Laudari à laudatis viris, is certainly an honour both to the dead and the living: but we apprehend that the above compli ment will be held in little estimation by the friends of either, when they are told that the fame eulogift calls Sir Richard Blackmore one of the greatest of our English poets!

R.

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the EDITOR of the LONDON REVIEW.

SIR,

WHEN Bookfellers give a high price for the copy-right of a work, they alfo generally take care that the periodical publications give a favourable account of it. In hopes, however, that the London Review is under no fuch undue influence, I addrefs to you the following cur fory obfervations on Dr. Robertfon's Hiftory of America. No man has a higher idea of the Doctor's abilities than myself, and it is my eftimation of him which excites my indignation when he appears fuperficial.

In the first page of the Doctor's preface, we are prefented with one of the weakest propofitions that ever difgraced an hiftorian. While the British Colonies, he fays, " are engaged in civil war with Great Britain, inquiries and fpeculations concerning their ancient forms of policy and laws, which exift no longer, cannot be interefting ;" and by this rule every page of ancient hiftory muft be ufelefs. But the London Review has already expofed this egregious affertion.

The very day before I read Robertfon's Hiftory of America, I had finished my perufal of the Introduction to Mickle's Tranflation of the Luftad, or the Difcovery of India. The different ideas which these authors give us of the voyage of Vafco de Gama, the discoverer of India, not only ftruck, but chagrined, me, and made me ready to exclaim with Dr. Robertfon, that without proper evidence an author may be faid, to have written an amufing tale, but cannot be faid to have compofed an authentic hiftory."

66

The circumftances of difagreement which chagrined me are thefe: Robertfon mentions the repulfe, which the propofals of Columbus received at the Court of Lisbon, as the effect of ignorance. And when, by ftrefs of weather, he put into the Tagus, on his return from his first voyage, Self-condemnation and regret, fays the Doctor, were not the only fentiments to which the fuccefs of Columbus, and reflection upon their own imprudence in rejecting his proposals, gave rife among the Portuguese. They excited a generons emulation to furpass bis performances ;" and to this emulation the Doctor aferibes the voyage of Gama.

dif

But in the Introduction to the Lufiad we find this matter very ferently stated. We are there told that the Cape of Good Hope had

been

been fome years known to the Portuguese, and that John II, who gave it that name, esteemed the route to India as in the certain poffeffion of his own fubjects; for which reafon he declined the proposals of the foreigner. We are alfo told by the fame writer that the discovery of India had been the great ambition of the Portuguese Princes for many years, that John II. firmly intended it, and that his fucceffor put it in execution. Dr. Robertfon himself, immediately after afcribing it to the fuccefs of Columbus, adds this fentence," Emmanuel, who inherited the enterprifing genius of his predeceffors, perfifted in their grand fcheme of opening a paffage to the Eaft Indies by the Cape of Good Hope."

Gama's fquadron, fays Dr. Robertfon," was extremely feeble, confifting only of three veffels, of neither burden nor force adequate to the Service" and Gama, he fays, found India, “in industry and arts a bigbly civilized country."

But in the Introduction to the Lufiad every circumftance conveys different ideas. We there find that the fquadron confifted of four fhips: the flag fhip commanded by Gama, the fecond by his brother Paulus, the third by Nicolas Coello, and the fourth by Goufalo Nunio. We alfo find in the fame author that this extremely feeble and inadequate Iquadron, was an overmatch for all the arts of the highly civilized East. That Gama revenged the treachery of the Moors of Mozambie by reducing their town into a heap of ashes, after having defeated 2000 of them on fhore, who oppofed his taking in fresh water: that the King of Calecut in India fitted out all the strength of his highly civilized country, confifting of fixty vellels full of armed men, to destroy Gaina's extremely feeble and inadequate fquadron, but that Gama nevertheless beat them all: That he afterwards beat, and took prifoner, a pirate who attacked him with eight veffels, and was the tyrant and terror of the Indian feas. And that on his homeward voyage he gave chace to a fleet of eight Moorish veffels, and levelled the walls of Magadoxa, a Moorish town in Africa, with the ground, and burned every ship in the harbour.

