Retrofpett of Domeftic Literature...Clafical Literature. 
in June, 1689. William M‘Laughlin, the 
father of oid Shylock, who foftened the 
Trifh~ patronymic into Macklin, com- 
manded a troop of horfe in the army of 
James the Second on that memorable day : 
his fond wife partook the fortune of her 
hufband, and, with the infant in her arms, 
encountered the dangers of an engage- 
ment. ‘The royal army was routed, and 
Charles was conveyed from the fcene of 
action in a furf-Ai/b* to a diftant part 
of the country, where he lived almoft 
without food for two days, in confe- 
quence of the abfence of his mother who 
nuried him, but was affording confola- 
tion to her affliéted bufband. Such is the 
ftory here told of Mr. Macklin’s birth : if 
it be true, at thetime of his death that 
veteran muft have been above 107 years of 
age ! and he muft have acted on the ftage 
within feven years of his death. Thefe 
volumes which, as we before ftated, were 
compiled chiefly from Mr. Macklin’s own 
papers and memorandums, contain a fuc- 
cing hiltory of the ftage during a period 
of ene hundred years; they contain his 
criticifms on Garrick, Quin, Foote, &c. 
&c. With fuch Aiea before i a 
biographer muft have been dull indeed nat 
to have made. his volumes entertaining : 
we are not difpofed to compliment Mr. 
Hickman very highly on the execution of 
his tafk: his ftyle is very carelets and flo- 
venly, and the refleftions which he now 
and then makes are fuch as would come 
from a {chool-boy. 
A biographical memoir has been-tranf- 
Jated from the German, entitled, The 
Confeffion of the celebrated Counte/s of Licht- 
enau, late Mrs. Rietz, now confined in the 
Forirefs of Gloglau as a State Prifoner. 
Thefe confeffions. are faid to be drawn 
from papers and memorandums found in 
poffeffion of the countefs atthe time of her 
arreft : now, as thefe confeflions relate the 
circumftances of her arreftation, it is in- 
difputable that fome part of them muft 
have been written affer that event. The 
countefs was the daughter of atrumpeter: 
herfelf and her fifter were brought up to 
the trade of proftitution by their own mo- 
ther ; they were both kept by the late 
king of Prulfia before he afcended the 
throne ; and the fubjeét of the prefent bio- 
graphy preferved her unrivailed fway, 
after the period of his afcenfion, to the day 
of hisdeath. Her amorous intrigues, va- 
rious and deep as they were, were, if 
#« A kind of Balket ne ced on a car, and ufed 
Frincipally for the purpofe of conveving turf 
from the bogs to the habit: ey ef the irish.” 
Montuny Mac. XLYil. 



ba 
STOCKDALE, 
525 
pollible, exceeded in variety and ftrata- 
gem by her political machinations : fhe 
was known in every court of Europe, and 
the king was acceffible only through her 
means. On the death of his majetty the 
was immediately arrefted ; and thereis eve- 
ry probability that fhe will be kept in con, 
finement during the remainder of her days. 
Mr. HurcHinson’s Biographica Me- 
dica, Sc. is a carelefs compilation from, 
other diétionaries : he acknowledges him~ 
felf tobe under particular ange oes to 
the authors of the General Biographicat 
Dictionary : but who, from fo loofe and. 
general acknowledgment, would conceive 
that he had taken nearly two hundred lives 
verbatim from that valuable work, parti- 
cularly after having ftated, that in the 
execution of his own, “‘he has not re- 
curred to dictionaries only, nor contented 
himfelf with fupplying the defects of one 
dictionary from pera and cutting of 
the redundances of all, ac. &c.”’ There 
is fomething extremely difingenuous in 
fuch a meafure as this is, and, we may add, 
extremely fimple; for it was abfolutely 
impoflible that the plunder of fo large 
a booty from the Biographical DiGionary 
fhould pafs undetected and uncenfured. 
CLASSICAL LITERATURE. 
Mr. Morrir has publifhed a ver 
learned and conclufive “indication of Ho- 
mer, and of the ancient Poets and Hifiorians 
wubo bave recorded the Siege of Trop; i 
Anfwer to two late Publications of Mr. Bry- 
ant, with a Map and Plates. It is more 
than thirty years fince Mr. Bryant's dil~ 
fertarion was written; and it is fince that 
time that M. Chevalier has made the ce- 
lebrated difcovery that the modern tflue 
of the Scamander Is artificial; a difcovery 
which removes all the geographical difit. 
cuities of the I/ad, and totally fubverts 
the bold hypothefis of Mr. Bryant. Mir. 
Morrit traced the difcovery of M. Cheva- 
Jier on the fpot, and, in common with 
many other Engifh gentiemen, Mr. 
Mr. DaLLaway, and 
Mr. BERNEY, gives pofitive evidence of 
its accuracy. Mr. Morrit has treated his 
adverfary with all the candour and urba- 
nity which are due to his deep wee 
and venerable age. 
It is with pleafure we are enabled to 
announce the fourth and fifth volumes of 
fr. Canr’s tranflation of the Dialogues 
of Luaan; itis folong a time fince the 
former yolumes appeared, that we began 
almoft to defpair of feeing the work 
brought to acenclufion. Mr. Carr has, 
however, concluded his work, and wich 
honour to himfely : his tranflation is free, 
Mieeamnes 
cad 
