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that purpofe, (which we well know may be done in a very few years) in order for her to be as formidable a naval power as she was before the commencement of the prefent war. It is even very natural to fuppofe, that the French will exert their utmost endeavours to be fill more powerful; they have feen, and felt, from our example, that their very exiftence, as a trading nation, depends wholly upon their having a mighty navy. But fhould we be fo happy as to eftablith our poffeffions and conquefts in North-America, (neglecting nothing which may fecure to us the firm and lafting alliance and friendinip of the Indians) it will be impoffible for France to cultivate her fisheries in thofe feas; from which moment we may pronounce her no longer a maritime power. She may, indeed, poffefs fhips of war, but they will rot in her harbours for want of feamen (at leaft good ones) to man them, and of trade to protect. The compleating fo glorious a plan; which, by the wifdom and fortitude of our councils, is already brought to fuch great forwardnefs, cannot fail of producing the moft fignal advantages to this nation; by furnishing the means of laying a very folid foundation for unburdening it of that heavy load of debt and taxes, under which the people have been groaning for fo many years.'

This Exclufion-fcheme the Author jultifies, by examining the title by which European nations claim dominions in America, which is that of Discovery: whence he establishes our right to North-America, as the Spaniards enjoy that of South; thofe two divifions of it, being difcovered at the charge, and under the authority, of the refpective Crowns.

How pleas of this nature may appear, when abftractedly confidered, it is not pertinent to examine at prefent. If this plea is admitted among Potentates, Policy will require our infifting upon it; and more efpecially as we have the contefted country in our own poffeffion; (perhaps the best plea of all) nor fhall we be liable to much cenfure, when the caufe of our taking arms is reflected on; and when it is confidered from whom we have fnatched this bone of contention.

Art. 14. A Plan for Eftablishing the General Peace of Europe upon honourable Terms to Great Britain. By Mr. Brecknock. 8vo. Is. Baldwin.

The above ought rather to be entitled, A Plan for introducing general Confufion. This extravagant Schemer has proposed such a number of revolutions, as, fo far from fettling Peace, are almost fuffi cient to unhinge the Creation. R-d

Art. 15. The Patriot Mifcellany: Or, a Collection of Effays relative to the political Contests in Ireland, during the Adminiftration of his Grace the Duke of Dorfet. 8vo. 2 vols. 6s. Dublin printed; and fold by Stevens in Pater-nofter Row, London.

We have here a Collection of occafional Pamphlets, that must have afforded a fund of entertainment to Readers acquainted with the par

ticular

ticular facts and perfons, to which they refpectively relate. There are many of them alfo, written in fo masterly a ftile and manner, and others abounding with so much spirit and humour, that if even every circumftance that gave occafion to them were forgotten, they would be read with pleafure, and might be jufly efteemed malterpieces cf literary compofition. K-n-k

MEDICAL.

Art. 16. A full Reply to a Pamphlet entitled a fhort Answer to a Set of Queries, &c. [See Review, vol. XX. page 477,] directed to the principal Conductors of the General Hofpital of Bath. By William Baylies, M. D. and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. 8vo. Is. 6d. Millar.

For the reafon affigned in our Review, as above referred to, we fhall pass over this article, without further mention.

To

Art. 17. The Petition of the unborn Babes, to the Cenfors of the College of Phyficians of London. The fecond Edition. which is added, a Letter to Dr. H. Weffels, of St. MaryAxe. 4to. 3d. Cooper.

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Of the Petition we have formerly given a fhort account, Review, Vol.V.p.516. and only repeat the title-page here, as it mentions a very fhort letter, addreffed, at the end of the petition, To the learned • Dr. H. Weffels, the author and benevolent diffufer of the Tindura Embryorum.' This laft word, according to the Latin declension of the Greek word, Embryon, thould undoubtedly have been Embryonum. Nevertheless, Embryorum is repeated in the P. S. which affures the public, the Tincture is not prepared from Embryos: and if ther is not a typographical error, it may be thus purpofely mifpelt by the author of this letter, from Dr. Weffells' advertising his Noftrum. literally in that manner, and the Letter-writer's re-printing it, as an ironical testimony of the Doctor's crudition. In fubftance, the letter contains an acknowledgement from the Embryos to Dr. Weffels, for extending his ftudies to their eafe and prefervation in their confined obfcure ftate, and promifes him the care of their health, when they become visible, from his power of making innumerable doctors, inftantaneously, as learned and as wife as himself. The irony is very apparent, and the whole fo brief, that it fcarcely exceeds what we have already faid of it. But the brevity of fuch delicate Beings, in their prenatalitia! ftate, as we may term it, is lefs furprizing, than the manner in which they must have dictated their prefent compliments to Dr. Weffels, by their anonymous fecretary, who cannot well be imagined of the obftetrical order. Perhaps, fuppofing him to be married, he may be poffeffed of fome unadvertifed Noftrum in Acouftics, that may condenfe ideas, or the very embryos of ideas, into fmall, yet audible murmurs. Or, if this be thought incredible, he may be provided with fome acoustic inftrument, or mechanifm,

