A fatirical attack, as the title implies, on the proceedings of the French. In it is a large fhare of abufe, fome obfcenity, and very little humour; and the author, though he meant a reproof, has inadvertently paid a compliment to the national convention, by the notorious blunder of making Lucifer their mortal fee and oppofer; whilft, on the other hand the good wifhes of his fable majesty are very confpicuoufly fhewn towards the pious labours of his fellow monarchs in Europe, by his ftepping forward to join the coalition. The following paffage,. in which Afmodeus is fuppofed to be defcribing the French convention to Lucifer, will evince the truth of this, and at the fame time afford a fpecimen of the writer's ftile and

manner:

The members of this affembly have fworn to cherish in them felves, and to excite in others, an implacable averfion and hatred to all kings. They indeed intend to govern the whole world themfelves. They make one half of the people butcher the other, to leave only their foolifh partifans, the majority of whom is compofed of malefactors and robbers, whom they call Sans culottes. Thefe people, drawn together from all parts of the world, in confequence of their thirst for gold and wickednefs, are entirely devoted to them. As they have nothing to lofe, they hope to gain, and wish to feize every thing. In fhort, my lord, judge of the excefs of their delirium from the following fact; I heard one of their orators repeat at the tribune of the affembly. Let us make war upon all kings: let us purfue them if neceffary, even to the gates of hell.

At these words, Lucifer feels his blood boil; he moves his left eyebrow; hell trembles and pours forth fuch torrents of liquid fire as had never been before obferved: all its inhabitants falling proftrate before him howling, begged his permiflion to form themfelves into a national militia to go and roafi thofe mifcreants. No, no, replies Lucifer, I wish to go myself to convince thofe villains both of my wrath and of my power. On my return, Afmodeus fhall finish his ftory, and I fhall add my remarks.

6

Inftantly, he gives orders for his departure, and inftructions to bis minifters with refpect to the administration of affairs during his abfence, enjoining them to burn to a cinder immediately every French patriot the moment of his arrival, left they might tamper with his fubjects and induce them to revolt.'

We hope the author has more tafte and difcretion, than to chufe,

for

for himself, fuch a friend and ally as he has chofen for the crowned. heads of Europe.

The Annual Political Songfer, with a Preface on the Times. By J. Freath. 12mo. 6d. Baldwin. 1794.

Thefe fongs have hardly fpirit enough to enliven the noisy mirth of an ale-house club; they certainly do not stand the most distant chance of amusing the fober retirement of the closet.

A Selection of Pfalms, from Tate and Brady's Verfion. Second Edition. By Alexander Cleeve, A. B. Vicar of Wooler in Northumberland. 12mo. Is. 6d. Kearsley. 1793.

It is fcarcely neceflary to prefent our readers with any thing more of this publication than the title. The author however, informs us that the first edition (which contained little more than one third of what is included in the prefent one) was published for the use of an English chapel in Edinburgh, in the year 1785. He afterwards. fpeaks of his plan in the following words:

To make the fubjects of it more folemn and impreffive, the form of addrefs will be found repeatedly changed from the third to the fecond perfon; that is, from he to thou, in order to elevate the mind to God himself, to whom "praife and thanfgiving are of fered."

This felection is moreover divided into three parts: the fir comprehending general fubjects of praife and thanksgiving; prayer to God and trust in him; precepts aud motives to a godly life: the Second, feparate portions for the Feftivals, and other fet days and occafions of our church: and the third, the pfalms of Penitence for Lent, and other times of trouble and diftrefs, both of body and mind.'

Bagatelles; or, Poetical Sketches. By E. Wal, M. D. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Boards. Hamilton. 1793.

