"noble one, and was this--If this (fays he) be the Cafe, that the Effect follows the Thing ope"rated upon [carrion], not the Thing operating [a "God] why need we wonder, that the Supreme "Caufe of all Things diffufing its Bleffings on Man"kind, who is as it were a Carrion dead in Original "Sin, Man instead of a proper return of Duty should "breed only Corruption and Vices? This is the Ar"gument at length; and is as noble an one in behalf of Providence, as ever came from the "Schools of Divinity. But this wonderful Man had an Art, not only of acquainting his Audience with what his Actors fay, but with that "they think. And no Sentiment could more fuit "Hamlet than this, who is perpetually moralizing, " and whofe Circumftances made this Moral very "" natural.' Again, in Othello, Act IV. Scene I. Nature could not inveft berfelf in fuch fhadowing without fome INSTRUCTION. It is not Words, that shake me thus. "The Starts and broken Re"flections in this Speech of Othello's, in the Height "of his Jealoufy, have fomething in them fo very "terrible, as fhews the Mind of the Hero to be in "unfpeakable Agonies. But the Words we are ઃઃ upon, when fet right, have a Sublime in them can never be enough admired. Yet in the pre"fent reading, by the Blunder of the ridiculous "Word INSTRUCTION, the whole is loft in Non"fense and Obfcurity. The Author must certainly "have written, INDUCTION. Othello is juft going "to fall into a Swoon; and, as is common for People in that Condition, he feels an unusual "Mift, Darkness, and Horror coming upon him. "This with the utmoft Sublimity of Thought is "compared to the Seafon of the Sun's Eclipfe, at "which Time the Earth becomes fhadowed by the "INDUCTION or bringing over of the Moon be tween "tween it and the Sun. This being the grand "Allufion, his reasoning ftands thus: My Nature could never be thus overshadowed, and falling, as it were, into Diffolution for no Caufe. There muft be an Induction of fomething; there must be a real Caufe. My Jealousy cannot be merely imaginary. Mere Ideas [Words] would not fake me thus, and raife all this Disorder. My Jealousy therefore must be grounded on Matter of Fat. Laftly, Mr. Pope obferves, there is no Vice of Style or Compofition, but what our Poet has in one Place or other of his Writings ridiculed and cenfured. Two Places only fhall be taken Notice of, where, as Mr. Warburton fhews, he has done it with infinité Humour. In All's well that ends well, A&t V. Scene II. Parolles reprefents his Misfortunes to the Clown in a very coarfe ill-mannered Metaphor; and on the Clown's stopping his Nofe, Parolles fays, Nay, you need not stop your Nofe, Sir; I Speak by a Metaphor: The Clown replies: Indeed, Sir, if your Metaphor ftink I will stop my Nofe against any Man's Metaphor. Nothing could be conceived with greater Humour or Juftnefs of Satyr. The Ufe of these stinking Metaphors is an odious Fault, which grave Writers often commit. It is not uncommon to fee moral Declaimers against Vice defcribe her, as Hefiod did the Fury Triftitia: Τῆς ἐκ ῥίνων μύξαι ρέον. Ejus ex naribus humores fluebant. Upon which Longinus juftly obferves, that inftead of giving a terrible Image, he has given a very nauseous one. Our Author himself is extremely delicate in this Refpect; who throughout his large Writings, Writings, if you except one Paffage in Hamlet, has fcarce used a Metaphor, that can offend the most fqueamish Reader. In Timon, A&t V. Scene III. the Poet flattering Timon by inveighing against the Ingratitude of his Friends fay's in the highest Bombast, I am rapt, and cannot Cover the monftrous Bulk of this Ingratitude TIMON. Let it go naked; Men may fee't the better. The Humour of this Reply is incomparable: It infinuates not only the highest Contempt of the Flatterer in particular, but this useful Leffon in general, that the Images of Things are cleareft feen through a Simplicity of Phrafe. ARTICLE II. The Hiftory of the Life of PETER I. Emperor of Ruffia, in 3 Vols. Octavo: The firft containing 350 Pages, the fecond 354, the third 409. Each Volume has its refpective Index. In the firft and third