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communicate, as well as receive, was always welcome, and that few men came into company, better qualified to please, or to infru&t.-But

"Great men ufe a wit as a rake does a whore,

When their end is obtain'd, they fee him no more.

and Ruffet, with all his talents, endearing qualities, and correctness of taste, was jofled out of his friend's memory, by horfejockies, valets, and gamblers, before my lord reached Dover, on his way to the continent.

But the memories of Oxford tradefmen, the cellar-man, and the attendants of the junior common room, were more retentive, and my reader will hear with concern, that after much anxiety, and much trouble, this amiable man died of a broken heart. The writer of this article cannot but drop a tear to the memory of one, with whom he has paffed many a useful, and many an agreeable bour, (hours, alas! to return no more,) in the mutual, but unfuccefsful effort, of alleviating anguish, which can ceafe only with life, palliating evils and foftening profpects, over which the ftrong hand of death alone is able to throw a veil.

I cannot mention the university, without fuggefting a wish, that parents would not be fo eager to educate their fons in those feminaries, without a perfect knowledge of the neceffary expence, and the dangerous fituation of a young man on his first entering a cotlege. And it were well if heads of houses, unless they wish to see their walls deferted, it were well, if they would not leave the newcomers, who have been long, and ardently panting for liberty, a prey to rapacious tradefmen, or to what is ftill worfe, the licen tious exceffes of their own paffions: furely it becomes them to enforce compliance, or reform abuse, and to guard the rifing generation, for whofe fate they are anfwerable, against the bewitching fnares of vice and diffipation, which every where surround, and invite them. We may then venture to fend our fons, without a certainty of their morals, health, and fortune, being irretrievably detroyed.

In a declamatory, but not ill-written pamphlet, which a dif appointed candidate for a fellowship once fhewed me in manufcript, called, "Oxford diffected, or that univerfity difplayed in its proper colours," I remember his faying, that to a certain college, every member was a benefactor, for that he brought with him money, good fenfe, learning, morals, and a conftitution; but was fure to bring nothing away with him. As I could not with propriety fubfcribe to the affertion, I advised him from friendship for the man, or from reverence to Alma Mater, to fupprefs the work, which, a few months after, with its author, was swallowed up by a ftorm in croffing the Atlantic.

This article cannot conclude more properly, than with the emphatic words of Dr. Johnson, which I wish were written in letters of adamant on the heart of every man of genius in the world: "Thofe, who in confidence of fuperior capacities, or attainments, affect to defpife the common rules of life, fhould remember, that nothing can atone for the want of prudence; that negligence,

and

and irregularity long continued, render wit abfurd, genius useless, and talents contemptible."

"I am aware," fays a declaimer at my elbow, who defends well-regulated flews; "I am aware of the prudent regulations, and cautious police established by proctors and vice-chancellors, but while they will not fuffer iniquity, or carnal indulgence, to appear in any decent fhape, they forget that Oxford is furrounded by the lowest and vileft fties of illicit paffion, where filthy vulgarity robs fenfuality of refinement, its only bad excufe, and where a loathfome disease poisons the fprings of life."

My fatirical friend, with whom, (however I may value his abilities) I do not always feel difpofed to agree in opinion, concluded his harangue, by obferving, that he divided the young men of the prefent day into two claffes; firft, your pleasant, accomplished, fenfible, undone bon-vivants, without morals, health, or fortune, admired, pitied, and neglected by every body:-The fecond, are your ftrange, eccentric, out-of-the-way mortals, who are dull and unfashionable enough to preferve their eftates, characters, and conftitations unimpaired, but think themfelves perfectly at liberty to indulge in odd whims, unaccountable fancies, and ftrange fingalarities;" to conclude," continued my friend, "I prefer the latter, with all his imperfections on his head:"-a fentence from which perhaps many of my readers will diffent. He might have added, that the rare, the defirable character in the prefent age, is the man of plain good fenfe and education, of uncorrupted manners, whofe fenfibility is not too delicate, or feelings too refined for the common, the useful, and the neceflary duties of a fon, a husband, a father, or a friend, who does not from affectation, or cowardice, quit the poft allotted to him by Providence, nor wander from the beaten turnpike-road of life, through dread of the buftle of competition, the fnares of ill-defign, or the arrow of him who fhooteth in the dark: dangers from which no man has a right to claim exemption, as every one has fufficient refolution to oppofe thefe chimeras of human life, if he will but call it forth. From the scarcity of fuch characters in the common tranfactions of mankind, the first and most facred duties of fociety too often fall into the hands of coxcombs, rafcals, and fools.

