fanctions, by way of fence, have thrown up a mound, and cut off those that but approach or resemble it.'

In regard to the prohibition of marriage between relations, it is extremely difficult to fix exactly the point, at which the Jaws of nature ftop, and where the civil laws begin: it has likewife been matter of great difpute, how far civil laws fhould extend, and where all impediment whatever fhould be fufpended. The marriage of firft-coufins, which with us is allowed, and that of fecond-coufins, which is forbidden by the canon law, is a proof of this. Our author, in his further reflections upon the fubject, endeavours to put the whole matter upon a proper foundation, and to reduce it to principles of the eafieft apprehenfion. The Roman law, he tells us, indifputably has afcertained the degrees that may be allowed to unite without impeachment or indecency, in the propereft point that nature, reason, law, and religion could dictate. As the whole, in a manner, refts upon the three following pofitions, he is at no fmall pains to fupport them.

The firft pofition is, that moft, or all the forbidden degrees out of the right line depend, in a great measure, upon the principle of parental representation. The fecond, that an union between the neareft relations out of the fame line, as that of brother and fifter, tho' juftly now condemned by the wifest and most civilized nations, is yet not, in its own nature, and per fe, abominable. The third pofition is, that the fourth degree of confanguinity is the proper point to ftop at: or, in other words, that the marriage of firft coufins is lawful.

After giving a clear view of confanguinity, and establishing the theory of incestuous marriages upon a foundation, which, he thinks, is far preferable to any other that has been produced; the doctor goes on to treat of polygamy, and divorces, &c. and then proceeds to fhew what is owing from the father to the fon, and from the fon to the father, and thus to establish what is meant by the power or authority of the latter. In the remaining part of his work he confiders fervitude and property: in treating of the latter, he takes occafion to fhew that commerce was difcouraged by the Romans as a thing prejudicial to the state. He obferves, that a people of foldiers, whofe trade was their fword, and whose sword fupplied all the advantages of trade; who brought the treafures of the world into their own exchequer, without exporting any thing but their own perfonal bravery; who raised the public revenues, not by the culture of Italy, but by the tributes of provinces; who had Rome for their manfion, and the world for their farm, could have no leifure to fet forwards the ar

ticle of merchandise, nor were very likely to pay any regard to the character of its profeffors.

I add,' fays he, what I do not remember to have ever ⚫ feen infifted upon, that their incorporation and polity, the • caft of their civil government was of a military nature. If • my reader will turn back to that diftribution which Servius • made of his people, he will find it at firft fight to carry the • appearance rather of a mufter, than a political fettlement. And whoever pursues the detail of it in Dion. Halic. in Livy, and others; when he fees the distinction into horfe and foot, into regiments and brigades; the provifion for pioneers, and the neceffary attendants upon an army; when he finds that their comitia were encampments, and their luftra, reviews, ⚫ he can scarcely be of another mind. I do not love to contradict, the antients especially; but, when they tell us, that the comitia centuriata were held out of the city-walls, because this affembly was covered with the Roman army, during their fitting, (and the troops of the republic were never to be drawn up within the city) is it not a fairer and • more probable fuppofition, viz. that this affembly itself was < military? A very valuable writer among them, (Dion. Halic.) and who looked deeper into the conftitution than most of them, when he compares the number of inhabitants be<tween the time that Romulus laid the foundation of the em• pire, and that, when he was taken from it, at the former period reckons 3000 foot, and 300 horfe; and at the latter, 46,000 thousand of the one, and 1000 of the other. Why this precife way of confidering them, unless he con ceived them, as they really were, a nation and a people of foldiers? It is alfo proper to observe, that for a long time the civil and the military officer was the fame; the fame that diftributed juftice, and commanded their legions, till ⚫ the encrease of empire, and the multiplicity of business occa fioned the difunion, and tied down the praetor to his jurif <diction in court, who for fome time had been their com• mander in the field. I obferve, moreover, that all delegations of power ran in the fame channel: the man, who held the fecond place in the ftate, was constantly a field-officer. Thus Romulus had his lieutenant or tribunus celerum: anđ ⚫ upon the fame plan, the dictator had his magifter equitumi the confuls and praetors, when they went into the provinces, had their legatus, and the emperors their praefeftus prae *torio.

It was the natural confequence of all this, that no man could be greatly valued at Rome, who was not of the pro

feffion of his country. It is obfervable, that every fociety of men is apt to value mankind by their own manufacture, and to judge by the ftaple. When I call a man upon change a good man, there is a locality in the expreffion, which will have another meaning at the diftance of four or five miles from Cornhill. There is fcarce a man of letters, but has at one time or other found himself in a company of men, where he would have appeared with much greater advantage if he had been better verfed, or only had attained to a greater degree of eminence, in fome of our rural diverfions, than what falls to the lot of many to be poffeffed of. Shift again the scene to colleges and feats of learning, there the countenance is generally open, the honours extended, and the diftinction paid to eminence of another complexion. Thus it flood doubtless at Rome, between the foldier and the merchant. The Romans were indeed adventurers, but of another fort: their gain was glory, and tradefmen were little better than futtlers.'

