4. Our biographer tells us, that, according to our best hiftorians, it was fought in 511.' Matthew of Westminster places it in 520. And Tyrrell, who is generally very accurate in thefe matters, affirms, that all the best British manuscripts, as well as printed chronicles, relate, that it was fought in the year 520. 5. After the quotation from Gildas our author adds: 'in the opinion of our most authentic hiftorians the Saxons landed in Britain in the year 449: ergo, Gildas was born in 493.'— This conclufion is inconfiftent with what he faid before. For if our best hiftrians' fix the battle of Badon-hill in 511, Gildas was born in 511; ergo, not in 493. 6. Gildas does not fay, the battle was fought forty-four years after the coming of the Saxons, though Bede and Voffius understand him in this fenfe *; but that the battle was fought forty-three years and one month before the time in which he wrote. And this, he fays, he particularly knows, as that event happened in the year of his nativity.-If this be the meaning of the paffage †, our author's conclufion is totally groundless. While we make these curfory obfervations we must confefs, that we only contend for confiftency, or, at most, for probability. The British hiftory of Pendragon, Arthur, and other heroes of those times, abounds with fictions; and the hiftorian is obliged at every step to work his way through darkness and confufion. In hoc negotio, fays Leland, when he enters upon the Life of Gildas, mihi per tenebras etiam craffiffimas eluctandum ' From Gildas Dr. Berkenhout brings down his account of our hiftorians to John Pits, 1560. Bat though he mentions feveral obfcure writers in this department of literature, he has taken no notice of Nennius, Florence of Worcester, Eadmer, Simeon of Durham, Henry of Huntingdon, William of Newburg, Ralph de Diceto, John Brompton, Roger Hovenden, Matthew of Weftminster, Thomas Walfingham, &c. who are as well entitled to a nich in the temple of Fame, as John Harding, Henry Bradshaw, or John Hooker, alias John Vowell, and others, whofe works are now configned to oblivion. In the clafs of hiftorians the author has given us the life of Nicholas Harpsfield, and in the lift of divines, the life of John Harpsfield. Nicholas, we are told, was born in London, educated at Winchester Jebcól, and then fent to New College, Oxford, of which he was admitted fellow: fo was John. In 1554, *Bede, lib. i. cap. 16. Voff. de Hift. Lat. lib. x cap. 21. both .6 both were prebendaries of St. Paul's. In the fame year Nicholas was inftituted to the living of Layndon in Effex, and in 1558 John poffeffed the fame preferment. Nicholas was archdeacon of Canterbury: John, archdeacon of London; but preached at Canterbury. In 1558, Nicholas was one of the feven popith difputants;' and the fame year, John was one of the difputants on the popifh fide of the queftion.' Both were committed to prifon : Nicholas was the author of Hif toria Anglicana Ecclefiaftica, ih the Cott. Lib. Vitel. cap. ix. John wrote, Ecclefiaftica Hiftoria Anglicana, MS. Cotton. Vitel. 9. Nicholas indeed died in 1583; John in 1578.-Yet if Nicholas and John are not the fame, they are as like as the two Sofias in the play. Affer tells us, that king Alfred, when he was thirty-fix years of age, hardly knew a letter of a book *; that he only began to read when he was thirty-nine; that Gregory's Dialogues, which are faid by Bale and others to have been tranflated by the king, were tranflated by Werfrith, bishop of Worcefter, imperio regis †, by the king's order. But he gives us no intimation, that Alfred wrote any book himself. Yet Affer, who was one of his courtiers, would hardly have been filent on this fubject, if his majefty had then diftinguished himself by his literary productions. Our biographer however afferts, that Alfred was a good grammarian, an excellent rhetorician, an acute philofopher, a judicrous hiftorian, a skilful musician, and an able architect;' and accordingly makes him the author of eleven original works 1, of a tranflation of Bede's Hiftory of England, of Paulinus Orofinus's Hiftory of the Pagars [a history we never before heard of] St. Gregory's Paftoral, &c. This is raifing the character of king Alfred above the extravagant encomiums of Bale, who only fays, ita doctus evafit, ut grammaticus, . philofophus, rhetor, hiftoricus, muficus, & poeta non vulgaris haberetur: imo architectus ac geometer perfectifimus.' He might have but a very fmall fhare of learning, and yet be accounted an extraordinary fcholar in that ignorant age, when, Affer fays, there were no good readers in the whole kingdom of the Weft Saxons.' But our author tells us, he felt the mifery of ignorance, and determined even to rival his cotemporary Charlemagne, in the encouragement of literature.'That he might wish to rival Charlemagne may be true: but *Per feipfum aliquid adhuc de libris intelligere non poffet: non enim adhuc aliquid legere inceperat. Affer. Ed. 1722, p. 46. + Matthew of Westminster fays-ad petitionem regis. an. 872, See Critical Review, vol. xxxvi. page 44. Charlemagne was not his cotemporary; for he had been dead hear forty years before Alfred was born. When we turn to the author's account of fome of our veherable reformers, who died at the ftake, we find him speaking of them in the following terms. Wicliff, though an enthufiaft, never reached that pitch of madness, which infected his fucceffors in reformation. If he had hot chofen rather to foften his opinions than be burnt, there can be no doubt, but he might have attained the glory of martyrdom: It may perhaps feem fomewhat unjust to tarnish the reputation of thefe unhappy victims to religion; nevertheless it is very evident, that by a little more flexibility to the neceffity of the times, they might, by faving their lives, have rendered more fervice to the caufe, for which they fuffered, than by burning at the take. The influence, which fuch executions might have upon the multitude is of little effect. The religion of a nation is not determined by the opinions of the multitude. Under Henry VIII, the people, like the prince, were neither Papifts nor Proteftants; with Edward VI. they were Proteftants; with Mary they were Papills: and with Elizabeth they were Proteftants again.' Life