the time propofed, to be excluded from all future affiftance, and to be fued if their circumftances fhould make their conduct criminal. For the credit of human gratitude, it is to be hoped that few fuch men will be found; but, as there must be fome debtors to this inftitution, whofe misfortunes, by long continuance, will keep them infolvent, it will be neceffary to have an annual fubfcription to fupport it. There are fome benevolent perfons, who are not rendered fo giddy in the vortex of pleasure, nor fo deafened by the clamour of politieks, but they can fill hear the cry of human diftrefs, and are ready to give every poffible fuccour. To fuch only is this Propofal addreffed; and they are earnestly requested to give it a mature confideration, and not haf. tily difmifs it on account of fome appa rent objections. The propofer is fenfible that great difficulties would attend the execution of this plan, but he does not think them infuperable; and furely the benefit to be derived from it to the virtuous and industrious poor is of such importance as would well juftify an experiment how far it is practicable. The common objection will be, that few will be able and willing to repay the money they fhall borrow from fuch funds. But, if a proper regard be paid to character, it is likely this will not be found true. But, even fuppofing this to be the cafe, certainly it is not a fufficient reafon for rejecting this Propofal. For, fhould the greater part of the fums thus advanced be funk, it must be allowed that charity can never be excrcifed in a more beneficial manner. The affiftance we give the poor is generally by alms to those who either receive parish-pay, or live in a ftate of indolence and va. grancy, and whofe impudence makes them intrude on and harrafs the benevolent. By fuch perfons the money is ufually mifapplied to the purposes of intemperance, or unneceflary indul gence; or, at beft, it affords but a fhort relief without productive and lafting benefit. For, much difcretion and cconomy in the management of alms can. not be expected from thofe whofe imprudence and extravagance have, 'perhaps, contributed to reduce them to their unhappy fituation. But now, if the money to beftowed should be applied to extricate fober and diligent perfons embarraffed by cafual difficulties, the effect would be very different; for, we may lay it down as a rule, that, where there is no profpe&t but that of conftant want, a temporary relief will be tranfient and ineffectual; but, if the want be only temporary, affiftance will be of the most permanent and happy confequence. In this latter cafe we diftribute the feeds of charity, which, by the care and cultivation of the receiver, will produce a plentiful harvest. We deliver a talent which will not be hid den in the earth, but of which the good and faithful fervant will make a tenfold increase. Should thefe ideas coincide with the fentiments of those perfons, who, like the Divine Founder of Chriftianity, are actuated by univerfal philanthropy, the author of this addrefs will think himself greatly obliged if they will be kind enough to let him know to what extent fuch an inftitution fhould receive their fupport; and they are humbly requefted, at the fame time, to favour him with their opinion on this fubject, and give him fome hints for improving this fcheme, and guarding against its abutes. Be pleafed to direct to the Rev. H. A. M. to be left with Meffrs. Goadby and Lerpiniere, at Sherborne, Dorfet, Poftpaid. Hakewill, on account of the latter's famous Apology. They difputed in, or with, "the fpirit of meeknefs," that is, in a genteel and Christian manner. The opponents fhewed good manners. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, THE EUTHELIUS. Nov. 5. HE anecdote of Dr. Stonehoufe, mentioned in p. 885, certainly de. ferved to be recorded, because examples of fuch honourable conduc cannot be too widely diffufed. But, alas! Sir, how lamentably the manner of recording it proves the inefficacy of example, when we fee the very perfon, who communicates it, fo completely forget the leffon it teaches, as to attack with unkind aggravations the memory of him whom Dr. Stonehoufe him.felf had for given and praised! Surely the quotation from Dr. Johnfon would have been fufficient (or at leaft with a very flight comment) to have introduced, and to have done justice to, the conduct of Dr. Stonehoufe. Whatever additional proofs Indagator may have of the foibles of Akenfide, or any other man, let me intreat him to burn them. that they may never again counteract his laudable defign in the communication of praifeworthy actions, or give any reafon to fuppofe that he wants the charity he delights to recommend. As to Akenfide's Lyricks, however widely Warton and Johnson differed about them, I am perfuaded, there exifts no difference of opinion upon the competency of the two criticks on a queftion of tafte, and that Warton's teftimony in their favour is a fufficient confirmation of their merit. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, Nov. 5.. I WAS much pleafed with the judicious remarks of C. H. p. 880, concerning the translation of Homer by Mr. Cowper; but am doubtful whether Pope's tranflation or Cowper's merits most approbation. I do not pretend to judge, or cftablish my opinion, neither is it my intention to write like a Zoilus, or as a prefumptuous commentator, leaving it to the judgement of thofe who are more able to criticize than myfelf. Mr. Cowper has, certainly, the advantage of writing in blank verfe; and I perfectly agree with C. H, that "it was only by fuch a tranflation that a juft conception of the fimple magniñ cence of the original could be conveyed to the English reader." Pope was forced to obferve the measure of his verse, and was tied down to rhyme, fo that he was obliged to give a free translation. It has been thought by fome, that, if poffible, the parting of Hector and Andromache is fuperior in Pope to the original. But, Mr. Urban, by speaking fo highly in Pope's favour, I would not with to throw a veil over Cowper's ver fion, fince his fame as an author is firmly established; and, while virtue and integrity exist in the world, he will be ever accounted dear. Many parts in Cowper's Homer are admirably tranfla. ted, and executed in a masterly ftyle, and deferve the attention of all true lovers of genuine poetry; neither are his notes without a confiderable fhare of judicious fentiment and explanation. Mr. Pope has many well-written notes; but his are chiefly hiftorical. However, be this left to the candid and unprejudiced critick. QUINTUS. ΤΗ way in your laft having induced me to take a peep at the original; I traverfed the gardens of the Adam and Eve public-houfe, which are furrounded by a ftout old wall of the abbey; and was much pleafed with an arch ftill remaining by the front door of the house, which retains proofs of having once been a beautiful gate-way. In the garden is a ftone coffin of one of the abbots, dug up there a few years ago; the length, within fide, 6 feet 5 inches; width, at the head, foot 9 inches; at the foot, 9 inches. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, M. GREEN. OЯ. 21. PROBABLY the following particu lars, and others which I intend to tranfmit to you from time to time, may hereafter be of fervice to any gentleman who is a good Antiquary, and underftands its handmaid fcience, Heraldry, (both of which I have the misfortune to be ignorant of), and one who would have the patriotifm and public-spirit to undertake a complete hiftory, not a Sketch of the hiftory (fuch as has lately appeared,) of Caernarvonshire. The materials for fuch an undertaking are daily diminishing; I therefore hope a native of, or at leaft a gentleman who has refided a confiderable time in, the county, county, and one who thoroughly under ftands the Welsh language, will foon engage in this useful work. R. & P. St. Beuno is reported to have been buried at Clynog Vawr, in the county of Carnarvon, North Wales. A build ing on the South side of the church, near its Weft end, called by the common people Eglwys Bruno, that is, Beuno's church or chapel, is fuppofed to be this reputed faint's bugial-place. A ftone image of him, either in his facerdotal robes, or in his winding-heet (in which of the above drefles he was intended to be reprefented is now difficult to be discovered, on account of the decayed ftate of the ftone), was placed, and remained for a confiderable number of years, on his fuppofed grave; but the image or ftatue was fome time or other (moft probably in Oliver Cromwell's time) beheaded, and was lately removed from the abovementioned spot, and is now placed, with its feet upwards, in a corner under the bellfy. Lord Newborough (the lafe Colonel Wynne's brother), who lives in the neighbourhood, has lately caufed the old faint's afhes (if ever he was buried there) to be difturbed, as he has or dered the grave to be opened, and fearch to be made for the coflin, &c.: but, owing to their not having dug deep enough, or perhaps for a better reafon, becaule he was not buried there, nothing has been found. However, I am informed, his Lordship intends placing a new marble fab with a fuitable infcription on his grave. The country people have deftroyed feveral freeftone monuments in and about this church, in or. der to make whetstones of the trag ments. A kind of a wooden cheft, with a fmall padlock and key, in order to take out the offering-money which is put in through a hole or flit in the lid, is fill to be feen on the South fide of the communion-table, and is called by the common people Kiff Bruno, Beuno's block or cheft. When either man, wo man, or child, were afflicted with any kind of difeafe, particularly fits of every fort, or when any peftilential diforder raged among the eattle, the fuperftitious devotees hurried in great numbers in former days (a few, on particular occations, are found filly enough to do the fame in our tne) to put their accullomed offering into S. Beuno's cheft (the moft uit one was a filver fourpenny piece), in order to appease the anger of the enraged faint: and thofe who were afflicted with any disorder after offering went and fat on Beuno's grave, hoping and believing that fome virtue would proceed thence in order to effect a cure. The dark narrow paffage which connects Beuno's chapel with the main church is called by the common people Yr Heinons (a word, I presume, derived from the English heinous), and was allotted for the confinement of dif orderly perfons and madmen. There are in this neighbourhood fome Druidical stones, which I have not yet had