It is next propofed, that the accounts and other transactions of this Bank be laid annually before the Houfe of Commons; to a Committee of which the infpection and examination of them fhall be referred. After which our Author obferves" that there is no nation in Europe fo well adapted by its fituation and conftitution, its power, independence, and commerce, for the eftablishment of a general Bank, as this is. But were it to be confidered as merely confined to this kingdom; a national parliamentary Bank, under proper regulations, would be of infinite advantage; and the Sinking Fund, with the faith of Parliament to make good all fums of money that fhall be depofited in this Bank, is, undoubtedly, fuch a fecurity, and establishment, as cannot be given by any other State and to all appearance would be a fufficient inducement to foreigners, as well as natives, to prefer this to all others, on account of its fecurity, were no other benefit to arise. But the additional profit of two and-a-half per cent. would certainly be a means of its becoming, in time, the common repofitory of the money of Europe.'

Our Projector then proceeds to fhew the utility of his fcheme, and, the reasonableness as well as the means, of putting it in execution. He propofes, that the money lodged in this new Bank, over and above what may be deemed neceflary for the circulation of its notes, may be applied to the discharge of part of the national debt. This money, he fuppofes, will, in all probability, be returned to the Bank in a fhort time, and may be applied again in the fame manner, whilst any part of our redeemable debt remains unpaid: by which method there will be a faving to the public of one per cent. the difference between the intereft now paid, and that to be paid by this Bank; which, with the additional three per cent. for fuch part of the national debt as may be abfolutely discharged yearly by the Sinking Fund, would, in a fhort time, reduce fuch debt to a moderate fize, and enable the Parliament to abolish fome of our most burthenfome taxes, without taking from the produce of the Sinking Fund.

Our Author goes on to remove the objections that may be made to his scheme, and to illuftrate the advantages which will thence accrue to individuals: he then treats of the propriety of diffolving the present Bank of England. With this view, he examines into the privileges it is entitled to, and the terins on which they were granted; beginning with the act paffed in its avour, in the eighth of King William III. and continued by ubfequent acts to the first of August 1764.

In this part of his pamphlet he complains of the ungrateful conduct of the Directors, both with regard to individuals and to the Government. He remarks, that the exclufive privileges of

3

the

the Bank were granted in confideration of fums of money advanced, from time to time, to the Government; and that its credit hath been conftantly supported by the whole body of our Merchants, particularly in the rebellion of 1745, when the demands on it became fo preffing, that it would have been found difficult, if not impoffible, to have kept on a courfe of payment, even in the manner it then did, were it not for the general affociation and agreement of the Merchants to accept its notes, as money, in all payments. And yet, notwithstanding thefe fignal fervices of the Merchants, and the privileges granted on the part of the Government, he obferves, that the Directors put a fudden ftop, in the year 1758, to their usual manner of discounting bills; which laid the Merchants under extreme difficulties, threw a general damp on trade, and in its confequences affected" the public Funds to a very great degree: a ftagnation in this branch of credit, laying many principal Merchants, who were Subscribers to the Government Loan, under the neceffity of difpofing of their fubfcriptions almost at any price, in order to keep up the regularity of their ordinary payments. Again, their refufing to advance money to the Government, on the land-tax granted by Parliament for the year 1760, a profitable branch, which they had till that time almost wholly engroffed, he says, might have been attended with very fatal confequences to the nation, when we were fo deeply engaged in an expensive war. And tho', continues he," the Directors might have had very powerful motives for acting as they did, with which the public was not, nor was it prudent it fhould be, made acquainted; yet I prefume the extraordinary influence this body hath acquired, both with respect to the funds, and the commercial credit of the kingdom; and alfo, how far the fafety, or welfare of either may, at any time, be endangered by it, are matters of fuch confequence, as may well deferve the ferious confideration of the Legislature.”

It is for all these reasons, and to make room for a national Bank, that he thinks the Legislature fhould not grant the prefent Bank a farther term, when that of their prefent privileges is expired. But as the discharge of the whole debt due to the Bank, which amounts at prefent to 11,686,800l. and twelve months notice, are abfolute conditions that must be complied with, before such a scheme can take place, he proposes that fum fhall be timely raifed. To this end he would have a great part of the royal Forests and Chaces, and particularly Enfield Chace and Epping Foreft, put up to fale. By this expedient, however, he propofes, to raise only the fum of four millions toward the purpose intended. How the remainder is to be procured he does not tell us, tho' he intimates that it might eafily be done.

If

If he means in the way of borrowing, however, we doubt it much; as it may be expected, that the ufual Undertakers for Loans, will join all their forces to oppose a scheme so detrimental to their private intereft; and we fear, feven millions could not be eafily raised for this, or any other purpose, without them.

Our Author adds many fenfible and judicious reflections, to illustrate and enforce his scheme; of the advantages of which we are fully convinced, tho' not to the degree he aims at; particularly in regard to the expences of any future war, the circumstances of which it is impoffible to forefee.

K-n-k

Pre-Existence, a Poem. Pra-Exiftentia Poema Latine reditum. Bath, printed for Leake and Frederick. 8vo. 1S.

