them made by all that heard them, or heard of them, as reflec ting on perfons and tranfactions of recent date? That it was, is a matter of public notoriety; it cannot be contradicted. And this interpretation was confirmed by the perfonal behaviour of the preacher to the perfon fuppofed to be reflected on. So that at laft this INFAMOUS CALUMNY turns out to be a fimple allufion to a notorious, undenied, undeniable MATTER OF FACT.'

In his lordship's first letter, he says, —I have neither read nor feen, nor, I believe, ever fhall your printed letter to me. Dr. Lowth obferves upon this, that his lordship imitates the wisdom of the Oftrich; who, when he is pursued, runs his head into a hole, leaving his hinder parts all expofed; and in that fituation, seeing nobody, concludes that nobody fees him.-A good hit, this; and which the Reader will eafily enter into the meaning of, without any comment.

His lordship, in his fecond letter to Dr. Lowth, mentions the decent comparifon to father Harduin, which the remarker calls an infolent and injurious one Is there any thing, fays the Doctor, in the very name of Harduin, that carries with it more than ordinary reproach in the very mention of it? Is his character fo univerfally bad, that no comparison with regard to any part of it can be made, without indecency towards the perfon, who is in any respect compared with him? Harduin was a man of extenfive learning, of much more extenfive reading, of great genius, of a strong, a lively, a fruitful, a forgetive imagination; but very confident, arrogant, precipitate, injudicious, and violently addicted to hypothefis and paradox. What should poffefs the BISHOP, to confider this as a character fo univerfally contemptible, hateful and infamous.'

In his fecond letter too, his lordship fays,-give me leave, first of all, to laugh heartily—and then I will give you an answer. As a gentleman was reading this paftoral letter to a circle of literati at Oxford, one of the company, Dr. Lowth tells us, begged to interrupt the recital at this place, and, after the Bifhop's example, to make a pause in it, for the relaxation of the audience, by telling them the following story.

"A country fellow, among other fights of London, went one day to fee the great fight of all, the lions in the Tower. He foon joined there fome others, who were come upon the fame errand. When they were introduced to the den, and the keeper began to perform his office by exhibiting the feveral animals to the company; the old lion of all, the great king of the beafts, as refenting the indignity of being expofed for a fhew, fhaking his fhaggy mane, lafhing his fides with his tail, and flaring with his fiery eyes, uttered a moft tremendous roar. The poor countryman, all aghaft, with his hair ftanding an end, and huddering in every limb, flunk away, and crept into a corner

to

to hide himself, What's the matter, honeft friend? fays the keeper; prythee, what art afraid of? Why, man, he only LAUGHS! Laughs, quoth a, fays the countryman; d'ye call this LAUGHING? If he looks fo plaguy ugly, and makes fuch a hideous noife, when he LAUGHS; what muft he do, when he GROWLS!"

I have expofed, fays his lordship, or if you will, in your own language, abufed (and I hope to the no fmall fervice of religion and my country) writers of all ranks and characters, civil and ecclefiaftical, living and dead.-Dr. Lowth's remark upon this, is as follows: It has been faid, that a civil ambaffador is, an honeft and grave man, fent abroad to LIE for the good of his country. Agreeably to the Bishop's claim of merit in this place, a facred ambaffador may with equal propriety be defined, a meek and holy perfon commiffioned to RAIL and REVILE for the benefit of the Chriftian religion.'

These are fome of Dr. Lowth's notes and remarks on the fecond epiftolary correfpondence between him and the Bishop of Gloucefter: there are feveral others equally fpirited and pertinent; but we leave our readers to their own reflections on the fpecimens we have given from his unpublished pamphlet: which we apprehended might, without impropriety, be introduced in company with the critical performance that is the more immediate fubje&t of the prefent article.

The principal Truths of natural Religion defended and illuftrated, in nine Differtations: wherein the Objections of Lucretius, Buffon, Maupertuis, Rouffeau, La Mettrie, and other ancient and modern followers of Epicurus are confidered, and their Doctrines refuted. By H. S. Reimarus. Octavo. 6s. Law.

THE

HERE are no writings that afford greater pleasure to a well-difpofed mind, or that are better calculated to eftablish and ftrengthen the principles of genuine piety, than thofe that illuftrate the divine power, wiflom, and goodness, in the works of creation. The marks of thefe perfections are fo numerous, fo clear, and fo ftriking to every attentive obferver, that it is juft matter of wonder, that any who call themselves Philofophers, fhould exclude active, intelligent defign from the univerfe, and afcribe the whole material world, with its various and aftonishing phænomena, to blind chance and neceffity. Such, however, there ftill are, notwithstanding the many excellent performances, wherein the neceffary existence of an intelligent being, the caule and origin of the whole frame of nature, is clearly and unanswerably demonftrated,

As

As to the work before us, it is, in our opinion, a valuable one. The Author feems to be a perfon of very extensive knowledge, of found judgment, enlarged views, and a fincere friend to the best interefts of his fellow creatures. The fubjects he treats of, have, indeed, been often difcuffed by the ableft writers; yet, as the works of nature are a wide field to expatiate in, and afford abundant materials for new improvements and obfervations, fo the intelligent Reader will find fome new hints and illuftrations in this performance, which, probably, have not occurred to him before. The account which Mr. Wynne gives of it in a fhort preface, is as follows.

The defign of the following differtations is to illuftrate the most important truths of natural religion, and to defend them against the attacks of ancient and modern infidels. The original work has met with universal approbation in Germany and Holland; and as we have too many among us who are favourers of the abfurd doctrines of Epicurus, recommended by all the charms of poetry by Lucretius, and lately retailed by feveral art ful and admired French writers, I thought it would not be amifs to put our ingenious Author's fentiments in an English drefs.

