279 laying down the order in which the feveral incidents, related by the Evangelifts, appeared to have happen'd,' - which he has done with great accuracy and judgment, and clear'd the facred writers from that embarras in which the fhortness of their different accounts feem'd, even to attentive readers, to have involved them. 2. He makes fome obfervations upon the manner ⚫ in which the proofs of this aftonishing ⚫ event were laid before the apostles, who were to be the witneffes of it to the world. 3. He enters into an exact and rigorous examination of the proofs themselves; from all which he Thews that the refurrection of Chrift was moft fairly and fully proved to ⚫ the apostles and difciples, those first converts and preachers of chriftianity. But as he thought this was not of itfelf fufficient to authorize and cftablish the faith of a chriftian at this time, he adds fome arguments and reafons to induce us of thefe later ages to believe that Chrift is rifen from the dead. Thefe are fubjoyn'd under two heads, 1. The teftimony of the chofen witneffes of the refurrection recorded in the fcriptures, 2. The exiftence of the chriftian religion.', A may think themselves concerned, to vindicate our Milton, so far as he justly may be vindicated, and confequently examin the validity of what is offered to the learned world. (See p. 68.) By W. L's fpecimen from the German jefuit, I find more than 30 heads which appear constituent parts of Milton's paradife loft; but, as W. L. has only exhibited the heads, without fhewing in what manner the jefuit has executed them, it is certainly more juft to both fides, to fufpend one's opinion till this is done, than draw harfli conclufions from truths not yet produced to view. Before I conclude, I cannot forbear this remark, that W. L. has either been more fortunate than others in falling upon what appears plausible at least, or his fuperior judgment, and extenfive reading of books upon facred fubjects has C given him this afcendant. I impa tiently wait to fee the fequel of his productions. (See p. 82.) R. A: D With regard to the performance in general, the whole compafs of the ar· gument is taken in, and at the fame time it is. minutely canvafs'd in its feveral parts, whereby it feems to have jultice done it; and, confidering that this E article receives greater ftrength from the itation and character of the author, than it would from another hand, it is to be hoped it will be of great ufe in the world.'" As I apprehend that it is a part of the defign of your magazine to acquaint your readers with books of fuch merit, I therefore fend you this fhort account, Yours, &c. Paul's Conversion by G. West SIR, Temple-bar, Feb. 20. 1746-7. N your Magazine for Fanuary last, I 1 of the moderns, fign'd W. L. with which be the molt effectual way A reprefentation of a cruel MACHINE, found at Laird B- -e's in Scotland, and brought to town by his royal highnefs the Duke; fuppofed to be made ufe of by the rebels to extort confeffion; but whether or not, we are not certain. This machine is made of iron, weighing about 16lb. the height about four foot; it opens like a pair of tongs, and enclofes the neck in a broad collar, in which is fixed an iron fpike that points to the back of the fkull, which has a spring, so that if the unhappy per Extract of the THISTLE, in fon raises or drops his head, it must run into it; his hands and legs are fixed in cuffs, and the irons, which are four flat bars, by fcrews and bolts, which go thro' them in several places, confine him fo close, as to occafion exceffive torment. N.B. Laird Be has put this machine in practice, and tortured feveral of his tenants and others, who had offended him; for which he was brought to a trial at Edinburgb. In Defence of the SCOTCH, &c. HE THISTLE, a pamphlet Twritten in anfwer to Old England's fevere invective against the Scotch, * A As to its being a reward to transport the Scots to the West Indies (fee p. 634) Bit might be fo, were the colonies fairly dealt by-but I'll point out a fhort way to get rid of the Scots,-'tis but by a vote to undo what was obtain'd ' by C in 1707.' C D (See the extract of it in Dec. Mag. p. 633) x first takes notice of the journalist's rantour and coarfe ftile, and then fuppofes it to be written in order to introduce (fee p. 1oz.) fome act in this feflion against the liberties of that misrepresented people, by the all powerful pt, which perhaps (Jays the writer) has made too free with fome effentials of our conftitution, thro' the quackery of our ftate physicians. The Scotch, he owns, were once corrupted, or they would not be fcorned as at prefent, but the feducer was most culpable.