I

XXX

Mr. URBAN, College of Arms, Nov. 17. *XX** N your last month's Magazine, p. 883, Dr. Kippis informs you, in a general way, that I have haftily and indifcriminately blamed the authors of the "Biographia Britannica" for faying that the Lady Arabella Stuart was far from being either beautiful in her perfon, or from being diftinguished by any extraordinary qualities of mind." In order to free myfelf from a cenfure which 13 delivered to the publick under fo very refpectable an authority, I mult request, after Dr. Kippis's example, that you will favour me by inferting what I have faid on the fubje&t, for the information of fuch of your readers as may not have feen my late publication.

"The authors of the Biographia Britannica inform us, that the Lady Arabella "was far from being beautiful in her perfon." As it may be prefumed that thele gentlemen are not very ambi. tious of being eftecmed trit-rate judges of perfonal beauty, I hope they will not be much difplealed at the evidence which the engraving prefixed to this volume affords against their ohtervation. But then they tell us, likewife, that he was "far from being ditisguished by any extraordinary qualines of mind;" and quote Winwood's Memorials, vol. II. p. 281, in fupport of that affertion. Now it is fingularly unfortunate for them, that the information imparted by the paffage cited from Winwood directly invalidates the latter remark. It is in a letter from Mr. John More to that minite, dated June 18, 1607. "On Saturday fail," fays Mr. More, the Counters of Shrew fury was lodged in the Tower, where the is like long to reft, as well as the Lady Arabella. The latt-named Lady an

(979

*The reference in the last edition of the Biographia Britannica is, by mistake, to vol. III. p. 281.

fwered the Lords, at her examination, with good judgement and difcretion; but the other is faid to be utterly without reafon, crying out that all is but tricks and giggs, &c." To prevent a mifconception of this fair lady's character, which the accidental tranfpofition of perfons in a book of reputation might lead to, is my only reafon for noticing the mistake. Were it likely that this collection fhould merit an equal share of attention with that great work, the correction would be neediefs; for the letter before us bears a fufficient teftimony of the good fenfe, refined education, elegance of manners, and lively difpofition of the writer," &c. Iliufra tions of British Hiflory, &c. vol. 111. pp. 178, 179.

This extract, I hope, will exonerate me of Dr. Kippis's charge, by proving that I did not mean to blame the authors of the Biographia Britannica merely for ufing the affertions in quef tion. How often writers are milled by falfe reprefentations, how frequently confufed by jarring and opponite ac-, counts, every man, who hath employed himfelf in hiftorical and biographical researches, knows by painful experience. But in this cate a favourable evidence is cited to prove an unfavourable tale, and truth is called upon to bear witncis to an error.

Mr. URBAN,

Nov. 14. HE late truly eminent Bishop of

pp. 1183, 4, 5, of your laft volume; and his tranflation of Ifaiah is reprefented as "executed in a manner adequate to the fuperior qualifications of the perfon who undertook it." Some learned layman, however, has been of a different opinion, and has ventured to publish a new trantlation, with remarks on many parts of that by the Bishop. A candid difcuffion of this new translation has lately appeared under the title of "Short Remarks" upon it," in a Letter to the Author, by John Sturges, LL.D," in which the Doctor finds himself obliged to confefs, that, in one inftance, he "never faw

plain words more fludionfly perverted from their obvious meaning;" and that he "cannot help fmiling at the affertion

that the Bishop appears, on inany occafions, to have been misled by early prejudices, and an undue attachment to Etablished opinions." Dr. Sturges immediately adds, that it is certain that fuch prejudices and attachments do not belong exclufively to the divines of an eftablished church." Dr. Prieftley, and h's Unitarian band of difcip es, who affect to be denominated rational Chrif. tians, fufficiently demonftrare the truth of this obfervation, notwithstanding their whining pretentions to liberality of fen

timent.

The conclufion of Dr. Sturges's pamphlet is well worthy of tranfcription:

---

It is an effential qualification of a tranflator of any part of the Holy Scriptures to be attached to no fyllem; to vender the text before him as he finds it, except there be reason to fuppofe that text to be corrupt, and capable of being amended or rettored by the aid of juft and tober criticam. But it is betraying his trust to turn afide from the direct path into any favourite track; or to call in the aid of criticifm when it is not wanted, and ought not to be applied, to lend an indirect fupport to any preconceived opinions of his own.

