/f ^- /,1 ^I^t -lea/ THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE, [Price Fiftf en Shillings in Boards,] JaqucSj PriMci, 30, Lower Sloai.c-btrcci. THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE A SATIRICAL POEM IN FOUR DIALOGUES WITH NOTES. ITWSVTCSTf. Athenagora Atheniensi? Legatio Imperatoribus Antonino et Commodo. Ad Cn. Op. Justin. Martyr. Ed. Paris 1636, pag. 39. THE FOURTEENTH EDITION fy ITU THE CITATIONS TRASS LA TED AND WITH A COMPLETE INDEX. LONDON : Feinted for T. Becket, SI. Pall M.all. 160S. VEiivoy. Uxc e^o Pierl^ solus mcditabar in umbri, Dum Thamesis meus et (quundam mca) Granfa favcbant^ Nativfl fretus cithari, fidibusquc severis, Ingentcs ausus Patriae Icnire labores. In perusing the Notes to the Pursuits of Literature, the Reader is requested to attend very particularly to their respective dales. THE PREFACE, {a) Kt/y, u SiXrKTTi Kri^ia-o^uvj uY otot aroi EiTiy o« fug wspi vyMv Xc/ya^ f/jiCaX\ovT£j Ej T«f op(Xb!i' a-W' uvTrtf ecu a'JTfccKTOi ocvrtiiv at xaxai y\w(T(ra,i *3-9<, oTt «x aTTpaxTOi juovovj «/VX' sot x«xw a^ts-m €crovT«»; 2u uEvroi cu iro«E»j TTEfi TyrcDV >iju,tv ypatpojy, £7r£i^«7r£p o»£t r,f/.iv ^ix^sp'A-j* «X?.' Jo-Tpp fv voiui; yfcc^uvj arwf wJixEtv ^Ticraiji*' av ri/^ajj avrtXEyovra ticr!^ avroiv TOIS OTK AHI0I2. (6) I HAVE again revised the Poem on the Pursuits of Litera- ture vrith considerable care, as I am of opinion that no man of candour and reflection could wish to see any mistakes, in a work so extensive, continued without cor- rection, nor the various parts of it presented to the pub- lie without such improvements, alterations, and additions to the poetry and the notes, as circumstances have arisen to prompt or to require. This is all which I have done from (a) This Preface was first published in December 1800 ; some passages have been added since. (May i803.) {b) Euripidis Epist. ex Macedonia ad Cephisophoutem, Eurip. Op. Edit. Barnes. Part. 2. pag. 520. VI from time to time; and though words are irrevocable, yet the last corrections of any author should be considered as the sense which he wishes to enforce. Impertinence and falsehood I have at all times equally despised, and equally neglected. It will be seen how- ever that by omissions and alterations 1 have manifested a liberal concern for my unintentional mistakes, with the spirit and breeding of a gentleman, a character which I never will forfeit nor resign deliberately, but with my life. " Of all the Boeotian Critics who have written *' scurrilously against me, there is not indeed one whom a •♦ writer of reputation would not wish to have his enemy. •' To my authorship they are heartily welcome. Rome *' permitted her slaves to calumniate her best citizens in " the day of triumph. "(^) Kh! qui veut rassembler aux grcnouillcs d' Homcrc, Iinplorant a grands crisle fier Dicii de la guerre, Et Ics dicux des enters, ct BcUone, et Pallas, Et les foudres des c'lenXy— pour se vender des rats ? For as to the smarting scribblers, cumbrous black-letter pedants, and translating poetasters of the day, incidentally mentioned in the poem, with all their little bundles of answers and remarks nameless and forgotten, I would only conduct them before the statue of Marsyas, [c) to read their (6) Warburton's Preface to Pope's Works, (c) The Statue of Marsyas, (the Phrygian Satyr who chal- lenged Apollo, and being vanquished by him suft'ered severely as an example) was set up at the entrance of the Forum io Rome, and Horace says, " Obeundus Marsya;" for the plain English of which see Mr. Boscawen's Translation. Indeed Vll their fate in all the impotent irritation of satirical puberty : the passions of men they can never feel. The only shield I shall ever oppose to their assaults is the Volume itself. Kgli medesrao presa La tasca, e sallo scudo dipartilla, E fe' il lume di quel chiaro e palesel L'incantato splendor, che ne sfavilla^ Gli occhi degli avversari cosi offese, Chegli fe' restar ciechi allora allora, E cader chi da poppa, e chi da prora. (rf) But to speak in a lighter and more ethereal stiain of these Boeotian critics, Dr. Darwin, (whose poetry and philo> sophical ideas, whenever they are understood, are so universally admired,) offers me kindly a few exquisite lines applicable to them, in his celebrated description of •' the two celestial Bears, major and minor, dancing round ike pole, and parted by Draco /" O €he leggiadro e grazioso ballo ! I hope the reader will comprehend the Doctor's sublime original ; but in my humble metaphorical application, it it as plain as the dance of the Sun, Moon, and Earth in the Rehearsal. Mark Indeed modern Translators and Makers of verses seldom gi?e occasion for the inimitable simplicity of Agnes's question ia Moliere's Ecole des Femmes j *' Si les enfans qu'on fait, se faisoient jpar VoreilU ? * (d) Ariosto, Cant. 10. St. 50. • Act 1. Sc. 1. VIU Mark, («) MTilh vMt convolution Duaco holds The ecliptic axis in his scaly folds ! O'er halfthe bkies his neck enormous rear?, And with immense mx3.ndcTs parts tue Beafs; Onward the kindred Bears with footsteps rude Dance round the pole, pursuing- and pursued! (f) But to return to this nether world and it's concerns. I aiTi more and more convinced that Literature must be considered (e) What docs the reader mark in all Dr. Darwin's poetry and i)hilosopli y ? for my own part, I mark and see too fre- atlj)) unite ii( tjiis qpi- nion of themselves. See Mr. H, s Letter t« Earl Cowper prefixed to his life of tbc Po^t. XI best, the noblest, and the wisest men whom ancient and modern mean that — (for I did not quite comprehend his metaphor about '' zoorldly contention'''' and I really thought he hinted that the work might not bustle through the world, or in other terms, that it might not sell;) — Oh, not at all, said he, lam as innocent as yourself of any meaning whatsoever : it must sell, if your Memoirs are but " copious and produced with all becoming dispatch."— I have the pleasure to say that I agreed with Mr. "VVirewoTC Hotpress for — (you may guess what,) and this winter you may expect three royal Ito. volumes, and in the spring two more, as copious as the French military spawn in Egypt» When the work is actually in the press you shall hear further. Your's, &c. &c." W. C. H.' N. B. The reader will perceive that the writer of this letter i« peculiarly versed in thaphraseologij of Mr. Havleyin his life OF THE POET CowpER, (lately published) from which he ha« culled a few (and a very few) of the choicest flowers of language and mefaphors verbatim. It is unnecessary to mark the pages rom Mr Hayley's work whence they arc all taken. As to the publication itself, theletters ofagreat Poet must al- ways command attention on their first appearance, and we are obliged to an Editor of such compositions. Of Mr.Cowper's Let- ters many are excellent and very interesUng, but the greater part of them might have been suppressed, particularly those so deeply tinctured with the religion of Calvin, which is now sprcadino- in this Country in so fatal a manner, while it's votaries forget that this system *' seems to rest (as it is well expressed by one of our greatest Divines*) on this execrable foundation, that God is a Tyrant." The elFccts of it are too visible, and will long continue to disturb the disturbed. jNIr. Hayley's language, in the connecting parts of the work, is such a sartago loquendi as I have seldom seen, and which I mark a 4 with • Dr. Balguy (of Wincheatf r's) Discourses, Disc. 4. p. 59. xu modern ages have produced ; and till years steal on and wear Hie out of action I will, if occasion should offer, yet stand forth in the same common cause. Sic Drancis dictef refellam. But we should all remember, that in an empire exten- sive, opulent, luxurious, and commercial like Great Bri- tain, many new regulations and new ordinances' founded on constitutional principles must be expected, and loudly called for in the days of general convulsion. Lakes and quiet streams may be bounded safely by banks of verdure and flowers; but the ocean, turbulent and tempestuous, can be confined alone by rocks and mountains. We have given to the surrounding nations the example of steadi- ness, of unanimity, of a fixed aversion to political change, and of the loftiest refusal of all submission to the com- mon FOE AND UNIVERSAL TYRANT, in OUr COUncils jnd actions abroad and at home. I am decidedly convinced that the principles of Repub- lican or Consular France, (or of any mode of government she with regret on such a topic ; for it is affected and flimsy, ivith idle tautology aud ridiculous metaphors : Mr. H.'s sen- timents also are sometimes very exceptionable. Mr. Cowper'« posthumous Terscs are in general far too trifling for the public inspection, and should have been omitted ; but, aliter nonjit^ Avite, Liber. Above all, in drawing the picture of the Poet, humanity and good sense equally required that the judgment qf 'JTimanthes should have been exercised. This exeellent and virtuous Man, Mr. Cowper, must be considered as claiming the title of A Poet chiefly from The Task, which is a work equally sublime, pathetic, interesting and original. Custodiat urnam Can* Fides, rlgilcntquc perenni Jampade Musa; ! (May, 1803.) xm she may hereafter adopt) wherever they are introducecJ, mo- dified or disguised, can never uUimately suffer the existence of any one ancient or present institution or establishment, poHtical or religious, in this kingdom, or in any state in Europe or in Asia. It is idle, or rather it is wicked, to sup- pose that we can now be lulled into such a false security, and sleep the sleep of death under the torpor of such a desperate and wilful credulity. I trust Great Britain will never be delivered over by her Ministers, bound hand and foot, to a directorial, or to a con- sular, or to an imperial dynasty. No : though under the se- verest pressure and the most acknowledged perils, our glory- is not tarnished; our possessions are increased ; our monar- chal SUPREMACY ON THE OCEAN IS CONFIRMED. Mr. Pitt (to whose deep classical erudition every scholar will assent, and who must know and feel the affinity which a poet bears to an orator,) may possibly remember, (or he will certainly read with pleasure,) the following lines, at once tri- umphant and affecting, in the dark but sublime Monodia of the poet of Chalcis : ©AAASIHL XKHHTPA KAI MONAPXIAN AABONTES!— y>c apnc-rov, aSXi* Tla,r^i;y Kv^o; joiapav&cv iyx.cc.rc,)(.fv^-A; ^r^^uil (A) The enthusiasm of literary men may awhile be led astray by an undiscerning predilection for the republics of anti- quity, and the fasces which preceded Cato and the elder Brutus. But I hope there never will be found, either no;«r or hereafter in Great Britain, a Muse so servile, so degraded, so lost, so forgetful of her honour and of her high preroga- tive, as to offer incense at the throne, or at the shrine, of a French Consul, or a French PLmperor, reeking with the inno- cent blood of unoffending Egypt, and haughty from the de- solation of Marengo. We (A) Tycopliron. Alexandra, r. 1. 1229. XIV Wc must remember the origin and progress of the French- Revolution, for we feel it in all it's consequences throughout Europe, Asia and America. Mr. Burke first read the Hand- writing on the great Wall of France, and made known to the world the interpretation thereof; and I also wish to pre- sent the Picture of the state of Europe as drawn in the year 1794, that it may not pass irom our mind without the illus- tiation of Poetry, (i) *' Through Europe's bounds, 'tis her devoted age, Fires from M'ithin and central thunders rage: (k) On Callia's shores I mark the unhallow'd jjow'r, Her godless regents feel tiic madd'ning hour, Dread architects of ruin and of crime, In reroiution's permanence sublime, And cruel nonsense! o'er the astonish'd World The flag of dire equality unfuri'd. Drizzling Avith blood of millions, streams in air ; ThC'Croll, FRATEltNAL FUEEDQM, DE.VTU, DESPAIR? They pass : nor Rhine nor Rubicon they know ; Torrents may roar, or tranquil streams may flow, In unappaU'd protrusion on they burst, All nations cursing, by all nations curst. Lo, l^elgiuni yields to unresisted fate ; l\'ithin her ministers of terror Mait : ^Nature with rod pctrific smites the land, And binds the floods in adamantine band. Till Gallia's Chief in right of William sways, And Freedom, once with life-drops bought, obeys. See, where dismember'd trembling Spain resigns Peruvia's radiance, aud Potosi's mines : The pillars of The F/rEiiNAE City bow, Aud the tiara from the Pontiff's brow (i) Sec the Imperial Kpistle from Kien Long Kmpcror of China to George the 3d. (v. 3f30, &c.) translated by the author of the P. of L. — The delineaiion of Consular and Imperial France yet remains for a future Poet. XV Drops to the dust, no more in Peter's fane ■ ' ^t The CoHsistorial Brotherhood shall reign. Yet see; the turban nods by factions torn ; A length'ning, sad, and sullen sound is boroe Around Sophia's hallow'd conscious Avails, Mutt'ring the doom denounc'd: her Crcsccut falls. Still tiew, in Avestern (/) climes Death's palest horse With pestilence and slaughter marks his course, While dusky tribes, with more than maniac rage Rending their brazen bonds, iu war engage: For France still burns to make, with dire intent, Hell and tuis world one realm, (tti) one continent!'* When I have contemplated this Picture, I am indeed veiy grateful for the name and rights of an Englishman, and I have been awakened to join in the endeavour to preserve them. I confess that I have a settled contempt for nonsense and sophistry ; and 1 feel a sharpnesi in my nature against every species of innovation which is hazardous and unne. cessary, and against the very approach of that political re- form, which must prove the certain harbinger and vaunt courier of revolution, democracy, and all the variety ot wickedness and of horror. The charge of malignity, or of ill-nature, against the per- son of any individual, as such, I utterly disclaim and so- lemnly deny, because it is not true. li however my ^'*i- tings should descend to other times, I will, with respect to that charge and to the sincerity of my intentions, confi- dently address myself to them in the language of poetry and of truth; Sanr ta ad vos Anima, fttqtic ixti'us insa'a culpccy Descendam doctorum baud unquam ublUus avorum. But in a composition, like the Pursuits of Literature, when judgment is to be given on men, their works, their aciions, and their writings in the hour of instant danger, it is impos- ^ ^ih'e (/) The west Indies, (w) A >erse from M»ltou P. L. XVI sible to set off one quality by another. We have unfor- tunately lived to see and hear men, in comparison of whom Bolingbroke was humble, Milton was mild, aiii Hobbe« was rational. On all the great and master principles, wh}ch maintain and invigorate the life and the healthful i-xistence of this kint^dom and of all civilized states, the public opi- nion muit now be concentrated with as little divergence as possible. For this powerful and unanswerable reason, if men of birth and fortune, Senators or Statesmen, are found virtually conspiring, or contributing by different means with xn^n of the lowest classes of society, to produce the same ef- fect, I mean, the subversion of their Country and of it's Con- stitution ; their rank is then annihilated, the political distance between them is lost, and they must appear together on the .same canvas and in the same colours. We are tired of Gallic phrases, the honours of the sitting, and the fraternal kiss, {ii) Consiimpta est fabula vulgi, VA cantata diu riscrunt Osciila Gives. l^ut of Gallic principles, sentiments, and resolutions we must hold another language. Formerly indeed it was esteemed a cr\\r\t to scatter abroad ambiguous expres- sions among the people. But now when all govern- ments (n) It reminds inc of a book written by Sir John Birkenhead in the tiaic of the civil wars, entitled, " the Cuilduen's *■'- Dictionary, being an exact collection of all new words, " horn since November 3, 1 640, in speeches, prayers, and sermons, ••' as well those that signify something, as those that signify " noflung.'''' In the last edition of the French Academy's Dic- tionary, just printed at Paris, there is an Appendix, something like the Children's Dictionary, of the Sanx-Culottides^ the *' Decadairex^^^ &c. &c. Such is the Taried jargon wliich hypo, crisy invented and blattered forth in the last century, and Ja- cobinism has revived ia the present ago. Ssepe Bilem, saepc jocum takti movere tu-multus .» XVll nrents and establishments are shaking around us, we arc to be told with effrontery and impunity in public papers which pass from hand to hand, through cities, towns, and villages, that, where there is no despotism there is no usurpation, and that the authority of an usurper, while he conforms to law* of his own making, is legal. What is this but to overthrow the principle of all just obedience, and the basis of every es- tablished government? What is it but to invite the subjects of every kingdom to revolution and open rebellion, from the example of a foitunatc soldier? But I hope still, that THE People OF THIS COUNTRY will for ever remember, and act under the impression ot the words oi an ardent, powerful, and eloquent writer, that" From the beginning of the world " to this day, there never was any great public or " PRIVATE VILLAINY acted by men, and submitted to, " but upon the strength of some great fallacy put upon " their minds, by a false representation of good for evil, " and of evil for good." We cannot now, and I trust we never shall, consent to hear the raving o'i Clubs declared to be the national opinion ; and in the same sentence, to hear that national opinion declared *' to possess a just authority over the proceedings of the *' Legislature," [i) I think that the Essence of the Jaco- bin (i) Read the Declaration of the ^^'l^g Club on January 'iS, 1796, signed, Charles James Fox I In the copy now before me, printeil for R. White, riccadilly, 1790, this f)cclaratioD is asserted to be the composition oi Mr Shehidax, Mr. I-'uskine, Mr. Francis, all Members of Pailiaraent. and of Mr James Mackintosh, who is noai A. D. (1800.) a Keader of Public Lec- tures on the Law of Nature and Nations in the Hall of Lincoln's Inn, in pursuance of an order of that llo7iourable Sodrty *■ I ap- peal to printed pamphlets, and to matters of fact : but in this in- stance I shall leave the comment to the reader. Dec, 1800. * See the words in the title-page of Mr Mackintosh's Introductory Di«- (.ourse, 3d edit, CadeU. ISOC XVIII bm Club-doctrinc, in what country soever such Clubs are instituted and continued, may be properly and adequately stated (and may all the loyal and reflecting subjects in Great Britain and Ireland never forget their inevitable tendency and irre- versible conclusion !) to consist in these positions ; namely : •* To call the People of any country the Sovereign Power *• in opposition to the lawful, permanent, and established *' authority vested in the Governors of it : " To call the sense of Clubs associated the sense of that •• Sovereign People: •* That when those Clubs have thought proper to deliver •' and publish their doctrines and resolutions, to declare •'that THE SOVEREIGN People have in effect spoken •• THEIR Vl^ILL : " That in consequence of this their sovereign *• Will, the measures of a government are to be changed, •* ministers deposed, a King dethroned, and a constitution ♦* regenerated ! " That further, as these momentoas concerns are carried •• OB chiefly in the metropolis of any kingdom, it is virtu- •* ally to declare, that the sense of the disaffected part of •• the People of that metropolis is the controlling •* POWER OF THE STATE;as the Government and it's Minis- •* ters can neither be overawed, nor feized upon in any other •• place ; — and particularly as all the other disaffected *' Clubs in the country cftablish their doctrines and *' found their resolutions on the grand Metropolitan Heresy." Such is the spirit of that informe Cadaver, of that shape- less body which has been dragged forth and exposed to the light of heaven. For we must never suffer this truth to pass from our minds, namely that. To Preserve the Metropolis is to preserve THE Empire. Prodita XlX Proditadum laxant portanim claustraTyrannis, Magnum aliquod dubi'i pro Libertate decebit ! Jacobinism in her natural, ferocious, and unsofiened fea- tures has for a season slunk away from the public loathing in Great Britain ; but we may depend upon it, she yet " lies '• couching head on ground, with catlike watch ;'* though in this country the Monster has lost many of her offspring, whom true reason and sober philosophy have torn from her. Deserta sub autro Accubat Ilia jacens ! ubi enim quibus ubcra pascat, Aut quos ingenti premat exspectata ruuia ? Hactenus arma, tabae, ferrumque, etTulnera. (A) But surely the most powerful light should still continue to be thrown on her secret caverns and skulking places ; tor tlw: sleeping and the inactive will be her prey. We have rea- son still to watch over our safety, while so many of the ori- ginal principles of Jacobinism are not only unretracte<^l but solemnly avowed, and openly renewed at stated periods, by men who would be thought worthy of high political trust, and of their Country's best confidence and consideration. Idle compliments however, timid compronnsing, fatal half-measures, and the taise politeness of submission to names must not once be heard of at such a time, when the powers of darkness, of tyranny, of ignorance, and of sophistry are set in array against us. We are not fallen : we may yet travel on in the greatness of our imparted stiength, since we know in what, and in whoiri, we have trusted. We must also preserve the dignity of Learning in all her original brightness and integrity, for we are not in the ruins ^ our Athens ; but in the v^ralks of Literature, of true philosophy, and of unshrinking eloquence, we have yet something more to shew than the Lantern cf Demosthenes, la (i) Stat. Theb. L. 10. In conclusion, I would obfervc that the following of similar words, or the substance of them, are recorded to have been delivered in Parliament a few years before tlie Rebellion in 1745. ^ shall apply the spirit of them to the enemies of the principles of this work on the Pursuits of Literature, but not to the enemies of the work itself, which, as a composition, I most willingly leave to their censure. The words are these :* " The heat which has offended them •* is the ardour ol conviction, and that zeal for the service •* of my country, which neither hope nor fear shall influence ** me to suppress. I will not sit unconcerned when " (public) Liberty is threatened or invaded ; nor look in •* silence on (intended) public Robberv. I will exert *' my endeavours, at whatever hazard, to drag the aggres- •• sors to justice, whoever may protect them, or whoever •* may (ultimately) partake of the national plun- •• DER !" It is remarkable that the Speaker was William Pitt, and the Reporter, Samuel Johnson. But whether the words were ever spoken, and faithfully reported, or only ingeniously invented and applied, the substance of them I adopt and publickly profess as my unequivocal sentiments, as far as they can be applicable to any endeavours, or to any labour* of mine. With the same firmness therefore, and with the same unabated, deliberate confidence of intention with which I first submitted this volume to the public, I again respect- fully offer it to the serious regard and impartial judgment of the British Nation. Doctrine h.cc Vindex Genio monita alta Britanno I * Dr. Johnson's Parliameotary Debates i« 1741, vol. 1. p. 307. TO XXI TO THE READER ^XfAM TlcifVOC.a'ii TON AAHAON ANAPA ff«vT ix^-vtiA * I RECOMMEND the following anecdote to saga- ,cious persons, who know all authors (and me among the rest) by their style, or by any other certain or infallible sign. The anecdote is known to those who are accurately versed in literary history. Julius Scaliger wrote and published an ora- tion, without his name, against the celebrated tract by Erasmus, entitled Ciceronianus. Erasmus, B * Soph. yEd. T. t. 481. XXll having perused it, immediately, (and upon con- viction as he thought,) fixed upon Hieronimus Aleander, ^\ ho was afterwards made an Arch- bishop by Leo X. and a Cardinal by Pope Paul the Third, as the author of the whole, or of the greatest part of it, by signs which he conceived to be certain and infallible. These signs were strong indeed ; his phraseology, his manner of speaking, his peculiar diction, his habits of life, and even the very intercourse which Erasmus had daily with him. Nay, his genius and dis- position were so evident, that Aleander could not be more intimately known to himself, than be was to Erasmus. Yet Erasmus was mistaken entirely. His judgment and sagacity will not be ques- tioned ; but hear his own words, for on such an occasion, as the present, they are peculiarly remarkable. " Ex phrasi, ex ore, ex locutione, *' aliisque compluribus, mihi persuasi HOC opus, " maxima saltern ex parte, esse Hieronimi Ale- *' andri. Nam mihi Genius illius ex domestico xxiu '^ convictu adco cognitus perspcctusque est, lit •" ipse sibi non possit esse notior ! !" {a) I recommend this anecdote to the considera- tion of those persons who from random conjec- ture, without any knowledge, and without any /?7'oo/ whatsoever, continue to ascribe tlie follow- ing work to men, who are all equally guiltless of m?/ labours, and all equally ignorant of ???j/ inten- ^ioris. {b) But I beUeve, no gentleman to whom (a) Erasmi Epist. 370. c 1755. Op, Fol. Ed. Opt. Lugd. (6) There is a pleasant passage in one of Pascal's Provincial Letters, in which the Author and a Father Confessor hold a conference concerning some accredited Casuists, and thtj ne^v morality. The Dialogue is smart and sprightly, and easily adapted to the Probabili/i/ Corps on the present occasion. The Confessor says; " Nous laissons les Peres a ceux qui traitcnt la Positive; nous ne citons dans nos ecrits que les nouveaux Casuistos'.— ' Mais qui sent ces nouveaux Autcurs ?' — Ce sont desgens bien habiles et bicn celebres (i. e persons whose names were scarcely crer heard of) C'est Villalobos, Conink, Lamas, Achokier, Dealkoscr, Bobadiila, &c. kc. lVc— " O mon Pere, lui-disje tout effraye, tons ces gens la etoient-ils Chretiens ?" —Comment Chretiens? me repondit il. Ne vous di^ois-je, que ce sont les seuls par qui nous gouvernons, Sec. — Celu -mc Jit pitie ; (said Pascal,) niais jc ne lui temoijjnai rien.' J.ettres Proviucialcs. L. 5. B 2 "XXIV it cither has been, or may hereafter be, liberally or illiberally attributed, will so far forget his character, as to appropriate mi/ composition to liimself. ** The Town's enquiring yet ;" and will enquire, as I think, for a long time. Factonim est copia nobis ; Hoc fit quod litnirc viviimis : ilia domus, Ilia mihi sedes, illic mca carpitur aitas. The Firft Dialogue was first published in May 1794, the Second and Third in June 1106, and the Fourth Dialogue in July 1797 ; since which time, numerous alterations, corrections, and additions, have been made in various parts of the Poem, and ip the notes. N. B. I hg leave to subjoin my opinion, that if the Poem on the Pursuits of Literature is once carefully read without reference to the notes, the plan, the connection, and the manner of it will be perceived. A.V INTRODUCTORY LETTER (a) TO J FRIEND OM THE GENERAL SUBJECT OF THE FOLLOUkVG POEM OX THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE. Nel ccrchio accolto, Mormoro potentissirae parole ; Giro tre volte all' oriente il volto, Tre Tolte ai regni ore dechina il sole ; *' Onde taato iiidugiar ? fouse attendetb " VoCI ANCOR PIU POTENTI, O PIU SECUETE ?" (ou) Dear Sir, As the publick have thought proper to pay some atten- tion to the following Poem on the Pursuits of Literature, the parts of which I have presented to their consideration, and for their use, at various intervals; I have now col- lected the whole into one volume, alter such a revision and (a) This Letter yrB.t Ardelioiium quaedani Romx' natio, Trepid^ concursans, occupata in otio, Gratis aiihelan';, inulta agendo nihil agens, Sibi niolesta, et aliis odiosissima." Pfixdrus. bb) Cic. Somn. Scip. Sect. 7. in regard to writing in general, the public expect heither thanks, nor gratitude from an author for their favourable reception ot his work. If it is unworthy of their tiotice, it is left to perish with the poetry of Knight, and with the prose of Lauderdale. " I cannot indeed affect to believe, ** that Nature has wholly disqualified me for all literary *' pursuUs ;" (c) yet I would not trouble the publick, or myself, with this new edition of my Poem, if I did riot think it agreeable to their wishes. I am satisfied with the attention which has been given to it ; and when 1 have commanded a silence within my own breast, I think a still small voice may whisper those gratulations, from which an honest man may best derive comfort from the past, and motives for future action. The v/ayward nature of the time, and the paramour:'! necessity of securing to this kingdom her political and religious existence, and the rights of society, have stimulated me, as you well know, to offer ihs endeavour to preserve them, by a solemn, laborious, and disinterested appeal to my countrymen. It is designed to conduct them through the labyrinths of literature ; to convince them of the manner in which the understanding and affections are either bewildered, or darkened, or enervated, or degraded ; and to point out the fatal paths which would lead us all either to final destruction, or to complicated misery. I am not yet so old as to say, with the desponding Bard, Vitae est avidus quisquis non vult, MuNDo SECUM PEREUNTE, mori ; (cc) yet 1 see, with sorrow and fear, the political constitutions of Europe falling around us, or crumbling into dust, iinder the tyrannical Republic of France. She commenced B 4 with (t) The words of Mr. Gibbon, Misc. Works, 4(o, vol. I. p, 3 \, {^cc) Sciicca. with an imperious injunction to the surrounding nations not to interpose in her domestic government, vvliile at the very same moment, she herself was intertering and disturbing them all. She has indeed terminated in the change or overthrow of each of them, hut oj this kingdom. Frenchmen were always brutal, when unrestrained. With their own domestic misery and wickedness they never were satisfied. In these latter days they have been neighing after the constitution of their neighbours, in their lawless lustihood. They first deflower the purity of the struggling or half-consenting victims, and then with their ruffian daggers they stifle at once the voice, and the remem- brance of the pollution. Such are their abominations ; such are their orgies of blood and lust : and when their cruelty is at last wearied out and e.\hausted, and demands a pause, they call it clemency. France had been long looking for that, which her philosophers had taught her to term, the parallelism OF THE sword; and she has found it. That sword has indeed swept down not only every royal crest, and every head which raised itself above the plain of their equality. Such is their quaint and Isrocious language. And now, when Englishmen are to be warned against the introduction of the horrid system, no appeal is to be made to the common feelings and passions of our nature, (this it seems, is ileclamation ;) no scenes of terror, and cruelty, and desolation arc to be laid before them, but dry reasoning and mathematical calculations oi the quantum oS. misery, plunder» and blood necessary for the production, and establishment in England, of this blessed revolutionary government. We 5 We will not however be insulted and fooled out of our existence, or of our understanding. " Our sentence " is for open war," till we can be safe. England is still pre- pared, and alert, and vigorous, and opulent, and generous, and bold, and undismayed : she has not cast away her confidence. Among the bands and associated energies of England I also, \n my degree and very limited capa- city, will struggle for the principle of her life. I feel, in common with the wise and the reflecting, that the consti- tution of Great Britain, even with it's real or apparent defects, is worthy of continuance, and I hope of perpe- tuity. Our ancestors in 1688 once adopted the words of the aged Patriarch, " We have blessed it : yea, and it shall •' be blessed." In this one response, 1 trust we shall all be orthodox; and with one heart and voice condemn all the heresies of Gallic policy, in the words of the Alexandrian i-ilturgy 01 old J Tft»t) aipEo-iwv xaraXufrov t«. ^pvay/xara. (ci) Government and Literature are now more than ever intimately connected ; and the history of the last thirty years proves it beyond a controversy. Still it is difficult to rouse the attention of men, and to persuade them of the fact ; but I have attempted it. I thought it just and right to set before them excellence opposed to excellence, e) as well as error contrasted to error. In the present change of man- ners, opinions, government, and learning, you may re- member I gave it as my opinion, in which, after some reflection, you concurred, that a variation is now required in (d) Liturgla Sancti Grogorii Alexandruia. liiturg. Oriental. Collect. Vol. 1. p. 107. Edit. Paris. 1716. (c) Ayafej KyaSo*,- cciT'^iTc^rfj. DIon. Ifalicarn. ad Cne. Pompeium de Platone Epist. p. 737. Sect. 1. Vol. *6. Ed, Rei^ke. 1777. fn the mode of conducting satirical writing. I mean, b^ Calling in the reciprocal assistance of poetry and prose in the same work, tor the great end ; if it is designed for general perusal, and for an extended application. I think this work is the first attempt of the kind, in the sense which I propose. I know not whether I am mistaken, but, as it appearl to me, the power of legitimate Satire thus extended, and strengthened with the rampart of prose» and fully under- stood, is the best, if not the only literary support left. 1 am sure it cannot be construed into an hired service. It has nothing in it of professional labour ; and as to inte- rested views of personal profit or promotion, how can they be consistent with it ? It is as true in our time as in that of Dryden, (I will give you his own words,) that " the " common libellers of the day are as free from the impu- *' tation of wit, as of morality." Satire has another tone and another character. All publick men, however dis- tinguished, must in their turns submit to it, if necessary to the welfare of the state. The altar and the throne, the minister and the statesman, may feel and own its influ- ence. I would express myself with diffidence of any Satirist; yet of the office itself, and of its higher functions, 1 would speak as becomes its dignity and the excellency of it's ancient character. MagniJical?o apostolatum meum. In my opinion, the oflfice of a Satirist is by no means pleasant or desirable, but in times like the present it is peculiarly necessary. It is indeed difficult to exercise the talent, without an appearance of severity in the character and disposition. Even playfulness and humour are called by (/) Adapted from tho Anthologia. p. 393. Ed. Brodaei. Fol, by other appellations. Learning is deemed ostentation, cen- sure is stiled malignity, and reprehension is declared to be abuse. There remains a more formidable objection. On a first and partial view, it might deter any man trom engaging in Satire ; at least any man who feels himself (and who does not feel himself, if he examines his own heart?) unworthy and wretched before the unerring judgment. It is said to be incompatible, if not with the profession, yet certainly with the practice, of Christianity. I am sure, if that is true, the praise of wit, of learning, or of talents, is nothing worth. If private malignity is the motive, it is essentially contrary to the precepts and practice of that religion ; it cannot be defended tor a moment. But if Satire is an instrum.ent, and a powerful instrument, to maintain and enforce public order, morality, religion, literature, and good manners, in those cases, in which the pulpit and the courts of law can seldom interfere, and rarely with effect ; the commu- nity may authorize and approve it. The authorized instru- ments of lawful war are lawful. Satire never can have effect, without a personal application. It must come home to the bosoms, and often to the offences of particular men. It never has it's ful! force, if the author of it is known or stands forth ; for the unworthiness of any man lessens the strength of his objec- tions. This is a full answer to those who require the name of a satirical poet. What I have written, is delivered to the public in this spirit. If I had any private end or malignity in any part of it, I would have burned the work with indignation before it should have appeared. I make no idle appeal to you, or to any man, for the truth of my assertion J it is enough for me to feel that I speak, truth in the sincerity of my heart. If I am believed, I am believed. But 8 But I may asJw with confidence ; Is there, in this Work on the Pursuits ol Literature, any sentence or any senti- ment, by which the mind may be depraved, degraded, or corrupted? Is there a principle oJ classical criticism in any part of it, which is not just and defensible by the greatest masters of ancient and legitimate composition? Is there any passage which panders to the vitiated taste, or to tlie polluted affections and passions of bad men ? On the contrary; Are not the heart and understanding fortified unto virtue, and exalted into independence ? Is there any idle, depreciating declamation against the real and solid advantages of birth, fortune, learning, wit, ta- lents, and high station ? Is there any doctrine, which a teacher of morality, I mean Christian morality, might re- fuse to sanction ? A moralist and a divine have not the same office with the satirist ; personality is foreign to them. But it is not sufficiently attended tcr, or believed, that when the understanding is enervated, when it once loses, what one of the Fathers (g) calls emphatically, the TV? i^fomTiix; ovwbv km w-wuxvc'/xevov, when that solid, tenacious power of the mind is dissolved, it is then open to all manner of deception, and to the impressions of sophistry in litera- ture, government, philosophy, and religion. On this account, many works and many actions must be considered, which are wholly unwortliy of reprehension or of notice in any other point of view. Ignorant men will cry out, it is a vexatious suit, when it is only a just prosecution at the tribunal of public opinion. They who would oonsider my reprehensions of Authors and (5-) Basil Archiepisc.Cxsarcae, Op. \ol 2. p. 698. Ed. Par. 16 18. and of the tendency of their writings, as libels, or as libellous matter, are as ignorant of common law, as they are forgetful of common sense, or of common integrity and candour. With such men, every piece of criticism is a species of libel. If they are inclined to indict any part of my work as libellous, it will be incumbent on them to contradict the great sage of the law (/t), who declares, that ♦♦ Im a criminal prosecution, the tendency zuhich all •' libels have to create animosities and disturb the public ** peace, is the \V!Iole which the law considers." I am content to be at issue with them on this point. If any part of my work is " blasphemous, immoral, treasonable, schismatical, seditious, or scandalous," let it be produced publicly, and publicly punished. But I maintain that, under these restrictions, I have an undoubted right to lay my sentiments before the world, on public books, in any manner I think proper. If I am denied this right, there is an end to the freedom of the press, and of the rational and guarded liberty of England. If the matter of my book is criminal, let it be shewn : I appeal to the Courts and to the Sages of the Law. I will not, however, be intimidated by the war-whoop of Jacobins, and democratic writers, nor moved by the feeble shrieks of witlings and poetasters. While I have power, I will plead in behalf of learning, and in the cause of my country. In this work, I have not violated the precepts of Christianity, nor the law of the land ; and till I have done both or either, it is not in the power of any man to de- grade my character and reputation with my country. If I have drawn any supposed characters, without a name or de- signation, I have done no more than Theophrastus or La- Bruyere, (/i) BJackstone Comment. B. -1. Cb. U. 10 Bruyere. I shall not conf'csccnd to a discussion of such a subject. Many passages, and perhaps trifling or sportis'c allu- sions in this work, to persons and events, arc best defended by the general apology of Horace, " Ego si risi quod *' incptus pastilles Rufillus olet, lividus et mordax videar ?" I shall offer no other apology. I would not descend to such minutiae, if they were not connected with my general design. Yet Sporus and Lord Fanny must be noticed, as well as Bufo and Atticus ; though perhaps such passages and allusions as these meet with the least indulgence. The works of Pope abound in them. To contemporaries they are pleasing and interesting; and to posterity they are often curious. But though I stoop to such trifles rather unwillingly, yet I feel they are often necessary to the full effect and completion of Satire. A Gentleman Usher is not the principal figure in the etiquette of a Court, but he must stand in bis place. As to the charge of any supposed arrogance or pre- sumption ; a writer, especially a poet, will be sometimes warmed with the dignity and importance of his subject, and may express himself in terms rather strong. The " sume supcrbiam" of a poet is seldom severely examined : it is an extravaganza at most, and understood as such. Much has been observed as to the defect of plan in my I'oem. I will say but a few words ; tor I wish not to vindi- cate, but to explain myself. The object of the work, is a View of Literature. The Poem itself is, " A Conversation " on the various subjects of Literature, in a very extended " sense, as it affects public order, regulated government, " and 11 f* and polished society." Nothing is introduced which do€$ not tend, directly or indirectly, to that main purpose. It (does not appear in the form oi an Epistle, a mock-epic, or a didactic poem; but as a conversation m which subjects are discussed as they arise naturally and easily ; and the notes illustrate and enforce the general and particular doctrines. There is as much method and connection, as is consistent with what 1 state to be my plan, or design, if you like that word better. There is unity in the design. Conversation has it's laws, bui they are pleasant, not severe restraints; Consuls indeed do not now meet Consuls in Tusculum ; and, ii I am rightly informed, the symposiacs at Wimble- don and Holnood have not too much seventy of method, or equality in the glasses. Perhaps " it would be a bely- " ing of the age, to put so much good sense together in " gny one conversation, as to make it hold out steadily, " and with plain coherence, for an hour's time (z)." I never desired to exhaust any subject, but to leave matter for the reader's own suggestion. I may add, that it would be difficult to analyze one of the most finished Satires in our language, I mean Pope's Two Dialogues, or, as they are strangely called, the Epilogue to the Satires. I am represented as having threatened any person who makes enquiry after me or my name. It was not my intention to do so. I said, " it will be more than foolish *' to be very inquisitive." I say so still ; for when the avenue to any knowledge is strongly and effectually closed, who would labour after it fruitlessly ? To waste our time to no manner of use, is not surely ore of the discrimi- nating (/) Sliaftesbury's ^Moralists, Sect. I. 12 nating marks of wisdom. I maintain it boldly; no man has a right to demand either niy name or my situation. It has been observed on such occasions, that " some might *' fight, but others would assassinate." For I believe indeed, that 1 have no real enemies, but the lovers of confu- sion and the troublers of states. I will acknowledge it, I come armed into their confines, and I come in the dark- ness of the night. But if I were required or called upon to choose my companion, you know that I am prepared with the answer of Diomcde. £t fjLVj Jr) ira^ov yt x!>.:uEtj ftxvTvj sX^s-Sai, l\'j,; ay cTe.t' OAYIHOS ly-ji 0EIOIO \x9oifir.v ; Ey 'TTXiTicrj'i TTWojaj. (^) If I atn forced indeed to descend into the lower regions oP sorrow and conlusion, among the perturbed spirits of anar- chy and democracy, I shall hope for the safe conduct ot the Sibyll. She might produce the branch to the ferryman of France and Tartarus. I would wish her to exhibit this Poem, as the '• Donum Fatalis virgae, longo post tempore visum." {ki) ^ly book is open to all the accumulated severity of public criticism, and of public reprehension : I shrink from neither of them. When I am wrong, (I have never been so intentionally) I will correct myself, and I have done so fiequently. In a field so extensive, candour will allow, that my mistakes have not been very numerous. As to my poetry or versification, it was not written as a vehicle for the notes, but the notes were composed to accompany (A-) II. 10. T. 212, (kh) Virg. /En. 6. IS accompany the text. I offer the poetry to those who are conversant with the strength, simplicity, and dignity of Dryden and Pope, and them alone. I submit my Poems, " The Pursuits of Literature, The Imperial Epistle, and The " Shade of Pope," in this spirit and with this confidence to the public. There are men, fand women too) who understand,. But as to the lovers of exotic poetry, I refer them to the Botanic Garden of Dr. Darwin. My plants and flowers are produced and cherished by the natural invigorating influence of the common sun ; I have not raised them by artificial heat. If the root of a tree is sound and vigorous, you strengthen the shoots by repressing their luxuriance. I ap- prove, and would uphold, our sacred and civil establishment. I would therefore mark the aberrations and misconduct even of men ot talents and virtue, who compose it ; for I would shew, that I am strictly impartial. I can censure, with discrimination, even where I generally approve, and consi- der nothing but the interest of the state upon the whole. It is to misunderstand or to misrepresent me, when it is as- serted that I attack alike friends and foes. I attack no man in his individual capacity. I have nothing to do with the vanity or injudicious conduct of friends, but as they affect the community; and I can have no personal malignity against those of whom I am personally ignorant. But they shall neither disturb nor overthrow the state of England, civil or religious, if any observations of mine can avail. They may wish to know me ; but they may depend upon it, I will never give a proof of my spirit at the e.xpence of my understanding. C I would u I would not have you, or any man, tliink, that I enter into a defence of iny work, as if I thcugiit it required one. No. I have vindicated the authoriiy of our national government and constitution, in a day of turbulence and ter- ror ; I have defended the purity and dignity of religion, and of our sacred establishment ; I have pleaded the cause of sound literature and of true philosophy; I have recalled the public attention to poetry without conceit, and to cri- ticism without affectation ; I have endeavoured to secure to ■women their honour, social rank, and happiness, by an attempt to turn the thoughts and hearts of the inhabitants of this island from works of obscenity and indecency, from the morals and manners of atheists and democratic spoilers, to the wisdom of the just; and I have boldly invaded the strong holds of impiety and anarchy, plebeian or tribunitian. I have done all this ; and 1 have offended many. I have brushed away the injects of literature, whe- ther fluttering or creeping ; I have shaken the little stems of many a plant, and the flowerets have tailcn. I have almost degraded myself by an attention to minute objects in the service of the public : and I am called upon to defend myself. No. My countenance is unaltered; my perseverance is unbroken ; the spirit and tenour of my speech aie yet the same, and my words are firm. Semel causam dixi, (vel iteruni dicturus), quo semper agere omnia solilus sum, ACCUSATORIO SPIRITU. (/) As to political matters we shall never want Observers. I hate deserters of their duty, {m) on any principle whatever. But I suppose some Statesmen think, that there is a laudable obliquity and a seasonable fear. For my own part I shall not, (I) Liy. lib. 2. sect. 01. (m) II. of Commons Not. 17&7. 