Juft points to yonder ruin'd tower; And drop the "fadly pleafing" tear. Gives to each cloud a redden'd glow; Thou shedd'it o'er all thy flowing light, ON THE S. E. When firft, with timid hand, I touch'd the lyre, Congenial audience found in bollow friends; Who to the tale “affent with civil leer, And, without fneering, teach the reft to fneer; His friendship o'er me fpread that guardian fhield, Which his fevereft virtue best could wield; Ah! while with fond regret my feeble verse Would pour its tribute o'er his hallowed hearfe, For him, his country twines her civic palm, And Learning's tears his honour'd name embalm; His were the lavish ftores, her force fublime Thro' ev'ry paffing age has fnatch'd from time; His,the Hiftorian's wreath, the Critic's art, A rigid judgment, but a feeling heart; *Mifs Williams took refuge in Switzerland during the reign of Robespierre. His, Round our order close we bind Laws of love to all mankind. Thus, like clves in myftic ring, Merry mafons drink and fing. Health, then, to each honest man, Friends to the Mafonic plan! Leaving Parfons grave to blunder, On reading an EPIGRAM, intended to Leaving Ladies fair to wonder, L afperfe a great Law Chara&er. To MR ERSKINE. Leaving Thomas still to lie, Leaving Betty still to spy, Round and round we push our glafs, ET Envy's pigmy darts affault thy Round and round each toafts his lafs: name, Not one fhall ever reach thy giant fame! As foon the feeble gales of zephyr's breeze Might proftrate lay the aged forest trees. As foon might pebbles, from an urchin's hand, Thus, like elves in myftic ring, Merry Mafons drink and fing. MOLINEUS's CAT.-A POEM. BY MR COLE. TITISSA, well-bred Pufs, defeended C'erthrow the rock, and bid it kifs the M From cars of Cyprus, much com ftrand, No-thine are talents, Erfkine, thine the mind, That Virtue fhields from malice of mankind. What heart that feels the prifoner's trembling fear, What eye that fills with Pity's starting tear, What mild conceding philanthropic breast, But views thy foul the friend of the diftreft. And when from courts to fenates we pur fue, And trace the conduct to thy country duc, What patriot heart, that does not own in thee, Our Britain's better Guardian than her Sea. May virtue then still teach thy fame to rife, And guard its progrefs-till it reach the kies! A GLEE, Sung at the Grand Lodge of Free-mafons, at Somerset-boufe. L' WRITTEN BY G. DYER. IGHTLY o'er the village-green Blue-ey'd Fairies fport unfeen, Round and round in circles gay; Then at cock-crow flit away. Thus, 'tis faid, tho' mortal eye Their merry freaks could never spy, Elves for mortals lifp the prayer, Elves are guardians of the fair; Thus, like cives in myftic ring, Merry mafons drink and fing. Come, then, Brothers, lead along Social rights, and myftic fong: Tho' nor Madam, Miss, or Bess, Could our myft'ries ever guefs; Nor could ever learn'd LING Sacred Mafoury duftne, mended; In whom more fondling arts are feen, How pleas'd art thou to lead the way! Thy longings for a little fporting! The prize is held, with waggling tail. I home return; clote, fide by fide, And And now, what purrings to exprefs, What pride difplayed with back inflected, And fwelling tail in ftate erected! I ftroke thee now, fweet Pufs, and prove Finding thyfelf, at length, neglected, And my thoughts fixt where first directed; Demure and grave thou canft retreat, Thy quick, attentive ear now catches. Is yet fo comically teazing, I laugh, and take it as 'twas meant. What fuch marks mean, and whence they flow: But ftill perplex'd, and longing much Thy curious foot, to clear the doubt, Once more at this, I vow I'll match thee. That, like thyself, I can forgive; Should fret and vex thee, when below, ELEGY, TO A RED-BREAST. In vain the wooes,amid the gathering fhade So fhall thy fimple warblings charm the The gales of evening, or the dews of grove; For Venus' felf her guardian aid fhall lend, And the fweet bird, whofe carols fa vour'd love, In grateful love fhall ever find a friend. Then tell her, that her true love ne'er shall fail, Till mute his tongue, in death his bofom cold; Thy fong perchance may speak a tenderer tale, But, ah! a truer never yet was told. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE SEVENTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. THE HOUSE OF LORDS,-Dec. 11. HE order of the day being read, the Houfe refolved itfelf into a Commit tee on the Bill to prevent Seditious Meetings and Affemblies. Lord Lauderdale moved an Amendment on that claufe which ftated," That every perfon or perfons, who fhall at any time be convicted of any of the offences afore-mentioned, within that part of Great Britain called Scotland, fhall, for every fuch offence, incur and fuffer the pain of death, and confifcation of move ables." This gave rife to a converfation, in which the Lord Chancellor and Lord Thurlow fpoke; and it was agreed that the cause should be rendered more explicit. The Duke of Norfolk moved, that the duration of this bill fhould be for one year. The Houfe divided-For the term of three years 45. Against it 8. On the claufe for enacting the punishment of death againft feveral offences under the bill, the Earl of Lauderdale, Lord Thurlow, and the Bishop of Rochefter argued, that the claufe was fo loofely worded as to inflict the punishment of death on a printer in Scotland, for publishing unauthorifed advertifements, which was punishable in England only by a sol. penalty. The claufe was fupported by Lord Grenville; but it was at length agreed, that a provifo fhould be introduced, on the third reading of the bill, for making the punishment in Scotland the fame for that offence as in England. Dec. 14. A Meffage was received from the Commons to obtain a conference with that Houfe; which being complied