cellar, "black with the gore of his ancef- tended them in their illness, and the other tors." He ranges them on their knees in Kin Foe! Both have been convicted of a row before him; and then taking down being Romanist priests-the priest because an old, blood-blackened fword from the he is one, and the Mandarin because he wall, tells them that he is now convinced of looks like one-and, in pursuance of the the vanity of human wishes, and fees a great laws of England, are to be hanged. The joy and an incalculable good in giving up priest prays for the mob, amid their jeers withing in this world, and in walking out and laughter, and is worked off. The of it altogether. Loud applaufe from his Mandarin addreffes the populace, and tells family greets him; they bare their throats them that all European religions are humand bofoms, and, ftretching imploringly bug; whereupon they raise a cry that he forward, with a favage thirst for death, talks too fenfibly for a prieft-that there which it appears is a peculiar characteristic must be some mistake; and, accordingly, of the English nation, cry, "Kill! kill! they rush on the fheriff and the hangman, kill!" Politeness, even in England, de- break their heads, and rescue Kin Foe. mands one to help strangers firit; and fo The trio now do a fenfible thing. They he places Cecilia between his knees, à la proceed at once to Dover, and fet fail for bafs-viol players, and performs a fantasia France: the lovers with the intention of on her windpipe with his old fword. Fan- being married in the French manner, and ny follows, exulting in the death of her bearing the polifhed fneers of their counrival; and then, in fucceffion, wife and trymen, as infinitely preferable to the bruchildren, and finally Blickman himself. tal manners and practical fatire of the EngThis grand finale of felo-de-fe is hardly ended, when the bailiffs burst in up-stairs, and Delouaville with them. Cecilia is not dead, and, on coming to herself, fcreams. This noife attracts Delouaville and the diftrainers; they enter the cellar, and discover the scene of horror. Delouaville bears lish; the Mandarin affirming that he had things more divine; but he who loves the goods of its tranfient habitation will love things human. 4. It is beautiful to impede an unjust man; but, if this be not poffible, it is beautiful not to act in conjunction with him. 5. It is neceffary to be good, rather than to appear fo. 6. The felicity of a man does not confift either in body or in riches, but in upright conduct and juftice. 25. Neither art nor wifdom can be acquired without preparatory learning. 26. It is better to reprove your own errors than thofe of others. 27. Those whofe manners are well ordered, will also be orderly in their lives. 28. It is good not only to refrain from doing an 7. Sin fhould be abstained from, not through injury, but even from the very wish. fear, but for the fake of the becoming. 29. It is proper to fpeak well of good works ; 8. It is a great thing to be wife where we ought for to do so of fuch as are base, is the property of a in calamitous circumftances. fraudulent man and an impoftor. 9. Repentance after bafe actions is the falvation of life. 10. It is neceffary to be a speaker of the truth, and not to be loquacious. II. He who does an injury is more unhappy than he who receives one. 12. It is the province of a magnanimous man to bear with mild nefs the errors of others. 13. It is comely not to oppofe the law, nor a prince, nor one wifer than yourself. 14. A good man pays no attention to the reproofs of the depraved. 15. It is hard to be governed by those who are worfe than ourselves. 16. He who is perfectly vanquished by riches, can never be just. 17. Reafon is frequently more persuasive than gold itself. 30. Many that have great learning have no intellect. 31. It is neceffary to endeavor to obtain an abundance of intellect, and not pursue an abundance of erudition. 32. It is better that counsel should precede actions than that repentance fhould follow them. 33. Put not confidence in all men, but in those that are worthy; for to do the former is the province of a ftupid man, but the latter of a wife man. 34. A worthy and an unworthy man are to be judged not from their actions only, but also from their will. 35. To defire immoderately is the province of a boy, and not of a man. 36. Unfeasonable pleasures bring forth pains. 37. Vehement defires about any one thing render the foul blind with refpect to other things. 38. The love is juft which, unattended with injury, afpires after things becoming. 39. Admit nothing as pleasant which is not advantageous. 40. It is better to be governed by, than to govern, the stupid. 41. Not argument, but calamity, is the preceptor to children. 42. Glory and wealth without wifdom are not fecure poffeffions. 43. It is not, indeed, ufelefs to procure wealth; but to procure it from injuftice is the most pernicious of all things. 