1038 
an able and pious divine, who ought not 
to have difgraced himfelf by afperity 
againft diffenters: there is a curious and 
ftriking remark introduced on the fub- 
jeét of reformation—From what has taken 
place in the Chriftian world fince that 
period, fram the bercfies and fchifms ! 
aivifions and fub-divifions without end, 
and this evil increafjizg more and more 
every day ! tatitudinariani{m under the 
mafk of candour and charity, Se. he 
doubts whether it was a real reformation 
ef Chriftianity : if it had been fo, and had 
reftored the fpirit and difcipline of the 
primitive church, Europe would exhibit 
not the wild uproar of hell, but lively 
parterns of the heavenly ftatc—harmony, 
peace, and love. weit 
Befides the works which we have enu- 
merated, there have appeared feveral 
fingle fermons, moft of them of a poli- 
tical tendency. 
BIOGRAPHY. 
<* General Biography, or Lives, Criti- 
caland Hiftorical, of the moft eminent 
Perfons of all Ages, Countries, Condi- 
tions, and Profeffians, arranged in alpha- 
betical Order : chiefly compofed by JoHN 
AIkIN, M.D. and the late Rev. WIL- 
LIAM ENFIELD, LL.D. Vol...’ This 
work, which, from the high literary re- 
putation of the two gentlemen who un- 
dertook it, has long been anxioufly ex- 
pected, will be found not to difappoint 
the hopes entertained of it. We much ad- 
mire the introdu€tory remarks in the pre- 
face on the great difference between the 
eminence of individuals during their own 
lives, in confequence of high and import- 
ant offices being aceidentally-held by them, 
and their real confequence and influence 
over the events of their age, and agree 
en thinking it to be the duty of a bio- 
grapher to detach the man from his 
tation. We wifh the compilers had 
acted on this opinion in the cafe of 
hereditary fovereigns, and not have 
loaded their pages with all the infignifi- 
cant princes that have reigned; fer un-' 
lefs thefe have merited notice for any 
remarkable qualities or atlions of theiry 
OWN, it appears to us that they ought not 
to find place in a biographical work, 
thouzh they would certainly be entitled 
to It in-a general hiftory. We donot af- 
fent to the reafons of the compilers for 
retcining the ald alphabetical mode of ar- 
rangement, which is only advantageous 
to thofe who would merely ufe this bio- 
graphical di€tionary as a book of refer- 
ence; and we deny that eafy reference is 
the cnief object of a biographical swork, 
Retrofpet of Domeftic Literature... Biography. 
though it may be one of the points to be 
attended to. As a dittionary of refer= 
ence, nothing can exceed the work of the 
firgula:!y concife L’Avocat, which, if 
brought down to the prefent times would 
be fufficient to aniwer this purpofe; but 
we apprehend that the prefent work has 
much hizner claims to notice, and more 
important purpofes in view. As this firft. 
volume dogs not get through the letter 
B, we can only regard it as a fpectmen 
of the work. We hope the remaining: 
volumes will bear marks of the fame fpi- 
rit of refearch, the famé extent of infor- 
mation, and, above all, the fame candid 
‘and liberal mind which pervade the pre- 
fent. On how many accounts has Dr. 
Aikin to lament the irreparable lofs of 
his valued friend ! 
‘¢ Two Biographical Fraéts; Firft, 
Obfervations on Mr. HoLLipay’s Life 
of the Earl of Mansfield; Second, - 
Thoughts on the judicial and political 
Life of the faid Lord Chief Juftice of the ~ 
Court of King’s Bench, by an ancient 
Member of the Inner Temple, Vol. 1. 
Part]. Thefe form a moft tedious and 
excurfive performance: the ‘author at- 
tacks Mr. Holliday, whom he calls an en- 
thufiaftic encomiaft, and more firongly 
the charaéter of Lord Mansfield. We 
earneftly recommend to him to content 
himfelf with this his vol. I. part I. and not 
to fatigue the public with the three other 
parts with which he has threatened them. 
What are we to think of a biographer, 
who. inftead of principally confining 
himfelf to his fubjeét, gives us the lives 
of Mark Tully Cicero, of Demofthenes, 
of all the lords who figned the proteft in 
1743, on the fubjeét of the difmiffal of all 
the Hanoverian troops, of Lord Claren- 
don, of lord Bacon, and of all the lords 
of the flar-chamber ! 
‘© The Supplement to th Anecdotes 
ef diftinguifhed Perfons” brings Mr. 
SEWARD’S planto a conclufion, and is 
executed with the fame tafte and judg- 
ment as the former part. 
“ Sele€tions from the French Anas’” 
are accompanied with biographical fketches 
of the refpective authors, and wiil prove 
an acceptable prefent to thofe who are 
pleafed with thefe light performances. 
“ City Biography,” which profeffes to 
contain anecdotes and memoirs of the 
principal perfonages in our great com- 
mercial metropolis, is a contemptible and 
eatchpenny performance. : 
A trar Jation has anpeared.of ** Rous= 
seLtn’s-Life of General Hoche.” Je 
appears that this general was of the moft 
obicure 
