To SYLVANUS

URBAN, Esq

ON COMPLETING HIS LIXth VOLUME.

TILL unimpeded as the lucid Spheres,

STILL

URBAN, thy Labours crown the rolling Years!
Unlike to thofe who dazzle for a Day,

As the firm Earth, you dread no quick Decay;
As thofe above, our Orb you ftill adorn,
By Truth fupported, and on Science borne.

Now as fair Freedom brightens Gallia's Shore,
With fafting Gems, and Gold of richest Ore,
You beft fuftain the Story's weighty Trust;
Unwarp'd and free, to every Measure juft:
You clofe her Triumphs o'er a Hoft of Foes,
The paler Lily blushing to the Rose.

Still be it yours to foil Oppreffion's Claim,
Whate'er its Garb, whate'er its fpecious Name;
Exalt and cherish, with benignant Beam,

Each Effort mark'd in Virtue's blissful Scheme:
Applaufe muft grect you, as in Years no more,
And Myrtles fpring on Envy's defart Shore.

Here if Debate in Oppofites involve,
Candour muft ftate, and Judgement clear refolve,
Define, explain, arrange in Order true,

Whate'er to Modes and juft Diftinction 's due;
Till those who ftart for far-divided Ends

Meet at one Point, and wonder that they're Friends!
May fuch decide on POPE'S contested Bays,
Nor aught deprefs the bright DRYDENIC Blaze!

But not to this the pregnant Year is bound,
Still you poffefs the fcientific Round;
Your full Repaft each vary'd Taste improves,
And Judgement gains, as mifty Doubt removes :
Nor here you ftop-but higher Themes inveft,
By Cherubs guarded, by Religion bleft;
While the vain Sceptic without Compafs drives,
Nor Hope from future or the paft derives.
But fince your Aim, on Wifdom's better Plan,
Sees fairer Scenes beyond this mortal Span;
Refpect, unfeign'd, muft every Year increase,
And Labour end in Plenitude and Peace.
Dec. 31, 1789.

W. H. REID.

T

[iii]

PREFACE TO THE FIFTY-NINTH VOLUME. HE Completion of another Volume affords a proper Opportunity of repeating Acknowledgements to our numerous and refpectable Readers; and more particularly to fuch of them as, by their valuable Contributions in every Department of Literature, have enabled this Mifcellany to fupport and increase the Diftinction it has uniformly maintained among its Rivals. From an Experience of nearly Sixty Years we are convinced that, to obtain the Public Favour, we have only to deferve it. After leaving, therefore, the prefent Volume to fpeak for our Affiduity during the past Year, marked as it has been by a Variety of the most important Events; we fhall not further trefpafs on the Patience of the Reader, than to affure him that our beft Endeavours fhall not be wanting in whatever may most effectually tend to his Information and Entertainment. From the Immenfity of Materials which are conftantly before us, it becomes our Duty to select what appears most conducive to that Purpofe; and in this Tafk, which is much more arduous than can eafily be imagined by those who are unused to it, we have been guided, as far as we have been able to collect their Suffrages, by a very decided Majority of our Readers; and in every Subject which has occafionally led to Controverfy, our Views have uniformly been directed to the strictest Impartiality. This Line of Conduct which we are perfuaded has given general Satisfaction, we fhall fill purfue; not doubting but it will be attended with a Continuance of the generous Patronage we have fo long and fo liberally experienced.

**Our Correfpondents are particularly requested to fend their Letters, to Mr. J. NICHOLS, Printer, Red Lion Paffage, Fleet-Street, Fos T-PAID.

INDEX INDICATORI U S.

CLER. FIL. fays, "I was fo much truck the other day with the piety of the fentiment underwritten, which I found in the porch of a small church near Wantage, that I heartily with it was written in large letters in every church-porch in Great Britain: THOSE WHO DO NOT WILLINGLY COME TO CHURCH, ARE ALWAYS AFRAID TO BE BROUGHT THERE.”

