ment are thefe: It were to be wished that the prefent publication, ⚫ could have been accompanied by anrdex; but as that will neceffarily require a confiderable time, the Trustees judged it proper, not to deprive the public of fo ufeful and defirable a work, until the index could be compiled; which, together with a preface, will be printed with all convenient expedition.' And when it appears, our readers may expect to be further informed concerning the Harleian manufcripts.

Art. 6. The Hiftory of the Spanish Armada, which had been preparing three Years for the Invafion and Conquest of England, and which, in the Year 1588, came upon the English Coaft to effect it. Containing the truest and most particular LISTS ever yet published, of its Ships, Land Forces, Mariners, Guns, &c. and alfo of the Land Forces raifed, as well as the Ships fitted out by Queen Elizabeth, &c.-Concluding, with a fummary Account of the Defeat of that mighty Arma: ment, &c. &c. To which is prefixed a Map of the Beacons then erected in Kent. 4to. 2s. 6d.-Dodfley.

Though the circumftances of the ever memorable Spanish Invafion, are fully narrated by the English hiftorians, yet the author of this collection infilts that the best of their accounts are chargeable with errors and omiffions, which are corrected and fupplied in this tract the principal defign of which is to fhew; 1. The difpofition of the people of England, in that alarming crifis. I. The meafures that were conceited for the defence of the realm. II. The

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fpirit and vigor fo feafonably exerted by the loyal nobility, gentry, and common.lty, for putting thefe meatures in execution; and the fuccefs with which it was intended.' As to the Lifts, which conftitute the chief merit of this publication, they feem to be very ful, and probably they are correct.

Art. 7. The Invafion, a Farce. 8vo. Is.

Davis and Reymers.

Kilicules the fear of an invafion (of late fo prevalent in this country), with fome pleaf ntry. As a farce, it might, with a little improvement, be rendered fit for the flage: but having made its ap-/ pearance in print, it is now too late for the author to think of geting it acted, although he feems, by his preface not to have given over all hopes of that kind.

Art. 8. A feafonable Antidote against the Poifan of popular Cenfure, being the fubflance of a Letter from a noble Lord to a Member of Parliament, relative to the Cafe of a certain Right Honourable General. 8vo. 6d. Burd.

A weak attempt to apologize for the fuppofed mifbehaviour of the General, in the day of action. It does not become us to anticipate the opinion of the pubic in an affair which will fhortly be determined in a courie of legal examination. All that we can fay at pre

fent, is, that the General's apologift is a very incompetent advoc te, and that his arguments betray the caufe he means to defend. The principal circumftance he urges in excufe of the General is, that the diagreement between him and the Commander in Chief, may have induced the latter to have offered him unmerited infult; and that a juft fenfe of the dignity of the nation, may have been the occafion of the former's forbearing to do, what, in his opinion, was detrimental to it.

This, in the judgment of every man of common fenfe, muft appear to be a very forry juftification. We all know that an inferior officer has no right to forbear doing, what he is ordered to perform. We all know, lisewife, that the hour of action is not a time to affert the dignity of the nation, against any one--but the Enemy.

Art. 9. The Conduct of a noble Lord fcrutinized. By a Volun teer, who was near his Perfon from the 28th of July, to the 2d of August, 1759. 8vo. 1s. Fuller.

The intention of this pamphlet, is directly contrary to that of the foregoing one. As that juftifies, this arraigns, the conduct of the noble Commander It must be allowed, however, that the accufer is ftill more impotent than the vindicator. The charge against the General, is flared without any perfpicuity, or precifion: the waiter's reafoning on the fuppofed facts is without force, and his itile is with'out energy.

Inftances of public mifconduct in eminent perfonages, always afford room for numerous publications, both for and against the delinquents and in fuch cafes, they who appear earlicit, are fometimes leaft to be depended on. However, the pamphlet before us is fo incoherent, and inconclufive, that it can occafion no prepoffeffion, either in favour, or to the prejudice of the commander It is a harmless compofition, which will neither provoke spleen, nor raife indignation.

Art. 10. A Letter to a late noble Commander of the British Forces in Germany. 8vo. Is. Griffiths.

