after be a yearly dunging; fo that it will bear annual cutting, and befides bring a good foggage for paftures after the swaird is become strong enough to bear cattle. Or, where the conveniency of water for flooding cannot be got, if a mofs, after draining, be covered two or three inches deep with other earth, it will alfo bring a good sweet grafs upon it. Gravel has this effect more than other earth, becaufe being a weighty body, of separate grofs parts, and of a hot nature, it finks into, incorporates with, heats, divides, and pulverizes the moss.

Dung, or lime, where it can be got, will also contribute to the improvement of mofs, as well as any other ground; yea, there is this particular encouragement for the dunging of it, that dung will laft, and do fervice longer in mofs, than in any other foil whatsoever, which is owing to the preferving quality of the mofs; but whether dung or lime be used, the niceft plowing is requifite to keep them from finking too deep into this light and open foil.'

Befides the regard that ought to be had to mofs for its own productions, it has this further to recommend it, that it is not only excellent compoft for middings to be laid on clay foils, but also adds much to the fruitfulness when laid on that foil green; which, perhaps, by fome will only be imputed to the opening quality of the mofs, feparating the bound particles of the clay; but it is known to have the qualities and effects of dung upon light hazely ground, not only when compounded with dung, but also when laid upon the green fwaird.'

If what is faid above fhould be confirmed by experience, we imagine our Readers will thank us for this extract, notwithstanding the many Scottifh idioms wherewith it abounds.

The book now before us, is by no means a compleat fyftem of Husbandry, but a collection of detached pieces, wrote at different times, and upon different occafions; for, it seems, our Author has been frequently employed by gentlemen of fortune, to furvey their eftates, and put them into, what he might think, the beft method of culture. This he has attempted to do, by writing, what he calls Memorials for the particular perfons by whom he was fo occafionally employed; in which memorials he has defcribed the feveral peculiarities of each estate or farm, and from thence he has fuggefted what he thinks the moft proper management for each. Many of thefe pieces occur in the prefent volume; towards the conclufion of which, he tells us, that he intends a fecond, as he has ftill a great number of papers by him upon the fame fubject:-which is, indeed, an interefting one, both to individuals, and to the public. And, in order to make the public duly fenfible of the advantages of Agricul. Pp 3

ture;

ture, Mr. Maxwell (we find) has read lectures upon that fubject at Edinburgh, for feveral winters; two of which lectures are printed at the end of this volume. In the first he endeavours to convince his hearers, that Hufbandry is the fource of all folid riches, and the life and fupport of all other arts and sciences, yea, of all mankind. He then purpofes to fhew, that it is a science which cannot be rightly practifed, but by reasonable rules, and that all good Hufbandry has certain and fixed princi. ples, which he undertakes to explain; and adds further, that all practice difconform thereto, must be bad, though established by cuftom as old as the creation.'- -In order to give a short fketch of the tendency of his lectures, he fays,

Thereafter, I fhall fuppofe a farm, confifting of all the principal foils, capable of all the improvements I can think of, and then I fhall lay before you the different and the best ways of improving every part of it, conform to the principles I fhall have laid down, always giving reafons, that by the ftrength of them what I fay may be judged; and, as I go along, I fhall probably give you my opinion concerning the confuming of the crops in the most profitable ways: this will, I humbly think, be at least as rational, and as ufeful a way of treating on Hufbandry, as any

man has taken before me.'

This is the Author's own account of his plan: in the profecution of which we heartily with him fuccefs, as he really seems to have the public good in view. But, whenever his fecond voJume comes out, we would hope not to be meet with quite fo many Scotifms, as every where offend our eye in the prefent. For, how difficult foever it may be for a NorthBriton to Speak good English, we have lately had the pleasure of being thoroughly convinced, that many of them can write it with great eafe, as well as elegance.

Io, a Dialogue of Plato, cancerning Poetry. 4to. 2s. 6d. Nourfe, &c.

F

ROM the fpecimen which the ingenious Author has given in his Synopfis of the Works of Plato, our Rerders may judge of his abilities for the tafk he has undertaken. To render the tranflation of the piece before us agreeable to the English reader, indeed, required the full exertion of his talents; for, with reverence to the divine Plato be it fpoken, it is a dry, tedious, fyllogiftical dialogue, which, in a narrower compals, t have been made more poignant and conclufive.

See Review for March, p. 284.

The

Tran

Tranflator, however, has done every thing in his power to accomodate it to modern tafte. His notes, which are very copious,. ferve to illustrate many obfcure paffages in the text, and explain many mythological allufions: at the fame time they manifeft the Writer's extenfive reading and depth of erudition.

The fubject of this dialogue will best appear from the arguThe teachers," ment which the Translator has prefixed to it. fays he, or leaders of popular opinion, among the Grecians of thofe days, were the Sophifts, the Rhetoricians, and the Poets; or rather, instead of these last, their ignorant and falle interpreters. Men of liberal education were misled principally by the first of thefe: the fecond fort were the feducers of the populace, to whose paffions the force of rhetoric chiefly is applied in commonwealths: but the minds of people of all ranks received a bad impreffion from those of the last mentioned kind. To prevent the ill influence of thefe, is the immediate design of the lo. For one great obftacle to the reception of the Socratic doctrine (which was not, like the teaching of the Sophifts, by being extremely expensive, confined to men of high rank and large fortunes) was the vulgar religion of thofe times. Of this the earliest poets, principally Orpheus, are fuppofed by fome to have been the firft teachers: Certain it is, that the greater poets, who came after them, especially Homer and Hefiod, ill understood, were the chief supporters; and that all the reft, who followed, were the favourers. Nor is this at all to be wondered at: for poets always write to please; and affecting the favour of the magistracy, or that of the people, fall in with the established fyftem of opinions, or with the prevailing tafte; and then give a kind of fanction to that fyftem which they ferve, or to that taste which they flatter, through the natural force

Of magic numbers and perfuafive faund.

