A slight paralytick stroke had weakened his constitution : his frame was frequently disordered, and his mind easily ruffled. During the contest about the visitatorial power, when Bishop Moore, with whom he had long lived in habits of intimacy, appeared in court, on the opposite party, he was so affected with the sight of his old friend, in such a situation, that he immediately fainted a way. Bentley was very severely though surely very improperly satirized by Pope, in the fourth book of the Dunciad. The lines are well known, and were occasioned by an opinion, which was forced from Bentley, with respect to the translation of Homer, at Atterbury's table, while Pope was present. The bishop very imprudently and indelicately asked the critick what he thought of the English Homer. The Doctor eluded the question for some time, but at last, when he was urged to speak his sentiments freely, he said; "The verses are good verses, but the work is not Homer, it is Spondanus!" Pope seldom forgot injuries, and many years after this conversation, he assigned a place in the Dunciad to our British Aristarchus. Never was satire more illiberal or unjust. Pope was not sufficiently acquainted with ancient literature to be capable of deciding on Bentley's critical abilities. He might see that many of his notes on Milton were trifling, and that his remarks on Horace were often bold and hazardous, but of his solid learning, his extensive knowledge, and his diversified erudition he was certainly not competent to form a judgment. In the year 1735 he wrote an answer to some queries of an Oxford Gentleman, concerning the date of a Persick manuscript of the four Gospels, which had been sent from Ispahan. This letter has likewise been preserved by Dr. Taylor, and is published with his valuable little tract, De debitore dissecando. He says in his preface, that it is: "Mole quidem parva, axgua autem et subtilitate filenissima. Qua diligenter perlecta eruditus Lector mecum sentiet nihil unquam argutius, nihil solidius aut verius ex› Tripode fuisse responsum." In 1738 a libel was exhibited before the vicar-general of the Bishop of Ely, against Dr. Colbatch, rector of Orwell, who refused to pay the proxies due to Dr. Bentley, as archdeacon of Ely. In his defence Dr. Colbatch, who bore an excellent character, though his virtue was rather of the severer cast, alleged, that though Bentley had been archdeacon forty years, he had never, in obedience to the ecclesiastical laws, been known to visit one church or chapel. Sentence, however, was passed against Colbatch, with costs of suit, upon which in 1741 he published a pamphlet, intituled, The State of Proxies payable to Ecclesiastical Visitors fully stated. In 1739 appeared the Astrono micon of Manilius, with corrections and notes, by Dr. Bentley. This edition was ushered into the world by a dedication to the Duke of Newcastle, and a preface by Mr. Richard Bentley, a nephew of the Doctor; with whose approbation both these introductory pieces were written. In the preface he gives a full account of his uncle's opinion of the work, and its author, as well as of the various manuscripts and printed copies which he consulted, in order to perfect this edition. Bentley places Malinius in the age of Augustus ; and among other proofs, he vindicates his as- thor of the poem, whatever was sertion by the termination of the his name, except in one Greek genitive cases of words in ius, word, never uses the double i, in and ium, which always terminated the Casus interrogandi, determines in a single i, before that period : the Astronomicon to have been as Auxilium, Auxili : Consilium, written in the early part of the age Consili : Imperium, Imperi : &c. of Augustus. Propertius is the first of the Ro- The author, according to our man poets, whose works are ex- critick, was a foreigner, and, theretant, in whom this rule is infring-fore, the peculiarities of style ed, and by him only in two or which occur in his work do not three instances. Ovid, who lived militate against his having been rather later, frequently uses the contemporary with Augustus : esdouble i ; and after him, it became pecially as many of the exceptiongeneral. This change, however, able passages are proved by Benttook place long after the accession ley to be spurious. Of his name of Augustus to the government. nothing certain can be pronounced. This remark we owe to Bentley, Neither the manuscript copies of and it is worthy of the British the poem, nor the author in the Aristarchus. He first promulgat- course of his work, nor the testied it in his notes on the Andria* mony of other writers, bring any of Terence, where he candily cor- curtain assistance. rects a mistake which he had With regard to the text, Bentinade in a passage of Horace, and ley generally follows the edition justifies his observation on these of Scaliger, and has preserved all genitive cases, by citing a passage the readings which he rejected. írom Nigidius Figulus, Romano. In some passages, his corrections rum a Varrone doctissimus, which seem extravagantly different from is preserved by Gellius t, by which the common copies : which apit is evident, that in his age accent pears to be in some