—“ Yes, Sir, they were tempted, and yielded, or you had had no union, confequently no rebellion. However, of the two rebellions fince the union, they were neither quelled but by Scotchmen.they then for their zeal and loyalty to bave juftice difpenfed among them from Westminster-hall -Are they to be thus rewarded?". But Englifb gratitude is always fuch, Are E To hate the hand which does oblige too much; Experience tells us, 'tis the English way, Their benefactors always to betray. Free-born Englifbman. from whence this author quotes many fuch paffages. F In anfwer to English lenity, and generofity p. 634, the author mentions the old affair at Glenco, and the action at Cn. "Heavens! English lenity! G let the Scots north of Spy, let the Irish nation, groaning under their task mafters, witness it.-The exportation of coined bullion to Ireland is prohibited, yet are they not allowed to coin a copper farthing.-As to generofity-what inftance can you bring of it? Neither Scotch nor Irish have tafted of it, and as to Hanoverians, tho' they furnish you a king, they do not escape contempt-For Englishmen would deviate from naX 1746. The Scots, you fay, fwarm in the army-The reafon is, because they are more martial; happy had it been, if it had more of them; for the courage, 'conduct and politenefs of the Scots have always reflected honour on your army.-Court martials on Scots delinquents by fea, or land, are things unheard of. The principal commanders at Preston-pans and Falkirk were not Scots.-Who fought like Gardner and Monro in the late bloody contefts for the crown ?—But why should not the army, the bar and pulpit be open to Scots as well asEnglish? Was it not the 'intent of the union that they should be one people? A deicent from a long race of peers, warriors, and legiflators ought to be no objection at the bar, which borrows most of its prefent luftre from 'thofe few of birth that attend it,-I believe it was never known but among Englifhmen, that a defcent from mercers, fhoemakers, taylors, butchers, bakers, and bailiffs followers, ren'der'd an orator more regarded, elegant, and fonorous.—And were it not for two Scotch gentlemen at the bar, who fupport oratory there, as far as the prefent forms will admit,—the ftanders by would not know what is meant by the pleadings. "Thefe gentlemen, no lefs confpicuous for their knowledge and virtue, than for politeness of manners and noble extraction-have gone great lengths in reforming its language, and in inftructing their fellow barrifters, in the methods, forms, and connexion of an argument, of which the English were generally moit fhamefully ignorant. Even the furr'd nodders on the B-h have benefited by thefe young Scotch pleaders, yet are they become the very envy of them.--One of of thefe, whom you ftep out of your way purpofely to abufe, is no lefs an ornament to the English fenate and bar, than to his family and country." [The reader will perceive, by this fhort A fketch, that there is as much virulence in this anfwer as in the journal,A pamphlet is publish'd to expose these pieces, as a defign of our enemies to fet one part of the nation against the other.] 'Tis the fame rope at different ends they twiff. WE have frequently had occafion B to obferve the mistakes, which foreign writers, especially the French, have made concerning the Englb.A mistake made by Abbe St Pierre, we rectify in p. 63.-In December Magazine p. 627, we corrected the abbe Le Blanc's miftake concerning the En- C glish ladies advertising for hufbands, he afferting, that it was a ferious and general affair. We fhall now take notice of a fecond miftake of this fame author: He fays, (letter XXXIII.) fpeaking of the two houfes of parliament of Great Britain, ALL that pafles in thefe affemblies foon becomes publick; for, as formerly at Rome, here are skilful tranfcribers, who by the art of writing fhort-hand, take down any fpeech, however rapidly it is pro'nounced.' In this erroneous opinion, he makes quotations from feveral fpeeches, as if they were actually taken word for word from the speaker's mouth; whereas the contrary is fo far true, that if he had been a more diligent enquirer, he might have found, by publick advertisements that they were not pretended to be printed as they were spoken. The gentleman who favour'd us with the fubitance of Mr Pe's speech, inferted in our laft Supplement, declares it to be related from the ftrength of memory only, and tho' we have undoubted authority to fay that the arguments in general against the queftion are fairly and faithfully reprefented, yet fome things (not relating to the queftion) are afcribed to that gentleman, which he did not fay, tho' they might be faid by others. As it is therefore univerfally known here, that no perfon is admitted to write down any speech in either houfe, gentlemen do not think themselves refponfible for every word and expreffion in D thofe accounts, which have been publifh'd as the fubftance only of the arguments on fuch occafions. The abbe, perhaps, in his turn, may equally exult in detecting our mistakes concerning the customs of France. See Vol. 7. p. 830. The FIGURE of a STONE found in Caft fteeds Garden, near the grand Fort Petrianis. -See Vol. XI. p. 