1 To the five letters are fubjoined Sir Edward's defires concerning his papers, and his laft will and profeffion;' and all of them fhew that, however mistaken he might be in his political opinions, he had acted from the dictates of confcience and a fenfe of duty. Some of the best friends to Lord Clarendon's memory have acknowledged, that his religious policy, when he came to be chief minister of this country, was narrow and illiberal. From the prefent work, and especially from two or three letters to Lord Hopton, it appears that Sir Edward Hyde was always bigotted in his notions of church government. The feries of papers in this volume is carried on to the year 1651; ending with the account of King Charles the Second's escape after the battle of Worcester. Many of the letters and memorials relate to foreign as well as to domeftic affairs; and to the state of Ireland, as well as to England. Among other things, we find here a very compleat detail of difpatches, including Lord Cottington's and Sir Edward Hyde's embafly to Spain. We have only to add, that this is a noble and valuable collection, and that we are perfuaded it will prove of great importance to the elucidation of our national hiftory. We shall expect, with impatience, the remaining papers, as we have reafon given us to believe that they will be found ftill more momentous and interesting than those which have been already published. K. ART. XI. The Works of Dr. John Eachard, late Mafter of CatherineHall, Cambridge. Confifting of the Grounds and Occafions of the Contempt of the Clergy; his Dialogues on the Writings of Mr. Hobbs; and other Tracts. A new Edition; with a Second Dialogue on the Writings of Mr. Hobbs, not printed in any former Edition; and fome Account of the Life and Writings of the Authot. 12mo. 3 Vols. 7 s. 6 d. fewed. Davies. D R. John Eachard, fo well known from his witty detail of the causes of the Contempt of the Clergy, was the pleasantest controverfial writer of the laft age. His prefent Editor prefers him to Swift, for the following reafons: The celebrated Dean of St. Patrick's, fays he, turns his pen too frequently into a fcalping-knife, and makes his wit the executioner to his ill-nature. Not content, to overcome his antagonist by the ftrength of his abilities and the force of his argument, Swift treats him, as if he were not only the dulleft, but the vileft of mankind. It is not enough for him to conquer, unless he tramples too upon his enemy: he frequently felects the most opprobrious terms and fhocking expreffions he can find in the English language; and throws them about at random on perfons in the most exalted as well as the lowest stations: on princes and stockjobbers; chancellors and printers; dutcheffes and coiners; ftatefmen and news-writers; bishops and ufurers; fine ladies and lewd rakes. • Eachard Eachard contents himself with hunting down the argument of his opponent, and rarely meddles with the man: he thinks it fufficient, if he can prove him a dull and affected, a foppish and pedan tic, an ignorant and a foolish reasoner. him hateful to the populace, or obnoxious to the government. He He wishes not to render laughs in his antagonist's face at the very time he difarms him; then helps him to his fword again, and humourously rallies him for not knowing how to ufe it. In fhort, Eachard's difcuffion of an argument or confutation of a book, divefted of that feverity and acrimony, with which theological difputes are too often maintained, refembles a feast, where eafy wit, fprightly humour, good-nature, and good fenfe form the molt agreeable part of the entertainment.' This learned and merry divine * where he took his degree of Mafter of Arts in 1660. In 1670 was educated at Cambridge; he published his celebrated work above-mentioned. He afterward attacked the philofophy of Hobbs, with all the powers of his wit, humour, raillery, and reafon; fo that, as his prefent Editor obferves, all the ferious and fyftematical books, written by the most eminent and learned of our divines, could never have rendered the philofophy of Hobbs fo contemptible as the incomparable dialogues of Eachard, which contain the most judicious arguments, united with the moft fpirited fatire, and the livelieft mirth. Dr. Eachard died in 1697, and was fucceeded in the Mastership of Catharine-hall, by Sir William Dawes. Eachard's works, we have reafon to believe, were for a long time, the favourite companion both of divines and laymen. Swift fpeaks of them with refpect. He feems indeed to have read our Author with attention, and to have greatly profited by him. An ingenious gentleman affured me, that fome outlines of the Tale of a Tub, might be traced in the writings of Eachard. This I am afraid is going too far. Certain it is, that this Writer was endowed with a very large share of wit, which he employed to the best and nobleit purposes, to the defence of religion and morality when attacked by a philofopher, who laid claim to the reputation of a great scholar, and a profound mathematician. Eachard had befides a vein of humour peculiar to himself, much useful learning, a ftrong manner of reasoning, without the appearance of it, and above all an uncommon skill in turning an adversary into ridicule; in which no writer has fince exceeded, nor perhaps equalled him. Let us not forget too, that he poffeffed an inexhaustible fund of good-nature, with the moft eafy and laughing pleafantry: qualities, which the haughty and fplenetic Swift could never enjoy.' The elegant infcription on his tomb is thus very properly introduced by the author of the memoirs prefixed to this edition: • The famous Laurence Eachard, the hiftorian, appears to have been nephew, or fome other near relation, to this John Eachard; but there was no affinity of genius between them. 3 The The infcription on Dr. Eachard's tomb, will fhew his character in a new light. A wit is fuppofed by fome people to be a worfe member of fociety in proportion to the fhare he poffeffes of that dan gerous quality, which as often excites our hatred as our admiration. This amiable man was as refpectable for the benevolence of his mind, as the extent of his capacity. He executed the truft repofed in him of Mafter of his