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tifts, as it is in good Dr. Gill to afk, who fupports the temple of paganifm, the pantheon, the abominable fcene at Cornely's, the coterie, mafquerades, &c. &c. and to reply, the Pædo-baptifts. Art. 49. Chriftiani cultis: or the Ornaments of a Chriftian: - being a Collection of Chriftian Virtues and Graces: alfo their oppofite Vices, &c. By Hugh Hopley. 12mo. 1s. Lane, in Aldgate High-street. 1774.

An arrangement of a great number of texts of fcripture, under various heads, which may be usefully confidered for the direction and improvement of life.

Art. 50. Thoughts on the Articles of our to their fuppofed Utility to the State. LL. B. Rector of Black Notley, Effex. - corrected. 8vo. 15. White, &c.

Religion, with respect
By Chriftopher Wyvill,
The third Edition,

The first edition of this valuable tract was published without the Author's name; and we now infert the title of this new impreffion, that our readers may know to whom they are obliged for fo meritorious a production. See Review, vol. xiv. p. 239.

Art. 51. Logica Genevenfis continued; or, the First and Second Parts of the 5th Check to Antinomianifm: Containing an Anfwer to "The Finishing Stroke" of Richard Hill, Efq. By Mr. Fletcher. 12mo. 1s. Hawes in Lamb Street, near Spital Square. Will these spiritual gladiators never be weary of cutting and flafhing each other, for the diverfion of the Public? Art. 52. Solitary Walks: To which are added, the Confolations of Religion in the Views of Death and Lofs of Friends; a Funeral Addrefs on the late Rev. Ed. Hitchin, B. D. With poetical Meditations. Written among the Tombs. bound. Otridge, &c. 1774.

Profe and verfe; pious and Calvinistic.

POLITICAL.

I 2mo.

2s. 6d.

Art. 53. A Review of the prefent Administration. 8vo. is.

Becket. 1774.

This pamphlet is intended to vindicate and extol the meafures of the prefent miniftry. The treaty with Spain, the affair of the Eaft India company, and the measures taken with the American colonies, are the principal fubjects here confidered, and each of them have the writer's great applaufe.

This declaimer appears capable of good compofition, but through hafte and negligence, as we fuppofe, his expreffions are often imperfect or inaccurate: an inftance of which the reader may fee in the following part of a long fentence, when fpeaking with relation to the Eaft India company, it is faid, the honour of the English nation was loft in the rapacity of thofe invaders of the rights of mankind; ruhom the farther we look into their tranfactions, the more we fhall. be fhocked with crimes, that will make us fhrink with horror, till the repetition of them, which rife in as conftant fucceffion, as the morning fun, will make our feelings as callous as the hearts of the perpetrators, who lured with the glitter of wealth, loft all the feelings of humanity,' &c. &c.

It would be a lofs of time to attend much farther to this writer's reflections, but we must take notice of one paffage among others, re

lative to the American colonies. The colonists, fays he, would evade the authority of the legislature, by faying they would tax themselves; but the fincerity of that profeffion we have fufficiently. experienced. We with to be informed whether our colonies have ever refused to raife money when it has been requested by government, by taxing themfelves: we have not yet learned any inftance of this kind, and therefore conclude the above reflection to be unjuft.

Whatever reception this pamphlet may meet with from thofe who enter but little into the true nature of a fubject, it is certain that plaufible declamation will have little weight with thofe who attend to fober and folid teafoning.

MEDICA L.

Art. 54. The Medical Mifcellany, or a Collection of Cafes, Tracts, and Commentaries, exhibiting a View of the Prefent State of Medical and Chirurgical Practice, and Literature in England. Second Edition. With an Appendix. By T. Tomlinfon. 8vo. Baldwin. 1774:

The medical mifcellany first appeared in detached numbers, and the Author proposed to complete a volume every year. This pub. lication has however been dropt for fome time; and Mr. Tomlinfon does not intend to refame it, as it is an undertaking too comprehenfive to be carried on by a fingle perfon, and as it is in a great meafute fuperfeded, he fays, by the Edinburgh medical commentaries, which are conducted upon a fimilar plan.

