their train of runners, mounters, and other bull-dogs of the law; and an horrible group he has made of them! Mr. H. is fo well known, from his frequent addresses to the public in the news-papers, that it is unneceffary for us to enter circumftantially into the contents of this bulky but fpirited performance.He loudly complains of the exceffive wrongs which he fays he has received from their worships, &c. He confeffes that he has been advertised and profecuted as a forger and felon; that he has been a bankrupt, and that he fhall be a bankrupt again :' but he infifts that he is culpable only in points of folly, indifcretion, and credulity." Finally, he avows his fixed refolution to be avenged of his enemies, for the infupportable indignities and injuries which they have caft upon him; and he declares, figuratively, no doubt, that nothing but the blood of the afpic which flings him, can extract the venom from his ulcerated mind!' The magiftrate against whom his bittereft accufations and invectives are aimed, is a juftice B. who, he says, was bred to the humble business of making or vending rat-traps: this illuftrates the wit of our Author's title-page. Those who are curious to know what is Mr. H's profeffion, will learn all that we have learnt on this head, from the following paffage, extracted from one of his letters to Thomas Bishop, Efq;- Sir, it would not have difgraced your candor as a man, nor leffened your duty as a magiftrate, had you, for one moment, taken a view of my fituation, and looked upon me as an officer in the army, whofe commifion was at flake-as a man preparing himself for a barrister at Jaw, labouring to procure his livelihood by fair and honourable practices,' &c. &c. As Mr. H. propofes to entertain the public with the fecond part of this Rat-trap, and with other productions of his volatile pen, he will do well to avail himself of a friendly hint, viz. that his writings will not be the less esteemed, fhould he vouchfafe to pay a little more attention to correctness, and to grammar,-and even to the "Mounters"-thus explained by our Author: A cant word with trading justices, thief-catchers, and marshall's court bailiffs, for wretches who get their bread by going into a court, to fwear what may be found neceffary.' And he adds his folemn proteftation,' that, to his certain knowlege, we must infer, there are houses of call, where you may engage a man to fwear an affidavit, which he never read, with as little ceremony as you engage a journeyman taylor.'-Here Mr. H. fubjoins the following juft reflection on the fhameful want of folemnity, and even decency, in the ufual manner of adminiftring oaths before a juftice, and we may add, even in our courts of law, &c. &c. Is it not a burlefque on all that is religious or moral, to hear a facred obligation entered into without farther admonition than, You fhall true answer make (who pays, who pays?) to all fuch questions," &c. A pretty parenthefis, I confefs; who pays? may be a proper inquiry for a turnpike man in a hurry; but for a magiftrate entrusted, eventually, with the lives and property of a people, 'tis a fhameful mockery of the inftitution.' humble 314 MONTHLY CATALOGUE, Mifcellaneous. humble circumftance of true fpelling: in which laft refpect himself or his printer, or both, have, in the production before us, been intolerably negligent. Art. 16. An Effay on the Means of producing moral Effects from phyfical Caufes; or, of infallibly extirpating the Roots of national Animofity among the North and South Britains; and of establish ing a permanent Popularity in Adminiftration, by the Efficacy of Diicipline and Diet. With Notes critical and explanatory. 8vo. I s. Williams. 1773. A piece of folemn humour, written with the gravity of Cervantes or Swift. It is the work of fome ingenious North Briton, and will contribute, with the writings of Arbuthnot and others, to refute a notion which hath pretty much prevailed on the fouth fide of the Tweed, that humour is not to be found among Scottish_writers. Art. 17. The Phyficians. A Satire. With other Poems. To which is added, a Specimen of an Enquiry concerning the Mind Svo. I s. 6d. Bladon. 