944 Original Letter from JOHN DRYDEN to Dr. BUSBY. with what face to go to my Lord Bishop, and to tell him I am takeing away both my fonns; for, though I fall tell him no occafion, it will looke like a difrefpe&t to my old Mafter, of which I will not be guilty if it be poftible. I fhall add no more, but hope I fhall be fo fatisfyed with a favourable anfwer from you, which I promise to myfelfe from your goodneffe and moderation, that I shall fill have occafion to continue, Sir, your most obliged humble fervant, JOHN DRYDEN. We have been favoured by correfpondent with a feries of farcaftic letters which lately appeared at Edinburgh; of which the following one is introductory to eight others. Train up a child in the way he should go; "and when he is old, he will not depart "from it." SOLOMON. SIR, because other boyes combined to difcredit him with falfe witneffeing, and to fave themselves: perhaps his crime is not fo great. Another fault it feems he made, which was going into one Hawkes his house, with fome others; which you hapning to fee, fent your fervant to know who they were, and he onely returned you my fonn's name: fo the reft efcaped. I have no fault to find with my fonn's punishment, for that is, and ought to be, referv'd to any mafter, much more to you who have been his father's *. But your man was certainly to blame to name him onely; and 'tis onely my refpect to you that I do not take notice of it to him. My first rafh refolutions were, to have brought things paft any compofure, by immediately fending for my fonn's things out of the college; but, upon recollection, I find I have a double tve upon me not to do it: one, my obligations to you for my education; another, my great tenderneffe of doing any thing offenfive to my Lord Bishop of Rocheftert, as cheife governour of the college. It does not confift with the honour 1 beare him and you to go fo precipitately to worke; no, not fo much as to have any difference with you, if it can poffibly be avoyded. Yet, as my fonn ftands now, I cannot fee with what credit he can be elected; for, being but fixth, and (as you are pleafed to judge) not deferving That neither, I know not whether he may not go immediately to Cambridge, as well as one of his own election went to Oxford this yeare by your confent. I will fay notining of my fecond foon, but That, after you had been pleafed to advife me to waite on my Lord Bifhop for his favour, I found he might have had the first place if you had not oppofed it; and I likewife found at the election, that, by the pains you had taken with him, he in fome fort deferved it. I hope, Sir, when you have given yourfelfe the trouble to read thus farr, you, who are a prudent man, will confider, that none Complaine, but they defire to be reconciled at the fame time; there is no mild expoftulation at least, which does not in-country-People formerly read, thought, timate a kindnels and refpect in him who makes it, Be pleafed, if there be no merit on my fide, to make it your own act of grace to be what you were for merly to my fonn. I have done fome. thing, fo farr to conquer my own fpirit as to afk it: and, indeed, I know not N compliance with the fashion of elfayifts, I beg leave to introduce myfelf to your acquaintance by a quotation from an antiquated author, of whom, by the way, I am no admirer, but my mind is of that affimilating nature, that it can draw nourishment even from poisonous fources. You must know, Sir, I look with a jealous eye to all periodical papers.-The News-papers that have been conducted by my fecret influence have always been the most fucccfsful; and the Magazines which I patronife are the moft read. When the Lounger was announted, I confefs, I was led, by the title, to hope that it would be a publica tion fuited to my fentiments and opinions. I am forry, however, to fay that my hopes have been dilappointed, and that it has hitherto been inimical to my views and wishes refpecting men and manners. Opinions, Sir, fhould vary, like all other things, with the fabian, and not be thrown out to ftem the tide of freedom and fashionable enjoyments. You have fortunately lived, Sir, to fee an ease of manners, and a liberality of fentiment, pervade all ranks of fociety, which were hitherto unknown in your and reafoned too much; which produced a certain ftri&tnefs of manners, and a cramped attention to decorum, which provoked me exceedingly. They would then talk of reftraints of duty, of moral obligation and. confcience, of decency and propriety of conduct, and fuch like Our Poet, JoHN, was elected from Weftminfter-school to Trin. Coll. Cambridge,” in 1650; his coufin, Jonathan, in 1636. Of the "two fons" mentioned in this letter, Charles, admitted to the fchool in 1680, went off to Chrift Church in 1683; John, admitted in 1682, to Trin. Coll. in 1685. J. N. Dr. John Dolben. New Thoughts on Education.