is on the increafing hand: and let me fay, it is here in the North, after much patience, we truft the fame Lord, who hath framed our minds in our actings, is with us in this alfo. And this, contrary to a natural tendency, and to thofe comforts our hearts could wish to enjoy with others. And the difficulties probably to be encountered with: and enemies, not, few, even all, that is glorious in this world, with appearance of united names, titles, and authorities, and yet not terrified, only defiring to fear our great God, that we do nothing against his will. Truly, this is our condition. And to conclude, we in this northern army were in a waiting posture, defiring to fee what the Lord would lead us to. And a declaration is put out, at which many are shaken; although we could, perhaps, have wifhed the ftay of it till after the treaty: yet, feeing it is come out, we truft to rejoice in the will of the Lord, waiting his farther pleasure. Dear Robin, beware of men, look up to the Lord. Let him be free to speak, and command in thy heart. Take heed of the things, I fear thou haft reafoned thyfelf into; and thou fhalt be able through him, without confulting flesh and blood, to do valiantly for him and for his people. Thou mentioneft fomewhat, as if by acting against such oppofition, as is like to be, there will be a tempting of God. Dear Robin, tempting of God ordinarily is, either by acting, prefumptuously in carnal confidence, or in unbelief through diffidence: both thefe ways Ifrael tempted God in the Wilderness, and he was grieved with them. The encountering difficulties therefore makes us not to tempt God; but acting before, and without faith. If the Lord have in any measure perfuaded his people, as generally he hath, of the lawfulness, nay of the duty; this perfuafion prevailing upon the heart is Faith, and acting thereupon is acting in Faith; and the more the difficulties are, the more Faith. And it is most sweet, that he, that is not perfuaded, have patience towards them that are, and judge not; and this will free thee from the trouble of others actings; which, thou fayeft, adds to thy grief. Only let me offer two or three things, and I have done. • Doest thou not think, that fear of the Levellers (of whom there is no fear) that they would deftroy Nobility, had caufed fome to rake up corruption, to find it lawful to make this ruining hypocritical agreement (on one part). Hath not this biaffed even fome good men? I will not fay, their fear will come upon them; but if it do, they will themselves bring it upon themfelves. Have not fome of our friends, by their paffive principle (which I judge not, only I think it liable to temptation as well as the active; and neither good, but as we are led into them by God -neither to be reafoned into, because the heart is deceitful) been been occafioned to overlook what is juft and honeft; and think the people of God may have as much, or more good the one way than the other. Good by this man against whom the Lord hath witneffed; and whom thou knoweft. Is this fo in their hearts, or is it reafoned, forced in?-Robin, I have done. Afk we our hearts, whether we think, that after all thefe difpenfations, the like to which many generations cannot afford, fhould end in fo corrupt reafonings of good men; and should fo hit the defignings of bad? Thinkeft thou in thy heart, that the glorious difpenfations of God point out to this, or to teach his people to truft in him, and to wait for better things, when, it may be, better are fealed to many of their spirits? And as a poor looker on, I had rather live in the hope of that spirit, and take my fhare with them, expecting a good iffue, than be led away with the other. This trouble I have been at, because my foul loves thee, and I would not have thee fwerve, nor lose any glorious opportunity the Lord puts into thy hand. be thy Counsellor. Dear Robin, Nov. 25, 1648. The Lord I reft thine, O. CROMWELL.' The Conftruction and extenfive Ufe of a newly invented* univerfal Seed-Furrow Plough; upon an eafy, fteady Principle, fuited to all Soils, fiff or light, level or ridged; and capable of fowing all Sorts of Seeds in three Rows, thicker or thinner, deeper or fhal. lower, and the Furrows or Rows nearer or farther afunder, juft as the Owner pleafes. Also, the Conftruction of a Draining Plough, upon a very fimple Principle. Both published with a View, that the Ingenious may fee what is wanting to put the finishing Hand to a Seed-Furrow, and alfo to a Draining Plough. With the Conftruction and Ufe of a Potatoe-Drill Machine, pointing out the Benefit arifing from this wholefale Culture, to the Land, and to fome of the Live-flock.To which is added, An Effay on the Theory of a common Plough, in order to find, by Geometrical Conftruction, the Angles which give the Share exact Land and Earth at all Depths, and which balance the Motions of the Plough. Illuftrated with Seven large Copper-plates. By J. Randall, a few Years fince Mafter of the Academy at Heath, near Wakefield, Yorkshire. 4to. 5s. fewed. Wilkie, T HE very curious and useful Ploughs here defcribed, are not extant upon paper only, but are actually conftructed, Pursuant to the notice given by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. under under the eye of the indefatigable Author, and now ready for service. And fo far is Mr. Randall from keeping his valuable improvements in Agriculture a fecret, that the Seed-furrow Plough, we are told, has been, from time to time, exposed to the public view of abundance of people. In the Preface we are informed, that the New Husbandry feems the most likely method for the prevention of one of the moft grievous plagues incident to Farmers, and which equally affects the landed intereft, and the community in general:'viz. the depredations of deftructive Weeds.