and frequently reprinted: these are, in this work, all united under one alphabet, and augmented by many hundred words collected by the editor in the different places wherein they are used; the rotation of military quarters and the recruiting fervice, having occafioned him to refide for fome time in moft of the counties in England.' With respect to the firft divifion of the work, the Dictionary of provincial and local words, we with that it had been fomewhat fuller, fince the feveral terms and phrafes which occur in it, are for the most part well and fatisfactorily explained. Of the second part of his publication the editor obferves-'As the local proverbs all allude to the particular hiftory of the places mentioned, or fome ancient cuftoms refpecting them, they feem worth preferving, particularly as both the customs and many of the places alluded to are fliding filently into oblivion." This is in a great degree juft. All of these proverbs, however, do not allude to particular places and ancient cuftoms. Some of them, too, are so very infignificant and unmeaning, as no way to merit retaining while of others it is wholly impoffible to give any kind of interpretation even with the aid of conjecture; fo greatly are they obfcured by time. Of this the compiler appears to be fully fenfible, as he has fet down feveral without a comment or obfervation of any kind. Many of them, likewise, serve for no other purpose than to exhibit barbarifms and corruptions, from which we could wish to fee our language entirely free. As to the concluding fection, which treats of popular fuperflitions and fancies, the Captain honeftly acknowledges that the fubftance of it is chiefly collected from books. The writers confulted on this occafion are K. James I. Glanvil, Dr. Henry More, Beaumont, Aubrey, Mather, Baxter, Reginald Scot, &c. Other articles on this fubject, fays the editor,' and those not a few, have been collected from the mouths of village hiftorians, as they were related to a clofing circle of attentive hearers, affembled in a winter's evening, round the capacious chimney of an old hall or manor-house; for formerly, in countries remote from the metropolis, or which had no immediate intercourfe with it, before news-papers and ftage-coaches had imported fcepticifm, and made every plowman and threfher a politican and freethinker, ghofts, fairies, and witches, with bloody murders committed by tinkers, formed a principal part of rural converfation, in all large affemblies, and particularly thofe in Chriftmas holidays, during the burning of the yule-block.' It will fcarcely be conceived,' continues he, how great a number of fuperftitious notions and practices are ftill remaining and prevalent in different parts of thefe kingdoms, many of which are ftill used and alluded to even in and about the metropolis; and every person, however carefully educated, will, upon examination, find that he has fome how or other imbibed and ftored up in his REV. Jan. 1788. memory, D memory, a much greater number of thefe rules and maxims than he could at first have imagined. To account for this, we need only turn our recollection towards what paffed in our childhood, and reflect on the avidity and pleasure with which we liftened to ftories of ghofts, witches, and fairies, told us by our maids and nurses. And even among those whofe parents had the good fenfe to prohibit fuch relations, there is fcarce one in a thousand but may remember to have heard, from fome maiden aunt or an tiquated coufin, the various omens that have announced the approaching deaths of different branches of the family &c.-The effects of ideas of this kind are not eafily got the better of.'-Very true. We are entirely of Captain Grofe's opinion. To talk, bowever, of the pernicious tendency of thefe ridiculous ftories, at the fame time that he is diffeminating them by means of his book, has furely fomewhat of retrogradation. To speak fincerely, we cannot fay much in praise of this part of the publicationghofts, fairies and witches, are almost every where blackballed. Neither high nor low will, at the prefent day, except in fome very obfcure and remote fituations, admit them to their acquaintance. In a word, enough has been faid about them by writers of former (and more credulous) times. This work may be confidered as a fupplement to Capt. Grofe's Claffical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: fee Review, vol. LXXIV. p. 234. ART. XI. Hiftorical and Critical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of M. de Voltaire: interfperfed with numerous Anecdotes, poetical Pieces, Epigrams, and Bon Mots, little known, and never before published in English, relative to the Literati of France. From the French of Dom Chaudon. 