-Vifions of Pierce Plowman. 945 ftuff. But now there is a happy thought: Jefs frivolity and ease of manners introduced, when people may do what they pleafe, and not be the worfe thought of by the world; and this, Sir, let me tell you, is true liberality of mind. The There was formerly a certain ftately dignity of character, that was above doing a mean or an immoral action. lines of duty, and the laws of decorum, were afcertained and attended to. But all this produced a kind of ftiffness of manners, and often prevented people from doing what they had an inclination to, very unfuitable to a pleafure-loving age. There was formerly a certain nothingnefs of character, which was defpifed in fociety, but which now, by a few eafyattained-fashionable rules, and the purfuit of fashionable pleasures, is highly raifed in the fcale of importance. Labour and study to acquire manly principles, useful knowledge, elegant manners and accomplishments, are now unneceffary. It must be allowed, that it is much easier now to be a gentleman than formerly; and this, of itfelf, is a very great improvement. A late very elegant friend of mine has shown, that a perfon's whole life and conduct ought to be falfehood and deceit; and if to this he can add bowing and flattery, he is a gentle man to all intents and purposes: But, however much a perfon may deserve the appellation of a liar, it must not be told, without the offence being appeated by blood. And I do not diflike this falhion; it keeps up good manners; befides, as I am always glad to fee my friends, I cannot be difpleafed if they fhould come to me before they were expected. I have a strong affection for all mankind, and wish to fee fociety conducted upon my plan. I mean to attempt this, Sir, by your means; and fhall open my fcheine to you.-A wife politician always pays attention to the rifing generation, in order to get hold of young minds before inimical prejudices are formed; and thus, in time, he is enabled to bring forward a party that bathes all oppofition. The first habits of youth, you will generally find, determine the future character and conduct. I have the most flattering profpect at prefent from the rifing generation of both fexes; and, as they will foon occupy the places of their predeceffors, I entertain the most fanguine hopes of foon feeing fociety what I have long defired. I declare my fyftem of education to be that of the moft perfect freedom, and am A averfe to every kind of reftraint A late ingenious author (who, by the way, troubled himself too much about what he esteemed to be the public good), fays, in a little treatife, called the Art of Thinking, "Men commonly owe their good or bad qualities as much to education as to nature." In this fentiment, however, he was right; and, as faliionable people, and people of bufinefs, are, now-a-days, too much occupied (the first with their amufements, and the fecond with their affairs and pleafures), to be troubled with the care and education of their children, I mean to give a fhort plan to make the matter as eafy for them as poffible.-They cannot doubt of my regard for their offspring, for I take this trouble out of pure love and regard to them. I am, &c. BELZEBUB. Mr. URBAN, OUR Nov. 12. UR poet Chaucer lately met with a commentator who hath done him ample juftice; it is, perhaps, needlefs to fay I allude to Mr. Tyrrwhit; but the Visions of Pierce Plowman, the work of Langelande, a bard of the fame early day, have hitherto lain in the deepest ob fcurity, and in deplorable contution. If Mr. Warton had not taken notice of him in the highly valuable Hiftory of English Poetry, and in the Obfervations on Spenfer, even his name would have remained fill unknown to the generality of readers. Though Langelande will by no means bear a comparison with Chaucer for wit, pleafantry, or difcrimination of character, yet the enquirer into the origin of our language will find in him a greater fund of materials to elucidate the progrefs of the Saxon tongue, which Chaucer is accufed of vitiating with difcordant Gallicilms. The