ftacles which have prevented us from proceeding with the rapidity of our neighbours; however, thofe who come laft fometimes excell their predecef fors. This might happen to us fooner than we think if Sovereigns had a tafte for literature, or would encourage those who have: let us have but Medici and we will not want great men, And Auguftes will not fail to produce a Virgil. We hall have our claffic authors; our neighbours will learn German in order to read them; the Courts will speak the language with rapture; and it may happen that, be ing polished and perfected, it may e tend from one end of Europe to the other. That flourishing period of our literature is not yet come, but it is ap proaching; I promife you it will arrive: I thall not fee it, my age forhids me to entertain the hope. I am like Mofes; I fee afar off the promised land, but I fhall not enter it. Excufe this comparifos: I mean not to make a parallel between Mofes and myself; but the profpect of the flourishing pe riod of our literature is far preferable to that of the parched and rugged rocks of the fterile Idumæa. Obfervations made on the Paragelidum of M. de Reinenberg. THIS ter. The refults of the experiments I have made are thefe:--If the water into which the cord falls has its furface covered with ice of two lines in thickness, the water in a veffel of the fame capacity, placed on the fame line without a cord, is not frozen at all. If the vellel without the cord contains ice of a line in thickness, there is ice in the veffel with the cord of the thickness of three or four lines. So that in this experiment, the cord may be confidered as a conductor of cold. I lay afide all theory to confine myfelf to the fact. If this condu&ior preferves fruit trees from those frofts which in fpring destroy the flower, a procefs fo fimple must be of the greateft utility. Defcription of the Plate prefixed to this Number. THE OLD BRIDGE of AUCHINDINNY is fituated in the County of Edinburgh, upon the river Efk, having the eftate of Greenlaw on the North-east end, on the South-west that of Auchindinny. It is of confiderable antiquity; and, lying on the great road from Edinburgh to Peebles, was probably many tim s paffed by the Royal families and Nobility of Scotland in their way to Peebles, to the Phy. It appears never to have had any ledges, though only nine feet broad. The famous John, Duke of Argyle, in paffing from the Whim, in Tweedale, to Edinburgh, often called on Mr Inglis at Auchindinny, and used to fay, that though he never knew fear in the field of battle, yet he never paffed that bridge without terror of broken bones. It has been diffed for fome tiase, as there is now a very commodious bridge for paffengers a bout twenty yards down the river. Account 273 Some Account of Dr Jofeph Priestley; from the European Magazine. DR R JOSEPH PRIESTLEY was born, if we are not mifinformed, at Field-head, near Birftall, about feven miles from Leeds, in the year 1728 or 1729. His father was a merchant and manufacturer, and he received the early part of his education from the Rev. Mr Scott, a Diffenting Minifter in the neighbourhood. The principles of the Sect to which he belonged, and in which he remained fome years, were thofe of Calvin. Thefe, however, he has totally renounced; and having published a narrative of what led him to the feveral changes of his opinions, we deem it the moft proper to give it in his own words. "Having been educated in the ftricteft principles of Calvinifm, and having from my early years had a fe rious turn of mind, promoted, no doubt, by a weak and fickly con titution, I was very fincere and zealous in my belief of the doctrine of the Trinity; and this continued till I was about nineteen; and then I was as much fhocked on hearing of any who denied the divinity of Chrift (thinking it to be nothing lefs than impiety and blafphemy) as any of my opponents can be now; I therefore truly feel for them, and moft fincerely excuse them. "About the age of twenty, being then in a regular courfe of theological studies, I saw reafon to change my opinion, and became an Arian; and notwithstanding what appeared to me a fair and impartial ftudy of the Scriptures, and though I had no bias on my mind arifing from fubtcribed creeds and confeffions of faith, &c. I continued in that perfuafion fifteen or fix M m VOL. XIV. No. 82. teen years; and yet in that time I "I was greatly confirmed in this doctrine, after I was fully fatisfied that man is of an un form compofition, and wholly mortal; and that the doctrine of a feparate immaterial foul, cp bl. of feufation and action when the body is in the grave, is a notion borrowed from heathen philofophy, and unknown to the friptures. Of this I had for a long time a mere fufpicion; Letters to Dr Hordey, in Answer to his Animadverfions on the "History of the Corruptions of Christianity," 8vo. 274 Some Account of Dr Jofeph Priestley. "Being now fully perfuaded that Chrift was