ART. 28. A Sermon, preached at St. Mary's, Guildford, on Wednesday, March 12, 1800, being the Day appointed for a General Faft. By T. H. Kington, Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. Published by Defire. 8vo. 27 PP. 15. Rivingtons. 1800.

The topics of this Sermon, on Ezra viti. 22, 23, are the over-ruling providence of God; the fignal events which have paffed, and are now padling, before our eyes; and the folemn day of account and everating judgment. The reft of the difcourfe is occupied by ferious and Itrong admonitions and exhortations. The whole is proper and anxceptionable, but fcarcely important enough for publication.

ART. 29. Mercy Triumphant; a Difcourfe, delivered at Fetter-Laxe Meeting, London, June 15, 1800; ccenfioned by the Death of John Ofbirn Dawson, who was executed for Forgery at Newgate, June 5, 1800. By William Maurice, Pastor of the Independent Congregation, Fetter-Lane. The Third Edition. 8vo. 60 pp. Is. 6d. Conder, and Taylor. 1800.

" As

The eloquence of this difcourfe would hardly gratify claffical ears; but probably the orator did not efpy fuch among his auditors. the painter, &c. the ftatuary, &c. the mechanic, &c. or as the tradefman shores the quality of goods by a fairly selected fample: fo, in this inftance, the fioly Spirit delightfully exhibits the form, the proportions, the powers, the qualities, and the advantages of mercy divine." P. 31.

The unhappy man named in the title-page, appears to have brought an untimely death upon himself, merely by habits of vain extravagance (p. 42); and there feems to be little occafion for cafting any part of the blame upon the ambitious and expenfive display of loy alty in the affociations." P. 42. He is reprefented as dying very pe nirent and pious; and we are by no means inclined to question the fincerity either of himself, or his fpiritual counfellor; though fomewhat lefs of fudden raptures, and more of calm conviction and refignation, might have afforded at least as true edification to those who shall read his melancholy ftory,

ART. 30. The Chriftian's Guide, in Six progrefive Lectures, embellished with a few ferious Extracts, and illuftrated with copious Notes, for the Use of the Parishioners of Skipton. Dedicated to William Wilberforce, Eig. Member of Parliament for the County of York. By J. A. Busfuld, A. B. of Clare-Hall, Cambridge, Curate of Skipton in Craven, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Countess Dowager of Darlington. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Wills and Johnson. 1800.

This is a pious and well-meaning publication, and the author has obviously a warm imagination and amiable heart; but his fervour degenerates into an enthufiafm, which at intervals demonftrates itself in inflated language, and a parade of overweening devotion, inconfiftent with the chaite and unoftentatious fimplicity of the Gospel.

ART.

ART. 31. The Chriftian's Elegant Repofitory, containing Evangelical Philofophy; a Series of Family Conversations on Natural and Revealed Religion; Biographical Sketches, with Memoirs of the Experience of eminent Chriftians; Letters; Effays; and Reflections on important Subjects, doctrinal, practical, and experimental; the Spiritual Bee; Anec dotes; Apothegms; Criticifms and Curiofities of Sacred Literature; Flowers of Sacred Pofy; Odes; Hymns, c. Original and Tranflations. Embellished with Six beautiful Engravings. 12mo. 55. Button. 1800.

The reader will readily perceive, by the title-page, what fort of amufement he may expect from the contents of this little volume. They were written, as the Advertisement informs us, by feveral ministers, and other correfpondents, of a refpectable periodical work. This work is difcontinued; and the proprietors have published this volume from the contributions they had received. The book is elegantly printed, and will be acceptable to thofe for whom it is more immedily intended.

LAW.

ART. 32. Practical Forms: being chiefly defigned as an Appendix to the Practice of the Court of King's Bench, in perfonal Actions. By William Tidd, Efq. of the Inner Temple. 8vo. 583 PP.

Butterworth.

95.

This work is, as the title indicates, a collection of forms of the feveral proceedings in a perfonal action, from the notice which precedes. its commencement, to the writ of error on the final judgment, and the fteps incident thereto. To make the reader acquainted with the nature of the book, we cannot do better than adopt Mr. Tidd's own aecount of it, as given in his Preface.