diction and verfification indeed of thefe two poets are as widely diftant as thofe of Milton and his contemporary Waller. This confideration found teach the critic how little dependance is to be placed on style and manner in fixing the era of an uncertain compofition. Mean as the ftructure of the verfe in thefe ifions must appear to modern eyes, let it be remembered, that Langelande was the Ennius of Milton, What this Anglo Saxon poet attempted by uncouth alliteration only, the immortal Bard perfected by elevated expreffion and metrical cadence. But our language was much longer ripening than the Roman. Little **Lord Kames. more 946 Langelande, Author of Pierce Plowman's Vifions. more than a century paffed between Ennius and Virgil, whereas Langelande preceded Milton, and Chaucer flourished before Dryden, full three centuries, This now-forgotten fatire was formerly fo much admired, that it went through three editions in one year. So favourable a reception at fuch an early period of printing in our country as 1550, was probably owing to its falling in with the prevailing temper of the times in the reign of young Edward, and in fome fort juftifying the Reforma tion, by expofing the abufes of the Romish church. This poem, in common with other publications of thofe days, hath fuffered greatly both from licentious and negli gent tranfcribers, and from carciefs and unfkilful printers. To inftance no far ther than the paffage cited to fix the date of the work. One of the editions in 1550 reads, It is not long paffed In date of our bryght, in a drye Apriell decimus tercius. Stow, in his Survey of London, informs us, that bread was regularly brought to the city for fale from "Stratford the Bow," till about the middle of the fixteenth century. Many years ago I had corrected bryght to dright, Saxon for lord, and have fince found that Mr. ceeding quotation, "twice thirty and ten. "In the 44th of Edward the Third, John Chichefter being Maior of London, I read in the Vifions of Pierce Plowman, a booke fo called, as follow eth. Ther was a carefull commune, when no cart came to towne with basket bread from Stratford: tho gan beggers weepe, and workemen were agaft, a little this will bee thought long in the date of our Dirte, in a dry Averell a thousand and three hundred, twice, thirty and ten.” P. 169. It is evident from the above, that Stow had a copy of this work written without the diftinction of verses, as was often the practice formerly, and that, like Moliere's Bourgeois Gentilhomme, who talked profe and did not know it, the honest Antiquary was not aware that he was tranfcribing poetry; for, to do him justice, even the meanest attempt at monumental metre stands throughout his compiletion in regular lines. The reading of commune (debate) explains common in my edition. "This will be thought long" is unintelligible in both extracts. Dirte for dright or bryght could convey no idea. In fuch labyrinths of error hath this book been in many places involved for ages; and through fuch entangled paffages, and depraved and diftorted texts, were our ancestors frequently obliged to fearch for a meaning. Is there then no Tyrrwhit left to refcue the father of English blank verse from his prefent wretched plight, and place him by the fide of Chaucer, the father of our rhime? Mr. URBAN, T. H. W. Nov. 13. SI have not the felicity of knowing Wasion adopts that emendation at the A the Editor of my honoured friend fuggeftion of Mr. Lye. However, brytta allo means lord according to Lye's Dictionary, if the word be not a literal erTor in the authorities. For when we confider in what low eftimation the Saxons held the Britons, it is very difficult to imagine that they would ufe Byuta, a Briton, as a term of honour nkewife. Gufen is probably mifprinted for geifen, given. Wafers fignify cakes, bread. It appears by Stow's lift of mayors, that Chichefter did not ferve that office more than once, and that was during part of the years 1369 and 1370; foon after which time, by the expreflion "it is not long paffed," it is plain that this poem was compofed. So that "twyfe twentyc and tea" fhould either be "thrice twenty and ten," or, as Stow gives it in the fuc Dr. Johnlon's Works, I beg leave to afk him, through your Magazine, how a certain paragraph (vol. IX. p. 3237, can by any means be confidered as a critique on Shakspeare's play of King Richard the Third? Permit me, for the amufement of your readers, to tranfcribe the patfage: KING RICHARD III. I have nothing to add to the observations (what obfervations?) of the learned critics (what learned critics but that fome traces of this antiquated exhibition (what antiquated exhibition?) are still retained in the ruftic puppet-plays, in which I have feen the DEVIL very luftily belaboured by PUNCH, whom I hold to be the legitimate fuccessor of the old Vice. In the name of common-fenfe, what Sir John Hawkins.