degree without offending him. What ever he may affect, and though he fhould even exprefs himself in the words of the motto to this paper, there will in moft cafes be found fuch a fecret regard in an authour's breaft for any thing he has written, that he will be uneafy if any one elfe does not view it in the fame light. His parental afrfection will make him tender even of the flighteft expreffions and he will not easily forgive the falutary touches of Criticifm. Thomson, it is faid, ufed to writhe in pain when players were cutting his long fcenes of tragedy. C For though he loathed much to write," he was fond of what he once

C

L

had written. Goldsmith fimply enough congratulated himfelf on having at last an opportunity to make himself of fome confequence by doing a favour to a certain lord; for, faid he, his lordship has given me his poems to correct, not confidering that any correction would probably make his lordfhip his enemy for ever. Such correction, we are told, loft Voltaire the friendship of an illuftrious monarch who is not quite fans fouci as to poetical fame; and all who are much acquainted with writers, who, be their compofitions profe or verfe, are for the moft part an irritable race, will recollect many fuch inftances.

Poft voluptatem mifrecordiam.

Youth fhould be painted like the British Rofcius, who is reprefented invitingly allured by Comedy and Tragedy, and undetermined to which he hall turn. So Vice and Virtue accoft a Youth, and his fickle fancy keeps him for a time undetermined to either, But,

The feal of Vice having made an impreffion on Youth, Virtue may by her kindly warmth melt the wax, and regain the fecrets of the heart, but the will feldom fucceed, if the breaks the feal with violence.

Young men are not lefs bound to their tutors for the wife inftructions they give them, than to their parents for their existence.

Humility is one of the best leffons that can be taught to youth.

A man is apt to follow all his life, governs him in his youth. the influence of the ruling paffion that

Thus, where vice, fays Cicero, is embraced in Youth, there commonly virtue is neglected in age.

The mind of a Youth is momentary, his fancy and affections variable as the weather, his love uncertain, his friendship as light as the wind, his fancy fired with every new face, and his mind agitated by a thousand contending whims and projects of ambition, fortune, or pleasure, often detefting that which he did love, and fometimes returning again to that which he had difcovered to be the moft worthlefs of all objects. He is an inhabitant of the Torrid Zone one day and of the Frigid the next.

Young willows bend eafily, and green wits are readily entangled.

Nothing is fweeter than youth, nor fwifter in decreasing while it increafeth.

Pleafure and recreation used withtemperance are as neceflary to Youth as the fun, air, and water to plants and flowers.

The inftructions given to Youth, ought not to be tedious; for being pithy and fhort, they will more willingly attend to them, and better retain them.

OF

Chastity, humility, and charity are the three united, real graces.

Though the body be ever fo fair, it cannot be beautiful without Chastity.

Gracious is the face that promifeth nothing but love, and celeftial the re

The virgins of were Bafil accuftomed to dance publickly on feftivals, without the company of men, and to fing chafte fongs: by this exercife effeminacy, idleness, and lafciviousness being avoided, when they married they became the mothers of a manly, robutt, virtuous race.

Pyrrhus's play was invented in Crete, for the foldiers to exercise themselves, wherein he taught diverse gestures, and fundry fhifts and motions, fo that the training to war was by dancing in

arms.

The foberer and wifer fort however of the heathens utterly difliked dance

in the fourishing time of the commonwealth it was accounted a shame to

dance well.

Sempronia, a Roman lady, although fortunate in her husband and children, and famous for her learning, loft her reputation by her great dexterity in footing a dance.

Plato and Ariftippus being invited to a banquet by Dionyfius, and being both commanded by him to dress themfelves in purple, and to dance; Plato refufed, with this anfwer, I am born a man, and know not how to demean myfelf in fuch womanish effeminacy. Ariftippus dreifed himfelf in purple, and prepared himself to dance, faying," At the folemnities of our father Liber a chafte mind knoweth not how to be corrupted."

