[2] Pliny recommends ridicule as an admirable weapon against vice. It is surely better here employed, than as Shaftesbury recommends it, for the test of truth.

[3] Tribuna, a term applied to a building quite round, or such as consists of many sides and angles, as the famous room within the great Duke's gallery at Florence: sometimes it is applied for a building, whose area or plan is semicircular, as the section of a cupola.

[4] The reason polite literature is more cultivated in Paris than London, is on account of the university libraries, and academies of the former.

[5] The Chinese are said to adapt an admirable piece of policy; the son is always of the father's trade, which makes them admirable artisians. May not this be the cause of the small progress the arts have made in that part of the world, and of the dull uniformity and want of taste that distinguishes all their works?

[6] The enormous taxes the Spaniards lay on manufactures are the ruin of trade, which would otherwise flourish; and the people are reduced, by that misconduct in their rulers, to purchase from their enemies things they themselves could produce, if the artificers met with proper encouragement.

[7] Mr Wilkes, in the motion to refer to the consideration of the committee of supply the petition of the trustees of the British Museum.

[8] Dr Richard Terrick.

[9] Dr Robert Lowth.

[10] We may quote from the Zendavesta, a wise and benevolent maxim, which compensates for many an absurdity. He who sows the ground with care and diligence, acquires a greater flock of religious merit than he could gain by the repetition of ten thousand prayers.

Zoraster's Institutes.

[11] See Voltaire's Hist. of the age of Lewis XIV.

[12] Vid. Vopiscus in Aureliano.

[13] Tacitus Annal. II. Flav. Vopiscus in vita Taciti Imperat.

[14] Ælius Lampridius in vita Heliogabali. Primus Romanorum holoserica veste usus fertur, cum jam subserica in usu essent.

[15] Procop. de bello Goth. p. 345.

[16] See Duhalde's description of China.

[17] In opposition to this, noblemen and men of fortune bred at the Dublin University, are excused from learning morality, as they can graduate without any skill in that science; the professor making no doubt, but that honesty necessarily springs up with nobility. The same University refused Swift his degree of Batchelor of Arts for dulness and insufficiency, but he at last obtained it Speciali gratia.

[18] This Lady Frances entertained no fears about: A French author justly observes, Jamais on ne prend les vices d'une condition au dessous de la sienne: L'enfant du riche, par un sentiment d'orgueil, hausse les Épaules sur les defauts du pauvre.

[19] The Empress Catharine II, whose name will be immortal, gave a code of laws to her empire, which contains a fifth part of the globe; and the first of her laws was to establish universal toleration. In France foreign protestants are admitted to all the rights of natives after working for a certain time in the manufactory of the Gobelines. The same policy has been adopted by the Spaniards.

[20] Ruben's pictures are a toleration of all religions. In one of the compartments of the Luxemburgh gallery, a cardinal introduces Mercury to Mary de Medicis, and Hymen supports her train at the sacrament of marriage, before an altar, on which are the images of God the Father, and Christ.

[21] As both are against nature, she in the end will get the better of them. The modern philosophers of Sweden seem agreed that the waters of the Baltic gradually sink in a regular proportion, which they have ventured to estimate at half an inch every year.—Twenty centuries ago, the flat country of Scandinavia must have been covered by the sea; such is the notion given us by Mela, Pliny, and Tacitus, of the vast countries round the Baltic. Adria, that ancient and famous city, which gave its name to the Gulph is now but a pitiful half drowned village.

[22] See Gilbert's treatise on the Court of Exchequer, chap. 2. well worthy the perusal of those who would be acquainted with the foundation of our constitution: also Mr de Lolme's book on the English Constitution, which has been mentioned in both houses of parliament, and has been commented on, and quoted by, the most celebrated writers of every party.

[23] See Bacon on government.

[24] I lately met with the following story, which affected me very much, and which I give in the original; it elucidates, that a return of affection seems absolutely necessary to the existence of the human heart. 'Un homme respectable, aprÈs avoir jouÉ un grand rÔle À Paris, y vivoit dans un reduit obscur, victime de l'infortune, et si indigent qu'il ne subsistoit que des aumÔnes de la paroisse; on lui remettoit par semaine la quantitÉ du pain suffisante pour sa nourriture; il en fit demander davantage; le curÉ lui Écrit pour l'engager À passer chez lui; il vient. Le curÉ s'informe s'il vit seul; et avec qui, Monsieur, repond-il, voudriez-vous que je vÉcasse? je suis malheureux, vous le voyez, puis que j'ai recours À charitÉ, et tout le monde m'a abandonnÉ, tout le monde! Mais, Monsieur, continue le curÉ, si vous Êtes seul, pourquoi demandez vous plus de pain que ce qui vous est necessaire? L'autre paroit dÉconcertÉ; il avoue avec peine qu'il a un chien: le curÉ ne le laisse pas poursuivre; il lui fait observer qu'il n'est que le distributeur du pain des pauvres, et que l'honnetetÉ exige absolument qu'il se defasse de son chien. Eh! Monsieur, s'ecrie en pleurant l'infortune, si je m'en dÉfais, qui est ce qui m'aimera? Le pasteur attendri jusqu'aux larmes, tire sa bourse, et la lui donne, en disant, Prenez, Monsieur ceci m'appartient.'