of Latimer. It is amazing, that any diverfity of opinion, about the meaning of a few words in the fame book, thould produce fuch fruitlefs obftinacy on one part, and diabolical cruelty on the other! Life of John Fryth. It is impoffible to reflect on thefe dreadful acts of cruelty without horror and deteftation; but one cannot help, at the fame time, accufing thefe martyrs of folly, or rather madness, in fuffering themselves to be burnt alive, rather than fly their country for a time, or jeem to acquiefce in opinions, which they themselves had ftrenuously maintained but a few years before. Their martyrdom was of no ufe to the caufe: and they knew that queen Mary's fucceffor was a Proteftant.' Life of Ridley. In favour of thefe unhappy men it may be confidered, that they were not, like fome philofophical hiftorians, attached to no religion. In their eftimation, Chriftianity was a facred thing. They did not think themselves at liberty to equivocate with God. They had no place to fly to. They could never fuppofe, that queen Mary would die at the age of forty-three; and they could not poffibly know, that Elizabeth would fucceed her. One of our author's obfervations on this fubject is new and Curious. It is impoffible, fays he, to reflect on thofe horrid executions, Without lofing all charity for religious fyftems, and almost for human human nature itself. However we are obliged to these pious affaffins for having furnished us with a powerful argument in proof of a future life, founded on the justice of God. They have also fhewn us, that the exiftence of devils is not incompatible with the plan of the Creator: for it is impoffible for the most luxuriant imagination to conceive a fcene in hell more exquifitely infernal, than a bench of ecclefiaftics, whether Papists, Lutherans, or Calvinifts, condemning to be confumed by fire, a fellow creature for his BELIEF, for which belief it being involuntary, he is not accountable even to God himself.' On this bold fentence, the laft in this quotation, we shall only observe, that our belief or unbelief depends greatly on our temper and inclination. A man is an infidel, with respect to the existence of a Deity, the truth of Chriftianity, the reality of a future ftate, &c. not because he cannot believe these points; but because he is obftinate, and will not be convinced by reafon. Can an Atheift, or a Deift, have the temerity to fay to his Maker, my belief is involuntary, and I am not accountable for my want of faith? Before he can avail himself of fuch a prefumptuous plea, he must be fure, that he has taken every proper method to inform his understanding and discover the truth; which, we believe, no philofopher, who knows himself, will pretend to affert.-We offer thefe few reflections, not merely in confequence of the author's remark in the foregoing citation, but in answer to the fame sentiment, which he has advanced in other places, where he seems to think it ridiculous to fuppofe, that a man wants virtue, becaufe he wants faith; or that his want of faith is in any degree criminal. Though thefe extracts may feem to fuggeft an unfavourable idea of Dr. Berkenhout's performance, yet we must do the learned author the juftice to observe, that it is by no means deftitute of merit. The plan is much better calculated to give the reader a view of the gradual progrefs of literature, than any biographical dictionary. But whether a general feries would not have been better, than a variety of arbitrary claffes, we fhall leave our readers to determine. The lives are concife, a confideration of no fmall importance. The language is clear and manly. The authorities, which are indifpenfibly neceffary in a work of this nature, are placed in the margin; and all mifcellaneous remarks are fubjoined in the form of notes. The critical reader may certainly find many faults and inadvertencies in this volume. But he should confider the dif culties attending a work of this extenfive kind. The bio grapher grapher must have an uncommon fhare of learning to qualify him for his undertaking; a large collection of books to fupply him with materials; an indefatigable induftry to carry him through all his tedious and unentertaining researches; an extraordinary fagacity to difcover the truth among a thousand fallacies and mifrepresentations; at the fame time, a lively imagination, and a facility of expreffion; or, in a word, the art of giving his narrative those embellishments of style, which every reader of tafte will naturally expect. In this view of things, Dr. Berkenhout's attempt to bring down his history to the prefent time, is entitled to our admiration; and we eafily, overlook thofe defects, quos aut incuria fudit, Aut humana parùm cavit natura. A Practical Treatise on Chimneys. Containing full Directions for preventing or removing Smoke in Houses. Illuftrated with Copperplates. 12mo. 35. Cadell. Τ IT is a remark but too true, that philofophers generally exercife their faculties on fpeculations which feem little calculated for any practical benefit to mankind. Their experiments and obfervations are frequently calculated for their own amusement, or to raise our wonder and furprize. Thinking it beneath them to apply their obfervations to practical ufes in life, they leave that to be done by the operative artift, who feldom has time and capacity to acquire knowledge fufficient for the purpose. On this account the laudable endeavours of the ingenious author of this little book, are the more commendable and valuable. Smoky houfes are common complaints in every part of the nation; a general grievance; and yet how few know any thing of the caufes or remedy of fo conftant and difagreeable an attendant on domeftic life! The speculative philofopher knows how to account for the afcent of smoke, and the motions of fluids, &c. as produced from various caufes; but fcarcely ever fubmits to learn the structure of a chimney and the other parts of buildings, fo as to enable him to be a competent judge of the fubject: while the workman, with little or no knowledge befides that of putting `his materials together, generally looks for the cause of smoky houfes in a wrong place.-But our author knows enough of the theory, and he reafons juftly; he is well acquainted with the |