"Take a knife with a common edge, and it will do your bufinefs better," faid Swift to his friend Lewis the under-fecretary, who was attempting to divide paper in a very awkward manner, with a fine delicate edged expenfive pen-knife.'.

'SACKVILLE, Viscount, originally Lord George Sackville, an appellation which he exchanged for the name and estate of his paternal aunt, a baronet's widow, of Drayton, in Northamptonhire, an acquaintance, and, as appears from feveral of her letters, publifhed in his works, a fenfible correfpondent of Dr. Swift: he was created a peer by George III. an elevation, productive of no fmali furprize at the time, and the fubject of much fevere altercation between certain diftinguished characters.

This favourite of the prefent king, but never of the people, is accufed, by his enemies, of having facrificed, on the plains of

Minden,

Minden, feveral thousand men, to a mistaken principle of national etiquette, or the misconception of orders, clearly and explicitly given, owing to the agitations of fear. After indulging himfelf on his defence, in vehement invectives against party malice, to which he imputed his difgrace, he ftili infifted on the orders not being intelligibly delivered, and as foon as he knew what he had to do, and a regiment which impeded his marching had moved, that he attacked in front with all poffible fpeed: but a court martial, by which his lordship was tried, differed from him in opinion, and he was declared incapable of ferving in any military capacity whatever. His conduct very much exasperated the late good old king, who with his own hand ftruck his name from the lift of privy counsellors; and was heard to declare with emotion, and his usual warmth of temper, (a generous, but quickly fubfiding warmth) that if he had not been a king, and the offender his fubject, he would certainly have pulled him by the nofe. Colonel Sloper re. marked on the field of battle, his lordship's embarrassed and confufed appearance; yet I can scarcely impute his conduct to cowardice, which, though in a foldier an unpardonable failing, is not a crime, (for we have not all, the nerves and intrepidity of a hero) befides, in a duel with the late governor Johnfou, he appears to have acted with fufficient calmness and compofure.

One path to fame being thus for ever clofed against him, with a refolution, perhaps a magnanimity, which few men in fimilar circumftances would have poffeffed, he plunged into the ftormy fea of government and politics; where, notwithstanding royal fmiles, and the friendly, elaborate, but unfuccefsful panegyric of Mr. Cumberland, he experienced defeat and difappointment: he was fecretary for the colonies, during the American war, and is faid to have prognofticated fuccefs, with a lively emphasis, not common in his method of speaking ;——his adversaries, of whom I think he had a greater portion than falls to the lot of moft men, cried out with exultation, that Minden and Saratoga would be everlasting monuments of his courage as a general, and his abilities as a states

man.

During the unfortunate interval of this nobleman's prefiding over the American department, certain national debates were conducted with a violence, heat, and perfeverance, which a conviction of their high importance, and a sense of national calamity, could alone infpire: the fame period was alfo remarkable for a war, which, from choice or neceffity, was conducted by men, who, as fenators, had earneftly argued, and regularly voted against it: I could not help remarking the dramatic general, who a few years before, had conducted himself in a manner not frily conftitutional at Prefton, haranguing the Houfe of Commons at the moment he was a prisoner of the enemies of his country, and against whom he fhould not have accepted a command, if he difapproved coercive measures; this parliamentary phænomenon, did not bring to my mind Regulus, when he quitted the fenate of Rome, on his return to Carthage, the "torvus humi pofuiffe vultum," would have been wholly inapplicable.'

