Memory; containing many curious Anecdotes of the dramatic and intriguing World; the Amours of the modern Rofcius; the real State of the Cafe for which Theophilus Cibber profecuted Mr. S*****. 4to. 1s. 6d. Bladon. Thefe ghofts of departed players amufe themselves in the shades with rehearfing old flories-the ghefs of departed anecdotes, long ago configned to the grave of oblivion; from whence this Dialogue-writer has in vain attempted to harrow them up. Art. 13. The History of Inland Navigations; particularly thofe of the Duke of Bridgewater, in Lancashire and Cheshire; and the intended one promoted by Earl Gower and other Perfons of Diftinction, in Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire. Illuftrated with Geographical Plans, fhewing the Counties, Townships, and Villages through which thefe Navigations are, or are intended to be carried. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Lownds. The greateft part of this pamphlet is compiled from letters and defcriptions lately inferted in the news-papers: the remainder chiefly confifts of tranfcripts from an excel'ent tract, mentioned in a late Review, and entitled, A View of the Advantages of Inland Navigations, &c. from which this notable history hath alfo taken the liberty of borrowing the engraved plan of the navigable canal intended for a communication between the ports of Liverpool and Hell. Art. 14. Obfervations and Conjectures on fome Paffages of ShakeSpeare. 8vo. 1s. Rivington. With the judgment and penetration of a critic, this Commentator preferves the decency and politenefs fo effential to the character of a gentleman: too often loft in the rude demeanour of the me e fcholar, who is more converfant with books than with men. It is needlefs to enlarge on the merits of fo small a tract. Those who are fund of Shakefpeare, and defirous of perufing whatever may tend towards illuftrating his beauties, will think it fufficient if they are informed that our Obfervator feems poffeffed of a genuine tafte for his Author, and to have been a diligent collater of the old editions. As to his conjectures, if they have not all of them the force of demonftrations, they are, at leaft, upon a footing with the conjectures of all other fcholiafts. But to confefs a truth, without intending any affront to this ingenious Annotator, we muft fay, with the old Roman in the tragedy, we are weary of conjectures; and (with regard to Shakespeare) should not be forry were this pamphlet to end them.' Art. 15. A compleat Syftem of Italian Bosk-keeping, according to the modern Method practifed by Merchants, and others. By Daniel Dowling, late Teacher of the Mathematics. 8vo. Johnston. 4 S Every new book of arithmetic, and every new fyftem of book-keeping, is, of courfe, more perfect than any thing of the kind, before REV. March, 1766. R offered offered to the public' Accordingly Mr. Dowling's book is the beft of the fort, that ever appeared fince the year of the world No. 1. down to the year of our Lord 1765. The next that appears will not fail to be better than Mr. Dowling's. Art. 16. Moral Tales. the French. By Mr. Marmontel. Tranflated from As we have already given an account of the genius and manner of this Writer, in our review of the two firft volumes of thefe tales, (fee Rev. Vol. XXX. p. 59) we shall only obferve that, in the volume now before us, there is the fame merit of fentiment, vivacity, and imagination,—the fame deviations from nature and probability in the original, and the fame want of eafe and elegance in the tranflation. Art. 17. The History and Antiquities of St. Saviour's, Southwark; containing Annals from the first Founding to the prefent Time; Lift of the Priors and Benefactors; Defcription of the Building, Ornaments, Monuments, remarkable Places, &c. with Notes. By Arthur Tiler. 8vo. IS. Wilkie. Collected from Linsted, Stow, Brown Willis, Wever, &c. &c. with a few additions. There is nothing here that can admit or deserve an extract, unless we except the following quaint epitaph on a Grocer: Garret fome call him, bnt that was too high, His name is Gerrard, who now here doth lie; To Heaven, where Grocers there are many more. Art. 18. The Manner of fecuring all Sorts of Brick-buildings from Fire; or a Treatise on the Construction of Arches made with Bricks and Plaifter, called Flat-arches, and of a Roof without Timber, called a Bricked-roof: with the Addition of fome Letters that have paffed between the Count of Efpie, and Peter Wyche, Efq; on this Subject. Adorned with Copper-plates, ferving to illuftrate the whole Work. Written in French by Monfieur le Compte D'Efpic; and tranflated by L. Dutens. 8vo. 2s. Piers. There is no date to the title-page of this treatife, which appears to have been in print thefe five or fix years; and therefore may not properly come under our cognizance, as a new publication: yet, as it hath been very lately advertifed, and relates to a fubject of great importance, we thought fit to afford it a place in our Catalogue.