650, Vol. XII. p. 30, 31. An Explanation of the Infcription is defired from the learned. Mr UREAN, W Of the new Edition of the Univerfal History. HEN an improv'd edition of any work, of fuch confequence as the UNIVERSAL HISTORY, is about to come from our English preffes, I believe that your readers, thofe in remote parts efpecially, will expect more concerning it than two or three lines among the common books. For fhould you ftop there, you would feem more regardless of the honour of your own country, than the authors of the foreign monthly books have been of theirs, who all publish'd with no little oftentation the programma (as they call it) of the tranflations only of the first edition of this work into French, Dutch, and Italian. And tho' you have been fo juft as, in your Laconic B manner, to fignify that the first volume of the new edition was fold off within the month, yet ftill it will be no more than juftice, if you fhould bestow an hundred lines upon an account of it: For fuch would not exceed in proportion the regard you pay to the clergy, in giving a line for the fubftance of a fermon: Nor be lefs acceptable to those favour'd readers. And now, Sir, flattering myfelf that I have prevailed with you, be pleased to let your work record thus On the first day of January 1747, wat publifhed (with bis Majefty's Royal Licence) the first Volume in Octavo of A The UNIVERSAL HISTORY, From the earliest Account of Time. Compiled D from original Authors, and illuftrated by Maps, Cuts, Nots, &c. pr. 5 s. in boards. Note, A volume will be published every month till the whole be finished, which is to confift of twenty volumes, with the advantage of one general Index, in the last volume, where alfo will be the lift of fubfcribers. HE propofals for the first edition of this been justly complained of, that tho' the world abounded with books, which pafled for General Hiftories, a General Hiftory was ftill wanting; for either the authors did not defcend low nough, which is the defect of Sir Walter Raleigh's; or if they did, they feldom went further than the European nations, which is the fault of Dr Howell's, the most general history extant in English: Not to mention other imperfections occafioned by the want of discoveries and improvements which have fince been made in hiftory, chronology and geography. And this complaint having of late increased, efpecially fince the establishment of profefiorfhips for modern biflory in the univerfities has brought this ftudy more in efteem, a fociety of gentlemen undertook effectually to remove the caufe, by publishing an hiftory of all nations whatever, both ancient and modern. These were the authors motives for engaging in this work. As to the execution of it: It has been their care, by giving the hiftory of eve. ry nation apart, to free the leffer monarchies and itates from the historical bondage of the greater, in which they are generally involved (Gknt. Mag, fer FEB. 1747) E F G 61 by other authors, who treat them with as much tyranny as their conquerors, never mentioning them but occafionally; fo that, except in this work, it is in vain to feek for a continu ed, uniform, and perfect hiftory of their affairs. Each particular hiftory begins from the first notice to be found of the people, and is carried down from their original, through the feveral revolutions and changes in their government and religion, to their diffolution, (or to fome other remarkable period, at which it was proper to break off the thread of narration, till it fhall be refumed in the biflory of the latter times.) All their migrations and conquefts are particularly related, with an exact account of the fucceffions and reigns of their respective emperors, kings, princes and other rulers, their famous exploits in arms, their progress in learning, inventions or trade; in short, nothing is omitted which may be useful or inftructive. It is to be obferved, that this work is no tranflation from the French; no collection from collections; but the whole is extracted from the original authors, which are conftantly quoted. In the ancient history, the foundation is, the ancients themselves; and the moderns are made ufe of only as comments upon them. And as the compilers of this work have not trufted to what others have done before them, neither have they confided in one nation for the hiftory of another; but have conftantly had recourfe to their own hiftorians, as beft qualified to give an account of their own affairs: For this reafon, the greatest part of what relates to oriental hiftory, fo little known at prefent in Europe, has been extracted, as far as it could be done with any tolerable degree of certainty, from the best oriental authors, of which our libraries afford plenty, though hitherto but little ufed; for it feems altogether as unreasonable to take the history of the Perfians, Arabians, Turks, &c. from the Greek, or other European authors, as to compile the European history