in each Rule. To which are added, variety of neceffary and the This Author is modeft enough to fay, in his Preface, that Reader will, perhaps, here find as useful and fatisfactory a Treatie of Vulgar Arithmetic offered to him, as he will any where meet with, or can reasonably wish or defire.' But we can reasonably wish and defire fomething more, when new Treatifes appear upon old fubjects; and if as good fyftems of Arithmetic have appeared before, which is the truth, and, perhaps, not all the truth; Mr. Shepherd acknowleges that he has taken great pains to little purpose. Y Art. 4. The Auction: A modern Novel. 12mo. 2 vols. 6 s. Whether the title of this modern Novel was written for the book, or the book for the title, we know not: but, by the little fhare which the bufiuefs of an Auction has in the ftory, we should be apt to imagine, that without fome particular reafon, fo inconfiderable a portion of it would hardly have given appellation to the whole. It has, indeed, been hinted to us, that the Author is indebted, for this part of the work, to the pen of a Writer eminent in the literary world. We do not, however, readily enter into its literary merit: but, it appears to bear a different flamp from the rest of the performance, and to have been written with a view to expofe the tricks and impofitions too often practifed at Auctions. As to the rest of the work, tho' the story be frequently interefting, and the characters not ill fupported, the file is generally fo very poor, and the narrative fo deftitute of humour or fentiment, that we can recommend it only to fuch as read merely to pats away their time, rather than for instruction or profitable amusement. K-n-k Art. 5. A genuine Account of the Life and Trial of William We have here an account of one of the vileft wretches we have ever heard or read of as the murder of his child, for which he was fo defervedly executed, (after fo long an interval of time between the commifion of the fact, and his legal punishment) appears to have been been by no means the most cruel, or the most unnatural of his crimes. Art. 6. Some Letters from the Marshal Duke de Belleifle to the Marfhal de Contades; with Extracts from a few of the Marfhal de Contades's Letters to the Marfbal Duke de Belleifle, in 1758. 4to. Is. Owen, the Gazette Printer. In our Review for November laft, we gave fome account of a feries of these Letters, the trophies of our happy victory over the French at the Battle of Minden. The Letters contained in the prefent publication, are of fubfequent date to the former; and much of the fame import. POLITICAL. Art. 7. Some Confiderations on the prefent Methods used for the Relief and Employment of the Poor. In a Letter to a Member of Parliament. 4to. Is. Waugh. The many schemes which have been lately offered for the better fettlement and relief of the Poor, may be numbered among the va rious inftances of public benevolence, which do honour to the prefent age. Their miferable condition in this free and opulent kingdom, has long fince remained a difgrace to our Police. While fome vile impoftors have abufed Charity, and raised contributions by counterfeiting calamities, other wretched objects, of lefs invention, or more honefty, have fuffered all the extremities of indigence and distress, often aggravated by the inhumanity of Parish Officers. To fee our fellow creatures hunted from parish to parish, like noxious animals, for no other crime than that of beggary, must fill every compaffionate breast with the deepest concern. To remedy these inconveniences, is the profeffed defign of the prefent treatise and it must be owned, that the Author enters upon the examination of the Poor Laws, now in being, with great method and judgment. The firft confideration is, (fays he) whether the prin ciples on which they are built, are true or falfe; for if they shall be found falfe in their principles, they are incapable of being amended, fo as to be made useful; and the only remedy is framing ⚫ a new Law on true principles.' may He then gives it as his opinion, that the principles are falfe on which the Poor Laws are founded: particularly the first principle"That it is reasonable that every place in this kingdom fhould main"tain and employ its own Poor." In the end, he proposes, That all the Poor be relieved where they want, and employed where they be most useful; that the fund to fupport them, be as equal as may be, national; not local or parochial; that the care