, or the doctrine of Univerfal Liberty afferted; and is mentioned in our Review for July 1766. The author

Hh 2

pleads