government of thofe refpective ftates, from which they sprung and then confiders the conduct of our rebellious colonies in America. This is an animated difcourfe; but has rather a political, than a theological complexion. American Refiftance indefenfible. A Sermon preached on Dec. 13, 1776, being the Day appointed for a General Faft. 4to. 6d. Bew. Dr. Jortin has fomewhere obferved, that the minifters of the Gofpel are more particularly obliged both to teach and to practife obedience to the government, in all things lawful, not for fear of punishment, which is fervile; not for lucre, which is fordid; but for the fake of a good confcience, for the fake of their own folemn engagements, and for the fake of public tranquility and welfare." In order to inculcate the doctrine of obedience with more force and efficacy, the author of this difcourfe has laid before his hearers fuch facts and confiderations, as were neceffary to convince them, that their governors are not those weak and wicked men, they have been reprefented to be; that the meafures, now purfued against our rebellious colonies, are just and neceffary.-Thefe facts and confiderations are not injudiciously ftated, and applied. A Sermon preached before the University of Cambridge, on October 25, 1776. Being the Anniversary of his Majefty's Accef fion to the Throne. By R. Watson, D. D. 4to. IS. White. In a former difcourfe, intitled the Principles of the Revolution vindicated *, the author enlarged upon the rights of the people, and the dangers which feemed to threaten the future ruin of our conftitution. In this fermon he explains the duty of fubjects, and points out fome of the bleffings which we enjoy under our prefent government. His text is taken from Rom. xiii. 3, 4. "Rulers are not a terror to good works," &c. In illuftrating this famous paffage, he very properly confiders the particular circumftances of the perfons, to whom the epiftle is addreffed. He obferves, that about fix years before St. Paul wrote to the Chriftians at Rome, the emperor Claudius had banished the Jews from that city, for raifing continual tumults against the itate +, impulfore Chrefto.' He thinks it most probable, that the Jews, in becoming Chriftians, had fhewn a difpofition to rebel against government, from the notion of Jesus, as the anointed of God, being the long expected prince, who was to overcome the Romans, and to redeem Ifrael.'-He adds: We are certain from the teftimony of Jofephus ‡, that the whole na* Crit. Rev. vol. xli. p. 482. Judæos, impulfore Chrefto, affiduè tumultuantes Româ expulit. Suet. in Claud. c. 25. This is fuppofed to have been in the year 52. Antiq. lib, xviii. cap. 1. tion 1 tion of the Jews had become infected with the feditious principles of Judas, the Gaulonite; who, in the reign of Auguftus, had excited no inconfiderable tumult in Judea, and every where taught the people doctrines, till then unheard of amongst them, that it was not lawful to acknowledge fubmiffion to any earthly governor, the Lord Jehovah being their only Lord, or to pay tribute to the Romans. St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Chriftians at Rome, confifting of Jews and converted gentiles, feems to have had a particular view to the refuting the tenets, that Judas had broached, which the whole nation had embraced; and for an adherence probably to which, the Jews and Chriftians had been banished the city.' We must acknowledge, with our author, that it is not an eafy matter to fay, what Suetonius means by the expreilion, "impulfore Chrefto." The words are ufually applied to Jefus Chrift. But poffibly the hiftorian may refer to fome of those false Chrifts, of which our Saviour forewarned his disciples, Matt. xxiv. 24, that is, to fome impoftor, who might, at that time, by pretending to be the Meffiah, have excited tumults, and expectations of independency, among the Jews. We offer this as a conjecture only, not having leifure, at prefent, to confider this point with the attention it deferves. In this difcourfe the learned and judicious author fteers very cautiously between Scylla and Charybdis. CONTROVERSIAL. ****** More Work for the Vicar of St. Alkmond's: Author of " A Letter to a Baptift Minifter." A Letter to Occafioned by "A Reply to Parmenas.' 8vo. Is. Baldwin. Some time fince Mr. M-ley preached at Shrewsbury, and baptifed by immerfion. This produced the following pamphlets-A Letter to a Baptift Minifter, by Mr. Vicar of St. Alkmond's *.-Remarks on a Letter to a Baptift Minister †.An Address to the Baptist Church in Salop, by Parmenas.-A Word to Parmenas.-A Word to the Vicar, by Parmenas.-A Reply to Parmenas.-A Letter, occafioned by a Reply to Parmenas, the publication now before us. This is the rife and progrefs of the controverfy; and here, it is to be hoped, it will end. POETRY. The General Faft; a lyric Ode: with a Form of Prayer proper for the Occafion; and a Dedication to the King. 4to. Is. Fielding and Walker. The political principles of this writer may be collected from the following passages, in the Ode: Vol. xli. p. 317. + Vol. xlii p. 79. • Courtiers, Courtiers, forgive the rhyming past, With heart all pure, and confcience clean, And from this paragraph in the prayer: O God moft gracious, grant, we most humbly beseech thee, fuccefs and freedom, and all the glorious confequences of that freedom, to our fellow-men, our brethren of America.' A man, who can rhyme and pray in this kind of language, is out of his province. He fhould be bearing the ftandard of rebellion on the White Plains, or in Hell gates. Suppofed to be delivered by 4to. IS. Bladon. A Poetical Addrefs to Almighty God. bis moft Sacred Majefty, George III. This address to the Supreme Being is fuppofed to be delivered by his majesty, and is contained in the form of interrogations,. in which the royal perfonage appeals to the Great Searcher of hearts for the uprightnefs of his conduct, and the fincere defire he entertains for the profperity and happiness of his people. The author's defign is to convey a juft idea of the character of our amiable fovereign; an intention which, however executed, has a claim to the indulgence of criticifm; and appears in the prefent cafe to be guided by an unfeigned attachment to truth., Bedukah, or the Self-devoted. An Indian Paftoral. 