DISQUISITIONS on feveral fubjects, by Mr. Jenyns, .EVESQUE, M. 1'. Hiftory of Ruffia, Continued, EURIPIDES, Tranflation of, FILANGIERI Gaetano La Scienzia della Legislatione, 105 114 190 249 401 365 210 287 ΓΕΩΠΟΝΙΚΑ Geoponicorum five de re ruftica Libri XX. illuft. ab Jo. Nic. Niclas, 313 GLASSE, Mr. Tranflation of Caractacus into Greek, 150 GRAHAM, Mrs. Macauley, Hiftory of England, Vol. V. VI. account of, 38 284 HORNE, Mr. Letter to Lord Ashburton, HUBER, M. his tranflation of the Abbe Winckelman's hiftory of the polite arts of fculpture, painting, &c. Continued, 19 90 148 390 HUNTER, Dr. Notice of publishing his book of coins, Continued, 297 379 INSCRIPTIONS. Account of the 41ft volume of the Hiftory of the Academy of, 384 JONES, William. The Moallakat, or feven Arabian poems, LAVATER, M. Effay on Phifiognomy, 45 ૩૦૬ LISLE L'Abbé. Les Jardins, ou l'art d'embellir le paysages, Poeme. MACAULEY, vide GRAHAM. MULLER'S Hiftory of Swifferland continued, NARBONNE, the Count of, a Tragedy, NARES R. Effay on the Dæmon of Socrates, Continued, NICHOLS, John, his Anecdotes of Bowyer, PEGGE, Samuel, Curialia, PENNANT, Mr. Journey from Chefter to London, POPE. Eflay on the Genius and Writings of, Continued, POPE, Alex. a Rhapfody on, by Mr. Tyers, 389 390 I 75 233 401 PROOFS that Great Britain was fuccessful againft each of her numerous enemies before the late victory of Sir George Bridges Rodney, 418 ROMAN Catholics. An Anfwer to a pamphlet, entitled "the "present state of the Roman Catholics of England. Rossi, J. B. proposes publishing various readings of the Old Teftainent, 147 ROUSSEAU, J. J. the Confeffions of, with the Reveries of the Solitary Walker, ROWLEY, vide CHATTERTON. RUSSIA, Hiftory of, by M. l'Evefque, SERMON, SERMON at Gloucefter, 373 114 151 389 382 SIGNORELLI Pietro la Storia critica de Teatri Antiqui e Moderni, SINCLAIR, John, Thoughts on the Naval Strength of the British Empire, SINCLAIR. Lucubrations during a fhort recefs, SPAIN. Travels through, in 1777 and 1778. 300 34 317 STAIR, John Earl of. Facts, and their confequences fubmitted to the confideration of the public at large, STUART Gilbert's Hiftory of Scotland, 63 349 TIRABOSCHI, Father Girolamo. Storia delle Letteratura Italiana, or History of Italian literature, Continued, 49 127 TUCKER Jofiah. Reflections on the prefent low price of VILLOISON, J. B. Cafpar, d'Anfe Anecdota Græca, WALPOLE, Horace, Anecdotes of Painting in England, WARTON, Dr. Effay on the genius and writings of Pope, by Dr. Warton, Continued, I 75 WILLIAMS, Joseph, Confiderations on the American War, 48 WINCKELMAN, WINCKELMAN, L'Abbé, Hiftory of the polite arts of Sculp ture, Painting, &c. tranflated from the German into French, by Mr. Huber, Continued, Continued, Continued, 19 90 162 262 401 WODHULL, Michael, Tranflation of Euripides, WOOL. Confideration on the Exportation of, by Sir John Dalrymple, 46 44 WOOL. Reflections on the low price of, by Jofiah Tucker, Dean of Glocefter, JUDGMENTS, EXTRACTS, &c. For FEBRUARY, 1782. ART. I. An Efay on the Genius and Writings of Pope, Volume the Second. I T may be asked by thofe who have forgotten the works of the ancients upon crticifm, or who have not happened to meet with the admirable third volume of Lord Monboddo's Origin of Language, what poffible purpose two volumes of comment upon Pope can ferve? Has not every body read him? has not every body got him by heart? In the first place I anfwer, that if a good tafte be nothing more than that which Voltaire has well defined it to be, the perfection of good fenfe, and the habit of quick decifion, in a mind well formed, a habit which, exercifed in objects of literature, may afterwards be applied to other and higher purposes, it is of fome confequence that we should know why we like Pope, as well as that we do like him. But there is fomething more: thofe admirers of Pope who admire him (as Dr. Warton I think fays) just as they do Young, and for just the fame things, have produced, and are producing, fo many bad imitations of him, we have fo many illegitimate compofitions of every kind, fuch numbers of people are every day quitting their calling for this idle trade, that we really feem to want popular VOL. I. works A works to tell us what a perfect poem is, and what it is not. Dr. Warton's book does this; and they who read it attentively, and confider why he praises and what he praises, will reap much inftruction. They will be taught, amongst other things, that eternal but forgotten truth, that there are no fifth or fixth places in the arts, no diftinctions between the tolerable and the deteftable; but that which is not very good in poetry is unavoidably and from the nature of it very bad, not to be read through, not if poffible to be begun. Having faid thus much in commendation of the utility of Dr. Warton's defign, I fhall now proceed to observe that no man ever fat down to examine the works of an other with the requifites which, to judge of him by the fpecimen which he has given of them in the work before us, he feems to poffefs. To a strong and unaffected attachment to the interefts of virtue and religion, a mind naturally elegant and humane, a fine tafte, a confirmed judgment, and exquifite modefty, he feems to have united extenfive, univerfal, and accurate claffical learning in all its branches, an intimate acquaintance with the beauties or defects of the principal French and Italian writers, great love for the fine arts, grounded upon great knowledge of them, and what may perhaps appear more trifling, but is of real confequence, efpecially to a commentator on Pope, the habits and converfation of good company. It is not to be wondered at. if the poffeffion of fuch materials fhould have tempted the Doctor to bestow more ornaments on his work than the title of it feems to promife. Accordingly, tho' it is called only a Review of the Life and Writings of Pope, it is in fact little less than a review of all our English and many of the ancient poets, interfperfed with digreffions upon many other subjects, and adorned with great variety of entertaining anecdote. Still, however, as moft of thefe topics arife from and illuftrate the main fubject, as there are none of them but what are important to tafte, and many of them to morals, and as they are all treated in a moft masterly manner, I do not imagine that this will be looked upon as a defect, or that any body will quarrel |