The author has rightly termed his productions Bagatelles; he might have added, that, trifles as they are, the thought of many of them is ftolen; particularly of the Epigram.-Many of them offend against decency, and, of thofe which are not liable to cenfure, we cannot select any which have a claim to praife. It is rather furprifing to fee fo flight a publication ufhered into the world by a fubfcription. If the author fhould think us fevere, let him recollect, that the apology with which he concludes his Preface, Mon livre vous deplait, qui vous force à le lire,' however true with regard to the public in general, does not, unfortunately, hold good with re gard to us poor hacks of Reviewers.

A Let..

RELIGIOUS.

A Letter to G. Wakefield, B. A. on his Spirit of Chriftianity compared with the Spirit of the Times in Great Britain. By David Andrews. No Publifher's Name.

This Letter (to use a phrase of Mr. Burke) 'deferves no answer but that of criminal juftice;' which, we hope, the author, or publifher, will speedily receive. We cannot be accused as enemies to the liberty of the prefs, and, on merely political fpeculations, the good tendency of profecutions for libel may be fairly queftioned; but we must say that writings, the immediate tendency of which is to destroy the morals of youth, to pervert the feeble-minded, to annihilate the fanctity of oaths, to undo every focial tie, and to rob the poor of thofe comforts which are extended to them from above, cannot be too strictly prohibited, or the reprobate authors of them too feverely punished

Who steals my purse, steals trash,' &c.

But he whofe object is to deftroy all virtue, public and private, to eradicate all principle, is a being of the moft depraved kind; and certainly (if the prevention of crimes be at all an object with the magiftrate) is more an object of punishment, than many a wretch who terminates his existence on a gibbet.

Of this indecent attack upon all that is right and laudable, infidels themfelves must be ashamed.

The Footman's Pamphlet; or, the Footman's Arguments against the Unitarians, c. and in Defence of the Divinity of Chrift; is humbly offered to the Public. By John Saunders. 80. Falkirk, printed for the Author. 1793.

In page fecond of this pamphlet we find that the difpute is be tween Dr. Prieftley, rev. Mr. Lindley, clergymen, and John Saunders, footman.-Two to one in favour of the clergymen, but ten to one in favour of the footman, if he may be credited in the following brief fummary of his arguments. If Mr. Lindsey knows the Bible to be wrong tranflated, its more than I do; and if he believes it fo, I believe it otherwife; and if he knows and believes Chrift to be nothing but a mere man, I know and believe Chrift to be both God and man; all which I have fufficiently proved.-Notwithstanding this victory, John has learned to call names and scold, which may be quite in character for a footman, but very unbecoming a Trinitarian. After comparing Mr. Lindsey to Francis Spira, and hinting only that the advantage is on the fide of Spira, he adds: In a word, I can find children in both England and Scotland, who can give a more rational account of the Deity, than either Prieftley or Lindsey doth. I fpeak it to their fhame. The doctor hath got a much brighter genius for commenting upon earth,

air, and water, than for handling the Gofpel. And, indeed, that is little more akin to the gofpel, than if the doctor were to fit downL and count how many drops of water fills his tea-kettle.'-After 152. pages of quotations and arguments, fuch as John can mufter, he concludes: Thus, Dr. Prieftley, I bid you farewell for the prefent, by obferving, that although bifhops were levelled with curates, and kings with fubjects; though rocks and hills remove; yet you will never be able to degrade the Son of God to the rank of a mere creature.'-Upon the whole, we cannot but give honeft John credit for his great reading, and controverfial skill, and affure him that, in our opinion, this is the best defence of Trinitarianifm ever written by a footman *!

A Charge given at the Primary Visitation of the Archdeaconry of Salop, in the Diocese of Hereford, in the Year 1793, by Jofeph Plymley, M. A. Archdeacon. 4to. IS. Longman. 1793.

