gether to his brother, in whofe prefence he refutes a malicious charge that has been brought by Totum against A elbert, and joins the hands of Adelbert and Louifa, promifing to renew in them his hopes of hap pinefs, and once more refume the duties of his station. It is remarkable, that of the German plays that have been produced on our stage, none have been very fuccefsful, excepting those which have (as in the prefent inftance) previously undergone very material alterations. Among thofe made in this drama, by Mr. Hoare, the additional parts of Totum abound with humour, and the new features of Von Snarl, are likewife ludicrously entertaining. We do not hesitate to recommend warmly the motives to which, we are told in the Preface, the alterations of Von Snarl's character are owing, as among the various modes in which the German writers have attempted to qualify a licentious fyftem, one of their moft plaufible fchemes has been that of rendering riches the object of hatred, instead of honeft rivalship. This Comedy, we think, does not lofe its beauties in paffing from the stage to the clofer The dialogue is pointed and impreffive. The pathetic fcenes between Leopold and his daughter, are drawn with force. Upon the whole, the performance locks more like an original work than a tranflation; and Mr. H. is particularly deferving of praife or his attention to the morals of the stage. ART. 25. The School for Ingratitude; a Comedy, in Five Ads. Prefented to a Manager of Drury Lane, in March, 1797: curtailed by his Direction, and returned to him in May: Finally, and after the Comedy or Farce in Five Ats, called Cheap Living," (fa like it in many Points! in One fo unlike it!) had been produced at Drury Lane, returned, with a Note from the Prompter; which the Author has not perufed. 8vo. 83 pp. Bell, Oxford-Street. -Preface to the above. 8vo. 29 pp. Same Publisher. The charge brought by this author againft Mr. Richard fon, one of the Managers of Drury-Lane Theatre, and Mr. Reynolds, the dramatic writer, is of a serious kind, and is upported by fome ftrong cit. cumftances of coincidence between the play Cheap Living," and that now before us. Perhaps his not having authenticated it with his name, is the reafon why no anfwer (at least that we have heard of) has yet been given. Had the author, inftead of quaint and fcarcely intelligible remarks, referring to circumftances which are only mentioned in the title-page, told a plain unvarnished tale, and calmly and diftinctly ftated the chief circumftances of refemblance, his complaint would probably have drawn a much greater fhare of public attention. Unfortunately, however, if Mr. R. has taken any part of "The School for Ingratitude," he has ftolen that which "not enriches him;" for flimfy and farcical as " Cheap Living" is, it is certainly more tolerable than its fuppofed prototype, which we conceive would not, in its prefent ftate, be endured on the ftage. Neither do we think any curtailment could have made it a good play. Yet many circumstances of refemblance call for fome explanation; which (if it has not been given) will not be creditable to the Manager, or author accused, any ་་ longer longer to delay. Why the author of The School for Ingratitude" chofe not to perufe the letter which accompanied his returned play (and poffibly might contain fome explanation) he has not told us. His cafe is, however, before the public; and those who have leisure and inclination minutely to compare the two dramas (which we would do if either of them appeared to us to have much merit) can beft decide. ART. 26. The Votary of Wealth. A Comedy. In Five Alts. As performed at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden. By J. G. Holman, Third Edition. 8vo. 87 pp. 25. Longman and Rees. 1799. It is a trite, but certainly a juft complaint, that in the generality of those dramas, which we still, by a kind of cour:efy, call Comedies, prebability of incident, propriety of character, and, in short, common fenfe, are facrificed to the laugh, and confequently the applaufe, of a moment, and that the caprice of the town encourages pieces, which the fober judgment of criticifm cannot approve. Without entering into the queftion, which is, on thefe occafions, moft to blame, the writer or his audience, it is with pleafure that we find, in the play before us, an inftance of public approbation, obtained by more legitimate means, The Votary of Wealth represents a man, who, from his childhood, having obferved the marked attention paid to those who have the reputation of wealth, and the neglect fhown to merit, when accompanied by poverty, makes the accumulation of riches, per fas et nefas, his fole object of pu *fuit; yet, fenfible of its value, has contrived to acquire and preferve a good name. This, tough in the outline it fomewhat resembles a character in the School for