ment:

Therefore in small capitals; I cannot help recollecting that there is some where an incarcerated græculus curiens, whose pen delights to libel Cama bridge professors; especially if they are dignified with the lawn sleeves. Whether the Critical Reviewers have any obligations to this “ dalhing com. mentator;" I leave your readers to decide. In reviewing Sele&t Essays of Dio Chryfoftom; they are kind enough to give us the following advertise

• The misfortunes of the learried translator of these essays are well known to every one, and whatever may be the opinion of the public with respect to his polítical sentiments, and the sufferings be is enduring for them, the world at large;, we trust, will rejoice that he is not thereby prevented from persevering in works of literature and general utility. Sach, we deem his compilation of a Greek and English Lexicon, and such we believe to be the work before us, which confifts in a translation of some of the writings of a philo. fopher, who, like himself, had suffered for his political freedom

of speech and opinions. It would not indeed be difficult, and might be infructive, to draw a comparison between the original author of these effays and his trans. lator ; and we shall truly rejoice to find that the future days of the latter may be as fortunate as those of the former; upon his return fromi banishment. We make no allusion here to the political creed of either ; but consider them both as men of letters, as devoted to science and philosophy, ás likely to indulge in the closet in theories remote from the common apprehension of the ages which gave them birth, and as pofféffing talents entitling them to the admia ration and praise of their contemporaries.

The compositions of Dio breathe throughout the spirit of liberty, li. mited by proper restraints. The translation is conducted in Mr. W's usual ftyle, bold, energetic, and impressive, such as his original would have been pleased with, and to English readers we may particularly recommend the volume, &c.

ARBITER ELEGANTIARUM.

New Annual Register for 1798.--Horace Walpole.

TO THE EDITOR. SIR, ITI [T is matter of exultation to the honest part of the commiunity that you

have already chastifed the democratic faction into a much more decent mode of expressing their antipathy to our venerable constitution than they were, while on the tiptoe of revolutionary expectation, accustomed to adopt: but, pray, Sir, who was Horatio Walpole amongst the found reasoning men of the age; or even amongst the men of tafte, * that scraps of satirical contempt should be introduced from his feeble page to garnish the volumes of democracy p” It is not so easy to prove from the New Testament (this shallow divine and politician is introduced in the New Annual Regifter for 1798, as observing) that Archbishops and Bishops, in the modern fense

, are of divine institution. St. Peter and St. Paul would have stared at being saluted by the titles of your Grace, and your Lordship, and on what text are founded Deaneries, Prebends, Chapters; and Eccleliaftical Courts, those popish excrescencies of a simple religion, we are yet to feek. Translations from one See to another are no doubt authorised by the same chapter of one of the four Evangelists, though I know not of which, wherein Pre

lates are enjoined to vote always for the Prime Minister for the time being, as the Swiss fight for the Prince, whatever his religion is, who takes them into his pay.*" Are these antiquated political quacks fo totally un. acquainted with the sacred volumes as to be ignorant that episcopacy is of divine inftitution, and that St. Paul appointed both Timothy and Titus to the office so exa&tly delineated, that there hardly exists a possibility of mistake upon the subject? Let our opponents prove that St. Paul appointed all the Presbyters to the office of Bishop thus accurately designated ; and then, but not till then, we shall feel ourselves under some obligation to meet them in · the contest. I fee no sound reason to suppose, for it must be mere suppofition, that the Apostles would stare at being faluted by the titles of your Grace and your Lordship, any more than that of St. Paul or St. Peter, for the affectation of holiness was exactly as foreign to their mission as that of dignity. The truth is, that the infpired Prophet + looked forward with satisfaction to the times when the church should be freed from persecution by Divine Providence, and Kings, as appointed by his counsels, should become its nurjing fathers, and their Queens its nursing mothers. The constitution of society, fanctioned by the ninth and tenth commandments in the decalogue, is such that there must be different stations amongst us; and it is neceffary that these stations should be distinguished by appropriate names, and in some instances even by appropriate dress ; here we have the origin of the epithets at this day in use, and all that our opponents contend for is a filly distinction in sound, not in fact: there is often as little uprightness in reality, and as much perpendicular pride connected with an eldership and 1pruce full-bottomed wig, as an Archbishop and lawn fleeves. The continuance of society renders it necessary that men should likewise succeed each other in the stations of life; hence arise thole, not only inoffensive but necellary, removals, which our enemies carp at under the name of translations; and as to those popish excrefcencies, commonly called spiritual courts, it is threwdly suspected, that if they derive their existence from Popes at all, it must have been from the same good man Pope Paul the First, who, with great propriery, exerted a power delegated to the church from on high to discountenance vice and immorality by punishing a very notorious delinquent in the voluptuous city of Corinth. It is, I presume, unnecessary for me to notice the concluding libel upon the dignitaries of the church, because I do not think it applicable to them in cases where their consciences dićtate an opposition to the Minister. Thus, Sir, have I taken the liberty of sending you my sentiments hastily thrown together upon the subject in question, not from the idea of affording any new information to your readers in general, but for the sake of thole few liberal minded Dissenters

