extremely; the commonalty are even rude and infolent. Another effect of their freedom is caprice and humour; and hence their difpofition for extraordinaries and peculiarities, in which they fometimes run frange lengths. Good cheer is common among all ranks, and a confequence of their happy fituation and eafy circumstances; the acquifition of which is a reigning paffion among the English, as procuring to the poffeffor diftinguifhed confideration, refpe&t, and importance. But this wealth proves, in many, the parent of vanity, oftentation, profufenefs, and immorality.

Other lineaments in the English character are derived from their choleric and faturnine complexion. So far from having the vivacity of the French, or their fociality and frankness towards ftrangers, they are rather thy and referved; but the greater ftrefs is to be laid upon their friendship,, when once a perfon has won their hearts. They are generous, benevolent, fincere, courageous, refolute, and bold, confequently make excellent foldiers; which they have fufficiently fhewn in fo many wars both by fea and land. They must, however, be well clothed and fed, as living too plentifully at home to bear much hardship. They are extremely violent in their paffions, and particularly, their anger borders on rage. A kind of favagenefs frequently prevails in their manners, manifefting itself in the bloody fights and diverfions usual among them, and in which particularly the commonalty take fuch delight. Their natural ingenuity gives them an aptitude for all arts and sciences; and they make use of it even in games of chance, and in other fortuitous events, determining the degrees of probability by arithmetical calculations. But their melancholy difpofition makes them difcontented and fplenetic, though the latter be rather a diftemper of the body than the mind, and fometimes terminates in fuicide.

The English, however, are very fond of diversions and entertainments, and have a great variety of them, as plays, operas, concerts, balls, mafquerades, affemblies, routs, clubs, horferaces, and innumerable others. Amidst all their felf-conceit aud pertinacity in opinions and fentiments, they often vary their fathions; and as much as they hate and defpife the French, yet in drefs and furniture they affect whatever is French. But this is not the only contradiction in their character.

The English are likewife not without their Petits Maitres, but directly the reverse of the French. The English women are handfome and modeft; but fo far from vivacity, they are rather bashful. They are very fond of drefs, and delight in fhewing themfelves publicly in their finery. The hufbands are generally fo indulgent to their wives, that they are looked upon to be the happiest in the world; and though the English laws, in fome

fome cafes, fcarce do them juftice ;/ yet in others they are as favourable, and allow them very extraordinary privileges.

The Scots are tall and well made, courteous and brave, being found in all European armies. They are likewife very temperate in eating and drinking, not departing from these virtues even in foreign countries, where bad examples are fet them. But this is chiefly applicable to the Lowlanders, the Highlanders being extremely different from them in their way of living and manners, and, like their country, rough and wild.

Among the Irifh there is rather greater difference than among the Scotch. Some have admitted the English laws and cuftoms, and these are a civilized well-behaved people; but the others retain their old cuftoms and ways; which not being without fome mixture of barbarifm, are, by the English, known by the appellation of the Wild Irish.'

Certainly no great ftrefs ought to be laid on thofe general characters given of one nation by writers of another, as being often very capriciously drawn, inconfiftently compofed, and not always true. Our Author fays of the English, that their melancholy difpofition makes them difcontented and fplenetic ;' yet he immediately adds, the English, however, are very fond of diverfions and entertainments, and have a great variety of them but the however will not unite thefe two claufes together. The truth is, a love of liberty renders their feelings acute when they meet with adverfe circumftances; therefore, when they are uneafy, and have caufe for discontent, they are difcontented; but when their fituation is eafy, they are difpofed to be pleased, and are as fond of diverfions as the rest of mankind; a difpofition by no means fingular or national. With regard to the propenfity to fuicide, which foreigners charge on the English, it may be replied, that if the foreign gazettes defcended to fuch minute domeftic occurrences as our numerous papers of intelligence do, the ftigma would perhaps be removed; and it might appear that the effects were much the fame every where, among the unhappy fubjects of lunacy or despair.

Many heavy charges might be brought against the British nation on the fame very questionable authorities from which Mr. T. has drawn every trait in the picture he has here given of us; but which, perhaps, might all be fent back to our continental neighbours with double force, on lefs doubtful authority than news-paper intelligence.

That our lower people hate the French, may be partly true; and in hiftory, the remote caufes of this animofity may be

Maralt and Le Blanc, are alfo great authorities with our Author; to whom he has added, with regard to the Scotch, Burt's Letters on the Highlands, &c.

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traced; yet this dislike seldom operates but in times of national hoftility, and even then gives place to humanity. We are alío faid to be rude to foreigners; but this cannot be generally true, while we are defcribed as emulating their fashions. An infular people will naturally gaze at dreffes or manners to which they are not accustomed; and an ignorant indulgence of a propensity to humour, which is predominant among our vulgar, ftimulates them fometimes to make themfelves merry with unufual objects, which a ftately foreigner, who expects that every fellow who wears an apron, fhould be impreffed with awe at his appearance, may take very heinously; and fhould he attempt to refent it, as he might at home among his own country peasants, he would only expofe himself to real infult. But if his good fenfe reftrains him, he may be affured, that the very mob who may ftare at the fingularity of his dress, or the novelty of his air or carriage, will be his warm protectors against any ill-treatment from individuals.

On the whole, the work appears to be executed with care and judgment. M. Totze has confulted a variety of authors concerning every nation, and can only reprefent them as their own or other writers report them.

