accomplishments. She was indeed finall of ftature, but had a remarkable liveliness in her eye, and delicacy of complexion, which continued to her death. Her private character rendered her extremely amiable to thofe who intimately knew her. Her converfation was always innocent, ufe. ful and agreeable, without the leaft affectation of being thought a wit, and attended with a remarkable modesty and diffidence of herself, and a constant endeavour to adapt her discourse to her company. She was happy in an uncommon evenness and chearfulnefs of temper. Her difpofition was generous and benevolent; and ready upon all occafions to forgive injuries, and bear them, as well as misfortunes, without interrupting her own eafe, or that of others, with complaints or reproaches. The preffures of a very contracted fortune were fupported by her with calmness and in filence; nor did fhe ever attempt to improve it among thofe great perfonages to whom he was known, by importunities; to which the best minds are most averfe, and which her approved merit and established reputation should have rendered unnecessary. The collection now exhibited to the world is, fays Dr. Birch, and we entirely agree with him, fo incontestable a proof of the fuperiority of our author's genius, as in a manner fuperfedes every thing that can be faid upon that head. But her abilities as a writer, and the merit of her works, will not have full justice done them, without a due attention to the peculiar circumftances, in which they were produced: her early youth, when the wrote fome, her very advanced age, and ill ftate of health, when the drew up others; the uneafy fituation of her fortune, during the whole course of her life; and an interval of near twenty years in the vigour of it, spent in the cares of a family, without the leaft leifure for reading or contemplation: after which, with a mind fo long diverted diverted and incumbered, refuming her ftudies, fhe inftantly recovered its intire powers, and in the hours of relaxation from her domeftic employments, pursued, to their utmost limits, fome of the deepest enquiries of which the human mind is capable! CONTENTS of the First Volume of Mrs. CockBURN's Works. I. A Discourse concerning a Guide in Controverfy. First published in 1707, with a preface by bishop Burnet. II. A Defence of Mr. Lock's Effay of Human Understanding. First published in 1702. III. A Letter to Dr. Holdfworth, concerning the Refurrection of the fame Body. First published in 1726. IV. A Vindication of Mr. Lock's Christian Principles, from the injurious Imputations of Dr. Holdfworth. Now first published. V. Remarks upon fome Writers in the Controverly, concerning the Foundation of Moral Virtue, and Moral Obligation. With fome Thoughts concerning Neceffary Exiftence; the Reality and Infinity of Space; the Extenfion and Place of Spirits; and on Dr. Watts's Notion of Subftance. First published in 1743. CONTENTS of the Second Volume. I. Remarks upon Dr. Rutherforth's Effay on the Nature and Obligations of Virtue. First published in the year 1747. II. Miscellaneous Pieces. Now firft printed. Containing a Letter of Advice to her Son.-Sunday's Journal. On the Ufefulness of Schools and Univerfities. On the Credibility of the Hiftorical Parts of Scripture.On Moral Virtue.-Notes on Christianity 3 Christianity as old as the Creation.-On the Infallibility of the Church of Rome.-Anfwer to a Queftion concerning the Jurifdiction of the Magiftrate over the Life of the Subject.-Remarks on Mr. Seed's Sermon on Moral Virtue.-Remarks upon an Enquiry into the Origin of Human Appetites and Affections. III. Letters between Mrs. Cockburn and several of her Friends. These take up the greatest part of the volume, IV. Letters between the Rev. Dr. Sharp, Archdeacon of Northumberland and Mrs. Cockburn, concerning the Foundation of Moral Virtue. V. Fatal Friendship, a Tragedy. VI. Poems on feveral Occafions. There are very few of these, and what there are, are of little Her poetical talent was the smallest and leaft valuable of our author's literary accomplishments. note. VoE. V. N°. 22. G AMBROSE T AMBROSE PHILLIPS, Efq; HIS Gentleman was defcended from a very antient, and confiderable family in the county of Leicester, and received his education in St. John's college Cambridge, where he wrote his Paftorals, a fpecies of excellence, in which he is thought to have remarkably diftinguifhed himself. When Mr. Philips quitted the univerfity, and repaired to the metropolis, he became, as Mr. Jacob phrafes it, one of the wits at Buttons; and in confequence of this, contracted an acquaintance with those bright gen.us's who frequented it; efpecially Sir Richard Steele, who in the first volume of his Tatler inferts a little poem of this author's dated from Copenhagen, which he calls a winter piece; Sir Richard thus mentions it with honour. This is as fine a piece, as we ever had from any of the fchools of the • most learned painters; fuch images as thefe give us a new pleasure in our fight, and fix upon < our minds traces of reflexion, which accompany 6 us wherever the like objects occur.' This fhort performance which we shall here infert, was reckoned fo elegant, by men of taste then living, that Mr. Pope himself, who had a confirmed averfion to Philips, when he affected to despise his other works, always excepted this out of the number. It is written from Copenhagen, addreffed to the Earl of Dorfet, and dated the 9th of May 1709 3 A WINTER A WINTER PIECE. ROM frozen climes, and endless tracks of fnow, FRO From ftreams that northern winds forbid to flow; No gentle breathing breeze prepares the spring, No birds within the defart region fing, The fhips unmov'd the boift'rous winds defy, While rattling chariots o'er the ocean fly. The vaft Leviathan wants room to play, And spout his waters in the face of day. The starving wolves along the main fea prowl, And to the moon in icy valleys howl, For many a fhining league the level main, Here fpreads itfelf into a glaffy plain : There folid billows of enormous fize, Alps of green ice, in wild diforder rife. And yet but lately have I feen ev'n here, Ere yet |