-It feems Mr. W. Beckford, who, a few years ago, fuffered fo much by fire, was defirous of rebuilding his houfe, on the plan laid down by the Count D'Efpie; and this pamphlet contains the correfpondence which enfued on that fubje&t, between our Author and Mr. Wyche, who wrote to the Count, at Mr. B.'s defire, for inftructions, and for workmen who had been been used to conftruct fuch buildings. Whether Mr. B. did actually put this scheme in execution; and how far it might anfwer his expecta. tions, we are not informed; but the defign appears to be very curious; and to have been fuccefsfully tried in France. 19. Art. The Hiftory and Antiquities of the City of Dublin, from the earliest Accounts; compiled from authentic Memoirs, Offices of Record, Manufcript Collections, and other unexceptionable Vouchers. By the late Walter Harris, Efq; with an Appendix containing an History of the Cathedrals of Chrift-church and St. Patrick, the Univerfity, the Hofpitals, and other public Buildings. Alfo Two Plans, one of the City, as it was in the Year 1610, the other as it is at prefent, from the accurate Survey of the late Mr. Rocque; with feveral other Embellishments. 8vo. 6s. Knox. The anonymous Editor of this account of Dublin affures us, that it is compiled from the materials collected by the late Mr. Harris, whofe indefatigable induftry, and opportunities for information, on this fubject, are well known. The public, however, are here only to expect what was intended as part of a more extenfive defign, in wh ch Mr. H. had engaged, with two other gentlemen, of known abilities in the refpective departments which they had undertaken. The whole was to have been entitled, The ancient and prefent State of the City and County of Dublin, Ecclefiaftical as well as Civil; and alfo the Natural Hiftory of the fame County. The civil hiftory and antiquities alone, of the city, are here presented; and the Editor is unable to fay, to what accident or cause the disappointment, with regard to the remainder, is to be charged. -Imperfect, however, and crude as this publication is, it will doubtless be acceptable to the lovers of Ireland in general, and to the natives of its CAPITAL in particular: but to others it will afford no great entertainment; as it contains but a meagre defcription of the city, and the historical details are not of a very interefting nature. The prints, too, which are mentioned in the title, as embellishments of the work, are, in truth, fo poorly done, that they are rather a difgrace to it. It must however be obferved, that the modell Editor, for fuch he really appears to be, does not prefume to recommend what is here offered to the reader as an unexceptionable production; on the contrary, he him!elf mention, it as never having received the Author's left hand:' and he acknowledges that much more might have been faid on fo fruitful an occafion.' But, adds he, as that gentleman has furnithed the contour, this publication may be productive of this happy effect, (befides the pleasure afforded to every lover of Irish antiquities) to prove an incitement to fome able writer, to fet about the completion of a piece on fo entertaining and ufeful a fubject.' * It is propable that one of thefe gentlemen was the late ingenious Dr. Smith, who published the histories of the counties of Cork, Waterford and Kerry. Art. 20. The Life of William Auguftus Duke of Cumberland. Containing a circumftantial and hiftorical Account of the Times for the R 2 Laft laft Forty-four Years. By Andrew Henderfon, M. A. Author of the Hiftory of the Rebellion. 8vo. 5s. Ridley, &c. It was natural to expect that Mr. Henderfon, who has written fo many hiftories, lives, and memoirs of illuftrious perfonages, (of which we have taken due notice in the courfe of our Review) would not be the laft of the biographical tribe, to celebrate fo popular a character as that of his late Royal Highnefs. He is, indeed, as well became fo induftrious a compiler, the first in print, although we have reafon to believe that other pens have been in motion, in order to take the field as early as poffible; but the active North-Briton hat got the fart of them all. It was also equally natural to expect, that from the pen of a NorthBritish Hiftorian, the character of the Royal HERO would probably meet with as little quarter, as the traducers of his fame have reported He himfelf gave to this Hiftorian's vanquished countrymen, on the field of Culloden. But nothing of this kind, no fuch vengeful retaliation, appears in this performance. On the contrary, like a itaunch and thorough Whig, Mr. Henderson is the Duke's warm and zealous panegyrist, as well as his minute and circumftantial historiographer. In his detail, every public action of his Royal Highness is the action of a great man ;. every private deed, the manifeftation of a good one.