-Dr. Gardiner.-Milton.-Lady Paston. 947 have the Devil and Punch to do with the ufurping and murderous Richard ? .The fact is, that in the Variorum edition of Shakspeare, vol. VII. the opinions of feveral eminent critics are given at the end of the play of K. Richard III. on a paffage in the third act, scene I. Thus like the formal VICE, Iniquity, And the above quoted fentence is a dic- . O, Sir John Hawkins, Sir John Hawkins! call you this backing of your friends? a plague of fuch backing!" G.G. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, Nov. 14. N the excellent original letter on Hutchinfon's Works, inferted in your Magazine for Octob. p. 881, the learned Divine acknowledges his having received from his correfpondent, Dr. Gardiner, two of Mr. H's performances, together with a fermon of his own. Was it a printed fermon? Letfome, in "The Preacher's Affiftant" (edit. by Cooke), does not mention any fermon printed by a Dr. Gardiner of Walton upon Thames; nor has he, in his Regifter, noticed any fermon published by a perfon of the name of Gardiner, which correfponds with the date of the letter, viz. July 24, 1736. The writer has fo highly commended the fermon, that an opportunity of perufing it may be the wifh of many of your readers. In the review of Kearfley's London Regifler, one of the noticed errata, it is apprehended, may be erroneous.— P. 910, col. 1, l. 14. St. Swithin was in Mrs. Beachcroft, &c. &c.-The advowfon of the united rectories of St. Swithin's, London flone, and St. Mary Bothaw, is in the Salters Company, and in the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, who have an alternate right of prefenta tion. If St. Swithin's was 10 Mrs. Beachcroft, it must have been und r a grant from the Company to Mr. Beach croft (Qu. her hulband?) who, in favour of his son, had given a valuable premium for the next turn many years before a vacancy happened: and on the death of Dr. Ayerit, Prebendary of Canterbury, in May, 1765, the late Mr. Beachcroft was prefented to it. A refpectable citizen of London gave the above informa tion to the abfque fign' communicator of this anecdote, who made the enquiry with the view of getting an exchange for a country living, it being then his with to be fettled in town.-Dr. Palmer, the P. 910. Chrift-church is also an al- N. O. requests fome memoirs of the late rev. T. Leland, D.D. rector of St. Anne's, Dublin, and formerly fellow of Trinity Coll. of Philip of Macedon," and Tranflation of Dublin; whofe "History of Ireland,” “Life "Demofthenes," are so deservedly esteemed. Mr. URBAN, Nov. 15. WHETHER John Milton was which all the arguments in your vol. XLIX. p. 395,493, 595, have not cleared up, it is certain that the ftudents in the univerfities were, till within the last hundred years, confidered as no more boys in other fchools. The youngest exempt from corporal punishment than fon of a knight, in the middle of the 15th century, was either fo idle or fo ftupid as to require fuch correction. The good Lady Pafton, "that good, wife, and carefull mother," defires her fon Clement's tutor, Greenfield, fend her faythfully word by wrytyn how the univerfity or not, M 66 to in learnyng; and if he hath not done Clement Pafton hath do his endeavour well, nor will not amend, pray him that he will truly belafb him till he will the best that ever he had, at Cambridge." amend; and fo did the last master, and Greenfield was to receive ten marks for his labour, for I had lever," continues the good lady, "he were fairly buried than loft for default; and if Greenfield have done well his endeavour to Clement, or will do his endeavour, give him the noble." The reign of Edward IV. is allowed to have been one of the politest and moft cultivated periods in our annals. Learning was reviving, and Lady AgShe inculcates on her only daughter, nes knew the value of a good education. that "the muft ufe herself to work readily, as orher gentlewomen do, and fomewhat to helpe herfelf therewith." Yours, &c. PERMIT me to inform your philo cats, for the purpule of producing thole fophical readers, that, in ftroking luminous parks which are thrown off 948 Cats elettric.