1773. One couplet from this Satire on Phyficians, will be, fufficient to evince the Writer's poetical merit: He that void of knowlege doth practise, I call a mere affaffin in disguise.' So much for the verfe. With refpect to the Author's profe-his felect Propofitions concerning the Mind, which he here publishes as a fpecimen of an intended larger work,-we have only to obferve, that he appears to have bewildered himself; and that the Reader who at tempts to follow him through his metaphyfical labyrinth, muft, in courfe, be no lefs bewildered. This very indifferent writer intimates fomewhat of an apology for the incorrectness and errors of this fpecimen; urging the numerous difadvantages of his fituation in life, under which he has profes cuted these enquiries ;'-his want of leisure for due examination,' &c. But if his fituation in life be fo unfavourable to the attainment of literary or philofophical excellence, wherefore does he trouble the public with his crudities? If his fortune is not affluent, is it likely to be much improved by his unadvisedly contributing to increase the general flock of wafle paper? Thefe remarks may feem harsh to the writer whofe performance hath given occafion to them; but if he should happily poffefs temper and judgment enough to draw the proper conclufions from them, he will regard us, not as fnarling critics, who delight in mortifying an enfuccessful fcribbler, but as honeft men, who benevolently endea vour to fet right the devious traveller, whom they perceive to have lost his way. Art. 18. Narrative of the Mutiny of the Officers of the Army in Bengal, in the Year 1766. Written by Henry Strachey, Efq; Secre tary to Lord Clive during his lalt Expedition to India, and lately given in Evidence to the Secret Committee of the Houfe of Commons. 8vo. 3 s. 6 d. fewed. Becket, &c. 1773. The very extraordinary combination of the officers of the English army in Bengal, in the years 1765 and 1766, was an event which attracted the notice of the public, as foon as it became known at bems; but MONTHLY CATALOGUE, Miscellaneous. 315 but we never had a full and complete account of it, till this curious and authentic Narrative made its appearance. The cause of discon-*, tent which gave rife to the mutiny, is thus related : It is many years fince the Eaft India Company, in confideration of the extraordinary expences and inconveniencies unavoidably incurred during the campaigns in that country, indulged the officers in their fervice with a certain allowance per diem, exclufive of their pay. This allowance originally went, and ftill goes by the name of" batta," or field expences. When the English forces took the field, in conjunction with the Nabob Jaffier Ally Cawn, after the battle of Plaffey, our military expences were, agreeably to treaty, defrayed by his excellency, who likewife thought proper to encreafe the emoluments of the officers," by granting them a double allowance, which of course obtained the name of double batta ;" and Lord Clive, at that time, in order that the gentlemen should not too confidently depend upon the continuance of this new bounty, reprefented to them, that it was merely a temporary indulgence of the Nabob, an indulgence not enjoyed by our officers in any other part of India, and could only continue to thofe in Bengal during his Excellency's pleasure. The expence of this double batta, however, though firit introduced and paid by Jaffier Ally Cawn, was, in procefs of time, thrown upon the Company; who, unwilling to adopt fuch an expenfive precedent, notwithstanding the revenues of feveral diftricts of lands had been affigned over by the Nabob to the Company for defraying the charges of the army, repeatedly iffued orders, in the most pofitive terms, that it fhould be abolished. But the fituation of their military and political affairs in Bengal was fo frequently critical, and the fuperior fervants in the civil branch fo averfe, perhaps through want of resolution, to abridge the officers of any emolument, that a remonstrance from the army never failed to convince the Governor and Council of the impropriety of fuch a reduction.