Though the author quotes frequently from cotemporary authors, as Buchan, Motherby, &c. we will not even fufpect that he has taken very liberally from them. They undoubt edly fometimes err; but our prefent licentiate is only fome times in the right. They have frequently a meaning; but the M. L. under confideration only blunders about it.

The Hiftory of Great Britain, from the firft Invafion of it by the Romans under Julius Cæfar. By Robert Henry, D. D. Vol. V. 4ta. 1. 15. Cadell.

During a period of feveral years, hiftorical compofitions

have formed a principal part of British literature: and amidst thefe, the hiftory of our own country has been treated with a degree of excellence, more likely to preclude than excite competition for feveral fucceeding years. Dr. Henry undoubtedly began the prefent work under circumstances far more advantageous to thofe profpects which stimulaté the exertion of a writer; though, by means of a comprehenfive plan, calculated to afford variety of information, he has been able to render a new History of Great Britain not only acceptable, but in a certain degree interefting, to the public. To prevent fuch a work from becoming too voluminous, to which it had a natural tendency, the au thor, in the narrative of civil and military tranfactions, is often obliged to fubftitute brevity for minuteness of detail; but whilft fidelity is fcrupulously preferved, few readers will regret that concifenefs which affords room for the admiffion of collateral fubjects, both gratifying to curiofity, and particu larly illuftrative of the genius and manners of former times..

The period of hiftory, comprised in the prefent volume, abounds with extraordinary events; and to develope them in a fatisfactory manner, from the imperfect or contradictory accounts which have been tranfmitted by different writers, requires all the penetration of a hiftorian. Dr. Henry approves himfelf fufficiently induftrious in his researches; nor can we forbear from acknowledging, that he discovers an equal degree of judgment in weighing the evidence, and either admitting, rejecting, or leaving doubtful, alleged facts, upon the principle of historical probability.

This volume comprehends the civil and military history of England, from the acceffion of Henry IV, in 1359, to the acceffion of Henry VII. in 1485; We shall lay before our readers the author's character of Henry the Fifth, as a prince, whole extraordinary qualities give a loftre to this part of the English hiftory,

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Thus died, in the prime of life, and in the full career of glory, Henry V. one of the best, braveft, and molt fortunate princes that ever wore the diadem of England. His perfon is thus defcribed by one who had often feen him. "In itature, he was a little above the middle fize; his countenance was beautiful, his neck long, his body flender, and his limbs moft elegantly formed. He was very ftrong, and fo fwift, that, with two companions, without either dogs or miffive weapons, he catched a doe, one of the fleeteft animals. He was a lover of mufic, and excelled in all martial and manly exercifes.' Some of our contemporary hiftorians have heaped upon this prince, with a liberal but injudicious hand, all the praises they could collect, expreffed in the most extravagant and bombaftic language. It may, however, be affirmed, without the leaft exaggeration, that he poffeffed an excellent understanding, which enabled him to form his defigns with judgment, and to chule the most effectual means, and favourable feafons for carrying them into execution. His heart was as warm as his head was cool, and his courage equal to his wifdom, which emboldened him to encounter the greatest dangers, and furmount the -greatest difficulties. His virtues were not inferior to his abilities, being a dutiful fon, a fond hufband, an affectionate brother, a leady and generous friend, and an indulgent mafier. His youthful exceffes proceeded rather from redundancy of fpirit, than depravity of heart. His intolerance and feverity to thofe who diffented from the established fyftem of religion, was the vice of the age rather than of the man. The injuftice of his attempt to obtain the crown of France cannot be denied; but the probability of its fuccefs, from the diftracted state of 'that kingdom, was too great a temptation to be refifted by a young, warlike, and ambitious prince. In a word, Henry V. though not without his failings, merits the character of an amiable and accomplished man, a great and good king.'

