He has taken great pains to prove felf-evident propofitions; and his reflections, fuch as they are, loft in a wilderness of words. He particularly cenfures the oaths prefcribed by the Militia-Aa; and propofes, by way of amendment, the form of an Oath of his own penning, in which we find the following extraordinary clause. 'I A. B. do fwear, that I will always bear faith and true allegiance to his Majefty King George, his heirs, &c. And further, that I shall and will, at all times prevent and discover, with intent to prevent, to my utmost power, all treasons and traiterous confpiracies against his or their perfons, their crown and dignity, which I ⚫ fhall I know or credibly hear of. It is fcarce conceiveable how so much nonfenfe could be crowded in fuch a narrow compafs. Not to mention the fhocking impropriety of making a man fwear that he ball do any act,-We would ask the Author, with what fafety of confcience any one can fwear, that he fhall and will discover treafons, &c.? The word difcover, is too equi vocal an expreffion to be used in this place: it often means to find out; and no man alive can swear, that he fhall and will find out treafons, &c. It would be ftill more abfurd and dangerous for a man to fwear that he fhall and will prevent and discover, with intent to 'prevent,' &c.-It would be very unfafe in any one to fwear, that he fhall and will prevent treasons, &c. but it would be a further violence, to make him fwear even to his intent. The words, or cre'dibly hear of,' which clofe his fentence, are of a piece with the reft; for the conftruction of them is so obfcure and ambiguous, that it is difficult to fay whether they allude to the credibility of the confpiracies which the Deponent fhall hear of, or to the credibility of his having heard of any at all. It is pleasant to obferve this Oathmaker tax the Laws with obfcurity and uncertainty, and tell us, that they ought to be plain, clear, and certain in the expreffion. He is the more inexcufable, as the words of the Oath, which, by way of amendment, he has altered into nonfense, are in themfelves clear, precife, and determinate; they are as follows. "I will (not I shall and will) do my utmost endeavours to dif"clofe and make known (not to prevent and discover) to his Majefty " and his fucceffors, (not his heirs and fucceffors) all treafons and "traiterous confpiracies which I shall know (not credibly hear of) to "be against him or any of them." Heaven defend us from fuch Emendators! Art. 41. Britain's Barrier; or a Scheme for a Voluntary Militia, &c. 8vo. 6d. Fenner. This appears to be the work of fome well-meaning, zealous Proteftant, who inveighs bitterly against a Militia compofed of Mob and proposes, that none be admitted lefs worth in poffeffion, or vjble reverfion, than fifty pounds.' What he means by vifible re averfhono verfion, we cannot conceive: but we are of opinion, that any reverfion of fifty pounds, can scarce be called property, or deemed fufficient to draw the reverfioner from among the Mob, if, by Mob, the Writer means men of no property. We are not perfuaded, however, that it would be advifeable, if practicable, to establish a Militia wherein the common foldiers should be men of property. The enjoyment of property, added to the freedom which every Briton inherits, gives the poffeffor fuch notions of independance, that he cannot fubmit to pay that fervile obedience to his Commanders, and preserve that rigid difcipline which is the life of all military inftitutions. Neither can the writer of this article entirely fall in with the notion of a Brother Reviewer, that property will animate men to fight more courageously in defence of their country. Experience rather teaches us, that poverty is the strongest incitement to intrepidity. It is he nature of man to be more ftrenuous in purfuit of future acquifition, than earnest in maintaining prefent poffeffions. Men of defperate fortune will dare more to better their condition, than thofe in affluent circumftances will venture to fecure their enjoyments. Upon the whole, we do not think that this Writer's visionary scheme either can be, or ought to be, reduced to practice. POETICAL. Art. 42. Youthful Amusements, in Verfe, on different Occafions. 8vo. Is. Owen. The Editor of thefe pieces of Verfification, which are ten in number, informs us, that they fell into his hands by chance; that he is a stranger to the Writer, and, therefore, that he thinks it neceffary to make the following apology for the publication of them. The pieces were read by fome men efteemed for learning and genius, who, if they did not highly applaud, did not condemn, but admitted a fimplicity and feeling in them, which might fave the Editor from the cenfure of being void of judgment.' Tho' we cannot apprehend that this modest Editor would have facrificed any reputation by fuppreffing these amusements, yet we muft confefs our having been obliged to travel through many larger collections of worfe-tagged rhymes. But the following fpecimen, (which is felected merely on account of its being moft fuitable to our limits), will enable the Reader to judge for himself. To a WOOD-LARK, that fung daily at my Sweet vifitant, whofe fong may vie Window. Purfues Pursues the wild harmonious maze, To thee; thy notes the ploughmen chear, Art. 43. Virtue the Source of Pleafure. Buckland. 8vo. 4s. 6d. bound. A collection of devout and moral Poems.--which we are forry to fee in print, as they can derive no great credit to the Pot*: who, we hear, bears a very worthy character as a man. The Author's name is Barnard, as we learn from his advertifements in the public papers. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 44. The Cyder-maker's Inftructor, Sweet-maker's Affiftant, and Victualler's, and Housekeepers Director. Part I. Directs the Grower to make his Cyder in the Manner foreign Wines are made; to preferve its Body and Flavour; to lay on a Colour, and to cure all its Disorders, whether bad flavoured, pricked, cily, or ropy Part II. Inftructs the Trader, or Housekeeper, to make Raifin-wines, at a Small Expence, littlt, if any thing, inferior to foreign Wines in Strength or Flavour; to cure their Disorders; to lay on them new Bodies, Colour, &c. Part III. Directs the Brewer to fine his Beer and Ale, in a fhort Time, and to cure them if pricked or ropy, &c. &c. All actually deduced from the Author's Experience. By Thomas Chapman, Wine-cooper. 