RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIA L.

Art. 42. The Principles of Infidelity and Faith, confidered in a com parative View. Two Difcourfes preached before the University of Oxford, on the first Sunday in Lent; March 21, 1768. By John Rawlins, M. A. of Chrift Church; Rector of Hafelton in Glocestershire, and Minifter of Badley and Wickamford in Worcestershire. 8vo. I S. Fletcher.

The principles of infidelity and faith, and their different effects on the minds and morals of men, are here very juftly confidered, and fet in oppofite and striking points of view.-With a becoming zeal for revealed religion, the Author however is no enemy to found and rational free-thinking; but he treats the common herd of fhallow, pert, and confident pretenders to it with all that feverity which they fo well deferve, and which we ufually find in difcourfes of this kind.

Art. 43. A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Durell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford; occafioned by a late Expulfion of Six Students from Edmond-Hall. By George Whitefield, M. A. late of Pembroke-college, Oxford; and Chaplain to the Countess of Huntingdon. 8vo. 6d. Millan, &c.

In this epiftle, Mr. Whitefield fharply reproves the mafters in Ifrael for their late conduct in expelling the fix methodilical students of Edmond Hall; and very naturally takes occafion to vindicate the principles and practices of that fect of which he is one of the chief founders. Art. 44. Priefcraft defended. A Sermon occafioned by the Expulfion of Six young Gentlemen from the University of Oxford, for praying, reading, and expounding the Scriptures. Humbly dedicated to Mr. V-c-r and the Heads of Houfes, by their humble Servant THE SHAVER. 8vo. 6d. Keith.

Another attack on the v-c-r and heads of houfes, on the fame fubject with that of Mr. Whitefield's Letter above mentioned; but this cunning Shaver is a droll wag; he trims the univerfity gentlemen very fmartly.

Art. 45. A Vindication of the Proceedings against the Six Members of E Hall, Oxford. By a Gentleman of the University. 8vo. 6d. Hingefton.

Although the Writer of this Vindication has not entered very deeply into his fubject, yet we think, fo far as his arguments go, they amount to a fufficient defence of the proceedings to which they relate. It was not to be expected that the methodists, and others who favour metho diftical principles and practices, would let an affair of this fort, fo mortifying to tt afpiring fect, pass over in filence. But will they attempt to difprove the right of focieties to enact laws for the regulation of their own members, and to enforce obedience to thofe laws? certainly not; because nothing can be more notorious than that without fuch ordinances and a due regard to difcipline, no fociety can poffibly fubfit. That the fix young men who were expelled the univerfity, actually did violate the ftatutes of that univerfity, (which they had (worn to obferve) we have no reason to doubt; fince it appeared that they had done fo, on full evidence, to the fatisfaction of the vice-chahcellor, and the other

gentlemen

gentlemen before whom they were tried. It is therefore rightly ob ferved by this Vindicator, that all reafonings of the innocence of the things themselves, which are alledged against the fix members, have nothing to do with the subject, and only ferve to heat the minds of a party. Art. 46. Pietas Oxonienfis: or, a full and impartial Account of the Expulfion of Six Students from St. Edmond-Hall, Oxford. By a Mafter of Arts of the University of Oxford. 8vo. 13. Keith. This is a well-digefted and fpecious defence of the ftudents. We look upon it to be a pamphlet of fuch dangerous tendency, that it ought to be fully answered and refuted, by the gentlemen of Oxford who are fo freely attacked in it. We have not lately met with fo able a vindication of orthodoxy and modern fanaticism; and we cannot but apprehend that if its contents are not properly exposed and refuted, fuch a performance may impofe on and mislead many an unwary reader. The progress of methodism among us is now become fo confiderable, that it seems to be high time for rational religion and common fenfe to keep a good watch, and defend themselves against its encroachments, left we be again overwhelmed by an inundation of pious barba rifm, worse than that of those spiritual Goths and Vandals-the Monks.

SERMONS.

I. On the Death of the Rev. Mr. Samuel Burford, by Samuel Stennet, D. D. with the Oration at his Interment, by William Clarke. Publifhed at the Requeft of the Church, for the Benefit of the Family. I s. Buckland.

II. Solomon's Preference of Death to Life explained and vindicated ; at the English Chapel at Gottenburgh. By George Marriot, fometime Chaplain of the Factory there. Flexney.

III. Zerubbabel's Triumph in the Grace of God; or the great Mountain before him levelled, and the second Temple by him finished : -at Portsmouth, by Samuel Meadows. Keith.

IV. In the Chapel of the Affylum for Female Orphans, at the anniversary Meeting of the Guardians, May 16, 1768. By Thomas Franklin, Vicar of Ware in Hertfordfaire, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty. Davies, &c.

The accounts of the laft publications of Swift's Letters, -Bofwell's Account of Corfica,-the continuation of Clarendon's State Papers, and fome other articles intended for this month's Review, came too late to the hands of the printer; but they will be inferted in our next.

ERRATA, in our laft.

Page 377, first line of the note, for facred professor, read scared

profeffor.

380, 1. 19, for ftrength of his opinions, read ftrength of his

pinions.

382, 1. 13, for data, read data,

APPENDIX

TO THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

VOLUME the THIRTY-EIGHTH.

FOREIGN LITERATURE.

Hiftoire de l'Académie Royale des Infcriptions et Belles Lettres, &c.— The Hiftory of the Royal Academy of Infcriptions and Belles Lettres; with the literary Memoirs extracted from the regifters of that Academy, from the Year 1761 to 1763, inclufive. Vols. 31 and 32. 4to. Paris, 1768.