The Appendix to this fecond edition of the medical mifcellany, confifts chiefly of cafes of wounds and injuries of the head, published from Mr. Tomlinson's notes, which were written while he was a pupil at St. George's Hofpital.

ASTROLOGY. Art. 55. Arcandam's Aftrology, or Book of Destiny: fhewing the Method of cafting every Perfon's nativity, &c &c. Translated from the French of J. Fr. Neveau, aftronomer, many Years confined in the Baftile for foretelling the Death of the Dauphin of France, Father to the prefent King. 12mo. Is. Bew. 1774. Comes about a century too late.

SERMONS.

1. The established Mode of Subfeription vindicated-At the Archdeacon's Vifitation, at Beccles in Suffolk, April 18, 1774. By John Belward, A. B. Rector of Burgh Castle, Suffolk. 6 d. Richardfon and Urquhart.

II. Preached in the Chapel of the Hofpital for the Maintenance and Education of expofed and deferted young Children, May 1, 1774, for the Benefit of that Charity. By the Rev. Robert Anthony Bromley, Preacher at the above Hofpital, and Lecturer at St. John's,, Hackney. 4to. 1 s. Sold for the Benefit of the Charity. III. In the Chapel of the Afylum for Female Orphans, at the Anniverfary Meeting of the Guardians of that Charity, May 19, 1774. By George Horne, D. D. Prefident of Magdalen College, Oxon. and Chaplain to his Majefty. 1 s. Rivington, &c.

The Appendix is fold feparately. Price 1 s.

IV.

IV. Chriflian Fortitude. By Angus Bethune, A. M. 6d, Dos

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V. At Lambeth Chapel, at the Confecration of the Hon. and Rev. James Lord Bishop of St. David's, June 26, 1774. By Philip Cocks, M. A. Rector of Acton, Middlefex, and Prebendary of Lincoln. 6 d. White.

A

CORRESPONDENCE.

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HINTER OF TRUTH charges us with having forgot" a work, entitled, The Philofophy of the Paffions. Our very brief account of that work will be found in the Review for October, 1772, p. 325. The fame Writer queries whether Dr. G.'s " Effays," cenfured in " the Review, be not the fame which received, from the fame Critic, a competent portion of praise, under the title of "the Bee," Tome time before? If this Correfpondent will do us the favour of more particularly pointing out the "Effays" to which he alludes, with the numbers of the Review in which they were mentioned, we will endeavour to give him a fatisfactory answer to his inquiry.

As to fecond or fubfequent editions, our plan does not oblige us to notice them; yet they are fometimes mentioned, when they happen to fall in our way, and when the improvements are confiderable. We have not yet feen the fecond edition of the Dying Negro, to which our Correfpondent fays there are fome Additions, with a prefatory addrefs, &c.

We could not purchase a copy of The Bagatelle, the impreffion being called in.

+++ A letter is received without any fignature; the Writer of which bestows on the Great and Excellent Dr. Samuel Clarke, the epithet of unhappy! Such prefumption would justly deferve chaflifement, but that the Writer appears to be rather the object of pity than of refentment.-He feems, alfo, to be defirous of drawing us into a revival of the controverfy concerning the "Godhead of Chrift." As we hope to be more usefully employed, we would recommend him to George Williams, the learned Livery Servant, of Tewkesbury; who is able to give him full fatisfaction on the fubject,—provided his mind be honeftly and fairly open to conviction.

** The subject of LITERARY PROPERTY will be taken up in our next Review; and an account will be given of the feveral publications relating to that important litigation: from Sir James Burrow's tract, to Dr. Enfield's; including alfo Dr. Kenrick's Addrefs to the Artists, &c.

The Peruvian Letters are left at Mr. Becket's. One of the volumes was imperfect.

