who fear God are not deficient in honouring the King. "If the infatuation of princes," fays the pious and fagacious Dr. Hartley, 86 were not of the deepest kind, they could not "but fee that they hold their dominions en"tirely by the real Chriftianity that is left "among us; and that if they fucceed in "taking away this foundation, or weakening "it much farther, their governments must fall "like houses built upon fand *. Befides the "great influence which Chriftianity has to "make man humble and obedient, it is to be "confidered that our ancestors have fo inter"woven it with the conftitutions of the king"doms of Europe, that they must ftand or "fall together. Christianity is the cement of "the building."

* This has fo lately taken place in France, that we must be blind indeed not to have noticed it, and we may truly apply to Britain from Horace,

-tua res agitur; paries cum proximus ardet;

and from the fatal history of that country we may learn how little efficacious the principles of patriotifm and of honour alone, without the aid of religion, are in correcting the moft deteftable vices and the most enormous crimes.

"The English having attained a light in religion," fays Selden, whom no one can fufpect of bigotry, "that "will own their liberties, of them both they made up one "garland, not to be tricked by any rude hand.”—Selden's Difcourfes on Government.

SeeObfervations on Man, his Frame, his Duty, and his Expectations." Hartley, M. A. 2 vols. 8vo.

By David

CHARLES XII.

KING OF SWEDEN.

MARSHAL SCHWERIN, who had ferved under Charles, gave Voltaire the following account of this intrepid warrior's method of attacking the enemy. He called his officers. together when he intended to give battle, and after having given them his orders respecting the difpofition of his army and other details,he.was impatient till they were complied with, and was continually urging difpatch. Thefe being effected, he mounted his horfe, put himself at the head of his troops; drew his fword. with great ardour; and, ftriking with it right and left without any difcrimination, rushed into the midft of the enemy,

Charles was preffed by Count Piper, after he had completely defeated Auguftus, King of Poland, to take poffeffion of that kingdom for himself. He fternly refused, and gave it to Stanislaus, repeating, "It is much more.

"noble

noble to give away kingdoms, than to ac"quire them."

Arithmetical enquiries* were favourite purfuits of his. He ufed to call a man ignorant of

* The knowledge of arithmetic is not fufficiently cultivated at our great schools. The firft Lord Lyttleton, a nobleman of great learning and eloquence, when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer, was fo ignorant of arithmetic, that the fums of money, for which he had to apply to the Houfe of Commons, were put down for him in letters, not in numbers. Osborn, in his celebrated Advice to a Son, fays, "Fathers, especially rich ones, are so far to

learn themselves what is moft fit that their children "fhould be taught, as they keep them fo long in their "Latin fchool till the time is lapfed moft proper for read

*

ing and to make a perfect accomptant, the moft neceffary R part of mathematics, and fo much as cannot be in any commerce fpared. It remaining indubitable that none "fo industrious as to call himself to a weekly or at least "an annual reckoning did ever through his own default "fpend an eftate; whereas the want of this first rudiment "of thrift hath within the compafs of my experience "brought divers to a bit of bread, and demolished the "houfes of the most eminent gentry of England,

"Now if any defire to understand how our more illiterate "fathers came to escape this curfe, an answer lies ready, "that the greatest part of their revenues did confist in pro"vifions of all forts, paid punctually at a day, and so eafily accounted for and remembered, And this abundance

"they

of arithmetic a half man; and, according to Voltaire, he wifhed to change the common method of numeration.

HENRY THE SECOND,

DUKE OF GUISE.

"NOTHING," fays Charron, "is fo incon"ftant, fo fluctuating, and fo timorous as "the mob. The leaft oppofition difconcerts

them, and their leaders are in general the "first to defert them and leave them a prey

"they enjoyed kept them pleased and in friendship with

their eftates, wanting neither company nor respect; through which they became lefs liquorifh after the glory "and fmall delights of London and of the court, towards which they did feldom look but upon conftraint, having never tasted them (as they now do) in youth, the only « time to contra& an affection to any place or thing.”

2

"Nothing amufes more harmlessly than computation, fays Dr. Johnfon, with his usual ftrength of observation ; "and nothing is more often applicable to real business or

fpeculative enquiries. A thousand ftories which the ig"norant hear and believe die away when the computist "takes them within his gripe. Numerical enquiries give "entertainment in folitude by the practice, and reputation "in public by the effect."

"to

"to their fears and imaginations. The Duke "of Guife was one day roughly treated by "the mob of Naples, by whom he had been "fent for to govern them. He was mounted on an Arabian courfer, with which he trod "two or three of them under foot. One of his friends remonstrated with him on the occafion. He replied with all the fierté of his ancient and illuftrious houfe, When the Deity "creates a man of my rank, he always puts "fomething between his eyes which a blackguard dare not look at."

In our times Cardinal Maury and the Lord Chancellor of Ireland have feen what wonderful effects perfonal courage and prefence of mind have had upon the multitude.

MAURICE,

PRINCE OF ORANGE.

Ar the celebrated fiege of Breda the army of this Prince was feized with the fcurvy, and became torpid and enervated. The Prince caufed letters to be fent into the town affuring the garrifon of immediate relief from a large army that was on their march,

and