Pathetically expoftulates with the late Commander of our Forces in Germany, on his behaviour at the glorious battle of Thornhaufen, fought on the 1st of August laft. But though the language of this pamphlet is fpirited, there is no fcurrility in it: though the author is keen, he is candid; and writes like a gentleman. Nor does his pamphlet confift entirely of declamation; for, en pafant, he takes proper notice of, and thoroughly refutes, certain lame apologies which have appeared in the unfortunate Commander's defence.

Art. 11. New Military Inftructions for the Militia. Containing, 1. Directions for the Officer and Soldier. 2. The new Manual Exercife, with an Explanation of every Motion. 3. Platoon Exercife with Evolutions. 8vo. 6d. Fuller.

Art. 12. A short View of the Families of the Scottish Nobility; their Titles, Marriages, Iffue, Defcents; the Pofts of Honour and Profit they hold in the Government; their Arms, Mattos, and chief Seats. To which are added, a Lift of ail thofe Peers who have ferved in Parliament fince the Union; a Lift of all those who have been made Knights of the Order of the Thifle; an Account of that Order; an Account of the antient Parliament of Scotland; of the Regalia, &c. of that Kingdom; a Lift of the principal Officers of State in Scotland; a general Scheme of Precedence, &c. and an Index of the Peers of Scotland, specifying the time of their respective Creations, and Summons to Parliament; the Titles of their eldest Sons, &c. By Mr. Salmon. 12mo. 3s. Owen. 2. A fhort View of the Families of the prefent Irish Nobility; their Marriages, Iffue, Defcents, and immediate Ancestors; the Pofts of Honour and Profit they hold in the Government; their Arms, Mottos, and chief Seats. With an Index, fpecifying the Time of their refpective Creations, and Summons to Parliament; their Rank, Precedence, &c. By Mr. Salmon. 12mo. 3s. Owen.

These two volumes, together with the Second edition, juft publifhed, of A Jhort View of the English Nobility, by the fame author, [the first edition of which, was mentioned in our Review, Vol. IV. P. 473] are intended, it feems, to exhibit a complete, though fhort, view of the whole Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland, as they ftand at prefent.-Such readers as delire to fee a full account of each noble family, down from their original, to the prefent time, will be most likely to meet with fatisfaction, by confulting Collins's Peerage of England, Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, and Crawford's Peerage of Scotland, fo far as it goes, with the addition of the Scottb Compendium, for later times.-But if only a general account be wanted, together with a fomewhat more particular one, of the prefent fate of each family; Mr. Salmon's three volumes may be very fufficient for that purpofe.

Art. 13. The Dramatic Works of Mr. Philip Massinger, com pleat. Revifed, corrected, and all the various editions collated, by Mr. Coxeter. With Notes critical and explanatory, by the Editor, c. 8vo. 4 vols. 11. 4s. Dell.

That many of our readers are ignorant, who or what this Maffinger was, is a circumftance which we may fately take for granted; and which, too, fuperfedes the neceffity of our faying much more concerning either the poet or his works. Had he poffeffed more merit, he had been better known. Suffice it therefore, if we only add, that he was cotemporary with, or rather fomewhat later than Shakespear; that he wrote many plays, long fince forgotten *; and

We must however except a Comedy, entitled, A new Way to pay old Debts ; which has been revived by Mr. Garrick; whofe merit gives in portance to every thing in which he thinks fit to BBC

that this edition of his works, is even unworthy the little repute in which Maflinger may be still held, by fome readers.

Art. 14. The Abecedarian, or Philofophic Comment upon the English Alphabet. Setting forth the Abfurdities in the prefent Custom of Spelling, the Superfluity of Letters in Words, and the great Confufion that their ill Names, and double Meanings are of to all Learners. With modeft Propofals for a Reformation of the Alphabet, adapting Special Characters for that Purpose, as being the only Means practicable whereby to render the fame diftinet, uniform, and univerfal. Alfo, a Word to the Reader, fhewing the Indignity of ill Habits in Lecturers, pointing out to them the Beauties and Excellency of graceful and fine Reading. Likewife a Syllableium, or Univerfal Reading Table, for Beginners, calculated after the prefent Ufe, for the Way of all Schools throughout the kingdom. Together with a Difcourfe on the Word, or A-Tau, tetragrammatical, preceding those Tables. By John Yeomans, School-mafter in Five-FieldsRow, Chelsea. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Coote.

