To these I answer, that all and every Catholic, throughout the whole world, does believe as the council of Frent has decreed, whether they know the words of the decree or not, because all Catholics have an implicit faith in the Church, that is, they all believe as the Church believes, whether they examine into the matter itself or not, and that purely on her unerring authority; an explicit faith being not required for if an explicit faith was required, then few could be Catholics, because there is not one priest perhaps in twenty, that can give a plain and positive account of all the articles of faith, which the Church has ordained.' Here, then, is a total end of all argument, especially where this infallible Church is triumphant. For though the may deign to argue, in her manner, where she is only tolerated, the uses, more expeditious methods, where she can call the magiftrate to her afsistance: for then, whoever scruples, to believe what they do not understand, or quia impoffibile eft, will foon not only believe and understand, but feel alfo the doctrine of compulfion, to enforce an implicit unity of faith. May the God of Mercy preferve us in our errors against such modes of conviction!

Art. 45. An Effay on the Simplicity of Truth; being an Attempt to afcertain the Ufe and Extent of Difcipline in the Church of Christ. To which is added a Postscript on Tithes. Particularly addressed to the People called Quakers; by Catholicus, a peaceable Member of that Society. 8vo. I S. 6 d. Dilly. 1779.

Catholicus is a fenfible well informed writer; and his Effay may be read with profit by the moderate part of his brethren; that is, in. short, by those whose internal good sense leaft requires information and instruction: he may confole himself in the best manner he can for the reception his well meant endeavours may meet with from the rest; and he ought not to be very fanguine in his expectations. A writer who, ike Catholicus, strictly adheres to the great and leading principles of Chriftianity, may be applauded by the unprejudiced and difcerning few; but he will meet with unusual fuccefs, if he be not flightly regarded, or totally disapproved, by the misguided, undiftinguishing many...

Art. 46. A Charge to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of St. Alban's, in 1778, 4to.s. White.

Popery is the great object at which the learned Author aims in this Charge. He laments that there are some symptoms of the present times being rather favourable to it. How vain, it is faid, are the pretences affigned for the repeal of fome of the laws which relate to the profeffion of Popery in this kingdom! If Popery were nothing more than an innocent afsfemblage of opinions merely speculative, the objection would indeed be just and reasonable against the continuance of such laws, being founded in their inconfiftency with Chriftianity and humanity itself. But the Reformers and the friends of the Revolution, clearly discovered the necessity of obstructing the re entrance of an intolerable ufurpation and tyranny over the rights and 'liber. ties of mankind.' In another place he obferves, - There is nothing which demands more earnestly the political attention of the nation than this remark, that the Papacy has uniformly acted on the same maxim to which Polybius ascribes the grandeur of the Roman republic, namely, in taking advantage of every favourable incident in forming new enterprizes on every success. And may we not be appre

apprehenfive of the fame policy now? It is surely a very strained compliment that has been made from a free Proteftant state to the intolerant fuperftition of the fee of Rome..

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• Are they all dead,' exclaims the honest Archdeacon in another place, whose remembrance might carry them back to the dangers, which themselves or their ancestors have formerly escaped, of Popith tyranny? He takes particular notice of what certainly is very notorious, that a petition from the Dissenters, constitutional friends, as he terms them, of this free state, should be rejected, while the Papifts obtain unasked for favour and indulgence. He candidly offers some reasons why he imagines the Dissenters have avoided taking any great notice of this, adding, Surely they have a right to claim at least the fame indulgence which the Papists have.' He recommends it to his brethren to withstand the progress of Popery; at the fame time that he expresses an earnest with that it could be safe' to tolerate them, who will not tolerate us."'

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Art. 47. The Revelation of St. John historically explained; not compiled from Commentators and other Authors, but an OR GINAL, written by John James Bachmair, Μ. Α. 8vo. bound. Dodsley, &c. 1778.