of the Poor be entrusted to the Nobility and Gentry of the feveral counties, and that they fhould form one great body politic to regulate the affairs of the whole kingdom; that the Poor be divided into proper claffes, and their feveral wants fupplied in fuch manner as is moft convenient for each feveral county, either in proper Hofpi ⚫tals tals or Work-houses, or relief to be given them at their own houses, ⚫ in fuch manner as may best fuit their neceffities.' In a fecond Letter, the Writer propofes, that the Hospitals, Workhoufes, &c. which are at present fubfifting, fhould be ingrafted into one general plan for the relief of the Poor, and the feveral members united into one corporate body, to adopt Sir Jofiah Child's name, and be filed FATHERS OF THE POOR. Upon the whole, though our Author's propofals are too general to be of immediate utility, and fome of them, perhaps, abfolutely inexpedient, yet they may ferve as a foundation for a well regulated fyftem. R-a 1 Art. 8. Confiderations on the Laws relating to the Poor. By the Author of Confiderations on several Propofals for the better Maintenance of the Poor. 4to. Is. Davis. This Writer, who differs in opinion from the foregoing one, is against the abolition of the old fyftem. He hints, that he has had fome fhare of experience in the operation of the Poor Laws, and, under this confidence, he makes fome very free ftrictures on the Refolutions of the Houfe of Commons of May 1759. We cannot fay, however, that he discovers any great decency, or good fenfe, in his comment. On the contrary, he animadverts on the fecond Refolution of the House of Commons, in the following familiar ftrain. 6 If this Refolution,' fays he, was a little more intelligible, it ⚫ would be a great deal easier either to agree with it, or contradict it.' Had this Writer been commenting on an individual of his own rank, this would not have been the most genteel mode of animadverfion; but to criticize in fuch forward terms upon the Legiflature, is fomething more than rude. Where there is fo much petulance, there is feldom any great fhare of judgment; as is exemplified in our Author: for his reflections are fuch as might be expected from the foregoing fpecimen; arrogant, trifling, and fuperficial. In short, whatever exceptions may be made to the Refolutions of the Houfe of Commons, we will venture to fay, that there is little or no weight in this Writer's objections. R-d Art. 9. The Number of Alehoufes fhewn to be extremely pernicious to the Public. In a Letter to a Member of Parliament. By the V. of S. in Kent. 8vo. 6d. Baldwin. An attempt to reftrain the number of Alehoufes, is extremely laudable; as the multiplicity of them is acknowleged, by the Statute Law, to be a grievance, and, as fuch, is fufficiently felt in fociety. The Author, however, of this well-intended pamphlet, has not enumerated half the inconveniencies attending the too great number of thefe houses: he contents himself with obferving, in general, that they are nufances; and concludes, that the reftraining them is an obvious and natural expedient towards fpeedily checking and leffening the charge of the Poor, fo long and fo much complained of by the whole nation. He has likewife very industriously extracted the Statute Law for for the regulation of fuch houses, and for the prevention of tippling and drunkenness. He has, however, omitted to observe, that for drunkenness a man may be punished by the Ecclefiaftical Court, as well as by Juftices of the Peace, according to the Statutes. We could wish, that in these cafes, there was lefs difcretionary power lodged in the Juftices; and we hope, that a reformation will fpeedily be fet on foot, as it is extremely wanting, about town efpecially for in many parts, parti cularly in Cheljea, every houfe, comparatively fpeaking, is an Ale houfe. R-a Art. 10. Reafons for a general Peace. Addreffed to the Legiflature. By a private Gentleman. 8vo. 6d. Kearfly. This Gentleman's reafons for a Peace, are drawn from the humane confideration, that war is deftructive to the human fpecies. In this propofition we heartily concur with him; tho' we can neither recommend him as a Writer nor as a Politician. RELIGIOUS. Art. 11. The Doctrine and Practice of Christianity, inconfiftent with the Happiness of Mankind. 