"Such, I am perfuaded, was Bishop Lowth's integrity in this refpect, that he would never intentionally make any part of Holy Scripture thus fubfervient to any partialties of his own;•or mean to deliver that as the tente of it which did not perfectly approve itfelf to his understanding; an understanding as little capable as any you can well imagine of being influenced by weak and unreasonable prejudices. His knowledge of the_lan

The foregoing extract cannot but be acceptable to many of your numerous readers; and, as you have not hitherto taken notice of this publication, the intelligence of it is the more readily communicated by ACADEMICUS.

Mr. URBAN,

Nov. 21.

Sketches and hints of biography, and critical remarks upon our Englith poets, have been, for a long courfe of years, favourite fubjects of your moft invaluable Mifcellany, I truft I thall be performing no difagreeable tafk by fending you a ferics of anecdotes and remarks on many of our English Bards; particularly those who, though not the leaft beautiful, are the moft obfolete. That there are many fuch, who deferve a thousand times greater honour than the greater part of thofe admitted into the body of English Poets, it feems to me not very difficult to prove. But, first, a word of a modern port or two. That beautiful paffage in GRAY'S Progrefs of Poetry,

Yet oft before his infant eyes would run Such forms as glitter in the Mufe's ray, With orient hues, unborrowed of the fun, is borrowed, as a gentleman of elegant literature pointed out to me, from the following, in Sir William Temple's Effay on Poetry, in his Mifcellanea. Speaking of the qualities of a poet, "there must be," fays he, "a spritely imagination or fancy, fertile in a thoufand productions, ranging over infinite ground, piercing into every corner, and, by the light of that true poetical fire, difcovering a thousand little bodies or images in the world, and fimilitudes among them, unfeen to common eyes, and which could not be difcovered without the rays of that fun.”

Again, in the fame ode:

or Vicar) reads the preface of the confirmation-fervice. He then proceeds to the communion-table, and the females to be confirmed proceed with great regularity up one of the ailes, and the apparitor, or church-warden, fuffers only non-rails to advance. The tickets are as many females as will fill the commutaken there by the chaplain, and the minifter of the parish church where the confirmation is held. The Bishop then lays his hands upon the heads of the perfons furrounding the rails (and, indeed, I muft fay with peculiar grace, and dignity pronounces Defend us, O Lord," &c. catching, at the fame time, the eye of each individual at the rails). They afterwards retire, by a different aile, to their former feats. When all the females are confirmed, the males, from the galleries, are admitted by the fame mode, and return back again to their refpective feats.. The Bishop finishes the fervice in the reading-defk. The females are defired to go out from church before the males method is continued until all are conare permitted to quit the galleries. This firmed. Your correfpondent mentions the Bishop of Durham's mode of confir mation as worthy of imitation. In my humble opinion, the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry's is preferable; especially as the feparation of fexes prevents, in a great meature, all kind of hurry and confufion.

N. P.

Again:

Slow melting strains their Queen's approach declare,

Where'er fhe turns, the Graces homage pay. From Dryden's fable of the Flower and the Leaf:

For wherefoe'er the turn'd' her face, they

bow'd.

In the account of Edward Young (who was afterwards dean of Salisbury, and father of YOUNG the POET,) in Wood's Athenæ, 11. 992, there is a catalogue of the fermons he had then published. He afterwards printed a collection in two volumes; but their value, I believe, is unknown. The au

thor of Letters from a Tutor to his Pupils (who is known to be Mr. Jones, of Neyland, in Suffolk,) gives the follow ing account of him: "There is," fays he," another excellent English writer but little known, Dr. Young, the father of the Poet, who, in his two volumes of fermons, difcovers fuch ftrength and propriety of expreffion, with fuch chafte and genuine ornaments of ftyle, that he muft charm and improve every judicious reader; for his materials are as excellent as the workmanship." P. 57. On Style.

The Poet was intimate with my grandfather, being brought up with him at Winchester, and of nearly the fame age; and I have often heard with delight of his vifits to him at Penhurst, in Kent, that facred fcene of the warblings of Sydney and of Waller.

CLIFFORDIENSIS.

(To be continued.)

Mr. URBAN, Staffordshire, Nov. 19. HE mode of confirmation this year THE adopted by our worthy and truly refpectable Diocefan, for decency and folemnity, gave univerfal fatisfaction to the Laity as well as Clergy and, as I fuppofe you an enemy to riot and confufion, have inferted particulars. The Bithop, previous to the confirmation, orders no admiffion into the church until his chaplain and fecretary have been admitted. They then direct one door to be opened, and the male fex are requefted to go into the galeries, with his caution, that the female fex are firft to be confirmed. The females are placed in the body and ailes of the church. When a fufficient number are admitted nearly to fill the church, the doors are then shut, and the Bishop in the reading-desk (instead of the Rector

To t EDITOR of Dr. WALLIS'S SERMONS.