Either therefore Mr. Mickle has given us an amusing tale; or the Doctor's knowledge of the voyage of Gama has been highly fuperficial, when he called this fquadron extremely feeble, and inadequate to the fervice. Mr. Mickle cites his authorities, and they certainly exift.

Tho' I read much, I am no author; but my indignation is ftrongly excited when I fee men of the most respectable abilities making the moft egregious mistakes. Dr. Robertfon commends the accuracy of Voltaire as an hiftorian, while all Europe laugh at his random affertions. He alfo commends Mr. Gibbon in the highest terms, tho' that gentleman's many and grofs mifreprefentations have already been expofed by Dr. Watson, and are now in the hands of a celebrated Detector. But idle compliment feems to be the predominant paffion of our modern fine writers. The Tranilator of the Luliad has given fome egregious examples of it: he calls the Abbé Reynal an author accurate in hiftorical facts. And yet he has taken no small pains to prove that the Abbé is exceedingly inaccurate; and I believe he has proved it too, in feveral material circumftances. A plain honeft reader, who does not

know

know the mystery of book-making, does not like thefe ambo-dexter doings, and according to my efteem for an author's abilities is my dif appointment when I perceive him thus tripping.

Oxford, July 7, 1777

I am, &c.
OBSERVATOR.

SIR S,

To the LONDON REVIEWERS.

BEING a conftant purchaser of the London Review (which your exceffive ill ufage has compelled me to forbear), with the most com. palfonate concern I find the defpicable Authors reduced to fo low an ebb as to accept contemptible hire, to infult me in the most spiteful terms, as the Author of The Chriftian Hiftory; and this from a wretch unprovoked, and my old acquaintance, agreeable to the Pfalmift, v. 13. Expreffions big with the most rancourous malice of heart would never have been employed, without fuch interesting temptation, publicly to infult a ftranger who has been guilty of employing fome time in reading the Gofpels and various celebrated Comments thereon in various languages, in order to publish, under the fanction of refpectable appro bation, the most regular arrangement and the most exact verfion poffible (from the best authorities, barring Reviewers) of the facts contained in the several infpired Histories of Chrift's Life: a performance he would have been extremely glad to have found executed by fome abler hand, who might, in fome refpects at least, have gained applaufe, fuch as reconciling the different hiftorians in places of a knowledged difficulty, as Peter's Denials, Pilate's Examination, and the Refurrec tion; also a concife recital of the arguments in favour of the History. The Critics who fo virulently abufe me, would have given me and the public fome fatisfaction, it, instead of general expreffions, they lad felected fome of the paflages they with to much envenomed declamation condemn as tame, inanimated, fpiritlefs, vapid, miferable, degrading to the common verfion, which pace veftrâ is not bold, but bald," and what is worse, frequently falfe; alto as depriving the Gospel of its natural fublimity, pathos, and poetry: fome particular errors in the order of arrangement, fome miferably degrading expreffions in the ver fion, fome futile arguments in the differtations, fhould juttify this truly viperous condemnation. It is as abfurdly impertinent to affert that a clofe and accurate tranflation, conveyed in a correct ftile, can deprive an original compofition of its natural fublimity, pathos, and poetry, as that expreffions (whatever the thoughts may be) can be at once both noble and fimple, ye moft noble fimpletons in criticifin and confiftency!! Peace to the manes of Mr. Locke, fuch a fet of execrable Critics are welcome implicitly to believe all he fays on the understanding. It is plain enough that you agree with him in this, that your wills are de termined-by uneafinets: the uneafinefs of your craving appetites made your wills tamely, miferably fubfervient (for a prefent recruit) to the purposes of the most undeserved rancour, of overflowing gall; for

the

the discharge of which had you not furnifht a channel, it would proba bly have burft the invidious livid heart that bred it. If this reply to your truly miferable cenfure is alfo tame and inanimated, the contents of the Book you have fo difparaged dictates fuch conduct, quoting page 198. the Pfalmift, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still But ye have your reward. Your paltry bribe will ferve Critics of fuch a jaundiced eye in little tead, when your prefent Bookfeller fhall follow the example of fo many others in turning you out of doors. Ge neral contempt will follow the wanton abuse of a Book too ufeful and important, too well approved and authorized, too humanely intended, and too carefully, correctly finished, to deserve such treatment, but from fuch votaries of dulinefs, fuch flaves to indigence, fuch patterns of proftitution and bafe venality, as the hacknied London Reviewers. W. Wins.

