Again, Book III. 173. ed. 1720 (ver. 170. ed. Johnson, 1779) he thus parodies a paffage in Denham's "Cooper's Hill:"

"Flow, Welfted, flow! like thine infpirer, beer;

Though ftale, not ripe; though thin, yet never clear:
So fweetly mawkifh, and fo fmoothly dull:

Heady, not ftrong; o'erflowing, though not full."

In the notes on the above curious extract, it is faid, "He writ other things which we cannot remember. Smedley, in his Metamorphofis of Scriblerus, mentions one, the Hymn of a Gentleman to his Creator: and there was another in praife of either a Cellar or of a Garret. L. W. characterized in the Пal Bus, or the Art of Sinking, as a Didapper *, and after as an Eel*, is faid to be the perfon, by Dennis, Daily Journal of May 11, 1728. He was characterized under the title of another animal, a Mole, by the author of the enfuing fimile, which was handed about at the fame time:

"Dear Welted, mark, in dirty hole,
That painful animal, a Mole:
Above ground never born to grow;›
What mighty ftir it keeps below!
To make a Mole-hill all his ftrife!
It digs, pokes, undermines for life.
How proud a little dirt to spread;
Conscious of nothing o'er its head

paffage in Pope's note, and the eight lines of poetry which it ferved to illuftrate, were fo injurious, that Pope himself feems to have been ashamed, and omitted them in fubfequent editions.'

"Didappers are authors that keep themselves long out of fight, under water, and come up now and then, where you leaft expected them." L. W. G. D. Efq. Sir W. Y.-" The Eels are obfcure authors, that wrap themselves up in their own mud, but are mighty nimble and pert. L. W. L. T. P. M. General C." I have given the above extracts from Martinus Scriblerus, Chap. VI. to thew that Welfted was at least abused in good company; with George Dodington, Sir W. Young, &c.-In the eleventh chapter of "The Art of finking in Poetry," the following couplet is quoted from Welfted's "Acon and Lavinia," as an example of the Paranomafia, or Pun:

Behold the virgin lye

Naked, and only cover'd by the ky

"To which," fays Scriblerus, "thou may' add,

"To fee her beauties no man needs to stoop,

She has the whole horizon for her hoop."

Behold the fidelity of this quotation! The couplet, as it really ftands in Welted, both in the original Free-thinker, and in the republished volume, 1724, is,

66

who faw her, with familiar eyes, Afleep, and only cover'd with the skies."

4

Till,

Till, labouring on for want of eyes,

It blunders into light, and dies."

"But (to be impartial) add the following character of him. Mr. Welfted had, in his youth, raifed fuch great expectations of his future genius, that there was a kind of ftruggle between the two univerfities, which fhould have the honour of his education *. To compound this, he (civilly) became a member of both, and, after having paffed fome time at the one, he removed to the other. From thence he returned to town, where he became the darling expectation of all the polite writers, whofe encouragement he acknowJedged in his occafional poems, in a manner that will make no fmall part of the fame of his protectors. It alfo appears from his works, that he was happy in the patronage of the most illuftrioos characters of the prefent age. Encouraged by fuch a combination in his favour, he published a book of poems, fome in the Ovidian, and fome in the Horatian manner, in both which the most exquifite judges pronounced he even rivalled his mafters. His love-verfes have refcued that way of writing from contempt. In tranflations he has given the very foul and spirit of his author. His ode, his epiftle, his verses, his love tales, all are the most perfect things in all poetry. WELSTED of himself, Characters of the Times, 1728, 8vo, p. 23, 24. It should not be forgot for his honour, that he received at one time the fum of five hundred pounds + for fecret fervice, among other excellent authors hired to write anonymously for the ministry. See Report of the Secret Committee, &c. in 1742."

If this pleafant reprefentation of our author's abilities were juft, it would feem no wonder if the two universities should ftrive

*

This is in fome degree the cafe with every decent scholar at Weftminster; it being an equal chance whether he goes to Trinity College, Cambridge, or to Chrift's Church, Oxford.'

