in general, than is neceffary for the due nutrition of the body's that nature is fatisfied with little, and that every fupernumerary morfel is not only an unneceffary, but a pernicious load. It is likewife evident to common obfervation, that the practice of washing down every mouthful with a glass of wine, is one of the principal provocatives to excefs in the quantity of our food. "The ftomach," as the ingenious Mandeville has fomewhere faid, is the confcience of the body;" and the man who attends to its fuggeftions will generally have no trefpafs in diet to answer for. But when this bodily confcience firft admonishes the pampered citizen, labouring through a feaft, to lay down his knife; he takes the alarm indeed, but willfully mifconftrues the friendly hint, and topes down a glafs of old hock to filence its importunities; and thus clouds its difcernment, and even renders it for a while, a party in the debauch. Every fucceeding fuggeftion of the alternately fatiated and ftimulated advifer is anfwered in the fame manner; till at last the quantity of the load is barely limited by the capacity of the paunch that is to receive it. By these proceedings, though the intire man, or his head, is not inebriated, his inward monitor in fact is made drunk; acquires a deceitful feeling of powers that it does not possess; becomes an unfaithful guide, and fuffers, nay incites its owner to take in a fuperfluous load, which may undoubtedly lay the foundation of many chronical diseases. So far wine, and still more a variety of wines, taken at our meals, may become noxious, merely as provocatives to excefs in eating.

But wines and other ftrong fermented liquors, taken at or immediately after our meals, likewife, we apprehend, obstruct digeftion; not, as Dr. Cadogan principally fuppofes, by their effects on the ftomach, confidered as a mufcle, and excited by them to expel its crude contents too fuddenly into the bowels; but by their action on the food itself. Digeftion, it is now well known, is a fermentatory procefs, by which the alimentary mafs is decompounded; its oils, falts, and other principles are let loose from their union with each other, and particularly their fixed air; that vinculum or cementing principle which binds the other elements together, which is one of the most effential articles of our food, conftitutes a confiderable part of our substance, and which undoubtedly requires renovation. With this principle, we may observe, (as fome of the Doctor's answerers have already remarked) or at leaft with the late important difcoveries relating to it, he appears to be intirely unacquainted. This principal agent in the nutrition of the body is in fact miftakenly treated by him as a poifon; and even Dr. Falconer does not fufficiently attend to its influence and importance, but fometimes appears to us needlessly apprehenfive of its fuperabundance. Now the extrication of this principle, and confequently

the

the due progrefs of the digeftive procefs, which depends upon it, are known from experiment to be impeded to a confiderable degree, by the addition of vinous liquors, containing a large portion of ardent fpirits, to the fermenting mafs.

On these two accounts we are inclined to join the Doctor in banishing wine from, or at leaft admitting it fomewhat fparingly into, the dining-room:-but in the evening, when the alimentary mixture has been fuffered to pass undisturbed through the material ftages of this fermentatory procefs, we can really fee no very formidable objections to the quaffing a moderate portion of that invigorating, enlivening, and antifeptic liquor; which may then do fervice, in the habit, by thofe very qualities which before rendered it injurious in the ftomach: we mean, by reftraining the flight of that cementing principle on which the foundness of animal and vegetable fubftances is found to depend. At the fame time that we acknowledge, that the babitual use of it does not appear, in general, to be neceffary to health; we must obferve, that the advocates for a little wine every day" might, in our opinion, purfue their fyftem, thus modified, with lefs injury to health, than the ftrict obferver of the Doctor' sprecept; who fhould mortify on small beer and water during fix days of the week, and get drunk, feemingly with his fanction, on the feventh. In what manner however this temperament of ours is to be accommodated to the feftivity of the table, we leave those who may approve of the idea, to adjust in the way that feems best to them.

The most un-chemical, and, according to Dr. Falconer, the most dangerous, error into which Dr. Cadogan has fallen, is in what he has faid concerning the unwholefomeness of bread. He here defends that ufeful and univerfal article of diet: but for thefe and the following remarks on the Doctor's work, we must refer to the pamphlet itfelf; which contains many fenfible and pertinent obfervations that deserve the attention of the public. MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JULY, 1772.

POETICAL.

