Ón whatever fide the truth lies in regard to the fubject particularly confidered in this performance, it is well known that it has long been, and ftill remains, a matter of doubt and debate among Chriftians, and alfo that many wife, learned, and excellent perfons have apprehended they had reafon to adopt an opinion very different from that which this Writer endeavours to fupport, though they have not generally embraced what he immediately oppofes under the name of Socinianifm. However intrepid, therefore, and zealous this gentleman may appear to himfelf and to others, and however fincere The may really be in the caufe of virtue and religion, there is fome reafon to think that his zeal has, in this inftance, rather exceeded his piety, his charity, or his wifdom. But it is not our province to arraign the Author, or decide on the subject: we shall therefore only obferve further, that although Mr. Macgowan has advanced no new arguments in fupport of his doctrines, yet his manner of writing dif covers a confiderable degree of acuteness and ingenuity; with a vein of pleafantry which often ferves, very innocently, to render a controverfy, even on the moft ferious fubjects, in fome measure lively and entertaining.

Art. 47. The Hertfordshire Melody; or, Pfalm-Singer's Recreation. Being a valuable Collection of Pfalms, Hymns, Anthems, &c. on various Occafions. To which is prefixed, a new, concife, and easy Introduction to the Art of Singing; and a copious Dictionary of the Terms made ufe of in Mufic. By John Ivery, Teacher of Mufic at Northaw in Hertfordshire. 8vo. lengthwife. 2s. 6d. Wheble. 1773.

A collection of pious tunes, many of them well known, and which, wicked as the Reviewers are fometimes faid to be, have been familiar to their ears from their youth: we may, therefore, from our own "experience, safely recommend them to the ufe of our accufers, to harmonife their minds, and bring them to a charitable turn of fentiment, fuitable to their zealous pretences to Chriftian principles. Art. 48. A Fragment of a Letter to an Orthodox Clergyman. By a plain unlettered Chriftian. 8vo. 3d. Norwich, printed, and fold by Robinson in London. 1773.

The Editor of this letter tells the Reader, that it was written upwards of 20 years fince, to an elderly orthodox clergyman, by a very young perfon, of no kind of education or advantage, more than an ordinary tradefman.'-The young man, however, appears to have poffeffed good natural parts, and to have offered, in this letter, a fenfible plea for heterodoxy.

The occafion of the letter was the Clergyman's having recommended Seeds Sermons to the Writer, in order, we fuppole, to convert him to the trinitarian faith. Seed's arguments, however, feem to have failed of producing the wifhed-for effect; and the young man here gives his reafons for ftill remaining as heterodox as before.

SERMO N.

SERMO N.

I. The Power of Mufic, and the particular Influence of Church Music.Preached in the Cathedral of Worcester, at the anniversary Meeting of the Choirs of Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester, September 8, 1773. By John Rawlins, A. M. Rector of Leigh, Minifter of Badfey and Wickamford in Worcester, and Chaplain to Lord Archer. 8vo. 6d. Rivington. 1773.

A fermon on the fame fubject, and from the fame text, Pfalm Ivii. 7, 8. is to be found in Atterbury's Difcourfes; but the powers of mufic on the human frame, and its tendency to elevate our devotion, are displayed in a much more liberal, extensive, and agreeable manner by the Rector of Leigh, than by the Bishop of Rochefter. Mufic, however, is of that feducing nature, that in treating of its effects we are naturally beguiled into a declamatory ftrain of panegyric; and as found operates mechanically on the paffions, and instead of exercifing the mind, lulls the understanding into a pleafing flumber, its employment in religious purposes ought to be conducted with a very cautious hand, if we prefer rational piety to rapturous flights of intoxication and enthufiaftic extafies.

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the AUTHORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW. GENTLEMEN, London, Dec. 18, 1773.

BEING perfuaded that Audi alteram partem, is a rule from which you do not deviate. I hope you will admit in your article of Correfpondence, the following account of an affair, of which fome account has been given by your Correfpondent Amicus *.