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for

for magnifying the fmalleft conceivable exility of found, into perceptible articulation. But however this may be, or may not be, we find the prefent letter has been affecting enough, to produce the fubject of the following article, by a gentleman, who, though confiderably provoked by the letter, does not appear to intimate the leatt fufpicion of any forgery in it.

K

Art. 18. An Anfwer to that heterogeneous Letter, addressed to Dr. Weffel's, of St. Mary-Axe, and fubjoined to the Petition of the unborn Babes. Dedicated to the young Phyficians, By Dr. Mc, Gripes, late Student under Dr. Weffels. 8vo. 6d. Scot.

If the real Author of this Anfwer be a foreigner, he may be fuppofed to have devised this expedient of publishing it under the name of Dr. Mc. Gripes (who dedicates it from Tipperary in the 7th month of the fummer folftice), as a means of excufing those maffacres of the English language it abounds with. Befides, as the Regulars in Phyfic were defigned to be handled not a little roughly in it, an extemporaneous doctor-maker may poffibly have confulted his dignity more, by expofing them to the gripes of an imaginary pupil and fubftitute, than he could have done by an avowed execution of them in his own perfon: though fome have concluded, that art st must be the moft dexterous at taking a Doctor to pieces, who could put him together, and wind him up the fooneft. If by terming the letter addreffed to Dr. Weffels, by the unborn Babes, heterogeneous, he means to affirm it a letter of a different kind from this anfwer, we must readily fubfcribe to his judgment on this point, whoever, and whatever, his genuine entity and appellation may be.

But admitting Dr. Mc. Gripes, to be fome favorite and lucky mo del of Dr. Weffels' fashioning, we find him fo much of a wag too, that he is not always able to retrain a joke on his master, instead of fwearing continually by his name, like the fycophants of old. fome apprehend to have been done, with a defign to perfonate an Hibernian more effectually, who may be fometimes unwittingly dif pofed to hunt the Bull through thick and thin, in facts and fentiments, as well as words. Be that as it may, Dr. Peter, or Paddy Mc. Gripes, fays p. 7. My worthy and honeft friend and preceptor, Dr. WESSELS (to whom I am indebted for thofe fublime precepts acquired under him in the medical art), fhall never want a champion in his fervice, while gratuity is eteemed commendable.' This we are very clear muft be the cafe, among all her feekers, as long as the exifts, who will certainly pray for her after her decease

100.

*

This delegated Author however proceeds, and we hope feriously, to declare Dr. Weffels' abilities, and the inabilities of his brethren the Regulars, in relieving the diforders of Women; and alfo, pre

This credit Dr. Weffels gives his Students for his tuition, and the gratuities he allows them for displaying and defending his character, must be no fmail inducements to fudying under him, and writing for him. dicates

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dicates his peculiar Noftrum, for kindling up a Doctor from indifferent materials. For Dr. Weffels having finifhed his ftudies under Boerhaave and Ruysch, and without being obliged to them for the fecret, Dr. Mc. Gripes fays, verbatim & punctuatim p. 9.- And that Dr. Weffels, after diftinguithing himfelf, as a man of learning ⚫ and abilities in Phyfic, was invited over to refide in England [by the • Embryos perhaps] fince which he has been allowed (by even the most envious) to be a Scholar, a judicious Phyfician, and an excellent Mathematician; proofs of which he has given, not only in improving many English Physicians in the Science, but in a fhort space of time teaching the phyfical Art to those of moderate talents, who ⚫ afterwards became the greatest ornaments of the profeffion, and by the Caledonian and Flemish Univerfities, as well as our Royal College of Phyficians in London, have fince been invited into their Communities, and received fuch Privileges, as their skill, learning and abili-, ties only could have entitled, or procured them, when the feverest and moft critical examinations in public could not find pretence for rejecting them.'-Some of our readers may confider this breathing period of a mile, as a puff, while other fuppofe it stark irony; but our deference for fuch rare merit as Dr. Weffels' has engaged us to give his portrait, by this Apelles, at length. We are at a lofs in the mean time to determine, whether Dr. Mc. Gripes' envy, or tranfport, occafioned him to fupprefs the names of his Fellow-Students of moderate talents, who commenced the greatest Luminaries in Science here, or any where else; and who are equally certain to eclipfe our lateft pofterity. Such blazing inftances, alas! would induce us to fufpect, that Dr. Weffels' Noftrum for doctor-making, is only adapted to moderate talents, and might rather astonish than inform thofe of excellent ones: and now, if Mr. Student Mc. Gripes was only taught, to remember how he was taught by Dr. Weffels, Arrah, what a fine College of Phyficians will his Love of Tipperary produce; and what Legions of Embryos may they excite and preferve too, after each and all of them are freely admitted into its profoundest mysteries!

