We have here a collection of pleadings, by several eminent French lawyers, in the following remarkable caufe. Jofeph, Francis, or otherwife Borach, Levi, a Jew, born at Hagenau in Germany, having been converted to chriftianity in France, made recantation of his errors, and was received into the bosom of the church, in the year 1752. At the time of his baptism, he had his two children (their mother, a Jewefs, ftill living) alfo baptifed with him. After this time his wife returned to her relations, and renounced her husband; who, thinking himself fome time after at liberty to re-marry, applied for that purpose to the priest who had baptifed him, to whom he imparted his intention of taking to wife one Anne Thevard, of Villeneuvefur-Bellot. The prieft, who knew his former wife, refused to marry him; on which Levi applied to the ecclefiaftical court at Soiffons, but without obtaining his end. He was denied permiffion to marry; his former wife being living. This fentence being confirmed on appeal, he moved his caufe to Paris; where it was pleaded before the parliament, by whom, after three adjournments, the fentence of the court at Soiffons was confirmed. This cafe of Levi has occafioned much dispute, and some of the pleadings in his favour are deemed masterpieces in their kind. LITERARY NEWS. WE hear from Berlin, that the 13th volume of the Memoirs of the Academy is in the prefs; and that, at the latter end of it, will be printed all the letters of Leibnitz, that were found at Bafle, on occafion of the fearch made after them, to determine the famous difpute between the late Mr. Konig and Mr. Maupertuis. At the Hague will fhortly be published, in 2 vols. 4to. a capital work, entitled Inftitutions Politiques. Written by the Baron de Bielfield, heretofore preceptor to the prince royal of Prussia. The first volume of an humorous and fatirical romance has appeared at Madrid, entitled Historia del famofo Gerundio de Campazas. The hero is a begging triar, and the defign of the fable is to expofe the knavery and ignorance of the order of mendicants. It is written by the celebrated jefuit, J. Francifço de Ifia, and is faid to be patronized by the Inquifitor-general. The mendicants, however, have had intereft enough to fupprefs the fecond volume, which is not yet come from the prefs. K-n-k ONTHLY MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For MAY, 1759. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 1. The Dutch Alliance, a Farce, in two Acts. 8vo. 6d. Kinnersley. ELATES to the affair of the Dutch fhips; and is very ftupid. Art. 2. The Clouds: a Comedy. Written by Ariftophanes, the wittieft man of his age, againft Socrates, who was the wifeft and beft. Now first entirely tranflated into English, with the principal Scholia, and notes critical and explanatory. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Payne. We are forry to fee fo much learning and labour employed to fo ufelefs a purpose, as the revival of this worthless comedy. A blind reverence for antiquity may induce fome to put a high value upon the author of the Clouds; but for our parts, we fcruple not to own, that we deem him no better than a fcurrilous buffoon, whose name ought long ago to have been buried in oblivion; or if suffered to furvive, it fhould be attended with the fame infamy, which diftinguishes the wretch who defroyed the temple of Diana, merely to tranfmit his name to pofterity. Ariftophanes did worfe: he endeavoured to detroy one of the nobleft temples that ever adorned the world; a temple erected by God himself, to the honour of human nature!—but he had his reward. The Athenians, the best judges of his demerits, damned his work on the first night of its exhibition: and indeed, abftracted from its vile purpose of traducing the excellent Socrates, it is a wretched, low, indecent production, unworthy of any stage, or any audience, antient or modern. Many a piece, with fifty times its merit, has been hiffed on the English Theatre, and perhaps, not altogether undeservedly neither. We would therefore humbly recommend to Mr. White (the tranflator) to employ his time and his talents on more worthy objects, for the future. Art. 3. Cymbeline. ATragedy, altered from Shakespeare. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. By William Hawkins, M. A. late Fellow of Pembroke College, and Profeffor of Poetry in the University of Oxford. 8vo. Is. 6d. Rivington and Fletcher. Among the many alterations of Shakespeare's plays that have been offered to the public, we do not know any one more deferving encouragement than this of Cymbeline. As it was at first written, it is, doubtless, doubtless, in the whole œconomy of it, one of the moft irregular pro- Art. 4. Cymbeline: King of Britain. A Tragedy, written by As Mr. Marth has not taken equal pains with the author of the preceding alteration, fo we think he has not equally fucceeded, in reducing Cymbeline to the regular flandard of the drama. He makes the characters, as in the original, fpeak indifferently either in profe or verfe; and has retained the abandoned character of the queen, which Mr. Hawkins has judiciously left out. The latter has alfo omitted several scenes of low profaic dialogue, which Mr. Marsh retains; and is more chatte in his language throughout. It is to be observed that both thefe gentlemen complain of the difficulty to which dramatic authors are fubjected, in getting their works represented on the ftage: a circumftance, we prefume, that may be given as a reafon, why fo few men of genius and spirit condefcend, at prefent, to write for the theatre. K-n-k Art. 5. The Lady's Choice, a petite piece, of two ats. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden, By Paul Hiffernan. M. D. 8vo. IS. Coote. As it is performed! lege, was performed: for this petite piece only made its appearance for one night: and if it did not a much better, as the phrafe is, than it reads, the audience must have been endued with much good-nature, or a great deal of patience, who could fit it out. Art. 6. The Rival Theatres: or, a playhouse to be let. A Farce. To which is added, The Chocolate-makers: or, mimickry exposed: an interlude. With a preface, and notes commentary and expla natory. By Mr. George Stayley, Comedian. Dublin, printed. London, re-printed. 