We

We must add, that there are many articles of far inferior worth, compared with thofe above cited; for the volume is loaded with many a heavy stale ftory, copied from well-known histories and monthly chronicles. Thus we have the long narrative of Gowry's confpiracy against James VI. of Scotland, without the author betraying the least consciousness that the truth of it had ever been queftioned, and another turn given to the adventure. The long ftory of Elizabeth Canning is alfo retailed to as little purpose. In fhort, he fometimes felects and copies, without judgment, or evident intention :-yet, whatever may be the defects of this publication, it would be injuftice to its author, as well as to our readers, fhould we conceal from them this truth-that the perufal of many of the anecdotes, characters, and fketches, with which the volume abounds, has yielded us confiderable amufement, and fome information.

-

ART. VIII. A New Medical Dictionary, or General Repofitory of Phyfic; containing an Explanation of the Terms, and a Defcription of the various Particulars relating to Anatomy, Phyfiology, Phyfic, Surgery, Materia Medica, Chemistry, &c. &c. &c.; each Article, according to its Importance, being confidered in every Relation to which its Ufefulness extends in the Healing Art. By G. Motherby, M. D. C. M. S. The Third Edition, revised and corrected, with confiderable Additions, by George Wallis, M. D. S. M. S. Lecturer on the Theory and Practice of Phyfic, London. Folio. pp. 738. Plates 30. 21. 10s. bound. Johnfon, Robinfons, &c. 1791.

WE

E have already spoken our sentiments concerning the two former editions of Dr. Motherby's dictionary: of course, we fhall at prefent confine ourselves to the additions made by Dr. Wallis.

The prefent editor laments that ill-health fhould have taken the fuperintendance of this book from the hands of his predeceffor; and he obferves, with great modefty, that he stands in a delicate predicament, attempting to correct and improve the work of a living author, and that author his friend :—he adds,

To obliterate, therefore, any of his fixed principles, upon which he has founded a number of his theories and reafoning, though perhaps not totally according with my own modes of thinking, might be thought repaying friendship with cruelty, and facrificing confidence to vanity;-I have therefore let fuch doctrines as he has adopted ftand unaltered; only, here and there, endeavouring, where it appeared neceffary, to elucidate and place them in a clearer point of view; and purfued fuch plans throughout the whole, as

* See Review, vol. lviii. p. 318. and vol. lxxv. p. 76. REV. AUG. 1792.

Ff

might

might co-operate with his wishes, centered in rendering himself not an unprofitable member to the community.'

Reafoning justly, that the plan of a dictionary fhould be confined to points of practical knowlege, rather than extended to queftions of controversy and speculation, Dr. W. has fought more earneftly to render his reader a good practitioner, than an able difputant. For fimilar reasons, he has rejected fuch parts of the former editions, as were not closely connected with medical utility, fubftituting other remarks more intimately united with the fubject. Hence he has refcinded many things, which belonged rather to arts, manufactories, and commerce, than to medicine; as well as the biographical part, which, while it was too concife and vague to be of any fervice, occupied space which was wanting for matters of more importance.-Much information has been added refpecting the powers and virtues of medicines, and many authors have been confulted on this head: the nature and compofition of the several medicinal waters have received particular attention; the dofes are afcertained; and the mode of adminiftering them is fpecified, as likewife is the feafon of the year when they are moft efficacious.With regard to difeafes, we meet with many valuable additions; and the principal authors, who have written on the feveral complaints, are enumerated: nor has the editor confined himself entirely to the authorities of others, but has occafionally prefented us with opinions and reasoning of his own.

A very neceffary part of this performance, and one attended with great convenience, is an index; in which every article may be found, by whatever appellation it is distinguished-On the whole, though we cannot fay that there are no defects, fill, with refpect to the general intent of the work, they ap pear of too little confequence to particularize; and we have no fear in pronouncing this publication well worthy of the attention of that clafs of medical practitioners for whose use it is principally defigned.

To this edition are added four plates of the gravid uterus: thefe, and the improved state of the others, fhew that the proprietors have not been fparing of expence.

ART. IX. The Hiftory of Political Tranfactions, and of Parties, from the Restoration of King Charles the Second, to the Death of King William. By Thomas Somerville, D. D. 4to. PP. 595. 11. is. Boards. Cadell. 1792.

HISTORY is certainly the best school of inftruction, both to those who govern and to those who are governed; teaching by the only fure teft, experience, the value of the feveral po

litical

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