410. 21.6d. Dodfley. A former production of this author afforded us an opportunity to remark, that the Mufes can infpire their votaries even in the fultry plains of Indias and the obfervation is farther confirmed by the poem now before us. The fubject of this paftoral, if fuch however it can justly be reckoned, is the barbarous custom among the Gentoos, of the wife being facrificed on a funeral pile at the death of her husband. The horrible tranfaction is defcribed by the author in ftriking colours, as well as reprefented by a fine engraving; while the agony and defpair of the mother, with the heroifm of the beautiful Bedukah, who is the voluntary victim on the occafion, are properly contrafted, and expreffed with the natural force of pathetic fentiment and enthusiasm. Hagley. A Defcriptive Poem. 410. 2s. 6d. Dodfley. The prefent is the third poem which we have reviewed, bearing the name of Mr. Maurice; and, as the two preceding, it is diltinguished by a strain of fentiment far fuperior to the common productions of the kind. Hagley may be confidered, in fome meafure, as claffic ground, not only on account of the genius of its late noble proprietor, but for the monuments he St. Thomas's Mount. there there erected. to the memory of three celebrated poets, who often vifited, and were particularly delighted with the place. The scene is therefore well adapted for the subject of a defcriptive poem, and Mr. Maurice, we must own, has painted its various beauties with a warm and vivid imagination. The Tears of Alnwick, a Paftoral Elegy, in Memory of the late Thro' checquer'd life, unfettled in the scale, Pretical Frenzy, or a Venture in Rhyme. 4to. 1s. 6d. Baldwin. We have too frequent occafion to diffent from the complacency entertained by authors in refpect of their own writings, but feldom any reafon for discharging the oppofite and far more agreeable office. We must, however, in juftice, admit these poems to be entitled to a more favourable appellation than that which the author has modeftly beftowed upon them. For inftead of Frenzy, they difcover a degree of well regulated poetical Enthusiasm, to the difplay of which, the Pindaric variety in the measure is not unhappily accommodated. DRA MATI C. Caractacus. A Dramatic Poem. Written on the Model of the ancient Greek Tragedy. First published in the Year 1759, and now altered for Theatrical Reprefentation. By W. Mason, M. A. 8vo. 11. 6d. Dodfley. The Lyric Part of the Drama of Caractacus, as altered by the Auther, and as spoken and fung. 8vo. 6d. Dodley. The reputation of this dramatic poem is fufficiently established. It wants no praife, nor has ought to fear from cenfure. We mention it among other publications in our Monthly Calalogue, to obtain an opportunity of remarking that the changes made in it (however few) bear fufficient witness to the taste and judgment of its author; while its fuccefs on the stage reflects an equal degree of honour on the manager who prepared it for reprefentation, and the audiences who continue to receive it with applaufe. This piece is dedicated to the right reverend the bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, preceptor to their royal highneffes the prince of Wales and bishop of Ofnabrug, in the following elegant fonnet, which, being entirely new, we tranfcribe for the entertainment of our readers. SON SONNET. Still let my Hurd a smile of candour lend Nor had the rare, yet well-weigh'd, call of power A fate unlook'd for waits my friend and me ; I yield my mufe to fashion's praife or blame : W. MASON.' In a letter prefixed to this work, Mr. Mafon, in the genteeleft manner, has expreffed his thanks to Mr. Harris, the acting manager of Covent Garden theatre, for his candour and condefcenfion in thinking an author capable of making alterations advantageous to his own production.-We did not underftand the force and propriety of this compliment, till we were informed that the Elfrida of the fame poet was a few years ago altered and reprefented on the fame theatre without any permiffion obtained from him, or any application made to him for fuch changes or omiffions as are always wanting when a performance defigned for the clofet, is adapted to the stage. Semiramis, a Tragedy, as it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. By George Edward Ayscough, Efq. Is. 6d. Dodley. This Tragedy is profeffedly a tranflation of the Semiramis of Voltaire, with fuch alterations as Mr. Ayscough thought neceffary to adapt it to the English ftage. Thefe alterations confift chiefly of tranfpofitions, curtailments, and a new incident in the fifth act. In Voltaire the fpeeches are immoderately long; in Mr. Ayfcough's tragedy they are rendered lefs fo, and confequently on the theatre have a better effect. The English Semiramis, however, has little claim to applaufe; the story is improbable, and the introduction of the ghoft of Ninus, appears rather ridiculous than affecting. Add to this, that the verfification is deficient in point of terfenefs and harmony. The play is prefaced with a very indifferent prologue; and indeed it appears to great difadvantage on a comparifon with the epilogue, by Mr. Sheridan, in which as pretty a nofegay of poetical flowers is made up as the public have lately been prefented with. See the conclufion of an Elegy prefixed to the former editions of this poem. The |