Art. 11. Hermas; or, the Acarian Shepherds; a Poem in fixteen Books: The Author John Spencer. z Vols. 8vo. 8 s. fewed. Newcastle printed. Sold by Murray in London.

HIS long poem has nothing to recommend it but an appa

the poetical department, as he has made his own fpecies ftand in the order of the univerfe

'What are we mites to all creation then?

What, but an animalcula of men?'

Strange that men who cannot write their own language grammatically, should ever dream of writing poetry!

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Art,

Art. 12. Poems, with a Dramatic Entertainment. By **** 4to. 10 s. 6d. DodЛley.

Thefe poems are written by a Lady †, and do honour to her genius and good fenfe.

We are forry that this and fome other poetical pieces have been somewhat too long unnoticed; the Reviewer in whofe depart ment they were, having been abroad, occasioned the delay. Art. 13. The Chriftiad; an Heroic Poem, in fix Books. Written by Marcus Hieronymus Vida, and tranflated into English Verse by Edward Granan, M. A. &vo. 5 s. fewed. Baldwin. 1771. Scaliger was not mistaken when he obferved that this Poem was written with the bombaft of Lucan. It has done the name of Vida but little honour, and under the difadvantages of this tranflation he fuffers ftill more.

He faid; Peter and John the word obey,

And to the city bend without delay.'

It is a kind of hiftory of the life of Chrift.

Art. 14. Poems, Songs, and Sonnets; together with a Mask. By Thomas Carew, Efq; one of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, and Sewer in Ordinary to Charles I. 12mo. 3 s. Davies.

Carew was not the most miferable rhymer of his day; but he does not appear to invalidate the observation of Pope, that

"in all Charles's days

Rofcommon only boafts unfpotted bays."

There are many indecent paffages in his poems, and more affectation and conceit than genuine wit.

Art. 15. Town Eclogues. By Charles Jenner, M. A. 4to. 2s.

Cadell. 1772.

The best of thefe Eclogues is the Court-chaplain's first expedition to London, which is humouroully defcribed, and not much of a ca.

racatura:

'He mounts his mare, whilst Thomas, at his back,
Conveys twelve fhirts and his best fuit of black,
A half year's tithe to pay his way in town,
His fix beft fermons, and his laft new gown..
To fome kind neighbour he gives up the care
Of buying two young heifers at the fair,
To tend his ftock, to keep his garden nice,
And fell his barley at the market-price.'

But it foon falls off; and a heavinefs, infipidity, and want of tafte, prevail through the Poems in general.

Art. 16. Pifcatory Eclogues, with other poetical Mifcellanies. By Phinehas Fletcher. Illuftrated with Notes critical and explanatory. vo. 3 s.

Cadell.

Phinehas Fletcher was a cotemporary and near relation of the famous dramatic writer of the fame name. He was brought up to the church at the university of Cambridge; was a man of fine taste, and poffeffed the genuine enthufiafm of poetry. Mr. William Thomp

† We have heard the name of Mrs, Penny mentioned on this occafion,

fon, who was a few years ago Poetry-Profeffor in the university of Oxford, and a good poet himself, was a profeffed admirer of Phinehas Fletcher's poems. Befide thefe Pifcatory Eclogues, which are in many places beautiful and picturefque, he wrote feveral other poetical pieces, particularly a capital allegorical poem called the Purple Iland, that has much merit, and many beauties. His works are now scarce. Thefe Eclogues were lately published at Edinburgh. Art. 17. Love in the Suds; a Town Eclogue. Being the Lamentation of Rofcius for the Lofs of his Niky. Folio.

Wheble.

2 s. 6 d. When impudent flander invades the province of just fatire, the only court of criticifm to which its virulent productions are properly amenable, is a court of law. To the critics of Westminster-hall *, therefore, we leave the task of doing juftice to the merits of the prefent performance.

Art. 18. The prefent State of the Nation; or, Love's Labour Lof. A Poem. In eight Books. Izmo. 3 s. 6d. Bath printed, and fold by Newbery in London. 1772.

It is pity this gentleman's Mufe did not take him at his word, when he thus addreffed her, p. 51,

Thou, Mufe, be dumb; reftrain the ardent fire,

Nor me mislead into a premunire.'

