hiftorical knowledge of the philofophy of the ancients, as preparation for the ftudy of the Grecian writers. It is perfectly adapted to answer this purpofe. Many precious materials for a hiftory of ancient philofophy have been left us by Cicero but many more remained which he did not collect. These our Author has drawn from feventy other writers, and has thus rendered complete his elegant and learned abridgement, which we think a valuable prefent to the ftudious youth of all nations.

XX. Fauna Groenlandica, &c. i. e. The Zoology of Greenland, or, A Methodical Account of the Animals that have hitherto been obferved in the Weftern part of that Ifland, with their scientific and common Names, and a particular Defcription of each. By M. OTHO FABRICIUS, formerly Paftor at Frederichaab in Greenland, afterwards at Drangedal in Norway, and now in Jutland. 8vo. 452 Pages. Copenhagen. 1782.This work is the fore-runner of a complete hiftory of Greenland, which this induftrious and careful observer of nature propofes to publifh; and it contains many particularities that have hitherto escaped the notice of other naturalifts.

XXI. Allegoria Homerica, quæ fub Heraclidis nomine feruntur, cum Gefnerii verfione Latina, iterum Edita a CHR. SHOW, A. M.-Accedit ejufdem Commentatio Criticà in Stoicorum et Grammaticorum Allegorias Homericas, &c. In 8vo. Gottingen. 1782.This is a valuable prefent, not only to the claffical and philological, but also to the philofophical reader. The Homerical allegories, which bear the name of Heraclides, are well known to the learned. This new edition of that interefting work is augmented by an excellent critical differtation on the Homerical allegories of the Stoics and grammarians, compofed by M. SHOW, and an ingenious epiftle from the celebrated Profeffor HEYNE, of Gottingen, to our Editor, containing general confiderations on the ufe of allegory, and a variety of critical remarks, which illuftrate many paffages in the ancient poets, and alfo in the Sacred Writings.

MONTHLY

CATALOGUE,

For JUL Y, 1783.

AMERICA.

Art. 15. Lieut. James Moody's Narrative of his Exertions and Sufferings in the Cause of Government, fince the Year 1776; authenticated by proper Certificates. 8vo. I s. 6d. Richardson and Urquhart. 1783.

M

R. Moody was an American farmer, until he was haraffed, and at length forced from his habitation by mobs, affociations, and committees; whofe only alternative was, join or die! Driven thus into the British lines, he became an active, and in many inftances

a fuc

a fuccessful partifan againit his countrymen. That he fuffered much in his occafional excurfions, was no more than matter of course, and what might have been expected, when he ventured on fuch dangerous ground, with fmall irregular parties. All his expectations being at length fruftrated, by the inverted application of the term Rebel on the American continent, the Lieutenant, from the teftimonials he produces, appears to have a juft claim to fome confideration from his late employers.

DRAMATIC.

Art. 16. Fatal Curiofity; a True Tragedy. Written by George Lillo, 1736. With Alterations, as revived at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1783. 8vo. 1. Cadell. 1783.

Southerne and Lillo were the laft of our dramatic writers who feem to have retained the true fpirit and style of Tragedy. Each have their faults; yet both have peculiar excellencies that died with them; no poets having more egregiously failed, than most of our late votaries of Melpomene. The prefent Editor of the Fatal Curiofity, Mr. Colman, has not prefented us with the piece exactly in the flate that the Author left it. We think, however, he has removed only blemishes; and his few variations and additions are certainly improvements. We particular approve the Prologue and Poftfcript; yet, in fpite of both, we cannot allow Lillo, with all his merits, to be ranked with Shakespeare.

The Editor's Peffeript, containing fome judicious obfervations, as well as the original story on which this true Tragedy is founded, we have thought proper to give it to our Readers.

!

Though the Fatal Curiafity of LILLO has received the applaufe of many found critics, and been accounted worthy of the Gracian ftage, and (what is, perhaps, ftill higher merit) worthy of Shakefpeare yet the long exclufion of this drama from the theatre had in fome measure obfcured the fame of a tragedy, whofe uncommon excellence challenged more celebrity. The late Mr. Harris of Salifbury, has endeavoured, in his PHILOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, to display the beauties, the terrible graces, of the piece, and to do juftice to the memory of LILLO. His comment is in general juft; yet he feems to have given a fketch of the fable from an imperfect recollection of the circumftances, without the book before him. He appears to have conceived that the tragedy derived its title from the curiofity of Agnes to know the contents of the casket: but that LILLO meant to mark by the title the FATAL CURIOSITY of Young Wilmot, is evident from the whole fcene between him and Randal, wherein he arranges the plan of his intended interview with his parents; which arrangement Mr. Harris erroneously attributes to his conference with Charlot. The principle of CURIOSITY is openly avowed and warmly fustained by Young Wilmot, and humbly reprehended by Randal.