out of the o riental. and The authors, throughout this work, have avoided introducing long defcriptions of battles and fieges, harangues, fpeeches letters, and, in fhort, all other digreffions, which, though they may be excufeable in particular, ought to be omitted in general hiftories, where nothing but effentia's fhould find a place. For the fame reafon, they have avoided, as much as poffible, entering into controverfy, efpecially about points which are abfolutely uncertain and undecidable; and have only enga ged in it on fome particular occafions, where they could effectually clear up a difficulty, to the reader's fatisfaction: In a word, they have endeavoured equally to fhun the extremes of brevity and prolixity. It is needlefs to obferve, that this work will fave the expence of buying numbers of volumes, befides furnishing the learned with fome that Hare no where to be found except in the libraries of the curious. As I only fend you part of the proposals, it may be neceffary to add that the whole, with a I fur further account of the work, and particularly of the prefent edition, may be had, gratis, of T. OSBORNE, in Gray's Inn; A. MILLAR, in the Strand; J. OSBORN in Pater-nofter row; and of all the bookfellers in Great Bri tain and Ireland; by whom fubfcriptions are taken in: And I would advife every fubfcriber to poffefs himself of one copy of the Propofals, that he may difcover whether the undertakers better or recede from the promised bill of fare. This edition, it is eafily to be fuppofed, will have the advantage of the first edition, which was in folio, as the authors have been fome time revifing, re-examining, and criticifing, their own work, in order to rectify miftakes, fupply deficiencies, retrench fuperfluities, and to add every thing which either their own retrospection had fuggefted to them, or which came too late from their correfpondents, to be taken notice of before. A B To make room for these curious and neceffary additions, the authors propofe to omit all thofe parts of the hiftory of one nation which C are included in that of another, making proper references where to find them. But to do juftice to the purchasers of the firft Impreffion, and that thofe gentlemen, who may be ftill difpofed to have the work in folio, as a library-book, may not be difcouraged from purchafing it, the moft material additions will be printed in that form, to be had feparate, or to be annexed to the fets which fhail be hereaf- D ter purchaled. Gentlemen, who have obferved any mistakes, omiffions, or other faults, in the first edition of this work, are humbly requested to communioute them to the proprietors, who will gratefully acknowledge the favour. E F Thus, even our little heroes will be able, in fome measure, to propagate the publick good: And thus alfo fhall thofe madams, which have hitherto been gravely contemned as the corruption, be henceforward chearfully careffed, as very ufeful members, of fociety. P.C. Nottingham, Feb. 9, 1746. it must be own'd, have hit upon the SIR, Litchfield, Feb. 9, 1746. MR Smith, in his furious letter, in your last magazine, has most induftriously avoided the point in difpute, and with a great deal of acrimony, very ill applied, run out into personal invective. But, in order to defend the propriety of my epithet, (See Vol. XVI. P. 646.) it will be neceflary to subjoin the following obfervations. All learned men that have treated of the origin of monks, do, for the mott part, agree, that thofe orders of religious perfons took their first rise from the perfecutions, that were raised in the church, in the early times of christianity; which forced perfons, most eminent for piety,*_to_take_refuge in forefts, woods, deferts, and folitary places, from whence they acquired the ap pellation of monks; but, in process of time, when they began to be very numerous, and to dwell in monafteries, many of them were guilty of the moft flagrant enormities, oppreflions, and tyrannies, even to deserve the fentence pafs'd upon them at the council of Gappe. But to fay they all were so, is unchriftian indeed! Since, in all ages, there have been men of that order, remarkable for their piety and learning, which to enumerate would far exceed the bounds I am confined to. That they were good hiftorians (to confine ourselves to this nation) the annals of every religious houfe will thew us, and of which venerable Bede, Matthew Paris t, William of Malmbury, Florentius, the monk of Worcester, Henry of Huntingdon, Robert of Gloucester (poet and historian) Walter Mapes, Wit liam Rifhanger, Marianus Scotus, Rous of Warwick, &c. &c. are fhining inftances: And that they were prejervers, if not improvers of learning, the numberlefs manufcripts of the claffics, and other valuable books (not to mention the Greek teftament, which more parcular Nicephorms, Lib. v111, + Mathew Paris is faid to be a good painter, architect, mathematicing, divine, lutorien, and poet. |