+A grofs mifreprefentation. He certainly received 5001. But, fortunately for his reputation, thus infamoufly and injuriously branded, it was proved beyond a doubt, by an original letter of Steele, that the fum with which he is thus reproached was received by him as an official man, fo far back as the 17th of August, 1715, and was actually iffued for the ufe of Sir Richard Steele. See Steele's Letters to his Lady," 1787, p. 118; compared with the "Report of the Secret Committee" in the House of Commons, vol. xxiv. p. 328; where the fum is faid to be iffued to "Leonard Welfted, Gent. for fpecial fervice."-In the Appendix to the Report of the Secret Committee of the House of Commons in 1741 and 1742, in a table of money expended by Sir Robert Walpole, among other articles, there is one for fpecial fervices; in which is the following article:" Aug. 27, 1715, 500l. to Leonard Welfted, Gent." But this gentleman fome years afterwards declared, to Mr. Walthoe, an alderman of St. Albans," that he received it for Sir Richard Steele, and paid it to him;" a declaration which is now abundantly confirmed by the unfufpicious teftimony of Steele himself.'

with each other for the honour of his education. Our author, however, does not appear to have been a mean poet: he had certainly from nature a good genius; but, after he came to town, became a votary to pleafure; and the applaufes of his friends, which taught him to over-value his talents, perhaps flackened his diligence, and, by making him truft folely to nature, neglect the affiftance of art.'

The volume contains Mifcellaneous Poems and Tranflations; a Differtation on the English Language; a Translation of Longinus on the Sublime; a Theological Differtation on the Conduct of Providence before the coming of the Messiah; and a Comedy, The Diffembled Wanton, or, My Son, get Money. The fportive productions of this writer's pen are certainly the most valuable; feveral of them are well worth preferving.

ART. V. Actions of the Apostles: tranflated from the Original Greek; by the Rev. John Willis, B. D. Vicar of Ridge, Herts. 8vo. PP. 295. 10s. 6d. Boards. Robfon and Co. 1789. THE HE author's reafons for this publication are not new: but their want of novelty does not much leffen their importance. He urges, for inftance, the great revolution of language, by which many words in our tranflation debafe the ftyle.The conjunctive particles xa, uv, v, di, which have various fignifications in Greek writers, are throughout the whole New Teftament, generally cramped by the English particles and and but, by which many actions, events, and difcourfes, in themselves totally different and unconnected, become blended and confufed. By divifions of chapters and verfes, not always in the beft arrangement, an obfcurity is introduced, and fometimes a contradiction to other parts of facred fcripture.A fameness in the tranflation of a particular word has often caufed a corruption and want of precifion in the fenfe.- Mr. Willis adduces inftances in the word 20yos, which is almost conftantly tranflated word; whereas he fays St. Luke ufes it to convey the following ideas, viz. declaration, notification, difcourfe, narrative, word, argument, reafon, literature, eloquence, &c.- Another reafon affigned is the negle of grammatical exactnefs, in cafe, mood, tenfe, and arrangment; without accurate attention to all thefe, it can hardly feem poffible to do juffice to the ftyle and fentiments of facred fcripture, or exhibit a clear connected tranflation of it. How far the author has fucceeded in this refpect, (after making a few remarks) we hall leave the public to determine. He fays, he has done his beft; and will never repent of his undertaking. -We prefume fhall would have been more proper here, and in many other parts of this work.

Dr. W.'s work is divided into feveral fections; to which are added notes, ftyled proofs and illuftrations.

Some of the

author's

author's alterations, we think, are real improvements; others, the contrary; fome are very fanciful; and there are others for which we cannot at all account. Take the following specimen : (we wish he had given the correfpondent places in the Acts: we must here do that for him.) In page 42, he renders Ayleos di Kugis, then an angel of divinity: which, in our tranflation, is literally rendered, but the angel of the Lord, Acts v. 19.We can fee no reafon for his tranflating dozav Oss, Acts. vii. 55. an irradiance of a God; and the next verfe, do I not contemplate the Heavens open? inftead of, behold I fee the Heavens opened; and Acts xiv. 22. Avenue of belief, instead of, the door of faith. Our author's tranflation of that famous text 1 Timothy iii. 16. is very peculiar: page 210. For without controverfy, great is the incomprehenfibility of the right adoration, which has been displayed visible in a body;-innocent in foul-revealed to prophets; proclaimed among nations-believed upon earth-exalted to glory. Surely this is more incomprehenfible than the original.

