in his Life of Mr. Pope. He transferred 500l. to Lord Mansfield, Judge Wilmot, and Mr. Charles Yorke, upon truft, to found a Lecure, in the form of a courfe of fermons, to prove the truth of revealed religion in general, and of the Chriftian in particular, from the completion of the prophecies in the Old and New Teftament, which relate to the Chriftian church, efpecially to the apoftacy of Papal Rome. To this foundation we owe the admirable Introductory Lectures of Hurd, and the well-adapted Continuation of Halifax and Bagot.

It is a melancholy reflection, that a life fpent in the conftant purfuit of knowledge frequently terminates in the lofs of thofe powers, the cultivation and improvement of which are attended to with too ftrict and unabated a degree of ardour. This was in fome degree the misfortune of Dr. Warburton. Like Swift and the great Duke of Marlborough, he gradually funk into a fituation in which it was a fatigue to him to enter into general converfation. There were, however, a few old and valuable friends in whofe company, even to the laft, his mental faculties were exerted in their wonted force; and at fuch times he would appear cheerful for several hours, and on the departure of his friends retreat as it were within himself. This melancholy habit was aggravated by the lofs of his only fon, a very promising young gentleman, who died of a confumption but a fhort time before the Bishop, who himself refigned to fate in the 81ft year of his age. A neat marble monument has been lately erected in the cathedral of Gloucefter, with this infcription—

"To the Memory of

WILLIAM WARBURTON, D. D.

For more than 19 Years Bishop of this See,
A Prelate

Of the most fublime Genius, and exquifite Learning.
Both which Talents

He employed, through a long Life,
In the Support

Of what he firmly believed,

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION;

And

Of what he esteemed the best Establishment of it,
THE CHURCH of ENGLAND.

He was born at Newark upon Trent,
Dec. 24, 1698.

Was confecrated BISHOP of Gloucefler,
Jan. 20, 1760.

Died at his Palace, in this City,
June 7, 1779.

And was buried near this Place."

Beneath the entablature is his head in a medallion."

We are informed by Mr. Nichols, that a complete and elegant edition of this learned Prelate's writings is intended for the Public, by his all-accomplished friend, the Bishop of Worcefter. A tribute due to fuch diftinguished merit: and we doubt not but that it will be discharged in a manner every way worthy of the memory of one great Prelate, and the abilities of another.

Nor

Nor is this only the tribute of justice to learning; but of grati tude to friendship.

We shall conclude our extracts of this work with the account which the Editor hath given us of two perfons of far different fame; viz. William Lauder, and Auditor Benfon-both of them Editors of Johnfton, the old Scotch Phyfician's Latin verfion of David's Pfalms: the former immortalized by his own infamy, and the latter by Pope's Dunciad.

William Lauder was a Scotchman, educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he finished his ftudies with reputation, and acquired a confiderable knowledge of the Latin tongue. He afterwards taught with fuccefs in the class of Humanity* ftudents who were recommended to him by the Profeffor thereof. In 1734, he received a teftimonial from the heads of the University, certifying that he was a fit perfon to teach Humanity in any fchool or college whatever; and in 1742 he was recommended by Mr. Patrick Cuming and Mr. Colin Maclaurin, Profeffors of Church History and Mathematics, to the mastership of the Grammar-school at Dundee, then vacant. Whether he fucceeded in this application or not, is uncertain; but afterwards we find him in London, contriving to ruin the reputation of Milton; an attempt which ended in the deftruction of his own. His reason for this attack probably sprung from the virulence of a violent party fpirit, which triumphed over every principle of honour or honesty. He began first to retail part of his defign in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1747; and finding that his forgeries were not detected, was encouraged in 1751 to collect them, with additions, in a volume, intituled An Effay on Milton's Ufe and Imitation of the Moderns in his Paradife Loft." 8vo. The fidelity of his quotations had been doubted by feveral people, and the fallehood of them was foon after demonftrated by Mr. (now Dr.) Douglas, in a pamphlet intituled "Milton vindicated from the Charge of Plagiarism brought against him by Lauder; and Lauder himself convicted of feveral Forgeries and grofs Impofitions on the Public, 1751." The appearance of this detection overwhelmed Lauder with confufion. He fubfcribed a confeffion, dictated by a learned friend ftill living, wherein he ingenuously acknowledged his offence, which he profeffed to have been occafioned by the injury he had received from the difappointment of his expectations of profit from the publication of Johnston's Pfalms. This misfortune he ascribed to the couplet in Mr. Pope's Dunciad, hereafter quoted, and from thence originated his rancour against Milton. He afterwards imputed his conduct to other motives, abused the few friends who continued to countenance him, and, finding that his character was not to be retrieved, quitted the kingdom, and went to Barbadoes, where he fome time taught a school. His behaviour there was mean and despicable; and he paffed the remainder of his life in univerfal contempt. He died fometime about the year 1771.'