measure exwas the only distinction between cuseable, when it is known, that the genitive and vocative cases of no single piece on ancient literawords in ius, as N. Valerius, ture was ever so much depraved G. Valeri, V. Valeri. Bentley, by the negligence or ignorance of therefore, as Manilius, or the au- transcribers ; for the various read ings are more numerous even than • Act II. Sc. I. Ver. 20. the verses of the poem. † Apul. Gellium. XIII. 24. To bi concluded next month., For the Anthology No. 15. Motus ..........ranarum viscera nunquam Juv. Sat. 3. OF the effects,resulting from the cipation from the tyranny of su: general effusion of knowledge, one perstition. An eclipse was once of the most useful, and perhaps the portent of revolution, the forethe most extensive, is our eman- runner of defeat, the warning of famine and of pestilence; but I have heard of only one man, that thought the darkness on the six teenth day of June last sent, as a judgment for our sins. The most artful politician, the most profound philosopher, the most heroick and prudent commander had less influence on the state of society, than the crafty juggler, the master of the ceremonies at the temple of Delphi. The armies of the an cients were often restrained from combat at a favourable opportunity, because the traiterous soothsayers declared the omens inaus picious; so that, says Bayle, a diviner was as necessary an officer as a general. Sailors have always been more prone to this weakness, than other classes of men; and the commander of the most numerous maritime expedition ever fitted out, was, while his fleet was detained by contrary winds, so ignorant of the common operation, or so distrustful of the kindness of heaven, as to sacrifice his daughter to propitiate a change. At present, though they hardly dare to commence their voyage without a horse-shoe on the foot of their foremast, yet in battle they rise above such follies, and, whether it thunder on the right or the left, are as heedless of auspices, as their captains of danger. Some have even ventured to depart on Fridays, though that has been always reckoned among the dies nefasti ; and I have never heard, that any special punishment has marked their presumption. As arts and sciences are in our days cultivated by greater numbers than formerly, they have also become easier of acquisition: so that if the worship be less honourable, the devotees are more numerous. The mystical práctices of astrology and palmistry, of witch-craft and of fortune-telling, required the labours of a life. The beard of the cunning man was always as long as the tail of the comet, from which he derived his predictions. The instruction must have commenced in childhood to prepare the adept at the age of puberty for solemn dedication to the devil. This is the course to eminence, pointed out by universal experience. Of the hero of the Iliad we should probably have suspected the truth, had the scholiasts never informed us, that the food of the infant Achilles was the marrow of lions. The punishment of sorcerers by our laws was formerly terrible. The statute of Jac. I, who equalled me in hating, and much surpassed me in dreading, these miscreants, orders, that "such as consult, covenant with, entertain, employ, feed, or reward any evil spirit to any intent" shall be punished with death.— But we have gradually parted with our fear, and doomed to contempt those, whom we once dreaded as ministers of hell. The evil has increased by this neglect. Superstition is nearly as prevalent in the country, as fanaticism in the city. Those who claim communication with familiar demons, are deserving of punishment; and it is hoped the law may be executed against fortune tellers and fanaticks, against pretenders to inspiration from above or from below. To shew the necessity of this, I relate what happened a few months since in our neighbourhood, an instance of credulity equal lamentable and ridiculous. Three men, of whom one was a justice in Vermont, and another a conjuror, came to a gentleman, re siding, on the banks of the Con, necticut, and requested leave to dig in his garden for a chest of money. That this treasure was deposited there he could not doubt, when one of them assured him, that he had twice dreamed, that on the right hand of the road was a high rock, strangely notched at the top, and at four rods distance in a north-east course from the rock, a red picket fence, near which was buried the wealth which would reward their search. The dreamer had not been in the vicinity for many years, and had come from a great distance, so that his circumstantial description was sufficient proof of his sincerity. The owner of the soil could have no objection to such a request; he only demanded one half of what should be found; but was prevailed on to accept a quarter. The cunning man with his rod of witch hazle, to be hoiden in both hands, like an old-fashioned pair of curling-tongs, stalked in solemn silence over the garden, till his rod suddenly pointed downwards. Under this spot lay the treasure. Another person took the rod; but in his hands it was uniformly inflexible. He was reminded by the adept,that the witch hazle never designates the place, where money is buried, unless it be wielded by the hands of a seventh son of a seventh son, born under the full blaze of a certain planet. Around this spot our conjuror described a circle, and on the North, South, and East points spread an open bible. The West was left unprotected, because on that side was the river, which the evil spirit would not dare approach. The party now began to dig with an activity, never exercised before; and after a few hours they turned up some bones, among Vol. III. No. 11. 