15 n6t, on this occasion, invade the retreat of St. Ann's Hill, or violate the purity oi Drury Lane. If such Statesmen are resolved to free at once both the Senate and the Throne, the *' saevi spiracula Ditis" are open to them ; they may descend in safety, and disburthen the land. I do not believe that the possession of absolute power is in the reach of Mr. Pitt, or of any man. But the continuance of such a minister in office will be approved, as I think, while the security, and independence, and dignity of the crown, of the parlia- ment, and of the people of Great Britain, are maintained against the tyrannical pretensions of pirates, buccaneers, and plunderers. I would say to Mr. Pitt, as Cicero did to Torquatus, ** Tibi nullum periculum esse perspicio, quod quidem *' sejunctum sit ab omnium interitu." (») That minister has not looked submissively, at any period of his long admini- stration, for personal protection in any quarter. There is a hardihood about the man, which I love. On the broad general question ot the time, the public esteem has been commensurate with the royal approbation. In this, the policy of the closet, of the senate, and of the people seems to have been one. I am sure, I hope, that wherever Mr. Pitt, or any minister, proceeds, he will al- ways find a board of controll ; nor would I by any means disapprove the advice of an honest Mandarin. But the stairs of the palace have now but one flight; the gate is in front, and the ascent direct. The noble Marquis, who is now no more in office, may brood safely over beads and relics. There is some propriety in this amusement. It is pleasing to preserve the memorial of departed dignity. C 2 In (n) Cic.Ep. adFam. Lib. 6. Ep. 1. 16 In my opinion, the Modi's head might have adorned our coin with the royal GalUc lilhes, though the Sovereignty of France and of Corsica is passed. I can stand aloof from the scene itself, but I am no stranger to the moving principle. I was not formed to wait in the anti-chamber of a Duke of Lerma, or a Don Calderone. A little experience is sufficient for the ob- serving. It is either my advantage, or my misfortune, not to have adopted any profession : I never could decide that point. But, as you well know, I framed an early and an undaunted resolution, (perhaps not wholly justifiable, but certainly not degrading to the character) that 1 never would do personal suit and service, for convenience or emolu- ment, to any man however high, in a subordinate station. I framed that resolution ; I adhered to it ; and privacy is ray lot. Be it so : it is the soil in which learning and reflec- tion strike deepest. In these days, it is my desire that obscurity should gather round me. Now and then indeed the thoughts of times, which are no more, will bring with thera a casual, momentary, doubtful glimpse of what might have been ; and often, with the poet of Valclusa by the fountain of Sorga, I have regretted some periods of inactivity, nqt of sloth, which have passed, Senza levarmi a volo, avend'io I'ale^ Per dar forse di me non bassi esempi. (oj But if the laurel, which I have now planted, should thicken round the temple of my retirement, the pillars will support it : the materials are solid, and the ground is firm. I have (r>) Petrarch, P. 2. Son. S6. 17 I have indeed a few memoirs by me, written in other days and with other hopes ; and il I could polish the style, and reduce them a little into form, I am convinced they would not be uninteresting. " Le Roi et ses Ministres *' peutetre se fairoient lire ces Memoires, qui assurement ne •• sent pas ceux d'un ignorant." But let this pass for the present. 1 am for practicable politics: I would not be driven into measures from which there is no retreat. I smile when I am told of love and hate in politicians and ministers. These are passions which they never felt; for circumstances alone unite and separate them. I should ■wish to act with those statesmen who, as far as is consistent with the dignity and safety of the country, by a timely concession and a rational departure from too rigid prin- ciples, would prevent those calamities which result from authority without power, and expence without supplies. But my hour for treating these subjects, in the manner I propose, is not yet come : I must turn to other thoughts for a season. When Philosophy saw the Muses standing by Boethius in his affliction, she spoke in terms of some surprise and indignation [p). In our time this indignation would I.jve been retorted by the sisters of the song. Philosophy has appeared, not to console, but to deject. When I have read and thought deeply on the accumulated horrors, and on all the gradations of wickedness and misery, through which C 3 the (p) Boeth. de Consolat. Philos. L. 1. Pros. 1. The v.oids are particular. " Hx. sunt qute infrnctuum ajjectiium spin's *' uheremfructibus ralionis scgctcm meant honunumquc meetcs *' assuefaciunt raorbo, non libciunt." -'•'' yiEDici:sjE potiuj " XEMl'US E-JT. QU.VJ*! QUERELiB." lb. PrOS, 2. 18 tlie modern systemalic philosophy of Europe has con- ducted her illuminated votaries to the confines of political death and mental darkness, my mind tor a space ieels a convulsion, and suffers the nature of an insurrection. I look around me. I look to human actions, and id human principles. I consider again and agdin, what is the nature and effect of learning and of instruction; what is the doctrine of evidence, and the foundation of truth. I ask myself, are all these changed? Have the moral and the natu- ral laws of God to his creatures another basis? Has the lapse of fifty years made an alteration in Him, who is de- clared to be THE SAME to-day, yesterday, and for ever? Can t!ie violence, the presumption, the audacity, the arro- gance, the tyranny of man, drunk with self-idolatry and temporary success, change the nature and essence of GoD and of his works, by calling good evil and evil good ? I am told, that human reason is nearly advanced to full perfec- tion ; I am assured, that she is arrived at the haven, where she would be. I again look around me. I ask, v.'here is that haven ? where is that steady gale which has conducted lier? I listen; but it is to the tempest: I cast my view abroad ; but the ocean is every where perturbed. I pause again. Perhaps, it is *^ the wind and stonn fulfilling his «' zuordr I resume the reficcticms of suffering humanity amid the wreck of intellect. This was not the ancient character of philosophy. The lovers of wisdom, in the best ages of At). ens and of Rome, always discoursed with reverence and submission to the Author and Governor of the world. They considered of whom they spoke. If they turned to the origin of evil, or to any dark and unfathomable question, they 19 fTiey first called upon man to consider the limits of l,:s understanding. Tiiey warned him, with most peculiar emphasis, to btnvare ot those «^i/TOi wrvoriv.i^ those difficulties oF hard solution, which are but increased by defences or arguments ill-constructed. They implored him affectionately to avoid all that tends to overthrow, to trouble or dis- turb those principles, which conduct to peace and to right action. Their advice was to strengthen the intellect, and to compose the passions, not by braving and insulting the all- powerful, all-wise, and all-merciful Creator, but by an humble and patient enquiry into his works, and by submission to his dispensations. They seemed to be well aware, that to him who understood all the bearings and relations otthe word, Resignation to the will of God was the whole of piety. If upon sages like these the light of revelation should appear, as the regent of their philosophical day, nothing can be con- ceived more august, nothing more ennobling, nothing more dignified. Poetry and philosophy may then speak a language worthy of themselves ; Altlus his nihil est : liaec sunt i'astlgia raundi! PuBLiCA NATUR.£ DOM u s his coutenta tenetur Finibus. [q] . When we have read such writers, it is hardly possible not to turn from modern sceptics and sciolists with something more than neglect. If to their philosopliy they add witti- cism and ribaldry, they are nauseous. It to their ribaldry they join folly and gross ignorance, they should be driven from our fellowship with contempt. 1 he continued labours oi the arch-Theomachist of the age, the records cf that per- C 4 petual (q) Manil. Astron. L. 1, 20 petual conflict which lie maintainfil, during ihe course of fifty years of a long and impious life, against the spiritual " kingdoms of God and of his Christ," and the memorials of his desolating days, will all be entombed in the French Pantheon with the mouldering remnant of his bones (r). *' Dust to dust : ashes to ashes." He sowed unto the flesh, and of the flesh he and his disciples have reaped death and corruption. All the minor powers of infidelity, anarchy, sedition, rebellion, and democracy, may yet be dispersed :« England; from their leaders Voltaire, D'Alembert, and Condorcet, to the vulgar il literate blasphemy of Thomas Paine, and the contemptiole nonsense of William Godwin. I fee! for mankind when they are insulted by such writers. I make common cause with my fellow creatures, and call upon them to rally round the constitution of our human nature, and to support it's dignity. t From writers of this character, my thoughts are directed to the protelfors of that superstitious corruption of Chris- tianity, which originally gave occasion to those attempts, to which it has pleased Providence to permit a temporary success, to scourge the nations of Europe. 1 am sure the plain (r) To the writings of Voltaire iho strong words of EusebiuS are applicable: " Avrxi, m TOT GEOMAXOT (puvxL, iri " ay/tXoK •Ka^a.oc^ncrc,^ im eOvwv opoSiO-ja; ^ixp^oo^i y.cu avyxik* *^ K.TTsAi.yro;-, "Trfovofji.iva-iiv TE Ti» wx-yju^vv/Vj K«t way to TtV " avGca'Trvv ysvo; duxasi'T-iv kcu jxirccarr.a-a'j tjjj TTpoTSfoy Ei/ra^tatj *' aTrc-i'GK^io^oiAEvy." Euscb, Deraonstrat, Evang. Lib. 4. Sect. 9. 31 plain simplicity of the Protestant religion of England could never have suggested so daring, so extensive a project. I have therefore spoken at large of the Roman Catholic religion, and of it's professors, and of the emigrants and French priests. From some observations wln'ch I have heard and seen on this part of my work, you may remember 1 was tempted to think, tliati had advanced something new on this subject. I am sure the principles are as old and as moderate as those of the Reformation ; and I know that every page of our history confirms their truth. Have we forgotten tlie history ofthat Re- formation? Is "the Preservative against Popery (rr)" buried in oblivion and unmerited neglect ? Do we remember Medc, and Chillingworth, and Hooker, and Barrow, and Tiilotson, and Hoadly, and Sherlock ? Can we pass by the phalanx ol States- men, and Bishops, and Lawyers, who stood forth in 16^8 ? What I have advanced is in substance very old ; in manner it may perhaps be new. All I have advised, is on the side of caution. I only declared and pronounced so- lemnly in the face of my country, that A College of Romish Priests of a religion hostile in principle and in action too, whenever it has the power, against the established church of this kingdom, should not be set upon a hill, and authorised and maintained by the ministers ot the crown, and by the public money of the land. They have been dis- persed, since that warning was given. I only said, let sup- port be administered to them privately, and in detached situations. I have pity for them, and relief too, according to iny ability. But, '• though I give all my goods (said an Apostle) to •' feed the poor and the distressed, and have not Charity, it •' profiteth {rr) A Collection of TreatiseSj &c. in three volumes in folio. K7*;yx« EC 0(,H, 22 " profiteth me notliing." What does he mean ? He surely means something. Alms alone, it seems, however liberal, however extended, neither are, nor can be, the whole or the essence of Christian charity. They are indeed a material part of it, and one of the best external proofs of it's existence. Charity is in reality a principle of general safety, of kind- ness, of active benevolence, of discernment, of prudence, of moderation, and of guarded virtue. It originated from Him, who commanded his disciples to join the innocence of the dove with the wisdom of the serpent. We may depend upon it ; the system of Christianity is not inconsistent with itself. Surely this is not to teach, or to recommend, persecu- tion or intolerance. My language and arguments are de- signed only to shew, iliat the spirit of the system of Peppery yet remains unaltered in it's great and leading principles. J/ it perishes, it will perish altogether. I love toleration in the constitutional sense of the word, as much as the most designing patriot of the day : but indifTerence to the public form of religion is the first step to it's neglect, and to its consequent abolition. I cannot think it a mark of persecution or intolerance, \vhcn 1 deprecate the revival of the Romish superstition in England [s.) There is an enthusiasm, an ofyj.a-fj.o:, in the professors (,*•) '• From obvious causes the cnicl/jj^ the f^riiiiiuj, the *' impivfT) OFTHK Cjh Kcii ov Rome have almost faded from *' our memiTi) ; but ice mint l)riu'^ llicni bade to our recollect iofiy *' if zee icouUl understand " tjie .ji'dgmknts or god which are " ABUOAi) i-V Tire rAUTii." She is now persecuted in- her turn. *' As Knglishincu, we forget her injuries; as Christians, wa *' pity and giro ah»s to her exiled adherents, regardless of the '• malicious endeavours of our adversaries to represent th« Churdi professors of it which, I know, never forsakes them. It is active, where it's inHuence can hardly be supposed. It is said to pervade even the squabbles of a society set apart for the preservation of our national antiquity. With a cat-like watch, it peers and pries over every paper on ecclesiastical relics, and garbles the slightest casual effusions of protestant zeal, before it is presented to the world. If it cannot be openly recommended, it will effectually guard against the least reproach or insinuation of it's subtlety. Romish Baro- nets will be busy, and Romish Priests will meddle. Per- haps the Secretary of that Sociciy knows, whether these hints are true and justifiable. It surely will be understood, that I am only speaking of the Spirit and tendency of the system itself. r— *' Church of England, as itself interested in her preservation, ** But let us only advert to the priuciplcs, religious aud civil, *' upon which wc arc separated from that idolatrous and into- *' Icraut power; and it will bo evident that, as a national *^ Church, we have neither part nor lot in this matter. Our. ""' CAUSES ARE DISTI VCT, A.VJ) MUST EVER REMAIN SO : and ZCC " have xoAV more abundant reason than ever to rejoice in our " Reformed Religion. Our fathers obeyed the vvarnini; voice, *' and left her corrupt communion when she had risen to the *' zenith of hcrglory : and we have hitherto escaped the plagues *' by which she is now tormented. And it may be added, that *' as England was formerly (and I trust is still) the bulwark *' of the Protestant faith, so must she now be the bulwark of *' Christianity itself." See the Bishop of (a) Lincoln's sermon before the King and Parliament at St. Paul's on the public thanksgiving on the IDth Dec. 1797. (Published in Feb. 1798.) It is the composition of a man of learning and ability, written with great judgment, eloquencoj and discerument of the signs of the times. (a) The Rt. Rer, George PretymaNj D. D. 24 if self. I would carry charity with me in my heart and in my liand, but I know that charily is, and must be, consist- ent with a love to my country, anti to her rights civil and religious. If I am wrong, I fear, I must continue so ; I have yet «een no argument to shake my conviction. I would say a few words on another part of my work. I Lave been under the necessity, at least as I thought, of ap- pealing for illustration to writers of all ages and in various languages. There is an appearance ol ostentation in it, to which I must submit, I certainly am ot opinion with Ca- saubon, that it cannot be supposed, *' facere aliquid ad vcram pictatem seu doctrinani, Grceca potius quam alia lingua loqui." (^) Certainly not. But to enforce and illustrate any position, the language of poets, and the dignity and spirit of ancient eloquence and history in the original words, are of no mean assistance. The nature and lull force of this work could not have been sustained without the notes, in which the most important subjects, sacred, moral, and political, are occasionally discussed. But I have generally given, in English, the substance of the allusions, contained in the learned languages which are brought forward. I would not have any one think, that an appeal to tlie higher poets of modern Italy is either trifling or disgraceful. No man ever felt the power of poetry, it he refused his homage to Dante, Petrarch, Ariosto, and Tasso \ 1 mean, if their language was familiar to him. In their primal poet there is an originality and a hardihood of antiquity. The soul of Dante was dark and sullen : it wa.-, proud, and lull of his wrongs. Frons lasia parum et dejccto iuiiiina {t) Is. Casaub. Excrcltat. 16. ad Annalcs Ecclcslast. Baronii, 2J lumina vuliu. He passed through imaginary realms without the sun, to the confines of light and hope: the day shone full upon him, and the beams were from on high. His draught of men and their passions is eternal. His language was like himself, deep and full of matter ; it's strength and harmony may be best expressed by his Tuscan brother ; Aspro concento, orribile armonia D'alte querele, d'ululi, e di strda, Istranamente concordar s'udia. («) As to Petrarch ; we are led by every milder feeling to the retreat of Valclusa. The strain of the poet is yet softer than the breeze, or the murmur of his fountain, (jy) Yet was he not without energy : his subject was sometimes high and holy- He was familiar with death, and his breathings were after immortality. He too could describe the disruption of the mortal veil, and the departure of the soul, Svegliata fra gli spirti eletti, Ove nel suo Fattor 1' ahna s'interna! I will not pursue this theme ; and of Ariosto and Tasso it would be idle to speak. But you wull permit me to observe, that the three greatest masters of heroic verse, in unlaboured ease and flowing dignity, are to my apprehension and judgment. Homer, Ariosto, and the glory of Spain, Alonzo (w) Ariosto. O. F. e. 14. Such is the harnionlous prose which distinguishes the critical writings of the great Ilalicarnassian. Dion. Ilalicara. Epist. ad. Cn. Pogipeiumde Platone. Sect. 2. '2(> Alonzo d'Ercilla (v). I liave withoiu intention intleed, but wiiii the privilege ot a letter, descanted a little on a favourite incidental topic. For when I hear the language of Italy, under these mighty masters, called frivolous and light, I cannot pass it without a moment's vindication. In my opini<7n they strengthen and harmonize both the intellect and the car. My references to them are however very few. I am told, I am forgiven For my Latin ; but for the Greek, not so easily. In this particular indeed, I am rather surprised that no man of a'?7 has said of my notes, " They are Greek. *' invocations to call fools into a circle." (jv) Certainly there ■will be Halos round the brightest luminaries ; and it must be confessed, that many of my notes have such a circular appear- ance. If some galled theologian should be disposed to banter, and to question the validity of my Greek ordina- tion, he would perhaps shrewdly remind me of the Council of Florence in 1439> when the Greek and Latin churches proposed, as a principle ot union, that tJte Greeks should alter their manuscripts /r(?7« the Latin. He might (ell me of that celebrated " Fcedus cuu) Grijecis," so well known among the sacred manuscript critics. And if I were to adduce from the great Erasmus, my " Capita argumentorum •' contra morosos quosdam et indoctos" {^z) ; I should perhaps be reininded by Dr. Park, that I have not the erudition of Erasmus, nor the gentle manners of the serene Sepulveda. Mr. Knight would remand me to the Greek alphabet (to any one, I hope, but his own}, and his modesty would attempt (i) The Author of the Jrnuca/ia. (?/) Sliakspcarc's As you Like it. act. 2. (i) Nov. Test, by Erabmus; in 1595. 5th Edit. 27 attempt some jucundity from the Lusus Priapi. I will endure them all ; for I have patience and pity too. I know you were surprised, when you found me beset with poetasters, and rhetoricians, and commentators, and old seventh-form boys, that I was so patient. In truth I thought there might be some remedy. Yet I will own, that when I see so many heads around me deprived of the substance of sense, I am perpe:ualiy calling for the ampolla of Astolpho, that sacred vessel which he brought from the upper regions. *' Che tempo e ormai, ch' ai capi voti e macri •' Di senno, si soccorri con V ampolla. [a) But I should have too much on my hands, and I recall my wisn. In the political as v/cll as in the mere literary world, there is more to do in that way than I can attempt. A few drops from this ampolla might now and then, on particular occasions, fallen the Minister himself, who non) in his taxes appears as the political Hecate (/'}, or Diana," in their (a) Ariosto. O. F. Cant. 38. (6) Hecate is termed intheArgonauticsof Orpheus, T(;«rc"0)cafrvOj ti'siv, cXocn Tffccj st* c»K>)Toyj Tapaporajj ExxTD ! (v. 974.) Edit. Escheuback, p, Q)t» For the Diana Tpi/xcp(?oc, look at the geras of Fulvius Urslnus,— It is odd, that Lycophron, in all the darkness of his prophetic song, cliautiug forth the powers, «? Af»!? e^.-Vto, couples toi;c- ther BeUoiia and Minerva, " K«i cC Ewm, \.tt Tpiy:-i»;To,- ©sa." Ca^sand. v. 519— V/hat is the allegory? It seems as if war ami wisdom might be joined togetbcr; but the sooner the uaioa can be dissQ'.yed, the better. (1798.) 28 their triple forms. Some of it also might be spared for Earl Fitzwiiliam with good efiect; but I should be unwilling to ivaste the precious liquor on the noble head of his Grace of Bedford. Some crests are indeed vulnerable; but the natural constitution is sometimes so radically impaired, that ■when the head is once opened, it is in vain to think of closing it. Mr. Home Tookc, for instance, is out of the reach of art. I would only set up the bidental at the book- seller's door at Wimbledon. It will at least serve as a land- mark for the Frenchj on their first invasion. As to the " mendici, mirai, balatrones," what can be done ? The most infamous are the most contented. But there arc minor members of the great democratic body, and all have not the same office : yet there is a marvellous use fand they un- derstand it better than we do) in that which every joint supplieth. I should leave Mr. Tierney [c) with some little hope, to the discipline of Cocker and OldHeld [d). He may perhaps improve in calculation; but 1 think it will be some time before his anti-professional prattle will impose on another boy-committee on a contested election. The drops of the avipoUa would never penetrate the thick rotundity of Mr. Nicholls [e)\ but they might insinuate themselves through the zig-zag crevices of Sir John Sinclair's head. If we pass to subjects of lighter moment, even the Baviau drops from Mr. GifTord have fallen off, like oil, from the plumage of the Florence and Cruscan geese. At home also, 1 am sorry that his success is imperfect. I am told, that Mr. Greaihead and Mr. Merry yet write and talk; and Mr. (f) M. P. for tlie Boroughj {d) An obscure writer on the Boroughs, " The ^ad historian of lliat tainted pjaia." (e) M P. for Trogony. 29 Mr Jerningham (poor man!) still continues jz7/i:fi<7!rT>;T«|Uc>a? utt' o-ti)! ayjty Tctj 0';^oXx:^«(rt rr;v TpoOfS-tv, dtspjvyo^.svy^ to fAj, Triv yXr'/j ra ^oyjuarx OvTu; ya^ ay toj," «y.ytfc7» yfyciTO xKra:?>«ysf TO ITAN BOTAHMA TJ2K AIAAOrnN. Ex Procli Commentariis ia Platonis UoXiTHav. Edit. Gr. Basil. 1534. pag. 349. TRAXSLATIOV. " IT is necessary to set thk whole composition fairly before the reader, to place in a clear point of vie\r the full subject, and to consider the species, the matter, and the principles of it taken together, and the great purpose which pervades the whole. By this method, the compleat design, scope, and intent of the dialogues may be made manifest to those per- sons who will attend to them." Not) ■Ryu IAI02 EN KOINfi ZTAAEIS M«T«■//«/« puerile pharetras," which are alone demanded; but our weapons must be instruments oi war, able to break down the strong holds of anarchy, impieiy, and rebellion, and mighty to vindicate the powers of legitimate authority. In every region of Europe there should have been a common cause. But in no kingdom, except Great Britain, has that cause been maintained 41 maintained in full integrity. While I am writing, [c) we are convulsed to our center; and yet in tlie midst of fear, we are impudently and wickedly told, there is no cause of alarm. Talia dum celebro, subitam civilis Erinnys Tarpcio de monte facem, Phlegraeaque movit Praelia; sacrilegis lucent Cdpitolia tsedis, Et Senonum furias Latize sumpsere cohortes. [d) We may (for we can) all of us contribute to the assistance, the comfort, and the good of others, and to the stability of. social happiness. The sword, the voice, and the pen must be resolutely and decisively called into action, for defence, for counsel, for admonition, and for censure. Satirical writings must submit to the imputation of ill-nature, though I see no necessary connection between them. In my opinion, Satire has nothing to do with good.nature, or with ill-nature. It's office respects the public good alone, and the interests of the community. It is frequently designed to supply the laws, in those cases which are beyond their jurisdiction. From such courts it appeals to perhaps a still higher tribunal, that of public opinion, character, and reputation. Such are my ideas ; yet I am sure I have nothing of the wild American in my composition ; I never wished to destroy any man, either to inherit his wit or plunder him of his understanding. But I will bow to no Cyrill of Alexandria, to no Executive Director of a modern Repub- lic, to no lordly president of iactious councils, ot democratic (c) 1796. (fO Satius Sylv. Lib, 5. Carm. B.—Senones were the Gauls or French. 43 democratic delegates, or oF societies in open defiance of established authority in regulated enjpires. There is dark- ness mixed with fire, and volumes of smoke are rolling from the mouth of the cavern. I love no atheist French Bishops, nor unfrocked grammarians in England. Home Tooke is still living, and Edmund Burke is no more, Soi, occubuit! I hope Mr. Pitt will assure us of the old prodigy, •' Nox nulla secuta est l" We must now all assist in our various capacities, and feel and act as public men. In times like these we may assume a virtue, a character, a courage, and a firmness, not originally our own. I protest I have no private animosity in my nature; but I come forth (boldly enough, 1 will confess, but as I ought to do) in behalf of my country, her literature, her laws, her religion, and her government. Nor would I publish this satirical Poem, but from a full conviction of it's tendency to promote the public welfare, in it's degree and according to it's subject, ■when it is (if it ever should be) studied and considered with impartiality. 43 THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE A SATIRICAL POEM. DIALOGt/E THE FIRST, (a) FiNGlMrs HiEC, ALTUM SATIRA SUMENTE COTHCENUM? tiros UTINAM VASll (b) THE AUTHOR AND OCT AVI US. THE AUTHOR. I WHO once deem'd my race of labour run. And camps, and courts, and crowds, and senates shun. Still to the publick raise no venal voice. In the full freedom of a Briton's choice, Through tracts aloft on daring pinions rove. Where'er by duty borne, or led by love. (o) First published in May 1794. (6) Jut. Sat. 6. 44 Yet not unconscious of this awful age, I mark what new conflicting Sophists rage. Sophists who laugh to scorn th' avenging rod. And hurl defiance to the throne of GoD ; Shake pestilence abroad witii madd'ning sweep. And grant no pause — but everlasting sleep ! {c) Blood-guiltiness their crime ; with hell they cope : No flesh, no spirit now must rest in hope. But under foliage dark, and cypress gloom. The [d) sculptur'd mock'ry marks and seals the tomb. New lights on all, but on the poet, rise ; Still can he smile, and with no murm'ring sighs Can own well-pleas'd, that nozo the meanest Bard, Bavius, [d] or Maro, fnids the same regard. 20 (c) This alludes to the French decree which in 1793 abo- lished, bi/ laxo^ a futurity of existence. Impiety and absurdity are the natural consequences of their principles. {(}) The French hare also decreed^ that in every church-yard trees shall be planted, and the figure of sleep erected pointing' to the tombs ; and this sleep thcj decree to be eternal,- N. B.- This Mas the fact, when this First Part of the Pursuits of Literature was ^rrf published in May 1794.— It may bQ so again, or may be so at this moment, 1796, or at any futur» period of their Ilcrolution Not as Mascenas once with partial ray Illumed the rising glories of his day ; Whose orb the Mantuan plains alone would warm. Or beam propitious on the Sabine farm. OCTAVIUS. Why should j/o« write ? the world is now so fickle. Scarce is there room for Sheridan (e) andTickell :(/) (d) The name suggests the honourable mention of a poem lately published, under the title of " The Baviad," or an Imitation of the first Satire of Persius. Qucetibi^ qiice tali red- dam pro carmine Jo;ifl .^—Though the author professes to be conversant only among the sheep-folds at present, he threatens a descent upon the nobler and more reluctant animals. If this be a first production, the poet must proceed with the couscious- uoss of genius : he has the ground Avork of all ttcollence, good sense, and a knowledge of just and harmonious expression. lie has divulged his name imprudently. Such compositions require secresy for their effect ; especially if they are published at an early period of life, and still more if the poet commences his career \^ith Satire. Mr. Pope sutfered " pure description to " hold the place of sense" for a long time, before he took his proper station. The author of The Baviad has taken some pleasant trouble off my hancls. The Albums, the Laura-Maria>, the Jorninghams, Antony Pasquias, Mary Robinswis, Piosszis and Bozzis ; the ••* PhiUidas, Hypsipilas, yatura ct plorabile ** si quid.'' Unfortunately there are top ma»y left. (1724.)- 46 And though in tone sonorous, bHtlie or grand. The loud Laurent iau [g] trumpet through the land Sound Pitt, and Pretyman, and Rose, and Rollc, "Witli strength of Stentor, butMezentian soulj JO The Doctor may for Fox and Portland (/) vouch. With spectacles on nose, (//) but empty pouch. (c) R. B. Sheridan, F,sq : M. P. I am sorry to say of this extraordinary/ man, that in the realms of Avit and humour he is now silent. " Vnus sceptra potitus, ciidem aliis sopitu' quiete *' est.'' "VVhy is it so ? Politics arc transitory ; wit is eternal. (/) Since. this was first written, the public has lost (his very ingenious man. He was the happiest of any occasional writer in his day : happy alike in the subject and in the execution of if. 1 mention with pleasure " Anticipation, the Wreath of " Fashion, ^c, Sfc. «!^c.'' and I wish to preserve the name and remembrance of such a man as Mr. Tickell. Poets and ingenious men, who write on occasional subjects with great ab^ity, are too often lost in the most undeserved oblivion, TJut We must recollect, that even such a poem as " The Absilom aftcf " Achitophel" of Dr^den hiinSelf (in my opinion, lus greatest' production) was but occasional^ and written /or d pdiij/.' '(g^) It Is hardly "necessary to remind the reader of the iJblitrcial' ' composition of the Rolliad and the Probationary Odes by Dr. JLauretJceand Compa-Qy. (1794) 47 Why must you seek this sad Gumjean shore ? Or why to genius give one victim more? AUTHOR. Forgive me : all conspire to waste my time. Languor, and care, and solitude, and rhyme : Now while each Sage, to fame and science known. Or leaves the tield of life, or, listless grown, Reviews his trophies with an idle pride, [k) Sick of the dunces rising at his side. 40 (/) I know not for whom the Doctor will noio vouch ; I am not called upon to Touch for the Doctor. (1796.) " Manners with fortunes, humours tui^n with climes, ** Tenets Avithboaks, and principles with times." (i7) Shakspcare says, " With spectacles on nose and pouch *' on side." I am contented simply to admire Doctor Law- rence's spectacles, but I have ventured to qualify his pouch — I wrote this in 1794 — Doctors Commons and the House of Com- mons are recommended in all the chronic cases of the def.dcns crumcna, and are found to be excellent restoratives. (1798). (k) I allude to such publications as, *' Prose on several *' occasions, accompanied by some Pieces in Verse. By George *' Colraan, (Senior)." I think, however, that it is a provi. dent wisdom in men of great abilities, like Mr, Colman, to collect and publish what they wish to deliver to posterity as tha'r o«,H. Posthumous works are rarely to be considered ia that light. E 2 4S If I ma}) write, let Proteus (/) Priestley tell, .Tic writes on all tilings, but on nothing wcllj (/) ProJeuK Priestley.— Tliere is one very material difference between tins Proteus and his namesake of antiquity. Of the latter it is recorded, Sine vi non uUa dabit pra;cepta§ ; now cur rroteu3 gives '* precept upon precept, line upon line; here a " little and there a little ;" and is continually obtruding his oradcs upon the public, icithout ani/ compulsion at all, upon every subject which can, or which cannot be known. I believe that Dr. Priestley would dispute very intcUigiWij upon the famous Germanic qucstioiJ, " Utrnm Chimajra bomhinans in *' vacuo possit coniedcre sccuudas intcntiones ?" As to Dr. Priestley's King-killing wishes and opinions take a few words : " It is to be rkqretted, that the situation of " things was mich, that tue sentence (of death on Charles *' the First) could not be passed bij the whole nation, or *' their uei'Resentatives, solonnlif assembled /or that pur-' *' pose." Priestley on Government, p. 39. Are the -words and the meaning plain? IIow must this Reverend Deputy Elect to the National Conveution of France have exulted on tlie21st of January, 1793 ! ! ! The Deputy, however, had the wisdom of the serpent in not taking his seat, though he could not assume the innocence of the duvc. The late Mr. Gibbon well understood Dr. Priestley's character and opinions, and expressed himself strongly on that subject. No man of discernment can see their direct tcndcncjf but with reprobation, and sometimes not without fear and horror! (17<)4) — Lord SheflVeld has lately publi»heal favour. I wish, however, that it had been offered to tlie lirst poet and the tirst scholar of the age. . . Mr. Gray rose and shone forth, in the fall brightness of his genius, in the reign of George the Second. He "was appointed Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge, late in life, by the Duke of Grafton the Chancel- lor ; at the. particular recommendation (as it was strongly be- lifvcd) of jMr. Stonhewer. Mr. Gray however was promoted (if the appointment can be called a promotion for such a man^ in the reign of George THE TiiiuD. (17U1.) (o) " I am thy exceeding great reward." Gotiesis, c. 15. V. 1. (p) The discernment of his Majesty George tub Third in poetical merit, is acknowledged in the patronage of Dr. Bedttie, Aulhorof The Minstrel, and of Mr. Cowpcr. Author of The Task. Mr. ^lason must have been overlooked for a K 4 particular o2 'Till wrapt in terrors of avenging night. He starts Macgreggor (q) with dilated might. QO Have you not seen neglected Penrose (rV bloom. Then sink unhonour'd in a villa2.'e tomb ? Content a curate's humble path he trod. Now, with the poor in spirit, rests v/ith GOD. particolaj reasrm. I shrewdly suspect that Mr. Stonhewcr (the common friead of Mr. Gray and Mr. Mason) could account for it. (1794). (7) See the Heroic Kpistlc to Sir William Chambers, and the Heroic Postcript to the Public, by Malcolm Macgrcgor, Ksq. A friend of mine lias assured mc that I am wrong In this conjecture : and I must own tiiat the Epistle to Shebbeare, and the Dean anc] the Squire, attributed to the same author, have somewhat diminished, but not destroyed, my confidence in it's probability («). The abilities of great men are generally rersatile. As I have Written the lines, they shall continue to stand as a tribute of gratitude io a man, from whose acknowledged foetry I have received much delight. The strains of Musscits. and the Druid minslrells have still their charms ; and he must have cold feelings -who cannot be moved by the sim- plicity of Klfrida. The FiUglish Garden, though with a few faults, deserves the thanks of every admirer of otir national taste. (1791). See the Fourth Dialogue of the P. of L. in which Mr. Mason is again mentioned. (1798) {a) The papers of the late Lord Orford CHorace Walpole) may poL>':ibly throw some llgiit on this subject. (March 1798). 53 To worth untitled vrould your fancy turn? 65 TiieMiise all friendless wept o'er Mickle's {s) urn: ^lickle, who hade the strong poetic tide Roll o'er Britannia's shores in Lusitanian pride- AUTHOR. Then I must suit the temper of these times. Degraded now to mere historic rhymes; 70 And last be hail'd in some sagacious page. The finest, briglitcst poetof the age; And that with grave solemnity so sad, Faitli, tis enough to make poor Hayley [t) mad. (;•) " The Flights of Fancy, 4to, by Thomas Penrose, Cu- rate of Newbury^ Berks." The names of the poems alluded t» are these, The Helmets, The Carousal of Odin, and Madness. lie published these himself, and no more ; and I speak of thor.}'Ho.(a) bred and nourished by the Flc^rentine Muses in thiir sacred solitary cavorus, amid the paler shrines of Gothic fiuperstition, aud in all the dreariness of inchautment ; a poetesi whom Ariosio would with rapture hare acknowledged, as th« '■' La nudrita Danigclla Trirulzia al sacko speco.*" (17:96.) («) Mrs. AxNt Uadclifie. * 0. !'. c. IG. With fiibled knights, and talcs of slighted love. Such as our Spanish Cato {a) might approve ? 1 would say a word on Romances or Ncvels. No man of genius or of judgment ever despised or neglected the great nia-s- tcrs in this useful and alluring species of writing, beginning with the Odyssey of Ilomor. No works can be read with more delight and advantage, when they are selected witli discrimina- tion ; they animate and improve the mind. Every person should be well acquainted with the whole of Cervantes, of Ls Sage's unequalled and unrivalled Gil Bias, and of Tom Jonis, (that great comic Epic poem) by Fielding. These perhaps are all which it is necessary/ to read; and they aftbrd illustration to every event of life. From these, with great caution, we must pa*s to later wri- ters. SmoUt't had much penetration, though he is frequently too vulgar to please; but his knowledge of men and manners is unquestionable. Of Sterne and Rousseau it is difficult to speak without being misunderstood ; yet it is impossible to de- ny the praise of wit and originality (*) to Yorick, or of capti- vating eloquence to the philosopher of vanity. Their imitators are below notice. I never read the Elolsa without the pathetic exclamation of Dante : Per (*) I cannot think that the ingenious, amusing, and acute observatious of Dr. Feuriau, in which he has traced some of Steroe's hints and remarks to Rabelais, Burton, and other wri- ters, detract froro the absolute originality of his genius. They point out the train of his wild and excentric reading ; but hi? manner and his wit are still, and v,ill ever coniinue to bp, exclusireiy his own. ^1800) 5S In Travels for the heart, [b] and not the head, From post to pilhir, and from board to bed. Per piu fiate gli occhi ci sospinse Quclla Ic'ttura^ ct scolorocci il riso ; Ma solo un puufofti, quel die ci vt'nse. Quandu Icggenuno. corainciai, ^A/, lasso ! Quanti doldpenr.ier^ quanta desh Mcno costoro al dolor oso passo ! (f)} The tloisa is a very dangerous book, in it's commencement, and I would particularly warn yonnj^ persons to avoid it. The book is now indeed bc} ond the reach of any controll ; but as tlie characler of the author is now fully undcr!»toodj it's power of doing harm is considerably diminished. But to extract good out of evil, I must observe, it is but justice to the author of it, to acknowledge, that, (as the book is so much read and can- not be suppressed,) the result from the perusal of the Avholc taken togsther is this, namely; that perpetual uneasiness, disqui- etude, and often irreversible misery are the certain cousequcn- cesof vice, or of fatal misconduct, in any woman however gif- ted, or as it appears, however reclaiujed. It is dilFicult, I think, it is impossible, to deny or disprove this ; but 1 still wish the novel had never been written. I,et us then turn to Clarissa, the work of a man of virtue and geniiis. which i; too celebrated for any additional praise. Mrs./J*" Charlotte Smith has great poetical powers, and a pathos which commands attention. Much knowledge of life and ingenuity areseen in Miss 13urney 's, now Mrs.D'Arblay's. Novels ; but her propensity to high colouring and broad farce have lessened their effect* It is a fatal error in this species of writing to OTcrstep the boundaries of nature and of real life. I cannot descend among all the modern farrago of novels, which are too often (6) Dante Inf. c. 5. 09 Through chmes of various wop the pilgrim Tcad, Till Charlotte droops, and master misses biped. 100 offcu " receipts to make w— s," Yet T could solt'Cta few. whirh have merit, with great pleasure, if it were not foreign to my purpose to enlarge on this topic. I cannot howerer refrain from giving a ju«;t and sensible ob- servation from the latest writer on this subject, in his view of Romance^ ; an Essay composed rather hastily, and perhaps inaccurately, but with all the power of pleasing and happj facility of writing so conspicuous throughout his works. Dr. jNIoore thus expresses himself: " Modern romances and novels " arc, or ought to be, a representation of life and manners in *' the country, where the scene is placed. Had works of *' this nature existed in the floiiri^hing ages of the Greek and *' Roman Republics, and had i-ome of the best of thera been *' preserved, how infinitely would they be relished at present! *' as they would give a much more satisfactory picture of private ** and domestic life than is found in history, which dwells *• chiefly on war and affairs of state." (1798) (a) The late venerable Earl Camden (once Lord High Chan- <;ellor of England, a character of digtiity, ability, learning and indcpcndencej) is said to have learned Spanish very late in life, to read the romances in that language; having exhausted those written in English, French, and Italian. Ail the world knows that Cato learned Greek at sixty years of age, to read the romances in that tongue. {b) All such works as abound in what is called ia modern jargon, the sublime instinct of seniinaenf. * Prefixed to Dr. Mcore's editionofSmollefa works in 1737. page 92. 60 0CTA\'1US. Tf these disgust, to serious cares attend. And make serene Philosophy your friend. Pen some choice Fragment [c] in the genuine taste. Each pow'r combin'd of wit and learning waste^ (f) Alluding to the swarm of frec-thiulcing and dcinocratical pamphlets with which the public have been pestered. It is hoped that the interference of the legislature, and the consti- tutional exertions of private societies have either lessened their numberj or deprived them of their malignant intentions. The time for discrimination sccnis to he come. Toleration is fully granted to all opinions, subject to the controul of the legislature after their publication, in the open courts of law by the verdict of a jury, in which true Ubcrtif consists. Good order and jast au;hority must be maintained with vigour and decision. But HE is chiefly to be consulted, who, if I may be allowed to use the language a little meiaplioricaliy, " hath stood *' between the dead and the living, and stayed the plague," EoMUNn Bl'rke ! greater and brighter in the decline, than in the noon-day of his life and vigour. It would be almost an injury to name the works whereof all Europe rings ; but to his coun- trymen they speak with a force not to be resisted. OMNES Admonet, et magna testatur voce per umbras, DiSClTE JCSTtrtAM MONITI, EX NOS TEMNER.E J)lVOs! (179-1.) On a second consideration however I think it right to name tlicse works of Mr. Burko. 1 . K.ellcctioas ou the Revolutioa 61 Smart and concise, with deepest meaning fraught. Neat be the types, and the vignettes high wrought; la France and on the proceedings in certain societies in Londoa relative to that event, (1790.) 2. A Letter to a Member of the National Assembly. (1791). 3. An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs in consequence of some discussions in Parliament relative to the Reflections on the French Revolution. (1791). 4. A Letter on the Attack made on him in the H. of L. by the D. of Bedford, and the E. of Lauderdale (1796). 5.TwoLcttcrs on the proposals for Peace with the Regicide Directory of France(1796). 6. (Posthumous in 1797,) Letters on the conduct of our domestic Parties with regard to French Politics, includ- ing Observations on the Conduct of the Minority in the Session of 1793. 7. Memorials on French affairs, 1791, 92, and 93.— N. B. The remainder of Mr. Burke's posthumous writings may be expected from the exemplary zeal and honourable attention of his executors, Dr. Laurence and Dr. King. " Sunt adhuc ^' curae hominibus fides et oiTiciura ; sunt qui defunctorum ^' quoque amicos agant.''* (1797.) Whoever warns ihs living against a mortal distemper, or shews the causes of it, and the mode of prevention, and the final remedy, may be said to stand, as a guardian angel, between the dead and the living. In this sense, Edmund Burke stayed the plague, by his masterly, vigorous, and formidable exposure, to the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, of the modern French principles and national desolation, in all the fullness of their deformity, and in the terrors of their operation. Th^ spear of Ithuricl discovered and displayed Satan in his propet shape. * Plia» Ep. F 62 With frontispiece to catch the gaxer's eye, •'■ ■ Treason, the pile, the basis, blasphemy ; (cc) Free from dull order, decency, and rule. With dogmas fresh from the Sans Soiici-school ; 110 With definitions vague and terms mysterious. Seeming humilit}', but tone imperious. Mankind's meek friend, and Nature's gentle sage,. The priest of Reason in her chosen age j {d) (cc) The basis, hlasphemy. — This is the progress of modern Eepublicacisni. TJie dissolution or rejection of all religious principle prepares the mind for breaking every bond of esta- blished government, however just or reasonable, to introduce into practice some new theory of general good ; so rery general indeed, as to have nothing to doTvith the good of (he individual. For the nature of this gevkral coon consult the National As- sembly and Convention of France: *' Agri, edificia, loca. pos- '•' sejj^iones, (cQLLUM ET MARE pra».terraiserunt, cajtera complexi "sunt) publice data, assigxata, cen(///a /."+ Mirabeau began with these memorable ■words: " Sivous TQulez jine Revolu- *' TioXj il faut CDfnmenccr par dccatholiciserJaFrance.*^ {^17S4.) ' (ff) One of the most extraordinary trcatist.vof this kind, iS a TTork in French, intltlod, "'The Ri;ins ; or a Meditation dn ** the Revolufion of F.njpirts ;- by-Mfe. VoL^fr.Y, Deputy to '^ the National- Assembly in 1789."" -It4s ■Written 'with some "■■• - ' •' - -■- '■- ■- - -spirit, '. ^ Cic, "^e T-cgTA^f arrOrat: -3.