"In the following work, the author has, in the first place, endeavoured to form a full and correct outline of the fubject, correfponding as much as poffible with his book of Practice. To fill up the outline, he has, with the affittance of his friend, Mr. Thompfon, collected from the different printed books, as well as from his own manufcripts, a great variety of practical forms, which have been collated and compared, and fuch of them felected as appeared to be the mott eligible. These have been all carefully revised; and are placed in the order in which they occur in the courfe of a fuit; fo as to exhibit the general order of the proceedings, and the particular varieties attending them. To avoid unneceffary repetition, references are occafionally made to other, precedents of the fame nature; and throughout the whole of the work, as the subject did not admit of novelty, the greatest attention has been paid to method and arrangement.

"This collection was intended principally as an Appendix to the Practice of the Court of King's Bench in perfonal actions; and a ta

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVI, DEC. 1800.

ble

ble is therefore prefixed, pointing out the particular forms referred to in that work; but as many others have been inferted, which may ren der the publication feparately ufeful, it was thought right to give a general Index to the while, under alphabetical titles."

Mr. Tidd's well known accuracy and experience as a pleader, renders it unneceffary that we fhould enter into a particular commendation of thefe precedents. Every perion in poffeffion of his valuable work on the Practice of the Court of King's Bench, must also acquire the prefent collection as a necessary Appendix to the former. Indeed it is equally useful and neceflary to all who pursue or ftudy the profeffion of the law.

MISCELLANIES.

ART. 33. German Grammar, adapted to the Ufe of Englishmen. By George Henry Nackden, Phil. D. Mawman, Dulau, &c. Svo. 55.

1800.

In his Introduction, this author has given a concife hiftorical account of the German tongue, with its various dialects; and explained the origin of the High German, which idiom is finally become the general language of the country, being now exclufively used for writing, and for polite converfation. At the fame time, he throws out fome hirts in which parts of the country the High German is best spoken, and which he would recommend to the preference of the foreigner, who means to refide in Germany for the purpofe of acquiring the language. Great pains have been taken with the chapter on Pronunciation; and the Sounds and Accents are defcribed as accurately as the nature of the fubject will admit. The Gender is, in German, attended with peculiar difficulties: the rules are few, and the exceptions are extremely numerous; fo that the learner muft truft more to his own obfervation and memory, than to the inftruction of the grammarian. However, what rules could be established, the author has brought together in this work. He has confiderable merit in fettling the variation of the Subftantives, which he reduces to four declenfions; and he fo defines and determines them, that there appears to be no longer any uncertainty in this part of Grammar. Whoever has feen the German Grammars hitherto published, mull know how vague and uncertain this subject was: the learner could, by them, never afcertain to which declenfion the fubftantive he might meet with ought to be referred. For this reafon, we find the number of declensions different in almost every Grammar; and it varies, if we are not mistaken, from one to ten*. But none of them determines the words which belong to each declenfion, in the way pointed out in the work before us. The Adjectives are, by this author, reprefented under four forms, by which their different application is rendered clear and intelligible. Some useful obfervations occur

Mr. Render fays there is but one declenfion in the German nguage; Crabb makes five; Wendeborn eight, or ten; Adelung eight ; 1ome, we believe, three, &c.

in the chapter on the Pronoun: among others, the peculiar mode of addrefs ufed by the Germans, in fubftituting the third perfon for the fecond, is illustrated. The chapter on the Verb has been executed with diligence. The author very justly ad nits no more than three auxiliaries. The ufe of the Compounds the ftudent will find greatly facili tated by the manner in which the subject is treated, and by the obfervations fubjoined. The space allotted to this account will not allow us to enter into a further detail; but we have to remark, that nɔ fmall degree of attention has been bestowed on the remaining chapters of the First Part. The Second Part of this Grammar is divided into three Chapters: the first, on the Agreement and Government of Words, anfwers to what is commonly called the Syntax. The fecond Chapter prefents fome ftriking idioms of the German language; and the third is on the Arrangement of Words. This latter is a fubject which has not been attempted before; and as the knowledge of it is fo essential, both for writing and fpeaking the German with propriety, the author, with juftice, claims the attention of the reader to this part of his performance. The Appendix furnishes fome extracts for the practice of reading; and a collection of words and phrases, intended to affift the learner in his first attempts at fpeaking.