8vo. 1s. Reeve. Relates to the contests between the rival-theatres in Dublin. The interlude, which follows the farce, contains a juft fatire on that fpecies of mimickry, by which fome of our players have, for several years paft, fo cruelly endeavoured to expofe the defects of their brethren to the obfervation of the public; not but that this fort of ridicule might have been rendered innocent at leaft, if not useful, had thofe, who undertook to adminifter it, contented themfelves with an application to fuch faults & faults as were to be amended; but when these undiftinguishing practitioners. in buffoonry began to fall upon even the natural imperfections of their brethren, the public could not have been too early in fhewing its refentment of fo vile an abufe of the stage, and its contempt of those who so extraordinarily exerted their talents, not to reform what they faw amifs in others, but to gratify the meanness or the malignity of their own difpofitions. Art. 7. Court and Country: a paraphrase upon Milton. By the Author of Hurlethrumbo. 8vo. 6d. Rivington. As fublime and as wonderful as Hurlothrumbo itself. Art. 8. The Cafe of Mary Edmonson. By a Gentleman of the Law. 8vo. 6d. Touchit. From the furprising manner in which the incoherent materials of 'this pamphlet are jumbled together, we are inclined to suspect that Mr. Hurlothrumbo is the author of the prefent, as well as the foregoing article; and yet when we confider the known integrity of the celebrated Lord Flame, we are inclined to acquit him of the charge: it being notorious that he is not a gentleman of the law, but a dancing-mafter. Art. 9. The Works of David Mallet, Efq; In three volumes, new edition, corrected. 12mo. 9s. Millar and Vailliant. Mr. Mallet's literary character fets him above any encomium from the pen of a journalist. It is fufficient, therefore, that we inform our readers, they may now be accommodated with the writings of this ingenious poet and biographer, in an elegant Pocket-fize; and that fome fmall pieces are comprehended in the prefent edition, which were never in print before. Art. 10. Remarks on Mr. Walpole's Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors of England, &c. Part I. 8vo. Is. Gibfon and Ruffel. From thefe remarks we gather, that Mr. W is a most abominable whig; that he has impioufly dared to attack the facred characters of the Stuarts; and that, confequently, he has no regard for truth or decency:-a heavy charge! But of what wickedness are not thefe whigs capable? Every one who attentively reads this pamphlet, must be convinced, that there never exifted one of them, (from Brutus and Cato, down to Sidney and Trenchard) who was not A horrible monster! Hated by Gods and men. We Reviewers, however, whofe chief connexions are with the living world, are little affected by these contests about the virtues of dead kings; which at prefent remind us of a late celebrated humourift, who who being tired with hearing a tedious debate of this kind, interrupted the difputants, with a plague confound you both, with your James's and your Charles's; you are eternally harping upon them, with a pox: but what have king Lup and king LEAR done, that you always leave THEM out of the question?' Art. 11. Letters of Madame de Maintenon. Tranflated from the French. Vol. II. * 12mo. 3s. Davis and Reymers. In our account of the first volume of Madam Maintenon's Letters, we viewed this celebrated Lady in the light of an agreeable compapion, a tender wife, a fenfible friend, a charitable and a candid chriftian. Here we behold her in the lefs fining character of the prudent adviser of an imprudent brother, (but at the fame time the dupe of his extravagance) and in the lefs amiable one of a bigotted devotee, preaching fanaticifm to the nuns of St. Cyr: herein, though undefignedly, giving the proteftant reader undeniable proofs of the deplorable errors and fuperftitions of popery. The mistaken piety of this extraordinary woman, and the excefs of her zeal for the antichristian tenets of the church of Rome, afford a ftriking inftance of the peculiar force with which enthusiasm acts upon female minds in general, and upon converts in particular. A remarkable fpecimen of Madame de Maintenon's zeal, with a proof of the degree of knowlege it was tempered with, may be seen in her advice to the young duchefs of Burgundy; of which here follows an extract. Follow the church's spirit in all her folemnities. Expect and figh for the coming of our Lord during Advent: receive him at Christmas: adore him with the fhepherds and with the kings: offer yourself up entirely to him. Purify yourfelf with the bleffed Virgin: obferve, as fhe did, every religious practice. Mortify yourself in Lent by abftinence and fafting, by longer prayers, by more folitude and retirement from the world. Die with your Redeemer on Good Friday. Rife with him to a new life at Eafter. Afcend in spirit to heaven at the Afcenfion, by loofening your affections from earthly concerns. Expect, figh for, and receive the Holy Ghoft at Whitfuntide; and endeavour after the fame difpofitions the apollles manifefted for the glory of their matter, who is alfo yours. Adore the Bleffed Sacrament during the Octave, when the church expofes it on her altars. In the courfe of the year folemnize the festivals of the faints; and be particularly devout to the bleffed Virgin. Once more I beseech you, love the Holy Scriptures; make a proper ufe of all you underland; with humility adoring even what you do not.' * For the first volume, fee Review, vol. v111. p. 52, &c. Art. 12. Leifure Hours employ'd for the benefit of those, who would wish to begin the world as wife as others end it. 12mo. 2 s. few’d. Millar. This work might, with propriety, have been called a collection of maxims, obfervations, and reflexions on philofophical, economical, and moral fubjects. We do not think our author, however, the moft REV. May 1759. properly Hh |