-All this is very right-we were always equally inclined to think well of the Duke; and we revere his memory as much as Mr. H. poffibly can.-We therefore heartily with our Author fuccefs in this his laudable endeavour to cranf mit the fame of his Royal Highness to future ages, unfullied by the breath of calumny, unimpeached by the flanders of Jacobitical defa mation. We think it quite unneceffary to give any fpecimens of this hiftory, as our Readers are already fo well acquainted with Mr. Henderfon's talents for compofitions of this kind. It is enough that we have apprized the public, that he continues fteady to thofe principles he fo confpicuously manifefted in his Hiftory of the Rebellion; and that, though a Scotchman by birth, he is a very Englishman, in his affection to the late Duke of Cumberland, King George the Third, and all the Royal Family. Art. 21. State Worthies; or the Statefmen and Favourites of England, from the Refloration to the Revolution: their Prudence and Politics, Succeffes and Mifcarriages, Advancements and Falls. By David Lloyd. Republifhed by Charles Whitworth, Efq; 8vo. 2 Vols. 10s. Robfon. To this edition of a well-known, and, in feveral refpects, valuable compilement, are added, characters of the kings and queens of England, during the above period; with tranflations of the Latin paffages, wherewith, according to the fashion of the times in which the Author wrote, the work moft plenteoufly abounds. Mr. Whitworth has also added an Appendix, containing fome lives extracted from Winfianley's Worthies; which, as our Editor obferves, though they may not, perhaps, be wrote with the spirit and concifenefs of Lloyd's, yet may properly accompany his memoirs, in order toward compleating a catalogue, down to the Revolution. Art. 22. Art. 22. A Narrative of the Tranfactions in Bengal, from the Year 1760 to 1764; during the Government of Mr. Henry Vanfittart. Published by himself. Large 8vo. 3 Vols. 18s. bound. Newbery. The original papers contained in thefe volumes are the fame which the friends of Mr. Vanfittart found it neceffary to publish in 1765 with fome few additions ;--they are now connected together, by a narrative, which will render them more intelligible to the Reader.'-The book feller hath advertised, that the purchasers of the former books, (in. 2 vols.) may exchange them for the prefent edition, with an allowance of the price which was paid for them. See Rev. Vol. XXXII. p. 318. Art. 23. Twenty of the Plays of Shakespeare, being the whole Number printed in Quarto, during his Life-time, or before the Reftoration; collated where there were different Copies, and published from the Origina's. By George Steevens, Efq; 8vo. 4 Vols. 11. 4s. Tonfon, &c. The public have, for fome months paft, heard fo much of Shakespeare and of the Stamp-ad, that we believe they have had enough of both, for the prefent. Of the latter fubject, it is rather hoped than expected, they will never hear more; but the former, undoubtedly, will, with pleasure, be revived, in due feafon, and remain a favourite object, with'. all men of true tale, as long as the manly ftrength of our old English poetry fhall be able to maintain its ground against the encroachments and viciffitudes of time, and the fluctuations and corruptions of language. This edition of fo many of Shakespeare's plays, as are beft authenti.. cated, from the circumftance of their having been originally printed in the author's lifetime, before the folio edition published by the players, in 1623, cannot fail of proving acceptable to the more critical admirers, and the future editors, of this prince of modern poets. Mr. Steevens appears to have mot diligently and fkilfully collated the old quarto impreffions, from which the prefent one is made; but this edition, it is ap prehended, will prove lefs agreeable to the generality of readers, than Tibbald's, &c. on account of the old, exploded, barbarous and capricious modes of fpeiling and printing, which are here retained; and which, in our opinion, can only ferve to offend the eye, and confufe. the attention, of thofe who do not perufe thefe admirable writings with fo ftrict a regard to critical minutia, as may feem requifite to the more -learned and curious reader.-Indeed, we are not much delighted with the restoration of these uncouth peculiarities of the times, which rather tend to obfcure than illuftrate the poet's meaning; for they are less the peculiarities of the writer than of the prefs. It is not the genius of Shakespeare, but the unimproved art of his printer, with which we are, in ay efpecial manner, brought acquainted, by thefe literary copies and collations of the earlieft impreffions:-which, nevertheless, as we have already obferved, may prove ferviceable to future editors; and, confidered in that light, they ought to be gratefully received by the R 3 public, |