Hovering about this river. As in meads,
When on the various flowers the bees alight,
In fummer's days ferene, and spread themselves
Around the milk-white lillies, fo the plain
Brush'd with the hifs of rufling wings refounds.
Æneas fhudder'd at the fight, and cause
Demands, not knowing; what that river is?
And who the ghosts that in fuch multitudes
Have fill'd the margins? Then Anchises thus.
Those fouls to whom new bodies are by fate
Decreed, at Lethe's ftream compofing draughts,
And long oblivion drink. Of these long time
I have defir'd to talk with you, and fhew
Before you, reck'ning up my progeny,
That Latium found, you may yet more rejoice.
What then can fouls in this exalted state,
O father, can it be conceiv'd, that they
From hence to upper light defire to go,
And bear again the load of mortal flesh?
Can fuch fond love these wretches prepoffefs
Of light? Anchifes anfwer made; my fon,
I'll tell you, nor perplex'd keep in suspense;
And every thing in order due explain.

Firft heaven, and earth, and watry plains, the globe
Refplendent of the fun, the moon, and stars,
A fpirit nourishes within, a mind,

Infus'd thro' all the parts, the mass entire

Pervades, and moves, and with that body vaft

Mixes itself. The race of men and beasts

Hence fpring, the winged fowls, and monfters bred
Beneath the level furface of the deep:
The feeds a fiery vigour in themselves
Poffefs, an origin celestial claim;

But then by noxious bodies they're impair'd,
By earthly limbs, and mortal members clog'd.

From hence the paffions, Fear, Defire, Grief, Joy:
Nor fhut in darkness up, and prison blind,

Can they fo much as have a view of heaven.
But with their latest breath when life's extinct,
All their corporeal plagues, and evils felt
Before, do not even then depart entire
From wretched beings; of neceffity
Many habitual grown, by wond'rous ways,
Inherent must remain. Wherefore with pains
They're exercis'd, and pay the penalties
Of all their ancient crimes. To piercing winds

Some

Some hang expos'd.
All the pollutions of

Others in gulphs profound
their fins wash out,

Or purge by fire. All fuffer punishment,
Each, his own genius, his tormentor finds.
Thence thro' Elyfium ample we're difpers'd,
Altho' but few the happy regions gain:
Until the long-expected day, arriv'd
By revolutions just of time complete,
Th' indented ftains effaces, and leaves pure
Th' ethereal effence, fire of light unmix'd.
Those all, when full a thoufand years have roll'd
Exact their circles, in a concourse great
To the Lethæan ftream a god conducts:
That they unmindful of whate'er is past,
The higher regions may revifit fafe,

And into bodies, pleas'd, return again.'

-Every reader of taste muft acknowledge, that the above fimile of the bees is exquifitely well exprest, and happily translated. As the original is well known to the learned world, and as the fenfe of no claffic author is lefs liable to be mistaken than that of Virgil, this performance admits of little room for critical investigations. We fhall therefore only add, that it is incomparably the most proper tranflation of any we have, to be put into the hands of young gentlemen, who are defirous to become acquainted at once with the spirit and fenfe of the immortal original.

VII. The Babler. Containing a Careful Selection from thofe Enter taining and Interefting Efays, which have given the Public fo much Satisfaction under that Title, during a Course of four Years, in Owen's Weekly Chronicle. In 2 Vols. 12mo. Price 65.

J. Newbery.

THOUGH it does not fall within our plan to esp that

republications, yet as we have shewn indulgences of that kind, we are unwilling to deny the fame to this author, who declares that he wishes to fteer between the extremes of an oftentatious parade, and an affected diffidence; he would by no means prefumptuously place his pieces upon a forum with the effays of fome cotemporaries, nor would he meanly fink them. to the level of others a first-rate reputation is no lefs beyond his hopes, than his deferts; yet if in the scale of honourable comparison, he rifes with no capital degree of merit, he is fa

tisfied

tisfied that he cannot be the loweft in the ballance of con

tempt.'

We entirely agree with him in this modeft character of his work, which we think calculated for the interefts of morality and religion; and if the reprinting the following quotation can do him any fervice, he is extremely welcome to our recommendation of his labours, though we are far from quoting it as the very beft letter in the collection.

6

I am a plain young fellow near the Monument, and have been courting a moft agreeable girl in the neighbourhood for above fix months; but what furprizes me is, that though she receives the vifits of no other fuitor as I can difcover, and is generally upon fome little party of pleasure with myself, I can by no means bring her to a candid declaration of her fentiments, nor find out whether or no fhe defigns me for a husband. Every question that has a tendency to explain matters, the avoids with the greatest addrefs, and flies out into a violent paffion if I prefs it with any degree of earneftness or importunity.

All this time, Sir, I am spending my money, lofing my time, and neglecting my business :-I have been obliged to 'fquire her to Vauxhall or Ranelagh two or three times a week, and because I would do matters genteely, have kept the coach in waiting at each of thofe places the whole evening; this and the other neceffary expences bear a little heavy on the pocket of a tradefman, Mr. Babler, who has no ambition to appear in the London Gazette, though accompanied or ufhered in with the truly refpectable name of Robert Earl of Northington.

