doses in the morning : but in general the truce obtained by the opiate given in the evening made the succeeding day pats on tolerably easily; and the patient took the cordial mixture and food better; which last I always found to be a favourable symptom, as much as a total averlion to aliment was a bad one.

We have attended to this part of Dr. Campbell's work, because it seems chiefly to deserve attention. The practice and the regulations are generally judicious; but (we mean it not as a censure) seldom new. We should be inclined to dispute the contagious nature of the disease ; for we have seen more than one epidemic of this kind, supposed to be contagious, which was really not so. It is very difficult to separate the effects of a generally prevailing cause from contagion. We will beg leave to add one precaution to those which have been so very properly employed, in order to preserve the healths of the manufacturers, viz. frequent showers of water through the room, or probably of lime-water. These may be effe&tually procured, without danger from damp, by that very convenient machine, a chamber-bath.

Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica.

No. XX.

410. 55. Nichols. HIS publication contains an account of the Literary Society established on rules, in 1712, by a number of gentlemen, who, in the true style of monastic antiquity, assumed to themselves the denomination of a Cell to the Society of Antiquaries in London*; at once expressing their modeity, and their connection with that respectable body, of which most of them were also members, and with which they kept up an uninterrupted correspondence for upwards of forty years.

This fociety took its rise from a few gentlemen of the town, who met at a coffee-house, to pass away an hour in literary conversation, and reading some new publications. The founder was Maurice Johnson, efq. a native of Spalding, of the Inner Temple, London. He was only occa Gonally their president: but was their secretary thirty-five years; during which time he filled four large folio volumes with their acts and observations. A fifth volume was continued to the end of the year 1753. Thefe volumes contain a fund of discoveries, foreign and domestic, in antiquities, hiftory, and natural philolo.

• The first meetings of the Suciety of Antiquaries were in 1707. The members made a regular election of vificers in 1717-18; and were incor. porated in 1751. VOL. LX. Sept. 1785.

Tophy,

fophy, interspersed wità manuscripts of deeds at length, anec dotes, poems, &c. adorned with drawings by Mr. Johnson, and his daughter, Anne Alethea, and others.' Members on their admision presented some valuable book to the Society, and paid twelve fhillings a year, besides a fhilling at each meeting. By these means they had formed a valuable library.

In 1743, the theological part was given to the church, and placed in cases in the veitry, where it still remains; and the grammatical part to the school, where it still is; but both are reserved for the Society's use, till disolved; and then these and all in the meeting room, to be appropriated to public ufe.

Mr. Johnson's communications to the Society of Antiquaries in London were frequent and numerous. Transcripts of the Minutes of the Spalding Society were regularly fent up and read to them; and if they do not appear fairly entered in the register of the latter, it must be owing to the negligence of the secretaries. - Mr. Johnson, the founder, died in February 1755.

In this publication we have a complete list of the members of this Society, from its first inftitution, to the year 1753. lor which lift we have the naines of fir Isaac Newton, tir Hans Sloane, fir Jofeph Ayloffe, bithops Pearce, Pococke, Lyttelton, Drs. Jurin, Taylor, Bentley, Knighe, Stukeley, Birch, Mr. Pope, Mr. Gay, Mr. Gale, and a multitude of other eminent men, accompanies with many curicus biographical anecdotes.

Besides this lift, the present Number contains the Introduc. tion to the Minute Books of the Spalding Society; an Account of a Seal of Amethyst ; of a MS. of St. Paul's Epistles ; of Murrhine Vessels ; of Franchises, and Counties Palatine ; of the Astize of Bread ; of the Mint at Lincoln; and other pieces by Mr. Johnson. Some Account of St. Ambrose ; an Oration on the Art of Engraving; a Dissertation on the Celts; a Vindicaticn of a Paliage in Virgil, Georg. iv. 511; an Account of several Antiquities in different Parts of the Kingdom, by Samuel Gale, &c.

The most entertaining part of this publication is the Biogra. phical Account of the Spalding Society,

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.
P O L I T

I TIC CA L.
An Explanation of the Proposal for the Liquidation of the National

Debt. 8vo. Law. IN IN the pamphlet, of which this is an explanation, the author

proposed a general impoft on all the property in Great Britain, in the room of the taxes at present existing; and he now

ene

15. 6d.

endeavours to convince the public that, in consequence of the
proposed substitution, a great annual saving would be made by
every proprietor in the kingdom. Could there exist any shadow
of probability that the autitor's plan ever will be adopted, it
would merit more minute consideration ; but, notwithitanding
the pains he has taken to explain and enforce it, we apprehend
that his demonstration, whether imaginary or not, will prove
entirely ineffectual.
The Crisis of the Colonies confidered; with fome Observations on the

Necesity of properly connecting ibeir Commercial Interest with
Great Britain and America. Addressed to the Duke of Rich.
mond: with a Letter to Lord Penrhyn, late Chairman of the
Committee of Planters and Weft India Merchants. Svo.
Bew.

This author argues for the utility of a free port in the West India islands, and the place he proposes is a fine bay in Grenada, where he thinks there ought also to be a royal dock, for the use of the Englifh thips of war employed in the protection of those colonies. The old Leeward islands, he observes, require aflittance, to afford which, he points out a mode that would not injure the public revenue. According to his statement, the four and a half per cent. now paid and levied in each iland; after the deductions, before the lugar, for the payment of it is exported, and before the sales are completed on its arrival in England, leave not in the public coffers one half of what is paid by the planters. He therefore proposes that this tax should cease to be paid in the West Indics, and that one half of what he terms the present ideal tax be paid on the artival of the sugar, together with the prefent English duties. To give general relief to the planters and sugar-merchants, he also recommends to have sugar bonded, in the fame manner as tobacco, in public ware-houfes; or if the merchant, on entering the sugar when it arrives, would allow a douceur, instead of giving his boņd for future payments, such an alternative would often be productive of case; and, from the opulent merchant, immediate payment of the duties would give life and efficiency to the revenue.

