learning in the world cannot, a priori, find out the quali"ties of any fimple or mineral whatever."-P. 8—11. Old ftories, about the difcovery of medicines from obferving the inftincts of animals. Man often directed, by Nature, to the beft method of relieving his complaints. Perfons ill of fever defire "cooling, light, acefcent drinks, and dislike those "which are of an heavier and more heating nature.”—P. 12 and 13. Story of a patient ill of a putrid fever, who rejected every thing but wine, which he fucked in with avidity, and recovered. The doctor adds, that, in such cases, he has seen wine produce better effects than "all the cordials and alexi❤ pharmics of the thops put together." Indeed! well now, it must be owned that this is furprising! The doctor himself feems surprised at it; and yet this doctor lives amid the light of the experience of London! P. 14. " Return of appe tite is a favourable fign in fever." Is not a return of appetite a favourable fign in most diseases? and in moft fevers of a dangerous kind, is not the recovery flow; and do not many other favourable figns commonly precede the return of appetite? and if fo, what is the value of this aphorifm ? --P. 15, Nature feems to infpire men, in ficknefs, "with a temporary ufe of the instinct of other animals." We could relate cafes where the gratification of an appetite for uncommon food has been fucceeded by recovery from dangerous diseases but they are fo rare, that if Nature has any particular defign in raifing fuch an appetite, it must be confeffed that the is very malevolent for not doing it oftener. We find the author a few paragraphs below warning us against haftily concluding, that, because recovery followed the exhibi tion of any particular medicine, therefore fuch medicine was the cause of the recovery;-has he not himself here stumbled against this block? P. 16. It is a vulgar error to suppose a fool can be a good phyfician. P. 17-20. Caution against hafty opinions concerning the virtues of medicines. P. 20-26. the fame thing and the old fong about nature. P. 27. & feq. about quacks and James's powder. Immenfe fortunes made in London and Paris by quack medicines.-These medicines do not fupport their reputation in country towns, on account of the eafe with which forged cures may be detected.James's powder produces effects refembling thofe of antimonials; cuts fhort fever, when early adminiftered. Where antimony is proper, the doctor gives this powder, if the patient's relations have a predilection for it.-It may get the credit of curing difeafes that would have gone off of themfelves, fince we cannot certainly distinguish an ephemeral from another fever.Some physicians averfe to giving medicines of which they do not know the compofition; but the doctor thinks that this rule may may fometimes be neglected.-The enthufiaftic admirers of James's powder will think that what he fays is cold praife; others, that he has faid too much.-We are now, reader, arrived at the 39th page; this sketch extends to the 65th. Shall we proceed in our analys? Thou only, who canft certify that thou haft not heard all this before, haft a right to impofe fuch a task upon us; others we can affure, that the rest of the piece is much of the fame texture, and of the fame thread. We have hinted that there are occafions when the liveliness of the author's happier hour returns. It is with pleasure that we adduce the proofs of this pofition. The perplexity of phyficians, in cases where fymptoms of apparently oppofite indications occur, is very happily illuftrated in the following paffage : A young man happened to be prefent at the trial of fome caufes of no kind of intricacy, where the proof was full, and where law as well as equity lay clearly on one fide. The judge of courfe decided without hefitation, as any man of common fenfe and honefty would have done. "Of all profeffions," faid the young man to the judge, "certainly yours is the eafieft; any body who has eyes may be a "judge; all that is neceffary is to diftinguish black from white." "But that is a very difficult matter," replied the judge, “ when the "caufe is grey. In medicine, as well as in law, there are many cafes of a grey complexion, in which it requires all the experience of the cleareftfighted to determine whether the black or the white predominates. Till this important point is juffly decided, neither reafoning nor ex. perience can affift us in treating the disease: Although repeated experience in rheumatic and scorbutic cafes, for example, fhould have convinced a practitioner of the efficacy of a particular treatment, if he happens to miftake the pains and blotches which originate