with, The Earl of Mansfield, Prefident of the Conference, reported to their Lordfhips, on his return to the Houfe, that he had to lay before their Lordships the Refolution and Agreement of the Commons on certain regulations entered into by them, for the better regulation of the prices of Corn, and the reduction of the price of Bread. His Lordship moved, that the fame fhould be printed against Wednesday next. Lord Thurlow ridiculed the manner in which this fubject had been brought forward. Their Lordships, he faid, could not, confiftently with their dignity and the forms of the Houfe, take into confideration fo ludicrous a proceeding as the Refolution. The Commons ought to have come forward, not with fuch an inefficient Refolution, but brought to their Lordships, with the ufual formalities, fome legiflative act. Lords Grenville and Hawkesbury defended the mode of proceeding, and Lord Mansfield's motion was carried. Bill for the Safety of the King's Perfon. The Earl of Lauderdale moved, that the Bill for the Safety of his Majefty's Perfon, &c. fhould be printed with the amendments, and be confidered on Wednefday. The Duke of Bedford could not, he faid, even in this laft ftage of the Bill, refrain from making a few obfervatione. He was glad that there had been a conftitutional refiftance to thefe bills; and to this refiftance on the part of the people, were to be attributed the modifications in this bill. For a conftitutional refiftance to the arbitrary acts of a profligate adminiftration an ancestor of his had bled upon the fcaffold; and the ciples which he vindicated were ratified, not produced, by the Revolution of 1688. In the practice of thofe principles, his Grace declared it to be his determination to live and to die, if his death would be the means of fecuring and preferving them to pofterity. Lord Hawkesbury entered into a vindication of the Bill, and a long debate enfued, in which the fpeakers recapitulated their former arguments. The Duke of Leeds, Lord Lauderdale, and the Marquis of Lanfdowne condemned the principle of the Bill. The latter noble Lord afferted, that if the doctrine which runs through the whole of the bills were carried into execution, it was full time for every man of property to transfer it to a land of freedom, for in Britain freedom would be no more. At two o'clock the House divided, Contents Proxies · 57 50 Non-contents Proxies Majority 14 -107 18 89 The Bill was then read a third time and paffed. [By the abfence of Lord Moira, who holds the proxies of the Duke of Northumberland and Earl of Shaftesbury, the minority was reduced three, and increafed one by the Duke of Leeds, who voted against the Bills.] Dec. 16. The order of the day for taking into confideration the papers fent up by the Commons on the fubject of Corn, was read and entered on. Lord Mansfield began by obferving, that a ferious and melancholy circumftance had befallen the country laft year; he meant the failure in the crops of wheat laft harvest. We had but too well-grounded reafons to believe, that even what were regarded as tolerable good crops in fome quarters, did not produce the expected quantity; and he was warranted to pronounce, that upon, the whole, laft year's crop was deficient in one third. To obviate the evils there occurred but two remedies, either to fupply the deficiency by importation, or to hit on fome mode of reducing the home coufumption. The firft remedy could not be expected to be very effectual, as the fame evil was pretty generally felt throughout all. Europe; the other therefore fhould be called in to its fupport. But how this point could be obtained was now the queftion to be confidered; it could only fucceed through the mode adopted by the Houfe of Commons, or by having recourfe to fome compulfory means, which, if poffible, he wished might be avoided. The Duke of Bedford declined affixing his name to any fuch Refolution, and declared it to be his opinion that the plans projected were wholly Ineffectual to produce the defired effect. Several other Lords fpoke ;- after which the Refolutions were put and agreed to. The amendments made in the Trealon Bill by the Houfe of Commons were agreed to. December 17. On the queftion being put, that the Bill for raifing the fum of 18,000,000l. to his Majefty, for the public fervice, be read a fecond time, the Earl of Lauderdale role to call their Lordfips attention to the transaction of the late loan. He took a comprehenfive review of the finances of the country; and after commenting on the manner in which loans had been negociated for the laft twenty years, contrafted them with the prefent, and concluded by propofing an enquiry into the conduct of Minifters on the fubject of the Loan. Lord Grenville vindicated the manner of negociating the Loan, and remark ed, that as the fubject was under the inveftigation of a Select Committee of the other House, the propofition was unneceffary. The Earl of Lauderdale replied; and the Bill was then read a fecond time. Dec. 18. Their Lordships met, and after the hearing of Counfel on án Appeal, Anftruther againft Anftruther, a Commillion was opened, empowering the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Dorfet, and others, as Commiffioners to give the Royal Alfent to the Bill for the Safety and Prefervation of his Majefty's Perfon and Government, againft Treafonable and Seditious Practices; the Bill for the more effectually preventing Seditious Meetings and Affemblies; the Bill for the Free Paffage of Grain; Wakeman's Divorce Bill; and nine Inclosure, Road, and Naturalization Bills. 23. The Poft Horfe Duty, Tobac co, Collateral Property Bills," &c. were read a third time. 14. The Royal Affent was given by commiffion to the Tobacco Duty, the More Duties, the Affeffed Tax and Salt |