The comment of Mr. Harris is, however, on the whole, moft judicious and liberal. It concludes with a note in thefe words:

"If any one read this tragedy, the author of these Inquiries has a request or two to make, for which he hopes a candid Reader will forgive him-One is, not to cavil at minute inaccuracies, but look to The fuperior merit of the whole taken together-Another is, totally to expunge thofe wretched rhimes, which conclude many of the scenes ;

and

and which, it is probable, are not from LILLO, but from fome other hand, willing to conform to an abfurd fashion then practifed, but now laid afide, the fashion (I mean) of a rhiming conclufion."

Philological Inquiries, vol. i. p. 174.

The prefent Editor thought it his duty to remove, as far as he was able, the blemishes here noticed by Mr. Harris; and he therefore expunged the rhiming conclufions of acts and scenes, except in one inftance, where he thought the couplet too beautiful to be difplaced. Some minute inaccuracies of language he alfo hazarded an attempt to correct; and even in fome measure to mitigate the horror of the catatrophe, by the omiffion of fome expreffions rather too favage, and by one or two touches of remorfe and tenderness. Agnes is most happily drawn after Lady Macbeth; in whofe character there is not perhaps a finer trait, than her faying, during the murder of Duncan, "Had he not resembled

-"My father as he flept, I had don't!"

The story on which this tragedy is founded is, I believe, at prefent no where extant, except in a folio volume, printed in the year 1681, and entitled, The Annals of King JAMES and King CHARLES the Firft. Both of happy memory. The period included in thefe Annals is from the Tenth of James, to the Eighteenth of Charles. They are published anonymously, yet are generally known by the name of Frankland's Annals. The author places this tragical event in the Annals of the year 1618, and relates it in these words :

"The miferable condition of finful man, in fundry examples of thefe prefent and of former times, fhould mind us hourly to beg of God preventing grace, left we fall into temptations of fin and fatan ; fuch have been the calamities of ages paft, at prefent are, and will be to come; hiftories of theft, rapine, murther, and fuch like.

"One of wondrous note happened at Perinin in Cornwall, in September, a bloody and unexampled murther, by a father and mother upon their own fon, and then upon themselves.

"He had been bleffed with ample poffeffions, and fruitful issue, unhappy only in a younger fon; who taking liberty from his father's bounty, and with a crew of like condition, that were wearied on land, they went roving to fea; and in a fmall veffel fouthward, took booty from all whom they could mafter, and fo increafing force and wealth, ventured on a Turk's-man in the Streights; but by mifchance their own powder fired themselves; and our gallant, trufting to his fkilful fwimming, got afhore upon Rhodes, with the best of his jewels about him, where offering fome to fale to a Jew, who knew them to be the governor's of Algier, he was apprehended, and as a pyrate fentenced to the gallies amongst other Chriftians, whofe miferable flavery made them all ftudious of freedom; and with wit and valour took opportunity and means to murther fome officers, got aboard of an English fhip, and came fafe to London, where his Majesty and fome kill made him fervant to a chyrurgion, and fudden preferment to the Eaft Indies; there by this means he got money, with which returning back, he defigned himself for his native county Cornwall; and in a fmall fhip from London, failing to the Weft, was caft away upon the coaft; but his excellent fkill in fwimming, and former fate toboot, brought him fafe to fhore; where fince his fifteen years abfence, his

father's

father's former fortunes much decayed, now retired him not far off to a country habitation, in debt and danger.

"His fifter he finds married to a mercer, a meaner match than her birth promised; to her at first appears a poor firanger, but in private reveals himself, and withal what jewels and gold he had concealed in a bow-cafe about him; and concluded that the next day he intended to appear to his parents, and to keep his difguife till fhe and her hufband fhould meet, and make their common joy complete.

Being come to his parents, his humble behaviour, fuitable to his fuit of cloaths, melted the old couple to fo much compaffion, as to give him covering from the cold feafon under their outward roof; and by degrees his travelling tales told with paffion to the aged people, made him their gueft, fo long by the kitchen fire, that the husband took leave and went to bed, and foon after his true stories working compaflion in the weaker veffel, fhe wept, and fo did he; but compaffionate of her tears, he comforted her with a piece of gold, which gave affurance that he deferved a lodging, to which the brought him, and being in bed fhewed her his girdled wealth, which he faid was fufficient to relieve her husband's wants, to fpare for himself; and being very weary, fell faft afleep.