- 63 Then bending low, with equal reverence search iplrit, and not Avithout eloquence in some parts, and abounds with what is noio called Philosophy. The intent of this book is to attack every principle of religion in the heart, even the prineiples of the religion now termed, natural. Mr. "Vo'Iney M'ish^s to convinee mankind, that cren/ pretence to revelation, in every age and in every country, is equally false and equally unfounded ; and by a jargon of lan- guage, and antiquity, and mythology, and philosophy, he la- bours to confound and blend them all in uncertain tradition and astronomiad allusions. And all this is attempted to be done, that the world may be prepared for the French Revolution, and - for.the principles.on which it was effected. la this point he seems to act not without reason, as the principles of this revolution are laid in the rejection of all religion, and were so from the yery beginning of it ; though we may be surprised when we are assured, that it is " An age of deliverance for a great *' people^ and of HO VK ron. all the earth ! ! I (c) The real ignorance of this man, on the subject of true reli- gion, is as conspicuous as the puny literature which appears to support his strange doctrines and foolish opinions. Upon the subject of, what he calls, the filiation of religions, (for the French must have their new jargon of words in every subject) he says, "• We acknowledge in one word, that all the tl.colog/cal doc. : ** trines on the origin of the world, on the nature of God, on :}' the rerelatjou of his laws, and the appearance of his person, :'^' are nothing more than recitals of aytrunomicril facts, and *' figurative and ^Tth\^mzt\c-d\ dories of the play of the cunstel- " lations ! ! .'" i. e. du jcu des constellations, (b) (rt) p. 88. I refer to th^ pages of the Preach original* (6) Volney; p- 1G7. F 2 64 The storied portico, and sainted church ; I cannot but acknowledge the superstition and credulity «f mankind in many parts of the world; but what Mr. Volncy would impose upou us, for the truth, exceeds the bounds of any credulity ever yet required. Then he introduces the systems of idolatry, the worship of the stars, the two principles or dualism, (a little more French jargon,) the monde anime and the monde machine, Moses, Zoroaster, Confucius, and Brama ; and last comes Christianity. The chapter on this subject is the strangest of all, for he declares, that cnuisTiA>fiTY cojuisis in the alle- gorical xaorship of the Sun under the cahalislicnl names of Chris- en, orVcs-usorJcsusI!! ^' C'hristianisme ou ciiltc allcgo- *^ riqucdu Solcil^ sous lesnoms cabalistiques de Chris-en ou Yes- *< us ou Jesus ! f .''' And this is a formidable opponent ! thi«' is one of tke guides to whom wc arc to gire up omt prejudices ! Read any oue of the four Evangelists, and then give your owa answer. ' The impudence of Mr. Volney is at least equal to any other power he possesses, for he requires of his reader only the surren- der of his common ^ense, and common understanding, and the common principles of any knowledge. Yet he demands the- admission of all.his allegories and mystical meanings, (of which,- in the true French stile, no doubt is to be entertained,) and then the world is to be emancipated and delivered. From what ?— From credulity and superstition. Q. E. D, Upon thi«^ Mr. Volney observes, " tlic priosts murmuf." I think the laity will at least do as much, at the words of this apostle of nonsense, blasphemy, folly, a,nd— the rights of mankind, which the French never fail to introduce, when they have laid them all prostrate, civil, moral, and mental. This is but a specimea of such writers, to whom we are to bow as the deliverers of 6J 1 ill, wheedling round with metaphysic art, Tnaiikind frum superstition, and the directors of our minds in fhe ways of truth. '• Professing thcmselTes wise they are be. come fools !" The best men are i»(levd convinced, that the ways and works of Providence are inscrutable, and that the nature of God is incomprehensible; and they lament their own insufficiency. Yet they feci themselves bound by the laws of reasoning, and of the speciiic evidence in every great question dirine and hu- Tnan. They are best projjared to acknowledge the depth and height of eternal wisdom and mercy, and the difficulties of at- taining to thij knowledge. They assent to the words of a man of no vulgar erudition * or mediocrity of talents, when he declares, " Quantis suspiriis et gemitlbug {iatjUtquaniiiiacunqug " ex parte possit intelligi Deus I" I cannot withhold the following *c;ferct/ observations, which arc rational, important, eloquent, and argumentative. " It is a very wonderful thing, that a being such as man, placed on a tittle globe of earth, in a little corner of the universe, cut off from all communication with the other systems which are dispersed through the immensity of space ; imprisoned as it were ©n the spot where he happens to be born ; almost utterly igno- rant of the variety of spiritual existences, and circumscribed in his knowledge of material things, by their remoteness, mag. aitude, or minuteness ; a stranger to the nature of the very pebbles on which he treads; unacquainted, or but very obscurely informed by his natural faculties of his condition after death; it is very wonderful, that a being such as this, should" reluc- tantly receive, or fastidiously reject, the insirucizon 0/ the Eternal God! Or, if this is saying too much, that he should hastily, Qegligeatly, or triumphantly concl^ude, that the Sopremc F 3 -• B^fng * Aagustinus. 66 You steal Religion fiOm the unguarded heart. Being neter had roudesccnded to instruct the race of man. It might properly have boon expected, that a rational being, so circiimstancedj would have sedulously enquired into a subject of such vast importance ; that he would not have suffered him-^ self to have been diverted from the investigation by tiie pursuits of wealth, or honour, or any temporal concern; much less by notions taken up without attention, arguments admitted without examination, or prejudices imbibed in early youth, from the profane ridicule, or impious jestings of sensual and immoral men. — Some diflicultics will undoubtedly remain, and it would be a miracle, greater than any wc are instructed to believe, if there remaiued none. If a being with but five scanty inh'ts of knowledge, separated but yesterday from his mother earth, and to-day sinking again into her bosom, could fathom the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of Him, Khich is, and v>hkh i:a.'^j andniiich is to comcj The Lord God ALMiGHTYl.*'(a) Before I close (las note, I cannot help reminding, not informing, cverj/ reader, that even Tacitus, (the favourite author of many free thinkers, though I know not why) has boriijB testimony to the existence and U>t sufferings of Jescs Christ, under the procurator Pontius Pilate, in the reign of Tiberius. *' Auctor nominis ejus CiiRJSXfs, qui Tibcrio impcritante, per procuratorem Pontiuro Pilatum, supplicioalTectuserat*." Yet we are assured, with an effrontery Avifhoiit a parallel, that CniiisT, or Chris-en, is only a c(/ha//sfical namo oi the Sun- Soj we might say with equal ingenuity, is the name of Caesar, of Socrates, (ff) Preface (p. and 13) to the Theological Tracts, in six volumes octavo, collected by Richard Watsoti, D, D. bishop of LaiidalT. * Anna1. I,. 15. sett. 44. G7 And in the see-saw undulating play, The moral chorus dies in words away. 120 Thence careless saunt'ring in Vacuna's vale. Tune to your listless lyre some Crazy Tale ; (/) Dash for applause, nor seek a poet's name. Content with scribbling and ambiguous fame; Prom laws of metre free, (which idly serve To curb strong genius and it's swelling nerve\ In verse half veil'd raise titillating lust. Like girls that deck with flowers Priapus* bust, {g) Socrates, or of Pla«iK/oas diligence, even in these days, ip get a/ one's a-rcars. ^ee Mr, Pitt and the Lords of the Treasury, if you can get a sight of them : I never could. (1794). (zo) The Hon. Horace Walpole, now Lord Orford, the owner of the Gothic mansion at Strawberry Hill near Twickenham. (i796). 76 Gr on imperial foolscap with vignettes Engrave, like Staunton, my Chinese Gazettes ? (c) AH books of all kinds are now advertised to be printed on a xire-zcove paper ^nd hot pressed^ with cutSf down to the Philosophical Transactions, (the uniformity of which work ii destroyed by this folly unworthy of such a Society,) and Major Kennel's learned Memoir on Hindostan ; as if the intention were, 'that they should be looked at, and not read. As to the fury for prints and engravings 1 would observe, that the folly and rapacity for gain in some booksellers, have degraded many works of established fame, and subjected some learned editors to unmerited ridicule. I feel for the injury and injustice which a gentleman, I mean Mr. Chrisiiao, Professor of the Laws of England at Cam- bridge, and Editor ©f Blackstonc's Commentaries with valuable notes and illustrations, and who has well deserved from his profes* sion, suffered on this occasion. It was a trancaaion shame- ful and unjustifiable. A« to the wiTC-wcavcrs or drawers of paper and hot-pressers, I must say to the public, in the indignant words of Apuleiu% Quousquc frastra pascctis ignigenos istos ? (a) Surdy this foolery must toon cease. I wish every author who prints and publishes his own works on a xcire-xjsove paper, «f/atc(/ and hot pressed, would imitate the honesty of the late Sir William Chambers, Knight of the Polar Star, who says, in a letter to Voltaire, which accompanies his wonderful book on Oriental Gardening ; *' It contains (says *' the Knight) besides a great deal of nonsense^ two verifprelfy jprints by Bartolozzi." Europ, Mag. for Sept. 1793,— While this (a) Apuleji Metamorph. L. 7. pag. (57. Ed. Bipom. 17S8. 17 Or. must I, as a \vit with learned air. Like Doctor Dewlap, (vy) to Tom Payne's (z) repair. Meet Cyrill Jackson [a) and mild Cracherode, (Jb) 'Mid literary gods myself a god? note was printing. I was informed that Coke upon Lyttletoa with Ilargrave's Notes, is advertizing to be published on a vcire xvove paper and hot pressed. This folly, by such a proceed- ing, must surely sign it's own death-warrant. I wish, however, that sonae of our Statutes at Large could be a little wire-drawn and hot pressed by a Committee of Parliamentary Printers and Compositors. (1794.) (jj) Put for any portly Ditine, '' ne pour la digestion," as La Bruyere would say. The reader will supply one to his fancy. But he must not imagine, that 1 mean mere London Divines, frequenters of routs, plays, operas, Bond-street, and Kensington Gardens, or chatterers in booksellers shops, as the representatives of the British Clergy, who, as a class of men, are in general distinguished for literature and philosophy, and for manners correspondent to their profession. (1794). (;) Not Turn Paine the Democrat, whom we all execrate, and who is now, with or without a head in France, I hope in the late fashion of that country (in 179 1) ;— but one of the best arid honestest men living, the very respectable Mr. Thomas Payne Senior, to whom, as a bookseller, learning is under considerable obligations. I mention this Trypbo Emeritus w ith great satisfaction. {a) The present Dean of Christ-Church, Oxford, exemplary for his diligence and learning '' in otu University," as tht Dean loves to tal k . ( 1 7'J 4 ) G 78 There make folks wonder at th' extent of genius In the Greek Aldus, or the Dtitch Frobenius, And then, to edify their learned souls, Q,uote/7/^«^aj<72/ sayings froniTheShippeofFoles. 170 Hold ! cries Tom Payne, that margin let me measure. And rate the separate value of each treasure. Eager they gaze: " Well Sirs, the feat is done 3 " Cracherode's Poetae Principes [cc) have won:'* In silent exultation down he sits. With well be-Chaucer'd Winkyn-Wordian wits. Or shall I thence by mock-appointment stop. And joke with Bryant at his Elmsly's shop? (6) The Reverend Clayton Cracherode, M. A. Student of Christ Church Oxford, and one of the Trustees of ihc British Aluscum A rich, leurned, and most amiable man (to use the words of the son of Sirach) " furnished with ability, living " peaceably in his habitation." His library is allowed to be the choicest in old Greek and Latin authors, of any private collection in this country. (1794.) (cc) The famous edition, by H. Stephens, of the principal Greek poets called '•' Poetae Graeci Principes." All literary men, from the little Reverend Bibliopolish Dr. Gosset, well known at sales, to the humblest collector, understand this farce of mar^m-measuring, aad the profit of it. See also P. of L. Dialogue 4. 79 And hear it whisper'd, while rm wondrous pliant, 'Twas Doctor Dewlap spoke to Mister Bry ANT.(rf) OCTAVIUS. How just was he, who in this sapient age. When learning's varied cares the mind engage^ 5tood up self-taught, and in mankind's defence Pray'd for Professors of plain common sense ! But say, what think you of the tragic Stage ? {dd) (d) When I name Mr. Bryant, it is a sufficient eulogy. The reader however is referred to the Second Dialogue of this Poem on the P. of L. (dd) As to the modern Comedies of the day by Mr. Rey- nolds, and the ra/«V/ School, they are below criticism. Farce and O'Keefe have seized upon the stage. " The players and I *' are, luckily, no friends." (1797.^ I wish our present writers would consider with attention the emphatic words of the Duke of Buckingham in his Essay on Poetry. *' But to write Plaj/s! — why, 'tis a bold pretence "To judgment, breeding, wit, and eloquence; " Nay more; for they must look within, to find *'• Those secret turns of nature in the mind: &c. Sec, &c." The author of The Ileircfts femerabered this. It is the pro- duction of a man of fashion, delicacy, wit, and judgment. G 2 AUTHOR. No: you'll excuse me there, 1 kno^v this a^e. What ? from the French (e) Aristotehan school. Must I plan Tragedies by line and rule? To the high Gods address my first appeal. Then bid the press my hidden worth reveal ; While round my temples many a tendril plays Of owlish ivy with the Mapvian bays: And close in mournful pomp the tragic rear, Tlvough Jephson (cc) scarce can gain the public ear? (e) There are some deep critics who read Aristotle in French, and cite him in Greek. — I know not what to say noiD ; the French have proscribed Corneille, Racine, &c. ( 1794.) {cc) Mr. Jephson, the Author of Braganza, The Count of Narbonne, &c. My wish is, Gr?inde munus Cecropio repetat cothurno. + But no more dull " Roman Portraits" in 4to. + Ilor. Lib. 2. Od. 1. t. H. 81 OCTAVIUS. Still there are works which lead to sure renown, In the lay habit, or the sacred gown ; Will stamp your credit at an easy price, Learn'd and ingenious, {d) or a Viv Clariss : Take Markham's Armorie, (e) John Taylor's Scul- ler, 69 Or Sir Giles Goosecap, [g) or proverbial Fuller, 200 (c?) Any person who communicates even a single notCy how- eyer silly or whimsical, to the modern editors of Shakspeare, is stiled the learned and ingenious Mr. two stars** : the title of Vir Clarissimus is appropriated to the Commentators on the Greek and Roman Classics, and often with the same propriety. (e) The names of some few books of that vast system of CoglioneriCj or " Gorgeous Gallery of Gallant Inventions," which is called forth to illustrate our old dramatic writers. It is high time that the reader of sense should see what may be called in the old language, *' the untrussing of these ** HUMOUROUS CRITICS," namely, the Commentators on Shaks- - peare, from George Stcevens, Esq. downwards. " Ces propos, diras tu, sent bons dans la Satire, ** Pour cgaycr d' abord un lecteur quireut rire; *' Mais il faut les prouver. En forme. J'y cooseus. G S *' Repons 89 With Upton, Fahell, Dodypoll the nice. Of Gibbe our cat, {h) white Devils, or [hh) Old Mce , *' Rcpons mois done, Docteur, et mets toisur les bancs. '' Qu'est ce qu'un (Commextateur?)" + What is a Shakspcarcan Commentator ? a specimen of th« notes will best explain his name, dignity, and import : I shall therefore begin. The extracts will be as plenty (and as raluable) as blackberries ; though I do not give my reasons upon compulsion ; for Sir John FalstafF's advice is good. The first chapter of Markham'a Booke of Armorieis intitled, *' The dUTerence 'twixt Churles and Gentlemen;" and it ends thus: " From the offspring of Gentlemanlj/ Japhet came *' Abraham, Moses, Aaron and the Prophets, Sfc. Sjc; also '* the King of the right line of Mary, of whom that only '' absolute Gentlonan Jesus was born, gentleman by his mo- *' ther Mary, Princesse of coat armour, «Sfc."— Reader, Mr. Steevens and Dr Farmer will (ell you that " all this is *' so:" and you will find it cited too, Hen. V. vol. ix. p. 441, edit. 1793 J though you may begin with a sta.ring doubt. (/) John Taylor thus dedicates his " Sculler:" " To the '' whole Kennel of Antichrist's Hounds, Priests, Friars, " Monks, and Jesuits, Mastiffs, Mongrels, Islands, and " Bloodhounds, Bob-tail'd Tykes, &c. &c. &c." (s) Old plays intitled, " Sir Giles Goosecap, Banks's Bay ** Horse in a Trance, Pierce Pcnnyless's Supplication to the " Deril, Webster's White Devil, The Merry Devil of Edmon. <' tOH, &c. &c. &c. ;" in short, toutela diablerie dramatique. + Bolleau Sat. 8. 83 Then lead your readers many a precious dance. (h) Of Gibbc our Cat. — FalstafFsays, " I am as melancholy *' as a GiBBE Cat." IT. IV. p. 1. a. 1. sc. 2. On this the Commentators are right pleasant. Dr. Johnson begins, " A Gibbe cat means, I knozc not zchj/y *' an old cat." Dr. Percy informs us next, that a Gib-cat in Northamptonshire, means a He-cat. which in some parts of England is called a ya/n-cat, and in Shropshirt-, a tup-ca.t. Then follow other M'i-e critics, and last of all appears Mr. Tho- mas Warton, who brings a train of authorities on this impor- tant question, shewing hoxo Gib is short for Gilbert, and Tib for Tib?rt; hoxc Jack is appropriated to a horse, and Tom to a pigeon; hnio Chaucer, in his Romaunt de la Rose, mentions Gibbe our Cat, to which Tib was synonimous, as it is at this day; hots we read in " Gammar Gur'^on's Needle" (which is a right pleasant, Avitty, and merry comedy, written by Mr. S. Master of Arts) viz, " Hath no man stolen her ducks, or *' gelded Gibbe her cat?" Upon which Mr. Warton very gravely observes, " the composure of a cat is almost charactcr- " istic, and Iknoxmiot^ (see Dr. Johnson's words above) whe- *' ther there is not a superior solemnity in the graviti/ of a He- Cat." Mr. Steevens says, '^ A Gib Cat is a cat qualified for *' the seraglio^ for all animals so mutilated become drozcsy or *' melancholy.''* Mr. Warton and Mr. Steevens have left it p. matter of doubt ■whether their OTcn drozcsiness ami gravity, and that of their brother -comment ators , was in consequence of «S:e. Sec. &c. (See Abul.Pharagi's great Babylonish chapter, " De Semiramide, *' Sapientibus ejtis et Kunuchis, &c.") To be sure they do sympathize with Gammar Gurton, and her poor unfortunate Gibbe-Cat. For my own part, I neither can, nor (if I cou'd) would I iecide thi* momtutous question : and will only add, without G 4 feeing 84 Capering with Banks's Bay Horse in a. Trance. The Housewife's Jewel read with care exact. Wit from old Books of Cookery (?) extract ; being in the least mclanclioly or drowsy myself, in (he words of an author who imparted a manly vigour to the Roman Muse, *' Propria quae maribus tribuiintur, mascida dicas," (^hh) Old Vice was a personage very frequent in our an- cient comedies. 1 beg leave to present ray reader with a part (and a very short part) of Mr. Upton's account of him. '• Old *' Vice was a droll character in our old plays, accoutred with ^' along coat, a cap, a pair of asses ears, and a dagger of lath. *' This bufToon character was used to mxilccftm zcith the devil^ *' and he had several trite expressions, as, " I'll be with you ** in a trice — ah hah, boy, are you there? &c." and this was " great entertainment to the audience to see their old enemy so *' belaboured in effigy. Vice seems to be an abbreviation of *' F/cc-devil ; as I'icc-roy, /Vtr-dogc, &c. and tiieuefore ^'called, very properly, The Vice. He makes very free with "• his master, like most other Vice-roys or Prime-ministers, so '•'• that he is the devil's rice or Prime-minister. And (adds " Mr. Upton) this it is which makes him so saucy." Extract from Mr. Upton's note on Rich. III. act iii. so. 1. I make no doubt but the reader will observe the beau tifal compliment to monarchy and aristocracy most logical/jfdedwccd. This personage has been much patronized of late in FrauQe, where every species of A'^icr., old or new, is exercised and used ** without any abbreviation," to speak with Mr. Upton. («■) Books of Cookery. — I am afraid that these extracts will prove what Decker, in his GuPs Hornbook, calls, " TTie sinful *' Suburbs of Cookery.'^ Mr. Collins, (in his PoTAXOE-note, at the end o.f Troilus and Cressida) extracts without a blush, from 85 Tlioughts to stew'd prunes and kissing comfits suit, Or the potatoe, [k] vigour-stirring root : from the Good Housewife's Jowel, a receipt with all the in- gredients AT FULL Lr.NGTii, " To malcc a tart that /a a cot:- *' RAGE to a man ur z^ornan.^' And tliis is but a speciincu. Non raoreprobo; cum carmina lumbiim Intrant J et tremnio scalpuntur ubi intima versu.f (At) The commentators on Shakspcare are peculiarly, and even zealously, studious in minutely explaining and declaring all the various modes and receipts, whicii the age of the Virgin Queen allorded, or recomnienik-d for the service of the Queen at Love and soft desire. Whole pages are absolutely _y?//r£/ witii venereal provocatives, with the power of kissing eorafua, itczced prunes, the virtues of potatoes, eringo root. Sec. &:c« Must these comments be stiled the " Pauca suo Gallo, quajvei Icgat ipsa Lycoris?" I sometimes doubt what book 1 have in mv hand. These fair editors *' give all they can, nor let us dream the rest." jMr. StecTCJis, in his advertisement to the edition of Shakspeare iu i778, seems to have had his scruples on (he subject of these pious prwwe.v, and virtuous bulbs; " Such (says he) as would *' be acquainted with the propriety of Falstaff's allusion to *' steucd prunes, should not be disgusted at a multitude of iu- " stances, &c. &c. &c." Some folks are very sagacious, and! cry out first ; but it will not do. After a very long note on stervcd prunes, by Mr. Stecfen?, vol. T. p. 375. edit. 1778, and vol. viii. p. 529. edit. 1793, (which see and read,) The Reverend Doctor Farmer adds, Tjery properly, " that Mr. Steevcns has to fully discussed tlic ** subject t Pers. Sat. I. t. 20. S6 And then returning from that antique waste, 209 *' subject of sfczi-cd pruner, that one can add nothing but the " price;'" (Right :—//oc dcfiiit unum Fabricio :*) and //iere- forc adds the Rev-rend Doctor, in a iiiece called Banks'* Bay Horse in a Trance, 1595, " we have a slock of wenches " set up with their sieiced prunes, nine for a tester." At other times these subjects are explained in the learned languages, for the use of scholars, as in vol. iv. p. 211, edit. 1778, and in vol. iv. p. 80, edit. 1793, by Tilr. Stecvcns. " Urticae marinae *' onines pnirittnn quendain movent, et acrimonia sua Vene- " REM sopitam ct cxti-.iotam cxcilant.^'' Johnston Hist. Nat. de Exang. Aq. p. 50. I protest I sometimes think these reverend, or irrererend, commentators arc abo:"t to change sexes, or have done so, and set up for (what Milton in his Apology for Smectymnus calls) *' Old Prelatessos with all their yoving Corinthian Laity." I wonder we have never yet had The Beauties of Mr. Steevens, of T/ie Tlerercwf/DocTOR Farmer, of Mr. Collins, (the pota- toc-critic,) &:c. kc. as a convenient manual for young or old men, who would be young. Mr. Collins has given the public four pages in 8vo. small print, on the astonishing virtues of POTATOES, (a tempest of provocation !) printed by themselves at the end of Troilus and Cressida. This useful note would have been placed with better grace at the end c*" " Lovers Labour «' Lost.'' It is indeed matter of great and offensive scandal to obtrude such refuse and filth upon this nation, afid upon all the countries in the East and West who read Shakspeare's works. It is highly injurious to make Shakspeare the vehicle of so much obscene trash, raked together from old plays, old cookery- books, and trumpery novels. But, I am told, the poet must be illustrated. * Juv. Sat. 4. Fabricius, i. c. George Stecvens, Esquire, 87 Behail'dbyParr, (/) the Guide of public taste? illustrated. In these particulars, Mr. Stccvens, Dr. Firaicr, Mr. Collins, and Mr. (I know notwhom) mightas well illustrate the latter part of the fourth book of Lucretius. The corrup. tions of our nature are the most mortifying comment; they need neither incitement, nor illustration. Whoever considers, seriously or politically, the dominion of lust and lewdness, and the wide- wasting desolation and irreversibln misery which they throw among the defenceless and much- aufferitig sex, left to destitution, and disease, and poverty, and despair, and coaterapt, and barren sorrow ; w ill be cautious how he adds even one unnecessary or heedless incitement to this over- bearing fury. A man of sense, if not of morality, in remarking on all such passages as I hare noted, and on many others, would content himself with saying, " This or that passage contains an '' indecent allusion not uncommon in the novels or plays of the *' time;" or at least would be satisfied with a single instance to shew it. Whatever is more than this, comcth from a sourc* which is not good. At present, there reallyshould be ancxpurgatoryindexto th« Jt?*/ edition (and in many respects it is the best) of Shakspcare, before it is put into the hands of ladies and the younger j)art of the readers of Shakspeare. I believe there is not one re/lcciing scholar in this learned kingdom, who will not join in this and in the following criticisms on the present subject, whether the criticisms are severe, jocular, or indignant. Carminaque Aonidum, justamque probaverat ieau!* (/) The Reverend Doctor Parr, in his dedication of" Traett " of Warburton and a Warburtonian, &c " (reprinted in 1789) B0t« * 0*id. Mctam. L. G. v. 3. 88 AUTHOR. What? — must I enter thn dramatic course ; Burst through the countless squadrons foot and horse ? nofc fi. p. 150, lias most kindly pointed out to such uiidisccrn- ing persons as myself, that '' Maioiic, lieed, Farmer and •' Tyrwhitt, have come forward as the Guides of the •■' Public Taste." To be sure lie has added, " Mr. Stecvens, ^'' the two Wartons, Biuke, and in his critical capacity, Dr. •' Johnson." But even in this latter part I must remark, a strange coalition. M'ith the names of Burke and Johnson who can place a third modern in the same rank? Of Mr. Steevens's classical erudition and ingenuity much might be said; yet all which he has acknowledged as /us oz:n writing, consists^ of notes on Shakspeare. Kvory one must regret that the History of English poetry was left unfinished by it's lamented and deeply learned author : and as to his brother Joseph's pleasant Common- place Book on Pope, it was always amusing to mc. But when the title of " Guides of the Public Taste" is given to Malonc, Reed, and Farmer, who are note-makers alone by profession, I find myself constrained to look into my English Dictionary for the meaning of the words, guide and taste. Indeed I have often wondered h"ow so deeply learned a scholar as Mr. Tyrwhitt ever suffered himself to be enrolled ■with these note-makers on Shakspeare : but the Leader of them has a tongue to flatter and wheedle. Homer explains it best j Ylaf'pctaii, M t'sxXe-j^; voov wvxa 7r=p (PfovMTuv. In this manner the fiame of Samuel Johnson was inscparubljj associated with that of George Stcevens. I have 89 All that for Massinger and Beaumont light. But leave their authors in a wretched plight j I have selected this passage from Dr. Parr's spktidit^ dedlcatioa of these Warburtoniaii 'I'racts. in which a man, in the vigour of his faculties and strength, has not tiiought it unbecoming his character to attack, like a puny whipster, the established dignity of departed excellence ; and with unbridled licence of language has endeavoured to invade the retreat and the repose of a most learned and venerable prelate,* no'w in full age and hoary holiness. I speak with feeling of such a conduct, and I speak with the feelings of a man ; for what is a mere scholar and a citer of Greek, when he forgets the inan ? I trust Dr. Parr has severely felt the unmeaijing vanity and silly cruelty of calling forth again to public notice these tracts, which their authors long wished to give up to oblirion. Leland, and the great and truly good and liberal Jortin, might have been as ably defended at another time and in another place, I cannot be repaid for such indecent conduct by the amuse- ment I receive, (to use Dr. Parr's oun word*;) " from the lucky " and lucid intervals between the paroxysms of (Dr, Parr's) " polemic phrenzy ; from all the lavighable and all the loathsome " singularities which lloat upon the surface of his (Dr. Parr's) *' diction ; nor can 1 hang with fondnessand admiration over the " crowded, yet clear and luminous, galaxies of imagery diffused *' through (Dr. Parr's) works;" p. 151, &c. &c. Butif Ishould cite any moreofsuch words, the reader would 'ake thf Doctor's Graek for English and his Knglish for Greek, an'l be apt to cry out with honest old Dovley, in the farce of " /T/jo'f the Dupe?" (which I am not, but the Doctor may know who is,) "Til be curs'(J * Dr. HvRD, Bishop of Worcester, £>0 From Capell steal, yet never own tlie theft. And then desert {m) him of his store beFeffc. Oh injur'd patron of our nol>lest bard! Capell, («) receive this tribute of regard, *' ciirs'd if this is English." Indeed I hare no more time or place to allot in (his thirst JJialogiic of my poem to Dr. Parr. — I refer to the Third Dialogue, in which the Doctor makes a more distinguished appearance. (m) There are men now in great TOguc who will feel the force of these two lines ( 1 794.) (7;) Mr. Capell, the Editor, I call him the Patron* of Shakspeare. This gentleman was of a singular turn of mind, perhaps a little too minute, but of a curiosity unbounded and insatiable. They who are acquainted with his critical writings on Shakspeare, and his accurate researches into this species of antiquity, and who have considered and estimated his ediiion of the poet, w ill not scruple with me to pronounce him, the Father of all L'hed together in folio, in they* ar 16*23, by two of his principal friends in the company of comedians, Ilemminge and Co:id.ll. A second edition was printed in 1632. It may seem strange to us, but it is true, that no other edition (a) of his works was attempted till eighty. («) I meant, and Imean now, any edition which was cw/-;cc/.vy. Shakspcare's Works were printed undoubtedly in 1661, 16S5, and 1709, but not published by any editor of eminence. When such critics, as the ]Mi;r,i or Calatrones Shakspearcani, lilor:/ in rectifying the Author of the P. of L. in such points of liigU importance ; " If wrong, I smile ; if right, I kiss the rod ; "Pains, reading, study, are /Af/r just pretence^ *' And all they want, is spirit, taste, and sense.'" For % proof, see their writiugs throughout. (1800) 92 On Avon's banks I heard ACT.EON (p) mourn. By full IBlacfe UttUt DogiS in pieces torn; fi^hty-t^vd Vi'Srs after that time, vrhcn in the year 1714 a third <»di(ion was piibli-hod by Mr. Rowe with very few, if any, <.i/rrection». Pope, Theobald, iTanmer, Warburton, Capcll, Johnson, tStecTens, and Malone, have since that time given new editions. JNIr. Steevens, in the year 17fiG, published a particular edition in four volumes in 8vo. of all the plays which were printed in 4to. ill Shakspcare's life time, or bifore the llcstoration. It is printed verbatim from the old copies, and is curious and Taiuable. Mr. Steevens asserts unequivocally, that *' noproofca.n. *' be given, that the poet sitperinteiided the publkation o J an if one " offhesif. hwif^r/f." Prof. vol. i. p. 1-4. If this be true, as I brficve, what can any editor arrogate to himself concerning the geTiuine text of (his groat poet? I am not speaking of ronjeclural criticism, and of an accurate revision of the punctuation, which is of, real consequence, but of the actual z;:ords themselves, as written by Shakspeare. The original players, Hcmminge and Coadell, were in possession cf fhe only MSS. which were extant at the very tin)c when the plays were first acted ; and it is probable that the jilay-hou^c manuscript copy was the only one TO which they could refer ; and no MSS. whatsoever oisted after that time. Shakspeare appears to have wholly neglected or despised reputation in succeeding ages. It is for this age to amuse itself with schools and galleries ; and without blame, in n>\ opinion. (p) Viderc CANES : primusque Melampus;, Faaiphagus, ct DorceuSj velox cum fralre Lyclsca, Ichnobatcsqvxe 93 Dogs that from Gothic kennels eager start, A'll v.ell broke-in by coney-catching {q) art; Iclinobatcsqne sagax, et vilHs Asbolus atris, Nebrophonosque valcns, ct trux cum Laclape Theron, Labros et Agrioclos, et acutae vocis Ilylactor, Quosquc referre mora est. Ea turba cupidine pujeojEj Qu;\ via (Hflicilis, qnaqtie est via nulla, sequuntur. Hcu famulos fugit ipse suos; clamare libcbat, AcTJEox Ego sum; DoMixa'M cognoscite vestrum : Vellet abesse qiiidem-^sci adest. Ovid. Metam. lib. 3. It is conceived that this canine metamorphosis of the Com- mentators on Shakspeare. will be received in a pleasant point of vievv without offence ; for I must speak it to the credit of our English blacB lettet dogs, that, upon the wliole, there is more harmony among them (a few cases excepted) than among the dogs that worried Greek and Roman authors in former time^. I surely may be excused for this me(aphoricalccf;2//2/.''j/, if Mr. Bryant himself has been allowed to declare, without censure, that Kuvsj signify 'O*' Ispu J : though certainly ?Ae ///erarc/fj/ are infinitely indebted to him for the discovery. Bryant's Tviythoi. Tol.i. p. 329, Sec. (q) The singularity of this terra *' Coney-catching," (which is the only reason of my introducing it) called for my attention ; as no treatises or farces, or whatever they may be, are mere appealed to by the commentators, than " Greene's Art of '' Coney-Catching; Greene's Ground-work of Coney-Catch- *' ing; Greene's Disputation between a He Coney-Catcher and " a She Coney-Catcher" &c. We have here the^r^, and the Ground.'tcorky and a Dispute upon Coney-Catching: I h^c the reader will be satisfied with my accurate references. U Yet 94 So tender to the Paphiaii notes they move. And seem as Ihci) ivere onlij born for [qq) love. Hark, Johnson [r) smacks his lash j loud somuU the din : ^lountcd in rear see Steevens Whipper-in, 230 Yet as my poor library will not afford these valuable booksj I profess mjiclf still ignorant of this ancirnt art of Coiiey- Catchiug, and tlicrcfurc am by no means fit for a commentator; yet the reader may perhaps think me lit for writing a note or two upon these " Snappers up of uxcoxsideued trifles."* I do not agree with Mt". Steevens that Coney-catching means Me art of picking pockets ; (see his note on the words "Silly Cheat," Tol. iv, p. 368, cd. 1778.) — ) Ichnobates means a do?j who tracks out the game before him. No one m as more diligent than ihis dog, yet he frequently went upon a wrong scent; but would never suffer the huntsman to call him ofl", especially in the neighbourhood of Canterbury and Bristol. If I were again to metamorphose these hounds into men, I should perhaps lament the application of Mr. Tyrwhitt's learning and sagacity. " lUnra pro literato plerique laudandum *' duxerunt, quum ille, na;niis quibusdam anilibus occiipatus, *'■ inter Milesias Punicas Apuleii sui et lucUcra litcvaria *' consenesceret'"* I will however say, as to my own part, *' Ilium pro litLrato^««f/«n(i;//7Jsem per duxij"but still sometimes with a reserve as to the application of his learning. I wish this Ichnobates had always been " utilium sagax rerum ;" for his erudition was deep, and his criticisms acute. (x) Hj/iactor means a dog with a clear and strong voice. One would think that this dog was one of Canidia's breed, which called from the sepulchre the actual remains of the dead to enchant and stupify the li\itig. This dog has been scratching upthe earthaboutDcc/o/'A' Commons^ and has torn up aMthefVills of the actors w'ho lived in Shakspeare's time, and carried them in his mouth to the printer of a late edition of that author. But when I speak of rational men, it passes the bounds of all sagacity to divine, by what species of refined absurdity the JVills and Testaments of Actors could be raked up and published to i//w*/rfl/t'Sbak6peare. (See^NIalonc's Shakspeare, vol. ii. p. 1S6. &c. &c, kc. and in the 2d vol. of the edit, of Shakspeare, in fifteen Volumes, in 1793.) A critic for such an ingenious H 3 invention * V. JuUuoa CapitoUuum in Vita Clodii Albini ad Constauliusi Augustum. 98 .-/^^o/z/.? (t) Hawkins, a grim shaggy hound, Q39 In music growls, and beats the bushes round ; (a) Then Porson view Kebrophonos [b] the shrewd, (c) Yet foaming with th' Archdeacon's (c?^ critic blood ; invention should be presented with the alium Sagana; calicn- drum, which would not easily fall from his head. But Mr. Malone has redeemed this piece of folly by many valuable literary excellencies. (s) Aibolus signifies a dog of a swarthy complexion. (r/) Beats the bushes round. — Descriptive of Sir John • IIa\\kins's History of JMusic ; in which however there is much orig nal and valuable information, as in all his other works, so unjustly censured in my opinion. Sir John's principal fault was J/orcyA/y;? from his subject ; but if you excuse that, you are well repaid by the information you receive. (b) ]Sicbrophonof> signifies a dog that slays the fawns and the doer, and so in truth it is ; Arcl:deacons, ra(s, and such small deer. Have been Dick's food for many a year. And, as Lear says, " I'll take a Mord with this same lharnf.d " TnF.BAN I" my learned iVov/cr Richard Forson : but he loves no tillcs I It would be better if he did. ( 1794.) (c) Mr. Malone says, the word shrezcd means " acute, or *' intelligent ;" Mr. Stecrens says, it is " bitter or severe." Shaks. ed 1793, vol. vi. p. 430. Reader, you may chuse, or rather combine the terms. (f/) The reader may be surprised to find any theological writings in tliis part; but Mr. Steevcns's ingenuity has contrived to prCisMr. Professor Porsons'sletterstoMr. Archdeacon Travis into 99 ' See Dorccus (dd) Whiter o'er the leapned soil, Bri;sk, though at fiuilt, with nc-.v associates toil ; inlo t\\c service of Siial>^. Who could wish to disturb such repose? (1794) fg') A^rlo^os signifies a dog with a sharp tooth.— I always regret the loss ■ f Thomas Wakton ; in his various writings be i^ auiusirtg, instructive, pleasant, learned, and poetical. I never received information so agreeably from any modern Tpriter. His edition of M Iton's Smaller Poems, (an exquisite specimen of classiral cpppientary, and -^orthy of his former — obBcrvations '101 Hot wrvs the cliacc ; I left It out of breath ; I wish'd not to he in at ShaKSPEARE's death. 250 obscrvfttions on Spenser) leaves it a matter of unceasing regret, that he ne^ er published the Paradise Lost and iicgained. The •vvant of the last voluine of the History of English Poetry, must for ever be lamented. I despair of any artist able to finish such a Mork, "with gg f^w imperfegtipas, and wjth such variuu£ erudition. Tom Warton had rather a kindly affection for the jovial memory of Archdeacon Walter de ]\;apes of the llth century, menlioned for his drinking ode in a former npte. Mr. AV. tells U5, (wi'b a warm panegyric.) in his 2d Pissgrt. to the Hist> of English Poetry that this dir.ne Anacreon -vrrotc also a Latin ode in favour of married priests, concluding with the§e spirited lines : Eccepro ClcricismnVwm allogavi : Necnon proPresbyteris multum coraprobavi; Pater noster pry me, quoniam peccavi, Dicat qr.isque Presb) ter cum sua Suavt ! I quote this for mj/otcw sake, quoniam peccavi.and am inclined to hope that every '• Presbyter cum sua Suavi," will be as kind to the author of this poem on the Plrsuits of Literature. Itequiescat ! (//) Lcfc7'o,9 signifies a dog that opens continually. — But I forget; " Si quis dixerit Episcopum aliqua infirmi(ate laborare, " anathema esto."* (1794.) Thus I take my leave of the -whole Iriac64cttcr ken- nel, with all their wit, and all their follies, and all thoir merry humours; and they may both now and hereafter, unawed by their great //wH/,e:>t is, it makes us laugh sometimes. I no On bold aspiring pinion could presume To journey through the vast etliereal gloom ; Who tir'd of earth, and dreams of gowned rest. Sunk in the elysium of his Cynthia's breast ! But ah ! for iis those wizard wonders cease ; In war, death, pestilence, or dang'rous peace, 210 Condemn'd to groan in this disorder'd hour, Victors and victims of th' unhallow'd pow'r. That bids the western world or rouse or weep, O'erwhelni'd beneath the formidable deep. OCTAVIUS. Of France faaj enougli : go bend before that tomb. Where other palms and other laurels bloom. {aa) 1 can mention no lines so expressive of the state of France, (1796) as the following adapted from Buileau. " Dechirans a I'envi leur propre Reputlique, *' Lions contre Lions, parens contra parens, *' Combattent follenient pour le choix des tyrans'.*'* To some persons the followirg sublime p'cture, as drawn by the * Boileau, Sat. 8. t. 132. Ill Where Maro sleeps ; or in the Sabine shade. Or in severe Aquinum's inmost glade. Fast by Voltcrra's dark Etrurian grove. With Boileau's (b) art, and Dryden*s rapture rove. Be v^^ise betimes, and in resistless prose 221 Leave Burke ALONE to thunder on our foes : Let the master baud of that m'ghty poet Lycophron, -vrill have it's forcej under the same allnsioa. STgo^taw Tov oijuaTijjov i^x^yriiv vojjlov, KuTcu "ziip^iy.x') y, ia-rc Xnl'a yvat, Aoyx^cu; ccTtoc-rCXvo/Tz:, Ojjuaiyjj ^i juot Ey ixn m^yti;)) ff axjiw ivdctTiXsTat, To'j) yvjaiKw, KXi y.arscffxyix.i( TTsrXwc, AAA»5v i'sr' «AX*) ovjjl^o^xv hh.y{j>,'.vuv. •{' (b) Boilcau is the most perfect of all modern •writers la true taste and judgment: his sagacity is unerring; he combines every ancient excellence, and appears original even in the adoption of acknowledged thoughts and alluisons. He is the just and adequate representative of Hcrace, Juvenal, and Persiiis united, without one indecent blemish; and for my own part f Lycophron. Cassandra, v. 249. I 2 11-2 l.f t AVakcfield (c) rant, and pallid Thelwall liawJ, Lords oi" misrule, in anarchy's w ild hall ; Sufli pro])liets as ere long 1 lorne Toukc may save, .'Vnd hide and feed h\) fifths (d) in a cave. parti havcahvays considered lilm as Ihe most ftnislicd gentleman that ever Mrote. I have spoken more at large of this poet in the Introductory Letter to the P. of L. (t) "Wakcliold. AVhcncver I thir.k of the name o( Gilbert Wakefield^ and look at the list of his works, (fori would not undertake to read them all,) I feel alternate sorrow and indignation. His learning and sagacity are indeed sufficient io entitle him to some patronage, and to the removal of eVerj want. But his spirit is so restless, his temper is so overbearing and tyrannical, (I speak from the consideration of his icorks alone,) liis contempt for others in so great, and his personal vanity so cons^^icuous, that even Literature begins to be weary of him. But when I turn toliis religions and political opinions, I find all the virulence and asjierity of the reformer; all the insolence and even impudence of the asscrters of equality : a want of decent, or even of common, respect todignified characters: and a mind (naturally designedfor bettor exertions, and culiivatedin ihe groves of an university) hostile and implacable to every establishment, and with a strong tendency even to * sanguinary persecution. * See (if it is worth while) Gilbert NVakeliclds pamphlet entitled " Remarks on the General Orders given by the Duke of '' York to his army, July 7, 1794, respecting the decree of the '^ Frencli ConvKntion, to give no quarter to (he British and ^' llanovcrjp.ns, 113 ^'oii read perchance a minister iii books, (f) And know an honest statesman l)v his looks; Think in debates the spirit may be seen, In Thurlow, just, in Wedderbnrne, serene; 30 pcrspcutloii. I spcalc of hin as a public man ; T have n'o contempt of his attainments. But 1 will never suffer him, nor any other man, who fbtrutlL-s himself and his political princi- ples and measures upon the public, io pass me without notice ; or as the poet strongly expresses it, Glomerare sub antro Fumiferain noctem, commixtis ignc tcncbris, (a) i^i (bout the reprehension he deserves. (1796.) (d) By fifties. " Obadiah took ^/;cj)ro/j/fe^5, and him them 1)y "A*('y '" '^^ t.rjc, and fed tlie.n ic/lh bread and ivafer.''^ Kings, B. l.ch. IS. V. 4. In the provisions of that most important, and JL Avish " Hanoverians, 1791." I only mention this, or any of ^Ir. Wake- field's political writings for their spirit and tendency., as tlie compositionsareworth iittie notice. Ishall not at present wander through his " Silva C'ritica," " Ubi passim palantes Error rectO' *•' detramite pcUit.'' (b) His ravages on Virgil and Horace, in his late editions of thoai, are often as shocking to taste as to truth. Centley's hook (I beg pardon for coupling the names) Avas nothing to the levciliiig axe of Gilbert Waketie!d. If ]\Ir. Wakeiicld docs not wiito with greater care and ability than hu has hitherto ijiewn, neither ;;u"«, nor godfy, nor columns v,lll permit his works to be extant very long. (a) Virg. Jin. S. v. 25 4. (/;) Hor. L. "2. Sat. 3. v. 4S. I 3 114 In Grenville, firmness 5 majesty, in Pitt; And in Dundas, the courage to submit. Proud of your keen discernment you retire, Smit with the fame of Rollo's bard (g) and squire. You print (poor man !) your satire and your song. Correct as Gilford, or as Cowper, strong. AUTHOK. Yes: to my country's justice I appeal. Nor dread the press, the guillotine, nor wheel. wish I could say, perpetual act, (passed in 1795) for prevent- ing seditious assemblies, &c. &c. &:c. it is specified, that none of these prophets, or lecturers, or diviners in democracy, shall meet in greater numbers than bi/ fijty in a cave, or elsewhere; and coMsidering the inflaramatcry nature of their disorders, it is devoutly to be wished, that they may be kept upon the same cooling diet. (1796.) (/) I allude to the profound knowledge which busy men acquire of the most secret designs of the British, or even of foreign cabinets, — from the news-papers. Nothing is so plea, sant as to hear men assert without the least hesitation what they know of the intention of Ministers. I really envy the sa- tisfaction they feel, when they communicate their discoveries to such unenlightened and igoorant men as myself. 115 Nor fulsome praise, nor coldness of neglect, Nor all that poets meet, but scarce ex^pect : 40 Yet though the question I shall never fear, A rhyming culprit's bold confession hear. Memory I have, not Middleton (/) has more; Plays I could frame, like Ireland, [k] by the score ; Could sing of gardens, yet well pleas'd to see AValpole (/) and Nature ma}^ for once, agree 3 Could give with Darwin, to the hectic kind. Receipts in verse to shift the north-east wind {m); (g) Dr. Lawrence; Author or Editor of the RolUad, Proba- tionary Odes, &c. (i) The famous witness on Mr. Hastings's trial, the disciple of Themistocles. {k) The publisher of the newly.found manHSscriptslnShak- spcare's own hand. writing. The reader will find more on this subject in the course of this Second Dialogue. (I) Read (it well deserves the attention) that quaint, but most curious and learned, writer's excellent Essay on Modern Gardening, at the end of his Lives of the Painters. (m) See Dr. Darwin's Loves of the Plants, and a lon^ and pleasant note, ia which the Doctor thinks it very feasible to I 4 manage 116 With Pric€(|2^aiicl Knight grounds hy neglect improve. And banish use, for naked Nature's lovo, oO Lakes, forests, rivers, in one landscape drawn. My park, a county, and a lieath, my lawn; With Knight, man's civil progress (o) could rehearse, Put Hume, or Smith, or Tacitus hi versc^ manage the Minds, (and CTcry thing else I bcUeve) at his plea- sure, by a little philo.sopliy. 1 nevc-r read any thing so eom- fo.lablc in my life. Marfinus Scriblerus ■will be, after all, a legitimate natural philoso])her. It appears to me, that \)r, Parivin's?/? ifc?z/o//.? u:idLTStanding is pecubar'y adapted to solve the' foHowing problem in natural p'nilosophy : " WnEXHEn, *' ihe hybernal frigidity of (lie Antipodes, passing in an ortho- '' gonal line through the homogeneous .solidity of the center, "might warm the superficial ^eoniiexjty of our heels by a soft " antii'eristasis?" I have given a translation of this great and useful problem, (as the French Philosopher Pantagruel is not quite so intelligible in the original,) that Dr. Darwin may discuss it at large in the next edition of his Zoonomia, which is mirch to be desired. I refer the reader to the " Creme Philosophiquc '• des Questi-^^ns Encyclopcdiques," at the end of Rabelais Book 5. 