HE

TH

narrow limits to which we are confined in our very accounts of foreign publications will only admit of our giving a general view of what is contained in these two curious and interefting volumes. It would, indeed, require feveral numbers of our Appendix to give a distinct and satisfactory abftract of them; we fhall not therefore attempt what the nature of our defign renders impracticable.

The hiftorical part of the 31ft volume opens with fome general obfervations on certain paffages in Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, concerning the hiftory of Egypt. Monf. Dupuis, to whom we are indebted for thefe obfervations, tells us, that in the ages of ignorance men read little, and understood lefs, but believed whatever they read, even without understanding it. When knowlege began to diffufe itself over Europe, the antients were univerfally admired; men were dazzled by their fplendor: fome errors, however, were foon difcovered in them, and this difcovery gave rife to a general diftruft. Herodotus, Ariftotle, Pliny the elder, &c. were only accounted idle dreamers, and ftory tellers.

It is doing a fervice to the republic of letters, M. Dupuis tells us, to re-establish the credit of thefe venerable antients, APP. Vol. xxxviii.

LI

and

and this is what he endeavours to do, by refuting fome objections made by Mr. Goguet and other modern writers, in regard to fome parts of the hiftory of Sefoftris, Polygamas, the culture of vines, &c. those who are converfant with such subjects will be pleafed with his obfervations.

The fecond article is a kind of commentary upon two paffages in the fecond book of Herodotus, concerning two very remarkable temples, of one ftone, tranfported from the quarries of Egypt, one to Saïs, the other to Butos, two towns in that part of Egypt, called Delta. Count Caylus enters into a very minute account of all the operations that were neceffary in order to the execution of fuch bold and astonishing defigns; his obfervations are extremely curious, and fhew a very extenfive knowledge of antiquity. In fuch researches, indeed, there is great room for conjecture; his conjectures, however, are very ingenious, though fometimes more fanciful than folid and judicious.

We are indebted likewife to Count Caylus for the third and fourth articles, which relate to fome antient monuments of the Egyptians, for whofe glory he is a warm and zealous advocate.

The fubject of the fifth article is, the antient Parasites, efpecially thofe of the theatre-the other articles in the historical part of this volume, relate to the lives of Afpafia, the Orator Calvus, the Philofophers Sextius, Mufonius and Proclus, the custom of carrying fire before the Roman emperors, the fourth eclogue of Virgil, the Philoctetes of Sophocles, the Iphigenia of Euripides, the first inhabitants of Greece, &c. &c.

The hiftorical part is followed by the Eleges of Abbè Sallier, Abbè du Refnel, M. Bon, M. le Cardinal Paffionêi, M. Lèvefque, M. Falconet, M. Racine, and M. de Bougainville. As most of these academicians have diftinguished themselves in the Republic of Letters, it would give us pleasure to lay before our readers part of what is faid in regard to each of them; the flowers that are fcattered over their tombs, though scattered, perhaps, with too much profufion, cannot fail of giving pleafure to every humane reader, who is concerned for the honour of literature. But we fhall confine ourselves to the Eloge of Monf. Racine.

Lewis Racine, fecond fon of the great RACINE, was born on the second of Nov. 1692. The Chef-d'œuvres of the father are to the fon fo many titles of the highest nobility that is known in the whole empire of letters. He has done more than the defcendants of heroes generally do; he has refleed no difgrace on his illuftrious birth. The Euripides of France had left the theatre at that maturity of age, when a happy genius, perfected by study and reflection, performs miracles. Tired of

thole

thofe applaufes, which penetrate to the inmoft receffes of the heart, but which only produce there a momentary joy, he renounced them in order to raise his mind to immortal objects. The holy fcriptures were his only ftudy, chriftian morality the only rule of his conduct, and a good confcience his only joy; and if the fire of poetry rekindled in his veins, it was only to infpire him with fublime fongs in honour of religion. The fon followed the example of the father; his fentiments were the fame, his ftudies the fame, and his virtues the fame. Nature had given him a ftrong inclination for the theatre; Britannicus, Mithridates, and Iphigenia invited him thither, and prefented him with crowns; he knew how to refift such strong attractives, and denied himself the pleasure of entering into an illuftrious career, which his father had made hafte to quit; and it may be faid with truth that the life of Lewis Racine was a continuation of the laft years of his father.

He loft him when he only knew him by the title of father; he had, however, already received from him the feeds of virtue, RACINE, till his laft breath, had been careful to form the heart of his fon; and when feized with a mortal diforder, he was waiting, with humble refignation, for the decrees of providence, at that very moment, which was for ever to separate him from a family which he loved with the utmoft tenderness. His fon Lewis, who was then only fix years of age, was fitting by him, and reading fuch books of devotion as were fuited to his age, and which at the fame time that they inftructed the child, nourifhed the humble piety of the author of Athalia. This good father had taken care to fecure an excellent education to his fon, by recommending him to M. Rollin, at that time principal of the College of Beauvais. His mother placed him early under the tuition of this able mafter, who, by his writings, is now become master to the whole French youth. He had likewife the advantage of receiving the inftructions, and of seeing the example of M. Mèfenguy, one of the moft virtuous and learned ecclefiaftics in the whole kingdom. The ftudies of young Racine were directed by these able and experienced mafters, and his mind established in the principles of true wisdom and taste. He composed verfes, but he was obliged to conceal them from his mother. As fhe was the widow of one of the greatest poets of France, and left in very moderate circumstances, fhe had no prejudices in favour of poetry; fhe dreaded the mufes, and looked upon them as Sirens, furrounded with fhipwrecks. Boileau himself, by a kind of treafon, discouraged him from cultivating an acquaintance with the mufes. From the beginning of the world, faid he frequently to him, there has never appeared a great poet, the fan of a great poet; and befides, you ought to know better than any perfon what this kind of glory leads 10. Thefe re