effect: "Gentlemen, I must now relate a particular of my life, which very ill suits my present character, and the station in which I sit; but, to conceal it, would be to aggravate the folly for which I ought to atone, to endanger innocence, and countenance superstition: this bawble, which you suppose to have the power of life and death, is a senseless scrawl which I wrote with my own hand, and gave to this woman, whom for no other cause you accuse as a witch." He then related the particular circumstances of the transaction; and it had such an effect upon the minds of the people, who now blushed at the folly and the cruelty of their zeal, that Judge Holt's landlady was the last person that ever was tried for witchcraft in that county. ANDREW MARVELL. DR. PARKER, at that time chaplain to the Bishop of Rochester, meeting Marvell in the street, (between whom there had been a paper war) rudely attempted to take the wall of him, which Mr. Marvell wanting, placed his foot and arm in such a manner that the doctor fell into the kennel; and as the doctor lay sprawling in the dirt, he said to him with his usual pleasantry, "Lie there for a son of a whore." The doctor complaining to the bishop, his lordship desired that Mr. Marvell would be pleased to call upon him: when on the visit, Mr. Marvell asking his grace the occasion of it, he reproached him with abusive usage of his chaplain; but laid the emphasis on the foul language, and assured him, that unless he made ample satisfaction, a prosecution should take place, and he would see justice done Dr. Parker. Mr. Marvell, replied, that his chaplain was impudent to demand the wall of a member of the House of Commons; and that he had only given him the reproachful name he had given himself. How does that appear? Have you not, my lord bishop, such a book, which he hath lately written? Yes. Please to produce it. There, my lord, says Marvell, look over that page of the preface! Well, what of this? Why, my lord, does he not say, "he is a true son of his mother, the Church of England?" Well, and what of that? Read further on, my lord: "The Church of England has spawned two bastards, the presbyterians and the congregationals." Ergo, my lord, he expressly declares, "that he is a son of a whore." You are very witty, indeed, Mr. Marvell, (replies the lord bishop) but let me intreat you in future time to shew more reverence to the cloth. BARON HOLBERG. THE famous Baron Holberg was perhaps one of the most extraordinary personages that have done honour to the present century. His being the son of a private centinel did not abate the ardour of his ambition; for he learned to read, though without a master. Upon the death of his father, being left entirely destitute, he was involved in all that distress which is common among the poor, poor, and of which the great have scarce any idea. However, though only a boy of nine years old, he still persisted in pursuing his studies, travelled about from school to school, and begged his learning and his bread. When at the age of seventeen, instead of applying himself to any of the lower occupations, which seemed best adapted to such circumstances, he was resolved to travel for improvement, from Norway, the place of his birth, to Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. He lived here by teaching French, at the same time avoiding no opportunity of improvement that his scanty funds could permit. But his ambition was not to be restrained, or his thirst of knowledge satisfied, until he had seen the world. Without money, recommendations, or friends, he under took to set out upon his travels, and make the tour of Europe on foot. A good voice, and a trifling skill in music, were the only finances he had to support an undertaking so extensive; so he travelled by day, and at night sung at the doors of peasants houses, to get himself a lodging. In this manner young Holberg passed through France, Germany, and Holland; and coming over to England, took up his residence for two years in the University of Oxford. Here he subsisted by teaching French and music, and wrote his Universal History. Furnished with all the learning of Europe, he at last thought proper to retire to Copenhagen, where his ingenious productions quickly gained him that favour he deserved. He composed not less than eighteen comedies: those in his own language are said to excel, and those which are written in French have peculiar merit. He was honoured with nobility, and enriched by the bounty of the king; so that a life began in contempt and penury, ended in opulence and esteem. ADMIRAL HADDOCK. WHEN the great Admiral Haddock was dying, he called his son, and told him, "considering my rank in life, and public services, for so many years, I shall leave you but a small fortune; but, my boy, it is honestly got, and will wear well; there are no seamens' wages or provisions, nor one single penny of dirty money in it." -How happy would be the nation, could all modern officers say the same with equal justice! MR. OWEN. It is difficult for some men to suppress a conceit which tickles their fancy, though they be sure to suffer by the publication of it. Owen, the epigrammatist, had expectations from an uncle who was a papist; but he could not resist the charm of the following satirical distich : "An fuerit Petrus Romæ, sub judice lis est, The consequence was, that the book was put into the Index Expurgatorius, and poor Owen put out of his uncle's will. LITERATURE. LITERATURE. MONTHLY REVIEW. A Topographical Description of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Lancashire, and part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; illustrated with various Maps, Plans, Views, and other useful Appendages. By John Housman. 8vo. Law, and Clarke. 1800. IT is with peculiar pleasure we observe the recent increase of publications, which are calculated to augment the general prosperity of the empire. Among this class, works of a topographical nature must hold a very eminent and useful rank. The statistical knowledge which they afford, if derived from authentic sources, cannot be too highly valued with respect to its results on the agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial departments of the state; while it necessarily abounds in many curious and interesting particulars entitled to the attention of the philosopher, the antiquarian, and the general reader. The author seems to have been induced to complete the present work from the success which attended his " Descriptive Tour and Guide to the Lakes, Caves, Mountains, and other natural curiosities in Cumberland," &c. &c. a publication designed more for the instruction of the tourist, and the admirer of picturesque scenery, than calculated to gratify the curiosity of the topographer, the researches of the antiquarian, and the more beneficial investigations of the friends and patrons of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce. He has, indeed, very much enlarged his original plan, and entered into