Our readers, we prefume, by this time, are convinced that fome of this writer's criticisms are fanciful, and others unaccountable; and we cannot help here obferving, that he seems to vary from the common tranflation from a mere affectation of fingularity, which is wrong on this account in particular: the reverence that the common people pay to the Bible is paid to the tranflation; (as they know nothing of the original;) therefore to alter this, (if no valuable end be answered by it,) only tends to weaken their veneration for thefe facred writings.

We fhall conclude with a note that does honor to the author's performance,-page 157. referring to Acts xv. This is the first general council that met on affairs of religion; the occafion of it important. The order in which the Apostles fpeak, their references,―reafonings, opinions, are worthy notice, and the final refolutions founded on them, deferving univerfal imitation.-Had every fucceeding one, which has been held in different periods fince that time, been guided by the fame Holy Spirit, which prefided here, Chriftianity, in every region of the globe, might have remained unadulterated, and in its primitive purity.'

ART. VI. Gramina Pafcua; or, a Collection of Specimens of the common Palture Graffes, arranged in the Order of their flowering, and accompanied with their Linnean and English Names, as likewife with familiar Defcriptions and Remarks. By G. Swayne, A. M. Vicar of Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, &c. &c. Folio. 8 Pages and 6 plates. 11. 1 s. Boards. Richardfon. 1790. As s the intent of this work is to give the farmer the names and nature of the grafies which he may find on his lands, perhaps

perhaps a better plan could not be adopted.-At the fame time, we must say that the defign is open to fome improve

ment.

The plan is fimply to give defcriptions of the common pasture graffes, with remarks on their ufes; and that the farmer might have his objects before him in a manner incapable of any deception, the very plants themselves are pafted on the pages oppofite to the defcriptions.-Figures might not be exact: but the plant itself being produced muft obviate every poffibility of error. Here, however, occurs the idea which we hinted with refpect to the improvement; viz. although the paper is very large, the fpecimens are rather feanty.-There is fcarcely any foliage, and no root at all.-Now we apprehend that thefe would be leading points to a farmer, as well as to a professed botanist. If they do not always enter into the fpecific character, they conftitute the prime parts of the economical uses of a grafs. We could, therefore, have wished that, in a work of this kind, these parts had been brought forward to view. Eradicating noxious graffes is next to an impoffibility.—In the new planting of a meadow, the famer may be taught to confult his intereft in the felection of a proper feed: but he would be beft taught, by having the fpecimens difplayed with all the probabilities of their noxious or ufeful qualities, difcernible in their root and foliage.

Of the execution of the work, we have to fay that a great deal of practical obfervation is beftowed on it: but when the feftuca ovina, rubra duriufcula, are afferted to be the fame plant, we must call in queftion the author's botanical difcernment. We join heartily in Mr. Swayne's wifhes, that the penetrating naturalift, Mr. Curtis, would recollect the defires of his friends and fubfcribers, and let them fee his difquifitions on these graffes.

Much has been faid of the famous Orcheston St. Mary grafs. Mr. Swayne thinks it is the Alopecurus pratenfis. The poa trivialis has been certainly gathered there of an uncommon stature. The fertility of the foil may equally nourish several species:fo that the grafs may perhaps more properly be changed into the title, the graffes of the Orchefton meadow.

The country gentleman will be pleafed to fee this work; and the dried fpecimens will enable him to difcriminate the graffes, that is, fuch as are given in it, very readily. It would have been well if all the graffes had been given, as there is a fatisfaction in being made aware of what are bad, as well as in being taught what are good.