a man like ourselves, and confequently that his pre-existence, as well as that of other men, was a notion that had no foundation in reafon or in the fcriptures; and having been gradually led (in confequence of wifhing to trace the principal corruptions of Christianity) to give particular attention to ecclefiaftical history, I could not help thinking but that (fince the doctrine of the pre-existence of Christ was not the doctrine of the Scriptures, and therefore could not have been taught by the Apoftles) there must be fome traces of the rife and progrefs of the doctrine of the Trinity, and fome hiftorical evidence that Unitarianifm was the general faith of Chriftians in the apoftolical age, independent of the evidence which arofe from its being the doctrine of the Scriptures, "In this ftate of mind, the reader will eafily perceive that I naturally expected to find what I was previously well perfuaded was to be found; and in time I collected much more evidence than I at firft expected, confidering the early rife, and the long and univerfal fpread, of what I deem to be a radical corruption of the genuine Chriftian Doctrine. This evidence I have fairly laid before the reader. He muft judge of the weight of it, and also make whatever allow particular fituation and prejudices." ance he may think neceffary for my ers the Doctor's own account of the Having thus produced to our readchanges in his fentiments on these important fubjects, we shall proceed to obferve, that from the tuition of Mr Scott he was removed to the care of Mr Afhworth, near Daventry in Northamptonshire, where he compléted his education, and foon afterto establish a Diffenting Academy at ward's was ordained. Warrington, he was made choice of On the attempt Lettres. During his continuance in to teach the languages and Belles this fituation, he applied himfelf to the duties of his office with great diligence and ability, as may be feen fome of which have been fince printed. in his feveral courfes of Lectures, From Warrington he returned to his native country, and took upon himfelf the paftoral office at Mill Chapel, Leeds, which he refigned May 16, 1773; and on that occafion both preached and printed a Sermon, which he delivered at parting with his flock. Before this period fome of his philofophical works had been printed and received with the approbation of the learned, and his name and cha racter were generally mentioned with refpect. A fimilarity, it is fuppofed, in fome opinions led to an acquaintance with the Marquis of Lanfdowne, then Lord Shelburne, who prevailed felf in his family, where he remained feon Dr Priestley to domefticate himveral years. To what caufes it was ows ing we are not informed, but after fome time a coolnefs took place between the two friends,and Dr Priestley quitted his patron, and once more refumed the exercife of his clerical function. On the 31st of December 1780 he undertook the paftorfhip of the new meeting at Birmingham, and preached and printed a Sermon on the occafion. From that period he continued at Birmingham, until the late Jate fcenes of confufion drove him to frek another asylum. Of that trasfa&ion we cannot too ftrongly express our deteftation, and we hope never to fee a recurrence of the like horrors. That we may not, it will be incumbent on thofe who fo long with impunity have been abetting fedition, to obferve fomething more of decorum in their conduct than we have lately witneffed. To form good fubjects, Preachers of the Gospel would with more propriety confider themselves bound to inculcate on their hearers the duties of men, which do Bot feem to be well underfood, rather then their rights, which they are in complete poffeffion of without a probability of infringement. Dr Priestley's political and theological writings have been varioufly poken of, and by many are fuppofed to be fraught with the most deftructive principles to the well-being of fociety. Dr Johnfon ufed to fay they were calculated to unfettle every thing, but to fettle nothing. Their Violence, however, counteracted their apprehended effect, and we believe they need not now create any alarm. It is remarkable, that their evil tendency has been pointed out by one ⚫ from whom the obfervation was leaft to be expected. Mr. Gibbon, in his History, remarks, that," the pillars of revelation are fhaken by thofe men who preferve the name without the fabitance of religion, who indulge the licence without the temper of philofophy *." To the merit of Dr Priestley's philofophical works, and fome few others, we rejoice to be able to bear our teftimony; and let us add, that his intimate friends fpeak in the moft favourable terms of the amiable nefs of his private character. To writers like Di Priestley, or Mr Gibbon, who feem carelels about the confequences which their writings may produce, it may not be impro per to recommend the fentiments of a great water in this Century: "A free and impartial inquiry after