The Mufe, perhaps, was affronted at fo fingular a mode of invocation, and fo, out of revenge, went rhiming on, in this ftrange manner, to the end of the book, merely to punifh her untoward votary; and we, for our fins, have been condemned to read it. Art. 19. Fingal. A Poem in fix Books, by Offian: Franflated from the original Galic by Mr. Macpherson; and rendered into Verfe from that Tranflation. 8vo. 4 s. bound. Rivington.

1772.

It is fomewhat fingular that criticifms fhould have been written to prove that Offian is a regular poet; but this, we muft doubtless, afcribe to the partial and the weak fondnefs of a few of his countrymen. A deliberate examination of his compofitions muft convince every intelligent judge that they are only valuable as they throw light on the manners of a rude age. While they fhould have been' abandoned, however, to the hiftorian and the antiquary, they have been fondly held forth as the efforts of the fublimeft genius +, by men who have extolled them beyond the writings of Homer, Virgil, and Milton. The rules of the Stagyrite have been applied to him; and his wild and shapelefs rhapsodies have been confidered as poffeffing the qualities which form the characteristics of an epic poen. It is from a perfuafion of this kind that the publication before us prefents us with the books of FINGAL in verfe. Amidst a multitude of cold and profaic lines, we find some in it that breathe the fpirit of poetry: but, on the whole, we would not encourage this verfifier to proceed in his poetical labours. The virgins whom he courts are

The papers have announced the commencement of a profecution against the Author, or publisher, of this poem.

† See Blair's Differtation, and Duff on original Genius.

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diftant

distant and coy ladies, and yield not to the affiduities of every im portunate fuitor.

THEATRICAL.

Art. 20. The Cooper. A mufical Entertainment, in two Acts, as it is performed at the Theatre Royal in the Hay-Market. The Mufic compofed by Dr. Arne. 8vo. Is. Cox. 1772.

Well enough at the Hay Market, but lefs tolerable in the perufal. Indeed few of thefe little titum-ti performances will bear to be read as Dramatic compofitions; efpecially among thofe which have been lately provided for the entertainment of the public.

MATHEMATICS.

Art. 21. The Practical Navigator and Seaman's new Daily Af fiftant. By J. Hamilton Moore, Teacher of the Mathematics, and late of the Royal Navy. 8vo. 5 s. Richardfon, &c. 1772.

A complete, intelligible, ufeful fyftem of practical navigation, The Author has omitted nothing which is effential to the fubject, and has furnished inftructions and tables, by means of which every cafe that can occur in the bufinefs of a feaman may be easily folved. A book of this kind is very proper for thofe who wish to learn navigation without entering deeply into the mathematical principles upon which this art depends; and must be ferviceable both to teachers and to actual practitioners."

MEDICAL.

Art. 22. An Oration on the Utility of public Infirmaries: Occacafioned by the Opening of the Radcliffe Infirmary at Oxford. By Jofeph Bromehead, M. A. of Queen's College. 4to. 4to. Is.. Rivington. 1772.

The advantage which accrues from public infirmaries, is fo very obvious, that the fitting down feriously to prove their utility, is exactly fuch a task as the collecting arguments on the certainty of death. But this Author is not more unfortunate in his fubject than in his manner of treating it: for although his Oration contains fome proper encomiums on that particular institution which is the fubject of his performance, with a juft tribute of praife to the memory of Dr. Radcliffe, yet it is chiefly compofed of the ufual, trite, remarks on benevolence, arrayed in the foppery of declamation. Art. 23. A Courfe of Chemistry, divided into 24 Lectures, formerly given by the learned Dr. Henry Pemberton, Profeffor of Phyfic at Gresham College, Fellow of the Royal Society, and of that at Berlin. Now first published from the Author's Manufcript, by James Wilfon, M D. 8vo. 5 s. Nourfe.

This is a valuable courfe of lectures; and Dr. Wilfon has done a very acceptable fervice to the chemical world, by making them public.

MISCELLANEOUS Art. 24. A Grammar of the English Language, intended for the Ufe of young Gentlemen and Ladies, paffed the first Principles of Learning. By Mark Anthony Meilan, private Teacher of the Englith Language. 12mo. I s. 6d. Wheble.

If one fhould ask this Writer what the first Principles of learning might be, exclufive of grammar, it is to be prefumed he could only

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have