Scandal, is well varied by cir "comitances. A wealthy relation in the Eat-Indies, on the point of returning to England, confides to this perfon's care his wife and daugh ter (an only child) who had previoufly returned. Lured by the fortone, to which the latter is heirefs, the "Votary of Wealth" at first defigns to pay his addreffes to her, but, finding her hand and heart are (with her father's content) pre engaged, and it being run oured that the .father has been drowned on his return, he defperately refolves to carry her off by force. A repentant agent of his former villainies first interpofes to prevent this; and the damfel is at laft refcued by one who had been plundered and ruined by the "Votary of Wealth;" but had for a long time bien unapprized of his treachery. In the midft of thefe fcenes, and when the villain had, as a laft refource, (being next heir himself) queftioned the daughter's legitimacy, the father unexpectedly returns, and the exposure of this bafe relation's treachery, the reward of an amiable and favoured lover, and the narriage of him, by whom the young lady had been preferved, with the villain's fifter (of a very different charac from her brother) with tome incidents of lefs importance, conclude the piece. There are feveral fubordinate, but not uninterefting characters; and the dialogue of this Comedy, if not replete with brilliant wit, is by no means wanting in neatness and vivacity, and scarcely ever bor ders on extravagance and burletque. A few improprieties in the plot and characters might indeed be fhown; but, upon the whole, the Votary of Wealth does credit to its author, as a lively, an interefting, and and a moral drama, and may, in our opinion, be justly claffed with the beft productions of the Comic Mufe, which later years have brought to light. ART. 27. Falfe Shame, a Comedy, in Four A&s; tranflated from the German of Kotzebue. 8vo. 25. Vernor and Hood. 1799. वे This is one of the most interesting and entertaining of the comiz German dramas that have come before us. The incidents hang fo well together, and excite fo lively a curiofity, that we rather wonder it has not, by tome one or other, been adapted to the English stage, ART. 28. Due Tragedie di Gaetano Polidori, Maeftro di Lingua Italiane in Londra. 12mo. 42 pp. Dulau. 1799. Thefe two tragedies, entitled Ifabella, and Gernando, have confiderable merit. The language is pure, the dialogue elegant, and the fentences short and of eaty contruction, affording proper examples to the ftudents of the Italian language, for whom we apprehend the dramas are in a great mealure intended. Both of them abound in noble fentiments, particularly Gernando, in which all the characters are great; and the dittrefs arifes not from any rooted villainy, but from the violence of an unconquerable pallion. NOVELS.. ART. 29. Defination, or Memoirs of a Private Family. By Clara Reeve, Author of the Old English Baron, &c. Sc. Three Volumes. 12mo. gs. Longinan. 1799. The moral, the fentiment, and the language of this performance, are unexceptionable; but we are obliged to fay, that it wants both energy and intereft. The Old English Baron excited much and general curiofity, and ftill continues to be multiplied in different editions. We may venture to foretel, that this will not be the cafe with the prefent performance; which we cannot but regret, refpecting, as we really do, the talents and merits of the author. ART. 30. Sigevart. A Tale. Tranflated from the German. By Two Volumes. 24mo. 6s. Polidori. 1799. We have before remarked, that we have feen very few among the humerous tranflations from the German, which, in our opinion, juftified the trouble and expence of publication. In this production, we fee very little to induce us to change our opinion. The story is not very interefting; the incidents discover no great portion of ingenuity; and we think, from the ftyle of the tranilator, that he might have employed his time much better. ART. 31. The Crefted Wren. By Edward Auguftus Kendall. 12mo. zs. Newbery. · 1799. We have before commended this writer, who exercifes refpectable talents for the benefit of children. This is an agreeable and well-told tale, tale, and will, we doubt not, prove equally beneficial to Mr. Newbery and his customers. ART. 32. Eleonora. Novella Morale. Trattenimento Italico di Mrs. Taylor. 12mo. 36 pp. Gillet. 1798. The well-known legendary tale of Leonora, of which we have no Jefs than three English translations, from Burgher's original German. Mrs. T. has followed one of the English verfions, and relates the story in elegant and not inaccurate profe. MEDICINE. ART. 33. Remarks on Mr. John Bell's Anatomy of the Heart and Arteries. By Jonathan Dawplucker, Efq. 8vo. 68 pp. Robinfons. 1799. 