8vo. 6s. Robinsons. 1786. UCH a writer as Voltaire, might be fure of having many Biographers. The life of an author, however, is feldom interefting to the generality of readers. The cabals in which he may have engaged, contribute nothing to his reputation as a literary character, and little to his credit as a man. The days of the philofopher of Ferney, as M. de V. is fometimes called, were paffed in a war of words'-He was involved in difpute and controversy with men of almoft every defcription and character,from the illuftrious Frederic, and the learned Maupertuis, down to the infignificant Freron, and the contemptible Des Fontaines. Dom Chaudon has employed by far too great a number of his pages in giving an account of thefe difputes, in which the public are no way concerned, and from which they cannot receive much entertainment. In the history of Voltaire's tranfactions with various bookfellers, our author, or editor, obferves-It had been as well if Monfieur de Voltaire had not made the public purchase the fame things three or four times over. Five or fix little pieces of of his, appeared every year, which at the end of that year were collected together under the title of Mifcellanies.' This remark, which is undoubtedly juft, will apply particularly to the prefent publication, moft of the anecdotes, &c. here prefented to us as "little known,' having repeatedly appeared in print. It must be obferved too, that many of the quips and quiddities of this great man are omitted in the compilement before us; we could enumerate several, but will content ourselves with printing one of his epigrams, which is much admired on the continent as an elegant parody, and has certainly confiderable point in it. It was occafioned by the publication of a volume entitled Lettres Secrettes, which letters were forged, and attributed to our philofopher : "Voila donc mes Lettres Secrettes, Si fecrettes, que pour lecteur Elles n'ont que leur imprimeur, Et les Meffieurs qui les ont faites." The Abbé Gaultier's account of the fick nefs and death of the 'Infidel, Voltaire +,' and which is to be found in the prefent work, has fomething particularly interefting in it. It would feem, however, that the philofopher, while he received the vifits of the priest, and even appeared to liften to him as his ghoftly director, was actually diverting himself at the officiouinefs which he had fhewn. The following extract is from the memoir of the aforefaid Abbé, published at Paris immediately on the demife of M. de V.The Abbé Mignot promifed me that his uncle fhould fign the retractation which I had prepared. I then told him, that I should be very happy if the Curate of St. Sulpice might be present when M. de Voltaire retracted; and we went to the house of that worthy paftor, who willingly agreed to accompany us. Before we entered the chamber of M. de Voltaire, I read the retractation I had drawn up to the Marquis de Villette, who faid it met with his entire approbation. 'We then entered the apartment of M. de Voltaire: the Curate of St. Sulpice defired to fpeak with him firft, but M. de Voltaire did not seem to know him. I then endeavoured to speak to him in my turn. He feized my hand, and shewed figns of confidence and friendship; but I was much furprised to near him fay to me, Mr. Abbé Gaultier, I beg you would make my compli * An Ex-Jefuit who vifited M. de V. unasked; and with the more confidence,' fays our Author, because he had made a convert of a famous Epicurean.' +"He must have a good stomach," fays Mr. Gray in one of his letters," who can digeit the Crambe recocta of Voltaire. Atheism is a vile difh, though all the cooks of France combine to make new fauces for it." True. But Mr. G. has miftaken the principles of our Philofopher. M. de Voltaire was an Efprit fort, a Freethinker. A Freethinker, however, is not, by confequence, an Atheist. D 2 ments ments to the Abbé Gaultier. He continued to say feveral other unconnected things. As I perceived he was delirious, I faid no. thing to him either of his confeffion or his retractation. I requefted those about him to let me know if his reafon returned, which they promifed me; but, alas! I was informed the next day that he expired three hours after we had left him, that is, the thirtieth of May 1778, about eleven at night. If I had ima gined he would have died fo foon, I would never have left him, but have done my utmost to give him fpiritual affistance. He died therefore without the facraments! God grant he may not have died without a fincere defire to receive them, and an unfeigned intent to retract the impieties of his life.' The Abbé, as appears by his letters, was far too importunate and preffing towards