Volumes there are fe veral Copper Plates, TH HERE is little in this Work, which may not be met with elsewhere. The Compiler's Merit is mostly that of felecting, digefting, and methodifing the Materials, which he might collect in great Abundance from the Hiftorical Regifters, and other like Performances; and of this Talk he has acquitted himself commendably enough: Indeed if if he had not he would have been inexcufable, confidering the great Number of his Subscribers, and how generously they contributed to his Emolu ment. The first Volume is divided into fix Books. In the firft, Mr. Mottley, after a fhort Description of the Ruffian Dominions in general, gives us an Account of the Death of Alexis Michaelowitz, the Czar Peter's Father, and of that of his eldeft Brother Theodore, who fucceeded Alexis, and reigned but a fhort Time; of Peter's Acceffion to the Throne thereupon, in Confequence of his deceased Brother's Nomination, and in Prejudice of his elder Brother John, whom Theodore fuppofed incapable of the Government, by Reafon of the Falling Sicknefs, and other Infirmities, with which he was afflicted; of the Intrigues of the Princess Sophia, John's Sifter by the whole Blood, to fet the Crown upon his Head, and to deprive Peter of it, who was but her Half Brother; of Peter's affociating John with him in the Adminiftration; and of the Means whereby Sophia obliged him to do fo. We have then a Relation of the Management of publick Affairs by this turbulent Princefs, who engrofs'd the whole Power into her Hands; of the Commotions she caused in the State; of the Villanies perpetrated by her Creatures; of the Wars fhe waged with the Crim Tartars; of her Confpiracies against the Life of Peter; and, Laftly, of her Downfall, with the Punishment and Execution of the Chiefs of her Party. The fecond Book opens with an Account of Peter's Behaviour after the Difgrace of his Sifter, when he affumed the fole Authority, in Fact, tho' his elder Brother was ftill allowed the empty Title of Czar. We next fee the Rife and Characters of thofe two great Favourites M. Le Fort and Prince Menzicoff. The firft of these introduced Arts and Sciences into Mufcovy, laid the Foundation of the true C 2 Ruffian Ruffian Grandeur, and instill'd into his Mafter fuck Notions of Virtue and Policy, as made him afterwards one of the moft illuftrious Princes that ever reigned, and truly deferving the Name of Peter the Great. The Detail of this Matter, which comprehends the many Regulations the Czar made in the Civil and Military State of his Dominions, as well as in his Revenue, by the Advice of this excellent Perfon, is the most agreeable Part of this Volume. As for Prince Menzicoff, Mr. Mottley tells us, he had no higher an Employment, when the Czar first took notice of him, than finging Ballads, and crying a Sort of Puffs and Cakes, made of minced Meat, about the Streets of Moscow; but, from this low Degree, and from one of the pooreft, he became, in Time, one of the richest Subjects that ever was in Ruffia, obtained the Title of a Prince, and built Palaces more magnificent than those of his Sovereign. It happened one Day, as this fortunate Lad was crying his Pastry about the Streets, that the Czar hearing, and being diverted with one of his Songs, fent for him, and asked him if he would fell his Pies and his Bafket, and how much he would have for them? The Boy immediately reply'd, That he bad Power to fell his Pyes, but for his Basket, be must ask his Mafter's Leave before he could difpofe of it to any body elfe; but as every Thing belonged to his Majefty, he needed only to lay his Commands on him. This Reply pleased the Czar fo much, that he immediately ordered him to come to Court, and faid he would make his Fortune. The Narrative of thefe Things is followed by a Defcription of Siberia, and an Account how it was first conquered. We have then a brief Mention of the Czar's repudiating his first Wife; of the Conclufion of a Peace, and Settlement of a Correfpondence and Commerce between Mufcovy and China, by Mr. Ibrant, of an Incident which gave Rife to the Ruffian Fleet, and of |