At a period when the German language is, in every department of literature, become of fo much importance, while the means of acquiring it were heretofore fo imperfectly fupplied, we are happy to have it in our power, to recommend to our readers a work like the prefent, adapted equally to the ufe of the beginner, who will find the first elements explained in it in a peculiarly clear, and fometimes a new manner; and of those who have already made fome progrefs in the lan→ guage, who will likewife obferve, that the author has kept pace with the modern improvements in it, and that this German Grammar is more comprehensive than any which had before appeared in this country.

ART. 34. The Effence of Malone, or the "Beauties" of that fafcinating Writer, extracted from his immortal Work, in Five Hundred, Sixtynine Pages, and a Quarter, just published; and (with his accustomed Felicity) entitled "Some Account of the Life and Writings of John Dryden!!" Second Edition enlarged. 8vo. 142 pp. 3s. 6d.

Becket. 1800.

An author, who ridicules another for being tedious, should take efpecial care not to fall into the fame fault himfelf; which this writer does in a very high degree, by extending his banter to 142 pages, which might perhaps have been amufing, had it been comprised in the odd 42.

ART. 35. An Examination of the Merits and Tendency of the Pursuits of Literature. Part Firft. By W. Burdon, A. M. formerly Fellow of Emanuel College, Cambridge. 8vo. 95 pp. 2s. Brown, Newcattle. 1799.

The rage of a tigrefs, whofe whelps have been wounded or stolen, is hardly inferior to the fury of this writer against the author of the Pur

fuits of Literature. A writer, not very logical, undertook to prove that author a Jacobin; if he fees how he is attacked for cenfuring Jacobins, and their works, he will furely relinquish that opinion. Mr. B. fays a great deal; but he gives us to understand that he would say much more, if he were not afraid. Speaking of the controul of government over Literature, he fays, "I might enlarge on this fubject, if I felt at liberty to exprefs my fentiments; but the times of difcasion are now past, we must now all think alike." Whence the author derives this fear, or conceives fuch a neceffity, it is not eafy to guefs. His unjust and illiberal expreffions refpecting the clergy, in p. 50, are beyond all bounds. In a note, p. 80, he fays, "Let it be remarked, that I here and at all times feparate French principles and French conduct: the principles of their Conftitution are excellent; the conduct of their rulers is execrable." We fhould like to know to which of their fix Conftitutions he means to apply this praife of excellence. He concludes this note by faying, fhould Buonaparte prove a tyrant or a traitor, human nature is no longer to be trufted." (Nov. 28, 1799). It may easily be gueffed, except by Mr. C. how this adorer of Bonaparte will criticize the Purfuits of Literature.

66

ART. 36. Secret Memoirs of the Court of Petersburg, particularly towards the End of the Reign of Catharine II. and the Commencement of that of Paul I. forming a Defcription of the Manners of Petersburg at the Clofe of the Eighteenth Century; and containing various Anecdotes, collected during a Refidence of Ten Years in that Capital; together with Remarks on the Education of the Grand Dukes, the Manners of the Ladies, and the Religion of the People. Tranflated from the French. In Two Volumes. 8vo. 10s. Longman and Rees. 1800.

We are avowed enemies to every fpecies of literary impofition, whether it fhows itself in oftentatious title-pages, calculated to allure and deceive the reader; or, in extending to two volumes what ought to be comprised in one, in order to pick his pocket. These volumes are liable to both thefe exceptions; in other respects they are entertaining and agreeable enough. Moft of what is faid of Catharine was before told us in Mr. Tooke's entertaining work; but many anecdotes are related of the prefent Emperor, which, if authentic, tend greatly to leffen our attonifament at any thing he may have done already, or may choose to do hereafter. We tranfcribe the following anecdote: "Since his acceffion one of his horfes ftumbled with him, in one of the streets of Petersburg. He alighted immediately, held a fort of council with his attendants, and the horfe was condemned to receive fifty lashes with a whip. Paul caufed them to be given on the fpot, before the populace, and counted himfelf the firokes, faying, There, Sir, that is for having ftumbled with the Emperor." Once more-" One day, when only Grand Duke, he met in the gardens a man with a round hat, who wifhed to avoid him. Paul caufed the man to be brought before hi.n, and found that he was a clickmaker, who came to repair his timekeepers. After having at great length remonftrated with him on the indecency of round hats, he asked his wife for fome pins, and raifing the flaps of the hat, cocked it himfelf, and then replaced it upon the

head of its owner."

ART.