from a venereal fource for rheumatic or fcorbutic, his treatment will not avail. But to refume the comparison; what renders the fituation of the phyfician more diftreffing than that of a judge is, that it is only in doubtful cafes that the latter is at a lofs; for when the cafe is quite clear, he has a relief for the white, and a proper remedy for the black in his power: Whereas, even in fome of those cafes which admit of no manner of doubt, and where the disease is perfectly ascertained, the physician knows of no cure. I do not say he knows of no prefeription; thofe he will find in fome of the practical books in as great abundance for incurable as for curable difeafes." Speaking of the merit due to Harvey for his difcovery, the author makes this just and striking obfervation: But all attempts to diminish the merit of this discovery, by enumerating what was known in anatomy before his time, and by enhancing the advances made by Vefalius, Servetus, and others, are equally vain and invidious. They had done fo much, it is faid, that they had left him little to do. But why did those great men leave leave to another that which would have done themselves more honour than all their past labours ? How infinitely abfurd to call that little which thofe very men, whofe genius and acutenefs are described as prodigions, could not accomplish, and which efcaped the penetration of all the anato nifts, phyficians, and philofophers, that the world produced, till Harvey made the happy difcovery,-a difcovery not made, as many useful arts have been difcovered, by accident, but in confequence of deep reflection and careful inveftigation; by weighing and comparing facts, drawing inferences from the discoveries of others, which their authors were unable to do, and advancing ftep by step to that important demonstration which has justly acquired fo much honour to the discoverer himself, and has added dignity to the name of an Englishman.' Could Dr. Hunter himself have placed the following fophifm in a more ludicrous point of view? The blood fent to the brain is more spirituous and refined than the reft of the mass. ✔ I do not find it fo. Yes, but it must be fo. • Why? Because the animal fpirits are fecreted from it, and all the world knows that the animal spirits are the most refined of all fluids. • Where is this fluid? In the nerves. • Cut a large nerve, and fhew it to me. You cannot fee it, it is fo refined, • That is unlucky. On the contrary, it is the most fortunate thing in the world; if we could fee it, it would be good for nothing; but we are fure it is there. • How fo! How fo? For what other purpose but the fecretion of this fine ætherial fluid would the moft fpirituous part of the blood be fent by the carotids to the brain? So that it is clear, from this circular demonstration, that the moft refined part of the blood goes to the brain, because the animal fpirits are fecreted; and that the animal fpirits are fecreted there, because the mof refined part of the blood goes to the brain.' The next fix sketches are phyfiological rather than medical. They treat of the following fubjects: Of Digeftion-of the Circulation of the Blood-of Secretion- Abforption-of Respiration of the Nervous Syftem. The firit is chiefly an abridgement of Spallanzani's Differtations on Digeftion; a work of fuch accuracy and depth of refearch, that it inftructs the most intelligent; and at the fame time fo perfpicuous, that it may be understood by the general reader. In this fketch the author has alfo gleaned from Dr. Stevens and Mr. Hunter. Eafy as it was to make an abridgement of these writers, Dr. Moore Leems not to have thoroughly comprehended the firft. P. 77, after after speaking of the prodigious effects produced by muscular ftomachs, he fubjoins, "but whatever is the power of di geftion in animals," which have them, &c. as if digestion was hot performed in these by the gaftric fluid, as well as in other animals, though they differ with refpect to the agents of trituration. There is another error, (p. 74.) fuavi rifu dignuss He fays, mufcular ftomachs can "fmooth the rugged edges of the hardest substances, even of GRANITE." If Dr. Moore will look into Spallanzani, he will find this faid of garnets, and not of granite; and if he will confult any mineralogift, he will learn that granite is an heterogeneous mass, not defined by any particular fides; whereas garnet is a gem, regularly chryftallized in the form of a polygon, commonly of twelve fides. There are other flight errors of this kind, fuch as perpetually await abridgers, when they light upon paffages relating to subjects they do not understand. It is needlefs to go