'Wi& true cream of their modern Encyclopedic is to be found in the French Revolution, 1789, &c. («) Price and Knight. — See the various treatises, all curious and in some degree pleasant, on the subject of landscape, and the art of laying out grounds. Knight and Price, versus Mason and Brown, Repton, Moderator. I have no doubt of the decision at the br.r of taste; but I would not bring the ■ cause 117 And, while Siieiins and his ^ otaries nod, Quaft'Paphian grossness from n\y ciysial (p ) God, cause in (he court at GuiliUiall. With the slants on tlie jury. anil Lord Kenyou for the judge, tliere CLitaiuly would bu ;i verdict for the Brobdignag Gardeners, Knight and Price. (1796.) (n) See and read (ifpo-siblc) what Mr. R. P. Kniglit calls a Didactic Poem, " The Progrtss of Civil Society, in six " books, 4to." I protest I speak impariially, when I assert that ilr. Knight seems to have no other idea of poetry, than that of lines and syllables put into a measure with, now and then, some little attention togramnjar: I niean, when he writes ver- scs himself. For if he conceives, that the versification of jNIontesquieu's Spirit of T.aws, Tacitus on the Germans, Smith on the Wealth of Nations, Robertson's Introduction to his His- tory of Charles V". Stuart on the View of Society in Europe, and such works, is poetri/, there is no help for him, he must be suffered to i^hyme on. " Dogmatizer en vers, et rimer p;ir chapitrcs," (c) It is impossible to criticize or examine the whole in a noto, but I will give a specimen of such observations as I should make, if I were to go thr;.ugh the whole of this tedious piece of work, ]Mr. K. is very fond of beginning all his books rcvV/j doiiht, like a true pkilosopher; he always u'es the words " fl'h ef lie r th\b, and asks leave to sit again," the motion will be negatived by the zchoic house. (179f).) (p) " Vitreo bibit ille Priapo." Juv. Sat. 2 t. 95. S;'& Mr. Knight's Essay on the Worship of Priapus, and luy uote on it in the first Dialogue of this Poem. (a) I quote Junius in English, as 1 would Tacitus or Livy in Latia. 1 consider him as a legitimate English Classic. (6) See the First Dialogue of the V. of L. — I h.nc been to!J that Five Guineas is the price of The Essay on Priipus. if a copy is at any time to be soldi 120 I ooiflil, like Seward, if lor scrap:^ you call, 'i uni public bagman, {s) train'd in Walpole's stall ; Cq) Soon after Mr. Giblion liad published the second and fliird volunios of his lloinan Ilisiory, the late Diikc of Cuni- IjCilaiid accidentally met him, and intending to pay him agrent foinj)limcut, said; •' How do you do. i\Ir. Gibbon? I see you " arc always at ^Y, the old v: ay , scribble^ scribble .^ scribble.^''-' 'j'here are various judges of historical writing, from Quiutilian, io (he late Duke of Cumberland. Dr. Gillies wrote the History of Greece, &:c. in a manner «iuite different from ^Ir. Gibbon; but, according to Pliny's good. humoured observation; " ilistoria qr.oquo modo scripta *' delectat." (179C.) (r/r/) The epithets in the verse are designed to characterize the v:ri(in;^s of Dr. Gillies. There is some learning, great diligence, attention, and application, but no marks of genius or of strength in his compositions. Scd tameu in pretio. And I wish them to be so, as the Doctor is a man of good intentions, a pa-ssable scholar, an inde^'atigable reader, and of most respect- able character. I speak of nothing but his writings. (1796.) (r) Fables by John Gay, illustrated -aith notes by William CoxE, M. A. F.R.S. F.S.A. Rector of Bemerton, Prebendary of Sarum, Domestic Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Salisbury, late Fellow of Kind's College, Cambridge, Member of tiie Imperial. CEconomical Society of St. Petersburg, and of the lloyal Society of Sciences at Copenhagen, Chaplain to II. G. the Duke of Marlborough : kc. kc. kc. !:! (17f;G.) WhatwiM Mr. Coxc write next? To be sure Addison did gravely coin- ment on Chery Chace. I am not inclined to make any other comparison. (1796.) (,y) Sec Cfor they are very entertaining, but very dear) Mr. Sewdrd's Anecdotes of distinguished Persons, kc. in four Tolumci. Or to C\ llja?ron, from tlie Tre.isilry, move, And, like Sir James Bland Burgess, (/) murmur love^ Or v.itii Fitzpatrick, Uiark tlic space between A tainted strumpet and a spotless Queen; itt) volumes. I jirefer Mr. Seward to every compik-r of anecdote', except the Hon. Mr. Iforace Walpolc, now Lord Orford. ^i visiting library is very convenient and pleasant toouo's friends.. (179S.J — 1 hope ]Mr. S. may hereafter present the puLIic \vil41 •similar works, but in single volumes. (t) I allude to Sir James Biand Burgess's Poem, entitled., '• The Birib aud Triuniph of LovgI" accompanied by mosj. elegant designs of Amoretti alati by one of the fairest, mps^ ingenious, and most illustrious ladies («) in the kingdom. Sir James Bland G urges s, lateUtider Secretary of State, is very properly (as all Undor Secretaries of State, and Chief Sccr.-taries in the Treasury, should be,) attentive to his character, and i*; particularly afraid of the smallest Cupid z^itkout u ynunzlc. i^ir James says, "That boy and that boy's deeds s'.all not pollu-teroy measare." St. 1, Now when I consider w hat Virgil and Tassy have said and sung of " that boy and thai boy's deeds," it is a Jittle prudish in Sir James Bland Burgess, Baronet and Poet, oa such a subject to have such fears. A poet may be a little playfuj. But Sir James Bland Burn;cs« is right after all; there cerlainly should be none but the most virtuous persons a.bout Secretaries of State, and in the precincts of i]\e. Treasury, though now an.d then a straggler of another description will be found, notwith- standing the unremitted diligence and uudivertid attontion of George Rose, Esq. &c. kc. kc. (1700:) {tt) A line taken from the Political Eclcgue, intillcd '' Thf •*' X'yurs ;" the most finished of all the productions of thQ Author^ (a) II. R. ir. the Princess Eiizu^jctjj. Could furnish feasts for each Parnassian prig, A Florence goose, three ducklings, and one {v) pig; With Spartan Pye (.r) lull England to repose. of the Rolliad. Public report has assigned this classical, but too free, composifion y «t.yii3yx a/Kouri to, ^njirjSsa. Na'jTjxw jxzv r, ev ciKxrij KxrccyXis-i;, xait Co/*Co>-, xrX. (fl) The whole passage is uncommonly eloquent and sensible; and my medical readers will thank me for point- ing it out. Aretasus, is perhaps, the first descriptive painter in his art. Such accomplished scholars as the venerable Dr. Heberden, Dr. Glynn, Sir George Baker, ]^r. Turton, Dr Milman, Dr. Littlehales, Dr. Vivian, and a icw others, (^Apollineo nomina digna choro) will confirm my opinion. (a) ArctsiDe Morbis Acutis. cap. 1. p. 75. edit. Boerhaave, 1731. l'J4 AUTHOR. Sparc, spare; till lime subdue my hapless rage With blast autumnal, or the damp of age. What poet will refuse to drink, or sing. Since Helicon is now an Irish spring? All thirst alike; which made Sam Johnson think. That no man visits, where he cannot drink, (yjj) Why should I faint, when all with patience hear. And Laurcat Vyc sings more than twice a year ? f j/3/j/) (jj) A tale from the Germnn, translated by the Laureat, JI. J. Pyc, Esq. by J. T.Stanly, Esq. M. P. and by &c.&c.&c. Sec. a sort of Bliie-licard story lor the nursery. Iain ashamed to think that the publie curiosity (1 will not say, taste) should have been occupied Avith such Diablerie Tudcsquc. (1796.) I should however be unwilling nottodo justice to the elegant and fascinating pencilof Lady Diana Beauclerc who has honoured and decorated the subject; but the painter and the musician are often employed in illustrating silly subjects and silly words. Still it will be most true, mutatis mutandis, of both these? divine arts ; II cantar, chc nell' anima si scnte! 11 pill m scnte I' alma, U men Vorecchio. (1796.) {tj}]) Dr. Jolinson's character of the Irish hospitality, in one of his letters J or among the Boswclliana; I forget which. It is not wholly inapplicable to some of our own countrymen. — " Few young men visit, where they cannot drink." It is a pity. 125 OCTAVIUS. Truce with the Laureat. AUTHOR. 'Tis but what I think 5 For once I hoped to see the title sink, 82 While piety and virtue grac'd the throne. And genius in lamented Warton shone : Aye, while Britannia cries from shore to shore, Augustus reigns; M^cenas is no more! Pitt views alike, from Holwood's sullen brow, (As near-observing (z) friendship dares avow) (M?/) " They scarce can bear Ihcir Laureat fzcice a year.'''' So said Pope. In those times we can hoar our harmless fluttering birth day odes, better than tlic French Dithyrambics in tlie orgies of democracy. - Mr, Pyc is. a man of learning, and .some little fancy; but I wish his poetky had more force. (179G.). ; (c) I must own, that unless the Province of encouraging ■ Letters, which should belona; to the great, is administered with '•wisdom and discretion, it is more desirable that there were no encouragement at all. _. . K t» 126 The fount of Pindus or Boeotia's bog. In confirmation however of my opinion of the Minister, I refer the reader to a pamphlet published in 1795, entitled, " Friendly Remarks on Mr. Pitt's Administration, by a Near *' Observer." It is written by a good scholar, a man of for- tune, of an upriglit mind, of an independent spirit, and with the principles of a gentleman. It has been ascribed to INI. Montagu, Esq. late M. P. and it is, I believe, acknowledged by him. He boldly tells the Minister of his fault, namely an improvident and si/stcmatic contempt and neglect of all ahilitif and literary talents, " They had no poet, and they died.'* I would by no means apply to Mr. Pitt what Spenser said of the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, once the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, because it would neither be true, nor just Oh let not Him, of whom the Muse is scorn' dy Alive, nor dead, be of the Muse adorn'd! (a) i5ut the Muse of satire may, with more respect and delicacy, ■win an easier way to the region of his sensibility, in the words of a Roman poet ; Felix clrarum! cui non Heliconia cordi Serta^ nee imbelles Parnassi e vertice laurus ; Sedviget ingenium, et magnos accinctusin usus, Fert animus quascuuque vices 1 * These are the virtues of a minister in times of change and of general convulsion. History indeed may say of Mr. Pitt in the words of Tacitus, ** Ingenium illustre altioribus studiis juvenis admodum dedit {a) Spenser's " Ruins of Time.'* » Statins. 127 With nothing ofMcecenas, but his frog, (a) QO OCTAVIUS. Merespleen(6): Pitt sure is libcral,though by stealth. deilit ; non, ut picrique, ut nomine magnifico segne otlum velaret, sed quo Jinnior adversus fortiiita, Rempublicam ca- PESSERET." (6) I might proceed and describe hira as "Opiim(c) contemptor, recti pervicax, constans adversus metns;" but I cannot pursue him through the integral character of Helvidius Priscus, because I conceive Power, and not Fame, to be th« principle of thismiglity Minister of Great Britain. (1796.) («) In the time of Augustus, during the administration of Maecenas,' that Minister's seal, bearing the figure of a frog, was annexed to all money. bills. I mention this anecdote as curious, and perhaps not generally known. It is recorded in Pliny's Natural History, Book 37. ch. 1. " Mcecemitis Rana, *' o6 collationem pecuniar urn ^ in magno terrore erat." I also refer the reader to the Duke of Marlborough's Gems, vol. 2. engraved privafely (6) Tacit. Hist. L. 4. Sect. 5. (c) Though Mr. P. despises monej/, yet I wish he would giv» more attention to public axonomj/ tlian he has hitherto done. He is deserving of much censure in this respect. He seems to have forgotten what Mr Burke once thundered in the ears of one of his predecessors, (Lord North) in the H. of C. " iMagnuin est *' Vectigal Pan/MO/j/a." (1797.) K 2 128 AUTHOR. Yes, and Ue spares a nation's inborn wealth ; privately, and to the elegant Lafin descriptions of them by the Rev. Dr Cole, late Fellow of King's College in Cambridge. Nothing is so like as one Minister to another in this respect ; but it is difficult to refrain from remarking, that Frogs ^vere one of the plagues of Egypt. (&) Octavius is wrong. I am neither a personal nor a poli- 'tical enemy to Mr. Pitt. I think Mr. Pitt a powerful and efficient Minister, emi- nently adorned with natural gifts and endowments, and solemnly marked out and elected to his great office. He has talents to conduct, to persuade, and to command. He is a scholar ; / knoxo him to be such, and a ripe and good one. The low passion of avarice has no root in his mind ; but the sin, by which the angels fell, rages in him without measure and without control. To tell a Minister, that pride was not made /or Him or for any man, because he has nothing which he has not received, would be to argue a gross ignorance of our fallen nature. He has no servility in him. Firm, constant, and unbending, he has the principles of a man, who knows and feels Avhat is demanded of him by his country. He comes into the House of Commons, not to bow, but to do the business of the state, and he does it. There is not a subject presented to him, even casually, in which -his ability is not conspicuous. He treats it as if it had been the subject 129 Another Adam (c) in oeconomy, subject of his continued (a) meditation. In the conduct of the French xcar^ he, his colleagues, and his allies have been aV foitnd zcanti/ig; but in the principle just, if not stcadj. I will add, that in respect to personal individual gratification:, I regard iNIr. Pitt as tiik >fosT fortunate man upon record. Called by the circumstances of the times beyond human coutrolj and by events not in the wildest range of expectation, he was placed, almost without his seeking it, in the highost public station. He passed at once to the innermost of the temple, without treading the vestibule. In the bloom and vigour of his faculties, (for he bore the blossom and the fruit at once) and in the prime of life, when every thing can charm, that which can charm the most. Power, was voluntarily oflered to him, confirmed, continued, and established by his King and by his country. His faults, his follies, and his blemishes, (for he has all) might be eav//y removed, but I think he will not remove them. He felt at once, as many men have done before him, the highest ability in himself; and he found, what is denied to most men of genius, a full and adequate Qxcviion of it in high office. My hope and earnest prayer is, that the termination of his political labours, and the result of this just and tremendous war with the Republic of France, may be finally to eslablish " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth Peace.'' (1790.) (a) In this respect Mr. Pitt always reminded ine of Themistocles', as recorded by the great historian. *' O.^rtx ^wv-n, i^v&it^: ^vj *' ocovra." Thucyd. Lib. 1. Sect. 138. K 3 130 For all, but Burke, [d] escape his searching eye; St id" from old Turgot, {e) and his rigid school. He never deviates from this wholesome rule; (c) Adam <>mUh, the ^rcaf writer on wealth and finance, from whom Mr. Pitt learned his art. (d) This is rio^ mentioned as a censure on Mr. Pitt for his lihtTjlify? for ^ tliink the vholc of his pension merited by Wr. BiirVe, though I wish it had nrver been accepted. On (his >;t) cry, in chearless life's decHne, Thus Rowley once, and Chatterton were mine. (;) Mr. Professor Person's Letters to Archdeacon Travis are conspicuous for their erudition, acuteness, accuracy, Tirulcncc, l)itternesSj and invective. (<■/) I alliide to Dr. Parr's Controversy nitli Dr. Coorabe about Horace. It seems Dr. Parr was angry that he did not assiit the little critical inan-midwife at the labour " xlianiaturos " aperire partus." Dr. Parr is more fond of a C:rsarian opera- )iori irtcriticism. Sec more in a future note to the Third Dia- SogUCof this Poem. {b) Wheii \ftrst published thcfirstpart of this poem (in 1794) -!• bad -only casually glanced on the suljject of Rowley. See 'P.- of L. Part I. but since that time having had some leisure and more curiosity, I have perused many of the learned treatises tipnn if 7 tjpvpr wi>;h to havc au}' thing to do Avith thedccision of such a controversy as this, which is even now scarcely at rest; but having the feelings of a gentleman, I was struck, as I was reading, with the cruel treatment of" poor Mr. Catcott of Bristol, the sneers upon the pcz^tercr, and the illiberal 145 lie saw his Bcird, by Milles's pond'rous length [bbj O'erlaid, revive in splendor, fame, and strength,. For Bryant (c) came; the Muses all return. And light their lamps at Rowley's fruitful urn; 190 illil)eral refloctions on a plain, curious, honest, and inoffensive man, without whose zeal and solicitude, (I speak from the printed accounts) those singular poems would never have appeared. He seemed to say with justicCj Oro, miserere laborum Tantorum, miserere animi non digna fcrentis*.* (bb) The edition of Rowley's Poems by the Rcy. Dr. Millcs. (c) No man of literature can pass by the name of Mr, Bryant without gratitude and reverence. He is a gentleman of attainments peculiar to himself, and of classical erudition without an equal in Europe. His Avhole life has been spent in laborious researches, and the most curious investigations. H* has a youthful fancy, and a playful wit; with the mind, and occasionally with the pen, of a poet ; and with an ease and simplicity of style aiming only at perspicuity, and, as I think, attaining it. He has contended in various tields of controversy with various success; but always with a zeal fyr truth and a soberness of enquiry. In speaking of Mr. Bryant, I have no necessity, as I too often have, to qualify my connnendatioxis. lit; has lived to see his eightieth winter (and may he yet long live) with the esteem of the u ise and good; in honourable relire- ment from the cares of life; with a gentkuess of manners, and a readiness and willingness of literary communication L 3 seldom * Virg. JEn. 2. v. 1. 145 While Cam receiv'd the Bard with all his train. Though Isis turn'd her current in disdain. The Boy whom once patrician pens adorn'd. First meanly flatter'd, {cc) then as meanly scorn'd. Drooping he [eld) rais'd, and lent his little aid. The gleanings of a hard and humble trade. Innoxious man : yet what may truth avail ! Blameless his life, and simple as his tale ; Si'klom found. lie is admired and sought after by the young 'n'ho are entering on a course of study ; and revered, and often followed, by those who have completed it. Above all, he has gone forth in the strength imparted unto him, in defence of the holy law made and given by God: he has put on (he panoply from abov;', and, having enlarged his mind and sanctified his studies, he m ty expect with humble confidence the coniuramatioa of his reward. KOMEX IN tXEMPLUM SEllO SFUVABIMUS jEVO ! (1796) (cc) Alluding fo the letters written by the lion. Horace Walpole (now Lord Orford) to Thomas Chatterton, printed in some mrigazines or newspapers. I remember to have seen then?, but I cannot point out at present 'he time or date of them. I flunk they were written from Strawberry Hill, but I am not sure. (1796.) (dd) i. e. Mr. Catrott. 147 Each rude enquirer's sneering taunt he feels. Contempt or insult dogs him at his heels ; 200 No kind support subscribing fondness pours. For him no wealth descends in fost'ring show*rs; Yet be this truth to future times reveal'd, " The wound a Varro gave, I apis heal'd/' [a) Go now, for moths, and rolls, and parchments search ; Ransack the chest, the closet, or the church; J3rave all the joint associates of A. S. The jest insipid, and the idle guess; Bind, copy, comment, manuscript and print. Take from good-natur'd friends some useful hints From Bewick's (f/) magic wood throw borrow'd rays O'er many a page in gorgeous Bulmer's blaze j (a) See Bishop Attcrbury's comment onthc Dilectus Iapis of Virt>il.— I shall add, lATPIKnTATOS, (pt\o^uj^o<; -ami a-^oWjjTo,-, ^i\ofirT!ii)(pq, yivixioi;, vewv ^JopSa;t>!?, o'criOf, dixcitoj, £t;o-;S'-/ij, Elw AK-rOM 1 H2 HAIAEIAS anXxKw;. ( 1 796. ) By lapis in this place is meant the lafc Dr. Glynn of Cam< bridge, stiled o a.yo«:rJ5Toj laxpoj. See Dialogue the Fourth. (1807.) (, it will be." Nudau, ma contenia !^' (1796.) When I read the records of medical science, a )d perceive the fatal end to which youth and beauty are conducted by the present mudo of dress, I ajii reminded of the affecting lines of Milton i «' But 149 OCTAVIUS. Soft ; and o'er female failings lightly pass: Oh ! may Aglaia (/) lead them to their glass. Connubial glories rising o'er their head. As life's domestic happier stage they tread ; There may they look, well pleas'd themselves to find The guardians, comforts, teachers of mankind! AUTHOR. I listen with delight : that strain again ; I'll bless the sex, *' But in her garland, as she stood, Y"U might discern a cypress bud '." I wri;6sv7Cf ' ^' >ii"£ NnxT* fo<;c4.',-. Asii"] Of xXayyjj yEVET apyufEOJO tiojo. Oi;pr95? /U.E-/ 'jrpToy (TTX'X'-'tOy ^«' KYNAS etfyn;* Avrap EnrsiT AYTOIII C;Aof {;j^£5r;u/tEj «?4e*j B*?J'»'' utH Jf 7rvf«* y;xi^fay xaTo 6«/x£»a*. Horn. Tl. 1, 161 THE PREFACE TO THE THIRD DIALOGUE («) OF THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE. AKPIBOAOrOTMAI KAI AIEHEPXOMAI. {b) Licet omnibus^ licet ctiam 7nilii, di^nifafem Patrice tueri; potestas modo veniencii in publicum sit, uicexdi PEKicui.u.vt XON KECUSO. (c) I PRESENT the Third Part of this Poem to the public, at the same time that I offer the Second, though I had intended to delay it ; but some subjects are of an im- portance serious and urgent, not to be deferred. Wherever the (a) First printed in May 1796,' {h) A part of these words arc from Demosthenes, (c) Cicero. Pliilipp. 1, M 3 162 the freedom of the press exists, (and with us may that freedom be perpetual !) I must assert this truth, as an axiom; that, Literature, well or ^11 conducted^ is the great ENGINE, by which all civilized states must ultimately be supported or overthrown. It is not enough to sa}', a book is bulky or voluminous, and therefore can have no effect upon the mass ci the people, because that opinion is not true. Such a book can not only be abridged and dispersed abroad, but a man like Thomas Paine, with a rude, wicked, and daring manner of thinking, and with vulgar but impressive lan- guage, may blend the substance of the opinions with his own, and in a short popular tract make them familiar and intelligible to every apprehension. Thus are men fooled oni of their understanding, y(?o/ei/ out oi their secu- rity, zwA fooled out ol their happiness : and v/hen they have lost every hXt^^'w^^beyond recovery, they look round at each other in a stupid despair, clashing their chains and unable to shake them off, and ask, " How has all this been brought *• about?" I am not an enemy to the liberty of discussion, or to the toleration of opinions; I am for NO literary proscription. But 1 think it is plainly our interest^ as well as our duty, [while we yet viay) to strive to support that constitu- tion IN church and state, which has hitherto been able to build us up, and to give us an inheritance, or rather the pie-eminence, among all those who have been strengthened by policy, or sanctified by revelation. What I would 163 I would contend for also, is this; that amontr all who are worthy to be called scholars or legislators, criticism, observation, and watchtulncss are peculiarly necessary; that men may hear of their common danger, and be admonished to put a few plain questions to themselves; "What are we going to resign or give up, " and why? What are we going to adopt, and wherefore?" I repeat it, now, in this our day, while the bitterness of political death is passing upon almost every other nation in Europe. When we are opening the avenues to Political Reform, and to the consequent inevitable dissolution of our own government, is it possible that we can for a moment forget the tremendous Republic? Over every state, and island, and promontory in Europe she sits tyrant or arbitress. ArrxvyxiTO'A 'OIOX EEAPOS BTISO0EN £|spi/o-=«E! (c) From every other state, but England, the sceptre has fallen by the arms, or the principles, or the treachery of France. What she can effect by war and invasion, that she most readily and' most willingly accomplishes; but she has other means, not less terrible, nor less certain. The sub- terranean wind of this fierce democracy has force enough to overthrow, or to transport, hills and rocks tor?! from Pelorus^ (c) Callim. Ilynin: ad Delum. y. l<25. 164 Pdiorus, and by this explosion they too often have perished. In th.e agony ot these reflections language will labour, and the images of natnre and all her elements in conflict and convulsion will present themselves, f^) When ((I) The following pages, written m the year 1798, may not improperly, (nor, i trust, without cii'cct.) be inserted here, on this great national suhjcet. '• Such AN iTNioN is 710JV demanded of the minds, the talents, and forttmes, of the souls aiid bodies, of all the inhabitants of Great Britain, as nuvcr before entered into the hearts of J^nglishmcn to conceive. We muyf be preserved from the tyranny and power of France, from all her principles, and from all lier arms, open or conceahd, mental, moral, or political. 1 have i)ri(le and satisfaction iu seeing, inid feel- ing that we are all so convinced. We know we must die, or defend ourselves from the monstrous Republic I Instat terrihills vivis, morientibus ha^res, \ Nulla quies; oritur praida cessante libido, Divitibusque dies, et nox metuenda maritis ; Emicdt ad nutum stricto niucrone minister ! Tf we consider it from the commencement, it has threatened, devoted, and given CTor all it's victims to desolation, wretchedness, plunder, and final death. Clood is the cement of the ilej)ub!ic of Frane:^. Some rlctims have bled for principle, others for example, 5ome for funenil pomp, and some for a civic feast: blood must flow. Each Faction has delivered over it's predecessors to death. The Priests of Reason hold their rites in the field «f T^Iars. First indeed, they soothe awhile their savageuess with song and f'jstivalj but these are the preludes of san- guinary 1G5 When indeed I consider this great, powerful, and- yet opulent kingdom, with all its bearin<^s and dependL^ncies, I ''suLATL ( 1800.) Next a — ; then a — ice. kc. 166 I know not whicli to reprobate most, the folly or tlic wickednefs Whoever strives to resist such an adversary, upon prin- ciple and rellection, wi'li eloq\ienre, or wisdom, or learning, ill ;i 7rov>jfia; vTr-pfcoXii t-ziv iXxioa, ti?j aiorriei^i ^yj^' Demos- thenes Orat. 1. Contra Aiistogitou. pag. 483. Ed. Ccacnati Gr. 1570. 167 wickedness of its internal enemies, and of the desperatd French every European government to suicide. Her High Priest + told her long ago, that no Government could perish but by it's own hand, and by it's own consent to die. The Government of Great Britain has given no such consent. Her King, her Nobles, her Commons, her Soldiers, her Sailors, her Senators, her Statesmen, her Lawyers, her Artists, her Merchants, her Citizens, her Peasants, all maintain and declare with one voice, and with arms in their hands. Great Buitaix has given no consent to die." She has not lifted up her arms against herself: she is willing and de- sirous to live. She has humbled herself before God the^ Judge of all, through the Great Mediator of humanit}' : she knows hcf strength, and has felt her infirmity; she is earnest for her preservation from her foes within and without, and having done all, and still committing herself, and her cause, TO uiM w ho juJgeth righteously, she hopes yet to stand. Whether the enil of all things may be at hand; and what the decrees of Eternal Power, Wisdom, Justice, and Goodness may intend in the last resort, we acknowledge to be inscru- table. But we trust, it cinnot be deemed an unwarrantable presumption to suggest or to affirm, that, if the attributes of God arc true; if man is hb creature, and governed by his laws; the opposers of this overbearing, desolating, impious, and UNIVERSAL Tyranny must be justified before Him! As to us, the inhabitants of Great Britain, if wc would exist at all, we must be preserved As we are. Our Coiistitjiioii is not lost; and the ramparts we havu raised around it, will maintain it entire. Our liberties arc supported equnUy against arbitrary power, and against the engines of licentioui- ness and democrary. L'pon us the destiny oT Europe, avid perhaps I Voltaire. c 168 French faction in the heart of it's metropolis. When I think on these things, and at the same time reflc ct, that the eyes of a whole nation were originally opened by One Man, and the systems of internal destruction and of irreversible misery, which awaited us, were displayed and onloLinded by iiis powers ; I pardon and forget his eccentricities, and even his pariiaiity for the Romish faith and its professors, and the heat and violence which too frequently and too fatally attend upon the uncontrolled Genius of Edmund Burke. Sometimes indeed, fit is when my heart burns within mc) I pour out my ihor.ghts by myself in contemplation of my country, which I love wiih ardour unabated, and of its GREAT Citizen, whom I approach with reverence, in the words of the poet : Ouni cum magna modis multis miranda videtur Gcntibus humanis Regio, visendaque fcrtur. Rebus opima bonis, multa munita virum vi, l^iLlamen h.oy. Chrysost, Ai^. «, 170 In the years seventeen hundred and eighty eight and eighty nine, the visionary prospect from the shore of France opened on the eyes of our modern Reformers. England looked upon these Reformers, and the govern- ment neglected them. Societies, in the very face of an insulted legislature, boldly multiplied, and magnified, and consolidated each other. All grew up in silence. There was no public apprehension among the well-aflfected, no distrust. We laughed at metaphysical distinctions, and idle terms of scholastic art, and revolutionary dinners, and republican toasts. It was an hour of general and of unaccountable indifference. The great chain of posts, and a species of telegraphic communication had been established unperceived. The English Revolution in 1688 was held up to seeming approbation and reverence, but in reality to secret or rather to open contempt ; and the Revolution in France 1788, was the Revolution which they intended to realize and to cele- brate. The Reformers strove to buy golden opinions of their fellow citizens, and to wear them in their newest gloss. The external decoration deceived the eye. The painted sepulchre was prepared and whited without, the vault and receptable of all our ancient liberties, and rights, and secu- rities, and properties, and common comforts. Still we beheld all this, but went our way, and forgot what manner of men these Reformers were. At this very hour, when the public mind was darkened that it could not discern, when in every quarter of the ' heaven appeared varpour, and mist, and cloud, and exha- lation ; La piova maladetta, fredda, e grevc, (Regola e qualita strana era, e nuova) Grandiuc 171 Grancline grossa, e acqua tinia, e neve. Per I'aer tcncbroso si livcisa ! [a) At this very hour the morning h^irizon began suddenly to redden. It was the dawn. Then indeed, '* First in his east the glorious lamp was seen, Regent ofDiy!" This luminary was Edmund Burke. Light broke upon them all. The fca:ures of misrule and malignity, of tyra ny and oi oppression, tiie lablcd spectres and hostile powers figured by poeis and orators, were realized in the spirits of turbulence, dissatisraction, sedition, rebellion, and deinocrac}-; but they were seen to be dispersed. The rays of tiie orb were direct, collected, anJ concentrated: they had power to illuminate and to consume. But the course of this orb, though marked, was short: it is set, never to return. [!>) Oi/ yx':V Zs ^x'ovrot a/tr,(3E5:"} not dxvoyro:. (cj I must proceed. — I confess, that I am not such a desperate lover of what is brou'^ht to me for abstract political truth, as never to make an enquiry into the characters of the proposers of it, their personal views, and the men and measures with which they are connected. I feel myself a member of regulated society, and I would maintain an established order. I acknowledge mvself a subject of a mild and equitable government, (though under a most severe temporary pressure) and 1 would preserve that government which gives us all protection- And when (a) Dante Tnf. C. 6. From what other Poet, ancieut or modern, couid I draw fgrth seicb expressions ? (/>) (Atignst 1797.) (0 Horn. 11, 23. y. 69, 172 ^vhcn I adopt the gicat rule, that " wc should love our '• neighbour as ourselves," I have not yet made such advances in the theory ot political justice, and in the new Avisdom, as coolly to assert, that *' this maxim, though " possessing considerable merit as a popular principle, is " not strictly modelled with philosophical /^/"^fZj/(7«." (a) I have not yet learned to treat the Revelation ot God, nor the institutions of my countrv, with contumely. I have no romantic ideas of virtues without motives, and of actions without regulations. I believe it to he a matter of general Safety, that crimes should be discerned^ as well as repressed, by legal sanctions; and that the nature of justice, and of injustice, should be declared, taught and enforced, by law, by religion, and by education. Experience has instructed me, and reason and reflection have confirmed me in the belief, that Conscience m.ay be erroneous ; that it is a monitor •vvliich needs advice, and a guide which often calls for superior direction. I look upon justice as the foundation [b) and the support, but not as the whole of human («) See an Enquiry into Political Justice, by \\'illiaiu God- win. 2d edit. 8vo. vol. 1. p. 127. {b) A»x.K ^aiiv «cr?:«x-i BA0PON. (Pindar.) But who calls a. fonndafiun.) a building? — j'lie whole pasj^ago of the poet has such strength and grace, wheu applied to (jrcat Britain, that J ■will present it to our (rreciaii pafjiots. " Oi^oy ajuspov icTTOi., ^:vc»(7i d! O.-paTTovTs;, Y;-j."jojj.xk Toyj oXeiscv KoptvGw, VfoQvfOf IToTtid'sivv -5 ayXcioy^h/^ov. Ev T^ yap JLvvoimv^ va.4'!, Jt^taiyv-TiTSit te, AjJto. X'jXi'jjv a-xifOiX'j texSpoVj Hat r ^Mr/rfJX'ji; T-ifyy;a^ tajjua-t ctvofCij-t «-?LVTy, X(^^-^^ TTXj^Ej EL'c&'Xy ©sw»To-j aXitiiv ifepty, xopov fjja.Tr-((x, Find. Olyni-. 0. 13. 173 human duty; and I cannot, in insulting language, resolve the sum and substance of all government and civil society into " Laws proclaimed by Heralds, and expounded by ♦' Curates." (t) Yet do I not speak prdfessionally : I have no personal interference in the church, the law, or the state. But I speak again and again, with earnestness and with sincerity, from the mingled affections of regard, fear, and ho^tfor in, (and I trust, we are the great majority) who yet remain firm, constant, and unshaken by such writers as these. I speak to all who have the courage, and learning, and ability to repress them, not by force, (God forbid!) but by reasoning, and by appeals to the understanding, and the social relations of their fellow creatures. 1 speak" to all who can rescue them from the cold unfeeling tyranny of modern metaphysics, as exhibited in the new systems of government and manners, (religion they have none) ; and from nonsense which must at last be found impracticable, when every estate and condition of man has been overthrown for their pleasure and experiment; that these new arbiters, or creators, of human destiny may introduce a government without principles, laws without mercy, and morality without a motive. The main point of rest to every empire is the principle on which voluntary and habitual obedience is paid to established authority. Half a century is insufficient for any new potuer or constitution to find it's level. It is indeed (c) Sec Godwin on Justice as above, vol, 2. p. 99. Hcec ego nan credam Vemisina digna lucerna ? llax Ego non agitem ? N JuY.Sat. 1. T. 51, 174 indeed matter of great patience, as well a? of tlie deepest concern, to reasonable men, to observe what is still carrying on in this country in defiance of ev^ery evil which has been felt, and will long continue to be felt, from the introduction of new principles among other nations. For the sentence of final destruction seems to be now executing on the various governments of Europe. " Yes, I must weep for you, ye rival vales, Arno and Andaliisia! but for thee More largely, and with filial tears must weep, O Albion, O my country! Must thou join. In vain dissevered fro7n the rest?" I trust not in \zin. ^d) ^i\\\ the last dispensation of mercy is (d) Historical facts of ancient times are wholly inadequate to the illiis* ration of the present great CTt-nts ; but some passages arc not unworthy of atteniion. In the 256th year of Home, tvhcn the Latins declared for Tarquin, the Conscript Fathe?'^ were not terrified, though all their Allies, theR,utuli, the Volsci, and other powers deserted them. The Senate was still bold, though Rome had rebellious siibjects in the heart of the metro- polis, and the State and the Constitution were preserved. There were men indeed who, like the Tookcs and Thelwalls' of our (lays, taught the people, " /u,») (p«Xox'"p»>' " '5'=>^'* /A^Jsvof " ccvron; ayava ;li Ta5»?fco-«," and enforced all the popular ar- guments of revolt and sedition. I refer to the fifth Book of the Roman Antiquities of Dionysius Ilalicarnassensis, Sect. 63, which is curious and instructive. But one sentence of this neglected Historian is so singularly applicable to our own im- mediate circumstances (August 1797) that it may not be impro- per to insert it. It is from the 62d Section of the 5th Book. '' Oucsv a Tu.'jj.y.i'-A 7a7r;*-.i.G'£';rc,-, (o :rJtGt« f*>toj r,v th^ jMyajTi 175 is ofired TO this island : and it is only to be deserved and continued to us by firmnefs, temperance, and piety, and by perseverance in the constitution, sacred and civil, which nozv is ; without daring to attempt any present innovation in theory or in practice. It is indeed by looking calml}', not as slaves or bigots, but as wise men, upon those imperfections, which human institutions never can prevent, nor wholly remove, that we razy yet hope, under providence, to preserve tor ourselves and tor our posterity the blessings of cultivated society, in this awful afld general convulsion of Europe. Tliey are best secured to us by our present form of government and laws, which are just in their principle, temperate in their effects, impartial in their application, and merciful in their execution, and have the sanction of time, of wisdom, and of experience. In whatever shape French Philosophy may approach, however recommended, or dignified, or disguised, by scho- lars, or by ignorant and seditious men, in Greek, in Latin, in French, or in English, I would resist and repell it. Whenever the machine appears before the walls, I shall never regard it as the gift of Minerva, but call aloud to try the temper and the substance of it, ferro Argolicas fadare latebras, to distrust the present, and to reject the offer. Let the enemy be dragged forth to light and shewn as he is, and " woA5|Ltov a.a*|;o-ju!vous, xaj HAIAS AnErNfiKOTAS STMMAXIKAS " EATTIAAi;,) aXAa ran,- oiKHxii ^ivxfjmrt ms--Ji/o-avTE? jotonajj, -^oW-j '* irfoSvixxtrtfOi Trpoi tov Aywva eyivovTO, iJj uice. rr,v ayayxJiv avdp?? ayaSo* ** 7raf» THi -Mvovvni EO"ou..-vo«, kxi locv KCtrx vav itfx^ucn, Ta»j Jdjajj " c:fc7«i^ xaTcf9u.'0"a>Tfi tov 7ro7^^vi, mvjk xavucrocu'.oi rr; oo^r.^." Dion. Ilalicarn, Roia. Hist. L. 5, S. 60. 176 and I will yet trust that the kingdom and the citadel may stand. The THIRD PART of this poem opens with a playful subject, and it is treated as such. But as the poem advances, I must (to use a propliet's expression) •• shew my dark ** speech upon the harp;" and must, now and then per- chance, strike the strings somewhat loudly, and descend into a more severe and a n^ore solemn harmony. But what I esteem to be necessary, that I will declare ; and what I feel it to be my duty to represent, that I will have the boldness to publish. Through the whole course of my life, in every trying circumstance, and in every wayward event, public and private, I have held fast the concise and strong admonition of the poet, Tu NE CEDE MALis ; scd cotitra audcntioT ito, Quam tua te Fortuna sinet. My learning and researches, such as they are, I submit to scholars; my opinions, my labour, and my services, in the integrity of affection, I offer to my country ; my errors and defects I leave to public reprehension, in ^ respectful silence. Whether men will hear, or whether they will not hear, is not strictly my personal concern ; but ray inten- tion no man takcthjrom me. 177 THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE A SATIRICAL POEM. DIALOGUE THE THIRD, (a) OCTAVIUS. \Vh AT then, shall none remain, to whom belongs The care of Attic bards, and Dorian songs? (c) Shall England boast no more, in order'd clans. Her owls from Athens, and her Delian swans ? (a) First printed in May, 1796. (ft) Athenaei Deipnosophist: L. 14. p. 617. Ed. Casaub. (c) The subject of Greek Literature is resumed. See the conclusion of the Secoud Dialogue. N 3 . 178 Is no memorial left of ancient fame, No dirge funereal, nor o?ie Grecian game F AUTHOR. There is : lo, learned ClCtltSt i» sable stole. Graceful in years, pant eager for the goal ! [a) Old Norb'ry [b] starts, and with the seventh-form (c) boys In weeds of Greek the church-yard's peace annoys,10 With classic Weston, (cc) Charley Coote, and Tew, In dismal dance about the mournful yew. [d) (fl) I allude to the rage for translating Gray's Elegy into Greek verse, by so many combatants for the prize, of whom more in the f^-llowing notes. (&) The ReTtrend Doctor Norbury, late one of the assistants and now one of the fellows (or old Oot/s) at Eton, published the first Greek translation of the Elegy. (c) In Eton School there are but six forms for the boys.— These Reverend Divines, it seems, have only taken cne step since they left school. (cc) The Rev. Stephen Weston, a man of much inge- nuity, of great classical knowledge, and skill in various languages. 179 But first in notes Sicilian {e) plac'd on high, Bates sounds the soft preluding symphony ; (d) Monsieur Peltier (Editor of the Tableau de Paris, &c.) favoured me with the following record and extract, which I give in his own French terms, as they are very significant and forcible. ' " Place de la Traduction. "Jean Norbury, Docteur en Theologic, Chanoinc et *' Associe a Eton, ^gc soixante et huit ans. " Etienne Weston, Bachelier en Theologle, Abbe, " Voyageur, Versificateur, ci devant Rectcur. jigc cinquante " ans. " Charles Coote, * Docteur en Theologie, Doien Irlan- " dois. ^^"-t' cinquante et deux ans, selon Ic registre. " Edouard Tew, Bachelier eu Theologie, Chanoine et " Associe a, Eton. ^«c' cinquante et sept ans. *' Guillotines « /rt GrfC(/«e, '25 Floreal Quifttidi, 1796. " Extrait du Reghfre de la Guillotine Litcraire." N. D. " Us sont monies sur r echaffaut avec assez de courage ',d " dix-hcurcs el u)i quart du matin leurs teles sont tomhes." Extrait du Rapport fait au conseil des anciens, par I'Executeurde la haute justice literaire. * P. S. J'ai rc^ue une lettre ties obligoante de la part dc Monsieur Peltier, dont j'ai la plus haute cunsideration, qui in'a inforine, qu'il y a une petite nioprise dans le Registre aa sujct de Monsieur lo Doctelr Coote, Traduc(eur eelebre. Qu'il n'etoit pas Doien Irlandois, (& par consequent grand rheo- logien,) mais Docteur en Droit Civil en Angleterre, Ires inslruit dans lagrammuirc C'/vcg^^e. Monsieur Peltier avec le zele le plus N 4 edifiaut 180 And in sad cadence, as the bands condense. The curfew tolls the knell oi parting Sense. (e) Notes Sicilian. — Jo.vn Bates, Esq. as an old Etonian, and once Fellow and Tutor of King's College, Cambridge, was so obliging as to offer himself as Musical Conductor on the occasion. Some persous may think, that the " notes Sicilian''* allude to the Ap;^£TE IwsXjJcaj ru ttikSw,-, ap;:^£Te Mwo-ac* but they are no musicians, if they think so. Mr. Bates's judgment natu- rally led him to adopt the Siciliana for this famous solemnity, as it is a movement slower and more marked than the Giga. While the Siciliana was playing, the combatants before they entered the lists, approached the Critic's throne moving in a sort of measured step. The Rev. Mr. Naues, (editor of the British Critic, and in my estimation, and 1 believe in that of every Member of Lincoln's Inn, a gentleman of worth, learning and ability, and to whom not the slightest disrespect is here intended) was appointed the judge or BpccSivi on the occasion, and beheld them without emotion, though the sight was luxuriant in the extreme. O'er their warm checks, and rising bosoms move The bloom of^o»«o- desire, and purple light of love! Had cdifiantpour laverite, etavec beaucoup d'onctiou, m'a prie de corriger le registre et la poesie la. dcssus ; et m'a informe, que Monsieur Nares, autcur tres aimabio en son genre, eteditcur de I'ouvrage pcriodique, The Ihilish Critic^ la voulut aussi avec beaucoup d'empressement. Malheureusement c'est im- possible; et j'ai repondu tres franchement : " Mon cher Pel- " tier, quand une fois la tete doctoralc est tombee ; eh! que *' faire?" {Nov. 1797) * Moschi Epit. in Dion. t. 1. 181 Nares (/) holds the prize, and stops the Doric din, Elmsley(of) without, and Rivington within ; The volumes are arrang'd in order meet. And all their ears erect these accents greet : 20 Had the combatants been political personages, I would hare described the whole game, and the characters ; and their speeches ill the poem. But 1 learned early from Cervantes the necessity of limitation and propriety in fiction; though this indeed is a mere record of a matter of fact. (/) I always admired the solemn irony, with which the Reviewers in The British Critic treated this Gra cian game among the old boys. It appeared to mc as if I saw their exercises looked over a.t Eton by Dr. Davies, who said, " >iorbury, you *' have done ;5re//^zi;e//," — " Tew, you hadafew faults, hnt« ^'little more spirit than Norbury ;" — " Westoa, you have *' translated with some elegance, but you have no authority fot ^^ your genitive absolute.''— -^^ Master Coote, I think you *' have one false quantity, but it is a doubtful syllable, and I shall iiassit this time.'" It is something odd, that a Westmin- ster man, (I mean Mr. Narus,) should be the Judge of thesa old Eton boys. (g) Elmsley* and Rivington, two London booksellers, one famed for shrewdnessj and the other for orthodoxy ; very proper » I know not why I should withhold thcTcstimonia Doctorum to Mr. Elnisley. To begin ; — " Mr. Elmslcy^ whose ze;'." -r *'hi$ Author can never be suilicicntly commendea," >: — 182 •• Hail, my fond masters of the Grecian lyre ! ** Hear a Reviewer's verse yourselves inspire : " These books are yours,{oh, heed my tuneful voice) ** Take 'cm, or (/) damn 'em, as best suits 3-our choice ; proper assessors to tue Critic. IMr. Elmsley was stationed at fkc door to keep the peace among the combatants, who were r^lhcr noisy and troublesome from their number. AfterM'ards Mr. Ehnsley took his seat with the Critic. The place of the meeting was tlie celebrated Musical Room in Hanover Square. Sec a subsequent note. (?) Bamri'em — *' This (word) is to be xmdcrstood in a verij *''^ sober ayid decent sense.^' See Bishop Warburton's notcon one of the concluding lines of Pope's Story of Sir Balaam, Moral Ep. Sec Mr. Bryant's Letter to Mr Richardson at the end. Hear likewise Mr. Gibbon : " Je trouvedans leUbraire Klmslej/, un ••' Conseiller ^ag-e, .ii«^#/"//2Y, ei discrct.^' Mr. Gibbon to Mr. Deyverdun. Letters, vol. 2. 4to. p. 596. Again : " I was " jyroi/d and happij^ if I could prevail on Elmslcj/, to enliven *^' the dullness of the evening." lb. p. 653. Booksellers of reputation have been always mentioned with respect; the Sosii by Horace, audTrypho by Qulntilian : Mr. Tonson is recorded by a man of talents,* Mr. Eecket by Sterne, Mr. Elmsley by Mr. Bryant and Mr. Gibbon, and finally by his humble servant, the Author of the Pursuits of Literature. * George Stcevcns, Esq. editor of ShakspcarCj in his Preface to the Poet's works. 