• If a common understanding may venture to notice in fuch a mind as his, what it thinks the most prominent features, I fhould fay, that an understanding of the most extraordinary force, directing its exertions to the whole compass of phenomena, and guided in the conclufions it draws from that wide range of premifes, by the direction of experience, has been among the excellencies which have moft peculiarly diftinguished Edmund Burke: that poetically rich, fplendid, beautiful, and grand, as his imagery is, he is CHIEFLY EMINENT for the DISCOVERY OF MOMENTOUS TRUTH, and the COMMUNICATION OF MOMENTOUS INSTRUCTION. A genius that has fhewn a fitnefs for any fpecies of exertion, has rarely been more frequently and completely exerted to render men wifer, better, and happier. The more clofely the intellectual history and principles of this wonderful perfonage are examined, the more thoroughly, I may venture to affert, fhall we be convinced that, with every power and numberlefs exertions in fublime* poetry, his principal and moft fuccefsful efforts have been in fublime practical philofophy.

The qualities of his heart were no lefs amiable and eftimable than his talents were aftonishing-benevolent, juft, temperate, magnanimous. He loved his country, loved its conftitution, because he believed it the beft adapted for its happiness: at different times, from the fame principle, he fupported different members of it, when he thought the one or the other likely to be over balanced. During the prevalence of the Bute plans, dreading the influence of the crown, he fupported the people; and for the fame caufe, during the American war.

After the overthrow of the french monarchy and aristocracy, and the diffemination in Britain of the principles that had deftroyed thefe orders, apprehending fimilar effects, if not vigorously ope pofed in England, he ftrenuoufly fupported the monarchy and ariftocracy. Thus difcriminately patriotic in public life, in his private relations, his conduct was highly meritorious. A fond and attentive hufband, an affectionate and judiciously indulgent father, a fincere friend, at once fervid and active, a liberal and kind matter, an agreeable neighbour, a zealous and bountiful patron, he diffufed light and happinefs. His principles were as itrict, and his habits as virtuous, as his difpofitions were kind.

His manners were pleafing, infinuating, and engaging, in all companies, but efpecially in the exercife of hofpitality in his own houfe. His ardent fenfibility rendered his temper irritable: his rage, though violent, was not lafting. The contention of active politicks called that infirmity forward much more frequently than a calmer fituation might have done.

Such, only, were the trivial foibles that his enemies could with truth alledge, to counterbalance his qualities and talents.

By poetry, the reader will perceive, that I mean creative fancy: the fenfe in which lord Bacon ufes it, when deriving the three great fpecies of compofition, hiftory, poetry, and philofo. phy, from their fources in the understanding, memory, fancy, and reafon,'

With fo little alloy, and fo much fterling value, in realms in which great talents are frequent, and great virtues rare, in the ufual courfe of moral and intellectual excellence, centuries may país before providence again below an EDMUND BURKE.'

The fpecimens already exhibited will enable the reader to decide on the merits of the prefent work. It by no means precludes another life of this orator and ftatefman, in which fuperiour libe: rality and talent might prefent both characters and events in a new and more interefting point of view. The brightest period of Mr. Burke's political career was the difatrous epoch of the American war; and whoever pretends, to defcribe it with effect, must write con amore, and be himself a lover and afferter of liberty.

0.

PHILOLOGY.

ART. V. ΕΠΕΑ ΠΤΕΡΟΕΝΤΑ. Or, the Diverfions of Purley. Part. I. By John Horne Tooke, A. M. late of St. John's College, Cambridge. 4to. 534 pages and 2 plates. Printed for the Author and fold only to Subfcribers on paying two Guineas for the whole work, in 3 Vols. in boards. Johnfon. 1798.

IN fearch of variations, we have compared a great part of the former edition of Mr. T.'s important work with the prefent. The principal internal variations in a didactic compofition may be expected to be eafily referable to the following heads: change of doctrines; new arguments in fupport of thofe formerly maintained; and additional illuftrations. The author had frequently reforted to political inftances; and in many cafes gone further than was necef fary merely for exemplification. To this we looked as to another fource of novelty; and we have not been disappointed.

Under the first head we find nothing. We had expected fomething by way of conceffion, explanation, or contradiction, addreffed to thofe, who, fince the firft edition of thefe Diverfions, have contended, that language is retolvable into the names of things. Mr. T. ftill retains noun and verb, leaving his third chapter as it originally food. But he has yet fpoken little of the poun, nothing of the verb.' So we may expect to hear this matter difcuffed hereafter.