[25] Chap. of St. Mark. XVI Chap. of St. Luke. VII Chap. of the Romans.

[26] Which was upheld in Heathen Rome, about the time we keep our Christmas.

[27] Miss Carter translated Epictetus

[28] Francis the First of France, who had heavily taxed his subjects, when told the people made very free with his character in their songs, answered, 'It would be very hard if they were not allowed to sing for their money.'

[29] See Vol. I. Page 47.

[30] She expected to lay in every day.

[31] In the conciliatory Measures proposed concerning America.

[32] The difference in the degrees of danger between suffering a person to take the small pox in the natural way, and communicating it by innoculation, is upon the lowest computation estimated thirty to one in favor of innoculation.

[33] Mr Blacklock may, in reality, be regarded as a prodigy—He is a man of a most amiable character, of singular ingenuity, and of very extraordinary attainments.

[34] Both clergymen.

[35] In compliment to the Queen, who has too much good sense to approve of what is ridiculous.

[36] Witness the purchase of a collection of antique and Etruscan vases, by the public money—and their enacting a lottery for toys.

[37] Thus do many women sacrifice their healths, without considering it is in vain to conquer nature. Man can subsist but for a determinate space only asleep or awake—by continual watching the incessant motion of the fibres would destroy their organic elasticity, and prevent their future reparation; and by continual sleeping, though the fibres are not fatigued, the nervous fluid would be gradually exhausted by the action of the organs of life, and would never be repaired.

[38] All misdemeanors are punished, among the Danes, by servitude in chains a longer or shorter time.

[39]Vol. I. Page 165.

[40] Admiral Byng; on which occasion the following verses were made, which I now present to the reader.

[41]See Vol. II. Page 52.

[42] Elysium, Minos, Mercury, Charon, Styx, &c. are here necessarily introduced. If they should offend any pious or critical ears, I shall defend myself (as has been done before) by the solemn declaration which is always annexed by the Italian writers to works where they are obliged to use such expressions: 'Se havessi nomenato Fato, Fortuna, Destino, Elysio, StigÉ, Etc. sono scarzi di penna poetica, non sentimenti di anema catolico.' If I have annexed Fate, Fortune, Destiny, Elysium, Styx, &c. they are only the sports of a poetical fancy, not the sentiments of a Catholic mind.

[43] By Cicero.

[44] According to the AbbÉ de Bos's hypothesis.

[45] Those in the shades are supposed acquainted with the transactions in the world.

[46] The pictures were, the Parnassus of Raphael—and the school of Athens, which is a most glorious performance, and worthy the hand of a divinity—The first is in the hall of Constantine at Rome, and contains no less than twenty-eight figures—two of which in particular, the one representing Justice, and the other Meekness, are incomparable—They were the last things he executed before his death—They contain all that is excellent in painting, whether we consider them in the beauty of the composition, the noble gracefulness of the characters, the uncommon greatness of the style of the draperies, or the wonderful force of colouring, light, and shade.

[47] He was sent over as Ambassador extraordinary to France on the King's restoration. He was received at that court with great distinction; which seldom considers more than the external appearance. His Grace possessed all the graces. Lewis XIV, then in the flower of his age, said he was the only English gentleman he had ever seen.

[48] Deities interfere when they please—unseen by mortals!

[49] I Corinthians chap. i. v. 26.

[50] A concert established there in 1776.

[51] Horace, lib. ii. ode 14.

[52] Alludes to a circumstance that passed in the house of commons.

[53] The narrow-house, the grave.

[54] Col-amon, a narrow river.

[55] Moina, a woman soft in temper.

[56] Crimona, a woman with a great soul.

[57] Ossian is sometimes poetically called Conna.

[58] Canna, a sort of down, like, but whiter and shorter than cotton; it is very common on the hills of the highlands. They have attempted to spin it, but it was either too short, or the fingers that made the experiment too indelicate—Nothing can exceed the purity of its whiteness.

[59] Fuar-Bhean, cold mountains.

[60] Livy has justly raised the praise of Scipio, who restored to her lover the Celtiberian captive; which has been the favourite topic of eloquence in every age and every country. The author cannot think it merited such commendation, as to have acted otherwise would have been mere brutality—but if granted so liberally to Scipio, it cannot be refused to Ossian.

[61] Cathmor is represented in Ossian's poems, as lying down beside a river to have the sound of his praises lost in that of a water-fall.

[62] The Highlanders are peculiarly intelligent in understanding the virtue of plants in curing wounds—The regularity of their lives precludes all diseases, such as are incident to old age excepted.

[63] Tonthormid was supposed wounded by Ossian.

[64] In the years 1759 and 1760, when we were at war with France, there were but twenty-nine criminals who suffered at Tyburn. In the years 1770 and 1771, when we were at peace with all the world, the criminals condemned amounted to one hundred and fifty-one.

[65] Who opposed a licensed theatre there last year.