183 *' For some are new, some foolisbj and some old, " Some pert in calf, and some in sheets are bold. ** Twelve British Critics, new or little read ; " Horsley's chaste sermon, [k] and his copper head; Ep. 3.T. 401. Pope's Works, edit. Warb. 8vo. vol. 3. p. 269. *' The devil and the king divide the prize;" zdikh line the bishop with the utmost gravity declares to be " a satire only on *' such ministers ©f state, which history informs us have been *' found, who aided ^/je (/er// in his temptations, in order to, &c. *' «fcc." See the remainder of the note. This it is to be a commen- tator on a mere badinage ! ! I There certainly arc books which may make a Reviewer or a Di\ine swear a little ; and I readily excuse Mr. Nares (as I do Mr. Grubbin the farce) for being a little /ms/j/ in his expressions. Longinus (who gives cxccll-tit directions, in his treatise oa the sublime, for swearing to the best advantage) observes, *' Eo-Ttv s TO IvuKTBv T»v« 'OMOSAI i*.'ycc, ro ^s 7r«, xai Vu^p " H«» ((p' uv xajpwv, x** T»vof EVfxa." DeSubl. S. 16. The substance of which may be this: ^^ Szocar'ing considered in itself, " and without reference to the matter and the manner, is by *' no means an accomplishment, or asourceof (he sublime, and " should never be introduced, but in the proper place and occa. " siou, and then only upon the most urgcntmotivesand for the " strongest reasons." From all which it 'appears, that disci- pline and instruction in this art are necessary, before a man can swear as a gentleman, a scholar, an orator, or a man of fashion. Therefore no man should ever swear at random in con- versation. See the Rev. Dr. Longinus's Sermon, ae above, in totoi to which the Rev. Mr. Nares certainly paid due attention. 184 *' Letters from Alciphron (/) to cool love's flame, '* And prove Greek whores and English just the same ; (k) Sec his Sermon before the Magdalens, (in 4to) on April 2'2, 1795. I wi!;h the Bishop had put an appendix (as the fashion is)to explain a little of it, tho-igh in some places it isrer^ iiitcLligible. — For instance, in the fullowing jiassage, page 6. '' Numberless and ravishing arcthe beauties which the mortal *' EYE beI\oIds, in the various works of creation and of art : " elegant and of end'ess variety the entertainments which arc " j;;or/Jerf for the ear: icheiJier it delight to listen to the " sober narratives of history, or the wild fictions of romance ; " "kether it hearken to the grave lessons of the moralist) to " (he abstruse demonstrations of science, the round periods of *' eloquence, tlie sprightly ^flourishes of rhetoric, the smooth " numbiTs and bold flights of poetry, or catcli (he enchanting ^'' sounds of harmony ; that poetry, which sings of (somcthingj; " that harmony m hich funs (one thing) and icafts (another) " \c. (Src." And as if the Bishop had not bvcn plain enough^ he begins again; " Infinite is the multitude oi pleasurable *' forms which" do, as before observed. The reader will allow, he never before met with so much recondite truth, diversifiod with such beautiful and discrimi- iialiiig epithets. The Bishop might as well have said : " What '"'■ a iharining place' Londox is! what varieties and entertain- " mcnts arc provided for the eye and ear. First, there's the " llousi' of Lords, then, AV^estminster Abbey, then the Opera " House and the Pla}-housc. There is Doctor Gillies who " jirovidcs sober histori/, and Mrs. Smith, uild romance ; there '* is Mr Pitt with his round eloquence, and Mr. . Erskinc "absolutely fc nting in sprightly flourishes; there arc " Scotchmen 185 " The Hymns, that Taylor, (m) England's gentil© priest, *' Sung spousal at fairPsyche's marriage feast; 32 *' Scotchmen teaching grave morality and Greek ; Dr. Huttoii '' with abstruse demonstrations /zoci' all things made themselves; ** there is Mr. Jerningham with his smooth numbers, and " Doctor Tasker with his bold tli jhts ; jNIadame Banti at the *' Opera, and (he little children at the Foundling: there are, ^< &c. &c. &c." All this might do well enough at a polite devotional lounge, at some fashionable warm chapel from a popular preacher ; but I am really ashamed that Bishop Horsley should condescend to write, and pronounce ex cathedra, such trivial school-boy declamation about nothing at all, and then publish it. Men in high station and of high talents, (like Bishop Horsley) should be careful, rery careful, how they lessen t em elves by their own words and works ; and if Eishop Horsley goes on in this Style, and as he has done in several of his later productions, whatever his politics may be, he certainly never will incur the danger of Tha Second Philippic. (/) Alciphron's Epistles ; in which are described the do- mestic manners, the Courtezans and the Parasites of Greece; translated from the Greek. (m) Thomas Taylor, translator of Plotinus, parts of Plato, the fable of Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius, Hymns, &c. the would-be re torer of unintelligible mysticism and superstitious pa^an noascase/ All that lauiblichus revealed to iEdo^ius Mr. 18(5 " The alphabet in Greek by R. P. Knight ; (w) *« Some rules for men to think and study right; " An Eton Foolscap, \\ ith the game of goose " Printed liy Pote, types large, and cover loose ; " An Education Sermon, rather long, " By Doctor Parr, all in the vulgar tongue ; " Last, Horsley'smastcr-piece,(;z«)and merry plans, " To accent right (he goods of courtezans. 40 Mr. Taylor, in conjunction with Dr. Darwin, might solve the following problem : " WiiETiitii « Platonic idea, hovering *' to the right on the orifice of chaos, might drive an-fii/ the " squadrons of dcmocralical atoms ?^' Rabelais, at the end of book 5. Questions Philesophiqucs. For my own part I am not disposed to go any further, as Lycophron, Cassand. v. 14. expresses it, Ao^uy i^ vit^oo^i ivuv. (n) An analytical Essay on the Greek Alphabet^ by R. P. Knight — P. may stand for Payne or Priapus Knight, in allusion to his Essay on the Worship of Priapus. (nn) Sec a Treatise on the Prosodies of the Greek and Latin Languages, dedicated to Lord Thurlow by (Bishop Horsley). 1 allude to the Bishop^ s pleasant comment, p. 47, so universally admired, on the Attic Law, Eraipa X?^"'^"'- " ^ofotn, ^r,^oa-ioc, ta-rut My gallantry forbids me to use any accents ai all upon ihse iadies, especially since the Bishop has shewn me, how dangerous it 187 '* Xor books alone attend the Conqueror Bcirci\ " Him shall await a more siibhme reward : " Not the coarse joy a Grecian once could feel, " Apples [o] for sauce, or parsley for his veal. it is to meddle with them. In this short passage there are four personages virtually concerned ; Alexander Aphrodisiensis, Aris- totle, Venus, and Bishop (a) Horsley II!! I assure hisLordship, I have]as great an affection, as human infirmity will allow, for an Oxyton, a Paroxyton, or ercn a Pro-par-oxyton ! Ladies never before knew the political importance of an accent. While I am upon this Episcopal and Cyprian subject, I maj observe that Proclus has a singular remark in his Chrestoraa- thia, as preserved by Photius ; Mnh ret Ku:r;»a nPOnAPOHYTOXns (o) Apples, &c. — There is noz:^ an affectation in modern 1/oung gentleinen, as soon as they have left school or college, particularly in young la^yye^s and boy-members of parliament, of forgetting their Greek^ if they ever knew any. I shall therefore without ceremony remind them of the ancient rewards in (a) I shall express my opinion of Bishop Horsley, as a priter, in the words of Erasmus; " Ex libris deprehendi " hominem esse ardentis ingen:i, varis lectionis, et multas *^ memoriae, alicubi tamen maj ore c ipia quam delectu, ac *' dictione tumuUuosa mngis quam composita.*'* Erasm. Ep. 1218. {b) Biblioth. pag. 984. ed. 1C53. 188 " Or beverage drawn from spruce, or mountain pines, *' With oil from Pisa's olive, when he dines ; " No ode to praise the binding of his books, (/>) " No print fromSheifield of historic cooks, *' Of beauteous Gibbon's fair proportion'd shape, [q) " An old baboon, or foetus of an ape; 50 in the Grecian games J which consisted of some apples conse- crated to Apollo in the Pythian, of a chaplet o( parsley in the Nemacan, of an olive garland in the Olympic games, and of a wreath of /9e/?e-leavesin the Isthmian solemnity. (p) I am sure Pindar very seldom had so good a subject for his deep mouth. Mr. White of Fleet-strect, and Mr. Edwards of Pall-mall, booksellers, would furnish me with much better materials for an ode than Pindar's, in their florid descriptions (so animating to purchasers) of gorgeous binding, little Dr. Gosset's milk-xchite vdlum, and all it's insignia. (1796.) {q) See in the title page to the posthumous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esq. in 2 vol. 4to. published by Lord ShelTield, an engraving of The Histoiiian of the Roman Empire, which his lordship declare, to be " as coniplste a likeness of Mr. "• Gibbon, as to person, face, and manner, as can be con- *' ceived III" I have no doubt of Lord S.'s friendship for Mr. Gibbon, but why hang np his friend in efiigy to the ridicule of the present age and of all posterity? " Figuram animi magis quanj 189 " No robe, that waves in many a Tuscan fold ; *' No lawn, that wraps a bishop from the cold ; " But fine broad cloth, in choicest fashion wrought, " By modern hands to full perfection brought ; ^' quam corporis complectantur."* said Tacitus; and coulJ Mr. Gibbon have seen this print, he certainly would have wislicd such a simulacrum vultus as this, to be imbccillum ct mortale.) or in plain English, to sec the impressions burned and the plate braketj. I just remind all collectors of prints, that there are to bch:id not only the heads of Dr. Gillies, and other historic cooks, of Dr. Denman the man.niidwife, of Mr. William Coxe, traveller and friend to half the crowned heads in Europe, uith his age at the bottom of the print, and of other great personages ; but there arc still left some choice proof impressions of the striking head and likeness of Mr. John Farley, principal cooic at the I^ondon Tavern, to be purchased separate from his great culi- nary work, being all that were left unsubscribed for by the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, by the East India and Bank Directors, and by Mr. Pitt and the Klder Brethren of the Trinity- House. But I cannot ascertain the age of Mr John Farley, which is a matter of the last importance, and for which I am truly sorry. The Homeric jucundlty from Martial should have been the motto to our modern Mislyllus ; " Si tibi Mistijllus cocus, ^railiane, vocatur : *' Diceturquare nou T''arat all(i\ mihi? Mart. Ep. 1. 1. The * Tacit. Vit. Agric. Sect. 46. •f M»3-ry?.Aov T'aj3« rx'^Xoc, xt\ Hom. II. jHlss^ifn, O 190 " 'Tis His, — " to wear four Sundays in the Park (!XaToj J.o'Ptv.^ by the late Dr. Cook, Provost of King's College, published when he was almost a boy, has peculiar merit. I will add here, that if any young man of genius, classical learning, and poetical ardour, would present the world with a Greek translation of Akknside's *' Hymn to the Naiads,'" and submit it to the correction of an experienced Greek scholar before publication, he might establish a learned and honourable reputation for himself, and add another composition worthy of Homer or of Callimachus. Sic liceat magnas Graiorum implerecatervas! Compositions in Gtreck or Latin handed about in private circles of friends are indeed useless, but free from much reprehension, though at best rather idle in men of a certain, age. But when mex, dignified by their years and their sacred profession, the youngest having passed his fiftieth^ and the eldest entering his sixty eighth year, appear as rival candidates for public fame from the translation of some excellent English verses into their ot^n Greek ; what can we say ? *^ Tunc cum ad caniiieni, tunc, tunc, ignoscerc— Xolo.'' (1796.) PcrsiMs. O 4 196 Short he; their folly : let example tell Their life, their morals pure, and all is \veU. But should proud churchmen vie in sumptuous halls. In wines and soups, Carthusian Bacchanals, Nor think th' unwieldy superflux to shake. Where curates starve, and helpless orphans quake ; Wav'ring I ask, in this dark scene beneath, "^Vhy lightnings scathe yon desolated heath ? (y) (9f) The unboonded luxury and extravagance of the French and Italian Ecclesiastics should be a warning to the priests and ministers of all Christian altars, however dignified or distin- guished, of -whatever church or of whatever persuasion. Mankind will know, and value them bi/ their fruits. " For " NOAv is the axe laid to the root of the trees, and kvery " TTvEE zi-hich bringeth not forth good fruit zcill (most '* assuredly) be hewn doTcn."" This is the warning voice which should be heard, and heard aloud, in assemblies frequent and full, in all churches and in all ca!:hi;drals; but chief in those twin. sisters of learning, the Universities of England, Oxford and Cambridge, which pan be supported on those principles alone, on which they were founded, and b7/ zchich they have flourished. ffhile YovR place mai/j/et bcjound^ I will honour and will hail you both, " Mothers 197 And hark the voics has thunderVl : and the word. Borne on the blast, a trembhng world has heard 82 In consummation dread ! the bonds of Rome Are burst, and Babylon's prophetic doom. With more than mortal ruin headlong cast. Proclaims the measure full : she groans her last ! From climes where Piety no more was found. Where Superstition wither'd all around. The rights of nature barr'd, by hcav'n resigned To vile affections, in corruption blind, 90 While, in the terrors of the world beneath. Permitted fiends of darkness round them breathe; Britain securely fix'd, invites from high With charity's sedate unalter'd eye : *' Mothers of arts And eloquence, native to famous wits, Or hospitable in youu sweet recess, City or suburban, studious walks and shades !*" J3ut chief with pious gratitude, and with filial roverenca^ Salve, idi-G^TA Paueks ! (1796.) * Milt. P. Reg. b. 4. x. eiO. The sacred, cxil'd, melancholy band. Passing from death and France, revere tlie land. Where streams of inexhausted bounty pour, And Christ still reigns, and Ingots are no more, [z] AUTHOR. Blest be the voice of mercy, and the hand Stretch'd o'er afiliction's wounds with healing bland. In holiest sympathy ! our best of man Gave us to tears, ere misery began. 102 Yet panse : " for mere {zz) Good-nature [a] is " a fool," Now slave to party, and now faction's tool; Attend, nor heedless slight a poet's name : Poet and prophet once were deem'd the same. (c) I alludo to the grand emigration of French priests and others to England, at the late Revolution in France. (1796 ) (?;) AV'e must remember, that the rery frame and spirit of the laws, ordinances, and constitution of England are in the moat direct opposition to the Romcm Catholic religion^ and all it'sdoclrincs, jJiacHces, opinions, superstitions, and tyranny. I ma 199 Say, are these fertile streams thus largely spread, A filial tribute o'er a mother hcdf Say, are these streams (think, while avails the thought) To Rome through Gallic channels subtly brought ? [aa] I am astonished that we can forget tlicir hi?torj and effects. I know what has been dyne in other countries. The only hospitable and unsuspecting asylum for thoir priests and professors has been, and is, in England. On their expulsion from the continent, and their reception In this kingdom, under powerful protection and systematic influence, a warning voice may be heard, not without effect. This is the sole reason of all which I am about 0v The Dean might smile, ^vhcn you with happiest care 'f Locke on the Human Understanding : Qaintllian's Instltu- ' tions. — Grotius de Jure ])C'lIi et pacis ; Woollaston's Religion ' of Nature ; Cumberland on the Law of Nature; Cudworth's 'Intellectual System. — Mairnonidcs Buctor Dubitantium; 'Spencer de Is into tue TEMPLE. P 2 But 208 Blend riorsle}'*s acid with the cream of Blair; You'd rise at last. But Iflhe reader !s disposed to attend to the humbler suggestions of a very private layman on this subject, I think he would find great advantage in studying and considering the following works in English, (which are very kw in number,) and in the order in which they arc arranged, i. The View of the Internal Evidence of the Christian Religion, by Soame Jenyns, Esq. 2. The Evidences of Christian! cy, in three parts, by W. Paley, D. D. 3. Giotius on the Truth of the Christian Kciigion, in anij translation. 4. The Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, by Dr. Samuel Clarke. 5. Mr. Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity, particularly the latter part of the tiact. 6. Bishop Hurd's Introduction to the Study of the P.ophecies. 7. Lord Lyttlcton's Dissertation on the Con- version of St. Paul, and 8. Dr. Butler's Analogy of Religion, Natuial and Revealed, to the constitution and course of nature. From these feic volumes, if they are studied with care and with an upright intention, I think it may be said, that •* They ** shall see, to whom he was not (before) spoken of; and ** they that have not (before) heard, shall understand." These volumes are the works of laymen as well as of divines ; and if I am not mistaken, I think 1 perceive the following connection in the short plan which I have offered. I. Mk. Ji-NY.N's's Virw prepares the mind to think worthily of the Religion which is proposed, and demonstrates that there is the highest reason to believe and conclude, that it's origin is from above, and not from man. 2. Dn. Paley's View of the subject displays, confirms, and establishes the direct historical evidence and proof, with all the plainness and candour of which it is capab'e, and independent of the particular tenets oi any church or s€ct. 3 and 4. Grotius and Dr. Cr.ARKE present to us the faith, ery, and di.stress^ Avhichhave been since felt by France and by all Euro[)e. It is impossible that Dr. Moore or any other man of sense, can be an advocate for their presents}stem. I disiilvc also the perpetual ridicule which Dr. Moore throws upon /a7t'(///«/j/ honour, at a time like the present. (IVdO.) 21C Godwin's dry page (/}) no statesman e'er believ'd, Tlioiigh fiction aids, wliat sophistry conceiv'd: (/)) I have given some attention to Mr. Godwin's work, '• OS Political Justice," (_«) as conceiving it to be the code ef improved modern ethics, morality, and legislation. J confess I looked not for the republic of Plato, nor even for the Oceana of Harrington, but for something diflerent from them all. I looked indeed for a superstructure raised on the revolutionary ground of equalityj watered with blood from the guillofine; ^iid such I found it. I cannot discuss a Avork in two large volumes in a note, Cthough some would dispatch it with a single word) but in general I can speak as much of it, as it deserves, in a short compass ; I mean, as k appears to me. Ad terras comitata cadentera Jam signet muros ultricis semita flammoe ! (b) The firsl trait of the work is a certain cold-blooded indiffe- rence to all the mild, pious, and honourable feelings of our common nature, like all the Philosophers of the new Sect. The next thing observable, is a most affectionate concern and regard for the welfare of mankind, who are to exist some centuries hence, when the endless pcrfidibilitij of the human species (for such is their jargon) shall receive its completion upon earth ; when the disciples of Dr. Darwin have learned to manage the zcinds and direct their currents at pleasure, and the descendants of Abbe Sieyes have calmrd the waves of % stormy people with the essential oil of democracy. Another trait is, that all political Justice is essentially founded upon injustice; if plunder, robbery, and spoliation of all property {a) First published in 2 \oV\ Ho; and since in 2 vols. Svo. {b) Stat. L. xi. V. 3. 217 Genius may droop o'er Falkland's faneral cry ^ property in the ont':et may be termed injustice;* though to lie sure thi' ktter end of his commonwealth rather forgets the beginning. But I must say, he is not without some kind of apprehe'ision, that the population of states may be too great, under the blessings of an equal diffusion of property in the proposed government, for which he proTides a remedy ; though, for my own part, I think such a government, like Saturn of old, will be reduced to the necessity of eating up its children. Again : another discovery seems to be, that as hitherto we have had recourse to the agency and interference of the Deity, and nis unalterable laws, to account even for the fall of a stone to the ground, the germination of a blade of grass, or the propagation of the meanest insect ; we are nozc to discard the superintendence of God in human and terrestrial aflairs, and to believe in no providence but our otcn^ and to re-make ourselves and our faculties. lie seems to realize a modera fiction I once read, which supposes an assembly of certain philosophers before the Deity, when some of them are said to whisper in his ear, " Between friends, wc do not believe that *' Tou exist at all." Further: as to suppose a divine sanction without a divinify would be absurd, therefore, every insfitution such as marriage, which in all civilized nations has been hallowed for the great end for which it was ordained, is to be vilified, ridiculed, argued away, and abolished. The tender sex, deprived of tho support, comfort, and protection of their natural guardian, is * i, e. If jMr. Godv/in's principles are to be adopted in any country, where propc. i.y is noic secured hj/ lite laics. S218 No patriot weeps wlien gifted villains die. 180 is to be dilivrird ovr to fanciod freedom and wild iiidfi- pendcncc, but iu reality to misery and destitution beyond all calculation. Then by way of corollary, a few vulgar virtues and once .honourable affections, as piety to parents, and love to childreu, as such, arc to be erased from the breast. Gratitude for kindness, and tears for tlic unfortunate, are but weakness: there is nothing sootliin* in compassion, and friendship has no consolation. It would seem, that a well of water, an apple tree, or any th'ng productive., is more vahiable than man to man, abstracted from the mere use which one man can derive from another. " These are thy gods, O Israel, and this is the *' worship to wlilch you arc called !" Nevertheless I shall still venture to mention, with reverence and humility, the guf.At moral code intended for all man- Icind, once delivered and ratified by IIim, zchn knew zchat zvas inman. In that code all is practicable, all virtue is founded in mercy, kindness, benevolence, and comfort, alike to him that gives and him that takes. There man plants; and God, not man, gives the increase. Tliere we find no wild supposition of an interest w hich cannot be described, as it does not exist ; no course of aclions is proposed, without a motive direct and reflected. I speak here of perhaps the least part of the Gospel Code, even of that Revelation which was given unto men iu a manner at once clear aad perspicuous, pure and xmmixcd, uniform and consistent, persuasive and convincing, powerful and author it at it' e, in the name and in tlie majesty of Him \nio IS from everlasting to everlasting, The Almightv ! But if we regard mere human institutions ; if a man wishes fo see a practicable system of polity and government, founded and confirmed in the experience of ages, let him, if he has been iiwhilcled astray by (he meteors of Godwin, walk for a season in 219 Who now reads Parr? whose title who shall give ? in the steady light which I'lackstonc has diffused. Lctliim stiidj' his unequalled Coinincntarics on thcKnglish Laws, as they exist and uphold all that is valuable, or perhaps attainable, in a rational .and civilized nation ; and then let him conifider the theories of Godwin on political Justice, and contemplate the government which would be raised on his principles. To rae there seems to be no more comparison than between light g,nd darkness. What the great Burnet* affirms of the Deist and the Atheiijt, considered merely as two sects in philosophy, is, I am convinced, not wholly inapplicable to the two political Sects ia q^ucstion. *' The hypothesis of the Deist reaches from the top to the bottom, both through the intellectual and material world, with a clear and distinct light every where ; is genuine, comprehensive, satisfactory; has nothing forced, nothing confused, nothing precarious. Whereas the hypothe^jis of the Atheist is strained and broken, dark and uneasy to the mind, commonly prccarioits, often incongruous and irra- tional, and sometimes plainljj ridiculous.'" I can allow Mr. Godwin, and other si>ecHlative writers on government to be ingenious. They must in the course of their investigation, now and then throw out a neto idea, but in general the greatest part of their works consists of very old ideas, which have been discussed again and again. They astonish by paradoxes, and allure the imagination by prospects without a limit; and when they have alternately heated and confounded the minds of men, thi'y call them to the great z:ork, namely, the subversion * IJurnct's Theory of the earth, b. 2. ch. 10. -See the tentti and eleventh chapters of that great man's w^ork : " On the Author of Nature, and on Natural Providence." Th^-se twy chapters form a master treatise on reason and eloquence : I vriib they were publisljcd in a separate pamphlet. 220 Doctor Sententious hight, or Positive r (s) subversion of, what tlicy call, prejudices, and tlic overthrovr uf (ho governinenf, z::tiich fs : Iv NosTRos FaurIcata Kst machixa Muros. I can laugh at their metaphysics, and even be amused with their pantomime fancies, as siicli. But when I know- that their theories arc designed to be brouglit into action, and when they tell us, that they hate violence, l)lood-shed, revolution, and misery, and that truth and happiness are their objects; I open my eyes to sec, and my cars to hear; and having honestly exerted both faculties, I declare, from private conviction and from public experience, that I oppose the admission of their doctrines, whether recommended by Thomas Paine, or William Godwin. Perhaps indeed, " Hujusmodi ** Gives, improbos in rcmpublicam ct scditiosos, a Censore *' melius est, quamaPoetanotari." (a) Yet a moment. Take Mr. Godwin as a natural philosopher, and from his doctrines let the reader consider the state of his understanding. Let him also consider, how such a man is qimlified uot merely to reform, but first to overthrow and then to rebuild, the whole system of government, morality, and religion in such a kingdom as Great Britain. What opinion can we entertain of a man Avho seriously thinks that, at some future period, the necessity oi sleep in an animal body may he superseded: - that wen die merely by their ozin fault andmisma- nageinenlAi\xi^i\\dit the immortality of the organized human body as it is noAV formed, might be attained by proper attention and care; — orwho thinks''' that,hereafterilis by nomcans clear, that *' the most extensive operations may not be within the reach of " one man, or to make u^e oixf ami liar instance, that a plough *' may not he turned into a fields andpcrjvrm iVso£icCjV:ithQut ''the (a) Cicero Fragm. de Repnblica, Lib. 4. ap. Angustin. d* Civit. Dei, L. 9. C. 9. '221 From Greek, or French, or any Roman ground, '* the need of superintendence V.l'''' and then adds, ^' \ivfA$inthis '* sense that the celebrated Franklin conjectured, that Mind *' wonld one day become omnipotent over matter'.!! (a) Surely we may say with the {loet of Epicurus: Naturdi Perturbatur ibi totum sic corpus, et omncs Commutcintur ibi posituhvE pkincipjorlm. (b) I have referred to the last edition of Mr. Godwin's work, as he has corrected or omitted many passages which were in the 4to edition. If he will but go on with more last thoughts^ 1 think he will shortly reduce it to a very little pamphlet. I could make sucha collection of Beauties (or what Rabelais might call *•' Antidoted Conundrums''^) from this work, as would dazzle €vena modern philosopher, whose " mind is omnipotent Over matter," in Mr. Godwin's and Dr. Franklin's sense. I think these Beauties would form an a-semblage of the most curious and incongruous ideas ever exhibited, fully suf- ficient, (as Mr. Godwin exprc^sesit) to " rou^e (any man) from " the LETiiAiinic OBUVious Pool out of zshich every finite in- " fellect originally rose!'' (c) Good Heaven! what can Mr. Godwin mean by such ideas, and such words! cxcQipthe seriously believes that human souls are dipped in the river of oblivion, or drink of that stream as described by Virgil. Yet even this will nothelp, or explain Mr. Godwin's words, for he says, that they *' omoiNALLT rose from the oblivious pool.'" Into Avhat whirlpools of desjlarip.g nonsense are z:e to be hurried, as the sport, the scorn, the ludibria, tlie puppets of theseNeic Creators of the morulzzorldl Alas for man! wlijierer they •) Godnin, v. 2. p. ^P J. cd. Svc {b^ r,ucret.L. 4. v. 670. (t) God\un, V. 2. p. 88. 8to. ed. Q In mazy progress and eternal round, they lead us and themselves, mcthiuks it is deeper and deeper, confusion worse confounded. The furtht-r I proceed, the more I Icarn to distrust swelling nicn, and swelling words, and swelling ideas, but aboTC all in political subjects, from which most is to be dreaded. Political writers of this class arc not to be considered as th» speculators of former times. The lucubrations of Montesquieu and Locke, so unjustly and so foolishly decried of late by some weak, though well- meaning persons, were given as the result of long experi- ence and of continued meditatiort. The works of these great men were not designed to produce subversion, but shv: and gradual reformation, as the various states of Europe would admit it. The writers of these days, on the contrary, throw out their ideas af a hcat^ and intend they should be brought into immediate action. They are not friends " to the world, nor the '• world's law." I would earnestly and zealously inculcate it again and again, that whatever may be held forth to us, or disguised, by these philosophers, neither their plans, nor their reforms, nor their systems, can ever be erected or established in the kingdom of Great Buitain, but upon the overthrow of the Christian Religion, and upon the annihilation, or the disturbarice of all orders and ranks in society, as they now exist. We may also be fully assured, that this cannot be effected, but through the necessary and unavoidable medium of plunder, conliscation, revolutionary diurnal murders, and the insurrection of the enterprising talents of gifted, bold, and bad men, upon all FKOPERTY, public and private, upon which all modern Revolutionists rest as their corner stone, and their final hope. I will add, that to such of my readers as are conversant ia those authors of antiquity whose precision^ of thought and of language, 'JQ3 Uuotatr(>hs dance, and wonder at their place. Buzz through his v/ig, and give the bush more grace ; But on the oath, that modcstTucker {t) swore. Parr wisely ponder'd; and his oath forbore. He prints a sermon: [tt] Hurd with judging eye Reads, and rejects with critic dignity: IQO language, has Conferred dignity and stability dn those principles by which all that is sacred, or venerable, or n^efiil, or necessary to -well-being is maintained, I would ofter the following Avords of an ancient Christian Philosopher in the early ages. The uncer- tainty, and weakness, and ftitility of modrn and revived doctrines were never better exposed, nor expressed. HJ») y«p /xoj «rxoToj ayyo*«j affavra, xa< aTarvj ^iXaf/tx,, x«i aTEtpo; w\av»), Jcat aTsXni ^avroKria, -koh ciKXTCcXrirrroi ayjoix. Tccvrtx. To^n* oiE|rjX9ov, ^aXofjuvo? d£i|«i Triv cv rotj Soyfjixaiv na-oc-j a'jruv svssvTiOTJjTsc, x«» It?? 6»j «.7r£»poy «UT0«5 x-oct ccofKTTOv "TTpoumv v ir\Tr,a-ig rm "Trfxyfiaruv, x.xi ro Gi^MUfJLiwv. (a) (1796.) If this note is too long, I hare no inclination to make any apology for it. My conviction and my fears on this most awful subject, (while it may i/et avail us to consider it) some- times overpower me, till I absolutely sink under them. It is written, I hope we all know where, •' FaojuEvo,' sv ayiviw EKTENEZTEPON vfoawX-ro.''* (c) Hcrmias Aiua-vfiju>^ (sive Irrisio) luv e|a) iXotta.ns,Q. verbiage (b) reminds nie of some persons in The Wasps of Aristophanes; Aj!)(^yAOfji.:Xr,a-i^tD>io(pfvnx,'yif»TX. (c) Or as Plautus expresses himself in one of his comedies ; *' Salva res est, philosophatnr quoque jam : " Quod erat ei nomcn? -^T'hesaurochn/wnicochri/sulci.^' (d) .The Doctor can construe all this, I believe, and the meaning of it. Dr. (a) Cic. de Fato, Sect. 8. (b) I hare boon misunderstood. I hold up none of Dr. Parr's Be-quii>edalia verba to ridicule ; it is his verbiage and phrase- ©logj which I reprobate. It would be ridiculous indeed to compare the Birmingham Doctor with Dr. SamuelJohnson. I am not his Biographer; it is not his life, but his writings which I criticise. What has Dr. Parr wri(tcin? A Sermon or two, rather long; a Latin Preface to Bcllcndimus, (rather long too,) con. sisting of a cento of Latin and Greek expressions applied to -political subjects; another preface to some English trac's, and two or three English pamphlets about his own private quarrels. And this is the man to be compared with Dr. Samuel Johnson!!! (Added 1797.) Why ana \ forced into a con- iirmatiou of my opinion stronger and stronger ? (e) 2(p»))CEf. V. 219 ((/) Captiv. a. 2. sc. 2. Q 3 22G Let him but wrangle, and in any shape Not insignificance itself can 'scape: Dr. Parr is so very learned, and has such a deep niouth, that some conjecture he was not born till the end of the eleventh month, like the great Gargantua; or Trfpun-Xojwsi/y maurou, at the end of a twelve-month, as Homer speaks («) of one of Nep- tune's children, and for which Anius Gellius ^ (a favourite author with Dr. Parr) gravely assigns a rsason, *' Convenisse *^ Neptuno majestaticiue ejus, ut longiore tempore satus ex eo *' grandesccrct." (&) E?r£» bk a.-!vaZw\m tuvxi AQavxTUjl A few months after the Doctor's birth, he was found, like Gargantua, to be " a fine boy, and had a biirfj/ phi/'iognomt/ i *' he monochordized with his fingers, and barytonized with hi^ " tail." Rabel. B. 1 . C. 7. This was a presage of the noise the Doctor was to make hereafter ; but from the nature of his boyish diet, (for his masters were stiled Tubal Ilolofernes and Ponocratcs Mataeologus) it appeared that he Avas better fed than taught. If the child wanted a bit of bread, or a slice of mutton, or any common vegetable, he was not suffered to have any, till he had cited all the Greek or Latin authors who had mentioned these ««??;?'«/ substances; Pliny, Athenjeus, Julius Pollux, Galen, Porphyrins, Oppian, Polybius, Dionysius Ilalicarnassensis, Heliodorus, Aristotle, Plato, Aulus Gellius, ^lian, Theo- phrastus,* and Dioscorides, down tq Buffon apd Sir John Hill. Thiif ■ ' -r (a) Odys. xi. v. 247. (k) Aul. Gell. Lib. 3. C. 16. (c) I recommend tp Dr. Parr the following passage from Theophrastus's History of Plants, whsch he will understand; wjcupao-* Toy criTov. Theophrast. Hist. Plant. Lib, 8. c. 7. 227 Horace and Coombc (.r) go forth, a gentle pair, Splendid and silly, to unequal war; 200 But while the midwife to Lucina prays, The Gorgon glares, and blasts the critic's bays. Parr prints «Pfl7)f?-: [ij) well: in all things equal, Sense, taste, wit, judgment; but pray read T/tc Sequel : This habit the Child never lost in his riper years, to the great edification of his hearers or readers, when he was furnished with pen and ink. "When he was advanced to the Doctorate, the Child was still the same, as appeared in his complimentary and satirical pre. face to Bellendenus, in which, as usual, he discharged all th« literary food he over ate, after the Greek fashion of his masters Tubal Ilolofernes and Poiiocrates Matseologus, and as prescribed by that great and consummate Theologian, '• Joan- " ninus de Barrauco in libro de copiositate reverentiarura," a writer who cannot be sufficiently recommended, and who is as u'ell knozcn as " Musambeutius in Commonitorio ad Ramiresium de Prado," quoted by Mr. Porson in the title page of his letters, to regale Archdeacon Travis. (x) Seethe ridiculous controversy between Dr. Parr and Dr. Coombe, about a pompous edition of Horace, published to be sure for no purpose that I can discover; which the Doctor Positivus mangled and destroyed in the British Critic without any mercy. See also Dr. Parr's strange Letter to Dr. C. on this occasion, signed " By an Occasional Writer in the British *' Critic." (1796.) (j/) Dv. Parr published at Birmingham what he called *' A printed Paper ;" and after that, " A Sequel to a printed ** Paper," a very large pamphlet^ de omni scibili, as usual. Q 4 I really «28 Sequel to what : the Doctor 6nly know* ; Morsels of politics, mOst Chosen pros6. Of Nobles, Priestley, Plato, Democrats, Pitt, Plutarch, Curtis, Burke, and Rous, and RatSi Tlie scene? 'tis Birmingham, renown'd afar At once for halfpence, and for Doctor Parr. 210 OCTAVIUS, Well if none read such works, yet all admire— ^ AUTHOR. The paper ? OCTAVIUS, Yes; ten shillings every quire: [a] I really think it impossible to point out any man of Icarnitig and ability, (and Dr. Parr has both,) who has hitherto wasted his powers and attainments in such a desultory, unmeaning, wild, unconnected, and useless manner, as Dr. Paru. '' In '' nullum reipublicce usum ambitiosa Iqquela indaruit.^^* I have done with him. (1796.) (a) I allude to and condemn the needlessly expensive manner of publishing most pamphlets, and books at thjs tlm^. See the Pursuits of Literature, Dial. I. If * Tacit. L. 4. Seei. 20. 229 The type is Buhner's, just like Boydell's phiys: So Mister Hayky shines in Milton's (6) rays. In one glaz'd gh\re tracts, sermons, pamplilets vi^ And hot-press'd nonsense claims a dignitv, AUTHOR. Nonsense or sense, I'll bear in any shape. In go^yn, in lawn, in ermine, or in crape: What's a fine type, where truth exerts her rule? Science is science, and a fool's a fool, 220 Yet all shall read, and all that page approve. When public spirit meets with public love : If the present rage of general printing on fine, creamy, wire-wove, hot-pressed paper is not stopped, the injury done to the eye fioai reading, and the shameful e^pence of the tooks, will in no very long tinv.' annihilate the desire of reading, and the possibility of purrh.iSing. Nd jieto zcork Vchatf Mr. ii.'s work. 230 Thus late (c) where })Overty with rapine dwelt, Kumford's kind genius the Bavarian felt. Not by romantic charities beguil'd. But calm in project, and in mercy {d) mild ; Where'er his wisdom guided, none withstood. Content with peace and practicable good ; Round him the labourers throng, the nobles wait. Friend of the poor, and guardian of the state. 230 Yet all shall read, (e) when bold in strength divine, Prelatic virtue guards the Christian shrine, (c) See the Experimental Essays, Political, Economical, and Philosophical, by Benjamin Count of Rumfoud, &c. &c. &c. I hope the Directors of the interior Government of this country will have the sense and wisdom to profit from this most valuable and important work, whose truly philosophic and benevolent author must feel a joy and self-satisfaction, far superior to any praise which man can bestow. ((/) A distinguishing feature in all his plans for the relief of the poor, the idle, the abandoned, and the wretched. The mode of conferring mercy, and apparent kindness, is not always mild and merciful. I have too much respect for my readers to enlarge on this virtue. May they all feel experi- mentally, that the merciful, in the true sense, shall obtain mercy ! (c) See the important, convincing, and eloquent Letters addressed to Thomas Paincj author of the Age of Reason, 2d part, 231 Pleas'd from the pomp of science to descend. And teach the people, as their hallowed friend. In gentle warnings to the unsettled breast. In all it's wand'rings from the realms of rest. From impious scoffs and ribaldry to turn. And Reason's age by Reason's light discern; Refix insulted truth with temper'd zeal. And feel that joy which Watson best can feel. 240 True Genius marks alone the path to life. And Fame invites, and prompts the noble strife. Her temple's everlasting doors unbarr'd ; Desert is various, various the reward : No little jealousy, no ill-tim'd sneer. No envy there is found, nor rival feiu*. part, by the Rt. Rev. Richard Watson, Bishop of Landaff. itjled, " An Apology for the Bible." Every person wishes, that the Bishop had changed, or would even now change, the word " Apology" to " Defence/' or any other; not that the word *' apology" is absolutely improper, but because the original meaning of it is obsolefe. To write such a book as this is to do a real service to mankind. A cheap edition of it is printed, and it is hop.d will be circulated throughout th» kingdom, I think that his '< Defence of Revealed Reliijiou" in two short 232^ ^Methiiiks on Babylon fond fancy dreanis, : Her vale of willows by the mournful streams. Where Hebrew lyres hung (a")mute ! O'er Sion'shill Blows the chill blast, and baneful dews distil, (^i^) short Sermons is of great merit and of general utility . Bishop Watson shonld often write, but with the utmost caution, accuracy, and consiJeratiou, because his works will always be read. I would also particularly recommend the perusal of the Sixth tetter of the Series of Letters which ihe Bishop addressed to Mr. Gibbon. To young men of fashion and of abilities, originally good, but obscured by libertine life and conversation, ft will be peculiarly serviceable ; as well as to those who are led astray by some modern pretended discoveries in natural philosophy, now a favourite mode of iutrodacing and cufbrciag scepticism and infidelity. In this place it is a circumstance worthy of solemn notice, that when Anaxagoras reasoned before Pekicles on the ceconomy and order of the universe, and the phoenomena of rature, the all-acc(jmplishcd Athenian was. led by the philo- sopher into a sobriety of thought and a settled devotion. It is thus expressed in the p( From isles of fragrance and Athenian fame, Sages and Bards in chissic pomp appear ! Bessarion, (//) and Philelpho'g (/) form severe; Marsilius (A) rob'd in olive, Plato's priest ; (/) Janus with treasures from the learned East ; And He, who from Eleusis flaming bore The torch of science to his native shore, (A) Cardinal Bessarion, a learned and eloquent prelatPj Iiunour^^d with the purjde bj Pope Eugcnius the 4th in 1439. For the most ample account of the restoration of Greek Jiferature in Italy, the reader must consult the learned Hodius de Graccis lllustribus, LipgujE Graecae Literarumque humanio- rum Instauratoribus, which may easily be procured; and, if convenient, Tiraboschi's History, which is voluminous. Tiraboschi was the Librarian at Modena. (e) Philelpho. A Profissor in various sciences in different parts of Italy, who introduced many curious Greek INISS. into that country ; a man of erudition, but turbulent and intractable inhistemper. " Ingenium vagum, multiplex, volubile." Soe also the Academic des Inscriptions, torn 10. p. 691—751. (k) Marsilius Ficinus, the great discipl« of Plato, whose doctrines exclusively occupied his attention, or rather devotion, and which appeared in all his conduct and conversation. (l) Janns T.ascarls, a man of eloquence and politeness, and of imperial descent. He was a literary missionary of Lorenzo, and 237 Fam'd Chrysoloras ; [m) and Landino {?i) bold. In studious shades high converse form'd to hold; Politian, {n?i) chief of all th' enlighten'd race In Lydian softness, and Horatian grace ; 282 Michael, (o) in full Pierian pow'rs erect. The sculptor, painter, poet, arcliitect. aud brought with him from tic cast a treasure of two hnndrcJ manuscripts. See also HocUiis do Grsecis Illustribus, p. 291. for several curious particulars. {m) Emanuel Chrysoloras, stiled by his contemporaries, the Patriarch of Literature, principally the Graecian. (?j) Christophero Landino, a Professor of Poetry and Rhe- toric in Florence, a writer of spirit and depth of knowledge; and author of a work, once celebrated, called the '* Dispiita- " tiones Camaldulenses," formed on a plan similar to the Tnsculan disputations. The scene is supposed to be a monastery in the wood of Caraaldoli. The account of it by Mr. Roscoe is particularly pleasing and judicious. Vol. 1, p. 103, ke. (nn) See Mr. Roscoe's account of that finished and polite scholar and poet, Angelo Politiano. It were an injury to al) ridge it. (y); Michael Angelo Buonarotti. I wish, however, to refer the reader again to Mr. Roscoe, v. 2. p. 201, &c. who gives animation to any subject, new or old; for I know not how it is, but it seems to me, IIciC AIt;S«iV:TO Je TlfixiMio WoXkj itan jiJif,- A;^«iwy* AuTiJta J' f| o^Eoj xaTE^>i(7«To ffanraXocVTOj. TPIS jx-y opsla-' iwy, TO AE TETPATON Ixiro TV/.fja;^ Atyccc, jvfia ^e « K^ura ^auxra BEN0ESI AIMNHS Horn. II. 13. V. 10. 543 THE PREFACE TO THE FOURTH AND LAST DIALOGUE {a) PURSUITS OF LITERATURE. i-'oMBRA SUA TOHNA cii'era dipartita ! Dantc. " Hear his speech, but saij thou nought.'* " But one word more ;~" *' lie zcill not be commanded !'* Macbeth. As I have now brought my Poem to the conclusion which I intended, it is proper and, as I think, respecttul to offer some considerations to the public, for whose use it was written. No imitation of any writer or of any poem was proposed, unless the adherence to the principles of just composition, and a general observation of the finished models of classical literature, be considered as such. In R 4 the (a) First printed in July 1797. Q44 the Preface to the First Dialogue I said, what I now repeat, that I would not have printed it, but from a full con- viction of It's tcfidency to promote the public welfare. My particular ideas on the natuie and subject of Satire I expressed clearly and fully in the Preface to the Second Dialogue, and under the influence and impression of those sentiments I wrote the work. I have since enlarged on that subject in the Introductory Letter to this Poem. In my Preface to the Tliird Dialogue, feeiirfg tlie importance ot my subject in it's various branches, I asserted that, •• Literature, well or ill con lucted, is the great " ENGINE by which all civiiizfd States must *' ultimately be supported or overthrown.'' I am now more and more deeply impressed wiih this truth, if we consider the nature, variety, and extent of the word Literature^ We are no longer in an age of ignorance ; and Informa- tion is not partially distributed according to the ranks, and orders, and functions, and dignities of social life. All learning has an index, and every science it's abridgment. J am scarcely able to name any man whom I consider as v^'holly ignorant. We no longer look exclusively for learned authors in the usual place, in the retreats ot academic erudition, and in the seats of religion. Our peasantry now read the Rights of Man on mountains, and moors, and by the way side ; and shepherds make the analogy between their occupation and that ol their governors. Happy indeed, had they been taught to make no other comparison. Our unsexed female writers now instruct, or confuse, us and themselves in the labyrinth of politics, or turn us wild with Gallic frenzy. But there is one publication of the time too peculiar, riiui too imporumt to be passed over in a general reprehen- sion. There is nothing with which it may be ci)mpared. A legislator in our own parliament, a member of the House of Commons ot Great Britain, an elected guardian and defender of the laws, the religion, and the good man- ners of the country, has neither scrupled nor blushed to depict, and to publish to the world, the arts of lewd and systematic seduction, and to thrust upon the nation the most open and unqualified blasphemy against the very code and volume of our religion. And all this, with his name, style, and title, prefixed to the novel or romance called *' The Monk." [l^] And one of our public theatres has allured • (h) " The IMonk, a llomance in three volumes by ?,I. Lc.vis, << Esq. M. P." ])nn(cd for Bell, Oxford-street. At first I tfcought that the name and title of the author were fictitions, %nd some of the ])ublic papers huited it. But I have been solemnly and repeatedly assured by the Bookseller himself, tti^^ it is the writing and publication of M. Lewis, Esq, .Member of Parliament. It is sulFicieni. for me to point out Chap. 7 of Vol. 2. As a composition, the work v, ouid liavo bccabi'ttcr, if the offensive and scandalous passages had been emitted, and it is disgraced by a diablerie and nonsense fitted (Mily iip frighten children in the nursery. I believe this Sevextii Chapter of Vol. 2. is indiciablo at Common Law. Fdunuul Curl in the first year of George Il» was prosecuted by the Attorney Gcn'jral (Sir Philip Yorkc, afterwards Lord Ilardwiekc) for printing two obscene bouks. The Attorney General set forth the j^^cwrai obscene passages, and concluded, that "' it was an oficuec agai.st the King's '^* peace." The defendant was found guilty and set in thqr <' pUlory* 246 sllured the public attention still more to this novel, by a scenic <' pillory." SecStr. 788. 1 Barnardist. 29. The indictment (in Mich. Term, 1. G. II.) begins thus: " Edmund Curl, *' Existcns homo iniquus et sceleratus, nequiter machinans et " intendcns bonos mores subditorum hujus regni corrumperc, *' et eos ad nequitiam induccrc, qucndam obscaenum libelhtm '* intitulat." kc. &c.