THE

HE origin of the human foul has often employed the conjectures of Philofophers. Some have afcribed it to the vivific principles of the Semen humanum; and others have fuppofed, that the foul is infufed into the foetus by the creative power of the Deity. Others again, with what probability we fhall not take upon us to fay, have afferted, that all human fouls were originally angelic fpirits, who, having been feduced by the arts of the grand Deceiver, to join his rebel-party, were, for this crime, condemned to fuffer imprisonment in an earthly body. This last opinion has been espoused not only by many of the Heathen Philofophers, by the Sophifts of Greece, the Bramins of India, the Chaldean and the Perfian Magi, but by many of the Profeffors of Chriftianity alfo, by Origen, Tertullian, &c.

Upon this fyftem the poem before us is founded; and as every fyftem concerning the origin of the foul must be imaginary, it is with more propriety made the fubject of poetry than it could have been of philofophy.

The poem contains a narrative of the events which happened from the contest of Michael and Satan, till the creation of the world. It opens with the fignal given from the Arch-angel's trumpet, upon which the gates of Tartarus are clofed, and the, victorious armies return to heaven. Then follows the account of thofe fpirits who had been feduced, but, being penitent, were not condemned to Tartarus, though they were banished from heaven. The gates of heaven, the throne of God, and the angels furrounding the throne, are defcribed, after which, fentence is pronounced upon the different orders of fpirits.

A daring imagination, and an unequal diction, frequently in-
flated and obfcure, characterise this performance; from which
we shall select one short paffage, together with its correspondent
Latin, as fpecimens of the original, and of the tranflation.
'Tis therefore my decree the foul return

Naked from off this beach, and perfect blank
To vifit the new world, and ftrait to feel
Itself in crude confiftence closely shut
The dreadful monument of juft revenge,
Immur'd by Heaven's own hand, and plac'd ere&t
On fleeting matter, all imprison'd round

With walls of clay; th' ethereal mould shall bear
The chain of members, deafen'd with an ear,
Blinded by cyes, and manacled in hands.
Here anger, vaft ambition, and disdain,
And all the haughty movements rife and fall,
As ftorms of neighbouring atoms tear the foul,
And hope, and love, and all the calmer turns
Of eafy hours, in their gay gilded fhapes,
With fudden run fkim o'er deluded minds,
As matter leads the dance; but one defire
Unsatisfied shall mar ten thousand joys.

Littore ab hoc igitur mens prorfus nuda recedat,
Invifatque novum mundum: et fe fentiat una
Quæque ftatim cruda, firmis compagibus arctam
Materiâ, juftæ pœnæ monumenta tremenda!
Erecto informans perituram vertice maffam,
Omnipotente ipfo luteis circumdata muris:
Membrorum ætheream ignavorum atrocia formam
Vincla prement, cæcis oculis, furdâ aure gravatam,
Adftrictâque catenatis compagine palmis.
Hic ira, ambitio, faftus, cunétique fuperbi
Exurgunt motus, reciduntque; ferocia bella
Prout mifcent vicini atomi. Et fpes dulcis amorque
Blandarum horarum folatia lenia, curfum
Materiâ variante fuum, dulcedine pectus
Delufum fubitâ ficta fub imagine, mulcent;
Aft luctu implebit mifero fola una voluptas
Irrita fruftratam, mille inter gaudia, mentem.

We have fedom met with a tranflation fo faithful to its original, and, at the fame time, fo pure in itfelf. It has much claffical fimplicity and elegance, and not only exhibits invariably the fenfe of the original, but, by its purity and precifion, frequently ferves as a comment on what in the English poem was

*From the Beach of Lethe.

Hither compell'd the foul muft drink long draughts
Of thofe forgetful ftreams, till forms within,

And all the great ideas fade and die.

obfcure.

1

obfcure. Upon the whole, the tranflation may, in fome refpects, be thought a much better poem than the original.

We cannot quit this article without expreffing our abhorrence of those doctrines which reprefent the Divine Being in the character of an Eastern Defpot; which give him the flaming righthand, and the triumphal chariot; as if the Almighty could not be painted truly glorious, but at the expence of the blood and fufferings of his creatures,

Two Elegies.

La.

1. The Bee. 2. The Bulfinch. 4to. 6d, DodЛley,

REFIXED to thefe Elegies is the following motto:

PREFIXED

Let not the CENSOR's ear difdain

Thefe leffons of humanity,

Tho' chanted by the feather'd train,
Or Nature's infect progeny.

To humanize the heart, is the peculiar task of the Mufes, and the nobleft employment within their fphere. Whenever, therefore, leffons of humanity are intended to be conveyed in verfe, we must be pleased with the defign, though we may not always approve the execution. We fat down to review thefe Elegies with the fame fentiments we entertain in all our critical labours, defirous, for our own fakes, as well as for the Author's, to find fufficient caufe for commendation. To confer praise on literary merit, is not lefs delightful to ourselves, than it may prove to the Authors whom we thus diftinguish; and this may be easily accounted for, as the principal happiness of mankind confifts in the exercise of the benevolent affections. But to the misfortune of the Reviewer, in the promifcuous multitude of literary productions, little is found either to gratify tafte in the perufal, or to indulge benevolence in the review. The territories of DULLNESS are not lefs extenfive than barren, and her offspring are industrious in proportion to the fterility of their inheritance.

Whether the Author of thefe Elegies must be numbered among the Votaries of this Goddefs, we fhall leave our Readers to determine; and, after we have fummed up the evidence for and against him, we doubt not but their verdict will be impartial,

First, then, whatever merit the following ftanza may have, we apprehend it is not altogether original, as we remember a little epigram, which it, in fome meafure, refembles.

Rev. Mar. 1763.

Q

Fain