The fluctuations of the English government, fubfequent to the death of this prince, are fuch as lead a historian into the depths of political intrigue, and furprise him, in every step of his progrefs, with unexpected revolutions of fortune. Dr. Henry fteers his courfe through this turbulent period by the best authorities of hiftorical information; and relates, with due impartiality, the contention between the houses of Lancaster and York. His faithful regard to truth is evident from the following character of Richard the Third.

Richard III. if we may believe many of our hiftorians, was a kind of monster, both in mind and body." The tyrant king Richard (fays John Rous of Warwick, his contemporary) was born at Fotheringay in Northamptonshire. Having remained two years in his mother's womb, he came into the world with teeth, and long hair down to his shoulders." What he adds, is probably more agreeable to truth-He was of a low ftature,

having a short face, with his right fhoulder a little higher than his left;" a picture which was wrought up in abfolute defórmity by fubfequent hiftorians, but contradicted by the teftimony of an eye-witnefs of undoubted credit. That he poffeffed perfonal courage in a very high degree, his enemies could not, deny, though they confeffed it with reluctance. "If I may venture to say any thing to his honour, though he was a little man, he was a noble and valiant foldier." He was much admired for his eloquence and powers of perfuafion, which were almost irresistible, efpecially when they were aided by his boun ty, which, on fome occafions, was exceffive. His understanding was certainly good; but he was rather a cunning than a wife man, impenetrably fecret, and a perfect master of all the arts of diffimulation. Ambition was his ruling paffion. It was this that prompted him to fupplant his helpless nephew, in order to feize his crown; and when he had formed that defign, he feems to have stuck at nothing to fecure its fuccefs. That he was guilty of the cool deliberate murder of the earl Rivers, the lords Grey and Haftings, becaufe he apprehended they would oppofe his attempt upon the throne, cannot be denied. That he murdered alfo his two nephews, Edward V. and the duke of York, or one of them, I do not affirm, because I cannot prove it; and all the accounts that are given of the circumftances of the death of thefe two princes, I confess, are liable to great objections. But though all these accounts may be false in fome particulars, the principal fact may be true; and it is certainly not improbable.'

Next follows the civil and military hiftory of Scotland, from the year 1339, to the acceffion of James IV. in 1488. This is alfo one of the most distracted periods in the Scottish history, but particularly diftinguished by the virtues and the vigorous administration of the unfortunate James the First, respecting whom, the fenfibility of the hiftorian has often occafion to be excited. The following anecdote, in the reign of James the Third, we lay before our readers, as not being generally related by hiftorians.

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King James, having raised an army to oppose this formidable invafion, directed his march towards the borders; and about the end of June, encamped at the town of Lauder. At that place a cruel and unexpected tragedy was acted, which threatened the ruin of the king and kingdom. Archibald Douglas, earl of Angus, was at this time the most powerful nobleman in Scotland, having obtained from the crown many of the eftates of the exiled earl of Douglas. He was married to a daughter of the late regent Robert lord Boyde; and though he was not involved in the ruin of the Boydes, he secretly refented the feverity with which they had been treated, and was deeply engaged in the treasonable schemes of the duke of Albany. This potent earl had a private meeting in the night

with the noblemen and gentlemen of his party, in the church of Lauder, to confult about the deftruction of the royal favourites, as the most effectual means of diftreffing the king, and defeating the prefent expedition, At this meeting one of the members repeated the following fable. "The mice (faid he) held a meeting, to confult about the beft means of preferving themfelves from the cats. One mouse propofed to hang a bell about the cat's neck, that, by its ringing when the cat moved, they might have warning of their danger. But when it was afked, who will bell the cat? none of them had fo mnch courage.' ." The earl of Angus, taking the hint, cried out—I will bell the cat; which procured him the nickname of Archibald bell the cat ever after. Having formed their plan, they left the church; and, attended by a body of armed men, entered the royal tent early in the morning, and there feized fix of the king's most favoured confidents, viz. Robert Cochran an architect, master of the works, fir William Rogers a musician, Thomas Prefton, James Hommel, William Torfefán, and one Leonard. John Ramfay of Balmain, a young gentleman of a good family, was faved, by clafping the king in his arms. After upbraiding the king in very fevere terms, for spending his time in fuch unworthy company, they carried off the fix unhappy victims, and hanged them over the bridge of Lauder The king, ftruck with confternation at this cruel outrage, retired, with his uncle the earl of Athol, and fome other noblemen, to the castle of Edinburgh, or (as fome historians report) was carried thither, and guarded as a prisoner.'