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The wife tempted with the golden bait of what he had, and eager of enjoying all, awaked her husband with this news, and her contrivance what to do; and though with horrid apprehenfion he oft refused, yet her puling fondnefs (Eve's inchantments) moved him to confent, and rife to be mafter of all; and both of them to murder the man, which inftantly they did, covering the corps under the cloaths till opportunity to convey it out of the way.

"The early morning haftens the fifter to her father's house, where fhe with figns of joy, enquires for a failor that fhould lodge there the last night; the parents flightly denied to have feen any fuch, until fhe told them that it was her brother, her loft brother, by that affured fcar upon his arm cut with a fword in his youth, fhe knew him; and were all refolved this morning to meet there and be merry.

"The father haftily runs up, finds the mark, and with horrid regret of this monftrous murther of his own fon, with the fame knife cut his own throat.

"The wife went up to confult with him, where in a most strange manner beholding them both in blood, wild and aghaft, with the inftrument at hand, readily rips up her own belly till the guts tumbled

out.

"The daughter, doubting the delay of their abfence, fearches for them all, whom he found out too foon, with the fad fight of this fcene; and being overcome with horror and amaze of this deluge of deftruction, the fank down and died, the fatal end of that family.

"The truth of which was frequently known, and flew to court in this guife; but the imprinted relation conceals their names, in favour to fome neighbour of repute and a-kin to that family. "The fame fenfe makes me filent alfo."

The historical fact, immediately preceding this dreadful narrative, is the fate of Sir Walter Raleigh, which accounts for the Author's having, in the original play, introduced the mention of him into the firft fcene of the tragedy. He has conducted the fable, and accomRev. July, 1783. modated

G

modated the ftory to his purpofe, with great art. From the reality of the incident, he alfo calls it a TRUE tragedy. A TRUE tragedy indeed it is, in all fenfes of the word; and fuch a tragedy as I thought demanded a revival, and the further notice of the Public.

GEORGE COLMAN.' Art. 17. Too Civil by Half, a Farce. In Two Acts. As performed with univerfal Applaufe at the Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane, By John Dent, Author of the Candidate. 8vo. IS. Stockdale. 1783.

Too dull by half! Buffle, the only attempt on character, is a poor imitation of Dowling in Tom Jones.

Art. 18. The Adventures of a Night. A Farce of Two Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal, Drury Lane. 8vo. IS Evans.

1783

Thefe Adventures are ftolen from Fielding's comedy of Rape upon Rape, or, the Justice caught in his own trap; a piece that has been Searched, though with a more delicate hand, by the Author of that excellent farce, The Upholsterer.

LAW.

Art. 19 The New Inftructor Clericalis ; ftating the Authority, Jurifdiction, and Modern Practice of the Court of King's Bench, With, &c. &c. By John Impey, Inner Temple. 8vo. 8s. bound. Wheildon, 1782.

This work is not deftitute of merit; though, from a defire of including fo extenfive a fubject in one volume, many important parts of practice are treated in too fummary a manner. In this, perhaps, the author confulted his bookfeller's judgment rather than his own; and in order to lower the price of the volume, has robbed it of a confiderable portion of its ufefulness.

As this Gentleman has bestowed fome pains in compiling his new Inftructor Clericalis, we are forry that we cannot wholly coincide with the opinion which he himself forms of it. I flatter myself," fays he,

that it takes place in a feafon of peculiar propriety: it is in fact abfolutely neceffary, fince the practice of the Court of King's Bench is greatly increased and greatly reformed: it is now juftly celebrated for its multiplicity and difpatch of bufinefs, and its facred attention to impartial justice.' How far this publication was in fact abfolutely neceffary the public may perhaps take the liberty to doubt, His mention of the feafon of peculiar propriety' is rather unlucky, as the first edition of Mr. Crompton's book was published not two years ago, in which was comprehended almost every modern cafe then extant; and we believe the fecond edition came out much about the time when Mr. Impey's work appeared in print.

We are not unmindful of the old rule, that comparisons are odious. Every work should ftand or fall by its own merits. It is not wife, however, in an author to challenge approbation before it is deferved, or to provoke comparifons which might not otherwife have fuggefted themselves.

The intimation conveyed in the clofe of the fentence we have juft quoted, is not very honourable to former times, and certainly is not very juft. The author makes it the introduction of an elaborate panegyric on Lord Mansfield, who we doubt not would be the firft to

3

reject