The Original Works of William King, L L. D., Advocate of Doctors Commons, Sr. Now firft Collected into Three Volumes: with historical Notes, and Memoirs of the Author. 3 vols. 800. 125. boards. Conant.

DR.

R. King, the author of thefe volumes, was born at London in 1663, and bred to the profeffion of the civil law. He first became known as a writer about the age of twentyfive, from which time, till 1712, the year in which he died, he occafionally published the greater part of the mifcellanies which are now collected under his name.

The work commences with Reflections upon Monfieur Varillas's Hiftory of Herefy, in which Dr. King zealously defends the chara&er of Wickliffe, the reformer, against the mifreprefentations of that author. We are next prefented with Animadverfions on the Account of Denmark, written by Mr. (afterwards lord) Molefworth, who had been English refident in that country. This minute inveftigation is fuc ceeded by Dialogues of the Dead, relative to the Controverfy concerning the Epiftles of Phalaris, which fo much engaged the attention of the learned in the end of the last century. Then follows the Tranflation of A Journey to London in the year 1698, written originally in French by M. Sorbiere, in imitation of that made by Dr. Martin Lifter to Paris, in the fame year. To these are fubjoined Some Remarks on the Tale of a Tub; with Adverfaria, or, Occafional Remarks on' Men and Manners. In taking a curfory view of the latter of thefe productions, particularly where the author draws a parallel between Homer and Virgil, we obferve that Dr. King has inadvertently been guilty of a glaring anachronism, in reprefenting Virgil as either contemporary with, or pofterior to, Longinus, who lived in the time of the emperor Aurelian, The following is the paffage to which we allude.

Thofe gentlemen who only equal the Eneid to the Iliad do unawares make Virgil inferior to Homer; for, if Homer wrote first, and in a barbarous age, and yet is equal to Virgil, who had the wits of Auguftus's court to converfe with and confult, to read and correct his writings; if Homer has written as well, without any advantage, as Virgil has, who had Ariftotle, Longinus, Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis, and Ho race, and all the ancient commentators and critics to confult, who had even Homer's beauties to imitate and Homer's faults' to fhun, and had all the advantages that he could defire, with riches, and a retired eafy life; if, I fay, Homer has performed all this; we muft of neceffity conclude, that Homer had a greater genius and a deeper judgment, and con VOL. XLII. Auguft, 1775. fequently

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fequently was a greater man; and that whoever is in love with Virgil, muft be ravifhed with Homer, the king of poets.

The fecond volume contains fome fatirical productions levelled against the Royal Society, and particularly fir Hans Sloane, whofe credulity the author expofes in a vein of lively humour and pleasantry. These are, The Transactioneer; with Ufeful Tranfactions in Philofophy, and other Sorts of Learning, fpecified under the following heads; namely, An Effay on the Invention of Samplers; Some natural Observations, made in the School of Llandwwfwrhwy; An Effay proving, by arguments Philofophical, that Millers, though. falfely fo reputed, yet in reality are not Thieves; An Account of Books; A new Method to teach learned Men how to write. unintelligibly: The Eunuch's Child; The Tongue; Migration: of Cuckoos ;. Some material Remarks upon Mr. Anthony Van Leuwenhoeck's Microscopical Obfervations on the Membranes of the Inteftines and other Trypal Veffels; An hiftorical and chronological Account of confecrated Clouts; A Voyage to the Inland of Cajami in America. Thefe bagatelles are fucceeded by A Vindication of Dr. Sacheverell;. after which we meet with Rufinus, or An Hiftorical Effay on the favourite Ministry, evidently intended as a fatire on the duke of Marlborough and his party.

The third volume contains feveral pieces in profe, writters likewife in the style of the jeu d'efprit, under the following titles: A Preface of the Publisher of the Tragi-comedy of Joan of Hedington; the Tragi-comedy of Joan of Hedington; Some Account of Horace's behaviour during his stay at Trinity College in Cambridge; An Anfwer to Clemens Alexandrinus's Sermon upon Quis Dives Jalvetur. These miscellanies are fucceeded by a few letters, and the author's poetical productions; the most confpicuous of which are, The Art of Cookery, in imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry; and The Art of Love.

In a note fubjoined to the Memos of Dr. King, it is ob ferved, that Mr. Pope, in the letter to lord Burlington defcribing his journey with Lintot, puts this fingular character of Dr. King into the mouth of the book feller: "1 remember Dr. King could write verfes in a tavern, three hours after he could not fpeak." The editor might have added a couplet from Mr. C. Pitt's Epistle to Mr. R. Louth, relative to the fame fubject:

''Twas from the bottle KING deriv'd his wit ;. Drank till he could not speak, and then he writ.* Poetry, however, appears not to have been the talent for which Dr. King was most remarkable. His genius feems to

have been chiefly adapted to ironical writing; and feveral of his productions in this fpecies of compofition will afford the reader entertainment. In juftice to the editor we muft add, that he has much contributed to the value of the work, by his pertinent and ufeful annotations.

Difcourfes on various Subjects. By William Samuel Powell, D. D. Published by Tho. Balguy, D. D. 800. 4s. 6d. boards. L. Davis.

THE

HE most important memoirs of a ftudious man, who fpends the best part of his time in a college, are his literary productions. The reft is generally a repetition of infig. nificant actions; and might be almost as briefly dispatched by his biographer, as the hiftory of the antediluvians is dispatched by Mofes, when he tells us, that they lived fo many years, begat fons and daughters, and then died. The fons and daugh ters of the academic are the children of the brain.

