"without our perceiving it.'---If, therefore, he should believe the aftronomer's affertion, however true it be in reality, he would believe, what we call, a contrariety-in-fact, viz. that things really are, as he perceives they are not. The fame illustration holds good refpecting the existence of foul and body, matter and fpirit, &c; of which, it is popularly fuppofed, we have pofitive proof or indubitable demonftration; whereas we have nothing more than the imperfect evidence of our fenfations and perceptions; which are fo far from directly affording us demonftration of any thing, that they are conftantly and egregiously deceiving us in almost every thing.

"It will follow from the establishment of this diftinction that, however juftifiable men of difcernment may be in their disbelief or denial of inconfiftent or felf-contradictory propofitions, the very limited extent of their knowledge in the works of nature and the ways of providence, difqualifies them from taking upon them abfolutely to deny improbable and even apparently impoffible facts.

Another diftinction which here offers itself to our confideration, is that between believing the truth of a doctrine (or the believ ing that a doctrine is true) and the belief of that doctrine itself.

"For a man may very properly be faid to believe the truth of a propofition (in other words, that fuch propofition is true) although the doctrine or declaration it contains, appears doubtful, nay, although the terms of fuch propofition be totally unintelligible: in which latter cafe he certainly cannot with any propriety be faid to believe the propofition or doctrine itself.

"The learned and ingenious author of a late plea for the divinity of Chrift*, lays down in form, indeed the following propofition: The belief of a propofition does not neceffarily imply a clear idea of the object of which the propofition affirms any thing" So that in this cafe a man may be faid to believe a propofition he does not underftand. But to this we cannot fubfcribe: a clear idea is certainly required as well of the fubject as the predicate, though not a full or adequate idea. The idea entertained of God by a philofopher and that attached to the fame term by an ignorant clown, are widely different: the one magnificent and extentive as human science can teach or imagination conceive; the other mean and confined as ignorance and dulness can dictate. We will yet venture to fay they are both equally clear; nay, we conceive the confined idea of the clown may be the cleareft, as being more definite, in coming nearer the precifion of our ideas of material objects. This very precifion, indeed, is more destroyed by the effulgence of too much light than by the obfcurity attending the want of it; even as the face of the moon is feen clearer than that of the fun.

"No doctrine or propofition; therefore, can, in our opinion, be actually believed, unless it be clearly understood; and yet propofitions which are not clearly underflood, nay, not understood at all, may comprehend a truth, or may be true; and that they do fo,' is a propofition that may be believed.

"A maa

* Mr. Robinfon. See London Review for Vol. III. page 297.

*A man may believe, as already obferved, a contrariety in fact, a great falsehood, fupported by compenent evidence or credible affirmation; fo may he, with equal propriety and on the fame grounds believe the truth of a mysterious or even unintelligible propofition; or that fuch a propofition is true.

"But then that is not the propofition he believes; this is quite a new one, viz, That the faid myfterious or unintelligible propo fition is true,' which new propofition is neither mysterious nor unintelligible, and therefore may be believed +.

"Thus a magiftrate or officer who administers affidavits ex officio and knows not the contents, may, on the credit and veracity of the deponent, believe the truth of his depofition, or that the contents of fuch depofition are true; but he cannot with any propriety be faid to believe fuch affidavit itself or the contents of fuch depofition; because he knows not what those contents are and therefore can believe nothing about them."

W.

It has been frivolously objected that "a mathematician, who demon* ftrates the truth of any propofition, does not believe it to be true; he "knows it to be fo." Truc, he does not only believe it to be true, he does more, he also knows it to be fo; he believes not only the truth of the propofition, but the propofition itself. Knowledge includes belief, though belief does not include knowledge.

Obfervations preparatory to the Ufe of Dr. Myerfbach's Medicines : in which the Efficacy of certain German Prescriptions is afcertained, by Facts and Experience. 8vo. 1s. Dilly.

Among the number of foreign quacks, to which the people of this country are fucceffively made the dupes, few have met with greater fuccefs in a fhort time than Dr. Myersbach, the Water Doctor; or to use the vulgar term of his own country, the Pifs-kyker! There is not in nature, indeed, a more unnacountable phrenzy, than the fashionable folly of people's putting their health and life in the power of Empirics, Charlatans and Quackfalvers; for fuch from every fymptom of practice Dr. Myerfbach appears to be: although we can by no means approve of the anonymons publication of the prefent pamphlet. He that would fuccefsfully combat imposture, Thould not wear the mask of either diffidence or deceit.-If the cafes here prefented to the public are real, they ought to be authenticated, either by the patients or the practitioner, who pretends to have detected fo many fatal inftances of the Doctor's mal-practice. Indeed the Doctor, however culpable through impofture or ignorance, has a right to expect this; and without fome authentication of this kind, fuch attacks must tend rather to encrease than diminish his practice: fo that the Obferver defeats his own end, with thofe, to whom matter of fact carries more conviction than medical reasoning.

Since the above was written, we have seen, in the Gazeteer, 2o anonymous letter, imputing thefe Obfervations to Dr. Lettfom;

if

if that imputation be true, the cafes above-hinted at are fufficiently authenticated, and the public is ftill farther indebted than it was before to that fenfible and humane phyfician.-Dr. L. might think if probably beneath his character nominally to enter the lifts with the pfs-kyker; but the neceffity, of putting an end to fo grofs an impofition on perfons, already diftreffed enough in mind under their bodily afflictions, certainly required that, either directly or indirectly, it fhould be expoied by perfons of character, and not merely by anonymous publication.