The author of this work acquaints us, that he is a schoolmafter, at Chelsea. If he has publifhed this piece, however, with intent to add to the number of his pupils, we wish he may not be disappointed. But men are not always to be known by their writings. Our author may (for ought that we know to the contrary, except from his book) be a very good practical school-mafter, however ridiculous the figure he makes in his theoretical project may feem.

But to give our Readers fome idea of the defign and execution of this very extraordinary work-It is a scheme to new model, or rather to form entirely anew, the English language: our author's capacity for which great undertaking, he himself affures us of, in the following terms.

The knowlege of founds have been my conftant diligence for feveral years, both at home and in a voyage to the Levant: and I had an uncommon talent to that art; inasmuch as when any one fpoke, my ear ran ftraitway through every accent and fyllable of their tongue; always liftening to Nature's voice in the brute creation, copying the feathered fongiters artlefs notes, the travellies of a drum,, the key of a bell, and even the leaft nick that chafed ' a found; and I have often thought, that had I lived in the days of ⚫ old, when the tools of talk were but jejunely difcovered, in the 'time of our unbegotten fire, or high-top Babel's prepofterous anarchy, I fhould have made a very confiderable progrefs, both in in⚫ venting the firit, and alfo in regulating the later confounded idiom. I am not a foreigner to the prefent manner of founding our letters, ⚫ and the uncertain rules of profody; for I could much facilitate the art of reading and fpelling, from the judgment I have in the total ⚫ defects of it, and that with much lets pains and time (and with • fewer Nota Benes) than has been expended heretofore: but it too

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much chequers my inclination to think of mending an old thing. ' when I have lo much the ferentient power to make it anew.'

As to the scheme or plan itself, it is preceded by a number of apologies We have firft a preface, which, he tells us, is alfo a dedication: after this he gives us, what he calls, an Exhibit (a dedication too): then follows, in admirable order, the introduction, &c. Of the Exhibit the above-quoted paffage is a fpecimen. He befpeaks also the candour and attention of the reader, in the preface, in the following elegant and florid terms.

I hope, propitious reader, that you will not overlook this little book with a curfory or flight-attention; neither, as a man beholds bs natura face in a glf, that is, when you have read it over, not to lay it down, fhake the head, and then go away, and straight forget what manner of thing it was; or jult as beauteous flowers, whofe fenfual effences, whofe rofy fleams, lie capfulate and hid, ere-while the radiant day freaks in upon its nature, exfoliates the pleafing portrait, and fheds its fweetness in the perfect air.'

In the introduction we learn, that the world is no longer to bear the hard task of learning the English language, fince our author has fo perfectly established it, that he dare prophetic fay, that it will be a pure and unalterable ftandard to all fucceeding generations, · even to the end of the world."

By our author's method alfo, we are told, that not only foreigners will be enabled to learn the English tongue, with fpeed and facility; but that we fhail alío, be thereby equally enabled, with the fame eafe and certainty, to learn every foreign language. As the work itself is but of a small price we shall not injure the proprietor fo much, as to copy any effential part of his method: but, if any farther proof be wanting of our author's capacity for the talk he has undertaken, perufe, reader, what he has to fay on the nature of words in the abstract.

Words are not, as fome grofs cars interpret, only a grinding or chafeing of found of types and letters, friking the outer ear by the operation of the breath or fpirit; but they are very man or mono, principle and very felf, everiaiting, of infinite, dreadunited meaning, the exprefs difpofition of his nature in the heart, and not in the inked or graven fign They are fpirit, and they are life; they are death, and they are deftruction: and their types are purely banners to avocate and fummon the mind back to itself, when stolen or firayed away, and to regulate the fenfes in wisdom, truth, and holinefs. The word is very God and very Devil, good and evil, virtue and vice; and letters are as fhadows to reflect the life. Herewith blefs we God, and therewith curfe we men, who are formed after the fimilitude of God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, &c. We have only ufe for letters now to help and comfort us in this mortal state; for in the immortal, every good man shall be able to will at will, felf-quicken, felf-move, and alfo felf-comfort; always pure, always in order; at once hearing the moll pleasant and 'fweeteft love-chord harmony; tafting without furfeit ambrofia, and the all that is good, and delicious. Sufceptible of inbred divi

⚫nity!