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of the Tales of the Genii the first of February, in which month he died."

Beside the "Tales of the Genii," a work which possesses great powers of imagination, and a considerable command of language, he was the author of a novel entitled " The History of James Lovegrove, Esq."

The Schemer was originally published in the London Chronicle, at various periods, for more than two years; and in 1763 it was reprinted in one volume 12mo, with the following title-page: "The Schemer, or Universal Satirist; by that great Philosopher Helter Van Scelter." The author, in his Address to the Public, has thus declared the motives which induced him to undertake a work of so singular a cast. "The cele brated, though trifling Letter of Maupertuis," he remarks, "to the king of Prussia, justly raised the indignation of every true friend to arts and sciences who perused it. It was to ridicule his motley performance, that a Letter to Jacob Henriques from a Dutch philosopher, on the possibility of impossibilities, was inserted in the London Chronicle, the plan of which Letter was an imitation of Maupertuis. Many ridiculous projects were planned for the purpose, each having some relation to those offered by the German philosopher; but these arose so very fast, that

the author found it necessary to enlarge his plan, and therefore endeavoured to drop the title of a Letter, (as in that case a greater connection was requisite) and substitute that of a Periodical Paper, called The Schemer."

Three Letters, therefore, all that were written on the first plan, were prefixed to the Schemer, when republished; and the first number of the periodical design commences at page 38, and is dated May 13th, 1760; while the thirty-third, and last, bears the date of December 28th, 1762; and is succeeded by an Appendix, containing the original Letter of Maupertuis. The object of the Schemer is, to ridicule the glaring follies of mankind, in the various departments of Literature, Philosophy, and Politics: he is peculiarly severe upon the political essayists; and though the work is rather coarse in its imagery and diction, it displays much genuine wit, and forcibly excites the risible emotions.

PART IV.'

OBSERVATIONS

ESSAY II.

ON THE PERIODICAL PAPERS

WHICH HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BETWEEN
THE CLOSE OF THE IDLER AND THE PRE-
SENT PERIOD.

So numerous have been the periodical papers from the year 1760, to the beginning of the nineteenth century, that, in order to include an account of them in this and the subsequent essay, it will be necessary to drop all biographical detail, and confine our notices, in a great degree, to historical and critical memoranda relative to each work.

At the commencement of the present reign, the public was inundated with a swarm of political essayists, for and against the measures of Lord Bute, who, in 1762, was generally supposed to hold the reins of government. On these papers, which are now capable of exciting little interest,

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we shall be very brief in our remarks; the first that claims our attention is

1. THE AUDITOR, a paper written by Arthur Murphy, Esq. who, in concert with Dr. Smollett, undertook the defence of Lord Bute's administration; it was begun in 1762, and, like most of the productions of Mr. Murphy, is conducted with ability..

2. THE BRITON, the offspring of Dr. Smollett, supported the same party; it first appeared on the 29th of May, 1762, and was continued until February 12th, 1763; in point of composition it is inferior to the Auditor.

3. THE NORTH BRITON. This once celebrated paper issued from the press immediately after the publication of the first number of the Briton, and taking the opposite side in politics, annihilated a friendship which had existed for many years between the author, Mr. Wilkes, and Smollett. To N° 45 of this collection, we are indebted for the verdict which pronounced the illegality of general warrants; a result that elevated Wilkes, for some time, to the highest pitch of popularity. When Wilkes was compelled to relinquish the direction of the North Briton, it

was conducted to its final termination by Mr. James Brooke, a gentleman intimately acquainted with the literary characters of his age, and who died, at the advanced period of eighty, in November 1807.

These party papers, the most eminent in their day, were accompanied and followed by several others, of which to mention the titles only will suffice, namely,

4. THE PATRIOT.

5. THE ENGLISHMAN.
6. THE MODerator,
7. THE ADViser.

8. THE CONTRAST.

9. THE FREE Inquirer.

Mr. Ridley, in ridicule of this pertinacious host of politicians and projectors, has introduced into one of his Schemers, dated July 8th, 1762, the following proposal for twenty additional essays of the kind. "As I perceive a great alteration in the good people of England since the publication of the Briton, the North Briton, the Patriot, the Auditor, the Englishman, the Moderator, &c. and find that honesty, decency, and religion, are every where exalted and encouraged through the influences of these political writers, I intend to encrease the advantages of this kingdom by

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