-Lord Montague.-Progrefs of Sunday Schools. their fur with a noife refembling that of fparks drawn from the conductor of an electrical machine, I have repeatedly felt fmall, yet very fenfible, electric fhocks, exable fimilar to thofe produced by an apparatus; and I am miftaken if, upon holding the animal upon the left arm, and froking it with the right hand, or placing one hand under the belly, or upon the back, or the tail, your readers will not perceive the effect I mention, I need not add, that this fenfation has always been ftrongest in clear frofty weather. I do not remember to have seen this circumstance yet noted in any publication, nor did I ever hear it remarked. I am inclined to think the animal fuffers an unpleasant fenfation from the operation, as I have rarely found even the moft docile eafy under it. O. C. B. Yo ‚Mr. URBAN, Alatheiopolis, Nov. 8. OUR well-known impartiality will, I date fay, admit the following detection of A Lover of Truth, p. 862; as one who makes ufe of that facred name to propagate a fality fhould be detected for the public good. I was mtimately acquainted with, nay, diftantly related to, the late Lord Montague, and can aver, froth my own perjonal knowledge, and appeal to all his acquaintance, friends, and relations, Protifant as well as Gutbolic, for the truth of what I affert, that his Lordship did not conform to the established religion till near a year at least, if not more, after bistather's death. With what veracity then can the prefenned lover of truth put thefe words into his Lordship's mouth: "When my father was on his deathbed, he made me promife that, when 1. came into a fimilar fituation, I about declare, that I changed my religion not from principle but interifi?" One can with difficulty gjee credit to any thing a perion fays, after being thus convicted of a ddawarig bi falsity. Two at leak of his other affertions bear very strong marks of avant of truth. One is, that he fought many miles, though in vain, for a Proteftant elergyman. If he had any fuebanten:ion, it seems bigrly improbable that, without going out of Brafels itself, where are constantly to many. English and other foreigners of every character and profetlion, a Protefant clergyman could not be found. Had the English umbaffactor no chaplain? had none of the envoys from the different Proteftant powers of Europe any? In deed, it's ftrange, it's wond'rous ftrange! The other is, Mr. Plunkett's giving his Lordship the facrament in both kinds at his request. Now I appeal to all who know the least of the Roman Catholic religion, or have lived any time in a country where it is the established form, if any priest of that communion would dare to adminifter in that mode lo contrary to their established ritual. Although the pretended Lover of Truth fcarce deferves fo mild an interpretation, am willing here to give him credit for not meaning to affert a wilful falfity, as: it might happen after his Lordship's receiving the hoft, and it meeting with fome obftruction, not unfrequent among the fick, fome wine might be given to wash it down, but by no means confecrated wine, or what made the leaft part of the facrament, but might appear otherwife to a perfon unacquainted with the ufual practice. His other affertions · may or may not be true; but remember well the old proverb, ex ungue leonem. Yours,, &c. DETECTOR. PROGRESS OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS. lever to Nov. 13, 1787 (which his own good "It is incredible with what rapidity this grain of mustard-feed is extending its branches over the nation.-The 3d of this month compleats four years fince I first mentioned the expediency of Sunday fchools in the Gloucester Journal; and, by the best information, I am aflured, that the number of poor children, who were heretofore as neglected as the wild af's colt, but who are now taken into thefe litle feminaries of inAruction, amounis to 250,000. In the town of Manchester alone the teminaries contain 5000. "It would delight you to obferve the cheariulnefs with which the children attend on the Sunday. A woman told me last Sunday, that her boy enquires of her every night, before he goes to bed, whether he has done a.ry thing in the day that will fornith a complaint again aim on Sunday. "You fee, Sir, to what care and vigilance this may lead. Yours, &c. R. RAKES." Mr. |