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STROPHE II,

Weigh'd down with years, when thou in hoary age,
Unhappy mother, fhalt these tidings hear
Of thy dear Ajax, and his cruel rage,

How wilt thou weep and wail with grief fincere!
Not like the plaintive nightingale,

That warbles fweet her tender tale,
But with loud fhrieks of horrible despair;
With fharpeft anguish fore opprefs'd,
Then thalt thou beat thy aged breaft,

And in deep forrow rend thy wild difhevel'd hair.
ANTIS TROPHE II.

"Tis better far to die than, hopeless still

Of cure, to languish under fore difeafe;
When mortals fuffer fuch diftinguish'd ill,
The filent tomb is liberty and eafe..

Ajax, the pride of all our hoft,
His ancient fame, and glory loft.
Sinks down at laft, o'erwhelm'd with foul difgrace:

How will his hapless father bear

His fon's diftrefsful fate to hear,

Ev'n fuch as never fell on acus his race!

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An Account of the Expedition to the Weft-Indies, against Martinico, Guadaloupe, and other the Leeward Islands; fubject to the French King, 1759. By Richard Gardiner, Efq; Captain of Marines on board his Majesty's Ship Rippon, on the Expedition. 4to. 2s. 6d. Stuart.

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HE tumult of War has been generally thought most unfavourable to the Progrefs of Literature. Late experience, however, evinces the contrary. During the war in which we are at prefent engaged, the Pen has more than kept pace with the Sword: and every fingle expedition has produced a number of Publications. Several military Gentlemen, after having fheathed their fwords, which they wielded for the honour and fervice of their country, have brandifhed their pens for the public information and entertain ment. But among the various candidates who have courted reputation in this two-fold capacity of Warrior and Writer, the martial Author of the account now before us, claims preeminence in point of erudition. This very fprightly and learned piece is fo profufely embellished with claffical decora tions, that it is very difficult to difcover the ground of the Ff 4 work

work, for the thickness of the embroidery. We Reviewers, however, who are not dazzled by the brilliance of quotations, endeavour to do juftice to an Author's intrinfic merit, abftracted from his borrowed ornaments.

When we confider the profeffed defign of this performance, we are concerned to fay, that the Writer does not feem to have fucceeded in the execution. His preface informs us, that The defign of fubmitting to the public the following fheets, is principally owing to a variety of afperfions thrown out upon the British Officers employed on this Expedition.Some,' he continues, cried out vehemently against the Retreat of the troops from MARTINICO, whilst others as loudly exclaimed against the Capitulation of Guadelupe. It was, therefore,' he concludes, in regard to thefe virulences, that he became determined to draw a little account of all the material movements of the Fleets and Forces,' &c.

This intent is, no doubt, laudable. But how does this little account remove thefe virulences; especially with regard to the Retreat from Martinico? After having defcribed the efforts made for the reduction of that island, and the promifing appearances of fuccefs, which flattered the troops with a fpeedy conqueft of the Metropolis, in the very next paragraph the Writer fubjoins, that General Hopfon fent to acquaint the Commodore, that he found it impoffible to stand his ground, unless the fquadron could give him affiftance, by landing fome heavy cannon, &c. at the Savanna; or that the Commodore would attack the Citadel in the Bay, at the fame time he did it on the Shore: both which, he adds, were judged to be impracticable; upon which the General re

imbarked.

Here, however, we naturally look for Reasons why it be came impoffible for the General to maintain his ground, after fuch flattering appearances of fuccefs and if any virulences have been vented, on account of this Retreat, they certainly will never be removed by barely repeating the fact, without an attempt to justify the proceeding.

Nevertheless, this Writer, though not conclufive in point of argument, is fpecious, and not unentertaining. He appears to have a lively imagination, and his ftile, though too flippant for his fubject, is free and sprightly. It would be - injustice not to acknowlege, that there is fomething pich -refque in his imagery, of which the following defcription of the appearance of Barbadoes, may ferve as a fpecimen:

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As the fhips approached, the ifland rofe gradually out of the fea, with a delightful verdure, prefenting a moft invit⚫ing prospect of the country all around, which looked like a garden; the plantations were amazingly beautiful, interfperfed at little diftances from each other, and adorned with fruits of various colours; fome were spread out in fine open lawns, in others the waving canes bowed gently to the wind, from hanging mountains, while the continual motion of the fugar-mills, difperfed in every part, and working, as it were, in concert, enlivened the engaging fcene, and made it infinitely ftriking to eyes long accuf tomed to the unentertaining range of fky and water only.' R-d

The greater Hippias. A Dialogue of Plato concerning the
Beautiful. 4to. 4 s. Sandby...

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4s.

E have the pleasure to obferve, that this learned Tranflator of Plato's works purfues his undertaking with unremitted diligence; and acquits himself with his ufual judgment and accuracy. Concerning his former verfions, of which the laft was that of the Io, we have given our fentiments in the foregoing Reviews*: and with respect to the translation now before us, we recommend it as more interesting and entertaining than either of the preceding ones.

