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dofes in the morning but in general the truce obtained by the opiate given in the evening made the fucceeding day pafs on tolerably eafily; and the patient took the cordial mixture and food better; which laft I always found to be a favourable fymptom, as much as a total aversion to aliment was a bad one.' 1

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

Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica. No. XX. 4to. 55.

Nichols.

ΤΗ HIS publication contains an account of the Literary Society which met at Spalding, in Lincolnshire, in 1710, and was established on rules, in 1712, by a number of gentlemen, who, in the true style of monaftic antiquity, affumed to themselves the denomination of a Cell to the Society of Antiquaries in Lon-. don *; at once expreffing their modefty, and their connection with that refpectable body, of which most of them were allo members, and with which they kept up an uninterrupted correfpondence for upwards of forty years.

This fociety took its rife from a few gentlemen of the town, who met at a coffee-house, to pass away an hour in literary converfation, and reading fome new publications. The founder was Maurice Johnson, efq. a native of Spalding, of the Inner Temple, London. He was only occafionally their prefident: but was their fecretary thirty-five years; during which time he filled four large folio volumes with their acts and obfervations. A fifth volume was continued to the end of the year 1753. Thefe volumes contain a fund of difcoveries, foreign and domeftic, in antiquities, hiftory, and natural philofo

* The first meetings of the Society of Antiquaries were in 1707. The members made a regular election of officers in 4717-18; and were incorporated in 1751.

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fophy, interfperfed with manufcripts of deeds at length, anec dotes, poems, &c. adorned with drawings by Mr. Johnson, and his daughter, Anne Alethea, and others. Members on their admiffion prefented fome valuable book to the Society, and paid twelve fhillings a year, befides a fhilling at each meeting. By thefe means they had formed a valuable library. In 1743, the theological part was given to the church, and placed in cafes in the veftry, where it ftill remains; and the grammatical part to the school, where it ftill is; but both are referved for the Society's ufe, till diffolved; and then these and all in the meeting-room, to be appropriated to public ufe.

Mr. Johnfon's communications to the Society of Antiquaries in London were frequent and numerous. Tranfcripts 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 fecretaries. Mr. Johnfon, the founder, died in February 3755.

In this publication we have a complete lift of the members of this Society, from its first inftitution, to the year 1753. In which lift we have the names of fir Ifaac Newton, fir Hans Sloane, fir Jofeph Ayloffe, bishops Pearce, Pococke, Lyttelton, Drs. Jurin, Taylor, Bentley, Knight, Stukeley, Birch, Mr. Pope, Mr. Gay, Mr. Gale, and a multitude of other eminent men, accompanied with many curious biographical anecdotes.

Befides this lift, the prefent Number contains the Introduction to the Minute Books of the Spalding Society; an Account of a Seal of Amethyst; of a MS. of St. Paul's Epiftles; of Murrhine Veffels; of Franchifes, and Counties Palatine; of the Affize of Bread; of the Mint at Lincoln; and other pieces by Mr. Johnfon. Some Account of St. Ambrofe; an Oration on the Art of Engraving; a Differtation on the Celts; a Vindication of a Pafiage in Virgil, Georg. iv. 511; an Account of feveral 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.

POLITICA L.

An Explanation of the Propofal for the Liquidation of the National Debt. 8vo. 15. Law.

IN

N the pamphlet, of which this is an explanation, the author propofed a general impoft on all the property in Great Britain, in the room of the taxes at prefent existing; and he now

en

endeavours to convince the public that, in confequence of the propofed fubftitution, a great annual faving would be made by every proprietor in the kingdom. Could there exift any fhadow of probability that the author's plan ever will be adopted, it would merit more minute confideration; but, notwithstanding the pains he has taken to explain and enforce it, we apprehend that his demonftration, whether imaginary or not, will prove entirely ineffectual.

The Crifis of the Colonies confidered; with feme Obfervations on the Neceffity of properly connecting their Commercial Intereft with Great Britain and America. Addressed to the Duke of Richmond: with a Letter to Lord Penrhyn, late Chairman of the Committee of Planters and Weft India Merchants. 8vo. is. 6d. Bew.

This author argues for the utility of a free port in the Weft India islands; and the place he propofes is a fine bay in Gre nada, where he thinks there ought alfo to be a royal dock, for the ufe of the English fhips of war employed in the protection of thofe colonies. The old Leeward iflands, he obferves, require affiftance, to afford which, he points out a mode that would not injure the public revenue. According to his ftatement, the four and a half per cent. now paid and levied in each island, after the deductions, before the fugar, for the payment of it is exported, and before the fales 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 fhould ceafe to be paid in the West Indies, and that one half of what he terms the prefent ideal tax be paid on the artival of the fugar, together with the prefent English duties. To give general relief to the planters and fugar-merchants, he alfo recommends to have fugar bonded, in the fame manner as tobacco, in public ware-houfes; or if the merchant, on enter ing the fugar when it arrives, would allow a douceur, instead of giving his bond for future payments, fuch an alternative would often be productive of cafe; and, from the opulent merchant, immediate payment of the duties would give life and efficiency to the revenue.