-This obfervation is undoubtedly juft: but though many perfons have bent their thoughts on inventing proper machines whereby to introduce the practice; yet an unexceptionable one for the purpose, has not hitherto appeared. How far the prefent attempt may fucceed, better than others, time muft fhew. In the piece before us, the Author has made fome very fenfible remarks on the various machines now in being, for the purpose of fowing corn: and having pointed out their feveral defects, he proceeds to fhew the power of his own; the conftruction of which is fo minutely defcribed, that he seems to think any Gentleman may get one made for his own ufe, (by the book) if he pleases. For our parts, we really think, that Mr. Randall's Machine, here offered to the Public, appears lefs complicated, and more likely to answer its intention, than any other, of which we have seen draughts. Be this, however, as it will, he certainly ought to have the praise juftly due to every perfon who endeavours to promote the public good: and that this was the main view of our Author, in writing the present treatise, may appear from the following quotation. • If I am but inftrumental in exciting the attention of a few more Gentlemen to the new Husbandry, and thereby increase the number of its friends, by this publication, I fhall efteem it no small happiness, in having done, what every man who can feel the generous fatisfaction of being ferviceable to others, aSpires after.' After having given the Reader his remarks (which appear to be very judicious) on all the Drill Principles at present known, he adds If any perfon fhould think I have made very free with other people's labours, I fincerely hope he will do fo by mine, as they are published with that very intent; for if the public gets but an univerfal Drill-Plough, that will effectually answer all ends, it is no matter who is the Inventor. Perhaps my labours, added to thofe who have gone before me, in this difficult bufinefs, may give a more ingenious Head proper hints how to proceed, and then, after all his toil, he will judge better, 5 better, whether I have obtained the grand Defideratum wanting in Agriculture.' Inftead of attempting a defcription of this ferviceable Machine, which would scarce be intelligible without the Plates, we must content ourselves with recommending the perufal of the book, to all fuch Gentlemen as are friends to rational improvements in Husbandry. The Draining-Plough feems to be formed upon rational, as well as fimple, principles; and appears, to us, very likely to answer its intended purpose. The Effay on the Theory of a common Plough, is very ingenious; and contains many hints that might be of great use to a fenfible Workman, in, the conftruction of that most neceflary implement in Agriculture. The Farmer's New Guide, for raifing excellent Crops of Peafe, Beans, Turnips, or Rape, (fown in narrow or uide Rows, with a Seed-Plough, in the Power of every Wright to make at an cafy Expence) and cleaning the Ground, while they are growing, to prepare it for raifing good Crops of Wheat, Barley, or Oats, in the Common Way of Jowing the Seeds, clear of thofe Weeds which fo often ruin the Farmer, or keep him poor. Being Experiments made on the various Soils of stiff and light. By Mr. Ládnar, a few Years fince a very confiderable Farmer, but now of Kroy, in Yorkshire. 8vo. Is. Sandby. T HE Author of this little tract has done us the honour to dedicate it To the Monthly Reviewers;' with a kind intention of rectifying an overfight, which he alledges we had been guilty of, in difcouraging country Gentlemen from perusing a treatife, the fubject of which is of the higheft importance to the nation.' He also accufes us of difcouraging the new Hufbandry. Now, in anfwer to thefe charges, we can only reply, that it was neither our intention to difcourage the perufal of the abovementioned treatife, nor the practice, of the new Hufbandry, under proper limitations. Both may be useful in the hands of Gentlemen, who are happy enough to be endued with a fufficient degree of perfeverance to make themfelves mafters of the fubject; and who have a purfe adequate to the neceflary expences attending all precarious experiments of this kind. The We fuppofe the Semi-Virgilian Husbandry to be here meant. See Review, vol. XXXI. page 93. Author Author of the treatise alluded to, had taken great pains (we are thoroughly fatisfied) to make his meaning understood: but that will scarce be done by an uncommon multiplicity of words, which too often obfcure the fenfe of a Writer. We are therefore very glad to see the fubftance of the Semi-Virgilian Hufbandry, as well as of the preceding article, on the Conftruction of a Seed-Furrow Plough, here brought into a narrow compafs, and delivered in a plain familiar ftyle, proper for the fubject. The Seed-Plough here given, tho' plainly built upon the fame principles with that in the laft article, is yet fomewhat lefs complex, and confequently more likely to be brought into use. As the Author's motives to the prefent publication, are alledged to be no other than an earneft defire to promote the intereft of Agriculture, and to render the profeffion of a Farmer more comfortable, and less hazardous;' motives truly laudable, .we cannot help wondering at his making ufe of a fictitious name t but if he had, what he may think, fufficient reasons for concealing his true one, we fhall not, in the leaft, fruftrate them, by officiously pointing it out. Upon the whole, we are really of opinion, that the New Guide would be of great fervice, if properly followed; and we heartily wish it may find its way into the hands of every intelligent Farmer in the kingdom:-for, as to others, we are well aflured, they will never fubmit to be guided, even though it were to their own interest. An Elegy on the Death of The Guardian Out-witted, an Opera, written and compofed by Thomas Augustine Arne, M. D. 4to. IS. Nicoll. Eheu Fidicen! Fidefque! AYS the droll motto to this humourous performance; and SAY who can forbear to fympathize with the Fiddler, the Fiddle, and the Catgut?-We have already given an account of the unfuccefsful exhibition of the Guardian out-witted*, whofe deplorable exit this Elegy bewails, in a ftrain not fo much calculated to move our pity as our rifibility-It is a clofe parody on the Elegy written in a country Church-yard, and affords us a very extraordinary inftance of the flexibility of language, and the latitude of imitation.-Upon a view of fubjects fo different in their nature, and in the spirit of execution, one would not * See our laft Month's Catalogue. |