college, with the utmost care and fidelity, to the general fatisfaction of the Fellows, and with the approbation of the whole univerfity. He was extremely anxious to rebuild the greatest part, if not the whole, of Catharine-hall, which had fallen into decay but unhappily for the college, he died before he could accomplish his generous defign. However, he lived long enough to give that beautiful front, which the infcription fo juftly celebrates: and this he effected by the most painful affiduity in procuring liberal contributions from his learned friends, and confiderable largeffes from his rich acquaintance, who could not refift the power of his perfuafive eloquence; and laftly, by beftowing the little all he was mafter of. He lies buried in the chapel of Catharine-hall: over his tomb is the following infcription, which will be a lafting monument of Dr. Eachard's worth, and of the gratitude of the learned fociety to which he belonged: Tibi habeat, Catherina, hoc mortale depofitum Tenues hafce exuvias: Si quæras cujæ fint, vix lapides tacere poterunt Johannem Eachard S. T. P. Academiæ Cantabrigienfis bis Pro-Cancellarium, Huic operi intentus, liberalitate partim fua Nullum non movendo lapidem, (Quæ erat optimi hominis indefeffa industria,) Quod fordidum, ruinofum Et vix collegit nomine indigitandum Invenerat, Elegansa Elegans, magnificum Obijt Julii 7mo 1697. Etatis LXI. Eachard's works here collected, are, 1. The Enquiry into the Grounds and Occafions of the Contempt of the Clergy. 2. Obfervations on an Answer to the Enquiry. 3 Hobbs's State of Nature confidered; in a dialogue between Timothy and Philautus. 4. Five Letters in Defence of the Enquiry, against Dr. Owen, and others. 5. A Second Dialogue between Timothy and Philautus, on the Writings of Hobbs. This last tract, which was originally published in 1673, is now first added to the collection of Eachard's works; of which, it feems, there have been no fewer than twelve editions, before this of 1774. ART. XII. Shakespeare's Plays, as they are now performed at the Theatres Royal in London; regulated from the Prompt Books of each Houfe, by Permiffion. With Notes critical and illuftrative. By the Authors of the Dramatic Cenfor. 8vo. Vols. 15 s. fewed. Bell. 1774 "In every Work regard the Writer's End, Since none can compass more than they intend.” HE above precept of Mr. Pope's, occurred to us on look Ting into this impreffion of Shakespeare's acting plays, which is not fet in competition with any other edition, because it is executed on a different plan, and intended to answer a different purpose. The great aim of former editors has been to give us Shakespeare reflored; the profeffed defign of this, perhaps more popular work, is to prefent the lefs critical* reader with Shakespeare as altered and accommodated to the taste of an age more refined than that in which the Author lived and wrote,— more capable of tafting his beauties, and lefs apt to relish or even tolerate his defects. Those beauties, it muft, to the honour of the stage, be allowed, are judiciously retained in the plays of this great poet, as acted at either theatre; and the deformities are, for the most part, with equal choice and difcernment, expunged; "The rhiming clowns that gladded Shakespear's age, No more with Crambo entertain the ftage," &c. Though this edition is not meant for the profoundly learned, nor the deeply studious, who love to find out and chace their own critical game; yet we flatter ourselves both parties may perceive fresh ideas started for fpeculation and reflection." EDITOR'S Pref. Advertisement. With With undoubted propriety, therefore, have the prefent Editors obferved, that the moft enthufiaftic admirers of Shakefpeate-thofe who worship him as the god of their idolatry, fcruple not to admit that even his moft regular pieces produce fome fcenes and paffages, highly derogatory to his incomparable merit; that he frequently trifles, is now and then obfcure, and fometimes, to gratify a vitiated age, indelicate.' It is, further, with equal truth remarked, by way of apology for the faults of this wonderful genius, that they may juftly be attributed to the loose, quibbling, licentious tafte of his time;' and that he, 'no doubt, on many occafions, wrote wildly*, merely to gratify the public; as Dryden wrote bombaftically, and Congreve ob fcenely, to indulge the humours, and engage the favour of their audiences." Why then,' our Editor afks, should not the noble monu ments he has left us,-be reftored to due proportion and natusal luftre, by fweeping off those cobwebs, and that dust of des praved opinion, which Shakespeare was unfortunately forced to throw on them; forced, we fay, for it is no strain of imagination to suppose that the Goths and Vandals of criticism, who frequented the theatre in his days, would, like thofe who over-ran the Roman empire, have deftroyed and configned to barbarous oblivion the fublime beauties which they could not relifh; and it is matter of great queftion with us, whether the Fool in King Lear was not a more general favorite, than the old monarch himself.' The above confiderations, we are told, firft fuggefted the idea which hath produced the present edition; and among the peculiar uses of a printed copy of Shakespeare's plays, with the text regulated according to the Prompters books, the Editors have obferved, that those who take books to the theatre, will not be puzzled to accompany the speaker, nor over apt to condema the performers for being imperfect, when they pafs over what is defignedly omitted. Here, however, it is obferved, that as fome paffages, of great merit for the clofet, are never spoken, fuch, though omitted in the text, are here carefully preferved in the notes. And with regard to the critical part of this undertaking, which is not by any means held forth as its greatest merit, the Editors profefs, that having been long convinced that multiplying conjectural verbal criticisms, tends rather to perplex than inform the reader, they have given those readings which to them appeared most confonant to the Author's manner and meaning, without obtruding one capricious opinion on another.' "One glaring chaos, and wild heap of wit.” Rev. Feb. 1774* L POPE. They |