8vo. 2s. Printed at Cirencester, for S. Rudder. As it is more than probable, that Mr. Chapman underftands Cydermaking and Brewing better than the Reviewers can pretend to do, they will not hazard a fingle criticifm on his performance: at the fame, too, and for the fame reafon, they cannot venture to recommend it, as experience alone ought to pronounce on fuch fubjects. Art. Art. 45. Magazin des Enfans: or, the young Miffes Magazine; containing Dialogues between a Governess and several young Ladies of Quality, her Scholars. In which each Lady is made to speak according to her particular Genius, Temper, and Inclination; their feveral Faults are pointed out, and the cafy Way to mend them, as well as to think, and speak, and att properly; no lefs Care being taken to form their Hearts to Goodness, than to enlighten their Understandings with useful Knowlege. A Short and clear Abridgment is alfo given of facred and prophane Hiftory, and fome Leffons in Geography. The ufeful is blended throughout with the agreeable, the whole being interfperfed with proper Reflections, and moral Tales. By Madam Le Prince de Beaumont. Tranflated from the French. Vol. I. 12mo. 1 s. 6d. bound. Haberkorn. This is the prettiest book of the kind that we have feen. It is written in the Socratic manner, and cannot fail of entertaining, while it improves, the young Readers for whofe ufe it is intended. Madam de Beaumont is excellent in this way, as well as in performances of a fuperior kind. Her Education compleat, of which we gave fome account in the ninth volume of the Review, page 310, does honour to her profeffion as a Tutrefs; and her Magazin François, tho' discontinued, long fince established her character as a woman of genius and taste. Of the work now before us, four little tomes are published in French; one only of which has yet appeared in English; but we doubt not the public will fufficiently encourage a translation of the whole. Art. 46. The Nonpareil; or the Quintessence of Wit and Humour : being a choice Collection of thofe Pieces that were most admired in the ever-to be-remembered Midwife; or, Old Woman's Magazine. Pieces which (as a celebrated Author observes) will ftand the Teft of all Ages, and live, and be read, till Time is no more. To which is added, an Index to Mankind; or, Maxims felected from the Wits of all Nations, &c. &c. 12mo. 3s. Carnan. When the pieces in this collection were first published, they had their admirers; and fome of them are, indeed, worth preferving; especially in an age wherein Wit and Humour are almoft as fcarce as courage among ourselves, or public spirit in our Colonies. Art. 47. The Beauties of England; or a comprehensive View of the public Structures, the Seats of the Nobillty and Gentry, the two Univerfities, the Cities, Market-Towns, Antiquities, and Curiofities, natural and artificial, for which this Island is remarkable. Including a circumftantial Account of the Curiofities of London and Westminster, &c. 12mo. 3s. Davis & Co. Abridged Abridged from the Tour through Great Britain, &c. and intended as a Travelling Pocket-Companion, to point out whatever merits the attention of the English Traveller, or the observation of the Foreigner. The whole is divided into counties, and a copious table of the contents is prefixed. Art. 48. An Address humbly offered to the Ladies of Great Britain, relating to the most valuable part of ornamental manufacture in their drefs. 12mo. 6d. Millar. The defign of this Addrefs is to recommend to the Ladies the improvement of the manufacturing modern English point-lace; a fubject certainly well worth the attention, now especially, of the opulent Fair. The Addreffer, Mrs. Holt, of Ludgate-hill, is faid to be well qualified for carrying such an undertaking into execution, if properly encouraged. Art. 49. The Trial of the Time-killers. A Comedy of five acts. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Owen. We are made acquainted with the scheme of this Comedy in the following words, prefixed to it. In this fatire the prefent fashionable ways of mifpending time are confidered and cenfured-and offenders punished. The performance is not deftitute of humour, but it is too tedious and declamatory to be generally entertaining, From both the plan and execution there is reafon to believe it the production of the fame pen to which we owe the Trial of the Lady Allurea Luxury, mentioned in the laft volume of the Review, p. 459. Art. 50. An Appeal to the Public, concerning the Distilling Trade: with a rational Scheme to extirpate it from the Nation. By Red-Hot. 8vo. 6d. Kinnerfly. Mr. Red-Hot addreffes his readers under falfe colours and pretences; notwithflanding the feeming warmth of his affumed name, he is quite a cool Writer: nay, he honeftly confeffes, that his chief design is, by reafoning, to fave the diftillery from deftruction, (though his title is otherwife) and fix it agreeable to the trade and the public." -To fuch as infift upon the neceffity of an abfolute abolition of the English diftillery, the following fcheme is offered for that purpose. From this day let the difilling trade be fhut up from any perfon fetting up in it, but thofe that have, or are ferving their apprenticefhips to it; excluding thofe that have ferved an apprenticeship to it, and are now fettled in any other bufinefs,-Upon the death of any • prefent diftiller, by which is meant all that are now in the business, as well makers of fpirits, as rectifiers, and makers of compounds, that have fills up, and ufe them for any of the aforefaid purpofes, his widow, as likewife the widows of thofe that may fet up, to con⚫tinue in the bufinefs during the time fhe is a widow; and all widows, ⚫ or maiden women, that are now fet up in the bufinefs as aforefaid, ⚫ to continue in it as long as they remain unmarried.' To |