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ART. IV. Sentimental Lucubrations. By Peter Pennylefs. 12mo. 2 s. 6 d., fhewed. Becket and Dehondt. 1770. Crude imitation of Shandy's Crudities. The Author's manner speaks him a young writer, of a fprightly turn, fome fancy, and an immature judgment. He has an easy vein of expreffion but is extremely inaccurate in his language, which is, moreover, frequently debafed with certain provincialifms, the glaring indications of his not being an English writer, though he attempts to write English.-There is fomething of adventure in this Work, and the fcenery is unfortunately laid in England, though the Author appears to know very little of the country, or of the manners and customs of the inhabitants. In his rambles he comes to a village in the west of England, and goes into a tavern for refreshment. We will venture to say there is no fuch place of entertainment as a tavern in any village or market town in the kingdom, except within the populous environs of London: he might as well have conducted his readers to Mrs. Cornelys's affembly in Sherwood foreft, or on the top of the Wrekin.-He talks of a Prefbyterian conventicle, affembled together in a field for the difpenfing of the Sacrament.' We have heard of something of the kind being cuftomary in Scotland; but we believe fuch an exhibition was never feen on this fide of the Tweed.-When he fpeaks of a gentleman entertaining his friends in his own houfe, he ftiles him the landlord; from whence the English reader, if not duly attentive

to the preceding part of the ftory, would naturally infer that the perfon who furnished the entertainment kept an inn or an alehoufe, or, (as the Author, perhaps, would ftile either of them) a tavern. He fometimes deals in fuch extravaganzas as not only violate, in the groffeft manner, the laws of probability, but are an outrage to common sense. Thus, he fays, I knew a virtuofo who fued for a divorce against his once beloved rib, becaufe fhe had inadvertantly spoiled the wing of a dried butterfly.' Did you, Sir, know the virtuofo who actually fued for a divorce on this wonderful ground for a feparation? Then he must have met with a proctor as ridiculously mad as himfelf, who could undertake to manage the caufe.-In other places, where he overshoots the mark, the abfurdity is more laughable; as where, in a fit of tenderness and fentimentality, he introduces a white handkerchief which had been given him by a Lady: From thee, Almira,'. quoth he, I received it, wet with the chryftal drops which had fallen for the death of an indulgent father. They have never yet been washed from it, nor fhall they ever mix with the stream while I poffefs it, but I fhall add a few more to them as often as all-powerful nature fhall call them from my eyes.' Long may heaven keep the poor gentleman's eyes dry, if this is to be the cafe; or poor Almira's white handkerchief may chance to degenerate into a miferable muckinder indeed; and fhould The ever fee it in such a pickle, fhe will, if the is a cleanly girl, be horridly vexed to think what a floven fhe gave it to.

He introduces, as the clerk of a methodist meeting, fuch a ftrange out of the way being, as would, with equal propriety, have figured in any other sphere of action; a reforming conftable, an exciseman, a fchoolmaster, or a country juftice. Instead of marking his character by the known peculiarities of his tribe, and making him talk in the canting ftrain of the tabernacle, he expreffes whatever he has to fay in mutilated or distorted hard words, the most uncouth and crabbed that could be tortured out of the dictionary, and fome of them fuch unfpiritual and carnal words too, as a methodist, of all men, would never think of adopting we have affaint, per limanory, diferince, facilitously, raci ocinete, pofitivioufy, con/trilicated, and concentricated,-with many others, exceeding even the vocabulary of Mrs. Slipflop herself: -But did ever methodit, or any other diff, talk in fuch language?

We have intimated, that there are many local phrases and idioms in this work, which debafe the language. Of thefe we fhall give a few inftances, and then conclude our account of a performance, in which, notwithstanding our objections to it, we think there is merit, or we fhould not have deemed it worth fuch particular notice; for, in truth, the defects we have pointed

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out, are as much intended for the Author's improvement, as for the information of our readers.-The following pecularities appear to us, to be what are called Scotici/ms. A Lady took up a volume of Dean Swift, and threw it down again in a paflion, The man,' fays fhe, has been totally overgrown with fpleen.' She then takes a volume of Rouffeau's Emilius,This,' faid he, is a book just to my own mind;—the Author has been a lover of humanity.' We need not trefpafs on the reader's patience by pointing out the impropriety of these has beens.

Him he ufes for he: Mother and him had lived long together. And me is generally put for I: Sophy and me joined a few half-pennies;-my father, mother, and me travelled up to town;-Peter and me breakfasted,' &c.

Will stands both for may and for fhall: If I do not find him, I will find plenty of others;-I have forgot the cards, and am the moft wretched creature in the world, as we will not get a fingle pack in the country.'

Thofe is conftantly fubftituted for thefe, throughout the whole book, and is a fault extremely offenfive to the English Reader. One inftance may as well fuffice as one thousand: The children of a man's own brain are even dearer to him than these of his lains; but, thofe of his loins,' is the Author's meaning.

Enough of fault-finding-Aye, and a great deal too much,' the Author, perhaps will fay; for it is ten to one whether he proves grateful for the pains we have taken to mend his pen.— Be that as it may, we fhall bid adieu to his performance, in perfect good humour, and with a quotation which will give the majority of our readers a favourable opinion of his understanding. The part we have felected, is a fermon delivered by a perfon called Mad Tom, to the congregation already spoken of, allembled at a field facrament.

Mad Tom, he fays, was an old man, who, through tattered garments, and ornaments of ftraw, difcovered a mien and gefture which had been accuftomed to better days. He was a frequent attender of thefe meetings, and fometimes, after the fermions were over, concluded the day with a short speech to the audience. That which he made in my hearing, I fhall relate without any apology.

My dear friends, after fo many loud and long difcourses, I fhould not now prefume to detain you, were I not perfuaded that your paffions have only been played upon all day with found, and your judgments not informed by fenfe.

It is an old proverb in the country where I was born, that a fool may give a wife man a good council. If there be any truth in this obfervation, no body can have a better right to give advice than me ;-and if I happen to advife any thing worthy

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