48. He is a bleffed man who has both property and intellect, for he will use them well in fuch things as are proper. 49. The ignorance of what is excellent is the caufe of error. 50. Prior to the performance of base things, a man should reverence himself. 51. A man given to contradiction, and very attentive to trifles, is naturally unadapted to learn what is proper. 62. The beneficent man is one who does not look to retribution, but who deliberately intends to do well. 63. Many that appear to be friends, are not; and others, who do not appear to be friends, are fo. 64. The friendship of one wife man is better than that of every fool. 65. He is unworthy to live, who has not one worthy friend. 66. Many turn from their friends, if, from affluence, they fall into adverfity. 67. The equal is beautiful in every thing; but excefs and defect to me do not appear to be fo. 68. He who loves no one does not appear to me to be loved by any one. 69. He is an agreeable old man who is facetious, and abounds in interefting anecdote. 70. The beauty of the body is merely animal, unless fupported by intellect. 71. To find a friend in profperity, is very easy; 52. Continually to speak without being willing but in adverfity, it is the most difficult of all to hear, is arrogance. 53. It is neceffary to guard against a depraved man, left he should take advantage of opportunity. 54. An envious man is the cause of moleftation to himself, as to an enemy. 55. Not only he is an enemy who acts unjustly, but even he who deliberates about fo acting. 56. The enmity of relations is far more bitter than that of strangers. 57. Conduct yourself to all men without fufpicion, and be accommodating and cautious in your behavior. things. 72. Not all relations are friends, but thofe who accord with what is mutually advantageous. 73. Since we are men, it is becoming not to deride but bewail the calamities of men. 74. Good fcarcely prefents itself, even to those who investigate it; but evil is obvious without inveftigation. 75. Men who delight to blame others, are not naturally adapted to friendship. for it is a dreadful thing. 77. To be governed by a woman, is the extremity of infolence and unmanliness. 78. It is the property of a divine intellect to be always intently thinking about the beautiful. 79. He who believes that Divinity beholds all things, will not fin either fecretly or openly. 80. Those who praise the unwife do them a great injury. 81. It is better to be praised by another than by one's felf. 82. If you cannot reconcile to yourself the praises you receive, think that you are flattered. 83. The world is a fcene; life a transition. The fourth edition, to which is now added, A PostYou came, you faw, you departed. ion. fcript, obviating the Complaints made to it, and to 84. The world is a mutation; life a vain opin- the AUTHOR. By MR. LYONS." (8vo. London, account for fome Things which occurr'd to IT and 1724. Pp. 252.) The author commences his treatife with Lyons' Infallibility of Human Judg- the declaration, "That man is most excel ment. DR. FRANKLIN, in his Autobiography, fpeaking of his firft work, a pamphlet upon Liberty and Neceffity, Pleafure and Pain, addreffed to his friend James Ralph, in anfwer to Wollafton's Religion of Nature Delineated, fays: 66 My pamphlet by fome means falling into the hands of one Lyons, a Surgeon, author of a book entitled The Infallibility of Human Judgment,' it occafioned an acquaintance between us; he took great notice of me, called on me often to converfe on those subjects, carried me to the Horns, a pale ale-house in Lane, Cheapfide, and introduced me to Dr. Mandeville, author of the Fable of the Bees, who had a club there, of which he was the foul, being a most facetious entertaining companion. Lyons, too, introduced me to Dr. Pemberton at Baston's Coffee-house, who promised to give me an opportunity fometime or other of seeing Sir Ifaac Newton, of which I was extremely defirous; but this never happened." The following is the title-page of Lyons' book, which he informs us is, with the table of contents, a material part of his treatise : "The Infallibility of Human Fudgment, its Dig nity and Excellency. Being a New Art of Reafoning, and difcovering Truth, by reducing all difputable Cafes to General and Self-evident Propofitions. Illuftrated, by bringing several well-known Disputes to fuch Self-evident and Univerfal Conclufions. With the Supplement, answering all Objections which have been made to it, and the defign hereby perfected, in proving this Method of Reasoning to be as forcibly Conclufive and Univerfa! as Arithmetick, and as cafie. Also a Differtation on Liberty and Neceffity. lent in his kind who ufeth to greatest advantage those distinguishable properties and excellencies wherein he differs from other animals. Reafon is the diftinguishing excellency, dignity, and beauty of mankind: whoever, by teaching or otherwise, hinders a man from ufing his reafon, difhonours