us in his writings many beautiful memorials of his affection: unluckily, however, it fo fell out that no picture of him was ever drawn; but yet, as if it was intended that fome traces of his countenance fhould be perpetuated, and that too by the very artist whom our author preferred to all others, afterMr. Hogarth had long laboured to try if he could bring out any likeness of him from images exifting in his own fancy; and just as he was defpairing of fuccefs, for want of fome rule to go by in the dimenfions and outlines of the face, fortune threw the grand defideratum in the way. A lady, with a pair of fciffars, had cut a profile, which gave the distances and proportions of his face fufficiently to reftore his loft ideas. of him. Glad of an opportunity of paying his laft tribute to the memory of an author whom he admired, Mr. Hogarth caught at this out-line with pleasure, and worked with all the attachment of friendship, till he finifhed that excellent drawing, which stands at the head of this work, and recalls to all, who have feen the original, a correfponding image of

the man."

To the foregoing anecdote, our biographer adds a fketch of his admired author's mind, of which the following extract will, with propriety, clofe our abstract of this ingenious memoir. "The paffions of Henry Fielding were, as the poet expreffes it, tremblingly alive all d'er: whatever he defired, he defired ardently; he was alike impatient of difappointment, or ill-ufage, and the fame quickness of fenfibility rendered him elate in profperity, and overflowing with gratitude at every inflance of friendship or generofity: fteady in his private attachments, his affection was warm, fincere, and vehement; in his refentments he was manly, but temperate, feldom breaking out in his writings into gratifications of illhumour, or perfonal fatire. It is to the honour of those whom he loved, that he had too much penetration to be deceived in their characters; and it is to the advantage of his enemies, that he was above paffionate attacks upon them. Open, unbounded, and focial in his temper, he knew no love of money; but inclining to excefs even in his very virtues, he pufhed his contempt of avarice into the oppofite extreme of imprudence and prodigality. When young in life he had a moderate eftate, he foon fuffered hofpitality to devour it; and when in the latter end of his days he had an income of four or five hundred a year, he knew no use of money, but to keep his table open to thofe who had been his friends when young, and had impaired their own fortunes. A fenfe of honour he had as lively and delicate as moft men, but fome

times his paffions were too turbulent for it, or rather his neceffities were too preffing; in all cafes where delicacy was departed from, his friends know how his own feelings repri manded him. The interefts of virtue and religion he never betrayed; the former is amiably enforced in his works; and, for the defence of the latter, he had projected a laborious anfwer to the pofthumous philofophy of Bolingbroke; and the preparation he had made for it of long extracts and arguments from the fathers and the most eminent writers of controverfy, is ftill extant in the hands of his brother. In fhort, our author was unhappy, but not vicious in his nature; in his understanding lively, yet folid; rich in invention, yet a lover of real fcience; an obferver of mankind, yet a fcholar of enlarged reading; a fpirited enemy, yet an indefatigable friend; a fatirift of vice and evil manners, yet a lover of mankind; an ufeful citizen, a polifhed and instructive wit; and a magiftrate zealous for the order and welfare of the community which he served."

We are now arrived at the clofe of Mr. Murphy's Critical Effay on the life and genius of Henry Fielding; in which the ingenious biographer has not deviated from the custom of those who write the life of a favourite author, in difplaying his good qualities to the best advantage, and drawing a friendly veil over his failings. In truth, there is a fort of juftice as well as generofity in this conduct; for furely the fmalleft return we can make for the pleasure or profit we have received from the labours of an excellent writer, is a candid and grateful refpect for his memory. The public is very little concerned in the private vices of a private individual; which therefore ought rather to be buried in eternal oblivion, than to be preferved in the records of malice, in prejudice to that fair fame, which is the prize of genius, and the natural reward of merit.

We fhall conclude this article with a brief mention of the feveral pieces which are reprinted in this edition.

The first volume, of the quarto fize, contains part of Mr. Fielding's dramatic writings; among which the Mifer, the Lottery, the Mock-Doctor, the Virgin Unmasked, and Tom Thumb, are still favourite entertainments with the Public.

In the fecond volume, we have the remainder of the dramatic pieces, the Life of Jonathan Wild the Great, a Journey from this World to the next, the admirable JOSEPH ANDREWS,

D4

ANDREWS, the preface to David Simple, and the preface to the familiar Letters between the principal characters in David Simple*, &c.

Volume the third comprehends that most excellent and most perfect of all our Author's writings, the hiftory of Tom Jones; together with a few detached papers; with the numbers of the True Patriot, and the Jacobite's Journal,

The fourth volume contains Amelia, the Voyage to Lisbon, the Covent Garden Journals, the Enquiry into the increase of Robbers, &c. and fome fmall pieces of inferior note. The novel entitled Amelia, is, in this edition, printed from a copy corrected by the Author's own hand; the exceptionable paffages which inadvertency had thrown out, are here retrenched; and the work, upon the whole (fays the Editor) will be found nearer to perfection than it was in its original ftate,

We have already obferved, in the first part of this article (fee Review for May, p. 365.) that the contents of the octavo edition of Mr. Fielding's works are the fame with thofe of the edition in quarto: and that both are embellished with the ingenious Mr. Hogarth's sketch of the Author.