'Mr. BENSON was the fon of Sir William Benfon, formerly Sheriff of London. He was born in 1682; and in the reign of Queen Anne

So the Latin tongue is called in Scotland, from the phrafe Claffis bumaniorum literarum.

REV. Nov. 1782.

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made a tour abroad, during which he vifited Hanover and fome other German courts, and Stockholm. In 1710, he was High Sheriff of Wilts, and foon after wrote his famous Letter to Sir Jacob Banks of Minehead, by birth a Swede, but naturalized; wherein he fet forth the miferies of the Swedes, after they had made a furrender of their liberties to arbitrary power, which was then making great advances at home. Being fummoned for this letter before the Lords of the Privy Council, he owned himself to be the author of it, in defiance of a profecution then ordered by the Queen's Attorney General, and put his name to all the fubfequent editions, of which not less than 100,000 copies were fold in our own and foreign languages. He was member for the borough of Shaftesbury in the first parliament of George the First, who, in the year 1718, made him Surveyor General of his works, in the place of Sir Chriftopher Wren; by which he vacated his feat in parliament. He refigned this polt not long after to oblige the then minifter. The commentator on the Dunciad, B. iii. ver. 325, relates, that "Mr. Benfon gave in a report to the Lords, that their houfe, and the painted chamber adjoining, were in immediate danger of falling; whereupon they met in a committee, to appoint fome other place to fit in while the houfe was taking down; but it being propofed to take the opinion of fome other builders, they found it in very good condition. Upon this the Lords were going to addrefs the King against Benfon for fuch a mifreprefentation; but the Earl of Sunderland, then Secretary of State, gave them affurance that his Majefty would remove him; which was done accordingly. In favour of this man, proceeds the note, the famous Sir Chriftopher Wren, who had been Architect to the Crown for above 50 years, built moft of the churches in London, laid the firft flone of St. Paul's, and lived to finish it, had been difplaced from his employment at the age of near 90 years." On the refignation of this office, Mr. Benfon received a fhort time after an affignment of a confiderable debt due to the Crown in Ireland, and also the reverfion of one of the two offices of Auditor of the Impreft, which he enjoyed after the death of Mr. Edward Harley. He attended King George I. in a vifit which he made to his German dominions, and while there gave directions for that curious waterwork in the gardens of Herenhaufen which is known to excel the famous fountain of St. Cloud in France, If we may compare fmalt things with great, the water was laid into the town of Shaftsbury from a farm at a mile diftance, by a horfe engine erected at his expence; but the yearly profits not anfwering the fund and repairs, it failed in about four years, and was renewed again 1714. In the prime of his life few perfons were more diftinguished by the characters of the fine gentleman, the fcholar, the ftatefman, and the patriot; but in the latter part of it, he lived very retired, chiefly at Wimbleton in Surry, where he died February 2, 1754. He was a great admirer of Milton and Johnston, on which account Pope mentions him in the Dunciad: "On two unequal crutches propt he came,

Milton's on this, on that one Johnston's name." To do honour to Milton, he erected a monument to his memory in Weftminster Abbey, employed Mr. Tanner to engrave a medal of him, and paid Mr. Dobfon for tranflating the Paradife Loft into Latin. His own publications were, "Virgil's Husbandry, or an

Effay

Effay on the Georgics; being the Second Book, tranflated into Englifh Verfe: to which are added, the Latin Text, and Mr. Dryden's Verfion, with Notes critical and ruftic, 1724," &vo.; and "Letters concerning Poetical Tranflations, and Virgil's and Milton's Arts of Verfe, &c. 1739."