• When I first commenced an humble fervant of my adorable's, I thought it abundantly fufficient to propofe a walk in the Park, or a difh of tea at the White-Conduit-Houfe, and imagined a prudent confideration for the main chance, would recommend me to her good opinion, efpecially as fhe had but a very finall fortune of her own, and knew upon that account, the neceffity there was for a little economy.-But, lack-a-day, Sir, the White-Conduit-Houfe was reforted to by nothing but barbers boys, or mantuamakers apprentices; and for a walk in the Park, fhe never could be able to crawl fo far-fhe hated draggling through the ftreets, and could not bear to be toft about at the difcretion of every clumfy porter, or odious Irish chairman.-This was a broad hint; and therefore hoping to bring her to an immediate compliance by the appearance of generofity, I gave into her humour, and coached it about so unceafingly, that fhe now looks upon it as an indispentible compliment which I am obliged to pay, and never ftirs without a carriage out of doors.-This is not all, Mr. Babler; she has lately

látely got a knack of stopping at goldsmiths shops, and at milliners of her acquaintance-there she has fallen in love with a variety of little knick-knacks, which, like a blockhead, I have foolishly complimented her with; and no later than last week, Sir, it coft me fixteen guineas for a diamond hoop ring, and five for fome little paltry article in her head drefs.

• These expences, and the uncertainty I am in with respect to her inclinations, have made me very ferious, Sir; for tho' I love her with the utmost fincerity, and would marry her tomorrow, without a fix-pence, ftill I must have fome regard for myself too, and prevent in time the deftruction of my little. fortune, and the laughter of the world into the bargain. I have therefore taken the liberty, Sir, of troubling you with a few questions, by the advice of my friend Tom Watkinson, as he constantly takes in your entertaining paper, and fpeaks in the handsomest manner of your good-nature and abilities.

Be fo good then to tell me, if it is not very culpable in any woman who intends to marry an admirer, to drive him into expences confiderably beyond what she knows can be afforded by his circumstances?

• Anf. Yes.

Q. Is it not to the last degree scandalous for a woman, if she does not intend to marry an admirer, to faddle him with continual parties of pleasure, and to receive prefents of value from him at every opportunity?

A. Yes.

Q. Is not the woman who does the first, a wife utterly improper for any man that has a fortune to lose ?

A. Yes.

Q. And is not the woman who does the fecond, a wife too defpicable for any man at all?

A. Yes.

Q. Would you advise me at the next interview with my goddess, in fpite of every frown of disdain or tofs of refentment, to demand a peremptory answer whether she is willing

to have me or no?

to

• A. Yes.

Q. If the fhould happen to confent, would you advise me marry her?

A. This question is ufelefs, being fufficiently answered by the firft and third queries.

Q. Would you marry a woman yourself, Mr. Babler, who had acted like my adorable?

A. By no manner of means.'

VOL. XXIV. Auguft, 1767.

K

VIII. The

VIII. The Speeches, Arguments, and Determinations, of the Right Honourable the Lords of Council and Seffion in Scotland, upon that important Caufe, wherein his Grace the Duke of Hamilton and others were Plaintiffs, and Archibald Douglas of Douglas, Efq; Defendant. With an introductory Preface, giving an impartial and diftinct Account of this Suit. By a Barrifier at Law. 8vo. Pr. 4s. Almon.

T

It may be for tout of feffion in Scotland owes its proper, for the benefit of English readers, to in

inftitution to James V. (father to the unfortunate Mary queen of Scots) a prince violently addicted to the forms of French government, from which he borrowed that of this judicatory. Many great English lawyers have been known to lament the obftinacy of the Scots, at the time of the union of the two nations, in retaining their national courts and forms of law, and in excluding trials by juries in matters of property. It has been obferved, that it is next to impoffible, in so narrow a country as Scotland, to find fifteen judges, moft of them men of family and fortune, fo entirely unconnected with the great causes that come before them, in point of confanguinity, intereft, or affection, as to be perfectly indifferent about the event, or impartial in the decifion. It has therefore been often thrown out in public, that the introduction of juries in civil matters, would be a moft defirable event for that part of the united kingdom.

As we speak with great diffidence on this fubject, the reader may give thefe obfervations what degree of credit he pleases; but furely if any caufe ever required a difinterested and impartial difcuffion, it is that which gave rife to the publication before us. We are, however, under no difficulty to affert, that it does not appear with thofe marks of authenticity by which publications of the like kind in England are usually diftinguished, and which are always prefaced by a licence from the fuperior judge of the court in which the cause is tried. No fuch licence appears here, and the Imprimatur of the reverend and worshipful book feller is the only warrant the reader has for the authenticity of the performance. We are farther entitled to declare, from evidences in our own poffeffion, that the fpeeches are imperfectly taken. At the fame time we are fo candid as to allow, that, according to the best of our information, they contain nothing but what was faid, tho' not ALL that was delivered on this important caufe. We fhall therefore admit the fuppofition of the speeches being genuine, and review them accordingly.

The introductory preface prefixed to this work contains a previous hiftory of the family cf Douglas, of the conduct of