The Adventures of David Simple, and the Familiar Letters, were the production of our Author's fifter, Mrs. Sarah Fielding. See Review for May, p. 365.

A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Chandler, from the Writer of the Hiftory of the Man after God's own heart. Sinall Oc1 s. 6d. . Freeman.

tavo.

Iterary difputes are generally continued till all, but the difputants themselves, are heartily tired of the controverfy. Men are naturally fo tenacious of their opinions, that they are feldom convinced, even when they have been confuted': and if in the rage of contest, the still small voice of candour fhould chance to be heard, it is foon loft in the clamours of over-bearing pride, and arrogant felf-fufficiency.

We will not fay that this is altogether the cafe with refpect to the late revived controverfy concerning the moral character of David king of Ifrael; but it appears to us, that

the

the Author of the History of the Man after God's own Heart, is rather over-tenacious in thus prolonging an exhaufted debate: in which, as is too often the cafe, the fubject in agitation gives way to private altercation, and perfonal animofity.

Dr. Chandler had replied at large to all the objections brought by this anonymous writer against the conduct of king David; and if he failed to vindicate his hero in every article of the impeachment, he had, however, fufficiently cleared him from many of them. But the Doctor's opponent appears very little difpofed to allow the validity of any thing advanced by the learned advocate on the other fide the quef tion. He ftill endeavours to fupport his charge against the fon of Jeffe, in every point; fo that the contest between thefe violent antagonists feems to be, who shall run the greateft lengths of oppofition: and perhaps the faireft inference to be drawn from this extremity of contention, is the conclufion ufually made on fuch occafions, by judicious by-standers, that the truth lies between them. And we may venture to add, that if both parties would reciprocally make a few honcft conceffions, maft of this kind of controverfies (we might perhaps have faid all kinds) might be brought to a speedy conclufion; much to the fatisfaction of the moderate and the impartial, of all parties and persuasions.

As the Doctor had, it must be confeffed, rudely attacked the Hiftorian, in his review of that writer's performance, the latter seems refolved to balance accounts with him; and, accordingly, he has, in this letter, treated the Doctor very cavalierly frequently affecting to laugh at him; to retort upon him his own farcafms; and even to turn his abilities, his fuperior learning, his Greek and his Hebrew, into ridicule. He fets out with fome rough ftrictures on the Doctor's manner of waging literary war; hints fomething about fcolding and fifh-women; and derides the bulk of his antagonist's performance, which he compares with his own: a little David, opposed by an enormous Goliah.

The Reviewer of the Hiftory (for by this title we shall fometimes diftinguifh the reverend Writer) having intimated a fuppofition that the Hiftorian had borrowed his principal objections against David, from Bayle and Morgan, the objector here replies, "that tho' he does not expect to be credited by a man whofe zeal hath eaten him up, he hopes the moderate part of mankind will believe his

fo

folemn declarations, that he knows no more of Morgan than the name and that he entertained a diflike to the conduct of king David, before he had an opportunity of feeing Bayle, whose criticisms, adds he, if the expreffion may be allowed, he in great measure anticipated.”

We fhall pass over our Author's creed, which he gives us, p. 19-21; and which he has carefully wrapped up in the language of facred fcripture;-and come to the argumentative parts of his letter: of which we fhall only collect fome of those which we apprehend to be the most confiderable, either in regard to the subject, or to the manner in which the points are treated by the Letter-writer.

The Reviewer had expatiated on the generofity of David's views in refcuing the town of Keilah from the Philiftine invaders. This exploit, the Doctor thought, might have drawn one word of commendation from the very candid historian ;'-' It fhall,' fays the Hiftorian, have all the commendation to which it is entitled from your own repre fentation of the action.

"Diffatisfied with the writer's faying that David hoped to make it a garrifon for himself, you add, I believe David was in hopes to have dwelt in fafety there, after the deliverance he had obtained for the citizens, as he had thereby purchased their friendship and protection. But he could not hope to make it a garrifon, because he knew he had not men enough for that purpofe, as appears from his conduct; because when he had fure information of the treachery they intended him, he abandoned the city, as not able to curb the inhabitants; and retired to the wilderness.'

"This paffage alone is amply fufficient to confirm the reality of David's rebellious intentions; it is therefore worth analyfing. That he delivered this city from the depredations of the Philiftines is granted: that he by this action thought to purchafe the friendship of the inhabitants, you acknowlege: the ufe he intended to convert this friendfhip to, is the point to be afcertained. Saul was advancing to fupprefs him. You, Sir, fay, that he hoped to have dwelt in fafety at Keilah: but that, not having men fufficient to awe the inhabitants, their concurrence was neceffary. Had he feduced them from their allegiance, and obtained the expected protection, he would have deprived Saul of this city; which city the author humbly imagined might