minute and satisfactory accounts of those different subjects, in which the interests of civilization are so deeply involved, with a correctness of statement, and clearness of detail, that render his production truly valuable. He has also illustrated the observations which he made during his own tours through the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Lancashire, and part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, by many appropriate extracts from the works of several popular writers. The manners of the inhabitants of Westmoreland having been the subject of very little enquiry, we shall content ourselves with a single extract from that part of Mr. Housman's work : "The manners of the inhabitants, compared with those of the people in the kingdom at large, are marked with some peculiarities. We may class them under three distinct heads: first, the manufacturers of Kendal and its vicinity; secondly, those residing in the neighbourhood of the river Eden, and the occupiers of open districts through which any great road leads; and, thirdly, the inhabitants of the numerous dales, or narrow vallies, which wind in silence and repose among the lofty and craggy mountains. VOL. 2.-No. 9. " BB "The "The higher orders of tradesmen in Kendal are a truly respectable body of gentlemen, who, by their diligence and industry in their several occupations, have, in general, acquired considerable property; but yet, contrary to the too general consequences of wealth, are totally free from pride; nor has the fiend of discord, or the spirit of party, yet ventured to rear their baneful standards on the peaceful banks of the river Kent. The only emulation among the gentlemen of this class, is that of distinguishing themselves by acts of charity and friendship towards their more indigent and laborious neighbours. However, the generality of the lower orders of manufacturers are perhaps no less improvident, intemperate, and licentious, than those of the same description in other large manufacturing towns, which, doubtless, may be accounted for from the same causes. The second class is generally composed of farmers, or small proprietors of land in their own occupation, who having a more regular intercourse with the people of different parts, are not distinguished by any peculiarity of character. "The third class being generally the descendants of several generations, the successive occupiers of these sequestered vallies, and not having many opportunities of mixing with the inhabitants of the more populous and refined districts, retain much of the original simplicity of their ancestors in their manners and customs. They are honest and sincere, tenacious of old established customs, laborious, and content with plain but wholesome food. Injustice and fraud are almost utterly unknown; and if a person is found guilty of a mean or dishonest action, he is marked with that universal contempt among his neighbours which, in more refined districts, only attaches to the worst of crimes. They who compose this class generally possess a small property; and, notwithstanding their poverty, which is sometimes conspicuous, they have minds free and independent: hospitable, and unaffectedly kind to strangers, as far as their circumstances admit, they would blush at the bare mention of a pecuniary compensation. Oppression is little known among them; but whenever it rears its head, no people in the world are more impatient under its controul. Humble and unaspiring, they afford few instances of a rapid increase of fortune; and losses and disappointments are equally rare. Whatever patrimonial estates they inherit, they are generally transmitted to the eldest son without much in addition, or any considerable diminution. From the laudable establishment of a school in almost every village, where the children of the villagers may be taught at a very trifling expence; many of the younger sons are educated for clergymen, excisemen, clerks in counting houses, &c. "The character of this class is more or less applicable to the inhabitants of every district in Westmoreland; but is more generally observable among the people of these dales. "As the customs of this county are nearly similar to those in Cumberland, already noticed, any repetition would be unne eessary." Plans Plans and Views, in Perspective, of Buildings erected in England and Scotland. By Robert Mitchell, Architect. Plain 31. 3s. Coloured 41. 45. Taylor, 1801. In these views elegance and convenience appear to have been equally consulted, and the plans and elevations are executed with neatness and taste. The most extraordinary of them is a section of that unique edifice the PANORAMA, in which its curious and scientific construction is clearly explained. The work is accompanied by designs, and an essay to elucidate the Grecian, Roman, and Gothic architecture. The plates are executed in aquatinta, and the essay enters into a judicious review and discrimination of the characters and uses of these different styles of architecture. On the Gothic in particular the author throws a new light, by proving that, in its principles and practice, it is altogether original and distinct, and consequently not liable to be criticized by Roman and Grecian rules. Into this subject Mr. Mitchell announces his intention of entering more at large in a future publication. His adaptation of the forms of Grecian and Roman temples, as well as of the Gothic, to the purposes of a modern mansion, is not only new and ingenious, but also possesses strong claims to adoption, as domestic convenience is not sacrificed to architectural decoration. Le Buffon De La Jeunesse, ou Abrégé d'Histoire Naturelle, Ouvrage Elémentaire, à l'usage des jeunes gens de l'un et de l'autre sexe, et des personnes qui veulent prendre des notions d'Histoire Naturelle; Orné de plus de cent Figures; Rédigé par Pierre Blanchard. Boosey, 1801. 4 tomes. This excellent abridgment of natural history is admirably adapted to the instruction and entertainment of youth. All difficult terms, and the scientific jargon which formerly obstructed the progress of the pupil, and deterred him from the study of natural history, are judiciously omitted, according to the plan of Buffon, whose method, both in matter and manner, forms the standard of the work. Among the other authors from whom the editors have collected their information, are Daubenton, Réamur, and Bomare. The four volumes are divided into twenty-seven lectures, supposed to be delivered by a father to his children. Of the purity of their end we cannot give a stronger instance than by translating M. de Valmont's concluding address: "Here, my children," said M. de Valmont, putting up his papers, we will make a pause. We are, perhaps, stopping midway; but it was my intention only to shew you an extensive landscape equally rich and delightful. You will now be conducted by guides of greater information, and accompanied by them; you will have to traverse those vast domains of nature. Í BB2 wished |