awares, forgetful of my refolution, and detained me fo long till fome light broke in which gave me hopes of at leaft finding out Pappus's general propofition, which indeed not without much investigation I at length rettered. Now this foon after, together with the first Porifmi of Book I. was printed in the Philofophical Tranfactions for 173i No. 177. "But because at that time I did not fufficiently understand the na ture of a Porifm, I think proper now to deliver it more explicitly, that this kind of propofitions, and the way by which they are inveftigated, which geometers from the time that Pappus lived have been ignorant of, may be restored to geometry, and may bring no contemptible in create thereto. And becaufe Pappus's defcription of Porifins is not eafily to be understood without a fpecimen of them, therefore I have thought proper to premife fome eafy Porifms to the explication which Pappus offers of them; and then to Pappus's defcription of them to fubjoin fome of Euclid's Porifms, namely, fuch as I could diftinguish to be fuch, either from Pappus's general propofition, or his defcription of Porilms; or laftly, by help of his lemmas for the Porifms. After thefe follow four of Fermat's propofitions changed into the form of Porifms, for the remaining one of his five is concerning the parabola; and I have demonstrated it in my Conic Sections, Prop. 19. B. V. zd Ed. There are fome other things added, the chief of which were proposed to me, and the conftruction of fome of the given, by that excellent geometer, Matthew Stewart, Profeffor of Mathematics in the Univerfity of Edinburgh, by whom this matter has already been well, and I hope for the future will be much, cultivated." In hopes that the learned and ingenious tranflator will meet with proper encouragement to compleat an English verfion of Dr. Simfon's treatife, we referve our opinion of its execution and importance to a future article. W. Thoughts on General Gravitation, and Views thence arifing as to the State of the Universe. 18. Cadell. It is the general error of fpeculative minds to be more atten tive to what paffes within themselves than to the observations and difcoveries of others, even on fubjects of their immediate contemplation. Hence it is that thefe profound thinkers, after a world of reflection, make wonderful difcoveries of things known to every body but themfelves. Not that the prefent writer has made any other discovery, in the prefent pamphlet, than that he knows very little of the profeffed fubject of it. The late facetious author of Tom Jones fomewhere ludicrously obferves, that every writer will probably treat his fubject the better for knowing fomething about it. With this age re mark, therefore, we take leave of this thinker on general gra vitation; recommending him the next time he fits down to write on any fubject, to read what has already been written on it. W. Mount Mount Pleasant: à Defcriptive Poem. To which is added an Ode. 4to. 2s. Johnfon. To this poem is prefixed the following modeft and pertinent preface. "The following Poem was written fome years ago, at a very early period of life, without the leaft intention of publication. It is not however by way of an apology, that this circumstance is mentioned; the author being fully covinced, that an excufe for obtruding a new publication on the world is always fuperfluous; a good one being in no need of it, and an indifferent one receiving no addition to its value, from any circumstance that can be alledged in its favour." Mount Pleafant is an agreeable eminence near Liverpool, which commands the profpect defcribed in this poem. A fpecimen of the writer's talent for poetical defcription is given in the following lines. "Far as the eye can trace the profpect round, Defcriptive of Merfey's prefent ftate, we have the following. "Far to the right, where Merfey dûteous pours Where in foft tints the fky with ocean blends, And on the weaken'd fight, the long, long profpe&t ends." Again, drawing a comparifon between the plains of this and thofe of warmer climates, the poet exultingly gives the preference to thofe of our own country. "Yet lovelier fcenes the varied profpect cheer, Where Ceftria's plains in long extent appear; Vol. VI. S There There shine the yellow fields with corn o'erfpread ; The merit of this performance, however, does not lie merely in poetical defcription: the moral fentiments, conveyed in nervous and harmonious numbers, ftamp an additional value on the scenery. * His defcription of the ftate of flavery in the West India Iflands, and the juft indignation he expreffes at the commercial avarice and falfe policy which are the cause of it, do him particular honour. "There Afric's fwarthy fons their toils repeat, We must except fome few lines, and falfe Rhimes, which, as we have often obferved, we look upon as a capital defect in modern verfifica 5 Shame "Shame to Mankind! But fhame to Britons moft, That blifs to others, which themselves enjoy ; The trembling limbs with galling iron bind, "Yet whence these horrors this inhuman rage, And Britain finks if Afric's fons be free? -Bleft were the days ere Foreign Climes were known, Nor does his comparison, between the infant and adult state of Commerce, lefs honour to his feelings. "When Commerce, yet an infant, rais'd her head, Those mutual wants a diftant realm fupply'd, The lurking dagger, or the poifon'd bowl. "Now, more destructive than a blighting storm, And the poor natives but furvive, to know -Can this be fhe, who promis'd once to bind 7 This fiend, whofe breath inflames the fpark of strife, The annexed Ode was written on the inftitution of a fociety in Liverpool for the encouragement of defigning, drawing, painting, &c. Our poetical readers will thank us for extracting its exordium, written in a ftrain, well characterised by the poet's own words, applied to Angelo and Milton"Majeftic, nervous, bold, and ftrong." "From climes where Slavery's iron chain With her they bloom, with her they fly; To Albion's ever grateful ifle, The lovely Fugitives forgot to roam, But rais'd their altars here, and fix'd their happier home. Swift fly the hovering fhades of Night, When burfs the orient dawn of Day; Thro' Fancy's realms the wondering mind to bear, "Of power to still the raging deep, An Inftitution, we are forry to hear, already come to decay. To |