The learned Macgripius, our dear half countryman (Ireland being about almost half as big as England) continues to defcribe or caricature his odious Regulars, with their poor noddles in wife perriwigs, in their chariots, and deferted by their chariots, with great waggery; having plainly discovered, that feveral of their patients are mortal; that they do not find out fpecifics; and confequently, are not intitled to find the fame respect with Dr. Weffels. He takes us with him foon after to his medical Farce, which he defigned to abound with wit and humour, and in which, indeed, he has attained to a little. Four Regulars, an Apothecary, an Irish Nurfe, and the Patient's Hufband, figure away in thefe Scenes. Dr. Blubber's character, or country, is ftrongly marked by the curious expedient of his conftantly pronouncing Sir, Sar. Poky diftinguishes himself by fleeping at the Confultation, while the News of the Day is difcuffed. The difgufted Apothecary, in a melancholy foliloquy, threatens to call in Dr. Cramwell. And Dr. Mc. Gripes' countrywoman, who is very earnest for the exhibition of Dr. Weffel's drops in this lat

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cafe, makes fome notable reprifals on the English language, for the former depredations of their arms in Connaught. In that part of our Author's fatire, which regards the illiberal and invidious conduct of Physicians to one another; though the invective is expreffed in rather over fcurrilous terms, we are concerned to hear, that it is too frequently juft. But what very nearly difhoneft, and palpably dif honourable, Actions, are not currently palliated with the fpecious name of Industry! which a Philofopher might, in certain circumftances, think a jufter plea for a poor affiduous pick-pocket, than for a cunning and greedy accumulator, who avoids the penalty of the letter, though regardless of the benign and focial Spirit, of Laws.

Not to be too ferious however, on the prefent article, Dr. Mc. Gripius advises the Letter-Writer, to let Dr. Weffels live and vend his Drops; with an injunction to remember this advice, and that he who gives it is no running Frenchman. By this we suppose, an infinuation is intended, that, on the Letter-Writer's non-compliance, our Author will make him that ill-flavoured fellow, he very coarsely calls him. We have a fomewhat less indelicate apprehenfion for ourfelves, as he threatens only to piss on all criticisms, which he is heartily welcome to do, after paying prefent money for them.

Thus have we given the fum and import of this notable answer, as admitting it to be wrote by Dr. Weffels' pupil in his behalf, and not too pryingly attempting to develope any gentleman of the perfonage he may chufe to affume. We should gladly however, be allowed to affure the learned Principal in this caufe, that we have not the leaft prejudice, or objection to his Drops, except that of taking them; which, as we are neither Einbryos, nor qualified to envelope them, we dare fay, Dr. Weffels would 'not prefcribe to us. But as Reviewers of other Writers, and hence writing occafionally ourselves, we fubmit it to his fagacity, whether thefe Drops might not inform, or any wife invigorate, thofe mental Embryos, which tuch perfons fo frequently conceive and bring forth, with more or less facility and happiness as an efficacy in this refpect, mult greatly advance their value and fale. Let us advife him, however, in his next advertisement, to term his Drops, notwithstanding the authority of Bates and Allen, Tinctura ad Embryones, i: e. a Tincture for, rather than of Embryos, as we fay, Emplaftrum ad herniam, Platter for a Rupture. For certainly, Oleum Catellorum, fignifies an Oil made of, and not for Whelps though probably firft deviled by fome dreaming old puppies. On the other hand, Oleum Philofophorum does not mean, that the medicine was made by boiling Philofophers in Oil, neither that it was calculated folely for philofophers (like the Embryos Tincture), any more than Tinctura Weffeli, would fignify a medicine made by infufing Dr. Weffels in Spirits of any fort: but as it would refer to the Inventers of the Oil (the Philofophers by Fire) and of the Tincture, whatever the ingredients might be; fo the Tincture of the Embryos might be wrested, to imply; that the Embryos were the Authors, rather than the Objects of it. This would feem to admit, that a corporeal Embryo (fuppofe that of any future Phyfician) may conceive and bring forth a mental, and even a medical one, which propofition fome will confider as too bold and metaphyfical. We have not

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