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Many have exposed their weakness, in attempting to explain the revelation of St. John, but good Mr. John James Bachmair, M. A. has done it to all intents and purposes. After ten years close application, he has been lucky enough to find out what is meant by the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven thunders, and the seven vials. The beast, with feven heads and ten horns, has very much been tortured by Proteftant and Roman Catholic commentators, who, hitherto, have never agreed what to make of it, or where to place it; but our Author is so sure of his explanation that' to use his own expreffions, • if the pope himself reads these words, he cannot but confefs, that the great city is Rome, and that we know now where the beast is, and where the whore is carried to by the beaft."

As well-wishers to rational religion and divine revelation, we are forry to think that the true interest of Christianity may suffer by such commentators, though they themselves mean no harm; but our comfort is, that books of this kind will soon be forgotten.

We should have something to do, if we were to point out all the marks of originality which distinguish this commentary. We shall only acquaint our readers, that, according to the prophecies of Mr. B. great revolutions will foon take place: the Turkish empire will be at an end in the year 1803; the great whore of Babylon will have a shameful exit, as she deserves; the millenium in which we actually now live, and which began in the year 1120, will be at an end in 2120: and then farewel all the glory of this world, which will dissolve and be no more; the leases of all empires and all commonwealths will expire within three hundred and forty-one years.Before this short period is elapfed, however, all the Jews will be assembled as a nation, in the holy land, and not a Jew-broker shall be left upon the Royal-exchange to negociate bills, nor an Ifraelite be heard in the streets of London to cry old clothes, or to buy stolen goods. Alas! poor posterity.

Art.

Art. 48. A New Defence of the Holy Roman Church, against Heretics and Schismatics. 8vo. Is. Fielding and Walker. 1779This is not a wolf in sheep's cloathing, but a fox in the wolf's cloathing; a wicked heretic, who, instead of vindicating the Holy Roman Church, exposes the Old Lady to scoffs and ridicule.

Art. 49. Serious Reflections on the late Faft; with a brief Eftimate of the Manners of the Times. 8vo. 6d. Fielding and Walker.

A seasonable and well-meant attempt to awaken the inhabitants of this country to a serious examination of the probable causes of the declension of our national profperity. - The Author is at pains to establish the doctrine of a particular Providence; he takes a short review of the state of religion and virtue amongst us, and he writes like a man of sense and observation.

Art. 50. A Letter to Dr. Fordyce, in Answer to his Sermon on the delusive and perfecuting Spirit of Popery. 8vo. I s. 6d. Robinson.

A feeble attempt to wash the Blackamoor white. Our Readers may form an idea of this fly Roman Catholic by the concluding sentence of his letter, wherein he tells the Doctor that, from the first to the last page of his fermon, there is not, in all his charges against the Roman Catholics, A SINGLE WORD OF TRUTH. Naughty Dr. Fordyce!

SERMONS preached on the late GENERAL FAST, Feb. 10, continued:

See our last Month's Review.

VII. Preached at the Parish Church of Woodford in Effex. By the Rev. T. Maurice, A. B. of University College, Oxford. 8vo. Is. Kearfly.

A very candid and moderate discourse, from Jeremiah xviii. 8. VIII. The Spoilers Spoiled; or, Retaliation denounced against the Enemies of this Church and Nation. By the Rev. Peter Petit, A. Μ. Vicar of Wymondham, and Commissary of Norfolk. 4to. 6d. Baldwin.

Mr. Petit is zealously affected in what, we doubt not, he thinks a good cause; but, it were to be wished that his zeal were tempered with more candour and moderation.-He discourses from Ifaiah xxxiii. 1.

CORRESPONDENCE.

WE are obliged to M. B. for his Verses in praise of our periodical lucubrations; but we hope the Gentleman has a better opinion of our modesty, than to imagine that we could, in any way, be concerned in handing to the PUBLIC the compliment which he has, with too much partiality, lavished upon

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;

MARTINUS SCRIBLERUS and Co.