-We fhould have been happy to have inferted Mr. WESTON's Letter in our Supplement, had it come fooner; but we are barely in time to allow this acknowledgement of its receipt.-The infcriptions mentioned by our Lincolnshire friend R. T. will be acceptable.-We thank TYCHO for his hint,-It would give us pleasure to gratify Mr. G. RORICK; but the poem is inadmiflile -S. H. Y. afks, "What Hebrew medal it is that Dr. Crofthwait explained in Rowland's • Mona Antiqua Reftaurata,' printed at Dublin, 1723?”—T. A. S. fays, “As Mr, Thickneffe's Letter, p. 127, leaves an innocent perfon under a dishonourable imputation, I hope you will allow me room to obferve, that his fufpicions are groundless. I have not vifited Bath for feveral years paft, nor have I ever had the pleasure of feeing either Mr. T. or his beautiful retirement. With respect to the Matter in debate between us, will not your candour and impartiality permit me to add the following brief extract from Ramfay's Reply to Perjonal Invectives? Have not limbs been broken, and feveral ears been cropt arbitrarily, fince the beginning of the year 1782? Not fewer than four inftances, in this period, have come to the Author's knowledge; one of which occafioned the law against Miming to be paffed, anno 1783.' And yet Mr. T. fays, "It is folly in extreme to believe fuch idle ftories."-To CONQUISTOR, who afks, "By what means a perfon may make out a Genealogy of his family, who at prefent may be only acquainted with his defcent through four or five generations?" We anfier, Confult the Heralds College, the Prerogative Office, British Mufeum, and Parith Regifters. We repeat once more, that our engagements in the Review of the new edition of the "Britannia" do not allow us to admit any ftrictures or corrections of that Work that are ANONYMOUS, and not figned by the real name of the author. The letter from B-v, on Dr. Price's Sermion, is below notice.VERITATIS VINDEX is at liberty to fend a copy of his letter to any other publigation that will admit it.-Non tali auxilio nec defenforibus ifis

Veritas eget.

[iv]

SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF SERVANTS.

TH

HE flight and imperfect manner of afking and of giving the Character of Servants is
acknowledged to be a public grievance. A miftaken tenderness to the fervants too
often 1 ads the giver of a character into a grofs impofition upon the employer. Though
juftice to the fervant requires a full recital of his talents and good qualities; juftice to the
employer demands an explicit declaration of faults and defects: fuppreffion of the truth is
injuftice to one party or the other.

The purpofe of this letter is to explain to the publick what are the views and intentions of
a Society lately established for the Encouragement of Servants, and to submit to confidera-
tion the form of a certificate propofed by the Committee for the fervant's character; by
which means they hope to relieve people from the above difficulty; to confirm the good-will
and patronage of the prefent fubfcribers, and to excite the attention of those who are not yet
acquainted with the objects of the fociety.

In order to diftinguish the deferving from the unworthy among fervants, it is propofed to
engage fome creditable person to keep an office under the inspection of the fociety, at which
fuch fervants only are to be registered as obtain certificates of their merit from a member.

The bafis of the plan is "a fettled form of the certificate of a fervant's character." When
any member of the fociety has occafion to hire a fervant, he fhall require the one who of
fers himself to obtain from the last person he served a certificate of his character, filled up
agreeably to the following or fuch other printed form as may hereafter be settled by the
fociety; which when answered will be the certificate of the fervant's character, viz.
I do hereby certify that
lived with me in the ftation of

"for the term of

years and

months, during which time

8. Free from habits of fwearing and inde
cencies?

9. Free from abfence without leave, and
overstaying when sent out?

10. Free from improper connexions, and
unallowed followers?

11. How long in your service?

12. Single, or, if married, what family?
13. Generally healthy or not?"

In answering the above queries, the perfon who gives the character of the fervant is re-
quired to do no more than write against each article the word yes, or tolerably, fufficiently, or
wey, according to the degree.

If any perfon fhould entertain a doubt upon any of the above queries, or feel themselves
mable to speak decifively thereto, it will be fufficient to put a + against that article; which
is to be confidered as a caution on the part of the perfon who gives the character, and not
as an accufation of the fervant.

When employers cannot speak (as it may often happen) from knowledge and certainty to
particular parts of a fervant's character, they may either ftrike out fuch article, or speak
upon opinion and belief only.

The certificate is to be figned by a member of the fociety, if the fervant has lived with
him, or counter-figned by a member if he can depend on the candour and veracity of the
perfon who gives the certificate; fuch certificate to entitie fervants to be registered at the
office, and (if poffible) placed in fervice without any expence to them.

If the plan is approved and adopted, it is propofed to open a subscription for raising a fund
for the future relief of fuch deferving and approved fervants as may be judged worthy ob-
jects of the charitable affiftance of the fociety.-Long and approved fervice in the family of
a fubscriber, or of two or more fucceffively, is to entitle a fervant to relief, according to the
nature of the cafe, and the state of the fund; if by fickness, accidents, or infirmities of old
age, he or the fhall become unfit for, or difabled from, earning his or her livelihood.