an opportunity of feeing. I fhall conclude this letter with giving you a few epitaphs, copied from monuments and grave-ftones in the church and church-yard of Clynog. The following infcription is cut on the rim or edge of a fquare tombstone on the North fide of the communiontable, in Roman capitals: "Hic jacet WILLIMUS GLYN, de Lliar, armiger, qui fepultus fuit vicefimo leptin.o die Mani, anno Domini 1609.” And in the church-yard at the West end of the church is the following, in the fame characters, and round the edge or rim of the ftone, as the above: "Armiger hie GULIELMUS GLYN jacet. Hoc feri fecit filius ejuidem nominis at→ que rei. Obiit detunetus hic 7mo die Martin, anno Dei 1658, ætatis fuæ 57. "Mors fanctis janua vitæ." And on the centre of the ftone are the following: "Death to the godly is but an entrance to a fate of endless durance. Sum quod eris. Fui quod fis." In the body of the above church is the following infcription in Roman capitais, as before specified: "Sub hoc tumulo jacet corpus GEORGIL TWISLE 1ON, de Lleiar, in comitatu CarBarvon, armigeri, filii Joanis Twilleton, de aula Bartow in agro Eborienfis, armigeri, qui cbit 12mo die Mail, A. D. 1667, ælatis fox 49." And on the fame flone is the ful lowing: "In fpem refurre&tionis, fub hoc quoque jacet corpus MARIE TWISLETON fupradicti, filiæ & hæredis Guhelmi Glynne, de Liyar, in comitatu Carnarvon, armigeri, quæ obut octavo die Junii, anno Domini 1676." On a marble flab, on the North fide of the communion-table, in the fame church, is the following infcription: Under lieth the body of GEORGE who who, by Margaret, his wife, fecond daughter of William Griffith, of Kevn Amwich, efq. had three fons and four daughters. He was the fon of Col. George Twiẞleton by Mary, his wife, daughter and heir of William Glynne, of Livaer, efq. by Jane, his wife, daughter of Ellis Brynker, efq. The faid colonel was for of John Twifleton, of Barlow-hall, in the county of York, efq. He was an honeft and confcientious gentleman, and departed this life, Dec. 26, 1714, Out of a pious efteem and regard to the erected." The following are fome kind of Monkish Latin lines, taken from the fragment of an old tombflone in the fame church." .. HIC ANIMAM QVAM GELICA REGNABERVNT About fix miles to the South of Carmarvon, on the fhore of the Irish channel, is an encampment, fuppofed to be Roman, as feveral of thofe coins were dug up there. It is furrounded on all des, except that nearest the fea, by a high mound of earth and ftones (i. e. a vallum); and on the South and Northeaf there are fill the remains of a fofs. The valium is about three hundred yards in circumference. In the area are ftill visible part of the turf walls of fquare and round buildings; probably the booths of the officers and foldiers. Where is the most likely place to find any records refpecting this and other churches in the county? How are we to know the time they were built, &c.? Mr. URBAN, A Nov. 28. VARIETY of information, even on marters of curiofity only, cannot be termed ufelefs; much lefs when they have engaged, any particular attention. I fend you, therefore, an extract of a note in the Botanic Garden relpect. ing thofe circles of rank grafs known by the name of Fairy-rings. I need not inform you, Mr. Urban, or your readers, that this extraordinary poem has obtained a confiderable share of poetical fame, and that it is enriched alfo with observations both inftructive and amufing. I make no doubt but that this account of a fubject, so often hand led in your Magazine, will appear more fatisfactory than any other as yet offered; and shall take the liberty of inferting it in the author's own words: "There is a phænomenon, fuppofed to ba electric, which is yet unaccounted for, I mean the Fairy-rings, fo often feen upon the grafs. The numerous flashes of lightning which occur every fammer are, I believe, generally difcharged on the earth, and but feldom (if ever) from one cloud to another. Moift trees are the most frequent conductors of thefe flashes of lightning; and I am informed by purchafers of trees that innumerable ones are thus cracked and injured. At other times, larger parts or prominences of clouds, gradually finking as they move along, are difcharged on the moifter parts of graffy plains. Now, this knob or corner of a cloud, in being attracted by the earth, will come nearly cylindrical, as loofe wool would do when drawn out into a thread, and will ftrike the earth with a ftream of electricity perhaps two or ten yards in diameter. Now, as a ftream of electricity difplaces the air it palles through, it is plain no part of the grafs can be burnt by it but just the external ring of this cylinder where the grafs can have access to the air, fince without air nothing can be calcined. This earth, after having been fo calcined, becomes a richer foil, and either fungufes or a bluer grafs for many years mark the place. That lightning difplaces the air in its paffage is evinced by the loud crack that fucceeds it, which is owing to the fides of the aerial vacuum clapping together when the lightning is withdrawn. That nothing will calcine without air is now well understood from the acids produced in the burning of phlogistic fubftances, and may be agreeably feen by fufpending a paper on an iron prong, and putting it into