The editor of these Difcourfes, in a preface concerning the author, observes in general, that his life was uniformly de voted to the interefts of found philofophy and true religion; and, instead of entering into minute and uninterefting particulars, fubjoins fome facts and dates, relative to the most memorable occurrences in his life. The following are the most important.

William Samuel Powell was born at Colchester, in 1717, and was admitted at St. John's College, Cambridge in 1734. In the year 1741, he was taken into the family of the late lord viscount Townfhend, as private tutor to his fecond fon, Charles Townshend, afterwards chancellor of the exchequer. About the end of the year he was inftituted to the rectory of Colkirk in Norfolk, on lord Townshend's prefentation.

He returned to college the year after; took the degree of M. A. and began to read lectures, as afliftant to Mr. Wrigley and Mr. Tunstall. In the year 1744, he became principal In 1749, he took the degree of B. D. In 1753, he was inftituted to the rectory of Stibbard, in the gift of lord Townshend; and in 1757 was created D. D.

tutor.

In 1761 he left college, and took a house in London, but did not refign his fellowship till 1763.

In 1765 he was elected mafter. Soon afterwards he went to refide in college; and was chofen vice-chancellor of the univerfity in November following.

The year after, he obtained the archdeaconry of Colchester, which was in his majesty gift, for that turn, on the promotion of Dr. Mofs to the bishoprick of St. David's. In 1768, he was infti

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inftituted to the rectory of Freshwater, in the Ifle of Wight. He died Jan. 19, 1775.

Some of the difcourfes contained in this volume were preached before the univerfity; and others in the college-chapel; and were chiefly intended for younger ftudents in divinity.

In the first, the author points out the vices incident to an academical life. The idle monk, he fays, is weak, obftinate, conceited, bigoted, unfriendly to man, ungrateful to God, melancholic, fretful, timid, cruel.' The purport of this useful fermon is therefore to guard the gentlemen of the univerfity against the weakneffes and vices, which conftitute this

odious character.

The fecond is a Defence of the Subfcription required in the Church of England. Here, he tells us, our articles of religion are not merely articles of peace; but are defigned alfo as a teft of our opinions. However, in the conclusion, he fays, we may understand them in any of those senses, which the general words comprehend, or to which the received interpretation of thefe doctrines, or the judgments of able interpreters have extended them. We are not confined ftri&ly even to this compafs; but may allow ourfelves, if it feems neceffary, to differ as much from former interpreters, as they have frequently done from each other.' He adds: There is room for various degrees of affent, according to the various ages and abilities of the fubfcribers.'

Serm. II. On the Anniverfary of the Martyrdom of King Charles I. In this difcourfe the author enquires how far the teachers of religion contributed to the guilt and miferies of the nation during the great rebellion.

If, fays he, they, who at firft engaged in the fupport of defpotifm, fupported it, because they had been taught, that defpotifm is the inftitution of God, that a monarch is his vicegerent, appointed by his word, exercifing his authority: if they, who to the laft could not be reconciled to our antient conftitution, were averfe to it, because they believed that kings were given by God in his anger, to fcourge the folly of the people, who defired them; and that the only lawful government is a free and perfect democracy: if fome, from a falfe notion of Chriftian liberty would fubmit to no earthly power, to no dominion but that of Jefus Chrift: if others, from a falfe notion of the unity of the church, would allow no toleration to the Puritans; who in their turn infifted, that it was the duty of the king to punish the idolatry of the Papists with death, and that, on his neglect, it was the duty of his fubjeas to compel him: if these and various other doctrines, favourable to tyranny, or anarchy, or perfecution, either produced or prolonged the public calamities: then the teachers

of

of religion cannot be acquitted of being acceffories to the general guilt. Should we confine our attention to the established teachers in this and the neighbouring kingdom, they would appear not more innocent, though less abfurd than the enthusiasts, who, in the times of confufion, affumed their office, without any authority, but the eagerness with which the vulgar liftened to their paradoxes.'

In the nine following difcourfes, the author, in defence of Christianity, fhews the authenticity of the books of the New Teftament, the credit due to the facred hiftorians, the use of miracles in proving the Divine miffion of our Saviour and his apostles, the evidence arifing from the prophecies of the Old Teftament, from the swift propagation of the gospel, and the conceffions of heathen writers.

In the thirteenth, he explains thefe words of St. PaulBe not drunk with wine, wherein is excefs; but be filled with the fpirit;'-and fhews from thence, that intemperance in the gratification of our appetites is not confiftent with fpiritual improvement.

The fourteenth is a practical illustration of the parable of the Prodigal Son. The fifteenth is an Enquiry into the Nature and Extent of Inspiration.

In this difquifition he obferves, from the writings of St. Paul, that the wisdom contained in them was given him from above; that the doctrines of Chriftianity, and the apostle's appointment to be a preacher of it, were immediately revealed to him; or as the fame thing may be otherwife expreffed, his knowledge of them was inspired. Now, continues he, whe ther we say, that the new doctrines were revealed or inspired, the meaning is exactly the fame. They, whofe understandings were furnished by the holy fpirit with more than human knowledge, were infpired. They, who committed fuch knowledge to writing made infpired books.'

But with refpect to the language of the evangelifts and apoftles, it had probably, he thinks, no other fource than the natural abilities of the writers. The form and character of St. Paul's Epiftles are evidently derived from circumftances of his early life, his country, his family, his occupation, &c.

In the fixteenth difcourfe, the author points out the diverfity of character belonging to different periods of life. Having ftated the differences generally obferved in the behaviour of men and children, he thus concludes:

I have not been folicitous to recount them all. Such only have been mentioned, as feemed moft proper for your notice. Endeavour therefore to fix them in your memories;

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and