32 which was a human skull. The owner of the soil knew, that this had been one of the favourite resting places of the Indians, as from the neighbouring river they were always sure of a supply of fish. However to encourage these miners he affirmed, that he had once, in digging on his farm, thrown out human bones, which bled freely. Nothing could be a stronger confirmation of their hopes. The pick axe and spade now rattled on the lid of the chest; and the reward of their labours, the consummation of their fortunes, and the confusion and conviction of incredulous scoffers was now within their reach. The famous pirate, Capt. Kidd, who about a century and a half ago had amassed wealth by his depredations, never since equalled but by the imperial vagabond from Corsica, buried this money here. He was once chased by an English frigate in Long-Island sound, and was obliged to enter the Connecticut. Here he debarked, and, loading his men with treasure, marched across the country to descend the St. Lawrence, his only safe avenue to the ocean. In their journey through the wilderness, when any one fell sick, his money was immediately buried, and he himself, horresco referens, murdered and deposited upon the chest to mark the spot. In the same way money was buried by pirates under the famous poised rock on the left hand of the Salem turnpike, and I have never yet heard of its removal. Whether Capt. Kidd ever reached the St. Lawrence was beyond the information of these labourers; but it had been commonly believed, that he had penetrated so far, one hundred miles from the ocean, and the indication of the witch hazle was now incontestably established of breaking silence, instantly sunk by these mouldering relicks. Un- the chest and its treasure fifty feet happily one of the company asked lower, where it has never since another to lend him his spade, and been heard from. the evil spirit, resenting the insult From the Censura Literaria, September, 1806. A SKETCH OF THE GENIU'S AND WRITINGS OF DR. BEATTIE, WITK ESTRACTS FROM HIS LIFE AND LETTERS," LATELY PUBLISHED BY SIR WILLIAM FORBES. SIR William Forbes's long-ex- by comparing them with his prepected Life of Dr. Beattie has at decessor's, which always from a length appeared in two quarto vo- boy disgusted me with their stiff lumes : and I cannot refrain from and barren frigidity ; while those indulging myself with a few cur- of the former glow with all the sory remarks, and a few extracts, warmth of friendship, and congewhile my heart and my head are nial poetick feeling : but I allude warm with the subject. Has it only to the plan. added to our admiration of him There are many points,on which as an author and a man? It has there is no doubt that an author can done both. There are many cir- best delineate his own character : cumstances which combine to qua: but there are others, of which he lify Sir William, in a very uncom- is totally disqualified to give a fair mon degree, for the biographer of portrait, and of which, if he were this great poet and philosopher : qualified, it is highly improbable their long, intimate, and uninter- that his Letters should furnish an rupted friendship, their habits of adequate account. constant correspondence, and their I trust therefore I may be es. congenial turns of mind, in parti- cused for venturing the opinion, cular ; while the talents, and the which I have long formed, that, character of the survivor, and his though Letters are an excellent, very extensive & near acquaintance and almost necessary, accompaniwith the most eminent men in the ment of a Life ; and though apliterary world, give a force and propriate extracts from them, and authority to his narration, which continued references to them may few eulogists can confer. well be introduced in the narrative, But with due respect to the ex- yet they should not form the amples of Mr. Mason, and Mr. principal part of that narrative, Hayley, I confess I am not entire- which, as it seems to me, should ly satisfied with the plan of lear- exhibit one unbroken composition. ing a man to be principally his To leave the generality of readers own biographer, by means of a to collect and combine an entire series of letters, connected by portrait, ou a regular series of a few short and occasional narra- events, from the scattered notices tives. I do not mean indeed to of a variety of desultory letters, depreciate those of Mr. Hayley, is to give them credit for a degree of attention, and a power of draw* We are happy to hear, that the a ing results, which few will be bove work will shortly appear from the found to possess, and fewer still press of I. Riley & Co., New-York. have leisure to exercise. |