the man whofe recantation he was defirous of receiving. "It was a notable obfervation of a wife father, and no lefs ingenuously confeffed" (fays the excellent Lord Bacon), "That thofe which held and perfuaded preffure of confciences were commonly interefied therein themselves for their own ends." It were to be wifhed that Abbé Gaultier had borne in mind this observation of the reverend father, and conducted himself according to its rule, Monfieur de Voltaire was not without religion, but he could -not endure to hear a priest dogmatize. But whatever might be his notion as to his duty toward God, he had certainly a juft and proper idea of his duty to man, as his conduct in the cafes of Calas and Sirven, befide other inftances, fufficiently teftifies. We fhall conclude our account of this performance with obferving, that Dom Chaudon, a monk, can scarcely be confidered by any one as a proper perfon to give an hiftory of the life and writings of Voltaire. His mind is evidently warped by religious prejudices. The man of whom he writes was affuredly a great genius; and had he confined himself to one particular ftudy, poetry or hiflory, for example, he would have been deemed ftill greater. Like the libertine Lord Bolingbroke, he diminished by his philofophy that reputation which he had justly acquired by his other writings. The tranflation of this work is very indifferently executed, particularly the poetical part. We are told, page 293.- Notwithstanding his enthufiaim in behalf of the English, he confeffed there were among them many unfociable and melancholic characters. He one day faid to Lord Lyttleton, Capricious, proud, the felf fame axe avails, To chop off monarchs' heads, or horfes tails.' The verles in the original are nearly as follow.-We fay nearly because we are obliged to print them from memory, not hav ing a copy at hand. Vous, fiers Ang'ois, et barbares que vous étes, 10 Mais Mais les François plus polis, et aimant les loix, Laiffent les queues a leurs bêtes et les têtes a leurs Rois. Thefe epigrammatic lines were, we believe, composed by Voltaire when he was firft in England, at which time docked horfes were much the fashion: a fashion which had never been seen in France. The Reader will perceive how greatly the expreffion is weakened by the Tranflator, and that the two laft lines are entirely fuppreffed. Another French account of the life of Voltaire has been lately tranflated into English; of which an account will be given in our next. ART. XII. A Declaration of my laft Sentiments on the different Do&rines of Religion. By the late Pierre François le Courayer, D. D. Author of the Differtation on the Validity of English Ordinations, and Tranflator of the Hiftory of the Council of Trent, by Fra. Paoli Sarpi, and of the Hiftory of the Reformation by John Sleidan. Published in French from the MS. of the Author, by William Bell, D. D. Prebendary of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminfter. A faithful Tranflation; to which is prefixed, An Account of Dr. Courayer. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Johnfon. 1787. R. Courayer, who belonged to the order of Regular Canons of St. Auguftine, and was Librarian of St. Genevieve, in Paris, diftinguished himself there by the freedom of his opinions, and was obliged to feek refuge from perfecution, in England. Here his writings and character obtained him the protection of many of the firft men in the kingdom, and a penfion of 2001. per annum from Queen Caroline. He never formally renounced the Roman Catholic communion. He declared, on his deathbed, that he died a member of the Catholic church, but without approving many of the opinions and fuperftitions which had been introduced into it. His laft thoughts, bere tranflated, breathe a spirit of freedom and candour, which reflects honour on his memory. The following opinion concerning the perfon of Chrift, delivered by a profeffed member of the Romish church, may merit fome attention : Of all the modes of explaining the doctrine of the Trinity, I know of none more contrary to the true doctrine of Christianity, than that which supposes in the Deity an existence of three fubftances diftinct, however collateral, however fubordinate. It is, in my apprehenfion, to re-establish Polytheifm, under the pretext of explaining a myftery. The Unity of God is the foundation of the Gospel; and every thing that may in any way affect this truth is dangerous. As Jefus Christ and his Apoftles have laboured, on the one hand, to reclaim the Gentiles from the belief and from the worship of many Gods, and have fuppofed, on the other hand, that the Jews thought • An edition in French is likewife published by Elmsley, pr. 1s. 6d. foundly D 3 |