CONG.

• But much stronger must have been the effect of poetry in those days, when poems were thought infpired, and every fyllable of way which them had the fanction of fome divine muse. The the philofopher takes to leffen their credit, is not by calling in queftion the infpiration of the poet, or the divinity of the mufe. Far from attempting this, he establishes the received hypothefis, for the foundation of his argument against the authority of their doctrine inferring, from their inability to write without the impulfe of the mufe, that they had no real knowlege of what they taught.-But Plato of all the polite Writers among the antients the most polite, makes not his attack upon the poets themselves directly;-making free with the rhapsodifts only, their interpreThis he does in the perfon of lo, one of that number, who profeffed to interpret the fenfe of Homer; proving out of his Pp 4

ters.

OWN

own mouth, that he had no trne knowledge of those matters, which he pretended to explain; and infinuating at the same time, that the poet no lefs wanted true knowledge in those very things, though the fubjects of his own poem. For every thing that he fays of the rhapsodists and of rhapsody holds equally true of poets and of poetry. The purfuit of this argument naturally leads to a twofold inquiry: one head or article of which regards the fciences, the other concerns the arts.-By way of corollary, the philofopher infinuates, that none are able to interpret the poets rightly, whenever they aim at giving an account of the inward or occult parts of nature, except the wife and truly knowing in the nature of things; who alone know how to make the due diftinction in the writings of any of the poets, and to feparate what is found, pure, and agreeable to truth, from what is tainted with fuperftition, or any other way corrupted by the mixture of popular opinion??

Remarks upon feveral Passages of Scripture, rectifying fome Errors in the printed Hebrew text; pointing out several mistakes in the verfions, and fhewing the benefit and expediency of a more correct and intelligible tranflation of the Bible. ByMatthewPilkington, LL. B. Prebendary of Litchfield. 8vo. 3s. Whifton, &c.

HE author of this valuable piece hath already engaged the TH public approbation, by his judicious attempt to illuftrate and adjust the harmony of the gospel-history, which was published before our Review commenced. What is now offered to the learned world, appears to be the refult of clofe attention and accurate difquifition. It is a laudable defign, to endeavour to obviate the principal objections to the truth and usefulness of revelation, which are drawn from the apprehended improprieties and inconfiftencies of fcripture ftyle and language: and this Mr. Pilkington hath zealously laboured in a variety of inftances; in many of which he hath exhibited good fpecimens of his critical tagacity, which are rendered the more agreeable by his moderation and candour.

There are two general remarks which are the principal objects of our learned author's attention.

The first is, that the prefent maforete copy of the old teftament is, in many places, different from the original Hebrew text: and that the variations are frequently capable of being discovered in fuch a manner, as to give us an opportunity of restoring it to its primitive purity. The fecond remark is, that many of the improprieties, obfcurities, and inconfiftencies which

5

occur

occur to an attentive reader of the verfions, are occafioned by the tranflator's misunderstanding the true import of the Hebrew words and phrafes. Before our author enters upon any particular illuftrations of his general scheme, he would infinuate a modeft apology for the manner in which he hath executed his defign, with a due veneration for the facred writings, and in order to remove those prejudices which have arifen in the minds of many. against their being the oracles of truth; he labours to prove, that the objections made to the veracity, or correctness of any part thereof, are objections, not arifing from the writings of. those who were the penmen of the facred books, but from the alterations that have been made in those books, fince they delivered them, as the word of GOD, with all the general marks of divine authority. An attempt of this nature, fays he, therefore, muft be fo far from invalidating the authority of fcripture, that it must be the greatest fanction to it, and will be the most probable means of reftoring a general veneration for the writings of Mofes and the prophets; as it will render the foundation of infidelity, grounded upon fuch objections, unfirm and unable to fupport the fuperftructure.' From hence our Author well judges, that many, and indeed the only plaufible arguments made ufe of, by fuch as have appeared in the cause of infidelity, being grounded upon fuch paffages of fcripture as they thought liable to objections, and incapable of being defended, may be fully obviated and removed. He freely allows, that if real inconfiftencies and improbabilities can be alledged against the holy fcriptures, and no proper evidence fhall appear in difproof of fuch a charge, their high claim to divine authority muft be given up; as whatever is written by the infpiration of GoD must be confiftent, probable, and true. As to the inaccuracies of ftyle and expreffion, which are urged as arguments to difprove the divine infpiration of fcripture, he takes notice, that they have frequently turned upon thofe who undertook to han-. dle them to their fhame; that perfons of fuperior learning and judgment have given full proof, that what fome cenfurers have treated as inaccuracies, were nothing less than the ftrength and beauty of language. For convincing proofs of this, he refers the critical reader to the obfervations of Mr. Antony Blackwall, who hath adduced many ftrong evidences of this from the best Greek claffics, to prove that all the excellencies of style, and fublime beauties of language and genuine eloquence, do abound in the gofpels and epiftles.

The Sacred Claffics defended and illuftrated: or an Effay, to prove the purity, propriety, and true eloquence of the writers of the New Testament, of which the fecond edition, 8vo. was printed in 1727.

But