— See Sir John Strange's Rep. p. 777. ed. 1782. In two or three days after the point had been solemnly argued, and the judges had given their respective opinions, Sir J. Strange observes, " They gave it as their unanimous opinioriy " that this teas a temporal offence." And they declared also that if the famons case of the Queen against Read (6 Ann. in B. R.) was to be adjudged {hif them) they should rule it otherzcise; i. e. contrary to Lord Ch. J. Holt's opinion. The Judges were Sir Robert (afterwards Lord) Raymond, For- tescue, Reynolds, and Probj n. We know the proccedingi against the book, entitled " Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure." hy John Cleland. To the passages of obscenity (which certainly I shall not copy in this place) Mr. Lewis has added blasphemy against THE SciiiPTUREs ; /f the following passage may be considered as such. " He (the Monk) examined the book which she *' (Antonia) had been reading, and had now placed upon the *' table. It icas the Bible. ' How,' said the Prior to him. *' self, ' Antonia reads the Bible, and is still so ignorant?' *' But upon further inspection, he found that Elvira(the mother *' of Antonia) had made exactly the same remark. That jyrudeni ** mother,, while she admired the beauties of the Sacred *' WHITINGS, was convinced, that unrestricted, no j'cading *' more improper could be pcrinittcda young x^omun. Many *' of the narratives can only tend to excite ideas the zcorst ** calculated/or a female breast ; every thing is called roundly *' and plainly by its own name 3 and tue a.n.nals of a brothel *' WOt'LJ) 247 tcenic representation of an Episode in it. '* O Procere* Ccnsore *' UOULD SCARCELV FURNISH A GREATER CHOICE OF INDECENT *^ expressions!! Yet this is the book which young -svomen *' arc recommended to study, Avhich is put into the hands of " children, able to comprehend little more than those passages *' of ichich they had better remain ignorant, and zohich but too ^^ frequently inculcate the first rudiments of vice., and give *' the first alurm to the still sleeping passions. Of this Elvira *' was so fully convinced, that she would ha,\c prefer red [.utting *' into her daughter's hands Amadis de Gaul, or the Vaiiant *' Champion Tirante the White; and icould sooner have ** authorised her studying the Iczcd exploits of Don Gaiaor, or *' the lascivious jokes of the Damzel Plazerde mi vida." (p. 247, 248.) * &c. I state only what is printed; it is fur others to read it and to judge. The falshood of this passage is not more gross than it's impiety. In the case of Thomas Woolston, in the 2d of George II. for blasphemous discourses against our Saviour's miracles, Avhen arrest of judgment was moved; Lord Raymond and the whole Court declared they would not oulFer it to be debated, ichether to write against Christianity in general (not concerniug contro- verted points between the learned, but in general) was not an offence punishable in the temporal Courts of Common Law. Woolston was imprisoned one year^ and entered into a large recognizance /or his good behaviour during life. Sir Philip Yorke, afterwards Lord Hardwicke, was Attorney General at the * J refer to the third edition of The Monk; for it must never be forgotten, that three editions of this novel have been circu- lated through the kingdom, without «/?y alieratiun whatsoever, which fear or, as I hope, a better principle has induced Mr^ Lewis to makc; since this denunciation was first published^ (1798.) 248 Oensore opus est, an Haruspice nobis ?*" I consider this as anew species of h^glslaiivc or Jtate-parricide. What is it to the kingdom at large, or what is it to all those whose office it is to maintain truth, and to instruct the rising abilities and hope of England, that the author of The Monk is a very yovng man? That forsooth he is a jnan of genius and fancy ? So much the worse. That there are very poetical descriptions of castles and abbies in this novel ? So much the worse again, the novel is more alluring on that account. Is this a time to poison the waters V ■.■^-» -■■■ . ■ ■ ■ ■ — — — ■ — ,■■,,-., „ .^ .■■■■■iw. ■ >■ — , , i n iiii ihe time. The case of the King against Annet, -when the Hon. Charles Yorkewas Attorney General, (3d of Goo. f IT.) for a blasphemous book entitled " The Free Inquirer, tending, " among other points, to ridicule, traduce, and discredit the *' HoLy Scuu'TUREs, is well known to the profession." The punishment v. ;is uncommonly severe. "Whether the passages, which I have cited in a popular novel, have not a tendency to corrupt the minds of the people, and of the younger unsuspecting part of the female sex, by traducing and di.ycrcditi?7g THE llohY ScRivTVRZ9, is a matter of public consideration. " This book goes all over the *' kingdom :" are the words of Judge Reynolds, in the case of "E. Curl. "Wlial Mr. Lewis hsm ]n'mt) Moie is ^(fHn our power than we may even imagine; but all the orders of the state must unite vigorously and powerfully in their specific functions to preserve it. The priests and ministers of the Lord must also stand between the porch and the altar, and exert themselves " before their eyes begin to wax dim that they may not see, and ere the lamp of God goeth out in the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was!" [U) We have reason not only to apprehend tke violation and invasion of our public sacred establishments, by our avowed enemies, but we must guard against negligence and desertion in the very posts, where watchfulness -and resi- dence are more than ever required. I hope we shall see no new experiments in the Hierarchy of England. Little is to be expected, at a period like the present, from the beauty^ without the vigour and spirit of holiness. An Archbishop or a Bishop in these days, (I speak generally without any particular reference) should do something more than shake the honours of his head. In times like these, must no- thing but the damps of oblivion, from the brow of a metro- politan, be shed largely on the provincial dulness? I think not. We should see high exertions of the mind in high and hallowed places. Where learning, influence, discretion^ and authority are united, and in action, much may yet be accomplished. In the licentiousness of the age, the lowest Minister of the church has much to discharge. There is encourage- ment (A) re is no asperity in observing generalh, tl at tjiilug at; usenicnis, in'proper placs, light and ir:voIi us reading, ci.nt n tal field-sports, an'l ttie p< rpetjal dissii-auon oS high-viced cities, are not th( immediate business ot a Cicrgyrnan : they absolutely unfit him lor liis protcssion. Say, if svck honours bloom around his head, ShdII he sit sadly by the sick man's bed To raise the hope he feels not, and with zeal To combat lears, which e'en the pious feci ? If we proceed to the supreme dignities of the Hierarchy, vft shall find there is much of duty m the sacred office. Augustine said long ago, [a) " Episcopatus non est arti- *' ficium transigendae vitae." I remember once when I pointed oat a sentence on a similar subject from Eusebius to A MAN, who is now an honour to a most important function, his heart seemed to burn within him. I was not fiurpiised. To men of high and consecrated intellects, who are capable of receiving the sublimity of the doctrine, it must appear second to none they ever read or felt, for its hallowed dignity and the splendour of the diction. To •uch 1 again present it. " Oi on tovJc juetiovtej toy rpom)/, (a) Augustia. Epist. 58. 259 ffornjjLScri rr,)i -^v^VJ "> apavov /ufTHvjivfy^svo*, ux nr^i; ©:o(j Toy rut vxvTtcv i^fiiKTt hioy' usrrp ru ttxvto; ysvaj I^piijuwo* tw £?r» irayraw ' ©Ew, •^vx'')^ div,izan X£>ca&ap|w.;v*i?, ofOo»j dbyjuWKTJV «>.»!&;?? it/tr.Csjaf, x*t TCtj k«t' ap-T>)> spyoif t; xk* Aoyo»?, ctj to © »ow cfiXsa/xsvo*, Trv ywsp iT^oiv avTwy, xxi Tav (r^»cr»v r.jjLcy.yxy, avoTikao-iv Jfpy^y»«y,'* (6) When we read iuch passages as these, and think of the state of the world and it's transitory glories, it is difficult not to feel the words of Erasmut in one of his Epistles; " Saltern inihi detur in sacris Uteris tranqiiille conscnescere!" Much may be yet effected by the sacred Consistory for the public good, through each gradation of the Ministry. I am indeed earnest and vehement in my desire and endeavour that all persons of literature and good sense, and lovers of. their country, should be convinced to what end we may at last be conducted, if we are not aware of our danger. When 1 consider theyz^/wrtate, and of the safety of the country, upon it's ancitnt principles. He has declared his opinion; he must not re 'cde. All will be sacriliLed to that pride in a moment of phrcnzy. The examples of every state, nation, and city, subdued by French arms, French principles, and French treachery, are to be weighed well, as an awf.il warning in this kingdom, which may j/et be preserved. The encroachments of suck a statesman, as Mr. Fox, (paramount as he is in ability and in political eloquence (fl) July 1797, 261 resisted, when our very exisience, as a nation, under our ancient. eloquence pL/'Aa/js beyond any man) arc to be watch.-d and resisted by all who think soberly, and are independent of party. Vet, in my opinion, Mr. Fux neither could, nor ■trould, satisfy the raving and tyrannical ideas of florae Tooke and the Fi ench crew. They would make use of him to a certaia point, th n declare him an enemy to his country, and shortly conduct him to the scaflTold. " Corpora iente augescuut, *' ciTO extinguuntur.^* («) The security of property, public and private, isshakcn by the proposed system, and a Revolu'iou (which weneverj/e/ have known but in mere narae^ might thro be at hand. For what was the Rf.volution in 168S, but the preservation and solemn recognition of the Hereditartf Monarch^/ of this Realm, and of all its a.icient laws and government? These are the Revolution Principles^ which Britons are called upon to maintain unshaken, unaltered, and unimpaired. A government which once relaxes, is not easily recalled to the vigour of it's ancient principles. We have among us statesmen of determined and of true patriotism, and this final misery may yet be prevented. We have a King, who has courage, virtue, and firmness. Of his ]Minister, the Kight lion. Wm. Pitt, I have given my opinion often in another place ; I have not altered my sentiments. I certainly cannot say of the Chancellor of the Exchequer •with the great Satirist under Louis the 14*h, *' Que m-i viie a, Colbert inspiroit I'a'lesresse." (b) I speak, a-.d I have spoken, most impartially of Mr. Pitt. I am neithi^r for a proscription of any political talents, nor for an hereditary claim to the public office of Prime Minister. But if the principles of any statesman are such, as to induce a feal and effectual change in the government, that statesman should («) Tacit. Agric. ap. init. {h) Boilcau, Ep. 10. ancient laws, and constitution, and establishments, has been reniieied dubious. I would ihould not l)e admitted to rule. If the ancient and established principles of tiie English constitution are maintained, a Prime jV'Iinisicr may conduct public affairs, even wifh a medioerity of talents. It is neither Mr. Pitt, nor Lord Lansdown, nor Mr. Fox, nor Mr. Grey, who are necessary to the function. But, by the disastrous consent of the whole r-iation and it's Parliament, thinking rightly, proposing soundly, and meaning honestly, arc nothing itithotit speaking well. Let me add a word or two on a subject not quite foreign io Ihisnofe. The example of a very learned and, in my o]iinion, of a very virtuous and honourable man, to whom the country is under much obligation, Mr. Reev:s, Avill deter any man from volunteer effusions in favour ofaiy Minister. It would not be amiss, to be sure, if Mr. R. or any other writer, would read Aristotle and Quin'ilian on tropes and mefaphors, before he adorns his native language with all the richness of imagery, and exerts tht' command, which nature gives him, over the figures of speech. Trunco, nou frondibus, ejficit nmbram. For my own part, when his pamphlet, " The Thoughts on the " English CoTcrnment," was published, I never felt more indignation than when I saw this gentleman ungenerouslj/ and shamrfullij abandoned, and given up by Mr. Pitt in the II. of Commons to the malice of his avowed eni'mics, and to a crimi- nal prosecution in the Court of King's Bench. lie was solemnly accjuitted of any libellous intentions; but his language was imprudent: he fell a victim to metaphorical luxuriance and state-botany. («) It (ff) See '• Thoughts on the English Government," p. 12 and 13, for Mr. Reeves's Simiie of the Constitutional Tree and it's Branches. 2G3 I would particularly recommend the serious perusal of till' account given by Thucydides o\ the democratic sedition in Corcyra. The reader would be convinced, tJiat the Same peculiari'ies maik all popular seditions and insurrections, tiie s^ime pretexts, and the same m> tives. The: insurgents declate the friends of the lawful and established government enemits lu the popular leprescntaiion and interest. Some of these insurgents have private enmitie* to revenge, and others have debts to Cdncel. Death is the univt-isil solvent, fjj 1 he historian observes, that they held h/rth either the specious offer of greater equality of power among the cit zens, or a frore temperate form of aris- tocracy, or some staie-expediciu Vrtrying with the hour; but each leader in reality had his own private views of ambition. It was the deep and important observation of Aristotle; Ev fjn-roc^opuv Ecrnv ev ©soipfjv See also the tenth chapter of AiistotleN Rhetoric, book S. De Urbanifi Metaphoris, or iTFpi Tftiy «3"T5»iv, x«t Twy ■:v^oKifjiii'niiiv' which I recommend to all political writers and speakers. Those srea^ critics, Messrs. Fox and Sheridan, dilTtrod however c-sentally from Aristotle in this point, in their Conmenta i>s read publicly in the H. of C on this text: Tm Mara^opoiv wScKt^a-i ucc\htt» dt kxtix ccvscXoyixr. ib) (n{)7.) (ff) Hear the great Historian : Trjv /xf» airjixv srj^^povr?? tok fiOKTUv (r^icty o^iXo/xEv&iK fVo Tuv Aa^ovruy. L. 3. Sect. 81. (b) Arist. Rhet. 1. 3. c. 10. sect. 3. 264 ambition, or oF power, or of riches, but accommodated his speeches to the prevailing humour of the day. (g) This, as we all know, has been transacted step by step upon a great and tremendous scale in France. The Italian and Belgian states are following them with headstrong and inluriate revolution. We have indeed more to PRESERVE THAN ANY OTHER CoUNTRY under heaven; and we may, by wise regulations, hereafter restore even the finances of the state. We must never forget that the stability of our present Constitution is the sole stability of all property, public and private. I speak from awful and trembling conviction. Our Ruin can be IFFECTED UY POLITICAL ReFORM ALONE*, and OUr Enemies at home, and in France, know that 1 speak the truth. We in Great Britain, who are yet in a con- dition to preserve ourselves, see and read and feel these things. The grant of one demand leads necessarily to ano- ther, when any material alteration in a state or govern- ment is conceded. If the second is refused after the first has been gianted, we are then told, that there is a want of con- sistence in the plan, and that it were moreadviseable to have kept the state as it was, than to admit only a partial reform. We {g) Hear Thiicydides again in his own language. Ot £v t*k koXectw TTfOTTavrE, fjnr ovojjiocro^ Ixxaroi Et/TrpsTa?, xXriQZ; lo-ovo^iaij ir&XiTDtnc, KXi AfKryoKfctTix^ cujyfom^ TrfouiJLritrn rx f/.-v x.oiv* Xoyi; &=pa. xt/ ciKxm KXi T>i TTcX;* |y/x^opy, ffpjTtS=vT:f, ej ^3 to iKXTifoii Tra am r,iovtiv i-^pv opj^ovTEj, xa» n p.-Ta -i^n^ti «djx« -AXTXymcnu)^ , r, ;:^'»pt x.ru^imt TO xpatT!»v, jTOJ^o* rio-«v ttiv avTua, ^jXovcix»«v E^9r«^irA»>'«4. L. 3. Sect. 82. ^65- We surely cannot be said to be duped and fooUd by Reformers, without warning from history and from ex- perience. The constitutional statesmen of Great Britain cannot now be ignorant of the nature of a Modera Reform in any state of Europe. The greater the diffi- culty and danger, the greater the fury of the Revolutionists. Pindar was a poet and a statesman ; he said, Axfos-MtT^ Ipft'Twy o|yTEf«* |uaA«»."* A man of a poetical mind either wanders Into futurity, or recals the images of other times and of other empires. He can sometimes even descend into the regions of terrific fable, and give to his own country the sentiments and pas- sions of antiquity ; he can body forth contending parties which are no more, of the virtuous and the valiant, of the wicked, the desperate, and the frantic. At such an hour as the present, and with the objects which we see and hear and feel, with the exultation of the bad, and the dejection of the good, and the labours of great statesmen to preserve us from jinal misery, can we forbear to contemplate tho picture drawn by that poet, whose only Muses were Caesar* and Brutus, and Cato, and the Genius of expiring Rome.t Tristis FELICIBUS UMBRIS Vultus erat\ vidi Decios, natumque patrcmque, Lustrales bellis animas, Jlentemque Camillum. Abruptis Catilina minax fractisque catenis Exultat, Mariique truces nudique Cethegi, Vidi ego laetantes, popularia nomina, Drusos Legibus immodicos, ausosque ingeniia Gracchos. i^ternis chalybum nodis, et carcere Ditis Constricia: plauseremanus, campos^UE piorum POSCIT TURBA NOCENS! {gg) The * Nem. Od. U. f Lucan. Pharsal. L. S. v. 781. 266 The present Poem was not composed for a trivial pur^ pose, nor without mature thuught. It is the fruit and study of (gg) In the great question of a Ileform in Parliaincut (i. e. •in the House of Commons) I Cirtainly do not mean to caU the Ministerial ground figuradvely the Campi Pionirn; but I call the Constitution of England, and it's defenders, in or out of Parliament, by that name. Nor would I by any means rank the gentlemen of opposition with the Tiirba nocens. That turba nocens are tlie levellers and the partisans of democracy and revolution. But the licence of poetry we are told is considerable, if as-umed with modesty. The question itself has nothing to do with invention, though, as I think, mnch fiction is employed in the support of it. I am of opinion, that in the outset there is a fiction, or a deceit. We are told, we must recur to the original principfe of the II. of Commons; the princij)Ie, as I suppose, on which it Mas founded; and that principle is declared to he popular in the modern sense of that word. In this argument historical truth 1s not asserted; I Avould maintain, that it is violated; it is contrary to matter of fact. The very origin of the House itself (the best antiquaries will tell you so) is rather doubtful. The more remote your enquiry, the greater the demonstration of it's original weakness, nay (1 say it with grief) of it's- political insignificance ; it was a Council, which grew out of a greater Council. I will not insult my reader with information on the subject; but it is a matter of plain historical knowledge that it's powers, it's functions, it's freedom, and it's conse- quence have been all progressive to a certain period. That period was the Revolution (as if is foolishly and improperly called) in 1688. 'At that asra the House of Commons, under the Old Whigs, attained to the consummation of it's glory, and to the fulness of it's dignity. As I here speak of the original priaciplc, I have nothing to do with the subs'cqucn corruptions. I musjt 2o7 of an independent and disinterested life, passed without the I must own, I do not wish for the famous Roman plite of brass; I am for no unqualified Lex Rcgia : * lot it rest in the Ca{)itoline ^lusciim, that splendid elTort of Michael Angelo. I abhor abject servility and all it's monuments.; and I never wished, I am sure I do not now wish, to see any Senate divest itself of all power. I would not see a Vespasian in any country make and repeal laws, or exercise unlimited authority, without the advice and consent of a well-constituted Senate: 1 would rather say, '' Aspice gcntera, Romanosque fuos; poscas genus /n^/e Latinum, Non Byzantinosprocercs, Graiosque Quiritos'/' I venerate the institution of the House of Commons, and would preserve it with my life; but I ihall raise up no tree. trunk, or branches, for a fatal simile, like Mr. Reeves. I look for no pasture in the fields of ministers or of booksellers ; I would not be turned out by Mr. Fox and Mr. Sheridan to graze on the verdant lawns of the King's Bench, (once intended for the Chief Justice of Newfoundland + ); nor would I be reduced to grub and delve in Mr. Pitt's Straic-yard. I neither recur to Montesquieu nor io Machiarel : I want not * See a Dissertation " de iEnea Tabula Capitolina Romae '* 1757." Heineccius and Gravina also published this '• Lev " Regia," It may be read at full length in Gruteri Inscript : Antiq. By this Law the Roman Senate, in the most abject stile, OM//io;-/.sec/ Vespasian to make and re))eal laws, to declare peactt and war, and to exercise every act of an absolute soverelgnj without waiting for their conse;it, or even asking tiitir advice. Thib authority however v\as not granted to all the Emperors indiscriminately; they selected (before Vespasian) Augustus, Tiberius, and Claudius. 1 leave the rcudvr to hi^i o». a reflections. + Mr. Reeves. 26$ the incumbrance of a profession, or the embarrassment of business. to be toUi by tlie former, that " our system was found in the woods;" nor to hear from Signor Machiavcl and Mr. Fox, that " Sfates may gruzo out of shape,'" Such were the words of Mad javel oiled hy Mr. Fox in tlie H. of C. on May '26, 1797, in his speech on the Reform of Par- liament. The founders of the French Republic, and the ilc- founders of it (for it has bven founded ihree times already) seem tdicnys (o have had Machi;ivcl'.'> Disrourscs on Livy in their Tiew. lie says, that if any power or powers, (princes, warriors, or dmiagogues) take or subdue any city, province, or realm, " thcij should makii all things neio in the state.^* The words are most particular: " Fare ogni cosa di nuovo in ** quello stato, nelle Citta farenuovi govcrni con nuovi nomi, *' con nuova au(orit(i, con nuovi uomini, fare i poveri ricchi, ** dihfare delle Tcccliie citti, cambiaregliabitatori da iin luogo ** ad un altro, e in somma, non lasciare cosa niuna intatta, e •' che non vi sia ne grado, ne ordlne, ne stato, ne richezza, *' che cbi la ticnc non la kicoxosca da te 1"* The French have religiously observed the advice. IVe are told in the II. of C. by Mr. Fox, that the authority of Machiavcl is great. In my opinion, all Tyranny is uni- form IN it's maxims. But the Signori, Machiavcl and Fox, ■till tell "S, that " States may grow out of shape." For my own part indeed, I would rather find a system in the woods, than in modern France; and I do not look for a new political Dancing Master, every time there is a twist in the body. To hear Mr. Fox, as I perpetually do in the House, one would really thinkhcwasarivalto Vestris orDidelot. Hehas been long trying his art, and giving lessons to Mr. Pitt gratis. That Right Honourable Gentleman's gait however still continues as auk- ward and stiff as usual ; he will not bend. A graceful bow is not his * Machiavcl. Discorsi. Lib. 1. Cap. 2(5, 269 business. It was not intended merely to raise a smile at folly his ambition, and Mr. Fox dances before him every day w itliout the least effect. Mr. Fox, I believe, is of the opinion and principle of Monsieur Marcel, the famous dancing master in Queen Anne's reign, who said, when the Earl of Oxford was made Prime Minister, " He was surprised, and could not tell *' what the Queen could see in him, for his own part he never " could make any thing of him." To be sure Mr. Pitt is every da,y ^placed betzceen the dancing master and his man, but he has not yet learned grace from Mr. P'ox, nor wit from Mr. Sheridan. Indeed I have been informed that the three celebrated Dancers and Ballet-masters, Messrs. Fox, Sheridan, and Grey, are pre- paring a new Serious Divertissement, or Pas de Trois, with nc^7 scenes, dresses and decorations, called, " Le Directoiuk Executif." If it can be got up time enough, it Mill b« brought forward this season; but as there is a nccesjity for a rc-inforcemcnt of the troop from Paris, it is feared the old dance must continue to the end of this season, June 1797. It is proposed that light should be thrown on the stage in a tptite nezo manner; but the Ballet-Masters will suffer no persons to be on the stage, or to view the machinery behind (he scenes. Lord Galloway and Lady Mary Duncan have expressed their approbation of this rule, so much for the interest of the Grand Opera; though the noble Earl is contented with the present Grand Ballet -Master. (June 1797.) On a kindred topic I would observe to the classical reader another singular circumstance in ancient times; it is from the Roman State. Since we have been ail arming at lionie witli alacrity and prudence, and (what is consequent to that) zciih effect, against our inveterate and implacable Enemy ; and as the militia laws have been extended, it is curious to call to mitid the T emj-hatic 270 folly or conceit ; but it was written with indignation against cinpkatic clause in tlu; anlicut Roman law concerning the exemption of particular persons from military service, called *' De Vacatione," as learned Civilians well know. The -clause is this: " Nisi Bki.i.um Gai-mccm c.\ori;itnr ;" in which case not even the priests were CKcmpted. I will illustrate this law from Plutarch and Cicero. Plutarch has this singular remark in the life ofMarcellus: xat "TrpoiToiKii voXifitti a-vyoiacijMvoii, xctt to vaXxiov a^ixfj-v, ruiv Tu\%tuiv' (i. e. the Gauls or French) ou,- /xaXtcrra Tu-ixsciok Jua-at ^o/iyo-iv, «TS oti -/Ml T»iv n&Xiy Jtt' ccviuit «7rooaXovT=j, i^ £)C:»va Si S/xivot Ko/wv, aT:/\5if in«» crTf*T£*a,- To J IjfiSK,"* wXriv ji ^*) r«XaTwo,- waXtv tTTcXSo* IIoXe/xoj. EJ»)\a Je kki tov i t£ TLa,(cc5 ju^y Ep,7r£»f»a n-oXEpxo,, tij tfcurrn^, (*) As we have now so many gentlemen of fortune, familj/y gducaiion, and abilitij, among the officers of the army, the militia, and in all the Volunteer Corps, (to whom the kingdom is so deeply indebted, and by whose disinterested exertions, generosity, and patriotism our internal and domestic peace is maintained and secured) ; I wish they may read this note, and be induced to employ some of their vacant hours in valuable studies ; and, like the great chiefs among the ancients, resume and vindicate the honour of learned military leisure. (1797.) * Plutarch. Vit. Marcclli. p. 242. v. 2. edit. Bryan. 58^ exerted, whether for the benefit, or for the injury o5 mankind. It has nothing of the mock, epic; it is a dialogue, has something ot a dramatic cast, and is an excursus. The subjects follow eacli other ; and, if 1 arm not mistaken, they are neither confounded nor con- fused. If there be in the whole composition any passage, any sentence, or any expression, which according to the specific nature of the subject, can justly offend evea female delicacy; which, from the manner ot it, a gentleman would refuse to write, or a man of virtue to admit into his thoughts ; which violates the high, and discriminating, and honourable, and directing principles of homan conduct, it is to me matter of serious and of solemn regret. I am not conscious of having admitted any such passage, or sentence, or expression. I have never yet heard such an objection to my work ; but if it can be pointed out, I will erase it with much concern, and with great indignation. In the sin- cerity of my judgment I have adopted, and will for" ever adopt, the words and spirit of the Theban Poet ; I should also offer a few words concerning ihe manner of the notes which 1 have annexed, and which are so frequent and so copious. I wished not, as Boileau expresses it, to prepare tortures for any future Salmasius (g) ; and I know too well my own insignificance to expect any com- ment on my writings, but from my own pen. I have made no allusions which I did not mean to explain: but I had also something further in my intention. The notes are not (f) Find. Norn. 8. (^) '^ Aux Saumaises futurs preparer des torturesr'* Boil. Sat. 9. y. 64; 283 not always merely explanatory; they are (if I have been able to execute my intention) of a structure rather peculiar to themselves. Many of them are of a nature between an essay and an explanatory comment; and they contain much matter in a little compass, suited to the exigency of the times. As they take no particular form of composition, they are not matter of criticism in that particular respect. I have expatiated on the casual subject which presented itself ; and when ancient, or modern writers expressed the thoughts better than I could myself, I have given them in the original languages. No man has a greater contempt for the parade of citation (as such) than I have. My design is not to cite words, but to enforce right sentiments in the manner which I think best adapted to the purpose, after much reflection. To most of my readers those languages are familiar ; but if any person, not particularly conversant in them, should honour the notes with a perusal, I think the force of the observations may be felt without attending to the Greek or Latin. In all regular compositions I particularly dislike a mixture of languages. It is uncouth or inelegant, and sometimes marks a want of power in the writer. In works of any dignity or consequence, it is adviseable, if a passage from any ancient author is cited, to translate that passage in the text, and put the original at the bottom of the page, if necessary. We have, in this respect, the authority and example of Cicero, Bishop Hurd, and Sir William Jones. In general, I could say all I wished in the text and comment. Some subjects are indeed so important, that they should be held forth to public light and viewed iu every 284 every point. Satire, in this respect, has peculiar force. Vice is not unlrequently repressed, and folly, presump- tuous ignorance, and conceit sometimes yield or vanish at the first attack, and like the tabled spirits belore the spell vi the enchanter, Prima velvoce Canentis Concedunt, Carmenque timent audire secundum. (^) I again declare to the public, that neither my na??ie, nor my situation in life will ever be revealed. Conjectures are free and open to the world. Every one is at liberty to fancy cases, and make whatever comparisons he thinks proper ; but suppositions will never amount to facts, nor wild conjec- tures have the force of argument. Inquisitive or imperti- nent writers will indeed assert their own conjectures of the author with stupid and unblushing effrontery. 1 pretend not *♦ to be the sole depository of my own secret ;" but where it is confided, there it will be preserved and locked y^"^ for ever. I have an honourable confidence in the human character, when properly educated and rightly instructed. My secret will for ever be preserved, / know, under every change of fortune or of political tenets, while honour, and virtue, and religion, and friendly affection, and erudition, and the prin- ciples of a gentleman, have binding force and authority upon minds so cultivated and so dignified. When they fall, I am contented to fall with them. My poem, and all and each of the notes to it were written without any co-operation whatsoever. I expect the fullest assent and credit to this my solemn assertion : and I expect it, because I speak the truth. I have not been assisted by any Doctors (^) Lucan, 1. 6. v. 27. 28.5 Doctors in any faculty. If Indeed I had written to please a particular man, a minister, a chief in opposition, a party, any set, or any description ot men exclusively, literary or political, there is not a man of understanding in the country who does not perceive that I should, or rather that I must, have written in another style, thought, and argument. Of such motives indeed 1 profess myself nor skilled, nor studious. My appeal is direct to my Country : I know and feel the situation in which at this moment [k) she stands. There is now no balance left in Europe : all is preparing to sink under One desolating Tyranny. My opi- nion however is, that by the mercy of Providence, and by the unremitted attention and labours of our constitutional statesmen, and the united efforts of all that are loyal, brave, opulent, wise, learned, powerful, or dignified, WE may yet ♦' be able to stand in THIS evil day, and^ having done. *' ally TO STAND." Let us stand therefore, as the chosen nation of old, the insulated memorial of true Religion, and the ONLY asylum of balanced Liberty. I profess myself convinced, and therefore have I written. I entered into the sanctuary of the Hebrews, and heard the voice of their prophet : *' Credidi, propter quod locutus sum." This was the voice which I heard, and it was a voice, as Milton would express it, " thundering out of Sion." Under this persuasion and conviction, I will say of this work, there is in it but one hand, and one intention. It will be (/i) July 1797. u 286 be idle to conjecture concerning the author, and more than foolish to be very inquisitive. To my adversaries 1 have nothing to reply : / never will reply. I could with the most perfect charity sing a requiem over their deceased criticisms, ii I were master of, what Statius calls, the Exequiale sacrum, carmenque minoribus umhris Utile, {i) Those whom I wished to please, I have pleased. If I have diffused any light, it is from a single orb, whether tempe- rate in the horizon, or blazing in the meridian. Thus much to silly curiosity and frivolous garrulity. But to persons of higher minds, and of more exalted and more generous principles, who have the spirit to under- stand, and the patience to consider, the nature and the labour of my work, I would address myself in other language and with other arguments. I would declare to them^ that when I consider the variety and importance and extent of the subjects, I might say that it was written, " though for *• no other cause, yet for this, that posterity may know, •• that we have not loosely, through silence, permitted " things to pass away as in a dream." I would declare also to thevit that I delivered it as a LITERARY MANIFESTO to tkis kingdom in a season unpro- pitious-io learning or to poetry, in a day of darkness and of thick gloominess, and in an hour of turbulence, of terror^ and of uncertainty. Such persons will be satisfied, if the great cause of mankind, of regulated society, oi religion, of government, of science, of true taste, and of good manners, is attempted to be maintained with strength and (0 Stat. Theb. L. 6. t. 123. 287 and with the application of learning. To them it is a matter of very little or rather of no moment at all by whom it is effected. They have scarcely a transitory question to make on the subject. To such understandings I willingly fubmit my composition, and to them I dedicate the work. I shall only add, that if they should read all the Parts of this Poem on the Pursuits of Literature with candour and with attention, whatever the connection between them, or whatever the method may be, they will most assuredly find *• that uniformity of thought and design, " which will always be found in the writings of the same ^* person, when he writes with simplicity and " in EARNJEST/' ^S9 THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE A SATIRICAL POEM DIALOGUE THE FOURTH JND LAST.* AUTHOR. Oh, for that sabbath's dawn, ere Britain wept» And France before the cross believ'd and slept ! (Rest to the state, and slumber to the soul !) Ere yet the brooding storm was heard to roll. Infancy's ear, o'er many an Alpine rock> Or Europe trembled at the fated shock 5 Ere by hislake geneva's angel stood. And wav'dhis scroll prophetic [a] o'er the flood, (a) Itis rsmarkablc that iu 5'u.77;t'/-/ayK/ appeared the tiirer PEKSONS, whose principles, doctrines, and practice, {as it seems to * first printed iu July 1797. + Ljcophron. Casiuiid. t. o» U3 290 With names (as yet unheard) and symbols drear, Calvin/in front, and Neckar in the rear; 10 to me) hare primarily and ultimately effected the great change and downfall of regal and of all lawful power in Europe. Calv u, in religion; Rousseau, in politics; and Neckar by his administration. Calvin aqd his disciples were never friends to monarchy arid episcopacy; but I shall i\ot here contend politi, cally or theologically with Bishop Ilorslcy concerning Calvir\. A poet's words are betterfor apoct. I have looked into history; and, as 1 think, haye found them true. Drydcq speaks of Calvin thus, and remarkably enough ; The last of all the litter scap'd by chance, Andfrom Genevajirst infested France, (a) Rousseau, (I speak of him here only as a political writer) by the unjustifiable, arbitrary, and cruel proceedings against him, his writings and his person, in France, (where he was a stranger and to whose tribunals he was not amenable) was stimulated to pursue his researches into the origin and expedience of such government, and of such oppression, which, otherwise, he probably never would have discussed ; till he reasoned himself into the desperate doctrine of political equality, and gave to the world his fatal present, " The Social Contract." Of this work the French, since the Revolution, have never once lost sight. With them it is first and last, and midst, and without end, in all their thoughts and public actions. Rousseau is, I believe, the only man to whom they have paid an Implicit aniundeviating reverence; and, without a figure, have wor- ship])fd in the Pantheon of their new idolatry, like another Cheraos, " the obscene dread of Gallia's sons." Different (a) The Hind and Panther, B. I.t. 173. 291 But chief Equality's vain priest, Rousseau, A sage in sorrow nurs'd, and gaunt with woe, Different from these, came Neckar. AVith intentions, as I am still inclined to thinks upright, pure and just, but with a mind impotent and unequal to the great work ^ and with princi- ples foreign to the nature of the government Ke was called to regulate, reform, and conduct; a fatal stranger for France. He oppressed every subject sacred and civil with too much verbiage. Ife was sanctioned by popular prejudice, and marked by aristocratical hatred; a sort of " Arpiuas Volscorum a monte " He came to lay open and disclose (and he did lay them open to the very bottom) the mystery and iniquity of French finance and of French treasuries. But he brought with him to the concerns of a great and tottering empire, (which perhaps might have been maintained and consolidated) the little mind of a provincial banker, and the vanity inseparable from human nature, when elevated beyond hope or expectation. What was the consequence ? for a while indeed, Hie Cimbros etsumma pericula rerura Excipity et SOLUS trcpidantempro/eg-jYUrbcm.* But the original leaven in his political composition was j)opw/r/r ? and that leavened the whole lump. We know the rest. The Emigrants from France have never pardoned this ministi^r; and the Romish Priests, in the spirit of their order, pursue him with a hatred and fiery zeal unquenchable and immortal. His advice, first in the calling together (at all) of the States General, and afterwards in the formation and distribution of them, gave the devoted King to the scaffold, and the monarchy of France to irreversible dissolution. I speak this indepcn. dently of the grand conspiracy against Christianity, regal power, and social order, which has been so awfully and so convincingly disclosed * Jut. Sat. 8. v. 249. U 4 292 Bv persecution trained and popish zeal, Ripe with his v»rongs, to frame the dire (h) appeal. What time his u'ork the citizen began. And gave to France the social savage, Man. fliscloscd by ihc. eloquent Abbe Barruel*, and Professor Robison ; since I first wrote the preceding reflections. For my own part when I contemplate the convulsions of Kurope, and he fa'al desolation which attends repi)bl caa principles, zchci'cvo' they are ititrod rccd, I cannot but rest with a momentary pleasure on the picture, wiiich Plato, in his iiiiairinary republic, (the onlij one I ever could bear) has drawn of a man fatigued with the view of public affairs, and retiring from them in the hope of tranq lillity. The sentiments arc such as the French formerly would have called, Les Delassemens de rhomme sensible. The words are these: Tuvrci 'ZecvTce. Xoytc/Liw Aocca'V, r,t7V)(^K>',v s^wv kkj t« ocvth Vfxrriiiv, bTrciO-Ta,-, IfUv Taj aXXsj xscia'Ttfji.'Tr'Kccjji.ivui; a,)/o^iy,<;. a/ya.vx, u vn ccvTOf KSiSapoj odtxtaf te >c«i avocrniiv ifycci/f rov n £vG«dE €tov QiUKTiTcct, xat Tnv wKaXka/yffi aura jufxa x.ccXrii; tXTTidoj JXiwj te kcu eu/xsvus (b) Lc Contrat Social, par J, J. Rousseau, Citoyen de Geneve. * SeeMemoires pourservir a, PHistoiredu Jacobinisme, par Mr. L'Abbe Barruel : and " Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the 'Icligions and Governments in Europe, in the secret Meet- ings of Free Masons, Illuminati, &c. &c. by Professor Robison of Edinburgh. (1797.) + Plato de Repub, L. G. p. 400. Op. vol. 2. Edit. Scrrani. \Vas it for this, in Leo's fost'ring reign Learning uprose with tempests in her train ? Was every gleam deceitful, every ray But idle splendor from the orb of day ? 20 Say, were the victims mark'd from earliest time. The Flamens conscious of a Nation's crime? AVhy smoak'd the altars with the new perfume. If heaven's own fire descends but to consume? Alas, proud Gallia's fabric to the ground What arm shall level, or what strength confound] Oh for that hand, which o'er the walls of Troy (c) His lightning brandish'd icitJi afurmisjoy. (c) It certainly would be convenient, Cif we can for a moment trifle with such a subject as the present French war) to march to Paris, " and like another (Bryant), fire another Troy." See •' a Dissertation concerning the War of Troy, and the Ex- *' pedition of the Grecians, as described by Homer; shewing, " that no such expedition was undertaken, and that no such *' city of Phrygia existed." Published in 1796, but there is no date to the title page. I find it difficult to give an opinion oa thiy ingenious treatise. Wha'ever comes from the author of" The Analysis of ancient Mythology," should be treated with vcri/ great respect. His character is venerable, and his erudition, as I think, without an equal. Of all subjects, I should have thought this subject was one, ou which an enquiry might have bcea instituted ■without ^94 Her state, her arms, her fleets, her very name Gave, as in mockery, to poetic fame, 30 ■without offence; but this has not been the case. The olTence has been considered as deep and wide, and the influence of (he principle, in some respects, dangerous and alarming. The faith of history has been represented as attacked in its strongest fortress, and even the sacred writings, as matter of historical faith, implicated in the discussion. Some persons have even declared that Mr. Bryant had no right to touch the subject. That nothing can be more contrary to reason than to suppose, that the existence of a city, and a war, of which we have read ■with delight from our boyish days, should be called in question. That their pleasure is snatched from them ; and such a poem, without an historical fact for a basi.^, cannot be interesting. Tlicy allow the amplification of poetry, and it's embellishments. and even the anachronisms of Homer. But Troy did exist, and the Grecians did once besiege it, and Hector, Achilles, Agamemnon, and Diomede Avere as real heroes, as the Arch- duke Charles, Bonaparte, Lord Cornwallis, or Tippoo Saib in modern wars. I really should smile at many of these objections, if they did not frequently come from persons of consequence and of Jearning. Most certainly however I will quarrel with no man *' about Sir Archy's Great Grandmother." They who are acquainted with (he science and subject of probubili/ics^ will best decide the question for themselves, and I Avill not intrude my judgment: it is a question of probability, and not of proof. Latona and Jupiter may perhaps be .«;aid in (his contest to regard INIr. Buvant, as they formerly/ did their own oflspring, ^pollo ; rjct. ^t?.GV IIAIZONTA /x!r' aSava-oto-* Oeojot. (o) (ff) Ho;n. II) mn. ad Apoll, jpor 995 And with the fire of Philip's son, unfurl'd Jlis classic standard o'er a wond'ring world. For my own part, I am equally ple3,sed with a poem founded pn the metamorphosis of Apuleius, or on any modern fiction, if all the esrcntlal and integral parts of a poem are preserved ; if the ciiaracters, manners, and aclions are human, and consistent •with the supposed situations of the personages. Thus to mc is sufficient; and perhaps poetry, as such, may be a gainer by Mr. Bryan' 's iaterpreta(ion. I rather hail the omen in these times of poetical sterility. But nothing can be further from the dignity of ]Mr. Bryant's character, than the imputation of having attacked the faith and credibility of ancient, or of any, histon/. It is scarcely entitled to notice. What was Troy ? with what part of history is it connected? Is not the Trojan Avar an insulated solitary faci? Jfit were done away, is any historical event whatever made to f?ill with it? When it is stated that four hundred and thirfj/ ibips (no matter of what size) were employed by the Grecian"; lu the Trojan war in the twelfth century, and only eighiif niutr in the Peloponnesian war in the fifth century before Christ. i« this matter of serious history? Is not the whole allowed to pa-s jE7cn tiic bounds of any probability, but that of poetry ? I remember hearing a gentleman state similar questions to these with much earnestness and apparent convitlion, but without warmth. He seemed to understand something of the subject; and though I conceived some points were pressod indiscreetly and iinnecossarily by Air. Bryant, I replied that I thought nearly as he did, and I said with the most good-natured 29<3 Till " Hamer*s sprite did tremble all for grief, ^rox>^ of the Academics, *' Almost thou pcrsuadcst me to be s *' Bryaniian." I think they "who arc the strongest in opposition 1o Mr. Bryant, if they were even Inquisitors*, and could force kim to hold a lighted torch in his hand, and make a retractation of his errors, and the amende honorable in the Eglise de Notre Dame de Cybele Mere de tons les Dieux Pai'cns, would be contented with the Catholic form of words: " Quesfi erano gli *' scherz.i d'una penna poetica, non gli sentimcnti d'un animo " catolicol" Yet considering all that I have heard, and (he quarter from vhich it came, Curius quid sentit, et ambo Scipiada;, and the insignilicaucc of the question itself, but as a matter of amuse, nicnt; though in common with many others, I should hare lost much individual gratification and instruction, yet I wish this Dissertation on the war of Troy had never been written at alL (1797.) I will nozs add, on a more enlarged view of this pleasing and classical controversy, which has been carried on with much animation, Mr. Bryant has fought singly, and step by step, with the most determined and unshrinking bravery against the united * I am sure Gilbert Wakefield is even more than an Inquisitor Ih all Jiis principles literary, civil, and religious. See his indecent letter to Mr. Bryant on the war of Troy. But abov all. sec his Letter to Mr. Wilberforce. The Secretary to the I3uUc of Alva under Piiilip II. or the Public Accuser of the Re\oliitiot\ary Tribunal, under Roberspierre, never exhibited such a paper. There is no deceit in Gilbert Wakefield: hois, just what he seems. It is p'aiu to sec xihut he expectSj and tcAj/ he writes. (1797) B- S07 And curs'd tli' accessof that celestial tlilef." {(f) Oh, for a Bryant's hand ! ■united attacks of jouth aad age, of Irayellcd Dillctlaati, aad of closet-scholars. rPANTH 7o|ofOfov x*» xccfrifov u^y t-unvl It is beyond the scope of this work for me to trace this fasci- nating journey, this progress through the delightful laud of fairy, or to expatiate among the desolations of time, and these scenes of ancient fame. But surely that scholar h little to bi- ailniired or envied, whose enthusiasm does not grow warmer amid the ruins of Ilium, or who can hear without cmotioa th« imaginary murmurs of the Scamander and the Simois. But as for thee, thou illustrious and ycnerable man, thou Jinsullied glory and unshaken support of ancient literature and it's hallowed dignity, I must be alloAved in this closing address to say, that in whatever researches thou hast been engaged, in thy long and bright career, whether imparting to the world solid instruction, deep erudition, ingenious conjecture, or liberal amusement, every classical power from above has ahvavg regarded, and must still regard, thee, thy labours, and thy splendid talents with complacency, with gratitude, and witli pride. K«>« Kxi v-l^i Cioaj* myXri ^i n £' au^i^aayji 1 B,vfTX»i ^atyxrcho t' axoc, xat yrt^ouii cb^.!tp f (Nov. 1800.) {d5 Two lines from Sir Walter Raleigh's Sonnet, prefixed to Spciuer's Fairy Queen. * Homer. Hymn, ad Apollincra. 