We do not recollect above one writer, who has ventured into the field as an affailant of our author's principles. We could name more than one, who has afferted, that thefe principles had been diftinctly flated by older writers. To one, or, as he will have it, to two, of thefe antagonists, Mr. T. has replied much at large; and we shall extract part of this reply as a fpecimen of the additional

matter.

P. 239. In the conclufion of their criticisms they fay" Profeffor Schultens was the first philologift who fufpected prepofitions, conjunctions, particles in general to be no more than nouns or verbs, and refufed therefore to make feparate claffes of them, among thofe that comprehend the parts of speech. But he confined himself in the application of this truth to the learned languages. You are the first who applied it to those which are called modern."

These

Thefe are the gentlemen who commence with a folemn proteftation, that they" aim at nothing but a fair reprefentation of the truth." And yet, in the above extract, there is not a fingle propofition that does not convey more than one wilful faifhood."

After fome quotations from Schultens, Mr. T. fays, P. 244.Thus it appears that Schultens, without reafoning at all upon the fubject, took the old divifion of language exactly as he found it; and, with his predeceffors on the oriental tongues, confidered and ranked the particles as a diftin&t part of fpeech. But he condemns the fubdivifion of particles into declinable and indeclinable, and propofes to divide them into feparate and infeparable.

In my opinion neither of thefe diftributions is blameable in the grammar of a particular language, whofe object is only to affift a learner of that language: but the one fubdivifion is juft as unphilo fophical as the other. If the particles are all merely nouns or verbs, they are equally fo whether ufed feparately or not. The term infeparable, instead of not feparated, is likewife juftifiable in Schultens, who confined himfelf to a dead language; and who did not intend to confider the nature of general fpeech: for, in a dead language, authority is every thing; and thofe words which cannot be found to have been used feparately by thofe who bequeathed it, are, to as (fpeaking or writing it) not only not feparate but infeparable.

But Schultens no where afferts that thefe particles are ALL nouns or verbs; nor does he adduce a fingle argument on the fubject. He evidently supposes that there might be particles which were neither nouns nor verbs: for, befides the feparate rank which he allows them, his words are always carefully coupled when he speaks of thefe particles. He confines them to nouns, fubftantiva vel adjectiva (he never adds verba, which my critics have modeftly slipped in for him); but even then he always fcrupulously repeats-bona pars. multe. maximam partem. ferme. præfertim. originis. oriunde. propagantur. referenda. Specimina que dam. Nonnulla tangentur. Horum enucleatio ampliora exigit fpatia.-In which (fo far from being the first who fufpected it") he carefully and clofely adopts the qualifying ex preffions of very many grammarians (efpecially latin grammarians) who had ufed the fame long before him. Many of these I have cited, who went much farther in the doctrine than he has done : for it furely was not my business to fink them; but to avail myself of their partial authority, and to recommend my general doctrine by their partial hints and fufpicions.

But my critics, who fay that Schultens fufpected, in five lines. farther impudently convert this fufpicion into a truth, which they reprefent him as having demonftrated or at leaft afferted: and with equal effrontery they tell us, he applied it to the dead languages; and that I applied his truth to thofe which are called modern.

It is however of little confequence to the reader from what quarter he may receive a difcovered truth; or (if it be a discovery) whofe name it may bear; nor do I feel the smallest anxiety on the fubject. But bear with my infirmity, reader, if it be an infirmity. 1 he enemies of the effablished civil liberties of my country have hunted me through life, without a fingle perfonal charge against me through the whole courfe of my life; but barely because I early

VOL. XXVIII.

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defcried

defcried their confpiracy, and forefaw and foretold the coming form, and have to the utmost of my power legally refifted their corrupt, tyrannical and fatal innovations and ufurpations: they have deftroyed my fortunes: they have illegally barred and interdicted my ufefulness to myfelf, my family, my friends, and my country: they have tortured my body*: they have aimed at my life and honour-can you wonder that, whilst one of thefe critics takes a cowardly advantage (where I could make no defence) to brand me as an acquitted Felon; I am unwilling (where I can make a defence) that he should in conjunction with his anonymous affociate, exhibit me as a convicted plagiary and impoftor? But no more of these cowardly affaffins. I confign them to the lafting contempt they have well earned, and which no future title will ever be able to obliterate from the name of Windham.

Of the additional illuftrations, one of the most remarkable occurs. at page 424. In the former edition along was difmiffed in lefs than five lines. In the prefent, it occupies almoft eight quarto pages, and clofes with one of those political fallies, with which this work is fo highly feafoned.