Our Author is intitled to the thanks of the curious for the pains he takes to gratify them in matters which lie out of the reach of common inftruction; and we wish him fuccefs and encouragement in his future enquiries and pursuits.

ART. II. Collections for the Hiftory of Worcestershire. Vol. II. [By Dr. Nafh.] Folio. 21. 12s. 6d. T. Payne, &c. 1782.

A

General idea of the plan and execution of the first volume. of this very laborious undertaking, was given in our Review, Vol. LXV. p. 257; and the work is now completed with the fame care and attention that were manifested in the former publication. But the local nature of ecclefiaftical antitiquities, and the defcent of manors from family to family, through all their marriages and alienations, of which the principal part of the work neceffarily confifts, furnish very little to intereft the general reader; of this little we fhall, however, fpecify a few inftances. Under the article Kidderminster, the Author has given a very circumftantial and fatisfactory historical account of that town, its trade and population: together with a character and portrait of the celebrated Mr. Baxter, who was many years the minifter there. In treating of the parish of Mathon, on the borders of Herefordshire, a place famous for cyder and perry, we are furnished with the most approved process for making thofe delicious liquors.

In reference to a genealogical table of the family of Percy of Worcester, a branch from the Northumberland family, we are gratified with fome curious remarks on the orthography of furnames; of which great disagreements occur in the fubfcription to old writings. So little was precifion attended to in the fpelling of names, that relations of the neareft affinity often varied from each other in their fignatures; each taking up any combination of letters that did but exprefs the found. Among feveral other inftances produced to illuftrate this obfervation, the moft extraordinary is that of the family above mentioned, twentythree variations being found in fpelling fo fhort a name as Percy! The name however is truly written as here expreffed; being derived from their original domain of Perci or Percy, in lower Normandy.

At the hamlet of Red Ditch, in the patifh of Tardebigg, there is a confiderable manufacture of needles, in which about four hundred perfons are employed, and two thousand more in the neighbourhood. As inconfiderable a thing as a needle may.

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be deemed, it is a pregnant instance of the advantages of manu facture in improving the value of a raw material. Our Author obferves, that the eye is punched four times; and he adds, how many hands and engines it paffes through, from the ore to the fmall wire, I know not, but from the wire to the perfect needle it certainly changes hands more than forty times. Children are put apprentice to the bufiefs at seven years old, and after about one year, an induftrious child will get half a crown a week: women likewife are employed in many branches of the business.' A ftill more extraordinary inftance is cited in the article of lace, when he affirms, that to manufacture a pound of flax into the fineft lace, requires more time than the life of man commonly allows!"

Such are the cafual articles of information and amufement that are thinly feattered and fmothered among loads of genealo gies and boundaries; where they lie for the use of those indefatigable few, who may fearch as diligently from the impulse of curiofity, as the Reviewer is bound to from duty.

Many curious matters of antiquity are contained in an Appendix, particularly relating to that valuable record called Domesday; to that part of which refpecting Worcestershire, the Author has added some interefting notes: and the whole is offered to the Public with that modefty and liberality that chaFacterize the true friend to literary knowledge.:

ART. IV. Antient Metaphyfies: or, the Science of Univerfali. Containing a further Examination of the Principles of Sir Ifaac Newton's Aftronomy. Volume Second: 4to. 18 s. Boards. London, Cadell. 1782.

F this uncommon Writer, we have delivered our opinion in a former Article *; and upon the prefent occafion we find no reason to depart from the fentiments which, at that time, we submitted to our readers. In this volume, he presents the Public with what he terms the second part of his great antient fyftem of Philofophy." It is a leading notion with him, that the age in which we live is exceedingly ignorant; and he obferves, that it is the object of his work to revive the philofophy of mind. He acknowledges indeed that this philofophy once flourished in England, and continued till the days of Dr. Cudworth; but he fancies, that from Mr. Locke down to David Hume and Dr. Priestley, the metaphyfics which have prevailed in Britain are highly abfurd and pernicious.

After having concluded his first volume, the Author intended to treat of man. But the philofophy of mind (fays he with

* Review for September 1779.

great