truths wherever it is to be found, is indeed a noble and moft coma. ndable dipofition: a difpofition which every man ought himself to labour after, and to the utmott of his power encourage in all others. It is the great foundation of all useful knowledge, of all true virtue, and of all fincere religion. But when antan, in his fearches into the nature of things, finds his enquiries leading him towards fuch notions as, if they should prove true, would manifeftly fubvert the very effences of good and evil, the leaft that a fuberminded man can in fuch a cafe poffi bly be fuppofed to owe to God, to virtue, to the dignity of a rational creature, is, that he ought to be in the highest degree fearful and fufpicious of himfelf, left he be led away by any prejudice, left he be deceived by any erroneous argument, left he fuffer himself to be impofed on by any wrong inclination. Too great an affurance in arguments of this nature, even though at prefent they seemed to him to be demonftrations, rejoicing in the ftrength of them, and taking pleasure in the carrying of fach a caufe, is what a good mind can never be capable of. To fuch a perfon, the finding his own arguments unanfwera☛ ble would be the greateit grief; triumphing in fo melancholy a field would be the higheft diffatisfaction; and nothing could afford fo plea! nga fo agreable a difappointment, as to M m' 2 hud * To this obfervation he subjoins the following note; "I fall recommend to public animadverfion two paffages in Dr Pricftley which betray the ultmate tendency of his opi nians at the firit of thefe (I of the Corruptions of Chrjfianity, vol. ip. 275, 276.). the priest, at the fecond (vol. ii. p. 484.) the maghirate may tremble." Gibton's Hiftory," tol. iv. p. 540. 4to. Edition, find his own reafonings fhewn to be inconclufive." Dr Samul Clarke's Remarks on a Book entitled, " A Phi lefphical Enquiry concerning Human Liberty," p. 45. Obfervations on the State of Literature among the Fair Sex in the Sixteenth Century. By Dr Kippis. IT T has been remarked by Mr Wotton, that no ae was fo productive of learned women as the fixteenth century Speaking of the flourishing condition of learning in that century, he fays, it was fo very modifh, that the fair fex feemed to believe that Greek and Latin dded to their charms; and that Plavo and Ariftotle untrant Jated were frequent ornaments of their clofers. One would think by the cff cts, that it was a proper way of educating them, fince there are no • accounts in hiftory of fo many great women in any one age, as are to be ⚫ found between the years fifteen and • fixten hundred "Erafmas, alfo, defcribing those times, fays, " Scena r. rum humanarum invertitur: mona hi literas ne ciunt, et œmi næ libris indulgent.--Bellum eft com fexum ad prifca exempla f.fe potliminio recipere." The feene of human affairs is chang.d: the monks are ignorant of Ierature, and women are fond of books.It is a lang circumitarce, that ✦ the female fex fhould at length havere • courf to the ancient examples." Learning was then held in tuch high eftimation, that feveral great men were defirous that their doughters should bepifid of it, as well as their fons. The examples of King Henry the VIII. in the education of the Princ fles Mary and Elizabeth, and of Sir Thomas Mor with regard to Mrs Roper, are bought to have chicfly contributed to the introduction of this cuftom. There can be no doubt but that the conduct of perfons fo illustrious would have much effect upon the fentiments of our countrymen, and be productive of imitation. But, befides this, there was a concurrence of other causes; fuch as the recent origin of printing; the curiofity hence excited in the human mind; the admiration with which the ancient writers, fo lately brought to light, were contemplated; and the diftinguished honour that arofe from literary purfuits. In fhart, the general fpirit of the age nourished the principle of training up women in learning. Nor was a flight degree of learning deemed fufficient for them. They were rendered complete miftreffes of the Greek and Latin, as well as of the modern languages. Their reading was not confined to the claffic authors, but comprehended the fathers of the Church. They could write Greek epiftles, and compofe Greek verfes. It should be remembered, however, that the literature of the women of that period extended comparatively but to a few perfons, and thofe only of confiderable rink, the generally of the female fex being in a state of ignorance. There was by no means that diffution of knowledge, that cultivation of mind, that tafte for books, which we now meet with in almost every compa ny of ladies. Neither do we find that the learned women of the fix. teenth century produced fuch worksas have continued to be read much y pofterity. The most important production of any of Sir Anthony Cooke's daughters, was Lady Bacon's tranflation of Bifhop Jewel's Apology and yet, who but an Antiquary would |