The fpectators and readers of Mr. T.'s trial for high treason will recollect what occurred refpecting a letter from a perfon high in office. Mr. T. was prevented from producing it's contents before the court; but he has feized an opportunity, and dextrously seized it, of laying them before the public.

These remarks will fuffice to fhow the difference between the two editions. On the character of the work, it would be impertinent now to expatiate. Refpecting the form, we fhall venture a fingle fuggeftion. The notes, before numerous, are at present increased and enlarged. Frequent recurrence to a commentary on his own text we regard as a proof of unskilfulness or want of care in every author. But the expedient feems to us much more clumfy in dialogue, than in plain differtation; and why one elucidation. fhould be thrown to the foot of the page, while a fimilar elucidation is admitted into the text, would puzzle our ingenious writer himfelf to explain fatisfactorily. We would rather, therefore, that, in his expected continuation, he fhould interweave all his illuftrations into the web of his text. But if he cannot be reclaimed from his old habits, and will purfue his work in his own way, then let him at leaft gratify the wishes of all the learned and the curious, by speedily putting it out of hand.

A beautiful plate of Mercury taking off his wings, engraved by Sharp, is given as a frontispiece.

B. W.

The antient legal and mild imprisonment of this country (mild both in manner and duration, compared to what we now fee) was always held to be torture and even civil death. What would our old, honeft, uncorrupted lawyers and judges (to whom and to the law of the land the word CLOSE was in abhorrence) what would they have faid to feven months of CLOSE cuftody, fuch as I have lately fuffered, without a charge, without a legal authority (for their own monftrous law, which arbitrarily fufpended the Habeas Corpus, did not authorize CLOSE cuftody) and without even the most fimfy pretence of any occafion for it ?

ART..

MISCELLANEOUS.

ART. VI. Ejays and Criticifms, by Dr. Goldfmith; with an Account of the Author. 3 Vols. 12mo. 746 pages. Price gs. fewed. Johnson. 1798.

THE firft volume of thefe effays was published by Dr. Goldfmith in 1765, and is here reprinted to complete the collection. The contents of the fecond and third volumes were felected by the late Mr. Thomas Wright, printer, who, during his connection with thofe periodical publications, in which the early works of Dr. G. were originally contained, carefully marked the feveral compofitions of the different writers, as they were delivered to him to print,' and he had finished the prefent felection at the time of his death.

Of the authenticity of thefe effays we can have no doubt. They bear every characteristic of Dr. G.'s pen, who, though not fo ftrong a mannerist as Dr. Johnfon or Dr. Hawkefworth, may yet be traced by the eafinefs of his humour, and the flowing and gentle harmony of his periods. His merits were not overrated when it was faid by the fententious Johnson, that "his lan guage was copious without exuberance, exact without constraint, and eafy without weakness: " nor will this publication in any - degree leffen the eftimation, in which his works have been held. There are many of thefe effays equal, at least, to those which he thought worthy of publication before he was out of the reach of cenfure or praife.

It is not neceflary for us to notice the first volume, as the public has done ample juftice to it. The fubjects of the fecond are1. The Character of Lord Chatham; 2. Omrah, or the Happy Moflem, an Eaftern Allegorical Tale; 3. Sibberfik and Igluka; a burlesque Greenland Tale; 4. Alcanor and Eudofia, à Tale; 5. Riches without Happinefs; 6. True Politenefs; 7. Inftinét and Reafon; 8. Phyfiognomy; 9. Fafcination; 10. National Concord; 11. Female Warriors; 12. National Prejudices; 13. Tafte; 14. Cultivation of Tafte; 15. Origin of Poetry; 16. Poetry diftinguifhed from other Writing; 17. Metaphors; 18. Hyperboles ; 19. Verfification.'

Of the tales, Omrah may be pointed out for it's moral and conftruction, the imagery is correct, and the language appropriate without extravagance. The Greenland Tale has a rich vein of burlesque, perhaps a little too ftrongly feafoned for the lovers of the modern fentimental, who would prefer any species of flattery to the niviarfiarfuanerks! P. 51.

Effay VIII flows, that Dr. G. was among the firft english writers, who endeavoured to divert the public attention to phyfiognomy, which has fince been fo ingeniously cultivated under the aufpices of Mr. Lavater. Effay x may be recommended as an excellent antidote to fome of the evils of party spirit.

We shall felect the xith as a fpecimen of that eafy humour, which diftinguishes the productions of our most popular periodical

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writers,