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The circumftances attending the death of this prince, afforded our author an opportunity of introducing another anecdote; but he has contented himself with mentioning only that the king was flain by fome of the purfuers. In drawing the character of the fame prince, the hiftorian, we likewife observe, has with-held from exhibiting his reputed attachment to the ocult fciences.

The Second Chapter contains the hiftory of religion in Great Britain, during the period of the civil and military history comprised in the volume; and this chapter, like the preceding, is generally of fuch a nature as can afford little pleasure to the hiftorian. It opens with an account of the burning of fir William Sawtre; which, being the first instance of martyrdom in England, we shall relate in the author's words.

The archbishop, impatient to put this cruel law in execution, eyen during the feffion of parliament that made it, brought. fir William Sawtre, rector of St. Ofwyth, London, to his trial for herefy, before the convocation of the province of Canter bury, at St. Paul's. The chief herefies of which he was ac cufed were these two, that he refused to worship the cross, and

that

that he denied the doctrine of tranfubftantiation. The unhappy man, in order to avoid the painful death with which he was threatened, endeavoured to explain away his herefies as much as poffible. He confented to pay an inferior vicarious kind of worship to the cross, on account of him who died upon it. But that gave no fatisfaction. He acknowledged the real prefence of Chrift in the facrament; and that, after the words of confecration were pronounced, the bread became the true spiritual bread of life. He underwent an examination of no less than three hours on that fubject, February 19, A.D. 1401; but when the archbishop urged him to profefs his belief." That after confecration the fubftance of the bread and wine no longer remained, but was converted into the fubitance of the body and blood of Chrift, which were as really and truly in their proper fubftance and nature in the facrament, as they were in the womb of the Virgin Mary, as they hung upon the cross, as they lay in the grave, and as they now refided in heaven;" he ftood aghaft, and, after fome hesitation, declared,: “ That, whatever might be the confequence, he could neither under. ftand nor believe that doctrine." On this the archbishop pronounced him an obftinate heretic, degraded him from all the clerical orders with which he had been invefted, and delivered him to the mayor and sheriffs of London, with this hypocritical request, that they would ufe him kindly; though he well knew, that all the kindness they dared to fhew him was to burn him to affes. He was accordingly burnt in Smithfield, and had the honour to be the first perfon in England who fuffered this pain ful kind of death, for maintaining those doctrines which are now maintained by all the Proteftant churches.'

About the fame time, the primate publifhed a decree in all the churches of his province, forbidding the barber-furgeons to keep their fhops open on the Lord's day, which, by a strange mistake, our author obferves, he defcribed in this manner: "The Lord's day, viz. the feventh day of the week, which the Lord bleffed and made holy, and on which, after his fix days works, he refted from all his labour."

The reign of Edward IV. was fullied by an exertion of the prerogative, in a manner the moft unwarrantable and per

nicious.

• Edward IV. foon after his acceffion, being earnestly defirous of the fupport of the clergy, made a moft unwarrantable stretch of his prerogative in their favour, by granting them a charter, which rendered them almoft entirely independent of the civil government, and left them at liberty to do what they pleafed. By that charter, he took upon him to difpenfe with the famous ftatute of premunire, which no intreaty could ever perfuade the parliament to repeal; and he difcharged all civil judges and magiftrates to take any notice of any treafons, murders, rapes, robberies, thefts, or any other crimes committed by archbishops,

bishops,