the centre of the blaze of an iron-furnace: it may he held there fome feconds, and may be again withdrawn, without its being burnt, if it be paffed quickly into the flame, and out again through the external part of it which is in contact with the air. I know fome circles of many yards diameter of this kind near Foremark in Der byfhire, which annually produce large white fungufes, and ftronger grafs, and have done fo, I am informed, above thirty years. This increafed fertility of the ground by calcination or charring, and its continuing to operate fo many years, is well worth the attention of the farmer, and thews the néceffity of paring and burning new turf in agriculture, which produces its effeft not fo much by the afhes of the vegetable fibres as by charring the foil which adheres to them. "Thefe finuations, whether from eminence or moisture, which were proper once to attract and discharge a thunder-cloud, are more liable again to experience the fame. Hence many Fairy rings are often feen hear each each other either without interfecting each other, as I faw this fummer in a garden in Nottingham, or interfecting each other, as defcribed, on Arthur's feat, near Edinburgh, in the Edinb. Trans. vol. II. p. 3." Having taken the trouble to tranfcribe this long note, I hope to fee it inferted in your Magazine as foon as you conveniently can, though you have difcarded the fubje&t before The above opinion appears more fatisfactory than any other yet feen by your conflant reader, E*. Mr. URBAN, IT Sept. 10. feems to be far more easy to difcover what was not, than to determine what was, the etymology of pontifext. Against the opinion of its originating from the Pontifices of Rome having built the bridge Sulpitius, purfuant to the directions of an oracle, poffibly it may be deemed an objection, not deftitute of weight, that in the derivatives from this word there is not any allufion to the constructing of a bridge. I write this upon the credit of Ainfworth and Stephens; and if, in their Dictionaries, there are omiffions of paffages that ought to have been specified, I doubt not of their being fupplied by fome of your learned correfpondents. The like obfervation will hold good, though not be of equal force, with refpect to derivatives ufed by Latin authors of the middle ages. Pontifico, pontificatio, pontificium, pontificalia, and others, all denote the epifcopal office, dignity, habit, &c. without the leaft reference to the building or repairing of bridges, or to taxes impofed for that work. By an unwar. rantable Latinifm, if in this inftance the term may be allowed, Milton, in bis defeription of the bridge taifed over the chaotic expanfe by Sin and Death (Paradife Loft, book X.), has applied two derivatives as pertinent to bridge. making, viz. pontifical, v. 313, and pontifice, v. 348. Dr. Johnfon, in his Dictionary, believes that this fenfe of the words was peculiar to Milton, and perhaps was intended as an equivocal Latire on Popery. Dr. Warburton (Newton's edit. not.) properly ftyles it a bad expreffion, adding, yet to fuppofe a pun would be worfe, as if the Roman priesthood were as ready to make the way eafy to hell as Sin and Death did." After an attentive perufal of the whole 66 + Gent. Mag. vol. LX. pp. 810, 901, 919, 1107. paragraph, I must own, I fee no ground for concluding that any farcaftic ftricture was levelled at the Roman pontiff. There is, however, a manifeft pun, i e. a diftortion of the word from its primary and univerfal acceptation; and, that Milton did not forbear complying with this tafte of the age, there is a glaring proof in the punning fpeech delivered by Satan upon the opening of his new-invented battery against the good angelic hoft. But Addifon's remarks on the allegory of Sin and Death, as I am inclined to believe, will lead to a plaufible furmife of what might occafion Milton's thus adapting the words pontifical and pontifice. "A reader (obferves this ingenious critick) who knows the ftrength of the English tongue, will be amazed to think how the poet could find fuch apt words and phrafes to defcribe the actions of thefe two imaginary perfons, and particularly in that part where Death is exhibited as forming a bridge over the chaos; a work fuitable to the genius of Milton." Milton, however, from a want of apt words in their ordinary fignification, was, it appears, at length constrained to give a novel meaning to one word, and to coin another, before the ideal bridge could be completed with chimerical materials by vifionary architects. And it was in confequence of the fame defeat that, in a preceding verfe (310), he flipt into a deviation from a part of speech, by forming a participle out of a noun substan tive in the fimile of Xerxes: Nov. 7. As an evidence of the utility of your Monthly Repofitory, you condefcend to infert fmall things as well as matters of great concernment. Herein you refemble both the retale and the whole fale dealer. If a purchafer of your commodities wifes to know whence the word shrub, as a liquor, is derived, he receives a fpeedy anfwer (fee p. 893). Will you then be to obliging to an old correfpondent as to infert the following queries in your next Magazine. What is the origin of thefe proverbial fayings: It is but a nine days wonderSuch an one has a month's mind to it The |