ERRATUM in our laft, viz. At the clofe of the account of Eunomus, p. 456, par. 6, L. alt, for 'fingular nature,' read fimilar."

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For AUGUST, 1774.

ART. I. The Question concerning Literary Property, determined by the Court of King's Bench, on the 20th of April, 1769, in the Cause between Andrew Millar and Robert Taylor; with the feparate Opinions of the four Judges, and the Reafons given by each in Support of his Opinion. By Sir James Burrow. 410. 127 Pages. Strahan and Woodfall.

PE

1773.

ERHAPS there never was a period which better deserved to be called the Golden Age of Authors than the present. In former times, when the circulation of literary productions was confined, and the number of readers was fmall, genius often lay buried in obfcurity, and merit was not fufficient, without.a fortunate coincidence of circumftances, to ensure protection and fupport. The moft fuccefsful adventurers could receive no other recompence than the patronage of the great, and at beft could only enjoy a precarious and irkfome dependence; and many a true fon of philofophy or the mufes, who deferved a better fate,

Check'd by the fcoff of Pride, by Envy's frown,

And Poverty's unconquerable bar;

In life's low vale remote hath pined alene,

Then dropt into the grave unpitied, and unknown.

It is only fince the art of printing rendered it eafy to multiply copies at pleafure, and the progrefs of fcience and letters has introduced a tafte for reading among people of all claffes, that authors have had it in their power to repay themselves for their labours, without the humiliating idea of receiving a favour, where they had a right to claim a debt. Inftead of fubmitting to practife the arts of adulation in order to obtain an uncertain reward from his patron, an author has now only to offer copies of his production to public fale, and he is in general certain of reaping as much advantage-not, perhaps, as his vanity promifed him-but as the real merit of the work gives him a right to expect.

VOL. LI.

G

Nothing

Nothing can prevent this, except the rapaciousness of those whom he employs as his agents, or appoints his affigns, or the knavery of literary pirates, who, by republishing his work without his confent, rob him of the natural fruits of his labour. It is poffible for him to arm himself against the former, provided he poffeffes a larger portion of worldly wisdom than commonly falls to the lot of authors; or he may perhaps escape it, by falling into the hands of an honest bookfeller, who will not think it quite an equitable diftribution to give his author all the fame, and pocket all the profits himself-Era Sofiis-longum avum fcriptori. But against piratical invaders of his property he can have no fecurity, excepting what is granted him by the laws of his country.

Whether this fecurity fhall be given to authors only for a term of years, or for perpetuity, is a question of importance both to authors and to the public: to authors, because, unless they are to diveft themselves entirely of the feelings of humanity, it cannot be indifferent to them whether their labours fhall be thrown into the public ftock, or fhall be beneficial to themselves and their connections; and because the degree in which they are so muft depend upon the security and the duration of their literary property: to the public, because literary works, like all others, will be undertaken and pursued with greater fpirit, when to the motives of public utility and fame, is added that of private emolument.

This great queftion, as it is juftly ftyled, has of late been largely difcuffed in our fuperior courts of judicature; and though at first given in favour of authors and their affigns, has fince been determined against them. The chief grounds of these different determinations are now before the public, in the works which will come under our notice in this and fome enfuing. articles; and it is in their power, as they have an undoubted right, to judge of the propriety of thefe decifions. To facilitate this judgment, we propofe to bring into a concife view the feveral arguments urged on each fide of the queftion, as related in the feveral publications now before us.

In the prefent work Sir James Burrow recites, with great accuracy and minuteness, the opinions given by the five judges WILLES, BLACKSTONE, ASTON, YATES, and MANSFIELD, on the cause in which Andrew Millar, the plaintiff, charged Robert Taylor, the defendant, with publishing and felling copies of Thomfon's Seafons, of which Millar was the fole proprietor.

The two chief points difcuffed on this cause are, Whether the copy-right of a book belongs to the author by the common law; and whether, fuppofing fuch a right, it be taken away or seftrained by 8 Anne, c. 19?

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