regularly through the other phyfiological fketches. They are occafionally enlivened by the author's peculiar talent; if they fometimes excel other abridgements, as in that which treats of abforption, this arises from the author's fituation in a place where this fubject has been much and successfully cultivated. Dr. Moore himself displays no peculiar skill or ingenuity. We fhall referve the little we have to say of the other sketches to a future occafion. In the mean time, we think the firft fixty-five pages of common place fhould not have been publifhed; and that it would have been better if he had printed the rest separately. (To be continued.) ART. VI. Confolation to the Mourner, and Inftruction both to Youth and Old Age, from the early Death of the Righteous: in two Difcourfes: by Samuel Cooper, D. D. Minifter of Great Yarmouth. Occafioned by the Death of bis eldest Daughter, (who had only juft entered into her twenty-first Year). To which is fubjoined, an Appendix: containing her Character, and two Elegies on her Death. Small 8vo. 2s. 6d. boards. Downes, Yarmouth; Robinfons, London. TH HE hiftory of Don Quixote amufes us when we are young, and inftructs us when we are old. The hero of that celebrated romance was remarkable for his great as well as his good qualities; poffeffed a large fund of knowlege and erudition; and excelled in difcuffing general maxims of policy and morality; but, from a particular derangement in his pericranium, loft the effect of all his talents and acquifitions, acted like a fool and a madman in every incident of life, and took a common kitchen wench to be an angel. Hiftory and obfervation frequently frequently prefent fuch characters to our view, and realize the fiction of Cervantes. The monarch who "never said a foolish thing, and never did a wife one," has many refembling portraits; and indeed there are few men who have not occafionally taken a windmill for a giant, and perhaps courted, through the whole courfe of their lives, a favourite dulcinea del Tobofo, whofe fole attractions were drawn by their own fancy. Dr. Cooper, the author of thefe difcourfes, poffeffes no common fhare of learning and abilities. He made a figure in the Warburtonian controverfy, and discovered acuteness and erudition in his attempt to overturn the vifionary though splendid edifice of the Bishop of Gloucefter. The lofs of a fa vourite child, and the confequent regret of a fond and bereaved father, feem to have impaired his underftanding, and given a romantic turn to his mind. The following character of his daughter furpaffes Clariffa Harlowe, Sir Charles Grandifon, or any other perfect monfter which the world has fometimes read of, but never faw." Love to God, and charity, or kindness, to mankind, were the ruling paffions of her foul; the pole-stars, by which her whole con duct was regulated; the directors of her every thought, word, and deed, throughout this life's fhort, but, to her, moft delightful voyage.. The former led her often, fecretly, to withdraw from the family, when the thought he could do it without obfervation, to hold con verfe with her Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier; to pour out to them, when the thought herself liable to no entrusion, her ardens thanksgivings for all their mercies; her earnest entreaties for the continuance of their grace, in aid of her own unwearied endeavours, to perfevere in true holiness; and to offer up her molt fervent fuppli cations for whatever they faw best for herself, her relations, friends, and all mankind. Once, when she was unexpectedly found thus employed, by a fervant, (for fhe could not always fecure herself in these retirements, as fhe wished, from obfervation or intrufion) and being told by the observer, that she was most affuredly always fit to die, the replied, with. out either any affected difavowal of the truth of this remark, or the leaft appearance of pleasure in the encomium thus bestowed, "if that be really your opinion of me, let me befeech you to go and prepare yourself likewife." Her conftant attendance upon every performance of the public fer vices of the church, and on the celebration of the holy facrament; her earnest attention and fervent devotion likewife, upon fuch occafions, must have been noticed by fome in this congregation, though it was entirely unwifhed-for by her; and, however striking, was by far the flightest proof fhe gave of her piety and virtue; though never did the reluctantly comply with any wifh of thofe to whom, of earthly beings, fhe owed the highest duty; and which the always paid in a manner the most inexpreffibly tender, and the most unspeakably affectionates but |