The fubject of the dialogue is opened by the following queftion, propofed by Socrates to Hippias, "What is The Beau"tiful?"The defign of it is, by degrees, to unfold the na ture of true beauty; and to conduct our minds to the view of that being who is beauty itfeif; and from whose original ideas, every particular beauty is copied.

To this end, Plato establishes four grand characteristic marks of the truly beautiful; fuch as the univerfality, fupremacy, famenefs, and immutability of it. These marks are pointed out in a negative way of reafoning, by fhewing, for inftance, the beautiful not to be corporeal beauty, whether fimple, or fet off with ornaments; nor to be the affemblage of all those outward advantages which are vulgarly fuppofed to constitute a happy life, and feem to many above all things beautiful and good, the higheft objects of love and defire; such as riches, health, honour, long life, and a furviving offspring.

In the farther difquifition of this fupreme beauty, the philofopher ftates three other characteristics of it, as - truth or reality; the effence of the truly beautiful being independant See vol. XX. p. 284, 582. 6

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on the fenfes, or on opinion, which prefent us only with appearances of things. Another property is power and government; that is, power to produce good, and government for the fake of producing it. Thefe properties lead to the discovery of a third, which is good, confidered in its fource and fountain; all the good which any being enjoys, naturally flowing from this principle. All this is likewife inculcated in a negative way, by diftinguifhing the truly beautiful, firft, from the meer appearance of it founded on opinion; next, from what in common eftimation is the powerful; and lastly, from the profitable, or probable means of attaining good.

Having explained the nature of the beautiful, the philofopher proceeds to fhew what are the effects of it; what qua lities it communicates to each Being which any way partakes of it; by what part of us, and how, thefe qualities are perceived and felt; and what is the confequence of our having fuch a perception, and fuch a fenfe. We find that every thing, whether it be the object of outward fenfe or of intellect, having in itself any proportion or order, any fpecies of harmony or beauty, oweth fuch form or quality to this all-beauteous principle: this form or quality is perceived only by the mind, which has a faculty or power of perceiving it, only because it partakes of the fame principle. And this perception of harmony or of beauty, is always accompanied by a fense of pleasure and delight, in which confifts the enjoyment and happiness of mind. This reafoning likewife is purfued in a negative manner, by diftinguishing the beautiful from the pleasant, in general, and by throwing out of the inquiry all thofe fpecies of pleasure which have nothing to do with proportion or order, nor immediately affect the mind itfelf, as belonging to another genus or kind of things. In the laft place, to prevent a dangerous and common error concerning the nature of that divine effence, the beautiful, our philofopher intimates that it can be nothing which admits of number, or particular Being or Beings; not even one, as diftinguifhed from any other one; and confequently must be, in the most comprehenfive fenfe, universal.

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From confidering all thefe properties, which are proved by Plato, to be neceflary attributes of the beautiful; it plainly appears to be nothing less than UNIVERSAL FORM*, intelligent and active; imparting form and beauty to all things, as being itself the plenitude of forms, and therefore abfolutely and fupremely fair and beautiful: giving law to infinitude

By this the Platonifts mean, not Nature's outward form, but fome inward principle in Nature, to which that outward form is owing.

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and wildness, and by that law governing the universe and every part of it.-UNIVERSAL REASON-giving bound and measure to all things; affigning them a certain nature, and enduing them with certain properties; and being thus the foundation of all their reality, the cause of all their power and virtue, and the origin of all their good.-UNIVERSAL MIND communicating with a fenfe or tafte of order and proportion, of harmony and beauty, intellectual delight and happiness, branching out into many minds, and making them partakers of its own pure unity, and all-comprehenfive univerfality; yet ftill remaining in itself intire and complete, pure and fimple. Through this process, Plato leads us on to the Knowledge of the DEITY, a point which he has always principally in view, becaufe, according to his doctrine, true virtue depends on it.

Thus we have endeavoured to give a fuccinct abstract of the argument of this dialogue, which, we apprehend, will be more fatisfactory to our Readers, than extracts from the dialogue itself; as it is in general too prolix and fyllogistical, to be agreeable to the modern tafte. It might moreover difguft perfons of extreme delicacy, as the philofopher fometimes indulges himself in vulgar conceits, and makes use of very low images and illuftrations.

We neverthelefs recommend it to the perufal of the attentive and judicious, who will find great fubtlety and strength of reafoning in Plato's manner of expreffing himself. And though the dialectic art feems to be out of fashion, as being tedious and abounding with repetitions, yet without a proper knowledge of it no one can argue with clofenefs and precifion, or be able to manage a difpute to advantage. To the modern inattention in this refpect, we owe the many rambling productions which, being incoherent and unconnected, can never anfwer the purpose of conviction, though, for the fame reafons, they render refutation a difficult labour.

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A Differtation on the Scrofula or King's Evil; in which the Caufes and Nature of this Difeafe are attempted to be demonfrated; and from which the Pregnofis, together with the most natural and rational Method of Cure, is endeavoured to be de duced. By William Scott, M. D. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Cooper.

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HIS gentleman having acquainted us in his preface, that the account given by the antients, of this disease, is very fuperficial and imperfect; that thofe of more modern date (tho

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