As much has been faid by this Author, and other ingenious writers, of the ufe of the drama," with refpect to the improvement of principles and manners, it is fubmitted to them, whe ther, upon the whole, the drama does not tend to excite thofe paffions by which virtue moft frequently is overborne, though it may abound with precepts to regulate or fupprefs them, and whether in that cafe, the establishment of the drama is not like fetting a house on fire, and then playing the engine? As Mr. Garrick's general excellence in his profeffion is mentioned with a juft encomium in this piece, it is also submitted to him, whether, in a particular inftance, he might not change his prefent manner for a better. Lear is a good man but choleric, fubject to fudden and violent anger, but not capable of deliberate malice, much lefs of impiety. That in the bitterness of his foul he should conceive, and even exprefs, the horrid curfe of his daughter and her off fpring, is confiftent with his, character and fituation; but it fhould be uttered with hafty vehemence, in the first agony of refentment, without pause or reflection. Mr. Garrick, on the fer this contrary, is fome time filent before he begins this execration;rictione he then deliberately comes forward, and, with all the appear. ance of reflective malice, and all the aggravation of horrid im-paliates piety, kneels down, clafps his hands, looks upward, and, withi a flow articulation that gives room for thought between every sentence, utters this rhapsody of paffion as a folemn prayer! On this occafion a correction, or at leaft an improvement, in the pointing, may be fuggefted in a very ftriking paffage, in which the power of the player may be exerted to great advan tage. When Macbeth is mufing on the confequence of his guilt, as the murderer of Banquo, he says, It will have blood-they fay blood will have blood. So it has been always pointed, and is always fpoken; but that blood will have blood fhould be firft faid as 'the report of common opinion, then as a secret conviction of the mind: It will have blood they fay-blood will have blood. The latter part of the verfe thus pointed, rifes upon the former; the fpeaker firft declares the opinion of others, and then repeats it as his own; but, pointed the other way, conviction 'degenerates into report, report is not confirmed by conviction. There is one paffage in King Lear which all commentators have mistaken, and about which they have all been at much trouble to no purpofe, yet it is certainly uncorrupt, except in punctuation, and in fome of the old copies the punctuation is right. Lear, in his invective against women, fays of one with a demure look, Her face between her forks fpeaks fnow. relate relate to face, and many have been the conjectures what the forks were which the face was faid to be between; but the truth is, that these words relate not to face but to fnow; the de mure look of the face intimates that below the girdle, between the forks, there is fnow. We all know why man is called a forked animal, and why Falftaff refembles Shallow to a forked rhadish, is it not therefore ftrange that this paffage fhould hitherto have been univerfally mistaken? Her face, between her forks speaks fnow. Ha. A New Syftem of Midwifery, in Four Parts; founded on Practical Obfervations: the whole illuftrated with Copper-plates. By Robert Wallace Johnson, M. D. 4to. 11. 1s. Wilfon, &c. 1769. TH HE fubject of this publication is of fuch a nature, that an abstract of the whole, or a minute detail of any parti cular parts, could only with propriety be laid before an accou cheur. Let it fuffice therefore, that we give a general character of the work, together with fuch an extract as may be calculated for a more general perufal. Dr. Johnfon appears to be a perfon of judgment, ability, and indefatigable application in this branch of his profeffion: and though in his fyftem of midwifery, there may be some few things rather exceptionable, with others which are not completely afcertained; yet it contains much ufeful knowledge, and may be ftudied or confulted with advantage by that clafs of readers to which it particularly belongs. The following quotation contains Dr. Johnson's account Of the Miliary Fever. ..I • Women are fometimes feized with a fever, in the month of childbed, accompanied with an eruption of many fmall puftules on the fkin, about the fize of millet feeds, from the refemblance of which, the diforder is called a miliary fever. There is a difeafe like this, which befalls women at other times, and men likewife, which appears fomewhat different in its nature, as well as fymptoms. But here we shall speak only of the former. §. II. Many caufes have been affigned for this fever; but I think, the most common are the following; Firft, There are feafons (tho', as it seems to me, neither stated nor regular) which are more productive of it than others; yet, as far as i have feen, it is no ways infectious to thofe who attend. Secondly, A pre-difpofition in the conftitution, for fome women have it during feveral lyings-in, which does not always continue, for they are often free from it through fucceeding ones. Thirdly, Stimuli applied to the fyftem, fuch as a violent labour, too hot a regimen, aliments taken very copiously in a day or two after delivery, &c. Fourthly, Expofing the body imprudently to cold cold air. Fifthly, A fudden or premature receffion of milk from the breafts; as alfo a fuppreflion of the lochia; but I muft obferve nevertheless, that I have known women feized with this fever after their conftitutions have feemed much weakened by a profufion of the lochia, and though milk ftill remained in the breafts. Nay, in fome of thefe cafes, after the fever was gone, and the puftules fcaled off, I have known the milk return fpontaneously, and pretty copiously to the breafts. Finally, any fudden furprize, or violent agitation of the mind, as anger, fear, &c. will alfo caufe this fever; fome