Callisthenes, King of Sicyon, having a daughter marriageable, commanded that it fhould be proclaimed at the games of Olympus, that he that would be accouated Callifthenes's fon-in-law should within fixty days repair to Sicyon. When many wooers had met together, Hippaclides, the Athenian, fon of Tifander, feemed the fittest: but when he had trod the Laconick and Antick meafures, and had perfonated them with his legs and arms, Callifthenes resenting it, said, “O thou fon of Tifander, thou haft danced away thy marriage.".

Frederick the Third, Emperor of Rome, often ufed to fay, that he had rather be fick of a burning fever than give himself to dancing.

No man danceth except he be drunk or mad. Tully.

LECTURES

which he destroyed, will be remembered as often as his name is mentioned.

Here we must quit the hiftory of the Saracens to take up that of the kingdom of SPAIN, connected with it, and with the history of France, that we may draw them all into one point of view, and bring them down to the fame

æra.

From the time that the Vifigoths had established their monarchy in Spain, their clergy were generally more abfolute than their princes, who confequently fcarce deferve to be named. The bishops frequently decided the great affairs of the nation in the great council compofed of the nobility, among whom they held the firft rank, they even difpofed of the crown which was rather elective than hereditary, and the kingdom was a theatre of revolutions and bloody scenes. The number of kings murdered strikes us with horror.

The few reigns that contain any memorable events fhall be briefly noticed. Levigild, who died in 585, is celebrated for his victories over the Suevi, and his memory is detefted for his cruel treatment of Hermenigild his fon, whom he put to death for embracing chriftianity. Yet his other fon Recaredo, who fucceeded him, abjured arianifm, and that fect was perfecuted in its turn. The fpirit of perfecution prevailed more in Spain at this æra, than in any other country. In 612, Sifebut obliged the Jews, under pain of death, to be baptifed; in other refpects he was a wife and merciful prince; by the valour of his arms he deprived the emperors of the Eaft of their remaining poffeffions in Spain, on the coafts of the Mediterranean. Chintilla banished all the Jews, and it was decreed by a council, that no prince could afcend the throne till he had fworn to obferve the laws enacted against that unhappy people. Here fome hiftorians fix the firft rife of inquifitions. Under Recefuinth, the election of kings was vested, by a decree of council, folely in the bishops; and the Palatines who were the principal officers of the crown. By this regulation the body of the people loft one of its most valuable privileges.

Wamba after defeating the Saracens, who for the first time had invaded Spain, was excluded from the throne

in 682, because in a fit of weakness, to which he had been reduced by a distemper, he had clothed himself in the habit of a penitent. Erwigo who had brought about this revolution poifoned Wamba, and was confirmed in the fovereignty by a council. Another council during his reign prohibit ed their kings from marrying the widows of their predeceffors.

In 710, a civil war was occafioned by the cruelties and vices of Witiza, who permitted the clergy to marry, and laymen to keep as many concubines as they pleased. He was dethroned by Roderic or Roderigo, who likewife was depofed by the Saracens. The occafion according to fome traditions was this Roderic had difhonoured the daughter of Count Julian, a nobleman of great power, who invited the Saracens in revenge to invade his country: but this story is not well authenticated: all we know for certain is, that the Saracens about this time were masters of Mauritania, whence they acquired the name of Moors, that they ravaged Spain, and in 712, gained the decifive battle of Xeres in Andalusia, after which we hear no more of the kings of the Vifigoths. Moufa who commanded in Africa for Valid I. immediately completed the conqueft of Spain. Áccording to the prudent policy of his race, he offered to grant the inhabitants the exercife of their religion and laws, and to be fatisfied with the fame tribute they had paid to their kings. The greatest part of the towns voluntarily fubmitted to him: the reft he plundered and burned. Oppas, archbishop of Seville, and uncle to Witiza's children, fought on the fide of the Saracens, and facrificed his country and his religion to his hatred against Roderic. But Pelagio, a hero of the royal blood, retired into the mountains of Afurias and Burgos, followed by a multitude of Chriftians, and there founded the feparate kingdom of Afturia. After his death Alphonfo, his fon-in-law, ascended the throne of this new kingdom, and enlarged its territories, by taking advantage of the civil wars which divided the Saracens.