Among the proposals recommended by this author, is that of a free trade between the British West India islands and Ames rica. As arguments in favour of this measure, he mentions the former habits of commerce between those islands and the con. tinent, and likewise the reciprocal friendship which would refult from a revival of such intercourse. These are doubtless considerations which ought to be allowed their due weight; but they would have merited greater regard, had the author previously removed the strong objections, offered by lord Sheffield, and other writers, againt this much agitated proposal.

The

The Power of Gold displayed. By Frs. Spilbury. Folio. 61.

Mr. Spiisbury has changed his argumentative style into vehement declamation; and has filled fix folio pages

with a bitter Philippic again the medicine act and the minister. If he has any specific in his dispensary against madness, we would recommend that he be allowed to swallow it gratis, for the extraordinary care which he has taken of the health and pockets of his majesty's liege subjects.

PO E T RY.
Apologia Secunda : or, a supplementary Apology for Conformity.

8vo. 6d. Bladon.
It may be proper to remind some of our readers of the Apo-
logia prima, published some time since. It was the Apology
of a minister of the church of England (the Rev. Mr. Newton,
rector of the united parishes of St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Ma-
ry Woolchurch) for quitting his religious connections with the
Dissenters, and conforming to the established church *. The
Apologia was answered by a · Diffenting minifter,' under the
title of " A Shield for Protestant Diflenters, in these Times of
Instability and Misrepresentation ti' The two Epift!es, before
us, are a second Apology, addressed in an ironical style to the
"Awakened Clergy,' a term by which the conforming mini.
Iters were addressed in the Apologia. The tendency is to ex-
pose some apparent contradictions in the ceremonies of the
church of England, and to point out its near approach to the
ceremonies of that of Rome. In a sprightly work of this kind,
we ought not to expect new arguments or connected reasoning :
it is enough that we are amused by a lively representation of
what have been esteemed eriors; and, in this way, we think
the Layman's success is not inconfiderable. Ecce fignum.

• To schismatic objections now having attended,
And as we were able our mother defended :
We'll speak of the useful wise rules she enjoins,
Well guarded by spiritual courts, and by fines.
And since whatsoever belongs to the gown,
Tho'small it may be, she etteems as her own;
(For trifles regarded are ever of use
As trifes neglected much ill introduce)
She wisely directs both to colour and shape,
And instead of gay lace, will allow only tape ;
And tho' upper garb, shift from fable to white,
Supporters must always be dark as the night.
Then pray, honor'd clergy, regard your Itrict
Take heed that most decently black are your hose;

1

VOWS ;

* See Crit. Rev. vol. Ivii. p. 318.

+ Crit. Rev. vol. Iviii. p. 77.

And

I 2mo.

And let not the night-cap be deck'd out with lace,
Lest such a gay turn fou'd endanger the place.'
Moral Fables.

35. Robinson. We suspect that we are indebted for these Fables to the ingenious author of the Letters on Taste and Genius. In this work he has assumed a humbler guise, and condescended to infrac in the ancient and simple form of Fable. Compositions of this kind do not strike by the brilliancy of genius, or enlarge the mind by new and unexpected discoveries. It is fufficient, if they are plain and simple ; and this praise we can safely bestow on the Fables of our benevolent author. The morals also are drawn with truth; they are extended beyond the usual length, and instead of didactic dulnefs, are rendered pleasing and entertaining. On the other hand, we perceive no great variety of subjects, nor are the old ones enlivened by new incidents, or entertaining descriptions.

The introduction is clear and easy: we shall extract from ir the distinction between Allegory and Fable, rather on account of the illustration than for the accuracy of the definition.

• The terms Fable and Allegory are frequently used indiscriminately, and perhaps cannot admit of definitions wholly distinct from one another. To allegorize truth under a fable, is not held an improper expresion : and yet Fable, in the fimplett sense, and as #iop understood it, that is, excluding the fables of the epic, of the drama, of romance, and novel, may be considered as distinct from allegory. This would be found to be the case, were we to have recourse to painting as a criterion. In that piece of Holbein called Death's Dance, we see emperors, beggars, and others of intermediate stations led up

promiscuously, and without regard to rank. In this painting, the allegory is obvious. But were we to see a landscape con, taining, among other objects, an Ass and a Dog, a Frog and a Mouse, an Cak and a Reed, or other subjects of Æfopic fae bles; we could not know what fable the painter intended, or whether he meant any fable at all : much less would we be enabled to form any conjecture relating to a moral sense.'

In fact, when human pafsions are personified under the names of brutes, the Fable becomes to all intents and purposes an Allegory. But, when it relates to human conduct, which, though often under the influence of the passions, is not the object of the apologue, whoever are the personages, it is then a Fable. That of the Belly and the other Members, by which Menenius Agrippa checked the tumult at Rome, deserves the name of a Fable, though no animated being is introduced : that of the Grashopper and Ant, though not ftrictly an allegory, on the other hand, approaches nearly to it. This subject is however too extensive for our present discussion : we can only

Q.3