-It must be remembered, that the accomplishing this business was one of the principal points of reformation preffed upon Lord Clive in the year 1764, when, at the request of a general court of proprietors of Eaft India ftock, he was prevailed upon to ac cépt once more the government of Bengal.' The captains and fubaltern officers, having been fuccefsful in their remonftrances against former orders for a reduction of the batta, failed not to use the fame endeavours when the final reduction was an nounced to take place on the first day of the new year 1766: Lord Clive having then put an end to the war, and made an alliance with Sujah Dowla. But finding their remonstrances now unavoidable, the officers unanimously (in virtue of a previous and folemn compact) threw up their commiflions, and a general mutiny of the whole army was expected. v Lord Clive's conduct in the fuppreffion of fo dangerous a confpiracy, affords a remarkable inftance of the refolution and fpirit of this great commander; who seems to have been born to fuccefs in all his undertakings, and to triumph over every kind of oppofition. Sir Robert Fletcher is particularly attacked in this publication; but he has made his defence, in feveral letters, printed in the newspapers. DRAMATIC. DRAMATIC. Art. 19. The Macaroni; a Comedy: As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in York. 8vo. 1 s. Nicoll, &c. 1773 If the nameless Author, who gives us this comedy as a first pr duction, had fubmitted it to the revifal of fome judicious friend, well acquainted with the modern drama, it might eafly have been adapted to the taste of a London audience, and would probably have been well received. In its prefent form it is perfectly challe, and moral; and, though not deftitute of humour and pleafantry, would, perhaps, now that Sentiment is out of fashion, be decried, and exploded, as little better than a fermon. As to the Macaroni, it is, at beft, but a thread-bare character, the old ftage fribble and fop new-dreffed, and new-named. POETICAL. Art. 20. The Triumphs of Britannia. A Poem; humbly infcribed to George Robert Fitzgerald, Efq. 4to. 2 s. Snagg 1773. What fhould be great is here turned to farce; and poor Britan nia's fong of triumph is the fong of ridicule: fubjects of which are afforded by the late naval review; fome of our moral and pious nobility; the bruizing parfon; and the honourable gentleman whofe name appears in the title page. In honour of all these persons and things, lo PEANS, fuch as the following, are rung, with frequens changes: Rejoice BRITANNIA! lift thy head on high! Rejoice BRITANNIA! boundless be thy name! Art. 21. The Adventures of Telemachus the Son of Ulyffes. Book the First. Tranflated into Blank Verfe by Mr. John Clarke. 4to. I s. 6d. Allen. · 1773. We have had fo many occafions to exprefs our fentiments of the illuftrious Fenelon's noble work, that we shall now turn immediately to the tranflation. Speaking of Calypfo, on Telemachus's firft arrival, the Translator fays, She knew him for the young Telemachus By heavenly wisdom and fuperior knowledge. That she knew him by knowledge, there feems to be no more reafon to doubt, than that she saw him by fight. And poor Telemachus of his father fays Penelope his queen, and me his fon, Mix with our hopes despair to ever fee him. Penelope and me mix! We cannot difmifs this Author without making our acknowledgements to him in not obliging us to read more than fifty lines of his tranflation. 6 Art. Art. 22. The Kentish Cricketers; a Poem, By a Gentleman. Being a Reply to a late Publication of a Parody on the Ballad of Chevy Chace; entitled, Surry Triumphant. 4to. Is. Law, &c. 200773 The Kentish men having been victorious, in a fecond match, over their Surry competitors, have, in their turn, found a bard to celebrate their wondrous deeds. The Bard of Kent, too, like the Surry poet, gives a moral turn to his fong; and thus he concludes: Ye manly, skilful fons of Kent, Who feek diverfions and content; But, whatever fuperiority the Kentish men may affume, with refpect to the bat, the Surry men feem to have the best claim to the bags. Art. 23. An Ode facred to the Memory of the late Right Honour able George Lord Lyttelton. 4to. Is. Dodfley. 1773. Every mark of honour is certainly due to the celebrated Nobleman whose memory bears the addrefs of this Ode; every tribute from the Mufes, more particularly whofe favour he cultivated in the tender walk, with a fuccefs almoft peculiar to himself. But every citizen has an intereft in the remembrance of a Patriot, a Friend to the Liberties and Laws of his Country, and an able and eloquent Advocate in their defence. It is on this part of his character, and on his merit as an Hifto rian, that the compliment of the little Poem before us chiefly turns: Reviving Freedom's early morn, With magic pencil to adorn, To paint its welcome rays, Not only by the learned page When minifters have dar'd to stray Oft he'd the ftream oppofe; Oft hath he stood Britannia's friend, Oft overthrown her foes. See Review for September laft, p. 231. |