The tardiness of carriers occafion this to be the firft poft after receipt of your kind favour.

*

Tenby, June 30, 1777.

** Poor Mr. William Williams! How terribly angry! We return his compaffionate concern with all our heart; for really we know nothing of his old acquaintance, who is said to have bribed us to condemn his book: perhaps there has been fome mistake; and he has fent the bribe to fome other Reviewers, who have condemned it in ftill harfher terms!" Let the galled horfe go wince, our withers are unwrung." Rev.

* THE Author of "MISPLACED CONFIDENCE" prefents hi compliments to the Editor of the London Review, and begs leave to point out thofe errors in the criticifin of that work, from which it is hoped fuch criticifin will be found to have undefignedly proceeded.It is not afferted in the work alluded to, that Sir John Delaval promifed the author he would provide for him till after the election fpoken of; nor was the promise then made in that manner, to which Mr. Reviewer refers, and which was the delufive occafion of the Author's premature marriage.-The Lieutenancy the Author is faid to have applied for, fhould have been written an Enfigncy; the real occafion of which application was the Author's total inability, from caufes known to the attentive readers of the work in queftion, to procure a livelihood for himfelf and family from the purfuit of that precarious proteffion with the nature of which Mr. Reviewer (it ingenuous) appears to be totally unacquainted. What could induce him to align it to idleness (a character diametrically oppofite to the Author's natural difpofition) must be best known to himself, though his recourie to perfonal flander, and affiduity to exculpate Sir John, rather flew him to be more than critically INVERESTED. It is requested that the infertion of this in the next London Review may exclude the neceffity of fending a copy of it, with additional commentation, to other periodical publications,

June 14, 1777.

We

We fhould not have troubled our readers with fuch wretched reprehenfions as thefe, if it were not the fairest way to let the complainants ftand or fall by their own juftification. As to the imputation of personal partiality or pecuniary influence over the London Review, the Editor defpifes it too much to make it any reply. The contrary is fo notorious, that we appear, from the Letters of our Correfpondents, to suffer from our impartiality; fo true is that ancient adage, Veritas odium parit.

K.

To the LONDON REVIEWERS.

GENTLEMEN,

THE three following Paffages appearing to me of a very remarkable phrafeology, and my not having met with, in any other publication, any thing fimilar to it, I cannot but think they proceed from the fame pen-and confequently are, in my opinion, a pretty ftrong internal proof, that the author of Junius's Letters is that candid writer, perfuafive orator, loyal fubject, and true patriot, E. B. Efq; I should be glad of your fubmitting this opinion to the Critics (if you fhould not chufe to decide upon it yourselves) among the Letters of your Correfpondents.

Your conftant Reader,

A. B.

"From whatever origin your influence in this country arifes, it is a "phænomenon in the hiftory of human virtue and understanding. "Good men can hardly believe the fact; wife men are unable to account "for it; religious men find exercise for their faith, and make it the last "effort of their piety, not to repine against Providence."

Junius's Letters to the Duke of Grafton, Sept. 28, 1771, Vol. II. :
Letter LI.

"Every project of a material change in a government fo compli "cated as ours, combined at the fame time with external circum"ftances fill more complicated, is a matter full of difficulties; in "which a confiderate man will not be too ready to decide; a prudent man too ready to undertake; or an honeft man too ready to promife."

86

Thoughts on the Caufe of our prefent Difcontents. Page 99. 3d
Edition.

"I really think that for wife men this is not judicious; for fober "men not decent; for minds tinctured with humanity not mild and mer"ciful.”

Mr. Burke's Speech, March 22, 1777. Page 49. 3d Edit.