• One of the principals in this unhappy dispute was the late Dr. Samuel Leeds. He had not the advantage of a liberal education, but by a remarkable natural propenfity was determined to the study of phyfic. He endeavoured to make himself acquainted with the Materia Medica, and with the languages. He profecuted his ftudies at Edinburgh, where his affiduity was remarked by the Profeffors, who, though they were not unacquainted with his want of learning, granted him a degree. On his return to London, a vacancy happening for the poft of Phyfician in the London Hofpital, by the well-meant but too precipitate zeal of his friends he was propofed as candidate, and elected. After fome time a diffatisfaction arofe among the Governors; it was publicly reported that his degree had been furreptitiously obtained; inftances of barbarous orthography in his recipes were brought as proofs of his ignorance: the books of the Hofpital teftified in his favour that his practice was equally fuccefsful with that of his colleagues, but it was thought neceffary he fhould pais examination before the College of Phyficians in London: he perceived there was much prejudice against him, and refigned. Being informed that Dr. Fothergill had ufed expreffions to his difadvantage, he lodged a complaint against him, before his own Society [the Quakers.] The Society apprehended that if the complaint fhould appear to be juft, Dr. F..might, nevertheless, not be easily induced

** In your October Review.

to make a proper acknowledgment, and confidering that his refufing to do fo, muft fubject him to a folemn, cenfure, agreed to difpenfe with their established rule for proceeding in cafes of defamation, and propofed a decifion of the affair by arbitration. The propofal was agreed to by both parties; five arbitrators were chofen; after many hearings and much deliberation, three of them awarded to Dr. Leeds five hundred pounds as damages; the other two pleaded as their reafon for not joining in the award, "that the three had refused to examine an evidence which Dr. F. faid he could produce;" the three afferted, and have verified their affertion on affirmation †, that they did make a propofal to renew the arbitration bonds, in order to hear any evidence that could be produced, which propofal the two and Dr. F. did not agree to t. Some of Dr. F.'s friends advised him to pay the five hundred pounds, fome advised him not to pay it; he proceeded to a trial in Westminster-hall; the award was fet aside. It is not defigned to infinuate that regard was fhewn to the rich for his riches, or to the popular for his popularity; but Judges are not infallible any more than other mortals. Leeds, now in circumftances of difgrace, attended with a total lofs of his practice, appealed once more to his own Society; he complained against Dr. F. for refufing to fulfil the award given in confequence of their advice; he was admitted to feveral hearings, but many perfons are of opinion that he was not heard with impartiality; the majority feemed determined to take no ftep which might tend to produce what they thought difre. putation to Dr. F. This, perhaps, was the firft inftance wherein there was reafon for fufpicion that an implicit attachment to a fuperior and amiable character, induced the Society to fwerve from the line of ftrict juftice. The arbitrators were men of character and understanding, doubtless they acted honeftly and judiciously upon the evidence that came before them, and made the award from a conviction that Dr. F.'s expreffions had actually given rife to the preju dices against Leeds: it is remarkable that the evidence produced before the court of King's Bench infifted on proof of Leeds's ignorance and inability, not on proof that the words charged on Dr. F. were not spoken by him, or that they did not contribute to the injury of Leeds though from proof of thefe circumftances only, the award could have been properly reverfed. As it feems impoffible that Dr. F. could know that his conduct had in no degree affected Leeds's reputation, though it might have hurt his pride, it would have been but confiftent with his allowed generosity, to have made him fome reparation; the opportunity for this is now paft, the poor man is no more; probably fallen a victim to the vexation caufed by this unforsunate affair: an affair of which much has been faid, but little known, and which might have paffed quietly to oblivion, had not your Correfpondent recalled it into notice. I am yours,

+ Vid. The Appeal in your July Review.'

IMPARTIAL.'

It was with great reluctance that one of the three accepted the office of arbitrator, nor did he accept it till after being particularly requested by Dr. F. to do fo.'

3

A Gentleman'

.