2s. 6d. The author of this fatirical piece, under the fanciful name of Dawplucker, has undertaken to examine and criticize a part of Mr. John Bell's volume, on the Anatomy of the Heart and Arteries, but in the execution has betrayed fuch a degree of acrimony, as to give reason to believe, that the gratification of private pique had more influence in producing his criticism, than a defire to correct the errors of the work, or to improve the science of anatomy. The whole is delivered in a ftyle of irony, a weapon the author feems fufficiently expert in ufing, and which is often improperly fubftituted for argument. The defcription of the heart this cenfor acknowledges to be accurate; but he charges the author of the Anatomy with treating the earlier anatomical and chemical writers, and fome of his cotemperaries, with harshness and contempt; with affuming to himself the merit of difcoveries, to which he h no juft title; and with committing fuch errors in his expofition of fome phænomena in chemistry, as fhow him to be but flenderly acquainted with the principles of that art, in which he affects to appear as an adept. The charges are, in fome degree, fubftantiated by quotations from the work. Thefe are certainly blemishes, but do not feem to deferve the fevere cenfure paffed upon them; or that, on account of them, the general merit of the work, which is allowed to be confiderable, fhould be entirely overlooked. The tone of irony affected by this writer, is improper in reviewing a work of feience, and more likely to excite refentment, and occafion a retort in the fame way, than to produce amendment. Accordingly, we understand another pamphlet has already appeared, fuppofed to be written by Mr. John Bell, or one of his friends, not to explain or amend what had been cenfured in his work, but under the fame affumed name, and in the fame ftyle, to cenfure and expofe to ridicule the System of Surgery of Mr. Benjamin Bell, fufpected to be the author of the work before us. We are concerned at finding fuch a kind of warfare carried on by two gentlemen, both skilful in their profeffion, and both enjoying a confiderable portion of reputation and efteem. This will occafion par ties, ties, if not among the profeffors, at leaft among the pupils at Edinburgh; will divert the pupils from their ftudies, and may be produc tive of confiderable mifchief, unless fome friendly mediator should step in to prevent the breach from being further extended, ART. 34. An Effay on the most rational Means of preferving Health, The first part of this book confifts of general obfervations on the means of preferving health, and prolonging life, collected from a variety of authors, ancient and modern, and compiled in an agreeable manner. The author next treats particularly of diet, air, and exercife, fleep and watching, and of the paffions of the mind; and fhows the advantages of early rifing, exercise in the open air, of moderation in diet, and of keeping the paffions under due fubordination. The fecond part confifts of ketches of the lives of perfons who have lived to a great age, This may be confidered as a corollary from the firft, exemplifying the advantages of following the rules that had been before laid down. The whole forms an agreeable atfemblage of cbfervations and facts, and may afford equal amusement and advantage to the reader. ART. 35. A Treatife on the Venereal Rofe. By William Butter, M.D. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, and Member of the Medical Society, both of Edinburgh. 8vo. 78 pp. 35. Cadell and Davies. 1799 By the term venereal rofe, the author means the virulent gonorrhoea. No very cogent reafon is given for changing the name. The difeafe is fufficiently and accurately described. The mode of cure here, recommended, the author received, he fays, from Baron Stork, who, finding the disease frequently refifted the common medicines, tried the extract of hemlock, and fucceeded. This communication the author received in the year 1774, and ever fince that time has ufed the medicine; and, from his own experience with it, affirms, that the extract of hemlock, or more properly, he fays, according to my form, the hemlock mass for pills, is a fafe and certain cure for the venereal rofe," P. 39. The patient is to take two pills, containing five grains of the extract in each, three times a day; at the end of three days, if the disease does not abate in violence, one pill is to be added to each dofe, and at the end of three days more another; but no further addition to be made, becaufe if the diforder is not by this time very much vabated," the author fays, " inattention to rules must be the reason, which no increase of dofe will rectify." P. 42. The author has entire confidence in the ufe of hemleck in KinkCough, but it has not proved equally efficacious in the hands of other practitioners. In gonorrhoea it is certainly not wanted, as that disease is daily cured by medicines lefs fufpicious and hazardous. ART. |