The Frolicks of Fancy, an Epiftle to a Friend. By Rowley Thomas. 4to. Is. Richardfon and Urquhart.

The fancy of Mr. Rowley Thomas, or Mt. Thomas Rowley, no matter which, muft certainly have been very frolicksome, when the put it into his head, to vault his Pegafus, as he calls it, and to fet up for a poet. For goodness' fake where did he learn that flown and home, or that abroad and word were rhimes ? ---He may have read, indeed, that

One line for fenfe and one for rhime

Is quite fufficient at a time;

but who told him that when two lines wanted fenfe they might both be allowed alfo to want rhime? Really Mr. Rowley Thomas, this is carrying the joke too far. Reason without rhimé, or, even rhime without reason, might pass; but to give us neither rhime nor reason is rather too frolickfome a fancy to be put up with.

**

Poems on various Occafions. Confifting of original Pieces and

Tranflations. By Samuel Bentley, 8vo. 6s. Stevens.

Having taken a curfory view of the productions of Mr. Bentley's mufe, we cannot conceive the had occafion to dictate a fingle line of any of the various poems in question. Indeed there is fo little poetry in any of them, that we can scarcely impute them to the fuggeftions of a mufe; but are rather difposed to think Mr. Bentley's fancy, like that of Mr. Rowley Thomas's, is apt to be occafionally frolick fome, and to fet him volting upon his imaginary pegafus.---Poor Pegasus what a miferable packhorfe is he made of! Or rather what a mule they make of him, to fuppofe he is fo eafily mounted !---Thefe pegafus-riders, like children aftride a ftick, put us in mind of the Commiffary and his riding-mafter. They fit their wooden horfes fo badly they will never be able to ride a live horfe as long as they live.

***.

The

The Flight of Freedom; a Fragment. 4to. Is. 6d, Williams. According to this poet (for know, this writer alfo is a poet) Freedom has expatriated and taken her paffage from England to America; but whether the is tranfported for life, for fourteen or only for seven years, is not afcertained. Like most other tranfports, however, we imagine fhe will be glad to find her way back again, as foon as poffible, even if the should reach her port of destination, and the Americans fhould receive her; which is to be doubted, fince the congrefs have declared their refolution to receive no more tranfports from England.

****

The Fair Villager, a Tale; with other miscellaneous Poems. 4to. 1s. 6. Becket.

This Tale is not unpoetically conceived or told; the verfifier, in the whole mifcellany, however, hardly ever foars beyond the bounds of mediocrity.

**

Omiab's Farewel. Infcribed to the Ladies of London. 4to, Is.

Kearfly.

The adventurous Omiah and Queen Oberea have given occafion for our modern Rochefters to difplay their poetical talents in various productions in the amorous ftile. The prefent is by no means the beft, neither is it the worst, although we hope it will be the laft, of those licentious productions.

The Truth of the Chriftian Religion; a Poem: Founded on a very celebrated Work of Hugo Grotius. By Charles L'Ofte, A. M. 8v. 5s. 3d. White.

The very celebrated work of Grotius, on which the present performance is faid to be founded, was written, we are told, originally in Low-Dutch verfe, and has long fince been loft and forgotten.

That work loft and forgot, I would retrieve,

Or fomething fimilar in English, give:

Such is the Author's declaration, and indeed from this fingle diftich alone may be deduced his ability to give his readers, in English fomething fimilar to the Dutch doggrel, which neither its author nor his countrymen thought worthy of preservation.

The

The Progrefs of Freedom, a Poem. By J. Champion, Efq. 4to. Is. Davies.

If 'fquire Champion can fight no better in defence of Freedom than he can describe the progrefs of it, he is but a poor chamion in its cause indeed, and may as well lay down his pen and take up his gauntlet,

The Duenna, a Comic Opera, in Three Acts, as it is performed by his Majefty's Servants. 8vo. 1s. 6d. E. Johnson. The popularity of the farce, played laft feafon at CoventGarden Theatre under this title, and the refolution of the managers not to publish it, fuggefted, it feems, the present scheme to pick the pockets of the public, and particularly of the purchafers of pamphlets in the country: the piece itself being a paltry parody on Mr. Sheridan's Duenna, worked up into a po, litical fatire; calculated, as well as its title, merely ad captandum vulgus.

Clifton, a Poem, in Imitation of Spencer. 4to, 2s. Robinson, O IMITATORES! SERVUM PECUS,

Imitated.

So vile fo fervile is the nature
Of the mere verbal imitator,
He copies the defigner's plan
Just as a monkey apes a man.

The Worthiness of Wales; a Poem: a true note of the ancient Caftles, famous Monuments, goodly Rivers, fair Bridges, fine Towns and courteous People, that I have feen in the noble Country of Wales, and now fet forth by Thomas Church Yard. 8vo. 7s. 6d. Evans,

Whether the republisher of this piece of linfey-wolfey be a Welchman, and has been at fo much expence for the honour of his country, or from what other motive fo antiquated and heterogeneous a compound found its way again to the prefs, we know not. But, if it were not to commemorate the worthiness of Wales, it might as well, for the worth of the Poem, as it is called, have been buried in a Church-yard with the bones of its author, or been placed over his grave as a monumental fample of true Church-yard poetry.

A Con