however with safety and civility, that the loud and FERVENT difputes among chriftians in the paft centuries, have had few if any ill confequences with regard to our Anglican church, whose most ARDENT well-wishers now perceive it has been ever more endangered by the mine, than the battery-that under current known to those travellers who frequent the Rapids of Niagara, and obferved by them flowly to far the foundation of that rock which has fo many ages braved the fury and defied all injuries committed by the torrent's power.-'Twas thus perhaps the FIERY zeal and daring attacks of the Romanifts only called forth on our parts a calm and steady oppofition, fhewing all mankind how FLAMING violence fubfides like a volcano, in darkness and in ruin; while FERVID warmth retains its generous glow, and like the light-difpenfing fun burns on through time's long course, though fometimes clouded,-ever unconfumed.

FLATTERY, OBSEQUIOUSNESS, ADULATION.

THE first and the last of these feem confequences of the fecond, rather than fynonymes; for is there any one fo generous as not to require both, when they feel an OBSEQUIOUS friend clinging to their heels, and following in their path? I fay both; because FLATTERY may be, and often is performed in dumb fhew-witness

3

the

the character in Theophraftus, who diligently picks ftraws from his patron's beard; the officious cavalier fervente, who carries his miftrefs's fnuff-box for her, and even fometimes her dirty pocket handkerchief; and the fawning English niece, who makes fweet cordials to please the palate of a rich gouty uncle-till his will is witneffed-then leaves him to the care of a hireling nurse, and calls her hungry brothers in, to share the plunder of his fortune.

ADULATION meanwhile, which expreffes a kind of worship, seems a verbal infult to our understanding: the true proficient in this dulia feorns not to exprefs in hyperbolical phrafes his unfelt admiration of our conduct, wit, or beauty. The best representation I ever faw of this, may be found in General Burgoyne's Comedy called The Heirefs; and that I say so is neither FLATTERY nor ADULATION, for it proceeds from fincere opinion of its excellence: ftill lefs is it OBSEQUIOUSNESS, for whilft I copy out this article the ingenious Author dies!

FLOCK, HERD, DROVE,

ARE in a certain degree fynonymous, though we do to the torture of foreigners appropriate the words fo as to make it ridiculous, I fcarce know why, to fay a FLOCK of нOGS, or a HERD * of sheep.-A DROVE of oxen is reafon.

* They should be just the reverse-a flock of fheep always, and a herd of fwine, deer, or goats. L

able,

able, because no one calls them fo but while they are driven: when feeding on the meadow they are called a HERD at grafs. A clufter of grapes, or a bunch of currants, are equally arbitrary; and I know no man that can tell me why we fay a covey of partridge, a nide of pheafants, a flock of wild geese, and a drove of turkeys-unless the first of these alludes to their being taken in a net, and covered by the fame; that the second means as many pheasants as are found in the nidus or neft; that the third is only a mere aggregate; and the turkeys are fo called as the oxen are, when driven along the roads. from Norfolk to London.-But 'tis the fame when fpeaking of people. We appropriate particular words to particular claffes, and say a crowd of courtiers, a mob of blackguards, a troop of foldiers, a company of players, a fet of fervants, and a gang of thieves. When a promifcuous throng gathers round a popular preacher either in church, or field, or conventicle, 'tis called a congregation; let the fame persons meet in the fame numbers at a playhoufe, and they take the name of audience; at a horse-race they become spectators; and in an affembly-roomthe company.

Enough of this nonfenfe.

FLUENCY,

FLUENCY, SMOOTHNESS, VOLUBILITY.

THESE words if applied to converfation, or even to declamation, are used in a fenfe nearly if not wholly fynonymous; and feem to imply not only a copioufnefs with regard to words, but an idea as if eloquence were put in the place of inftruction, and that there was more verbofity than matter. concerned-Such was Pope's notion certainly, and fuch was Swift's.

Words are like leaves, and where they moft abound,
Much fruit of fenfe beneath is rarely found,

fays the first of these writers: yet one is never gratified by a fight of cherries nailed to a wall as I have fometimes feen them very bare of foliage in particular years; one likes rather to obferve the fruit glowing through the leaves' delightful green. Pope and Swift had fmall conversation powers, their talent was in writing: but bullion is not current till 'tis coined; and the fea itself would ftagnate with its quantity of folid contents, did not the tides tofs it into active motion; while the ftream whofe FLUENCY preferves the clearness of its bottom, carries. fome grains of gold into that ocean, when like a ftrain of sweet VOLUBILITY in talk, it takes up the valuable part of every land through which it flows-yet by its SMOOTHNESS leaves to none a reafon for complaint.

In the varieties exhibited by human manners to an obferving mind, may be found perhaps

fome unhappy talkers, who being copious without that SMOOTHNESS of discourse, remind one more of the brown wintry foliage fticking clofe to an old oak in January, or fullen beech tree, ftiff in ftale prejudice that yields with difficulty to new and brilliant thoughts, than of that verdant and luxurious leafy labyrinth which Pope's remark brings to our observation.

But Shakespeare, when he speaks of Biron in Love's Labour Loft, describes a truly fascinating converfer; and says,

That aged ears play'd truant with his tales,
And younger hearings were quite ravished;
So fweet and VOLUBLE was his difcourfe.

FORGIVENES, PARDON, REMISSION OF OFFENCES.

I KNOW not whether I fhall be cenfured for faying, that although these words are perpetually used each for the other, they can scarcely be thought synonymous in a moral or literal fenfe. Complete FORGIVENESS feems a fhade short somehow of free PARDON, which in my notion implies abfolute reinftatement in all that we enjoyed before the offence was given; and fo I do believe the law confiders it:-he who has once received the king's free PARDON might, I believe, if he pleafed, ftand for member of parliament; he is, or I am misinformed, as if he had never offended. Now furely FORGIVENESS Cannot carry as full a meaning quite,

though