SIR,

I

HAVE perufed your publication, and confefs that it has anfwered my. warm-ft expectations.

The plan of it appears no less excellent than the materials were copious. The Life of the Author, which you have judiciously prefixed, is a tribute no lefs due to the memory of this great man than to every icholar and good Chriftian. The memory of him mult ever be refpected, and muft ever be moft dear to a nation fo fignally honoured by his name. We read his works, we exult in the great improvements which they have added to every branch of knowledge we boaft of; we revere his manes, but at the fame time are like the Prodigal, who, while he is enjoying the munificence of his late parent, forgets to raile a fepulchre to his fhade. Though at a diftant period, you, Sir, have railed one worthy of the man. His whole life teems

with matter of admiration and astonishment. The undertakings of his capacious mind were beyond conception bold; his fuccefs in every one of them wonderful. His deep knowledge of the learned languages ftamped him the first claffick; and his confummate skill in geometry, mechanicks, and aftronomy, the first mathematician of his age, of which his various works are noble teftimonies. In his "Praxis Grammatica" we trace the fame found and well-informed mind; and to the bafis which he has there laid are we indebted for every fuperftructure which has been raifed at future periods. But his penetrating genius, we find, did not reft here: we fee him undertaking, and even maturing to a fcience, the myf. tery of decyphering; a myftery in which no prior information was his guide, and which brought with it no index but the penetration of the developer. And, indeed, in whatever department we view him, we may justly fay with his great contemporary Leibnitz, "He was the greatest inftance ever known of the force and penetration of the human underftanding."

This fide of his character we may perufe with admiration; we may rejoice in feeing to how great attainments the humand mind is equal; or, when we reflect that he was our countryman, we may perufe it with a glow of triumph. But there is a greater lefion to be learnt from the perufal of his life. While we fee him, amidit the tumults of a civil war, and amidit the clanour of factions, ftill true to his King and the Conflitution, and yet, as a friend to virtue, ftill reverenced by the zealots of rebellion; when we see him amidst continual d.fappointments, and the repeated infolence of neglect, id ferving his country by unwearied and painful attention, and never defcending to that fervility which might have procured (what his valuable labours never did) the wages of his hire; how extolled does he appear above thofe whom Fortune only had placed above him! how fuperior do we fee the dignity of virtue! His whole life was the best comment on his own religious works; and he funk to the grave revered by thofe who in his life Great as he might be as a Philofopher, yet, as a Man, it is his nobler praile that we are able to exclaim with the poet,

was as judicious as your means were fortunate. His other works may improve the fcholar, or delight the philofopher; but they are like a lofty mountain, which many may admire, but few dare to climb. His Sermons, however, are within the comprehenfion of the loweft of mankind; and from them every one may reap inftruction and delight.

Cui pudor, et juftitiæ foror Incorrupta fides, nuauque veritas Quando ullum invenient parem? Your idea of publishing his Sermons

I acknowledge that I looked forward, till your publication came forth, with no finall eagerness, I may fay anxiety, to fee how the rival of a Frenicle and a Fermate, the friend of a Leibnitz and a Newton, would wield the fword in defence of religion. My higheft hopes are fully gratified. I have found in his Sermons that fund of knowledge, that deep and found reafoning, which might be expected from to great a Philofopher, and that firm and fteady z al which might be expected from so good a Chrif

tian.

That they have a taint of that fcholaftic pedantry which diflinguished thofe times is no to be denied. But to wat mind is this an objection ?. Is not go d as intrinfically valuable though it be mixed with ore? Does the man to whom this is an objection read as a Chriftian? He might as joftly defpife the Apoitics becauf. they were no cloathed in purple: he might as jufly defple the Scriptures becaufe they are not gived with the tinfel ornaments which pollute the writings of our prefent age.

Our Author is certainly moft Etted for the private contemplation of the clofet; there let the reader commune with him, and, if he is abforbed in the gloom of infidelity, he will fee the light of conviclion blaze full upon him; if he is already in the right away, he will be warmed to that fympathetic glow which pervades the religious works of this great man, who him!elf nobly trod that path to which he points, and feems to write with the perfuafive eloquence and awful dignity of an infpired writer."

With gratitude for the delight I have received, I remain, Sir, &c.