Among the propofals recommended by this author, is that of a free trade between the British West India iflands and Ame rica. As arguments in favour of this measure, he mentions the former habits of commerce between thofe iflands and the continent, and likewife the reciprocal friendship which would refult from a revival of fuch intercourfe. These are doubtless confiderations which ought to be allowed their due weight; but they would have merited greater regard, had the author previously removed the ftrong objections, offered by lord Sheffield, and other writers, againft this much agitated propofal.

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The Power of Gold difplayed. By Frs. Spilbury. Folio. 6d.

Mr. Spilbury has changed his argumentative style into vehement declamation; and has filled fix folio pages with a bitter Philippic again the medicine act and the minifter. If he has any specific in his difpenfary against madness, we would recommend that he be allowed to fwallow it gratis, for the extraordinary care which he has taken of the health and pockets of his majefty's liege subjects.

POETRY.

Apologia Secunda: or, a Supplementary Apology for Conformity.

8vo. 6d. Bladon.

It may be proper to remind fome of our readers of the Apologia prima, published fome time fince. It was the Apology of a minifter of the church of England (the Rev. Mr. Newton, rector of the united parishes of St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Mary Woolchurch) for quitting his religious connections with the Diffenters, and conforming to the established church *. The Apologia was answered by a Diffenting minifter,' under the title of A Shield for Proteftant Diffenters, in thefe Times of Instability and Mifreprefentation +.' The two Epiftles, before us, are a fecond Apology, addreffed in an ironical ftyle to the Awakened Clergy,' a term by which the conforming minifters were addreffed in the Apologia. The tendency is to expofe fome 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 fprightly work of this kind, we ought not to expect new arguments or connected reafoning: it is enough that we are amufed by a lively representation of what have been efteemed errors; and, in this way, we think the Layman's fuccefs is not inconfiderable. Ecce fignum.

To fchifmatic objections now having attended,
And as we were able our mother defended:
We'll fpeak of the ufeful wife rules fhe enjoins,
Well guarded by fpiritual courts, and by fines.
And fince whatfoever belongs to the gown,
Tho' fmall it may be, fhe etteems as her own;
(For trifles regarded are ever of use

As trifles neglected much ill introduce)
She wifely directs both to colour and shape,
And instead of gay lace, will allow only tape;
And tho' upper garb, fhift from fable to white,
Supporters must always be dark as the night.
Then pray, honor'd clergy, regard your Atrict Vows;
Take heed that moft decently black are your hose;

* See Crit. Rev. vol. lvii. P. 318.

+ Crit. Rev. vol. lviii. p. 77.

And

And let not the night-cap be deck'd out with lace,
Left fuch a gay turn fhou'd endanger the place.'

Moral Fables. 12mo. 35. Robinfon.

We fufpect that we are indebted for these Fables to the ingenious author of the Letters on Taste and Genius. In this work he has affumed a humbler guife, and condefcended to inftruct in the ancient and fimple form of Fable, Compofitions of this kind do not ftrike by the brilliancy of genius, or enlarge the mind by new and unexpected difcoveries. It is fufficient, if they are plain and fimple; and this praise we can fafely bestow on the Fables of our benevolent author. The morals also are drawn with truth; they are extended beyond the ufual length, and inftead of didactic dulnefs, are rendered pleafing and entertaining. On the other hand, we perceive no great variety of fubjects, nor are the old ones enlivened by new incidents, or entertaining defcriptions.

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

The terms Fable and Allegory are frequently ufed indif criminately, and perhaps cannot admit of definitions wholly diftinct from one another. To allegorize truth under a fable, is not held an improper expreffion: and yet Fable, in the fimpleft fenfe, and as fop understood it, that is, excluding the fables of the epic, of the drama, of romance, and novel, may be confidered as diftinct from allegory. This would be found to be the cafe, were we to have recourfe to painting as a criterion. In that piece of Holbein called Death's Dance, we fee emperors, beggars, and others of intermediate stations led up promifcuoufly, and without regard to rank. In this painting, the allegory is obvious. But were we to fee a landscape containing, among other objects, an Afs and a Dog, a Frog and a Moufe, an Cak and a Reed, or other fubjects of fopic fables; we could not know what fable the painter intended, or whether he meant any fable at all: much lefs would we be enabled to form any conjecture relating to a moral sense.'

In fact, when human paffions are perfonified 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 paffions, is not the object of the apologue, whoever are the perfonages, it is then a Fable. That of the Belly and the other Members, by which Menenius Agrippa checked the tumult at Rome, deferves the name of a Fable, though no animated being is introduced : that of the Grafhopper and Ant, though not strictly an allegory, on the other hand, approaches nearly to it. This fubject is however too extenfive for our prefent difcuffion; we can only

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