After a well-turned Introduction, Mr. Plymley touches on the duty of keeping churches in good repair; refidence; the moderation of the clergy in refpect to compofitions for tithe; Queen Anne's bounty, and the advantages that refult from the application of it in bringing private donations under ecclefiaftical jurifdiction. Paffing hence to the zeal of the clergy in favour of the perfecuted emigrants, he returns thanks for civilities received from them in his parochial vifitations; and, after gently hinting that in the courfe of them every thing was not exactly what he could have wifhed, concludes with obferving, that,

Though a mixture of good and bad be the lot of humanity, and an appointment neceffarily confequent of a ftate of probation; yet the end of fuch a ftate can never be answered whilft mankind are pleafed it fhould continue fo.-A ftate of probation becomes a ftate of nugatory existence, unless the members of it were to be employed in endeavouring to fet right its irregularities. May we never therefore, by precept or example, bear teftimony to the falfe, inverted virtue, of being contented with things as they are; a tenet, that gives licence to every wrong defire, and which must prolong, if it encreases not, the empire of fin. Though equally to be avoided is the oppofite error, which violates duty in its attempts to enforce it. But as all men are called upon to ameliorate the ftate of the world, by the cultivation of a pure and peaceful fpirit within our own bofoms; fo it is our appointment, within fixed and certain rules, to aid this intended progrefs: to be, in every proper inftance, the right hand neighbour to each of our parishioners; their private advifer, as welf as public monitor; their inftructor in christian truths; their example in chriftian conduct; their joy in health, and their confolation in

From private information we learn that John was very lately a footman in the fervice of Lord Bargonie.

fickness.

Acknefs. The more we are in all th's the fincere, though humble followers of that Matter, whofe fervice we profefs, we are not only difcharging our own duty, but fecuring to our fucceffors, fo far as it depends on human means, the fame enviable opportunities of doing good to mankind: fince an inftitution fo friendly in its general intention, and fo mild in its generai adminiftration, as the establishment into which we are ordained, can receive but little injury from the mifapprehenfiors or mifreprefentations with which it may occafionally be affailed. If our "well doing has not yet put to filence the ignorance of foolish men," it muft be, that the inclination, or the ability, has been wanting to the due affertion of this infpired precept, fince we are told, it is "the will of God" we fhould fo conquer.'

The Ufes to be made of the Divine Goodness, in the Courfe of the Seafon. A Sermon, preached at Errol, Dec. 19, 1793, being the Day appointed by the Prefbytery of Perth, for a folemn Thanksgiving, on Account of the good Harvest, agreeably to the Act and Reconmendation of Synod. By William Herdman, Affiftant to the Minifter of Errol. 8vo. 15. Vernor. 1794.

From Pf. lxv. 11. the author of this fermon recommends a pious attention to the goodnefs of God, and gratitude for his bleffings, particularly that of a profperous harveft, and enforces the duties of temperance and charity as the beft means of evincing that gratitude. We difcover little ability in the ftructure of the difcourfe, which is cked out by plentiful quotations from the Scriptures.

The near approaching Day of univerfal Reftoration, Regeneration, Peace, and Salvation; in which is difcovered, the Foundation of the Falfe Prophets under their various Characters; with Remarks on the bleffed State of the primitive Quakers. Aifo an Appendix; in which is manifefted, the Origin of Heaven and Hell; the Foundation of Light and Darkness; and the Ground of Mifery and Happinefs. Likewife an Account of the Religion of the Inhabitants of the New Heavens and Earth. And a Relation of the Prophety of Thomas Story. By John Boufell, of Deepham, Norfolk, a Dif ciple of Jefus Chrift. 800. 15. Richardfon. 1793.

Judge, reader, of this fanatic, by the following account which he gives of himfelf, and then buy his book if thou likeft!

About forty years fince, while my refidence was at Woodbridge, in the county of Suffolk, as I was walking one evening in a lonely valley, my foul was overiladowed with heavenly light; in this vifion I faw an ancient building, and upon the battlements I beheld feveral of thofe which flood in the fat ons of minifters and elders among the people called Quakers, laid afleep upon their beds. This fight of the fate of the people with whom I was joined in re

ligious