I have endeavoured to place M. Reimarus's arguments in the moft confpicuous point of view, and to convey his ideas to the English reader in a plain, eafy ftile; omitting fuch paffages as might divert the attention from the main argument, either by a minute detail of particulars, or by notes and long quotations; and am perfuaded that nothing but redundancies have been cut off, and that what the work lofes in bulk, is made up in perfpicuity.'

The work is divided into nine differtations, in the three first of which our Author treats of the origin of men and animals ; fhews that the material world is not felf-exiftent, eternal, and neceffary; that every thing in it, its various fubftances, their difpofition, figure, qualities, powers, laws of motion, &c. are, adapted to the fubfiftence and accommodation of animate beings.

In the fourth differtation he proves, in a clear and easy manner, the neceffary existence and immutability of an intelligent, powerful, and benevolent being, and treats of final caufes. That the corporeal inanimate world muft have been produced by an intelligent architect, for the fake of animate beings, and confequently with defign, he fhews in the following manner,

1. The material world is in itfelf, and relatively to its own nature, an inanimate thing.

What is inanimate in itself, and relatively to its own nature, cannot, according to its nature, have any consciousness of its own existence and difpofition.

3. What

3. What in its own nature can have no consciousness of its own existence and difpofition, can no more feel any pleasure in its own existence than if it did not really exift; and enjoys as little complacency from any particular difpofition, confidered in itfelf, as from any other difpofition however oppofite to the pre

fent.

4. Whatever, according to its nature, feels as little pleasure in its own existence as if it did not really exist, and receives as little complacency from any particular difpofition confidered in itfelf, as from any other difpofition however oppofite to the prefent; to fuch it muft, according to its own nature, be quite indifferent whether it exifts or not, whether its difpofition be thus or otherwife.

5. Of that which, according to its nature, cannot but be indifferent, whether it really is or is not, whether its difpofition be in this or that manner, the existence or difpofition cannot be determined by its own nature, nor in a manner conformable to the fame.

6. That, of which the existence or difpofition cannot be determined either by its own nature, or in a manner conformable to the fame, must have its existence and difpofition determined by another being, as an efficient caufe; and alfo according to the nature of another thing, and confequently for the fake of another being, as a final caufe.

7. That, of which the existence and difpofition is determined by an efficient caufe, for the fake of fomething else, muft have been produced with a view to the welfare of other beings, and be adapted to their nature.

8. Hence we may conclude that the material world which, in itself and according to its nature, is an inanimate thing, muft have been produced by an intelligent architect, with a view to beings different from inanimate things, and confequently muft correfpond with their nature.

9. Confequently all the harmony and correfpondence obferved between the material inanimate world, and the nature of animate beings, muft arife from the end and defign which the creator had in view.'

Having, in the preceding differtations, endeavoured to fhew that God has created all things for the fake of animate beings, which were brought into existence on their own account, and to enjoy themselves, our Author proceeds, in the fifth differtation, to take a furvey of the animal kingdom, and to enquire more particularly into the execution of the glorious defigns of the great Creator, that his readers may entertain more vely ideas of his infinite power, wifdom, and goodnefs, and at the fame time be affifted in attaining a true knowledge of themfelves, and of that noble end for which they were created, and to which

their powers and faculties are adapted. This differtation is well calculated to afford both inftruction and entertainment to almoft every class of readers.

In all animals, fays our Author, which do not partake of reason, we perceive a certain natural impulfe, instinct, or skill, by which they perform, in a masterly manner, all that the moft perfect reafon could fuggeft to them for the welfare of each species; and this by an innate and prompt dexterity, without any deliberation, trial, or experience; without any inftruction, model, or pattern. This natural impulfe is feen in the filk-worm, the caterpillar, and many other infects, which, in order to change their form, fpin for themselves a foft coque or bed in which they are inclofed, or bury themselves in the earth; in the bees, with regard to the conftruction of their cells, and laying up provision against winter; in birds, which build nefts in a manner adapted for hatching their eggs, and are fo fedulous in hatching and feeding their young, &c. in fishes, which to eject their spawn come from a great distance in the sea, and swim up against the current of fresh-water rivers. In general, there are no kind of irrational creatures, in which the place of reason is not supplied by an innate and peculiar art and fagacity neceflary to their motion, fubfiftence, defence, and the propagation of their species. Thus, in the animal kingdom, we find the compleatest school of art and industry, conducted by fuch as are born masters; we there fee inventions proceeding from the profoundest knowledge of nature and the sciences, and employed to the public benefit of every fpecies. Their domeftic economy discovers rules, methods, regulations, and laws inftituted according to the constitution and circumftances of every kind, and beneficial both to individuals and the whole fpecies. Now, if there can be no address, knowledge, and fkill, without intelligence or defign, all this can never be attributed to the irrational creatures themselves. In them is difplayed an infinite understanding, which is the fource of all poffible fcience and invention, and has contrived means for implanting in the blind nature of every animal fuch a portion of thofe endowments as was neceflary. In thefe inftances alfo appears an unfathomable wifdom which hath, in the most commodious manner, regulated, not only the corporeal world with regard to the conftitution of brutes, and every part of their bodies agreeably to the difpofition of their fouls, but also the extent and laws of their faculties according to the determined mode of life peculiar to every fpecies of animals. Here is likewife difplayed an eternal providence, which has by ansinnate fagacity fo far limited the powers of every fpecies, that it is thereby maintained in the determined proportion. Thefe things likewife exhibit to us an univerfal goodnefs, which makes the existence of all poffible living creatures, and all poffible complacency