Vol. V.] Retrofpec of Domeftic Literature.—Metaphyficsio.Poetry. 505 
illudtrations of that writer, or who feel 
themfelves entangled by the fophiftry of 
his arguments, we earneftly recommend 
the perufal and the re-perufal of thefe 
two pamphlets. Dr. GEORGE CROFT’s 
“Short Commentary, &c.on the. Moral 
Writings of Paley and Gifborne,”’ is 
written in fo haughty and di¢tatorial a 
ftyle, that the majority of his readers will 
Jaugh at his airs, and defpife his arro- 
gance. 
From the fubjeéts of Theology and 
Morals, we proceed to that of 
METAPHYSICS. 
The venerable and learned Lord Mon- 
BODDO has publifhed a fifth volume of 
his “Ancient Metaphyfics, containing 
the Hiftory of Man in the Civiized 
State.” His lordthip, it is well known, 
confiders fociety in a ftate of fuch regu- 
far, rapid, and progreflive degeneracy, 
that a total extinction of the human race 
muft be the fpeedy and inevitable confe- 
quence: money he regards as one of the 
principal caufes of this deplorable corrup- 
tion; and England, as it contains more 
wealth than any country in Europe, is 
proportionately afflicted with its conco- 
mitant calamities, vice, difeafe, and indi- 
gence ! “As to crimes,” fays his lordihip, 
‘** they abound fo much, that our gaols 
cannot hold our convidis; and we are 
obliged to fend out colonies, fuch as no 
nation ever fent out before, to a very 
diftant country, till of late quite un- 
known; to which they are tran{ported 
ata great expence, and maintained, when 
there, at a ftill greater: thele crimes, it 
is cbferved, and the obfervation is un- 
quettionably juft, are almoft all the effects 
of wealth.’ According-to Lord M. and 
here we heartily agree with him, the 
Britith nation, whofe humanity and ge- 
nerofity are fo arrogantiy vaunted—by 
itfelf! is not merely degenerating at 
home, but is the caufe of degeneracy and 
depopulation abroad. “ We have deftroy - 
ed,” fays he, ‘ five millions of human 
beings in the Eatt-Indies; our colonies 
in North America, from Hudfon’s Bay 
to Florida, have exterminated the natives 
by war and maffacre, by vice and by 
difeafe, leaving no veftiges of them to be 
feen—except their burial places!” 
Ic is inconfiftent with the plan of our 
retrof{peét, or it would give us the greateft 
pleafure, to extraét a few paragraphs re- 
lative to his lordfhip’s management of 
his private e(tate. Suffice it to fay, that, 
as in days of yore, many of his tenants 
are ferved by cottagers alone , one of the 
former, who pays no more than gol. a 
Montuiy Mage, No, XXXIII. 
year, has thirteen cottagers on his farm s 
{even other tenants, each of whom pof- 
fefles about three acres of arable land, and 
fome moorifh ground for pafture, pay his 
lordthip twelve fhillings an acre for the 
former, and nothing for the latter. ‘I ama 
perfuaded,” fays he, ‘I could more than 
double the rent by letting it off ro one 
tenant; but I fhould be forry to increafe 
my rent by depopulating any part of the 
country.”? On anumber of fmall farms, 
the rental of which, united, 1s under 100). & 
“year, his lordthip has contrived to fettle 
and make comfortable 200 :nbabitantse 
** There are many proprietors,’ fays hey 
‘** who think that the number of cottagers 
on their land is a grievance, and they de-= 
fire to be quit of them ; but, for my party 
I am fond of them, and call them my 
people, and have a pleafure in numbering 
them and feeing them increafe, and am 
forry when any of them leave my land.” 
Venerable and beloved old man! may 
you live many years in the enjoyment 
of this pleafure, and the additional one of 
obferving, that your own moft excellent 
example is followed by thoufands. 
A tranflation has appeared, in four 
volumes, of the * Sy/feme de la Nature.” 
This fimple annunciation is fufficient. 
The learned Dr. WiLLiIcH has pub- 
lithed the ‘* Elements of Critical Phi- 
lofophy, &c.” 5 the objeét of this publi- 
cation appears to be fomewhat fimilar to 
a work, for which we are indebted to 
Mr. Nirscu, intitled, ‘* An elementar 
View of Profeflor Kant’s Philofophy;” , 
every one who Js, in any degree, aware 
of the almoft impenetrable tenebrity of 
this fyftem, and the almoft unfathomable 
profundity of its principles, will readily 
exonerate us from the neceffity of enter- 
ing at large on the fubjeét. We proceed 
to a more fafcinating fubjeét, 
POETRY. : 
The luftre which tafte and learning 
fhed over the ‘“‘ Effay on the Genius and 
Writings of Pope,” naturally raifes our 
expectations concerning the merits of 
Dr. WaxTon’s edition of the ** Works’” 
of that moft polifhed poet. Dr. W. has 
prefented the public with a valuable per- 
formance, which, however, contains lefs 
orginal matter than was generally antici- 
pated: the forced and far-fought inter 
pretations of Warburton are omitted, 
while the notes and illuftrations which 
accompany this edition are fufficiently 
numerous. ‘The voice of the mufes hag 
of late, we think, been lefs than ufually 
melodious :.our recollection furnithes us 
with ea few poetical ‘publications of 
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