him, and degenerates him to fomething of lefs worth than he is. There is no use of reafon but to judge of Good and Bad, Justice and Injuftice, Wifdom and Folly, and the like; that a man may thereby attain knowledge to diftinguish Truth from Errour, and to determine his actions accordingly." Upon the subject of authority in matters of opinion, there are some sensible observations, that are, in practical life, often overlooked: "Ten thousand different men may pretend to facred authorities, with as many differing precepts for religion and manners reduced to regular schemes; if they are not to be examined but by themselves and their own rules, they must of confequence be every one good, tho' never fo repugnant to each other, or to common fense. There is no authority but what hath fome others that are repugnant to it, and condemn it; whence it comes to pass that there is scarce a single person in the world but supposes the generality of mankind are still, and have always been, imposed on by falfe authorities. "No authority must be allowed implicitly, before it be tried whether it be good or bad: there is no poffibility of trying one authority by another. A Mahometan will no more have his Koran tried by the Bible, than a Chriftian will have his Bible tried "When an opinion is offered to a man for his belief, let him confider what evidence there is of its being poffible, probable, or certain, and fo let him receive it, and speak of it. by the Koran. You must first show him moft extenfively and promifcuously ufed, fome defects in his, contrary to reason, and as may best ferve to confound and conceal prove yours to be agreeable to reafon, be- the true determination of the judgment. fore you can expect he will hear you name it with patience. If reafon is not to examine all authorities, all authorities in the world are good to the perfons pretending to believe them, and do no more than their duty in defending them. Which makes fuch a ridiculous and abfurd conclufion as is hardly to be expreffed in intelligible terms, (viz) That every man must believe his antagonist in the right, tho' at the fame time he believes he merits the greatest punishment for being in the wrong. "The way to avoid these abfurdities, and to discover and defend the truth, is to adhere to reafon, as not only a competent and, infallible judge, but the only teft to which all authorities muft fubmit to be tried, before they can be known to be good or bad. "This every one will readily fay is knowledge; and furely it is more proper, and fignificant fpeaking, to call it fo, and fay we know (initead of faying we believe) it to be more or less probable, poffible, certain, or falfe. So that, in this cafe, here is no want of the word believe; and if a man hath a will to say he believes a thing of which he hath no knowledge at all; or if he would say he believes it to be true and certain, when his knowledge of it amounts to no more than a bare probability; this is a refolution to fay fomething contrary to knowledge, and is therefore no other than what we call in plain fignificant language a LIE. "Not only all degrees of knowledge, from poffibility to pofitive certainty, are alike faid to be believed, but also a bare affent, without fo much as any knowledge or scarce a confideration; also a pure fuppofition, or even only the not resisting an authoritative recommendation, are all called believing. All that logicians aim at, is not "The judgment of man, is an involuntary faculty, acted upon by objects, and determines without any confent of the will; like a mirror, which gives a true image of everything that can be brought to it; and according to the certainty or uncertainty of the evidence, or the plainness or obfcurity of any matter, the judgment determines it to be more or lefs doubtful, true or falfe." Upon the subject of Belief, the author to excite knowledge, but perfuade belief; appears to have met with the fame difficulties that other metaphyficians have encountered when attempting to investigate that obfcure fubject. His method of obviating them poffeffes novelty, at least, if it cannot claim the merit of truth: and those who pretend to fearch after knowledge are content with believing. What a man believes, he must defend and fupport by all poffible force and invention: and the more learning hath been inculcated to him after this manner, the more notions and "There is nothing hath contributed opinions he hath to fupport, and is alfo more to the debauching Human Under- better furnished with invention and austanding than the use of the Word BELIEVE. thority to defend; and confequently, as he It is a term without any certain idea, and is more fit to confound other people's unhath no intelligent meaning particularly derftanding, fo he is more liable to be conadapted to it, nor expreffes any proper founded in his own, than a man who hath conception or operation of the mind is nothing to rely on but vulgar fense, fimple |