The inftitution of this fociety, it is hoped, will fecure comfort and fatisfaction to em-
ployers in the proper conduct of good domefticks. Long continuance in place, a good name,
and future provifion, are the benefits which fervants may expect from the fuccefs of this plan.
It is therefore prefumed that all good fervants will promote it as far as the fuccefs of it may
depend upon them.

Institution of a public nature are at first, efpecially, furveyed with caution; perfons who
are governed by prudential confideration frequently delay giving their affiftance more from
doubts of their fuccefs than from any unwillingness to promote the public utility. This cau-
Yion, it is feared, has occafioned many Gentlemen and Ladies from offering their names as mein-
bers; but it is hoped, that the abovementioned reafon for delay will ceafe to operate, and
that many will now join in enabling the Society to profecute its defign with encreafing fpirit
and fuccefs.
J. GRAY, Glassbouse Street.

32

Meteor. Diaries for Jan. 1789, and Feb. 1788 2 Original Letter from O. Cromwell to Lenthall 26
Propofed Monument for Gen. Wolfe by Roubilliac 3 Ld. Chefterfield detected in literary Poaching 27
Original Anecdotes and Letters of Dr. Wallis ib. Hayley's Stanzas on the Revolution vindicated 28
Remarkable Particulars of Pretender's Family 5 Original Letter from Mr. BARRET on Madnels 20
Extracts from the old Parish Book of Wigtoft 6 Authentic Documents of ancient British Hiftory o
Anecdotes of Dr.And. Boorde and his Writings 7 Reply to Mr. Berington on Principles of Catholics
Calculus on the enfuing Tranfit of Mercury 9 Specimen of a curious ancient MS. from Dublin 33
An original Letter from Dr. PRIESTLEY To The Influence of Seafons on the Human Frame ib.
Strict onGibbon-Dr.Horbery & Mr. Townfon 12 Invention and Imagination, on what they depend 34
Old Seal of the Dean and Chapter of Durham 13 General Characteristic of the Northern Nations 35
On Affinity of Languages-Slavery in Jamaica 14 Critique on the Tempeft-and on Troilus, &. ib.
Anecdotes of Sir Paul Pindar and his Family ib Analyfis of Alfred, a felf-taught Bard's Tragedy 36
Thoughts on Duelling-Bradwardin's Apology 15 Cure for Scurvy-Gallery in Houfe of Peers
The Love of Mifchief imbibed in early Youth 6. A beneficial Plan for the Poor recommended 36
The Sports of Youth, and of more mature Age 16 Tric-Trac, and various other Games, illuftrated.
The Murder of aScotch Pedlar in South Wales 18 Proceedings of Lords and Commons on Regency 4
Traits of Dr. Pelling, taken from his Sermons 19 REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS

3*

49-79

ib

71-75

84-90

91

tique on a late Commentary on Macbeth 20 Monthly Catalogue of New Publications
tory of Laverftoke and Freefolk, Hampshire 22 SELECT POETRY, ancient and modern
afe of a blind Family-Murder of Pr. of Orange : 3 Foreign Affairs, Dom. Occurrences, &c. 76-83
Original Letters of Charles Duke of Somerfet 24 Births, Marriages, Obituary, &c. &c.
Shakipeare's Provincial Intimacies investigated 25 Prices of Grain-Theatrical Regifter, &c.
An Infcription at Ightham to the Selby Family 26 Daily Variations in the Prices of the Stocks
Embellished with a beautiful Reprefentation of a Defign by ROUBILLIAC for General
WOLFE'S Monument; a remarkable Seal of the Dean and Chapter of DURHAM ;
a Specimen of a curious ancient MS. from DUBLIN, &C.

By

SYLVANUS

URBAN.

Gent.

LONDON, Printed by JOHN NICHOLS, for D. HENRY, are of SAINT JOHN'S GATE.

92

2 Meteorolog. Diaries for January, 1789; and for February, 1788. METEOROLOGICAL TABLE for January, 1789.

OBSERVATIONS.

Poduræ come forth on the walls from their tubernacula.-2 Rooks (corvus frugilegus) very bufy around their nefts. Moles (talpa europaeus) work.-3 Bulfinches abound more than ufual. Thrushes full of fong.-4 Daphne mezereon begins to blow.-5 Buds of trees anthrobs kept back by the froft, though fo gentle. Winter aconite (helleborus hiemalis) and crocufes, in bloom.-6 Frogs fpawn..-7 Bees gather on the winter-aconite.- Daifies have remained in full bloom all the winter-9 Partridges paired.- Vegetation advances rapidly. Chaffinch (fringilla coelebs) fings.