'At other times, by way of infult and derifion. Thus, when he would reprefent the forces of Cataline as mean and contemptible, he fays, 66 "O terrrible war! in which this band of profligates are to march under Cataline. Draw out all your garrifons against this formidable body!" And at other times, in order to give the greater force to his argument, he feems, as it were, by this figure to recall and correct what he had faid before as in his oration for Milo: "But it is foolish in us to compare Drufus, Africanus, and ourfelves, with Clodius; all our other calamities were tolerable, but no one can patiently bear the death of Clodius." In pronouncing the first of thefe paffages, we should affume an over-acted approbation, and fuch a tone of voice as feems to exclude all doubt of the integrity of the perfon we fneer at: this tone is low and drawling, and must be accompanied by a lifting-up of the hands, as if it were a crime to think otherwife than we fpeak. In the fecond paffage, we muft affume a fear, as if occafioned by the most terrible danger. The voice must be in a high tremulous tone, and the hands lifted up, with the palms and fingers open, as if to defend us from approaching ruin. In the third paffage, we muft affume a difapprobation approaching to contempt: the voice must be in a low tone, and the right-hand with the palm and fingers open, waved from the left to the right, as if to fet afide fomething too infignificant to be attended to; but the last member must have the tone of ap-. probation, as if the object of it were fomething very noble and facred. Satan beheld their plight, And to his mates thus in derifion call'd.. O friends, why come not on thofe victors proud? To entertain them fair with open front And breaft (what could we more?) propounded terms As they would dance; yet for a dance they feem'd : For joy of offer'd peace; but I fuppofe If our propofals once again were heard, Milton's Paradife Loft, b. vi. v. 609. This paffage, as Mr. Addifon obferves, is nothing but a ftring of puns, and thofe very bad ones too: but whatever may be its mer ts in other refpects, it affords an excellent opportunity of practising the pronunciation of irony. It must begin by an affected furprize, and proceed with a feriousness and feeming fincerity till the feventh line, when the word for is to have an emphalis with the rifing inflexion, and to be pronounced nounced with an air of uncertainty, whether it were a dance or not. A fneer commences at perhaps, which must be pronounced with a fly arch tone, as if perfectly fecure of the confequences of another onfet.' The author concludes with a praxis, adapted to the foregoing rules, and containing a great variety of examples in profe and verse. On this occafion, we cannot refufe our fincereft tribute of applaufe to the induftrious, ingenious, and worthy author, for this laudable attempt to facilitate the acquifition of one of the most pleasing and important accomplishments, which the youth of either iex can poffible acquire. The New Rofciad, in the Manner of Churchill, containing a judicious, bumorous, and critical Defcription of our prefent Dramatic Characters. 4to. 2s. 6d. Macklew. THIS *HIS judicious, humorous, and critical defcription, is fo totally void of judgment, humour, and criticism, that, were it not for the malevolence of its contents, it would be unworthy even of cenfure. The mind is offended to behold ignorance affume an authoritative tone, and deliver dogmas in ungrammatical and unintelligible language; but our difguft is increased when it attacks the reputation of perfons whofe abilities have justly acquired them fame in their profeffion. Fortunately, however, the malice of the writer is fo effectually counteracted by his dulnefs, that little attention can be paid either to his panegyric or his fatire. He profeffes to write in the manner of a poet of acknowleged merit, whom he refembles in nothing more than ill-nature, the fize of the page, and the enormous price of the pamphlet; for it will never be allowed, that the art of imitating Churchill confists in plagiarifms of thoughts, words, and even rhymes, with a fervile imitation of the plan and machinery of the Rofciad, which, in the hands of this imitator, are incongruous and abfurd. The following quotation affords an uncommon confufion of ideas. - As yet uncertain was the gen'ral voice, As yet 'twas doubtful where to fix the choice; When, ftrange to tell! yet ftranger to behold! Its head a vifionary fabric rear'd. No stately columns in fet order plac'd, L 3 But But all difpos'd with decency was seen, High in the midft, in thrones devoid of fate, By mighty Shakspeare's fide, great Johnson fate.? Strange to tell indeed and yet stranger to behold! Earth opening, a lofty dome appearing from the gap, and the bead of this dome turning builder, and rearing a vifionary fabric, which fabric, or lofty dome, was without columns, and in which were thrones without ftate; in, not on, these thrones fate great Johnfon; but how many of them he contrived to fit in at the fame time, we must leave to the conjecture and fagacity of our readers.-Need we be at farther pains to defcribe what the powers of difcrimination are in a mind capable of conceiving fuch a jumble of incoherences! The task is degrading; but, left it fhould be fuppofed we have unjustly selected a fingle weak paffage, we will cite another or two equally abfurd (they offer themfelves in every page); that no doubt may remain in the mind of a candid reader in what eftimation to hold this strange farrago, which the author has attempted to impofe upon the world for the dictates of unpre judiced and found criticism, • In folemn march the flow proceffion came, The deaf, the blind, the lame, all join the throng; Thus bravely match'd, a mighty troop appear'd.'