The doctor offers fome other confiderations to account for this great feature in the character of the Roman people. He obferves that it was not the national genius of the Romans alone, which turned afide their attention from trade. The terms of defiance, upon which they lived, in confequence of it, with all mankind, would have prevented all the good ef fects of commerce, had their martial spirit given them leave to pursue it. But, what he says upon this fubject is not to be understood as if the Romans never put to fea, and neglected all intercourfe with their neighbours; the contrary is true in many instances: accordingly he proceeds to give some account of their navigation, and then adds fome reflections upon the fate of the Roman letters, and the wonderful stability, and great extent of the Greek language: but we have faid enough to give our readers a general idea of the work, which is all that we propofed.

R

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

I.

THE

MISCELLANEOUS:

HE Hiftory of My own Life. Being an account of many of the fevereft trials, impofed by an implacable father, upon the most affectionate pair that ever entered the marriage-ftate. 12mo. 2 vols. 6s. Noble.

II. The Hiftory of Lavinia Rawlins. A work very proper to be perufed by all young ladies, as a cautionary direétion

for

for avoiding those miferies, for the moft part attendant on fuch of the female world, as place too implicit a confidence in the profeffions of men. Published from the genuine papers themfelves, under the infpection of the aforefaid lady, by the rev. Mr. G. D. rector of Fm, in Lancashire. 12mo. 2 vols.

6s. Owen.

The feason for novels is now fet in, and the press is likely to produce a plenteous harvest; but, if those that shall hereaf ter be brought to market, prove no better than the first crop, we fhall have no great appetite for more of 'em. However, as tafters to the public, it is incumbent on us to apprize the connoiffeur of what is, or is not, fit for his table; and this we fhall conftantly endeavourto do to the best of our judgment; tho' in thus discharging our duty, we subject ourselves to the difagreeable circumftance of palating many an unfavory, many a nauseous mess.

III. The prefent State of the Arts in England. By M. Rouquet, member of the royal academy of painting and sculpture; who refided thirty years in this kingdom. 12mo. 2s. Nourse.

Before we proceed to the merit of this little piece, (for, copious as the fubject may be, it contains no more than 136 Imall pages) we must, in justice to our readers, inform them, fince it does not appear from the title, that it is a translation from the French.

It is aftonishing, that of all the French writers who have attempted to defcribe this nation to their countrymen, not one of the whole number hath understood us rightly: that, from Voltaire, down to the gentleman before us, not one of these painters hath hit off a juft likeness! We muft, certainly, be a very incomprehenfible people!

Mr. Rouquet's table of contents is fufficient to raise a fufpicion, that the author does not even know what is meant by the term Arts. His preliminary difcourfe is a tedious jumble; and throughout the whole book, his obfervations are either trifling or falle. One would have imagined, that in the space of thirty years, a man of common penetration might have known us better. That fuch a book as this fhould appear at Paris, is not at all surprising, as there are few in that city qualified to detect and refute it; but it is ftrange fuch a book should find a tranflator in England.

POLITICAL.

B-k-t

IV. The Hiftory of the minifterial Conduct of the chief Governor's of Ireland, &c. 8vo. Is. Id.

This pamphlet was printed at Dublin, in 1754, but is faid in the title-page, to be printed at London, for W. Browne: it is, however, fo vile a performance, that no place, or prefs, can

reap

reap much honour from its production: nor fhould we have mentioned it at this time, but on account of its being inadvertently left out of the lifts of Irib pamphlets, given in feveral of our late Reviews. We fhould be glad to render these catalogues more complete than we fuppofe they are, and shall think ourselves obliged to any perfon, who will take the trouble of tranfmitting to us the titles of fuch as may be omitted.

The late debates in the kingdom of Ireland are undoubtedly of great concernment to even the English reader; for, can the freedom of the mother-country be thought entirely out of danger, when her dependents find their conftitutional liberties attacked? However, as the generality of our readers may not think themfelves greatly interefted in thefe difputes, we have not troubled them much with extracts from the Irish political pamphlets; but we have been defirous of preferving, at least, their titles; that fuch as have turned their attention that way, may know where the materials for gratifying their curiofity are to be found..

V. A fecond Letter to the People of England, on fubfidies, fubfidiary armies, and their confequences to this nation. 8vo. Is. Scott.

The author raves against the mini@ry in his old ftrain. His former letter was mentioned in the Review for September last. VI. Obfervations on the late and prefent Conduct of the French, with regard to their encroachments upon the British colonies in North-America; together with remarks on the importance of those colonies to Great Britain. By William Clarke, M.D. of Bofton, in New England. To which is added, wrote by another hand, Obfervations concerning the increase of mankind, peopling of countries, &c. 8vo, Is. Bofton printed, London reprinted for J. Clarke.

This gentleman has given a brief, but fatisfactory account, fo far as the narrow limits of his performance allow, of the countries and fettlements he treats of, the incroachments of the French, and the late remiffness of the English, &c. interfperfed with many fenfible, and fome new obfervations, worthy the attention of the public-fpirited reader. The few additional pages, by another hand, contain likewife fome ingenious remarks on the natural increase of mankind, and the most politic means of improving that increase: the whole written with a view to the giving us right notions of our colonies, and of their true and proper interests.

VII. The King of France's Inftructions to a French Spis faithfully tranflated from the original, found in the pocket of a prifoner, taken on board a French fhip, by one of his majefty's men of war. Folio. 4d: Cooper.

We look upon this to be entirely fictitious.

* The remainder of this Catalogue in our next.