We have here a collection of pleadings, by several eminent French lawyers, in the following remarkable caufe. Joseph, 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 Jewels, 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 purpofe 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 cause 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 difpute, and fome of the pleadings in his favour are deemed masterpieces in their kind. LITERARY NEWS. WE 7E 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 publifhed, in 2 vols. 4to. a capital work, entitled Inftitutions Politiques. Written by the Baron de Bielfield, heretofore preceptor to the prince royal of Pruffia. The first volume of an humorous and fatirical romance has appeared at Madrid, entitled Hiftoria del famofo Gerundio de Campazas. The hero is a begging friar, 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. Francifco de Ina, 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. MONTHLY MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For MAY, 1759. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 1. The Dutch Alliance, a Farce, in two Acts. 8vo. 6d. Kinnerfley. R ELATES to the affair of the Dutch fhips; and is very stupid. Art. 2. The Clouds: a Comedy. Written by Ariftophanes, the wittiest man of his age, against Socrates, who was the wifeft and beft. Now first entirely translated into English, with the principal Scholia, and notes critical and explanatory. 2s. 6d. Payne. 12mo. 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, whofe name ought long ago to have been buried in oblivion; or if fuffered to furvive, it fhould be attended with the fame infamy, which diftinguishes the wretch who deftroyed the temple of Diana, merely to tranfmit his name to pofterity. Ariftophanes did worfe: he endeavoured to deftroy 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 beft judges of his demerits, damned his work on the first night of its exhibition: and indeed, abftracted from its vile purpofe of traducing the excellent Socrates, it is a wretched, low, indecent production, unworthy of any ftage, 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 firft written, it is, doubtless, doubtless, in the whole œconomy of it, one of the most irregular productions of that great, but excentrick, genius. In the prefent alteration its fuperfluities are retrenched, its principal defects removed, and out of a parcel of loofe incoherent fcenes, we have the pleasure of feeing compofed a beautiful and correct piece of dramatic poefy. The language and images of Shakespeare are, throughout the whole, admirably preferved, the connecting additions artfully interwoven, and the ftile of the original fuccessfully imitated. Art. 4. Cymbeline: King of Britain. A Tragedy, written by Shakespeare. With fome alterations, by Charles Marth. As it was agreed to be acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Marth. 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 ftandard 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 also omitted several scenes of low profaic dialogue, which Mr. Marsh retains; and is more chafte 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 reprefented on the ftage: a circumftance, we prefume, that may be given as a reason, why fo few men of genius and spirit condescend, at prefent, to write for the theatre. Art. 5. The Lady's Choice, a petite piece, of two acts. 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 act much better, as the phrafe is, than it reads, the audience muft 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 expofed : an interlude. With a preface, and notes commentary and expla natory. By. Mr. George Stayley, Comedian. Dublin, printed. London, re-printed. 8vo. Is. Reeve. Relates to the contefts between the rival-theatres in Dublin. The interlude, which follows the farce, contains a juft fatire on that species of mimickry, by which fome of our players have, for feveral years I paft, fo cruelly endeavoured to expofe the defects of their brethren to the observation of the public; not but that this fort of ridicule might have been rendered innocent at least, if not useful, had those, who undertook to administer it, contented themselves with an application to fuch faults faults as were to be amended; but when these undistinguishing 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 abuse of the ftage, and its contempt of those who fo 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 paraphrafe 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 furprifing manner in which the incoherent materials of this pamphlet are jumbled together, we are inclined to fufpect that Mr. Hurlothrumbo is the author of the present, 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-master. Art. 9. The Works of David Mallet, Efq; In three volumes, a new edition, corrected. 12mo. 9 s. Millar and Vailliant. the Mr. Mallet's literary character fets him above any encomium from 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. 1 s. Gibson and Ruffel. is a most abo From these remarks we gather, that Mr. W— minable whig; that he has impiously 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 existed one of them, (from Brutus and Cato, down to Sidney and Trenchard) who was not A horrible monster! We Reviewers, however, whofe chief connexions are with the living world, are little affected by these contefts 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 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 companion, a tender wife, a fenfible friend, a charitable and a candid chriftian. Here we behold her in the lefs flining 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 A remarkable specimen of general, and upon converts in particular. Madame de Maintenon's zeal, with a proof of the degree of knowlege young duchefs it was tempered with, may be seen in her advice to the of Burgundy; of which here follows an extract. Follow the church's fpirit 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 yourself with the bleffed Virgin: obferve, as the did, every religious practice. Mortify yourself in Lent by abfinence and fasting, 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 Easter. Afcend in spirit to heaven at the Afcenfion, by loosening your affections from earthly concerns. Expect, figh for, and receive the Holy Ghot at Whitlantide; and endeavour after the. fame difpofitions the apollles manifefted for the glory of their master, 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 feftivals of the faints; and be particularly devout to the bleffed Virgin. Once more I beseech you, love the Holy Scriptures; make a proper use of all you understand; with humility adoring even what you do not.' * For the first volume, fee Review, vol. v111. p. 52, &c. Art. 12. Leisure 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 propsiety, have been called a collection of maxims, obfervations, and reflexions on philofophical, economical, and moral fubjects. We do not think our author, however, the most properly REV. May 1759. Hh |