We would wifh, for the fame reafons, that men in trade would not be fo ambitious to crowd into the Commiffion of the Peace; fince, from their education, and fituation in life, they must neceffarily have been debarred from thofe opportunities of information and improvement, requifite to qualify them for the due difcharge of fo important a truft. Befides, their acting in fuch capacity tends greatly to diminish the dignity which should attend fuch Magistrates. When Juftice is dealt from behind a counter, the Distributors may be literally filed trading Justices and nothing can be more ridiculous, than to fee a man figning a Mittimus with one hand, and weighing a Pound of Currants with the other.

But, to return from this digreffion, we may venture to say of the work before us, that, notwithstanding its boafted utility, it will be of little benefit to any but the Printer. It is, indeed, a notorious piece of piracy from Burn's Juftice: the feveral heads it treats of are imperfectly abridged from thence, and in many parts feveral pages fucceffively are tranfcribed verbatim & literatim.

It would have been a facrifice of time and patience beyond what our Readers would expect from us, to have compared the whole feriatim: neverthelefs we have diligently collated it with Burn throughout many material articles, and in others Sparfim.

The first head, relating to Apprentices, we have carefully compared throughout; and find that our Gentleman of the Middle Temple has ftrictly copied Burn's divifions; only he has thought proper to omit the fifth, which relates to money given to bind out poor Apprentices, and which is to be employed according to the directions of 7 J. ch. 3, unless otherwife ordered by the Givers. He has likewife followed Burn literally through the contents of the several divifions, though in one or two he has, for what reafons we know not, been pleafed to abridge him.

We have alfo compared the head relating to Church-watdens, and find that our Templar has, in that likewife, exactly pursued Burn's divifions, excepting that he has thought fit to omit the fixth in Burn, which treats of Prefentments, and therein of Sidesmen and Affistants, and to feist in one of his own, of lefs confequence, refpecting Briefs and their Ma

nagement..

The contents likewife of the feveral divifions are, for the moft part, fervilely tranfcribed; and where our learned Compiler has ventured to abridge the original, he has, by his un

8

kilful

skilful abridgment, rendered his work imperfect and abfurd. The third divifion, for inftance, in Burn, relates to Churchwardens Duty in levying of Rates; and therein of Veftries and SELECT VESTRIES: and the contents treat of all that is expreffed in the head-piece. Our Compiler, on the contrary, has prefixed the fame title to his third divifion, but in his abridgment has unfortunately forgotten a very material part of the contents: for though his title promifes to treat of select Veflries, yet we do not find a tittle on that fubject, though Burn had prepared it ready to his hand. This omiffion is the more extraordinary, fince the authorities cited by Burn in fupport of felect Veftries, contribute to fettle the long contefted point, whether fuch Veftries were legal or not.

We have further compared them under the titles of Conftables, Poor, and other heads; in all which we find our Compiler either a fervile Copyist, or an aukward Abridger; and this without paying the leaft acknowlegement to, or even mentioning the Author to whom he is indebted for his materials. He has fo little gratitude or modefty, that he does not fcruple to speak in the firft perfon, even when he is repeating Mr. Burn's own words, which he endeavours to difguife by tranfpofing them. Thus, in the introduction to the head relating to the Poor, he fays,- Before I begin to treat of this extenfive title, I fhall premife one general claufe in the Statute of the 17th of Geo. IId,' &c. Mr. Burn's words are-" After having premifed one general claufe in the Sta"tute of the 17th of Geo. IId, I fhall treat of this extenfive title," &c.

We must not omit to obferve, that though our Compiler calls his book the UNIVERSAL Parish Officer, and has the confidence to affert, that it contains all the Laws now in force relating to Parish Bufinefs, yet concerning Sidefmen, Watch, and fome other particulars relative to parifh bufinets, we do not find the leaft mention.

Upon the whole, this is one of the most barefaced and bungling pieces of Plagiarism ever impofed upon the public. It may be thought, that we have beftowed more attention upon it than it deferves; but we have dwelt the longer on this article, as we think it just to detect and expose thefe fhameless pyratical Writers, who, born without any talents of their own, have fo little confcience as to live on the fruits of other people's brains. It is ftrange, that these Drones will puzzle their weak heads, only to marr other men's works, when they might probably gain a better livelihood by the ftrength of their backs. R-d An

An Effay on Scirrhous Tumours and Cancers. By Richard Guy, Surgeon, in London. To which are added, the Hiftories of Cafes cured by the Author, by means of Mr. Plunket's Medi8vo. Is. 6d. Owen.

cine.

N weighing the merit of a new performance, relating to any art or science, these two points deferve chiefly to be confidered; either it ought to teach something that is new, or to illuftrate and enforce what is already known. If it anfwers neither of thefe neceffary ends, it may, without injuftice, be deemed literary lumber, and configned to oblivion. But where publications are not only useless, but have also the additional demerit of being calculated to promote some selfish purpose, it becomes more indifpenfably the duty of every friend to learning, and to the public, to expose such specious attempts.

This Effay on Scirrhous Tumours and Cancers, may be briefly characterized, by terming it an extended Quack Advertisement; defigned to inform the public, that the Author hath purchased the fecret of Mr. Plunket's Poultice, and intends (to ufe his own words) to make every honeft Advantage of his Purchase. However unworthy of ferious animadverfion fuch productions generally are, we hope, nevertheless, our Readers will pardon our analyzing, in a few inftances, this pompous piece of Empiricism.