A

Gentleman who figns his letter Diffentor, pays us the compliment of impartiality in our reprefentations; but he feems to think that we are fometimes mistaken, and not altogether free from the imputation of negligence. To the first of these charges, we are very ready to plead guilty; but to the second we must, at least, take the liberty to demur.

The declaration, indeed, does not fet forth any matter of way grievous complaint. It mentions a publication or two, of the lat year, which have not yet made their appearance in our Review. Thofe publications, however, have not been overlooked :—they will be noticed in their due course, as we proceed in the payment of our

arrears.

Our Correfpondent particularly fays-" You have overlooked Wynne's poem, The Four Seasons, published in June laft." We remember the advertisement of this poem; we allo recollect that the book was fent for about the time above-mentioned; and that our collector reported that "the work was not published:" and as we have feen no advertisement of it, fince, we conclude that it is not yet to be procured f.

This Correfpondent extols Dr. Goldsmith as the "greatest poet of -the age," and he infifts that the Author of The Academic Sportsman, commended by us, in the Review for September laft, has been a fhameful borrower from the Doctor. We have neither the Traveller, the Deferted Village, nor Mr. Fitzgerald's performance at hand; but according to the extracts fent us by our Correfpondent, there is indeed a ftriking resemblance between feveral paflages quoted from the Academic Sportsman, and those which are fet in comparison with them, from Dr. G. But, at the fame time, we must be fo free with our Corsrefpondent as to declare to him, that with respect to the greatest number of the paffages which he has produced, we do not perceive .even the smallest ground for the outcry of plagiarifm fo violently raifed against Mr. Fitzgerald, by Mr. Diffentor.

With what particular view our Correfpondent has honoured us with this communication, we are at a lofs to guefs. He could not, furely, expect us to commit to the prefs, a paper fo indifferently prepared for it; and in one or two refpects, fo deficient alfo in point of Urbanity.—If his defign was, merely, to befriend us, by his hints, we are much obliged to him :-as we are to every Gentleman who zfavours us with remarks, on any fubject, or point, that may tend toward the fervice of literature in general, or the improvement of our Review, in particular.

The infertion of Philofophia's Letter, relating to Plato's Divisfion of Ideas (fee Rev. for Sept. laft, p. 168) would lead us too far beyond the limits of our plan.

We readily admit that in any matter of opinion, or point of tafte, as well as in religion, a Diffenter may be as much in the right as any member of the most perfect establishment under the fun.

+ Since the above was fent to the prefs, this pamphlet has been procured.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For FEBRUARY, 1774.

ART. J. An Efay towards a Natural Hiftory of the County of Dublin, accommodated to the noble Defigns of the Dublin Society; affording a fummary View, I. Of its Vegetables, with their mechanical and œconomical Ufes, and as Food for Men and Cattle; a Catalogue of our Vegetable Poifons; and a Botanical Kalendar, exhibiting, the respective Months in which most of the Simples in Use are found in Flower. II. Of its Animals. III. Of its Soil, and the State of its Agriculture; its Foffils, Mines, Minerals, and fome lately-discovered mineral Waters; particularly the fulphureous Water at Lucan, and its medicinal Virtues, from practical Obfervations. IV. Of the Nature of the Climate, from Diaries of the Weather, kept in Dublin for Fifty Years paft; interfperfed with meteorological and economical Obfervations. By John Rutty, M. D. 8vo. 2 Vols. 12s, Dublin printed; and fold by Johnfton in London. 1772*.

TH

HE Dublin Society was inftituted before the London affociation for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. It was incorporated in the year 1750; and to the encouragement afforded by this public fpirited body, to men of genius and enterprize, Ireland is indebted for many improvements in arts and manufactures (but especially in agriculture' and husbandry) which have been made in that country, within the last twenty years.

Another Convention,' as Dr. Rutty expreffes it, was formed in the capital of Ireland, foon after the above-mentioned affociation, under the name of the Phyfico Hiftorical Society; the laudable designs of which co-operated with that of the Elder Body, in regard to an investigation of the natural productions

This work has but lately been imported and advertised for fale in London.