In 732, Abderaman, emir or governor of Spain, invaded France, and penetrated as far as Sens, but being repulled by Ebbo, the bishop, he poured his forees into Aquitaine, "defeated the

duke,

duke, and advanced to the heart of the kingdom. Charles Martel was deftined to stop the course of this torrent by a bloody battle fought between Poitiers and Tours, in which the Saracen emir was flain and upwards of three hundred thousand of his troops. The enemy, notwithstanding their defeat, kept a footing for fome years in Provence and Languedoc, till they were totally driven from France by this. hero.

As for Spain it was at first very unhappy under the government of its new masters. The emirs being dependent on the viceroys of Africa, who fuffering them to continue but a fhort time in this dignity, they were more eager to exhauft the provinces to enrich themselves, than to administer justice. And the califfs who refided at Damascus, were at too great a diftance, and too deeply engaged in civil wars to remedy the evils complained of. At length the dignity of calif being transferred by a bloody revolution from the house of Moavia to that of Abbas, it happily occafioned the deliverance of Spain from the Ottoman yoke. A fecond Abederaman, better known by the name of Almanzor, a prince of the line of Moavia, having efcaped the general maffacre of his family, came and laid the foundation of an independent kingdom in that country. Being proclaimed king, be fubdued all the provinces, except what Alphonfo preferved in Afturia. He fixed his refidence at Cordova, which he made the feat of arts, magpificence, and pleasure; but without perfecuting the Chriftians, he totally extirpated Chriftianity by depriving them of bifhops, by referving all favours and dignities for Mahometans, and by encouraging intermarriages.

We may now refume the annals of France. After the victory of Poitiers, Charles Martel, equally politick and brave, and more powerful with the plain title of Mayor of the Palace, than any fovereign of Europe, continually increased the glory of his country. The throne becoming vacant in 737, by the death of Thierry IV. he exercifed the fupreme authority with the title of Duke, preventing the election of a king, and avoiding the affumption of that alluring but empty title, which would not have added to

his power. He was preparing for a journey to Italy on an invitation of Pope Gregory the Third, who promifed to acknowledge him Conful of Rome, when he died in 741. He had appointed Carloman, one of his fons, to fucceed him in Auftrafia, and to Pepin the Short, his other fon, he bequeathed Neuftria, or Western France and Burgundy.

Carloman turned monk, and his retreat threw the whole power of the kingdom into the hands of Pepin, who afpired to the monarchy of the whole, and was favoured in his ambitious views by the Pope, who wanted his affiftance against the Greek Emperor and the Lombards. A general affembly of the nobility and clergy deprived Childeric the Third, who had been proclaimed, and all the family of Clovis of the crown, which they placed on the head of Pepin. This great prince died in 768, and was'fucceeded by his fon Charles, who carried the glory of France to the highest pitch, by the valour of his arms, and the wisdom of his councils. He fubverted the kingdom of the Lombards, by which he added one half of Italy to his dominions. Germany submitted to his fway; the Elbe, the Ocean, the Pyrenean Mountains, and the Baltic, were the limits of his extenfive domains. The popes acknowledged him their fovereign, the kings of England courted his friendship; the Greek Emperor and the celebrated Aaron Alrached, Calif of the Saracens, vied with each other in expreffing their admiration of this potent monarch, whom we muft now diftinguish by the name and title of Charlemagne, Emperor of the Weft, King of France and Lom bardy, Sovereign of Rome, and by the death of Almanfor the Arabian in 788, King of Spain. The governors of Saragofa and Arragon had revolted ten years before, and had called in Charlemagne to whom the Chriftian inhabitants of Spain flocked in great numbers, acknowledging him for their fovereign. The detail of his victories would fill a volume, but as we mean only to give a fuccinct relation of the principal events of modern hiftory in thefe lectures, it will be fufficient to obferve, that in the year 800, being crowned Emperor of the West, in him began the dynasty of the Western B2

Franks