Cantabrigienfis will fee, in our next Number, the use made of

his obliging communication.

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• One of the Unlearned,' 'wishes' to cut us out more work.

We have already enough on our hands.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For MAY, 1779.

1

ART. I. A Treatise on Government. Translated from the Greek of Ariftotle, by William Ellis, A. M. 4to. 13 s. Boards. Payne, &c. 1778.

THE claffical remains of the ancient Greeks and Romans are chiefly valuable in three respects; as patterns of fine writing; as records of important facts; and as treasuries of science and wisdom.

On the first of these grounds, it appears to us that they best deserve the admiration which has been so liberally bestowed upon them by the moderns. Perhaps almost all our ideas of correctness, strength, and elegance in writing, are derived from the ancients: at least, it may, without hesitation, be afferted, that the most certain way to become acquainted with the principles of just criticism, and to form a true taste in compofition, is to converse familiarly with their writings. But to do this with success, it is necessary to study them in the original; for it is extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, for the most judicious and able tranflator of the claffics to convey a perfect idea of their beauties in any modern language.

As records of facts, the value of the writings of the ancients, though on the whole very great, must be acknowledged to be materially diminished, by the uncertainty which hangs upon the narrative, especially in the more remote periods, and perhaps not a little by the disguise which the ornaments of diction have cast over historical truth. Whatever be the real value of these records, it may however be preserved, with little or no diminution, in correct and faithful translations.

The third ground on which the ancients claim attention and veneration from the moderns, as teachers of science and wifdom, is of a more dubious nature than the two former, and will, perhaps, be found, upon examination, of less value than has commonly been supposed. In all the branches of natural knowledge, the moderns have left them so far behind, as scarcely VOL. LX.

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to find it worth the labour to retrace their infant steps. And in speculative science, all inquiries which are truly valuable, that is, which have for their object the discovery of important truth on topics which lie within the reach of the human intellect, have been pursued much farther, and more successfully, by modern philofophers, than by the fages of Greece and Rome.

The writings of Aristotle, though exceedingly various, belonging in general to this latter class, are, in our judgment, to far from being entitled to that enthusiastic veneration which was universally paid them for many centuries-during which, reading Ariftotle was learning, and adopting his opinions with implicit deference was wisdom-that their utility is in a great meafure superseded by the more fuccessful labours of the moderns. It will, perhaps, be readily admitted that natural history and philosophy may be studied more successfully in the writings of a Linnæus or Buffon, a Boyle or Newton, than in the pages of Aristotle. And we apprehend there would be little difficulty in proving, that the sciences of Metaphyfics, Morals, or Policy, are investigated with more profound penetration, and taught in greater perfection, by our modern Lockes and Huchesons, than by " the mighty Stagyrite."

We are confirmed in this opinion by the work, of which a tranflation is here offered to the Public, which appears to us extremely deficient in that connected train of thinking, and those enlarged and comprehenfive views, which distinguish many of the writings of the moderns. We would not, however, be understood to infinuate that the works of this great philosopher are unworthy of being read or tranflated. His Treatise on Government, doubtless, contains many just observations, records some curious facts, and abounds with ingenious distinctions and accurate definitions. The Public is therefore much indebted to his Tranflator for giving them an opportunity of perusing it in an English verfion, which, though it does not merit the appellation of elegant, is faithful and perfpicuous.

The following rules for preferving a tyrannical government may ferve as a specimen of the tranflation, and at the same time will place, in the strongest point of light, the pernicious nature and destructive tendency of tyranny.

The following things are conducive to preferve tyranny: To keep down those who are of an afpiring difpofition, to take off those who will not fubmit, to allow no public meals, no clubs, no education, nothing at all, but to guard againft every thing that gives rise to high spirits, or mutual confidence; nor to fuffer the learned meetings of those who are at leisure to hold converfation with each other; and to endeavour by every means possible to keep all the people strangers to each other; for knowledge increases mutual confidence; and to oblige all Strangers