, whose love of novelly, not withstanding the ban of the elders, may induce them to peep into your more perfect law of liberty, that they may know there are arguments in opposition to their mistaken notions, though the priests who furnish them with the books they are permitted to perule, take luch fingular precaution to prevent their being acquainted with them.

I have the honour to remain,
Your's,

C. W. A.

* See an extract in the New Annual Register for 1798, from 2d vol, of the Works of Horatio Walpole,

339

SLAVERY OF FARMERS.

TO THE EDITOR,

SIR,

a

a

A

sent distress for provisions,* the Critical Reviewers have furnished us with the following most curious opinion. “A farmer witli twenty acres in England, must be a greater slave than the most laborious negro in the left Indies; and, with all posible fuccess, would see the profits of his labour eaten up by the taxes, the tithes, and the poor rales.” Taking it for granted that the author of this paffage is fully satisfied of the truth of what he has so roundly asserted, I Ihall beg leave to argue upon it as an undoubted fact, which comes to us recommended by oracular veracity.

. Such, then, being the inconveniencies attendant on the small farmer, there cannot be a set of men in the nation more egregiously mistaken than the Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor. If they allot to the indigent labourer a portion of land which is not large, they manifestly condemn hin to grind in molâ afinaria? Citizen Waithman also must be a consummate block head, when he insists on the immediate inclosure of twenty millions of acres of waste land, and the erection of a million and a half of cottages, with half an acre of land to each. If he even allows to his viGonary colony. one hundred acres per man, he is clearly an advocate for slavery; he wishes to reduce his free countrymen to a worse state of fervitude than that of the molt laborious negro. Had he the philanthropy of true patriotism and sound philosophy in his heart, had he the genuine love of liberty, had he religion and true humanity, he would rather have proposed the abolition of situations only calculated to promote the misery of mankind. To covet for the poor a lot more execrable than that of the African who toils on a West India plantation, is such folly as the world has never heard of till now.

The distresses of the small farmer being so overwhelming, even in times in which his labour is rewarded with all pofible success, I grieve to think, Sir, how many of this clals must be absolutely perishing with need at this critical moment. What can we do to relieve them? my

heart
yearns

with compassion; my bowels, Oh! my bowels! Shall we raise corn to fifty, fixty, feventy pounds per load ? No,.no: be not disquieted. The Critical Reviewers, who have found out the evil, have also discovered the remedy. Hear them! hear them! “ There are, they tell us, t people who pretend to humanity and economical regulations, who nevertheless wafte as much flour, in the shape of powder, on their heads, as would afford good breakfasts for numbers of families of the poor.” Now these people (or those people, as they are accusatively stiled by the critical squadron) are, no doubt, the higher orders just before spoken of, and stigmatized with disgrace, for standing in need of information, in these times of wretched ignorance and bigotry. They are the gentlemen employed in the modification of taxes, t who retain on an average half a dozen of ten servants each, who all powder as well as their masters. Here then is an ample treasury of ways and means for our ministers. It is their wish to relieve those who are most affected by the pressure of scarcity. These, it appears, are the farmers of twenty acres; who are, notwithstanding

, all possible fuccefs, in absolute slavery. Let them depend, for their fubsistence, on the powdered heads of the higher orders and their domestic myrmidons. As the times have been peculiarly distreiling, especially to men in their

Crit, Rev, for January 1801, p. 94.

A a 2

1

of p. 97.

Itation

station of life, they have of course, in the ulual farmer like manner, contracted their stomachs to the narrowest possible compass. It is not unlikely, that as many small farmers may be able to batten on the noddle of an aristocrat, as animalcules on the cropped head of a demoçrat, with two or three of their good friends the Critical Reviewers into the bargain. What numbers of poor families, therefore, may be thus supported! And how delightful will it be, to see them grazing contentedly and happily upon the wig of a Bishop or a Judge ! how agreeable, to feel them tickling our pericranium, and gently irritating the pia-mater, while they winnow the real flour from the lime, chalk, potatoe meal, starch, &c. &c. &c. which we commit with it to our locks!