-- Here is a folemn proceffion of a mighty troop of the deaf, blind, and lame, of all forts and fixes, bravely match'd, flowly burrying to fame, in which the young ones led the old, and the old ones led the young. In dark oblivion buried be his name, Configning a perfon to everlasting shame by forgetting hima is a mode well worthy of our author. An ignis fatuus would have prov'd his fire Without thy light, which warm'd his foul with fame Here we have light warming a foul with fame, which fame he (Mr. O'Keeffe, the perfon in queftion) calls his own, and which we should imagine the author meant to allow him, did he not inform us, in the latter part of the line, that it is the claim of True humour. As to the light, which turned an ignis fatuus into fire, it was emitted by Mr. Colman; and, were we inclined to enter into a refearch fo deep, we should never be be able to determine whether the fame that followed belongs to Mr. Colman, Mr. O'Keeffe, or the faid Mr. True-humour, Applause he gains, nor can the critic find A fault that age might not excufe behind." Mr. Macklin, we are told, is so perfect, that he has no faults behind, which age might not excufe; but whether a critic could or could not difcover a fault before, of this unfor tunately we are left in total ignorance. To notice all the falfe rhymes, halting verfes, and errors in language and conftruction, in the prefent performance, would be endless. We fhall therefore conclude with a quo tation from this judicious, humorous, and critical defcription of our present dramatic characters (the author means of our prefent actors), and which he has dedicated to George Colman, efq,-without that gentleman's permiffion, we may fairly prefume. What! does he mean to give the playhouse rules? MONTHLY CATALOGUE. POLITICA L. England's Alarm on the prevailing Doctrine of Libels, as laid down by the Earl of Mansfield, By M. Dawes, Efq. 8vo. 15. 6d. Stockdale. IN N fome pamphlets lately published on the doctrine of libels, it was contended that juries have a right to judge of the law as well as the fact; and that this right has been invariably exercifed from the beginning of the English monarchy. But, however confiftent with the spirit of the English constitution fuch a doctrine may appear to be, the allegation of ancient and invariable ufage with refpect to the exercife of this fuppofed right, though countenanced by the opinion of fome lawyers, loofely delivered, is not fupported by hiftory. This is doubtless a strong objection to the validity of the popular claim as an ancient right. But to fupply the deficiency, the prefent author has recourfe to the conftitution of the Athenian govern ment; infifting, that as Socrates appears to have been cons demned by a jury of his countrymen, English juries are entitled to the fame right of trial in the cafe of libels, The author, apparently apprehenfive of the weaknefs of this ar gument, ventures yet a step farther in fupport of his favourite doctrine, and infifts, by more than implication, that the judicial right for which he contends is actually inherent in mankind. This, though a fhort, is not a very fatisfactory mode of reafoning: nor indeed is there any thing throughout the pamphlet that deferves to be confidered as found argument. The doc trine, instead of being proved, is from the beginning taken for granted; and though founded only in hypothefis, is urged in a ftrain of the most petulant expoftulation with a noble and learned lord, whofe unblemished integrity, however, no less than his great abilities, the author acknowleges. 1 A Gleam of Comfort to this diftracted Empire. 8vo. 25. Debrett. Poor Britannia! how much is the perfecuted by the cruelty of her own ungrateful children! at one time her tranquillity is disturbed with ideal apprehenfions; at another, her miferies are infulted with ironical confolation. This author is to Britain what the comforters of old were to Job; and to strengthen the allufion, that great example of patience was not more overwhelmed with calamity than, according to the modern comforter, is now the British conftitution, under the guidance of the present minifters. The author informs us, in the conclufion of the pamphlet, that if a change of the administration should be attributed to his efforts, he would exclaim in the words of the poet, • fublimi feriam fidera vertice.' It is pity that the darknefs of the political atmosphere cannot afford so much as a gleam of comfort to gratify his ambition. A Plan for finally fettling the Government of Ireland upon Conftitutional Principles. 8vo. 15. 6d. Stockdale. When in the courfe of our periodical examinations we meet with any political theorem which appears paradoxical, we think proper to recite it in the author's own words, left it should be imagined that we had mifreprefented his meaning. For this reafon we have extracted the following paragraph in the prefent pamphlet. 'Whoever will analyfe a civil fociety into its effential members, will find, that all those members are reducible to three claffes, or, in other words, that a civil ftate requires only three things as neceffary for its exiftence; the firft, food; the fecond, clothing and houfing; and the third, defence. On the fuppofition of a paix perpetuelle, or perpètual peace, the article of defence might be omitted; but as the nature of man renders fuch a fyftem altogether ideal, this article of defence becomes as effentially neceffary as the two former. Beyond thofe three articles then, all expences that people in focial communities incur, are neither more nor less than taxes; nay, strictly speak. ing, are more taxes and burdens than thofe paid to government; for thefe laft are abfolutely neceffary for the being of a ftate, but the others are only requifite to its well-being. We must acknowlege we fhould be of opinion, that the propofition with which this paragraph concludes is directly the reverfe of the truth; nor could we hefitate a moment to fuppofe that the author was jocular, were we not convinced, on a farther perufal, that he is ferious, But though we unfortunately' differ from him with refpect to the principle which is the bafis of |