inftances of which I have seen, where the event was fatal, although all poffible means were used for the relief of the patient. §. III. The diagnostics are generally as follows. The patient is feized with a cold fhivering (fometimes more than once) fucceeded by a profufe fweat, smelling fomewhat acid, and remarkably fœtid, efpecially at first; the pulfe is pretty full; very quick, and sometimes tremulous; the head is light, and often hurried; there is always an oppreffion on the breaft; a depreffion of the fpirits; frequent fighings, and disturbed fleeps; fometimes a pain in one hip, or in fome part of the abdomen, refembling a cholic; the tongue is generally moift, yet the thirft is great; fhe is inwardly hot, yet feels frequent horrors or chills, especially if the rifes in the bed, or uncovers her breafts or arms. In procefs of time the feels an uneasiness, or general fenfation of a pricking in the fkin, immediately after which, there is an eruption of very fmall puftules, firit, about the pit of the ftomach, breaft, neck, arms, hands, and between the fingers, and then more generally, though feldom over all the body. The puftules are most commonly pellucid, or horny coloured, and feel hard to the touch. It is not unufual for them to come fuddenly out, and a great part of them to go as fuddenly in again, efpecially if the patient inprudently gets out of bed, or by any means checks the perfpiration or fweat. As they appear, the fever, and moft of the symptoms are alleviated; there is a copious fweat, and commonly the urine depofites a large fediment: but when they difappear, the fever, and fymptoms, particularly the oppreffion of the breaft, and the depreffion of the fpirits recur again; and thus the cafe fluctuates fometimes for weeks without obferving (as far as I have been able to remark) any regular periods; and yet the patient apparently meads; the countenance looks more lively, and there is a new acquifition of strength after every remiffion of the fymptoms, till at last the recovery becomes perfect. The puftules go off very flowly, and as they take their final leave, the skin itches, they peel off, and not uncommonly carry fome little scales of the epidermis with them. §. IV. When in a few days, or a week after the attack, the puftules come freely out, and remain on the fkin; when upon the erup tion, the head, breast, and fpirits are relieved; the fleep refreshing; the pulfe becoming more foft, and not fo very quick, a favourable event is portended: and when the urine depofites a copious fediment of a white or branny colour, a crifis is now begun, not only relieving the patient from this diforder, but very commonly from every other Rev. August, 1769. confequent L confequent on delivery. Nevertheless it is not to be expected, that the recovery will always prove speedy, as may be understood from what has been faid in §. III. But when the patient finds no relief by the eruption; when the puftules do not remain fteadily out; when the fever, and symptoms already mentioned, recur with violence; the urine pale; and but little moisture on the fkin, or that which is, not being general, the cafe will not only be difficult, but the event alfo doubtful. If it has been long before the puftules appeared; and on their eruption there be little or no abatement of the fever and fymptoms; the head being hurried; the breaft and fpirits oppreffed; the pulfe low and quick; no equal or kindly moisture on the fkin; no milk in the breafts; little or no lochia, and the urine fill pale, or of a dirty cyder colour; the patient is in the most imminent danger. §. V. In the cure of this fever, as a very particular regard is to be had to the patient's regimen, we fhall for that purpose recommend what has been faid in Chap. 7. §. IV. • Venefection is fometimes neceffary, as for inftance, when the fever manifefts itself on the third or fourth day after delivery, (before which time it feldom doth, but moft commonly a few days later) and when the pulse is pretty full and quick, the oppreffion about the breafts great, efpecially if the lochia are obstructed, and the lungs feem overcharged; or if there be a pain in the fide, then bleed, and repeat it as occafion requires. In fome cafes i have thought that blifters have done good, and in others not. As to internal medicines; thofe that are either acid or very heating, have no place here. Such as are foft and gently fudorific are used; and, I think, with propriety; for, fo far as I can judge from my own experience, they have always had the beft effect. With refpect to their forms I fhall only adduce a few, by way of example: I. R Pulveris contrayerva compofiti fcrupulum Syrupi fimplicis fingulorum drachmas duas ; Mifce, fiat hauftus quarta quaque hora fumendus. If the eruption comes freely out; efpecially when fucceeded by an alleviation of the other symptoms, the above medicines or fimilar ones may be taken for a few days. But if it neither appears kindly, nor keeps properly out, the pulfe changing smaller, and the head growing hurried; or if there is much uneafinefs in the abdomen, as fome times happens from indurated fœces, &c. difcontinue, for a while, the fudorifics, inject an emolient glyfter; and, if the patient is coflive, repeat it till the alvine tube is fufficiently relieved. This, however, must be done with caution, left the bowels be irritated, and a purging brought on, which may prove fatal. When the inteftinal tube has been relieved, though in this cautious manner, it is fometimes neceffary to give fach an opiate directly as that in Chap. II. and then the patient may continue in the ufe of one of the preceding draughts, or in that of thefe fol, lowing: IV. R Radicis contrayervæ contufæ, Aque pure quantitate fufficiente ad fef- Colaturæ adde, Spiritus minderri femi unciam, Spermatis ceti foluti fcrupulum unum, Tincturæ croci drachmam dimidiam, Syrupi fimplicis drachmas duas ; Mifce, fiat hauftus fexta vel quarta quaque hora, |