Dulce est defipere in loco, Mr. Editor. When grave critics condescend to be absurd, they must excuse me if I laugh.

DEMOCRIT',

a

SANS CULOTIDES.-A POEM.

TO THE EDITOR. SIR, IN N the first sentence of their critique on a poem stiled Sans Culotides, the Cri

tical Reviewers are thus pleased to express themselves. “ This public cation, as its title imports, contains a violent attack upon the phalanx of incorrigible Jacobins ; that' redoubtable body which has so long haunted the. visions of minifterial declaimers of all ranks, from the polished orator of St. Ste. phen's to the rude historian of the village alehouse." "The Critical Reviewers, therefore, do not believe in the existence of the Jacobins. I, Sir, on the contrary, am one of the credulous many, who can discern a Jacobin at every

I believe that there are not only a host of these noxious animals at present lurking among us, but I even doubt if there was ever an age or country not infefted by them, Rome itself, Mr. Editor, had its Corresponding Society; and it had, at the same time, çitizens in its bofom, who pretended that they did not see the conspiracy, strengthened the cause of the faction by their disbelief. Let us bụi hear Cicero: quanquam nonnulli funt in hoc ordine, qui aut ea quæ imminent, non videant; aut ea quæ vident, diffimulent . qui spem Catilinæ mollibus fententiis alyerunt, conjurationemque

: nascentem noncredendo corroboraverunt.

ACADEMICUS.

corner.

POETRY.

TO THE EDITOR.

SIR,

I

tive association of three poetical performers in one age and nation, with evident allusion, by way of contrast, to a former well-known epigram. I write only from memory, but I think the couplet ran thus :

” Lætamur nos Poetis tribus,

Peter Pindar, Pye, and Pybus."

$

See the same number of the Crit. Rev. P. 91, at the bottom. Citizeş Waithman, to wit.

As I think the first of those writers wants correction in his adopted nick, name, as he did that which he deservedly has received in pen and person, and as the allusion will not, I hope, be too far run down by marking the distinction between him and the other two, I offer an addition in the form of triplets, so as to make it auctior, if not emendatior.

Plauditur poetis tribus,
(Gens & ætas unạ quibus)
Pseudo-Pindar, Pye, & Pybus.
Summo Pybus gaudet Rege,
Pfeudo-Pindar imo Grege,

At Pye Rege, Lege, Grege. In justice to myself, as well as to the first of these authors, I should say, that I know nothing of his poem, but from the title, and from the character of that sovereign, to whom, by a very well-meant, but, as it afterwards proved, unfortunately ill-timed compliment, it is inscribed ; and who exhibits ro triking a contrast to the Sovereign of the throne of this kingdom.

PRO REGE, LEGE, GRRGE.

HISTORY

SUMMARY OF POLITICS. HE Continent of Europe exhibits just fuch a scene as might be expected

,

every country, if not in every cabinet, with the solitary exception of Portugal

. The natural consequence of the success of French principles; the diffolution of every tie which, for centuries, had connected the different states of Europe ; the destruction of all inftitutions and all boundaries which reason and prejudice, time and interest had combined to consecrate ; the removal of every barrier which divided justice from injustice ; religion from infidelity ; integrity from villainy; and virtue from vice; display the strong characteristics of triumphant jacobinism ; which the degraded Sovereigns, looking down from their tottering thrones, either with stupid confidence, resulting from incorrigible imbecillity of mind, or dreadful corruption of heart or else with daftardly fear, the effect of weak and therefore successless efforts; widen the hanks, in order to facilitate the progress of that destructive torrent which they want either the wish or the courage to stem. In short, the evil genius of the Gallic Republic, founded on rebellion and regicide, and nurtured with blood and plunder, assassination and robbery, has prevailed, and her fanguinary banners not merely unmolefted but encouraged to roave from one extremity of European Continent to the other,

Obedient to the mandate of his tyrant, the fallen monarch of Spain, hugging his chains and embracing the murderers of his family, has proclaimed war against his neighbours and quondam allies, the Portugueze, who incurred the enmity of the French Republic by their faithful adherence to their treaties with the Spanish Monarchy; for it was in compliance with the provisions of those treaties, and merely to support the Spaniards against the attacks of their enemies, that they engaged in the war with France! What muft be the feelings of the King of Spain, when he reflects in secret on this monstrous act of perfidy and ingratitude, which his þase subferviency to the will of the

Corfican