8vo. Is. 6d. Kearfly. An imitation of an ironical pamphlet, entitled, The Sure Guide of Hell: fee Review, Vol. II. p. 370. The Author makes the Devil write the pamphlet, in the form of a Letter to his Grace of Canterbury, whom Satan politely addreffes, in the character of a Brother Archbishop. The scope of this curious Epiftle, is to remonftrate against the doctrines and practice of Chriftianity, as repugnant to the interefts of the diabolical Court: and to which his infernal Highness oppofes (and ftrongly recommends) the writings of Hobbs, Mandeville, Bolinbroke, and other Free-thinkers. He expreffes much averfion to the Church of England, as his worst enemy; at the fame time fignifying his approbation of The Mohammedan Scheme, on account of its fenfuality; and of Popery, for the fake of its cruelty. The Defign of the work, in the main, is not amifs; but the execution is very indifferent. The Sure Guide, before mentioned, was not a matterly compofition, and this is ftill inferior. Art. 12. A Difcourfe upon the Intermediate State. Shewing, that all righteous Souls, or true Believers, are immediately, upon putting off their Bodies, with Chrift in Joy and Felicity. And on the other hand, that the Sadducean, and uncharitable Doctrine of the Souls of all Men, dying, or perishing with their Bodies, is inconfiftent with all Religion, both natural and revealed; and tends as much to the Destruction of Souls, as moft Errors the Grand Deceiver ever inftilled into the Hearts of Men, and that no Man can propagate it, unless blinded aua ruled by Satan. 8vo. 6d. Fox. This little piece contains nothing that can recommend it to the perufal of any judicious Reader. R 3 Article This new Office of Baptifm was first compofed (as we are told in the preface) for the Author's particular ufe, in the discharge of his pattoral Duty; and now appears in print, as an Effay toward a better + Adminiftration and Ufe of an Inftitution of the Chriftian Religion. The Author takes it for granted, that adults are the only fubjects of Chriftian Baptifm; and immerfion the only mode of it.--On this plan the office is formed; and begins with a few sentences of Scripture, and an introductory Prayer, of the length of seven octavo pages. It is then divided [after referring to certain proper Pfalms and Leffons] into the following thirteen fections, viz. 1. Exhortation to the Perfon to be baptized.—2. The Ground, and Authority, of Chrip's Infiitution of Bitfin.-3. What the Scriptures in general Teach us to understand by Baptifm into the Name of a Perfon. 4. What we are to understand by Baptifm into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft-5. The moral Use and Influence of Baptifm. -6. Qualifications demanded in Scripture of all Perfons to whom Chriftian Baptifm may be lawfully, and ought in juffice to be administered -7. The Juftification of the Minister of Bept fm.-8. The Vow of the Perfon to be baptized. [This fection is conftructed in the following manner.] Art. 13. A new Office of Baptifm, formed by the Canon of the lieve with all your heart, that Jefus Christ is the Son of God? " N. N. I believe with all my heart that Jefus Chrift is the Sen ⚫ of God. N. N. Standing, or on his knees, arfwers in the affirma. " Minifter. Will you declare, in the Church and prefence of God, who cannot be deceived, and will not be mocked, that you be Minifter. Are you refolved to renounce every known and prefumptuous fin; to obey the precepts, and follow the example of your Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, and, in humble dependance on God, to adorn the profeffion of Chriftianity you this day put on, by maintaining, to the end of your life, "a converfation be"coming the Gofpel?" · N. N. Yes. Minifter. Is it your affectionate reverence for the authority and inftitution of Jefus Chrift that induces you, at this time, to offer yourself to be baptized into the profeffion of his Holy Name and Religion? N. N. Yes. · · Minifter. In confequence of this voluntary, public, and folemn profeffion of your Chriftian Faith, penitence, and holy refolutions, it is become my duty to put your Body under Water, and to raise it * Mr. Richard Harrison, of Taunton. + If the Author thinks his own Office better than those made use of in the eftablished Church, we are apt to imagine that many will be of a contrary opinion; efpecially fuch as look upon the Service in the Liturgy as rather too long, at prelent. What then will their opinion be, of an Office of Baptifm only, fpun out to the enormous length of fixty four pages, befides Palms and Leffon's ? Kr 6 again, |
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