Mr. Guy fets out with an enquiry into the nature and caufe of Scirrhufes, defcribes their symptoms, and delineates their dreadful and alarming appearances, in the various stages or degrees of the diftemper. He affumes an air of great learning, by citing the names, and mentioning the opinions of various Writers on the fubject, and by references to their works at the bottom of almost every page. He likewife gives a fummary account of particular remedies, and the methods of cure generally practifed. But all this feems only intended as an introduction to the praises he bestows on the extraordinary virtues of his Arcanum, and to a recital of the wonderful cures he has performed with it. In regard to its manner of operation, Mr. Guy, like other Gentlemen of the fame clafs, very much affects the marvelous.

i

The Medicine in queftion (fays he) is of a peculiar operation, which caufes the Scirrhus or Cancer, with its Roots, to feparate, and fall out, leaving a clean, well dit gefted fore, that afterwards heals with as little trouble as any fore whatfoever: a circumftance (continues he)

3

not

6 to

to be obtained by any other application or method of prac⚫tice that I have ever seen or heard of.'

Here we fee this Gentleman plainly intimates, that it detaches the morbid from the found parts, by a peculiar operation. If it, indeed, caufes the roots of the Cancer to feparate, without at the fame time destroying the furrounding parts, we will readily own it is a circumstance which, as well as Mr. Guy, we never before have either feen or heard of. But if it only acts like other Efcharotics, (the ufe of which in cancerous cafes, he repeatedly condemns) by producing an Efchar indifcriminately wherever it is applied, the operation is by no means peculiar; confequently what he fays concerning it, will appear a grofs mifreprefentation. If this fhould be the cafe, which we have fome reafon to believe it is, the advantages of his peculiar method will be no greater than thofe refulting from the application of other cauftics, which the most skilful Surgeons have declined using in such cases; as, in general, their operation is tedious and painful, their effects lefs determinable where there is danger of injuring large veffels, &c. and as in Cancers they can no more fecure the Patient from a return of the disease, than when extirpation is performed by means of the knife. Mr. Guy, however, avails himself of a circumftance which will ever operate powerfully on weak and timorous minds; the terror of cutting. This is an objection which many Nurfes and old women have used before this Author, and may, with equal propriety be extended to every operation in Surgery. We do not, however, imagine, the cafe is greatly mended by a fubftitution of escharotic applications.

In regard to the twelve cancerous Cafes Mr. Guy has thought proper to felect out of a hundred, it is much to be doubted, if all of them really were fo; feeing there is but one, out of the whole, that feems well authenticated; as it cannot be fuppofed the feveral Gentlemen and Ladies to whom he refers, were adequate Judges in cafes of Surgery: neither is much ftrefs to be laid on the cafes prefented by Mr. Plunket; a perfon (as Mr. Guy obferves) unacquainted even with the rudiments of Phyfic or Surgery.' It appears too, even by Mr. Guy's own account, that in feveral inftances of Cancers, where men of fkill and integrity would have had an opportunity of confirming the boafted efficacy of his medicine, he declined meddling.

We are the more inclined to doubt on this fubject, as there is a variety of examples where Tumours and Sores, efpecially in the breafts of women, thro' the fears of the Patient,

and

Scirrhous Tumors and Cancers.

517

and the artifice of Pretenders to Surgery, have been looked on as cancerous, and which have at laft been cured by means of Pultices much more fimple than that of Meffrs. Plunket and Guy.

This very difinterefted Author, in feveral parts of his book, earneftly advifes thofe afflicted with complaints of this kind, to apply early where they may find a fafe and effectual Cure; that is, by implication, to himfelf. This, no doubt, is aamong the boneft advantages he thinks himself intitled to derive from his Purchase. He urges fpeedy compliance from the moft cogent motives: For, from the general confequences of leaving Scirrhufes to Nature, (fays he) it will be found, that in twenty cafes, eighteen will turn out Cancers; almost every ⚫ Cancer in the breast I have met with, has verified this affertion.' Here, however, Mr. Guy fhews himself but an indifferent reafoner; for to verify his affertion, it ought to be fhewn, that almoft every Scirrhus becomes a Cancer; as no Surgeon, we imagine, ever doubted, even before this formal intimation, that almoft every Cancer in the breaft was preceded by a Scirrhus. If Mr. Guy means to fay, that almoft every hard, indolent Tumour will become a Cancer, experience will prove that he is mistaken.-We will, however, with humble deference to the affertion of the Purchaser of Mr. Plunket's Poultice, hazard one of a different kind, namely, that there are many women, in the various circumstances of mothers, nurfes, &c. fubject to hard tumours, and swellings in the breafts, which may be treated by Quacks, and Pretenders to Noftrums, as incipient Scirrhufes, and occult Cancers. We doubt not, likewife, but every fcrophulous and scorbutic fore will be termed a species of the fame diforder..

Mr. Guy furely is a little unreafonable in complaining, That it is too much the fashion in this kingdom, for the profeffed Members of the Faculty, both of Phyfic and Surgery, to oppofe every thing out of the common road of Practice.'He cannot but know, that it is alfo too much the fashion in this kingdom, for the profeffed Members of another Faculty to efpoufe the practice of impofing upon their dear fellow countrymen; who, while they pretend to extract Cancers by the Root, aim in fact, at extracting what the Scriptures term the Root of all Evil.-He ought the rather to pardon their incredulity, when he confiders what He himself fays, that the effects of his medicine are fuch as were never feen or heard of.

After all, it is not impoffible but Mr. Guy's Medicine may be a very good one; like the beft Medicines we are acquainted with, it may, in certain cafes, under proper ma

nagement,