298 OCTAVIUS. Mcthinks you smile. And fain would land me on the wand'ring islcy Where the learn'd drain Acrasia's foaming bowl. Till round the San their heads with Gebelin's [e) roll 5 (t') Gebelin. — If many persons in the learned world hay? thought Mr. Bryant unadvised in the discussion of the war of Troy in the twelfth century A. C. what must we say to Mr. Court de Gebelin, who has actually endoaTOured to reason us itifo a beliefs that, the Founders of the Roman State ^ Romulus «»(/ Remus, were only allegorical personages, and were in reality representatives of the Sun^ and worshipped as such. Mr. Gebelin is a man of the most various erudition, and if he Avere as well known as Mr. Bryant, his attempt would have been noticed. But few people perhaps have had the curiosity 16 look into nine volumes in 4to. of the '* Monde Prim itif analyst " et compare avec le iSIondc Modernepar M. Court de Gebelin." It may be entertaining to some persons, if I gire a/eto partis culars of this singular question. The Fourth Volume of Mr. Gebelin's work consists of the " Histoire Religieuse du Calen- *' drier, ou dcs Fetes Anciennes." The fifth Chapter of the second Book (Vol. 4.) is the " Histoire des Gemeaux Romains, •' Romulus et Remus." Mr. G. says, " Les Romains eurent " aussi leurs Allegories sur le double Soleil successif de i'annee ; *' ils VappUquerent « leur Remus et Romulus. Les noms sont <^' allegoriqufiSj et tous relatifs a I'annee." p. 2M. Remus, it seemiT, Nor heed the pause of (/) Douglas, Wakefield's rage. Nor Hallam {g) trembling for the sacred page, 40 seems, signified the Sun in the winter, and Romulus in the summer! By an easy proof, hesays, " lis en firent la fete des iemures pour ilcraures, &c. p. 2G3. In the sixth chapter of the same book, •we read : " Nous avons vu dans le chapitre precedent, que Romulus etoit le soleil ; que tout leprouvoit.^^ — And what is the proof? Truly this ; " Le nom de sa mere, '* celui deson pere, son frcre, la mort de son frere (Remus), *' son propre nom," &c. &c. Q. E. D. Mr. Gebelin has not yet done, nor is Mr. Gebelinyet satisfied. He next converts, by means of his solar microscope, Romulus into Hercules! But hear his words: ^' Ce qu' exprimoionti *' cet egard les Grecs par TApotheose iVHercule, les Romains ** I'exprimerent par I'Apothcose de Romulus." But when he speaks of Qiiirinus, another name of Romulus, the force of art and of proo/ can go no further. Hear him again: '' Quirinus •' (nom de Romulus) la traduction litercde de Mclcarthe, on ** Melicerte, que portoit Hercule chez les Tj/rietix, est use *' AUTRE PREuvE, qu''on regurdoU Romulus comma le "Soleil." p. 269! I cannot help observing that in this same 4th Vol. p. 421» Mr. Gebelin informs us that, " Sur le 18 Fevrier on celebroit ** la F^te de Romulus, and at the same time, (rather *' inauspiciously to be sure) on celebroit la FeTE des Foux." I suppose on the celebration of la FexE des Foux, cards of invitation were sent round by the Pontifex Maximus to the Antiquaries of those days, and I really think, if Mr. Gebelin had been produced at that time, he would not hare been without his card, with a few others, to be distributed uvion^ his friends. Indeed 300 Nor GilHcs (//) crying^ uliat shall we peruse? What is mij work ? mere records of the Muse; Audio! by Bonaparte's irou pcu, (/) The talc of Rome maybe Troy's tale again. Indeed these ddirumcnta doctrin(r arc sometimes amusing, but in reality tliej' arc rather a subjoct of serious regret from their consequences on the public mind. There is no end to the absurdities frora this source, whon wc resolve all ancient persons and events into all.gories and Egyptian mysteries; till as we have just seen, Romulus and Remus, The founders of the Roman Ismpirc, become (according- to Monsiour Gcbelin's Order of Firing, after a grand Escupefttric, or volley, of Serpents and stars) transformed into Romax Suns; Remus in the Winter, and Romulus in the Summer 1 — Sco the proofs above. (/) The Rt. Rev. Dr. John Douglas, the present Bishop of Salisbury, (1797.) Author of the Criterion, and of otiier acute pieces of reasoning, which will be long remembered and admired. (g) Dr. Ilallam, the present Dean of Bristol. (1797.) (/i) Author of rt History of Greece. (i) The tremendous conquests of Bonaparte in Italy and in Germany remind us too much of the words of the Roman Historian ; " Si Captivos aspiceres, Molossi, Thcssali, Maccdoncs, Bruttius, Ajiulius; si pompas, aurum, purpuras, signa, tabula?, Tarentiaaequc dclicias.'* Flor. Lib. 1. C. 18. (1797.) 301 AUTHOR. No ; other thoughts my lab'ring soul employ. That springs anew to long-forgotten joy -, I range in Fancy's consecrated round. And meet the poet on a poet's ground. Nor seek historic truth of time and place. But truth of manners, character, and grace. 50 The Bards who once the wreaths of glory wore, Cloath'd in translucent veil their wond'rous lore j The tales they sung a willing age believ'd, Charm'd into truth, and without guile deceiv'd : Where'er they rov'd, young Fancy and the Muse Wav'd high their mirror of a thousand hues ; They gaz'd, and as in varying guise pourtray'd Aereal phantoms hov'ring round them play'd. Gave to each fleeting form, that shot along. Existence everlasting as their song ; 60 And as by nature's strength the tablet grew, Rapture the pencil guided as they drew. 302 OCTAVIUS. Nay now you soar indeed; another flight, And the wing'd courser bears you from my sight You're strangely mov'd. AUTHOR. The matter is my own j I never shar'dthe profits of the gown. Nor yet, with Horace and myself at w ar, For rhyme and victuals {b) left the starving Bar. (h) This was lately done by AVilfiara Bosca-n-cn, Esquire, an Etonian, first a Jjarristor at Law, now a Commissioner of the Victualling Oflici*, and (by an easy transition) Translator of Horace. Ncgafds artifex scqui voces. (Pers. Prol.) In this revision of my work, I have no more space to allot to Mr. Boscawen or liis rhynus. Jt is the fate of some men to describe the history of an art, withoutmakiug any pro;^rcss in it theni- SL'ives; to write verses without inspiration, and satirical poems vithout satire. But what said Boileau ? o Attaquer Chnpelain? ah! c'cst un si bon homme: 11 estvrai, s'il m'eut crA, qu'II n'eut point faitdcs vers. U sc tuf a rimer. Quen'ecrit il en prose ? Voil4 CO que I'on dit. Etquedisjc autre chose?* (1798) Nothing * Boileau Sat. 9. 305 1 never lov'cl Dean Dewlap's vacant looks. Or purchas'd empty praise from empty books; 70 I leave at sales the undisputed reign To milk-white (/) Gosset, and learned (/:) Spencer'^ train. No German nonsense sways my English heart, Unus'd at ghosts and rattling bones to st^rt : Nothing indeed is less accepfable than plain truth to irritable and implacable rhymers; but I must say, that the unresisting imbecility of Mr. Boscawen's translation disarms all particular criticism. Et quidnam egrcgium procterncre mseniaparua Struda lyrdl* (/)Nota bookseller of reputation in London, Payne, Ed- wards, White, (SLc. &c. is unacquainted with Dr. Gosset's " milk- " Khite vellum books," when he wishes to make an exchange. The RcTcrend Dr. Gosset is present at all the Booksales in the metropolis, and he certainly is a good scholar, as well as a good judge of the value of books. Doctor Gosset's priced catalogues in Ms ozc7i hand are said to be in an uninterrupted series, except one. They arc also said to be equal in use and value to "The curious collection, in regular and undoubted " succession of all the Tickets of the Islington Turnpike from *' its _/Z;'a7 institution to the 20th of May inclusire," recorded among the prcsciUs made to the Antiquarian Society, whert Sir Matthew Mite was admitted Fellow, and made his speech •a that occasion, f * Statius L. 10. + Foote's Nabob, Act 2. X 3 304 T never chose, in various nature strong. Logic for verse, or history for song ; But at the magic ofTorquato's strain, Disarm'd and captive in Armida's chain. To Godfrey's pomp Rinaldo still prefer, '' Nor care, should ranting Wakefield (kk) think I err. 80 No person is nozo obliged io maTcc an inauguration speech, -when he is admitted Fellow of the Antiquarian Society. The noble President observed in one of his speeches that the custom ceased and determined at Sir Matthew Mite's election, as appeared by the recoi'd, copied by Mr. Foote and inserted in his Nabob.—" Ego si risi, lividus et mordax ridear?" The little Doctor, I think, will be the first to smile himself; as he is au ingenious, learned, sensible, and chcarful mau. {Ic) The Rt. Hon. Farl Spencer, the munificent, and I may add, the learned, sensible, and very intelligent collector of every valuable work in literature. I record with pleasure his " Palatine Apollo," that mimus Apolline dignum! {kk) Gilbert Wakefield. — AVe give up (but with great reluctance) Virgil, Horace, and Lucretius, but we will ndt give up the Constitution of England sacred or civil, to his tor- turing hours. " Criticus adsuctus urere, sccarc, inclementer omnis generis libros tractare, apices, syllabas, voces, dictioncs confodere, et stylo cxigerc, non continebit iste ab integro (Reipublic.i: nostra) statu crudeles ungues? &c. &c. Orat. Petri Burmanni Lugd. Bat. 1720." 305 To Hurd, not (/) Parr, my Muse submits her lays, Pleas'd with advice, without a hist for praise; Wlio marks her errors, him she deems her friend. Fond to correct, but never to defend : With patriot aim, and no irreverent rage, Without one stain of party on the page. From Grecian springs her force, her art she draws, Firm in her trust, ennobled in her cause; Her moral none, the verse some few disdain : Yet not a note she sounds shall sound in vain, 90 While Bryant (m) in applause with Baker (?«) joins, Gifford {o) approves, and Storer [p) loves the lines : (l) Seethe account of Dr. Parr's style and writings. P. of L. Dialogue III. &c. with the notes. "When the reader has considered the whole, perhaps he may be incli:icd to say with the comic poet of Athens, IItjXov to fj.iycc KOMnOAAKYGOr -!Tt(r;y ! * (tw) Jacob Bryant, Esq. Authorof the Analysis of Ancient Mythology, &c. &c. &c. (n) Sir George Baker, Bart. Physician to the King, a Geailemaa of deep and extensive classical knowledge. His compositions • Aristoph. Acharn. subfiu. X 3 306 Though still, a stranger in the sacred clime. Some say, I love not poetry, but rhymc*^ Offspring of other times, yc visions old ! Legends, no more by gentle hands unroll'd. Magnanimous deceits ! where favour'd youth Finds short repose from formidable truth ! Oh, witness if, e'er silent in your praise, Tve pass'd in vice or sloth inglorious days, 100 But rais'd for you my firm unaltcr'd voice. Fancy my guide, and solitude my choice, compositions are written in the purest Latinity, M'ortliy of a« Etonian. His situation in life sufficiently declares his pro- fessional talents. (1797.) (o) William Giflford, Esq. Author of the Baviad and the Maeviad. (p) Anthony Storcr, Esq. a Gentleman of fortune and fashion, taU-nts and accomplishments. He was educated at Eton and Camhridgc : his attainments in literature arc various and considerable; and few men have a nicer skill in the principles of just and legitimate pomposition than Mr. Storer, JIc has read Quintilian ioiih effect^ (Mr. Storer will under- stand me perfectly) and he has drawn his knowledge and judgment from tho best writers and critics of antiquity and of modern time. (1797.) 307 Tlioii^h noio [q] no Syren voice be heard, no strain Ascend from Pindiis, or Arcadia's plain 3 No Graces round th' Olympian throne of Jove Rid the nine virgins raise the chant of love : The harp of Talicssin lies unstrung, Close by the loom, where Death's dread sisters sung ; Unfelteach charm of Odin's magic tree, AVith many an uncouth Runic (.s) phantasy, 110 The symbol dee}), and consecrated rhyme, Trac'd with due reverence in the northern clime. Though now no temper'd lance, no magic brand. No Durindana [t] waves o'er fabled land j (r/) I me;m by tlicsc and several following lines to ob.scrvo, that the Pagan Fabli) is now exhausted, and the specious miracles of Gothic Romance have never olhite years produced a poet. Perhaps the latter were more adapted to true poetry than the })agan inventions. ^Vitness the sublimer producliuiis of modem Italy. (*) Mr. Mathias, (the Author of (he E.ssay on the Evidence, he. on the long-disputed subject of the poems ascribed to Jiov^li;y in the li(h century, and which I uientiuned in a note, to the First Dialogue of the P. of L.) several years ago at- tempted to excite the curiosity of the public to theremalui of northern antiquity, byalyrical imilalion of sonioRunic frag- ments 1 wish the example had been followed. (I7ii7 ) (t) Tlie sword ^f Orlando. X 4 308 No nightly-rounding Ariel floats unseen. Or James amazement o'er the desert green ; No wizards hold, some blasted pine beneath. Their horrid sabbath on the darken'd heath j Say, are the days of blest delusion fled ? Must fiction rear no more her languid head ? 102 No more the Muse her long-lost transports know. Nor trace the fount whence living waters flow ? Awake, ye slumb'ring Rulers of the song ! Each in your solemn orders pa^s along ; In sacrei radiance o'er your mountain old Yet once again your dignities unfold, And fill the space ; your scepter'd glories claim And vindicate the great Pierian name ! OCTAVIUS. Are these a poet's only themes ? I feai'. No verse like this will find a patient ear. 130 309 AUTHOR. Hear yet awhile.— The dread resistless pow'r. That works deep-felt at inspiration's hour. He claims alone — QCTAVIUS. Who claims ? AUTHOR. The favour'd bard, (a) Who nobly conscious of liis just rewari5 1|*; ^*a\aju.7rcfo-av, when the poet exerts his highest faculties, or, (in the fanguage of Proclus in miilation, ! shovild say tohinij as Ilcrudotus once said to tlie Father of Thuc^dides, when be pcrcoivcJ the tear of enthiisiasia falling from the boy, at his rt eital of " the Expedition of Xerxes against the general Liberty of Greeee," The scene was the Olympic games, Herodotus before his Country, and ThiicydiJcs hi' audUor. Can I rouse the attention yet more? at such a moment he pronounced these Mords; OfyS ri ^vs-t^ in dm o-tf ^fo,- jxxGjijwarx.* I^et Some future Poet, who now perceivts in hiinsilf, what Statius calls the " criida exordia wajjHse Iii- *' dolis,"hear and perpend. Legerc si desideras, Vaces oportet, Futyche, a negotiis, U( liber animus scntiat vim carminis. Mutandum tjbi propositum est, ct viiEc genus, Jafrare si Musanim limen cogitas: Ego, (qi'cm Plerio mater enixa est jngo, In quo tonanti sancta Mnemosyne Jovi, Foscunda novies, artiura peperit rhornm;} Quamvis inipsA pcnc natwi sim scliola^ Curamqu habendipcnitus corde era^crim^ Et laude ifivila in hanc vitum incubucrim^ Fastidiose taraen in eojtura recipior. Kem me profcssum dicet aliquis gravcm ; Sed literataj cum sim propior Grieciae, Cur somuo iilerti deseram Patriae decus? I never read this transcendant strain of genius, witljout foelinj even my own mind filled for a space, with all the fulness of the Poet ; Neqii» ♦ M»rcelUai Vit. Thucyd. p. 8. Thucyd, «dit. Iluds. Oxoiv 512 Portentous forms in heav'n's aerial hall Appear, as at some great supernal call. 140 Thence oft in thought his steps ideal {x) haste To rocks and groves, the wilderness or waste ; Neque enim Aoniiim nemus Advcna lustro, Nee mca nunc primis albescunt tcmpora vittis.* (x)I speak of the effect of /oc«7 siluation on the mind of the poet. But if any man of genius, fancy, and learning, in the vigour and noon-day of his life and faculties should, from some circumstances for ever to be regretted, be unfortunately deprived of the power of visiting these great and awful scenes of nature, and the monuments of ancient art ; an imagination bold and fervid may. in some degree, supply that want by recourse to the most finished representations of them by sublime painters and artists. Stuart, Wood, and Pirancsi may raise ideas worthy of the Poet, and pour upon his fancy all the ancient dignity of Athens, of Palmyra, and of Rome. Alas! these scenes are closed forever. Non Ego sum vatcs, sed prisci consciusaivi ! I cannot but present my reader with thcform of an Oath on such a subject, from the last classical Poet under the expiring monarchy of France, the famous Delisle. I am as ready on this subject, as himself, to swear at the high alfar of the Muses ; '^ Ilelasl^e n* at point vu se sejour enchante, Ccs beaux lieux; oa Virgile atant dc fois chante; Mais j'on juhe et V^irgilc, et ses accords subiimeSj J^irai : dc I'Apennin je franchirai les cimes, J'ir.ii, pleinde sonnom, plcin de ces vers sacres, Lcs lire aux mcmes lieux qui les ont inspires." * Stat. Achill. 1. 1. V. 10, Les Jardins, L. 1. SIS To plains, where Tadmor's (?y) regal ruins lie In desolation's sullen majesty : Or where Carthusian (z) spires the pilgrim draw. And bow the soul with unresisted awe ; Whence Bruno, from the mountain's pine- clad brow, Survey'd the world's inglorious toil below ; Then, as down ragged cliffs the torrent roar'd. Prostrate great Nature's present god ador'd, 150 And bade, in solitude's extremest bourn, Religion hallow the severe sojourn. To HIM the Painter gives his pencil's might; No gloom too dreadful, and no blaze too bright. What time to mortal ken he dares unveil The inexpressive form [a) in semblance frail. (j/) " He built Tadmorm the Wilderness." Chron. B. 2. ch. 8. V. 4. It is remarkable that Mr. Wood obserV^, that the natives, at this day, call Palmyra by tlie orgiiial appellation of Tadmor. (:) The famous monastery, calltd « The Grange ChaHreuse." The retirement of Saint Bruno. (a) The Pictures of the Suprfeoie Being by Raphael and Michael Angel 0. There is one .picture of thc SveREME BErNG srparatinj To the straiii'd view presents the yawning tonib> Substantial horrors, and eternal doom. To HIM the Powers of harmony (6) resort. And as the Bard, with high commanding port, 160 Scans all the ethereal wilderness around. Pour on his ear the thrilling stream of sound ; Strains, from that full-strung-chords at distance swell. Notes, breathing soft from music's inmost cell; While to their numerous pause, or accent deep. His choral passions dread accordance keep. Thence musing, lo he bends his weary eyes , On life, and all it's sad realities j Marks how the prospect darkens in the rear, 16^ Shade blends with shade, and fear succeeds to fear, !Mid forms that rise, itnd flutter through the gloom, 'TiR Death unbar the cold sepulchral room. separating the light from the darkness^ iii; the. Vftult of the Capella Sestina in Rome, by Michael Angclo, ■which,'^ I believe, has never betMi engraved. Mt'-. Fnseii, I thinky said so xchen I enquired about, if, I allude also to the picture of the Last Judgment, by the same plaster, .--■'.. (*) The power of Music on the mind .trf- tlic P«et» 315 Such iS the Poet : such his claim divine ! — Imagination's chartered libertine, (c) He scorns, in apatliy, to float or dream On listless Satisfaction's torpid stream, J3ut dares, alone, in vent'rous bark to rid« Down turbulent Delight's tempestuous tide. With thoughts encount'ring thoughts in conflict strong. The deep Pierian thunder of the song 1 80 Rolls o'er his raptur'd sense ; the realms on high For him disclose their varied majesty ; He feels the call : then bold, beyond control. Stamps on the immortal page the visions of his soul ! OCTAVIUS. Nay, if you feed on this ceelestial strain. You may with Gods hold converse, not with men^ Sooner the people's right shall Horsley [d] teach. In judgment delicate, with prudence preacli^ (c) <' The air, a chartered libertine^ is still." Shakspearc. 11. r. (^d) I allude to Bishop Ilorsley's intemperate and unadvised speeches io Parliament. An injudicious friend is worse than sn 316 And o*er his bosom broad forget to spread Bath's dangling pride, and ribband rosy-red j (e) Friend of the Church the pious Grafton (/) prove; Or Sutton [g) cease to claim the public love, 192 And e'er forego, from dignity of place. His polish'd mind and reconciling grace 5 Or Yorke, (//) regardlessof his saCrcd trust. To unobtrusive merit be mijust j an enemy ; and I believe Mr. Pitt thinks so. Inconsiderate sentences uttered publickly by members of either House are very dangerous, and do much harm : the dogma is remembered, and the comment is forgotten. Bishop Horsley and Mr. Wyndham (both men of great natural and acquired ability) should be more attentive in this particular. (1797.) (e) Bishop Horsley is Dean of the Order of the Bath, and is a bold rival to the late learned knight, Sir William |Draper, in making " that blushing ribband the perpetual ornameiit of *' his person." See Junius, in his Third Letter, and Bishop Horsley eien/ tc^e?c. (1797.) (/) See the Duke's JF/in^j. — Rather broad. (g) The Plight Rev. Charles Manners Sutton, Bishop oi Norwich. A Prelate whose amiable demeanour, useful learning, and conciliating habits of life, particularly recommend his episcopal character. No man api^ears to mc so peculiarly marked out for the highest dignity of the Church, sede vacmte, as Dr. Sutton. (July 1797.) . . 517 Porteous, the royal (/) prelate, firm to truth. Forget the primal patron of his youth ; Moore to his synod call, of unction full ; Or Barrington be meek ; or Watson dull. 200 (b) The RightRcT. James Yorke, D. D. Bishop of Ely. The voluntary/ unsolicited offer of the Mastership of Jesus College in Cambridge, to the Rev. Dr. Paley, so well known in the literary and ecclesiastical world, deserves to be publicly mentioned as an instance, almost solitary, of generous, liberal discernment in the important collation of academical dignity. The University regrets the absence of Dr. Palcy, one of the ablest instructors she ever could boast ; and Bishop Yorke must be recorded as one of the friends of learning. It is no mean honour to associate the name of Paley with that of Yorke. " Et " mece, si quid loquar audiendum, vocis accedet bona pars.'* (Nov. 1797.) (i) The Right Rev. Beilby Porteons, Bishop of London. See the Dedication of his Sermons. I think him right in recording his elevation as the immediate voluntary gift of royal, and not of ministerial, favour. Sic gemmas vaginte infronfeso]eha,t Ponere zelotypo Juvenis pr^elatus Hiarbse! The choice was approved unanimously by the country, and justified by his own merits and conduct. But I admire still more Dr. Portcous's affectionate, grateful, and eleijant tribnte to the memory of his venerable latron, Archbishop Secker;* a name never to be uttered but with reverenco, as the great exemplar of metropolitan strictness, erudition, and dignity. The uHion of surji patrons must for ever mark the character of Bishop Porteous. (1798.) *Scc bis Lifc; just republished, with a proper attention to the time. 318 Sooner Stentorian (k) Davies cease to talk. And for his Eton quit his Bond-street walk ; (k) The Rev. Jonathan Davies, D. D. Provost of Eton College; a learned, pleasant, generous, open-hearted, good- tempered man, but in conversation rather too much of a Stentor, who is declared by Homer to have had a voice equai to fifty other men. The Epithets of Homer are all significant, and I therefore give the lines. OiToa-ov c*v^wx Til) ToXXwvo," f(7£waTo Ax^wdoj &f~»i| I *OIA A' 'OAON TO MEAAOPON ! Ixaj, Ixaj oVrij a?.«Tpof, Kai in va rot, fepsrpa xaXw TroJi $OIBOS af«c-T?i.* This is a subject which should be considered by every Father of a family, and by every Guardian of young Persons in this country, with the most impressiyc seriousness. Undoubtedly the e\peiice attending an education at any great public school, (I speak not only of Eton) is noiofelt in such a manner, as I fear it will be difficult for Parents long to supply, or to continue. Whence does it arise? Is there a remedy, in part? I think there is. To my certain knowledge, the cxpenccs of any public school, as such, are increased but in a small, and in a very reasonable, proportion to the exigencies of the times. Mode, fashion, custom, vanity, and inconsiderateness occasion the chief causes of complaint. Fashionable private tuition is indeed not: as evpcnsive, or rather more so in some cases. I would first propose, that no Master or Instructor in an)/ of our public schools, should be sulfered to keep a Boarding House, or have boys to board with him. The character of the " De " loiUce paranda attonitls Doctqr," should be done away, * Callin. Ilymu. ad Apoll. Y2 320 Or Langford leave off preaching to the King; {m) and the custom wholly abolished. This might easily be effected, by a §T??crf// determination of the Nobility and Gentlemen of this kingdom. Surely all Boys, of every description and rank, might now board at the general and established Boarding houses, the cxpences of which are liberal, unvarying, and regulated. From such an cqualUij of education nothing is to be appre- hended. The next question may be this ; Is there a necessity for a Boy to have a Tutor in avy public school ? Why must he have one? \i is perhaps a source ofunrccessaryexpencc (and sometimes of no very commendable traffic); and which is still worse, it promotes negligence and idleness in boys, and prevents their reliance on their own faculties and indispensable application. Thirdly, I am confident that by the attention and superintcn- dancc on the part of the parents or guardians, the expence of bills mJght be considerablj/ lessened ; and in regard to books ill particular. For want of precaution, there is no limit to the elegance of thccditions,or of the binding. School-books are never costly. This is a single instance; but on such and similar instances I cannot condescend to expaiiate: I would be useful, and therefore not tedious. The greatest, most serious, and most alarming cause is behind, over which the masters can have no control. It is this : Private or pocket money given with a heedless, wanton, and inconsiderate profusion unknown in former times. We are told in the liberal spirit of the day, that all boys must he gintlemen, that thoy must act as other boys, and have no temptation to he mean. Suppose this granted. How is this enormous expence to be supplied? By the argument, it is no part of the unavoidable expence of education. But a boy's ■purse, it seems, should be always full; that— That what? that he'mat/ be under no temptation to be mean. Can wc be now ignorant Or good PaliemoUf (mm) worn witli classic toil^ Ignorant what Is the sense affixed to meanness by a modera pampered boy ? Well then : he has no temptation to be mean. But, from a full purse, has he no temptation to be wicked? no temptation to be idle and negligent? Ahorse, perhaps I may be told, is sometimes allowable. Why ? that he may attend races, I suppose, or be in town, now and then, perhaps for a whole night. His purse must be full. Why? that he may go to the tavern, drink his bottle like a gentleman, and now and thea slink to the gaming table, and become a man of honour in good time. Liquors are rebellious in the blood, and then, as the purse is full, the forehead will not long be bashful. The means of Aveakness and debility need not be zcooed ; they are every where obvious and obtrusive. Such is the education of boys with a full purse. A poet once spoke of moderation, and of government in expence, in other terms: nondum CognitaDivura Munera! virtulis custos et auiica pudorl, Luxuriae froenum, vitas tuiela I But such expences, it may be said, are for patrician boys. Arc they then separated from the rest ? Is there no contagion ofexamplc? What are our public streets by dav, or our theatres by night? The eye may see, but the car might distrust the report. But a full purse, it seems, is very necessary for a boy, that he maij not be mean. Surely this is most ruinous and contemptible sophistry. In education, and in the government of a state, every obstacle should be opposed io wickedness, and to the means of wickedness. There should bo a double restraint. All passions submit ultimafely (with the great majority of mankind) to the V 3 jtaability ComplaiiiL of plants ungrateful to the soil ; inability of gratifying them, and the disposition Is bcstprcparc4 by the discipline of necessity. Tu boys and youths of ingenuous tempers, sometimes filial piety, a regard for their nearest relatives, the advantage of a good character, and the pleasure of a good conscience, operate with the better and more honourable part. But human infirmity is not to be trusted; it never yet was trusted with security. Laws, regulations, and strong institutions have the greatest power to enforce good manners, when the Parents, Guardians, Instructors, and Masters co-operate fully in their Keveral functions. It must be remembered, I am speaking of Jthi education of boijs, and not of confirmed habits of ex pence, of wickedness, or of dcprarity in men. The wisdom and experience of those to whom I am addressing mygolf, in public schools, Tvill easily supply what I haves omitted ; for I Iwxvc omitted much. Every gentleman in the country may co- operate in this important and patriotic attention, at such a period as the present. It is also not to be dissembled, (it is my office to speak openly and boldly) that Boijs now actually divide themselves info political, parties. There is indeed a general licentiousness pf spirit among nioderu boys, which the public good requires to be cffcctualfj/, pov:erfullyj and instantly repre.5 ■vveigTity deliberation. Perliaps thts is the last public remon- strance -svhlch will ever be made. I would not scatter my words lightly in every ear, but I would graft thcra where they m;ght grow and bear. At this hour the State is shaking through all her departments : and nothing is now indifferi nt, which cau supply aliment for health, or remedies for a mortal distcm^cxa- ture. The grand and chief supporters of our Country In the Par- liament, the Law, and the Church, must proc.ecd from the Uni- versities. Upon them, primarily and ultimately, as to our governors and legislators, Doraus inclinatarecumbit. ^Vothiiig should be suffered to diminish, or to sully the character of our Athens, and pollute the fountains of Ilyssus. In these retire- flaents every science and every art and every accomplishment, which are gocd and essential to man in civilized society, may be pursued with cflect; and a solemn account rendered to the llingdom. In them the Youth of this kingdom may best learn the foundation of all knowledge; the principles of evidence in sacred and human aftairs; the nature of legitimate arguqient; the eternal power of truth opposed to the subtleties of so- phistry ; the proofs of revelation, and the best introduction to it, the higher philosophy of Greece and Rome; the sources of history; the finished models of classical literature, and those al(VRQ; tl?e principles and laws of ancient composition ; the abhorrence of conceit and forced thought; and tlie life-springs of taste and of good conduct. Whatever can bring forth, strengthen, amplify, cultivate, enlighten, purify, and direct the powers of the human mind, within those limits which are prescriVis-*v, a "BstcriXnov lifccr-v^tM, the best and the strongest literary bulwark and fortress against deception, error, sophistry, anarchy, and the wildncss of jiolitical and religious confusion. I am not speaking out of season, or without necessity; I am epeaking in soberness and in truth, \^"hile die words are passing from me, Jam thkc.i: juxta, et tenebrosa vouago.* I will extend an observation or two on the method of^ Aca,dc-. r.iicalstudy. I own 1 never had a very great fear or apprehension, that the severe and most indispensable studies of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy should be generullj/ carried too far. iuto tlie inmost recesses of any study few arc permitted to cuter. * Stat. Thcb. L 6. 329 Or Wilberforce range lawless through the townj enter. In Academical education, the great aim and end sliould be, to recommend the stuily of original works principally, I think almost cxclu;.ively. If these arc not attended to at the University, they are seldom, if ever read, (I am sure with little eifect) at any other period of life. I am rigid in this opinion ; for I have seen it's good effects in men of eminence who adhered to it. " Say, wouldst thou hear it from our mouths, or from *' our Masters :" were the words of the weird Sisters; " Call *' them, let me see them;" was the reply of Macbeth. In this spirit would I consider the books proposed for the subjects of public lectuics. By way of instance Locke, Grotius, Puffendorff, Cu^ibcrlmd, and Woollaston, should be preferred to the writers who have arisen since their day. I would object to Dr. Pa ey's moral and political Philosophy, as a Lecturc- boQkj solfly upon this principle; for it is a book of great merit and of general utility. New morality, new metaphysics, and new politics, arc introduced unuzcurcsj from the contagion of the time. I would call the rising Youth of this country, to the intense, and fervent, and unremitting study of the ancient classical "writers-, (whom I need not name) as their primary choice. I call upon them to have the courage to be ignorant of many subjec's, and of many authors, at their inestimable age. I exhort them atfectlonately, as a matter of the most serious importance, never to pretend to study, in their first academical years, what they design as the ultimate end of their labours, I mean their profession. Their whole business is to lay the foiindalion of knowledge original, sound, and strong. In particular, the study of the Law, as sttch, should never he entered upon^ even in limine^ before the first degree in arts is 330 Or ^^liiigay be the glory of hisg()Wft^ is obfamod. The first rolumc indeed of Blackstonc's Conft iiK'ntaries may be road, in the same manner as Uobertson's Ititrodirctiou to his History of Charles the Fifth. They are both chcf-d'tEiivres in their kind, and form a part of general knowledge. The specific study of the Law in the UniversKyj at that early age, confines and cripples the faculties. Such a Student may arrive at mere knowledge, as a special pleader ; but he will never be illustrious, nor ornamental to his profession. I wish to observe with the most particular emphasis, that, when a \ oung man has once entered upon any profession whatsoever, his education has in fact ceased. They Mho, by a patient contiiinance and undiverted attention to academical studies ulune.f have sought for the original materials of science aUd of solid fame, have seldom failed in their great pursuit. I ain zcalons for the honour and the utility of both ouii t^NivEnsiTirs: I am earnest in my words and thoughts. I see .and hear them too frequently, aud most unworthily, traduced ia writing and ua conversation. I see the institution ridiculed and sneered at by (be thoughtless, by the ignorant, and by the dtsigiiing. But it is a common cause. They should always be termed, in literary dignity and with a prophetic spirit, the '' /Ktieadas mugnus et nobile Pallanteum !" I am for no balance of merit between them; I wish to see uo sjiarkles from their collision : but I would have them grow brighter aud more illustrious from mutual reliection. But if they are doomed to fall, and the mortal hour of democracy, confusion, aud tyranny is approachiug, this book, till it ici prohibited by a Directory, will shew that they had a friend, bold enough to conic iid to Ihc last for their original antl inherent di-nity. A friend who belivved, or rather who knew, thein 331 Or Erskine cease from irapotent grimace, tbem to be capable, in their high functions, to me«s7*u/« sequen- " tern fidei suse confessionem obtulerunt Francisco I. Regi *' Gallia?, quatn amajoribus quasi permanus acceperant, abhinc '^ anno postChristi Jncarn; 1200," &c. Sand Hist. E.p.425. + The unwarrantable iiolence of this Romish Priest, John JMilucr, in his ponderous History of AVinchcstcr, (to some tenets in which, though mitred Rochester "l has nodded on (hem unperceived, the criticism of the Attorney-General might cer- tainly be applied with effect,) has called forth from the pen of Dr Sturgess, a temperate, seasonable, manly, and, in some parts, an eloquent defence of the Profestant Cause. Sec his Answer to Mr. JMilner. But in the House of Lords I find, ^' Still to one Bishop Milucr seems a wit.'' % Dr. Horsley Z 3 lam 538 Turn law to trade, or deem religion vain j In our dread and natural horror of Atheism and of Anar- cliy, why a,retce to revive superstition and tyranny? I have nothing to do with the emancipation of the Catholics in Ireland, but to my apprehension it is amcasiire full of danger. It is at one stroke to alter the fundamental law and constitution of the country. I write in Great Britain, and direct my thoughts for this kingdom, wishing for peace, tranquillity, and union between the two Islands. (July 17L7.) (^) Nothing can be more offensive, more injudicious, and in some instances more profane, than when a barrister appeals to God for the truth of every assertion made in a court of law, and in many cases when the facts have been doubtful, andsometimes have been afterwards proved to be false. I call this a prime t/eVorffcc; and I hope no Barrister of/ability will follow this flippant and rash habit of Mr. Erskine, in the Court of King's Bench, which srehaveall so repeatedly witnessed. Mr. Erskine's own better sense and serious thought (for I believe he has some serious thoughts) will restrain him in ftitiirc. But public men must be told of their faults publicly. (1797.) (//) The fate of the present Duke of Grafton is singular, lie has been celebrated by the first prose writer, and the first poet of the age. (1797.) (c) See a long law-lifc in 4to. of the great Earl INIansfieldy Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench; by 1s\t ilolliday, in I am glad however to see tlie attt-nlion which men cf sense and judgment begin to give to the real h\)\i\i of the Roman Catholics: and in proporiion to the accuracy, learning, and judgment with which it is apprehended, understood, and rcpfe- sented to this kiiiirdam, in that same degree Mill ouii Consti- tution in Church and State be found and acknowledged to b« the strongest bulwark of Chri^tianity and of Liberty. Anglia iicslabit; Chuistique xnx alta mancbitl 539 And (6) Rose with coy submission, modest grace, Rise to explain his sinecures and place; Or downright Peter (c"), rough with many a scar. Feather his quills, or smooth his shafts of v/ar ; in a very peculiar style indeed. For the greater part, it is a bundle of reports, ar,d law pleadings strung together. It is astonishing to mc, that Conveyancers and Attorneys, who really appear not to know how to construct a single sentence, "without provoking a smile at some error in grammar, language, or metaphor, will think themselves qualified to deliver down to posterity the lives of great men. Luckily, Mr. Ilolliday's real does not oltend us in rhyme. The friendship and the verse of Pope, as avcH as the sp'endonr of his own abilities, and the dignity of their high excriious, have secured an e efnity of reputation to Lord Chief Justice AL^xsfikld, which can never fall — even by J.Ir. Huliiday's attempt. (Nov. 1797.) (a) Sir John Scott, Attorney General, (1797.) now the Rt. Hon. Lord Eldon. (1800.) (h) George Rose, Esq. Secretary to the Treasury, &c. &:c. &c. &c. 8zc. &c. Sec. kc. (c) The celebrated Peter Porcupine, or Mr. William Cobbctt. I find the following character of him, tcritten in the 1/car 179S zchcn he resided at Phihidclphia, which 1 willingly transcribe. " America has not a more active, zealous, and useful citizen, or Great Britain a rcarmcr friend, than honest Peter. In hii literary features he is rather roughly stamped; but he under- stands the time. He can descant upon the (Lformity of it, and hold a looking glass to the world, wherein they may seestrango siglits. There is a vigour, a simplicity, and an upright inten- tion in all his works, which speak to the heart. Whcfl nature and honesty arc working at the root, the plant will be sound Z .4 aad 340 Or He, whose Essence (aa) wit and taste approv'd. Forgot the muiberry tarts (bb) that Drydcn lov'd. Ifid healthy. Lcefa etfortia surgiint, quippe solo Nufura suhest. I offer with pleasure, this passing tribute to a bold, sensible, industrious, spirited, and most deserving man."* Mr. Cobbett maintained the cause of this country against the Jacobins and Democrats in America with undaunted vigour, energy, and effect; and he deserves our thanks: and if Mr. Cobl)ett will noTjO consider the different meridians of London and Philadelphia, and the general polished state of society and taste in England, and will accordingly temper and regulate Ills language and his zeal, I think, that his strong understanding, accurate information, and cogent arguments may effect much for the service of Great Britain at her utmost need ; but if he will not temper and regulate his language and his spirit, tliis country may one day deeply regret his exertions, and feel their consequences. (Nov. 1803.) Ca«) See the Second Edition of a Pamphlet entitled, *' The Essence of Malone, or the Bcaufies of that fascinating Writer, extracted from his immortal work in Five Hundred Sixty-nine pages and a quarter, just published, and, vith his accustomed fdicity, entitled, Some account of the Life and Writings of John Dryden 1 ! 1" It is evidently the composition of a man of learning and gcninSj and a smart but playful satirist, who is also master of the liberal dialectic weapons of a Lawyer; and Mr. Malone has perpetual reason to exclaim with Whiskerandos in the Critic, " That thrust in tierce was fatal." — These Canons of Biography, an eternal lesson to all the dull biographers and ■writlrs of the age, arc not more happily conceived than illus- trated * Prefatory Epistle to the Translations of the P. of L. p 49. WrittGn in the year 170y. 341 Sooner Lord William, and the Duke divide From their Elysian Father's [cc) holy side ; 230 Or the Bank bow to Pitt's imperial creed 5 Or Dramatists to public trust succeed; Sooner to France Thames roll his current strong^; Than men love verse, high fancy, or the song. Taught by the muse, and by her wisdom wise. Think not, a Poet's name I lightly prize : But in the wane of Empires, (mark the hour !) Vice and the Sword consolidate all pow'r; tratcd with the wit and humour of Rabelais and Sterne. (Not. 1800.) (bb) " He eat, with Madam Reeve, tarts at the Mulberry Garden," &c. Maloue's Life of Dryden, p. 466. These iVw/- bernj Tarts, -were not given to Dryden by tlie Minister of King Charles, but he paid Madam Fteeve for them himself; though Mr. Malone has most unaccountably neglected to mention the price, and also hozc many he eat at one visit to the Lady; which are the only omissions of consequence in that most fascinating piece of Biography. The playful author of the Essence, like *he .^:2;le Naiad um pulcherrima, has thrown a few flowery wreaths round this modern Drydenian wizard, when napping in his study, and for the amusement of the public, like the wanton nymph, has painted his forehead a little between his sleeping and waking : lamque videnti Sanguineis frontem maris, et teaapora pingit. Erea Laws pass their (r)bou^ds;fe^v• statesmen stand erect; All in their country's name, themselves protect; The public hopes with public credit sink, — 241 At such an hour, when men to madness think. What is a Poet, what is fiction's strain ? Junius (^/) might probe a Nation's wounds in vain. V.xow in our days, ?ilr. Pitt's Coufoctloncr has not indeed imicli biisiii.ss in making Mulberry (arisfor (he pools hy order of the Chancellor of the Kxchcqiicr, cxce))t for a very ingenious, j)octical, ,and eloquent Anti-Jacobin, vrho hcis JJulberr^ tarts ecJth pujf-paste every day from the Minister's own tabic, and sometimes Rice Crust by Mr. Dundas's Cook. See the India JJjard. — " I hav^j begun to phint thee, and will labourio make Tiir.E FULL OF ghowixg:" Mr. P. to ]Mr. C. (Nof. 1800.) {(c) L'is Graco the Duke of Queensberry, Lord William Gordon, el saSaintete Medicinalc, Lc Pcre FAisac. Tria lumina G:?n{is. " I like to prt-scrve all the litMc traits of character of ** the time." See Mr. Sheridan or Mr. Puff, in the Cri.'ic. (^c) The violence, sedition, and daring wickedness of times I /tf'^/ic.a' produce the necessity Ui extending laws and regulations and ac(s which arc declared ieniporurj/, and called for by that necessity alone. V>'lu'n th. clanger is passed, the Constitution i-. again left to protect itre'f by it's ancient laws, if that danger can jjozo, or ever, pass from us. This is what Ocfavius seems to mean, by " laws passing their bounds," &c. in this and the fiilloicing lines; and in this sense I hope he will be understood. (July 1797.) ((/) O magna saccr ct sni'crbiis umbra!* Junius told tiic nation, that '• a time might arrive, at which "■ evi;rtf * Stat. Svh. L. 9. Carm. 7. 343 As from a diiimond globe, with rays condense, *Tis SATIRE gives the strongest hght to sense. To thought compression, vigour to the soul, To language bounds, to fancy due controid, To truth the splendour of her awful face. To learning dignity, to virtue grace, 250 To conscience stings, beneath the cap or crown. To vice that terror she will feel, and own. But if in love with fiction still, at Court Present in verse some new Finance-Report, How taxes, funds, and debts shall disappear. Or in the fiftieth, or five-hundredth year. O'er secret armaments in silence doze, To Pult'ney's sailing join his Belgian prose ; Paint him triumphant o'er the Iberian main, '^ Divide and part his sever'd fleet in twain," [e) '' every inferior consideration must yield to the Security op " THE Sovereign, and to the general safety of the State." lutroduct. to Lett. 35. This is not the doctrine of Home Tooke, and of the desperate French Factions, and seditious societies now in England and Ireland. Junius had not so learned the Constitution of England; nor has the Author of the P. of L. so learned it. (July 1797.) (e) A line from the art of Sinlcing in, &c. by Martinus Scriblcrus. 344 At Malta, or the Tagiis hail Sir Ralph, 261 All ends attain'd, and all the soldiers safe! Or on the gale to Britain's kindred shore Breathe songs of ltnion, and imperial lore; Her Senate firm, her statesmen nobly bold. Nor dup'd by Foster, nor to Grattan sold; In bright array see where lerne stands, Pitt's new Briareus with a hundred hands^ "What vocal transports round the Speaker play! St. Patrick animates dull Stephen's clay, 270 "While ancient art supplies unhoped-for aid. And shews Job's patience (/) on the wall di splay 'd ! S'criljlcriis. It is saiJ (Iiat a new chapter on the art of Secrect/ in campaigns bij sea andland, in the hand-writing of that great ^latcsman and philosojjher Martiniis Scriblenis, has lately l)eeu discovered at Pope's House at Twickenham, and kindly communicated to the ministers by the noble possessor. It is said to have been of singular service in some late expeditions, in Avhich better appointed Fleets and more gallant armies were rcvcr sent forth to assert, protect, and amplify the power of the British Empire. (Nov. 1800.) (/) When the House of Commons was enlarged for the reception of the Imperial Parliament, after the Union Act between Great Britain and Ireland, several ancient paintings in fine preservation and in brilliant colours were discovered on the walls of St. Steplteu's Chapel, one of which the Royal Society Or tread the maze Ox picturesque tlcllght, From Holwood paint with Pitt the prospect bright j Without one " line of boundary" to speech. The summit of conceit with Gilpin (g) reach ; j 'Society of Antiquaries in London, with an arclmoss anti an'iicipating pleasantry not always belonging to that Acudcmis en corps, has determined to be the family of the patient Job I which is by some menibi-rs conj^idered as a beautiful periphrasis for thQ future H. of C. when they meet. O qui complexus et gaudia quanta I It is said (I know not with Avhat truth) that the Speaker in the excess and fervour of his gratitude wrote a letter of thanks to the Society on the occasion, vliich the ministers without any reluctance signed in a round Robin. It is imagiued^ that the Speaker's eye will be frequently directed to this monument of ancient consolation in (he course of every session, after the Irish imports. (Nov. 1800.) {g) I am under the necessity of making a strong remonstrance against^t' language ofMr. Gilpin's writiiigs on Landscape and the Picturesque. It is such disartugo or jargon of speech as is wholly unnecessary, though we are (aught to believe themappro- pr.a and observation. (1797.) (o) A young Surgeon of an accurate and philosophical spirit of investigation, from whose genius and labours, as I am led to tliink, the medical art and natural philosophy may here- after receive very great accessions. (1797.) A a 550 With Symonds, and withGrafton'sDuke(/;) would vie, A Dilettante in Divinity ; A special clerk for method and for plan, 301 (;j) The Duke of Grafton, the Chancellor, and John Symonds, L. L. D. Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge, have both attracted the public attention by their various Hints and Observations oil subjects of Scripture. As I never may have so convenient an opportunity, I will also offer a remark or two, which are nezs to me, on a passage in St, Paul's Epistles, if another Layman may be heard witii indulgence. There is no particular conjecture as to the peculiar meaning or furca of the following passage of St. Paul in the Second Epistle to Tirrothy. " The Cloak which I left at *' Troas bring with thee, and the books, but especially the *' parchments.*^ Ep. 2. c. 4. v. 13. 1 woiiid hint, that this Epistle was written /rom Rome when Paul v.as br^mght before Nero the second time. Eyp«(J>i uxo Tufjon;, Itz ix. ^;yv=(!« 7rap:0-r») Uocv^oi rui Kajcapt NEpwvt. In the 22d Chapter of the Acts, Paul was tenacious of the privilege of Roman Citizenship, and it proved of much advantage to him "before the Centurion. It may be, and it is, a matter of mere conjecture, •whether he might be required to prove himself a Citizen of Rome, when he was to make his defence. These parchments {^^i.'^fa.mi) might contain some documents, or be a deed or diploma of some consequence to the matter in question. But as to the Cloak, there is something more particular. The Cloak in the original, is :Xovr?, or*«»Xovnj, which is undoubtedly a corruption for OatvcXnf, and it is so read in the Codex M.S. Bibliothccae Caesareae Viennensis. ^aiwXrig was grecised from the Roman word Pa'nula. This is no more than was done frequently in other languages and in other countries. Particularly when the scat of Empire was 3o\ Through science by the alphabet he ran. was transferred from Rome to Byzantium, the lawyers of the Imperial Courts were obliged to grecise many terms of la',v; as ihuoiJ.uKT(j-ot.pnj^ for JiJei commissarios, PjcraJjov for i-epudiuniy (as in this passage, " EvXvyu^ v ywn to PETa3'»o» nulu was still worn. As the Paenula was so specifically a Roman garment and worn only by Romans, St. Paul might wish, as a slight confirmation of his point, to shew what was his customary dress. It may be remarked, that the Pa;nula was a vestment which the Romans generally Avoreupona journey. Juvenal observes in Sat. 5. "Multostillaret *' Paenula uimbo," and St. Paul says, that " he left it behind " A/matTroas." This is only written as a mere literary remark to hint, that in ♦he minutest passages of the Scriptures there may be some niraning ; and that nothing can be so contem.ptible as foolish and profane ridicule, on any passage in the sacred writings, founded on ignorance. The present remarks are intended as a matter of some little curiosity : and I look upon them in no other A'iew. But I think there is no passage in the Hebrew, or Greek Scriptures which will not at last admit of such an illustration or explanation, I mean philologically or critically y as may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Much general information on these subjects is to be obtained from Ilarmer's valuable and satisfactory Observations on the Scriptures, collected from Voyages and Travels in the East; (four volumes 8vo.)and from " Letters from some Jews to Mr. *' Voltaire." A man of real erudition, who merits the esteem of his fellow creatures, constantly keeps his knowledge, his reason, and his prudence connected indissolubly, or as it is well expressed by a philosopher, Ev in verse, with notes: the first to the Rev. Dr. Randolph, " &c," 2d edition. 1796. I recommend them to the general entertainment, and perhaps instruction, of the public. (i) That ingenious, accomplished, and very learned gentleman, Andrew Lumisdex, Esq. F.A.S. Edinb. has since that time taught us all to converse with knowledge and accuracy on the subject, in the most agreeable scholar-like manner. See " His *' Remarks on the Antiquities of Rome and it's Environs, *' being a classical and topographical Survey of the Ruins of " that celebrated City." 4to. 1797. It is a pleasing and most judicious performance of a Gentleman who appears to have enjoyed the united advantages of foreign travel, studious leisure, and polite company. (1797.) {t) Two celebrated architects. The professional knowledge of Sir W. Chambers, Knight, (of mQ%i heroic memory,) was profound and substantial, Mr. Soane has more fancy and airinctfs of dc>ign, and is certainly a man of information and ingenuity. But he indulges himself a little too much in txtravaganzas and Khims. See the Bank. A a 4 330 And oft in thought, by antique pavements kiicf, With Lysons (i) guide tlie military spade; Nay once, for purer air o'er r-iwal ground, With little Daniel ( v) went his twelve miles round. («) I am obliged for this information to a Fellow of the S. of Antiquaries. Mr. Carter is a draftsman of tlie very first merit, but his catholic zeal betrayed him, assisted by some Morosophisis of the Society, to attack the first genius in arciiitectlre in this kingdom, Mr. VVyatt. Longa est injin'ia: longce ambages. It is difficult to prove that (he Society of Antiquaries ■svas instituted^ solely to preserve the purity of Gothic Archi- tccture, or to listen to the tiresome cabals of busy Baronets and meddling Romiih priests. — But to us, under the auspices of Wyatt, OFortunati! quorum piafectu 7'esurgunf, yEneas ait, etfastigia suspicit urbis. (Nov. 1797.) (.r) Samuel Lysons, Esq. F.Il. S. and A. S. one of the most judicious, best informed, and most learned «wc/c'//r Antiquaries in this kingdom, in his department. Do lubens manus Vilruvio. His work on (he remains of the Roman Villa and pavements at Woodchester, near Gloucester, (which a friend has just shewn me,^ is such a specimen of ingenuity, unwearied zeal, and critical accuracy in delineating and illustrating the frag- ments of aiitiquity, a^ rarely has been equalled, certainly never surpassed. His Majesty was so pleased with some of Mr. Lysons's attempts (near Dorchester I think,) that a party of the militia was detached to assist him in digging among the ruins. A friend of mine was much entertained witii the three /c;z/s erected on the spot, and a detachment of soldiers storming a fort under ground, under the orders of an Antiquary. Ilenca my allusion to the military spade. '•^Of the genius, judgment, knowledge, ' 557 On Siindiiys at Sir Joseph's [z) never failM, So regular, you might have thought him bail'd ; 329 knowledge, and per^-CTcrancc of tliis Gcnfloman in the department he has undertaken, it is dldkult to speak in terms of sufficient approbation. (Nov. 1797.) (?/) The Rev. Daniel Lysons, M. A. the Brother of Samncl Lyson"?, Esq. An ingenious and diligent Antiquary, Init of an. inferior class : I mean as to the respective subjects of their works. He is author of The Environs, twelve miles round London. But really, in these hard times. Four large Volumes in 4to. z^irc-xzove and hot-pressed^ and Six Guineas paid down on the table, and the books unbound, (and an appendix threatened) are rather too much for parish-registers, births, deaths, and marriages ; or even for the delights of Islington, Ilomerton, Hackney, Clapton, Acton, and all the rural retreats of City innocence and pure air, in the neighbourhood of town. The work should have been printed in 8vo. Isly only objection is to the typographic pomp and expencc of a book on such a subject ; and I think most persons will agree %vith me. (Nov. 1797.) (c) Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. Knight of the Bath, President, of the Royal Society, Privy Counsellor, kc. kc. Sec. has instituted a meeting at his house in Soho Square, every Sunday eyening, at which the Literati, and men of rank and con- sequence, and men of no consequence at all, find equally a polite and pleasing reception from that justly distinguished Gentleman. Siii Joseph Banks is fitted for his station in tlio ■ learned world, not more from his attainments and the liboriili'y of his mind, than by his particular and unremitted attention to the interest and advancement of natural philosophy, and his generous patronage of the Arts. rOUTUN.i; MAJORIS IIONOS, F.RECTUS ET ACER I* (17970 * Claudian. 358 With Jones a linguist, Sanscrit, Greek, or Manks, And could with Watson play some chemic pranks; Yet far too wise to roast a diamond {a) whole. And for a treasure find at last a coal. Sometimes he'd treat, his wines of chosen sort ; Will. Pitt, with honest Harry, lov'd his {b) port; The Bengal Squad (t) he fed, though wondrous nice; Baring his currie took, and Scott his rice. ♦ (a) The ingenious Mr. Tenant lias shewn, in a paper read at the Royal Society, that he can reduce a Diamondhy erapora- tion fo Charcoal. I have heard, that Mrs. Hastings, and other great possessors of diamonds, have a kind of Tciianto-phobiay and are shy of this gentleman. A poor Poet, like myself, who has neither diamonds nor any thing precious belonging to him, can only remind Mr. Tenant and the Royal Society of the old proverb, " Carbonem pro Thesau7'o." (b) I can give no better character of his old Port. We all know on such occasions, " Bacchum in rcmotis ru]!ibus" is the 9ong o^ honest Harry Dundas, in all the wildncss oi highland Dithyrambic; while Mr. Pitt, on the battlements of Walmer, in his own and Virgil's sober majesty, " oceano libemus, ait." (c) Privatis majora focis : I can have nothing to say to them; Dr. Morosophos was bolder than I can venture to be. I could write down a pleasant collection ; several of whom are Reformers, Mr. Philip Francis, little Michael Angcio, &c. &c. &c. but none of them are disposed to extend the question of Reform in a more irapor(aat department. D'oii 559 InScrip: notHemings'(c?) self more vers'd than he^ The Solomons, or Nathan, or E. P. ; Loyal and open, liberal of cash, 340 (Not your damn'd dollars [c), or Bank-paper trash) Nor tax, nor loan he fear'd, at table free. And drank the Minister with three times three ; (/) ** D'ou ce Visage enfin, plus pale qu'un Rentier, A I'aspect d'un aruet, qui retrancheun qiiartier?* Qui vous a pu plongcr dans cet humeur chagrine ? A-t-on 2:iar quelque idit REFORMe la cuisine?" Boileau, Sat. 3. {d) Dr. Morosophos now and then dabbled in the funds. The Gentlemen of the Stock Exchange^ or The College, (as it is ter.ned in City-wit) are much indebted to that eminent calculator of the different paj/menls, Mr, Hemings. Boyd, Benfield, Solomon Solomon, Nathan Solomon, E. P. Solomon, 'Bhe'.luson, Old Daniel Giles, Mr. Battle, Lord Lansdowne, Dr. Moore, Little Count Rupee, and all those who look an eighth better or zcorse for the opening, know that I am right, in pronouncing the panegyric of this learned classic on the Stock Exchange, (1798.) " Prens moi le bon parti; laisse la tous Ics livrcs. *' Exerce-toi, mon fils, dans ccs hautes sciences; " Prens, an lieu d'ua Platon, ce Guidon des Fincoiccs.^^ Avis de Boileau, Sat. 8. (e) This verse was evidently written after the 26th of Feb. 1797, af'.er theorder of Council was sent to the Bank of England, when tke whole nation was made to pass through the pillars of ' Hercjles; or in plain English, to take dollars for current silver. »i — - — . — ■ ,^^-^....,..._...._^^..._.^__^_— — ^— ^— ^— ^ *'Mr. Pitt is supposed t.) have taken his hint of the quadruple ai^essment from Boileau, and to have /w^rorcc/ upon it. ( 1797.) 360 Till uitli a pun old Caleb (g) crown'd the \vhole, ** Consols, and not philosophy, console.^* (f) Ct>r(ain1y Dr. Morosophos did this, before Mr. Pitt (fame rabida tiua guttura pandens") conceived the idea of the triple aascssmcvt^ or, perhaps three times three. — (Nov. 1797.) Sir llobert Ifcrrios, ihoiigh no great poet, under- stands this subject better than I do. Let me present a short passage from a Letter to Mr. Pitt on the occasion of the Triple Assessment. " Things, Sir, arc now changed. Time was, when Bankers were as stupid as their guineas could make thcai; they wore neither orators, nor painters, nor poets. But wotcj, Mr. Dent has a speech and a Z»/Yc/i* at your service; Sir ilobcrt has his pencil and canrvas ; and Mr. Rogers dreams on Parnassus; and, if I am rightlj'' informed, there is a great demand among his brethren for the Pleasures of Memorij. Sir llobert chose the Autumn with propriety for his sketch. The leaves arc indeed falling thick around us; they strow the brooks in Vallombrosa, and imbrown the heights of Hohvood." + By way of refreshmcrd., I would observe, that the progress of the present magnijkcnt system of Taxation, as conceived, illustratod, and established by Mr. Pitt, rolling through all the notes of finance from the Commutation to the deep majestic diapason of the Lncome act, may be classically represented by one of the most animated passages in Mr» Gray's Letters, when the comprehensive genius of the poet sketched a progress through Italy. It marks the strides of a vast, capacious, and congenial mind. " When you have seen *' Kome and Naples, strike out of the beaten path of English travellers, • John Dent, Esq. M. P. the Inventor of the dog and bitch-ML + Inciter to ^Mr. Pitt ou the Triple Assessment. 361 He talk'd, like Indian (A) Rennel, rather Ion""; And would at times regale you with a song ; But seldom that : in music though a prig, The little Doctor swell'd, and look'd so big. 349 Nay to Greek (/) notes would trill a Grecian ode. In diatonic kind and Lydian mode ; " travellers, sec a Utile of the country, throw yourselves into *' the bosom of the Apcnnine, survey the horrid lake of *' Amsanctus, catch the breezes on the coast of Tarento and *' Salerno, expatiate to the very toe of the continent, strike " over the Faro of Messina, and having measured the gigantic *' columns of Girgenti, and the treniendjus caverns of Syracusa, li i-ej'yesh yourselves amid the fragrant vale of Euna!!! Ohf " che bel riposo!"^ Mr. Gray adds to his friend, in which I join most cordially to the JNiiiiister, " AddioI" and to the United Empire, Et:to Perpctua! Men of poetical minds alone will relish this note; it will be caviar attheTrcasury, andin the land oi Abraham. (Nov. 1800.) {g) Caleb Whitefoord, Esq, If you do but touch him, puns stand as ready as quills upon the freff id porcupine. I wish him health and spirits for many a year, in a green old age; and then with the Epinicion of Horace, Vita ccdat, uti convivasatur. (A) Major James Rcnnell, the great Geographer of India, w«y»». He is a gentleman to whose accuracy and extent of knowledge in that department, this country is considerably- indebted. But this has nothing to do with his conversation. (/) Dr. INIorosophos, the man of method, was rather trou- blesome to his friends on this subject of Greek Music. He ^yished to pass for another Meiboniius. But there is still reason + Gray's Memoirs, lett. 48. sect. 4. 562 And then with Burncy, as his ftt grew wanner, Con\'^rs'd on Stentor, the great (A*) throat-performer \ Or M'ith Raimondi's fire, and warlike art, Play'd some French General's obligato [kk) part. reason to think that he never saw the three hymns to Calliope, Apollo, and Nemesis, printed with the Greek musicaF notes to which they were sung, at the end of the Oxford edition of Aratiis in 1G72, by Dr. Fell, or the more accurate copy of these hymns in Mr. Burette's Meraoire on this subject. Memoircs de I'Academie des Inscriptions Tom. 5.— Dr. Morosophos linew but little of the system of the Lydlan Mode in the dia. tonic genus. There is also reason to think that he knew as little as Bishop Horsley, of the npoo-Xap.S'ayo/AETOf, the Y^am LrxTW/, or the n«pi;raT») jx^a-uv^ &c. (k) " Stentor is celebrated by Homer as the most illustrious throaf -performer of antiquity." Burney's Hist, of Music. 4to. vol. 1. p. 340. (kk) I allude to Signor Raimondi's exquisite and interesting piece of instrumental music intended to express A battle. It is called a Battle Symphony. It consists of eight different movements, in which the musical 6?eHcr«^ Raimondi powerfully calls on the imagination of the hearer to assist the Composer. The tliird movement amuses and alarms me the most. It an- nounces " THE Council of War, composed of Eight *' Generals represented by Eight different Instruments *' obligati, which at last, in their accord, in a general cadence '* EXPRESS their UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION OF GIVIN6S *' Battle 1" Bravo, Maestro! ^ Guglielmi (a) chc tilo dire. In this manner, Dumourier, Custine, Pichegru, Mirauda, Iloche, Bcrthier, Angereau, and Bonaparte, have each played fktir o6//>afo part in Europe, confurla, as assigned them by tbe (a) Q. ? fniliam Pitt. 363 A Poet too he was, not very l^'ight. Something between a Jerningham, and («) Knight: He dealt in tragic, epic, critic lore. With half, whole plans, and episodes in store. Method was all ; yet would he seldom write, 3G0 He fear'd the ground-plot wrong, or — out of sight. At last THE Doctor gave his friends a work ! (Not verse, like Cowper, or high prose, like Burke,) the Convention and the musical Directory of France. Europe has by no means approved of the general cadcyice: but the Concert is still proceeding in all the harmony of horror, and barbaric symphony. Rendono un alto suon, eh' a quel s'accorda Con chc i vicin cadcndo il Nilo assorda! (i) But with respect to Great Britain, I hope and trust that a Band of our own British Musicians will put to silence and drown all their ohligato parts, on their citizen rafts and barges, by a general cadence, and a well-executed^ masterly, chorai performance of our own Water Music (Feb. 1798.) (m) Knight and Jerningham. " Satire was late their physic, wit their food; One nourish'd not, and t'other drew no blood."* But let them both hear the advice of Boileau; Soyez plutut mdcon, si c'cst votre talent, Ouvrier estirae dans un art neccssaire, Qu' icrivain du commune S) poctevulgairc.^^^ Mr. Jer- {b) Ariosto. Orlando Furioso. C. 16. * Drydea's Prologue to .Albion aud AlbauiuSi + Art. Poet. C. 4. 3iH Chambers abridg'd ! in sooth 'twas all he read. From fiuitful A to unproductive Zed. OCTAVIUS. M'hut tlicn ? for ever shall we wildly stray, And pluck each hure-bcU in the flowery way ? Or void of judgement, fire, and critic force. Stoop to each golden apple in the course ? I never can with argument dispense; 570 Pope gave the verse, but Warburton [o] the sense. ISIr. Jerningham may possibly remember and admire tliese beautiful liues iu Drydcn's Ejustle to Mr. Julien, Secretary of the Muses; and other perfons may applij them. " All his care Is to be thought a Voet Jine and fair; Small beer and gruel are his meat and drink, The diet he prescribes himself to think ; Rhyme next his heart he) confin'd. Knight thus composes first the reader's mind. To rouse attention is the poet's art ; Knight calls to sleep, and acts a civil part : Save to his view when foul Priapus (^) rose, i^Ic wak'd to lust in stimulating prose. l)rculjar excellence, ilia-tidiosi/ncrasj/., (if I may use the term) of his genius, learning, and understanding : EjcVktoj ysvo/xcw,- ;c;;tk n t>i,- (DYZEnS EsAIPETON lAIP.MA, f (p) Par classes et par titrcs, Dogmalizer en vers, et rimer par chapitres. Boileau, Sat. 8. 115. {q) Coocerning Mr. Knight's Treatise on the Worship of Priapus, in addition to what I before said (P. of L. Dial. 1. V. 134. Note {g) I shall ofler the spirited words of Clemens Alexandrinus, from liis Ao"/o,- rTforpfTTTixo,- ii<; th^ EMrva,, or, Adinonitio ad Gentes : TLkuo-k'-a, Kcci yvij.voci Hopat, KXi MOPI12N ENTASEIS rajj yfx^cci^ «,7ri.7V/>.vt^!y«». — 'HT«»p»;!cEy ifuv t« utoc, ViVOfviVKCiiriv oi c^9«Ajlic», at «].r».- /xfjuojp^'VxxjTi* O. hixTSifj-ivoi rov oc-j9fU!'rov, xa* ro i^Qiov th ■^Xy.o- 1^.0170; (?.i-/>iu araplavTrj ! ;tiA.* I uow dismiss this odious Treatise on Priapus/o/' ever. The + C lement. Alexandrin. Stromal. Lib. 6. p. 480. ** Clem. Alex, p. 30, &c. Edit. CommcUn. 1616. B b 566 But though that Garden-God forsaken thes ; Another Cleland (r) see in Lewis [s) rise. The learned reader will recollect that Clemens Aloxan- drinus lived in the third century under Alexander Severns ;tnd Caracalla, uas a native of Athens, and that the famous Origen studied in his school. (/•) John Cleland, author of " The Memoirs of a Woman " of Pleasure." (.v) M. Lewis. Esq. M. P. author of " The Monk, a Ro- " mance, in 3 Vol.'^ (Vol.2. Ch.6. and 7.) See my Observations at length in the preface to this Fourth Dial, of the P. of L. The publication of this novel by a Member of Parliament is in itself so serious an offence to the public, that I know not how the author can repair this breach ef public decency, but hy suppressing it himself : or he might omit the indecent and blasphemous passages in another edition; there is neither ge- nius noF wit in them, and the work, as a composition, woulij jeccive great advantage. I wish he may at least take this advice. I \\ ill give Mr. Lewis an extract from the ninth Book of the History of Procopius, called the Historia Jrcana of the Emperor Justinian and the infamous Theodora. The words are these : otfjuou. AwavTa yap avrs roc Tti^ ■J^J'Xif vaGn yroi; av a|to;^pEa'f TTiV c(.ta')(i)VY)v . UK arrx^ioi To»f ivTVy^avtfo-j SoiT^vfo; :»)/>i wj, pacrra te x«i aoiu 'jvovui ej Tft/y "TTfoc^zuv roii I wish Mr Lewis may read this passage, and profit from it. (July 1797.) Novels ia) Procop. Ilistor. Arcan. Lib. V. p. 46. Ed. Fol. Lugdun. 1623^ 3Ct M'hy sleep the ministers of truth and law r 380 Has the State no control, no decent awe. Novels of this scductirc and libidinous tendency excite di>. a;ust, fear, and horror, in every man and woman Avho reflect npon those virtues which alone give support, comfort, and rontiniiancc (o human Society. The interests of Society and the essential welfare, and even the very existence, of this kingdom, authorise any man, though conscious of manifold frailtiesj to speak in the manner I hare done. We cannot long deceive ourselves: poetical men, of loose and ungoverned morals, can dfFer to us or to themselves but feeble consolations from wit aiiil Jmagery, M'hcn left to solitary reflection and the Agony of re- morse. I never found this subject so well represented, and so unanswerably enforced to every understanding, capable of recalling itself hova. vicious conduct and irregular inclinatioriSj as irl this short sentence : " IVhoever wholly give thcm- ^^ selves up to- husty zi'ill soon find it to be the least fault the tf " are guilty of." In this place I cannot help recommending, with peculiar earnestness, the attentive perusal of one of the most instructive and useful short pieces of Biography which I ever read, in the life of I)r. Johnson, by the learned Sir John Hawkins: from p. 222 to p. 232. It is particularly important to many young men who live in the allurements of a great and high-viced town, or among freethinking literati, and the more calm and sober sensualists. Men who live in London, and keep much com- pany, will feel the force of the observations. It is the account of Mr. Johti Dj/cr, a man of genius, politeness, and learning ; the conclusion of it in the words of Sir John Hawkins is very impressive. " I have been thus particular in the history of this accom- plished and hopeful young man, whom I once loved with the affection of a brother, with a view to shc^v thctendenc^ of idle- M^jfiS, and to j)oiut out at ichut avenue Vice may gain admittance D b 2 in 368 While each with each in madd'ning orgies vie. Panders to lust, and licens'd blasphemy ? Can Senates hear w ithout a kindred rage ? Oh, may a Poet's light'ning blast the page. Nor with tlie bolt of Nemesis in vain Supply the laws, that wake not to restrain. Is ignorance the plea? since Blaekstone drew The lucid chart, each labyrinth has a clue, Each law an index: students aptly turn 390 To Williams, Hale, judicious (/) Cox, and Burn; in minds, seemingly the most strongly fortified. The assailable part of liis mind Mas laxity of principle: at this entered inji- (lcli/7/, which was followed by such temptations to pleasure as he could see no reason to resist. These led on to desires after the means of gratification, and the pursuit of them was his Destuuction." To conclude. Whatever I have said on the subject of this Kovel, called the Monk, I shall leave as matter of record, whether the Novel is altered, or not. The tenor of the whole is reprehensible. I leave it as a protest against such a work, published in such a manner, by a Gentleman in the high, honourable, and responsible station of a Member of Parliament. It is hoped and expected that no similar work will ever agaia be given to this country. (Added; Nov. 1797.) (t) SamuelCox, Esq. of the Court of Chancery, the Editor (at his leisure hours) of the reports of Pecrc ^^'illiams. I am nut 369 Obscenity has now her code and priest, AVhile Anarchy prepares the dire Digest. Methinks as in a theatre I stand, "Where Vice and Folly saunter hand in hand. With each strange form in motley masquerade, Featur'd grimace, and impudence pourtray'd ; While Virtue, hovering o'er th' unhallow'd room. Seems a dim speck through Sin's surrounding gloom. As through the smoak-soil'd glass (u) we spy from far The circling radiance of the Sirian Star, 401 Faint wax the beams, if strong the fumy tint. Till the Star fades, a mathematic point. notrery conversant with professional law booVs, but a learned person shewed me Mr. Cox's mode of illustration, and desired me to consider it. I really think, that it seems as a model for all future Editors of Reports of former years. This plan is evidently the mode of a most judicious understanding and of a well-read Lawyer. Transeat in exemplum ! (1707.) (u) " If the eye-glass be tiucted faintly with thesmoak of a lamp or torch to obscure the light of the star, the fainter light in the circumference of the star ceases to be visible, and the star (if the glass be sufficiently soiled with smoak) appears Oiuething more like a mathematic point." Newton's Optics, Prop. 7. Theor. fi, 13 b 3 370 Sure from the womb I was untimely torii;, Or in some rude inclement season born ; The State turns harsh on fortune's grating hinge, And I untaught to beg, or crouch, or cringe; For me the fates no golden texture weave, Thougl^ happier far to give thE^,n to receive : Yes; with unvaunting sober wishes blest, 4^^ Ambition flies with envy from rny breast ; For friendship form'd, I feel, in realms above. My Saturn temper'd by the beam of Jove. I cannot, will not, stoop with boys to rise. And seize on Pitt, like Canning, (.r) by surprise, (.r.r) Be led through Treasury vaults in airy dance, And flatter'd intQ insignificance. I cannot, will not, in a college gown. Vent myjirst nonsense on a patient town. (x) George Canning' Ksq. M. P. Under Secretary of State, an Etonian of much ingenuity, liveliness, and learning. (1797.) (a:x) The Novels, Farces, most of the Pl^ys, Romances, Ballets, and Pantomimes, of the day, are all founded on— .S'«r- ^jise> Why not the ministerial Coups de Theatre? (1797.) 571 Quit the dull Cam, and ponder in the park 420 A six- weeks Epic, (?/) or a. Joan of Arc. I leave these early transports, and the calm Complacence, and the softly trickling balm Self-consolation sheds, more sweet than all Burke felt in senates, or Impeachment's hall ; Borne to that course, where thund'ring from afar The great Auruncian {z) drove his primal car. E'en now, when all I view afflicts my sight. All that Home Tooke(a) can plot, or Godwin {b) write ; (7/) Robert Southey, author of many ingenious ])ioccs in verse of great promise, if the young gentleman would recollect what old Chaucer says of poetry, Tisercry dele A rock of ice, and not of steel. He gave the public a long quarto volume of epic verses, Jo\h OF Arc, written, as he says in the preface, in six zcecks. Had he meant to write well, he should have kept it at least six years. I mention this, for I have been much pleased with many of the young gentleman's little copies of verses. I wish also that he would review some of his principles. (1797.) (z) Lucilius. (a) Mr. HoRNE TooKt, in the conclusion of his •' Diversions of Purley," makes an apology for applying himself to subjecii so trivial as grammatical discussions, in the year 1786. He 6 b 4 uses 372 Now when Translation to a pest is grown, 430 uses the words of an Italian poet, which are very remarkablej though they never have been muih noticed. Perch e altrove non have Dove voltare U viso, Che gli e stato interciso Mostrar con altre imprese ultra virtudc. The hour was however approaching, when his countenance was to be turned to other rcls3 Fr(MH;)i IViiuil, French priests^ and Frencli grimace ; When England clianges arms — At such a vievT Must I find method^ verscj and patience too? My verse, the thunder of a Patriot's voice, 45(j Cries loud to ALL, wIioEngland make their choice* " Throw wide that portal ; let no Roman wait, *' But march with Priestley through the dextrat gate, (m) fX) See Mr. Cooper of IMancli ester's Accotlnf on his tctutrt from America, .ind the Letters of some Avamlering Joiirneymart Weaver or Carpenter, I forgrt which, »ic. &c. linpuden.s iiqui patriOs Penates, &c. (/) I allude to the French Emigrant Regiments, enrolled iii the British drmy. Surely this is a mia>ure of government Unwise, and unaccounlabie on any sound principle; a project bf desperation, one would think. Is this a time for Englishmen io say, Mutemns clypeos, Banaumquc insignia nobi4 Aptemus. (Ju^' 1797.) (ot) " Through the dextral gate !" — My allusion is this. In ancient times, the most freqnentcd roads to the city of Rome had double gates. They who came into the c% passed through the 57!f OCTAVIUS. Talk thus, e*en Horsley shall applaud: proceed/ AUTHOR. The tears that Britain sheds,her wounds that bleeds Call for a fost'ring hand, the balm of Peace ; Not styptics, which the sanguine tide increase j the Icff-hand gate ; and thet/ who zeent out of the city too^ the right-hand gate. See Nardini Roma Antica, L. 10. c. 9. Pliny, in his Natural History, in the Chapter de Roma, Lib. 3. c. 5. speaking of the gates of the city, says, " that twelve *' of the thirty-seven gates should only be numbered once, *' {Semel numerari).^* The expression is odd, but it alludes to such of those gates as were double in this sense. This was not unknown in other Italian cities. The Porta dc^ Borsari at Verona (in the opinion of the Marchese Scipio Maifei, Verona lUustrata, Part 3.) was in reality a twin or double gate, though it has been mistaken by some antiquaries for aif arcn of triumph. In times like the present^ I would never shut those douhld gates in anij city, when the turbulent, discontented, and factious wish to retire into foreign parts. We all remember, that Sir Arthur Hazelrig, John Hampden, and Oliver Cromwell, being ready to sail for America^ were stopped by order of Council ! pume's words are Tcry strong and remarkably iu this lecturing age* rjso Siuii as Stiite-quacks, or Barristers expose For fame and sale, and sleeping might disclose. In state aftairs all Barristers are vain, [inm) 439 And Erskine nods, the opium {71) in' his brain.. ago. " They (i, c. llaminlon, Ilazelrig, and Cromwell) had resolved for ever to abandon tlicir native country, and Uy to the other extreniify of the globe, where they might cnjoij lec- tures and discourses of any length or form that pleased thcm.'^ Mr. Hume adds, very significantly, " The King had after- wards full leisure to repent (his exercise of his authority." Hume's Hist. vol. 6. p. 311. Ed. 8vo. 1773. (mm) This must be understood with an exception or two. <' AN'^e all remember, when Tiilulow and Wedderbukne (now the Lords Tliuilow and Loughborough) were first called into Parliamejit, how soon they proved what manner of men they were. They separated the Lawyer from the Statesman. It was a proud day for the Bar at that period ; for nevor before that day, were such irresistible, overbearing powers and talents dis])laycd by the official defenders of a Minister : IIos mirabantur Athenai Torrcntcs, pleni et moderantes fra'ua thcatri! liOrd North indeed, when he appointed Thurlow and Wed- derburue his Attorney and Solicitor General^ meant no more than to give spirit, eloquence, and argument to his measures ; but in eft'ect, he hung a mill. stone on the necks of all their successors." Prefatory Epistle prefixed to tho Translation of the Greek and Latin passages in the P. of L. page^C. (1798.) («) Erskine.— Mr. Bnrrixter Erskine is celebrated for taking opium in great quantities, (I have often heard hinj .speak in praise of it) and if he proceeds in this manner, it U apprcbendttU 381 Saw'.st tlioii, (or did my troubled fancy dream ?) apprehended that his ;>o//7/c«^ faculties will die of (oo large a dosf>, of wliich there arc many symptoms already. I would be clearly understood, that all. my observations are confined to his polificul conduct and career : they arc not extended to his professional character, which is great, nor to his private life, which no man is inclined to respect more than myself: but his po/t'/ical doctrines arc plunging and dangerous. Mr. Erskine has informed the public, that he /(«ca')ic order whatsoever of any well-regulated human society. But if the reader wishes to be amused with the acme or height of absurdity and wiidnes?, 1 earnestly recommend him to read Mr. S93 Better to write stark nonsense ; better preach Mr. G.'s account of " Tlie Walk of a mem of talents, (Mr. Godv.in himself, for instance,) and of a man witJiunt tulcnta, ( uch as myself) /ro/rt Temple: Bar to }[^-de Park Corner.'''' (p. 31 and 32.) It is really refrest-iing In the extreme : nothing can be superior to it, but his " Gun of Generation," just descrihed, and hit self tilling plough, withou-: the intefvention of man," in his other book on Political Justice, Vol. 2. p. ^'^4. E:i. 8vo. I will give Mr. Godwin's o:i« accourt of this famous Wa'Ic, especially as the public are accu tom-.d to observe all kinds of men, and women too, betv.-een Temple Bur and Hyde Park Corner. ** The chief point of difference (--ays Mr. G ) between tltc man of talents and the man ivithout, consists in the different i:nj/s in which their minds are Cinploycd during the same inrcrval I ! !" This is the proposition, ludicrtus and absurd enou^j^h of itself, but now let us hear Me proo/" or illustration. **Thc\, (i. e. the " 7nan of talents and the man ivithoiit) are obliged, let Uo supjose, *' to walk fiom Temple Bar to Hyde Park Corner. 1. The Walk of a Man without talents, or of a Dill Man ! •' The DULL MAN goes strait fonvard : he has so many fur- •' longs to traverse. He observes if he meets auj/ of his acfj;i(ti)it' ** anct ; he emjuires re;p Cling their he., th ard their amily. *• He 'glances perhaps at the shops as he pa'-se? ; he admires the *♦ fashion of a buckle, and the metal of a tr a urn. If he expc- *' riences iayjlights of fancy (i. e. between Temple Bar and Hyde ** Park Corner) they are ol a short extent ; of the same nature •' as the flight of a forest 6/rt? clipped of tiis wings, a;id condemned *' to pass the rest of his life in a farm-yard." The .39 i "With silky (n) voice, and sacred flovv'rs of speech. 9. Tin; ^\'ALK OF A IVIaN OI- TaLENTS ! *' On the other hand, the m\n of talents gives///// scope *' to his imagination. He lait;^hs and cries. Unindebted to the •• sugi^esiions of the surrounding objects, /us whole soul is •* employed !" Wc are now to prepare /or ihe employment of the nhole soul ofa. man of talents from Temple Bar to Hyde Paik Corner, and the Reader will ob erve that he has enough to do. *' He (the man of ta'enti) caters into nice calculations ; he digests " sagacious reasonings." (All this is done between Temple Bar and Hyde Park Corner.) " In imagination he declaims or describes, impressed with the *' deepest sympathy, or elevated to the loftiest rapture. He passes ** through a thousand imaginary scenes, tries his courage, tasks his *' ingenuiij/, and thus becomes gradually pirpared to meet almost " any of the ?nany-coloured events of human life. He consults by ** the aid of memory the books he has read, (N. B. a man of talents " never reads in the streets,) and he projects others for the/w/M/c '• instruction and delight of mankind." (I always said Mr. G himself /Jrq/ec^ec/ his book on Justice, and this on Education, in the streets ; Sic tu triviis, indocte solebas.) " //"he observes the passengers, (the dull man only observes his *' acquaintance) he reads their countenances, conjectures their "past history, and forms a svperf.cial notion of their wisdom *' and folly, their virtue or vice, satisfaction or mi.'cry. If *' he observes the scenes that occur, it is with the eye of a " connoisseur or an a'^tist." (The dull man above minds only buckles and tea ums.) '* Every object is capable of suggesting *' to him a Volume oj- Reflections." (Mr. G. must mean hii own volume now before me, called Refections on man- ners 395 In soit probation (,r) for a Foiuiclling's gov>n. ners, education, a-.d literature.) " The time of these (ivo persons *' in one respect reseir;bies ; it has brought thetn both in Hyde Park *' Corner. In almost every other respect it is dissimilar." Here is the denouement, or 'Evfwa of Philosopher Godwin, and I have no doubt, he thinks it a discovery in Terra jam cognita, as he will allow the ground to be between Temple Bar and Hyde Park Corner. 1 cannot say the Far.illel is quite in the manner of Plutarch ; but it is very instrucilve. No man can ever be again at a loss to know a man of talent?, from a man without, in the streets. I had often been puzzled, till I met with this instructive volume of Reflections. When the Reader has considered thi?, and all the other parts I have produced, and thousands which I have omitted, he w.il remember that Mr. Godwim has set himself up for a Legislator, a Reformer, a Philosopher, a destroyer of ancient prejudices, and s. builder of new systems, a guide through the darkness of the world by this new light ; and he expects the obeisance of mankind. I am sure, I cannot even conceive how any man or woman could be induced to worship before such ax image of Democracy and Tyranny, whoever may sound the cornet, sackbut, or dulcimer at the dedication. It is not an image of gold ; it is an image of iron mixed iviih miry clay. This it is to instruct the world, to reform it, to make it happy, Mr. G. comes in such a que tionaLle shape, that 1 know not when t j finish my questions. I might go on chapter by chapter in this manner. Let any man 1-iok a; his opinions, and the nature of his knowledvc «nd his pretentions. I muse copy two third.^ (at the !ea t) if 1 wished to express, and to expose, all that is reprehensible in this volume, or wicked, or ridiculous, or tiite beyond belief. I would ho!d up Mr, G 's • CWJl 396 To please some guardian Midas of tlir town. own jiropo. idoiis, in liis own words, fo all ))orsons who liavc unilersfandliiu^, and I would invito tliciii to judge for tlicn)sclvc.s. Let tlifia fairly decide wlu'tlior liis inii)iety be not eveti leas than liis folly, and the wealviiess of his iinder.standinjf more visible than (he plunging violence of his e\er(ions. Dat opcram, iit ciivi raliuiic insaniat. Mr. (lodwin is at best but a mon2;rel, or an exotic. He is grafted upon the stock of Condorccl, and the French rabble on French ground; but he has not even (he rachjesx of that ti-omiug soil. English minds will not long bear the grossness of such an imposition ; for we are better and earlier taught, than lie wishes we slu)u Id bj. Ilcason indeed disclaims Mr. Clod win ; of clociucnce, and of good writing, (in spite of all his dogmatism) he knows nothing ; and of the Belles Lettrcs nearly as much as can l;o attained, or rather ji'ckcd up, in a modern academy in some London Square, or at Islington. But for Mr. Godwin wc are to lay down Plato and Xcno- phon : for him wc arc to relinquish Aristotle and Tully; to him Locke is to give way, and the simplicity and tempered humour of IMr. Addison is to be lost in Mr. Godwin's effusions. Really I am fatigued with this man. Nothing but the impor- tance of the consequences andeHects of his wild, weak, wicked, and absurd noti )ns, (I cannot dii^iiify them with the name of principles, or a^txyMra) could have |)rcvailed upon me to have "wasted irretrievably so much of my (in)e upon them. Fr(^m the period when Philosopher Hi .me first garbled his neglected " 'j'reatise on Human Nature," and published it in the form of Essays, and set up a kind of slop-shop of morality in the suburbs of Atheism, we have had nothing but Essays npon Essays, tiU— wc all knoAr the conscq^uencc. And last of all come* Fhilosopher 397 Who gives his vote ^vovti judgment and from taste -^^ Philosopher Godwin, and sets up his trumpery shop too in the same quarter; though he is willing to wait upon ladies anil gentlemen at their own houses, with his " Gros paquot dc toile verte* 6; rouge," upon the principles and practice of the cele- brated Fripicr in Gil Bias, and with the same kind of justice. He presents you with his second-hand suits, with his " habits *' de drop tout tinix,''^ and his " habits de velours im pel* ^' passes;'''' demands his soixante ducats, and then addresses you with the same cool effrontery; " Fous 6tes bicn hcureux " qu^ on se soit addresse "'A moi, pliitot qu^ a un autre. *' Graces an del, j' exerce rondement ma profession: Je suis *' LE SEUL FrIPIER QUI AIT DE LA MORALE.*" So much for Philosopher Godwin, or Le Philosophe Fripier, malgre sa morale I To the learned world in particular (if they have ever drudged through the works of Mr. Godwin as I have done) I will address a few words from the second book of thcPyrrhonic Institutions of Scxtus Empiricus, as applicable to William Godwin, after all the observations I have made on his writings. E'|o|U£v ^i' y TON ANQPfinON TOYTON ^waprvai te affo twh ttXXwv Ziwv, K%i EIAIKPIXnS NOHIAI ovv>;crojiiE9*.+ (5) Volney.— Sc€ Dial. 1. (note d) of the P. of L. for aa accountof Mr. Voli?ey's book, entitled, "Ruins, or Medita- tion on the Revolution of Empires." (/) " Mocking the air with colours idly spread." Shakspeare's King John. I wish. * Green is the symbol of the Irish, and Red of Freuch democratic factions. + Scxti Erapyrici Inst. Pyrrhon. 1. 2. c. b, Pd 398 Better -with Warner move with measur'd haste. I wish to refer the reader to an excellent, very seasonable, and important pamphlet callud " Reform, or Ruin," by J. BowdltT, Esq. which is Mell written. (u) All Doctors (and Bishops too) should remember it is one thing to preach, and another to print and publish their sermons. It is also high time for Bishop Horslky (qui an travers de toute sa piete ^'- n'' est pas Autetir impunemcnt ; ct qui a la satisfaction d* arracher les Voliiptucuses aux plaisirs,* et f/' ajferniir dans Iciir devoir des Epouses ibrunlees par des amans seducteurs;" though I cannot say, " qu' on trourc 5f^ homelics, ct ses ouvragcs cs^alcment forts et del/cuti'^) it is high time I say, for my Lord Bishop Ilorsley to remember, that it ■was said of the Archbishop of Grenada, " Voila un Sermon qui sent furieu'ement 1' Apoplexie.+" I do not think that the Archcvcquc dc Grenade, (I beg pardon) BishopWoTiAcy (for I ihink^ he never xcill he an Archbishop) will appoint me to be Lis Secretary, or in the inimitable words of Le Sage, be desirous " avoir pres de lui un homme (comme moi) qui ait de la literature, et une bonne main pour meitre au net ses homelies.i" I may add, that if I should take a walk through the Bishop's literary ground^, I fear I should be found damage-feasant ; and if I were to enter the premises at Rochester or Westminster, and be prosecuted for it, I should certainly direct my counsel to plead a special " Nil habuit in te)2ementis." (See Lord Ray- mond's Rep. 1550.) For though his Lordship, as Plaintiff, is but * See his Magdalen Homily, and his speeches in the H. of L. in cases of Adultery. X Gil Blas; liv. L ch. 15. + lb. liv. 7. eh- 4. &c. S99 To lend new pleasure [y) to a pedant's ear. but an Assignee, he may take advantage of the estoppel, for it runs zcith the land. See Co. Lytt. 152. and Salk. 276. Truth, erudition, and ability, always fail in their effect, if their proft-ssors enforce them with violence, or asperity in the manner, or with imprudence in the choice of subjects, and in the place of delivering them. (x) I allude to any popular preacher. It is really humili- ating and degrading to the Clergy to pr;^ach probutionarif sermons, on any vacancy of a chaplainship at any of the charitable foundations, before such a set of judges. One is for voice and action, another for what he calls learning, others for the tender passions, some for appeals to reason, and others again love logic and close argument. No Divine can satisfy such judges, but such a Doctor, as is described by John of Salisbury, " Doctor sanctissimus ille Grcgorius, qui melleo " prceclicafionis imbre totam rigavit ef inebriavit EcL-lesiamP* It is high time to put these affairs on a more respectable footing for the Clergy. I think indeed, that the business, elections, kc. belonging to all Hospitals, and all public chaiities, should be tran.-actcd bij a Committee of the Subscribers, elected annuallif. A Committee composed of twenty. one persons would be sufiicient, and the prcscJit mode of canvassing for offices might be suppressed, which is much to be desired. It might be easily curried into effect. The propriety of such a measure being generally adopted in London, and near the metropolis, is evident ; and 1 wish this hint may be attended to by men of sense and judgment. (j/) See a Treatise lately published, entitled " METPON" APISTON, or a Neici Pleasure, recommended in a Dissertation «n Greek and Latin Prosody, (1797.)" It is without any D * 2 permission, 400 Appeal to Bryant, nor liis judgment fear; Better to state-arithmetic be bred, 49® Tell Jacobins and Tories by the (j/j/) head ; permission, and I think with considerable effrontery, dedicated to Mr. Bryant in a style perfectly new. If almost every page of this treatise were not sillier, wilder, and more extravagant than the preceding, I might ba tcmjited to take some notice of it's multifarious contents; for thoy are very numerous indeed. They commence with the laws passed in King Priam's reign ([ beg Mr. BryanVs pardon) under his marine Minister, when Troy was attacked and invaded by the Grecians, and arc continued down to the present French war and the incom[)rehensible Cavalry Act, under George the Third of Great Britain. As it does not appear to me possible for this Author, (1 use his ozcn words in his oxen treatise) to *' put off" the monkey and bring out the /»««," I shall say nothing further of this farrago of learned nonsense. ( 1797.) (yy) Mr Burke gave it as his opinion, in his '^ Two Letters on the Proposals for peace," (1796) that there are 400,000 political citizens in Great Britain, of whom 80,000 are pure- Jacobins, and the other four-fifths perfectly sound," &c. &c. Jn this jiarticular instance I shall only say of this great and venerable man, what one of Dante's Commentators says on a passage in the Purgatorio ; " Pcrverita, e un gran capriccio ; ma in ci6 segue il sua stile.'''' Dante, Shakspeare, Milton, and Burke, all abouud in similar ctfpm;c2os; but I will add Dr. Johnson's admirable words ; "He tliat can put these (•capriccios) in balance with their beauties, must be considered not as nice hut dull, as less to be censured for want of candour, thaa pitied for want of sensibility." Life of Milton. 401 Prove that no dogs, as through the streets they range, Give bone for bone in regular (z) exchange; Or frame, with Marsh, [a] strange theorems to try Some manuscript's divine identity ; (z) Here is another little caprkcio of a man of no commoa sagacit}', the late Adam Smith. lie says seriously, by way of illustratiou; " No body ever saio a dog make a fair and *' deliberate exchange of one bone for another with another " dog.'' Smith's Wealth of Nations, Vol. 1. p. 20. Ed. 8vo. This philosophy is nearly of the same date as Adam's ancestor* in Eden, and I can only say in reply, " Who erer expected *' to sec a dog do so?" — We have all heard and read of that snarling sect the Cynics, and if we could convert dogs into philosophers, or what is harder still, philosophical propositions into meat and bones., (which I fear is more than most Scotch Professors can do) I should apply metaphorically the following lines from a celebrated Poet, a great observer of human nature: *' So when tzoo dogs are fighting + in the streets, With a third dog one of the tzco dogs meets ; With angry tooth he bites him to the bone, And this dog smarts for what that do^ has done.** * In the most extensively learned book I ever saw, (for the size of it) and the best arranged, I mean the " Philosopliia Generalis&c. per Theophilum Gale," thereis ac/2