fect of heretics among the Ruffians; which, we are sorry we have not room to infert.

In the article of manners, or customs, nothing can be more amufing than the following account of the Ruffian marriages, which, as it comes from an eye-witness, deferves a place here.

On the day appointed for the marriage ceremony, after the parties have been joined by a priest, as in our church, the lady's parents give an elegant fupper, at which the husband's family is prefent, fome friends, and a magician, who comes with an intent to counteract the witchcraft which might be practifed by other magicians, to prevent the confummation of the marriage. The newmarried couple, attended by a godfather and a godmother, are conducted with the greatest ceremony into the nuptial chamber before fupper.

The magician walks firft, the godfather follows, conducting the bride the bridegroom gives his hand to the godmother, and the bridefman his to the husband's neareft female relation, who is one of the jury, which is generally compofed of three or four women. During this proceffion to the nuptial apartment, every thing is got ready for the feast in the room where the company ftays; who wait only the return of the married couple to begin their mirth; being thoroughly perfuaded, that the decifion of the jury will be favourable to the bride.

The marriage chamber contains in general nothing but a bed, which is ufually very neat, and without curtains; the images given by the godfather and godmother to the married couple; a few chairs, and a table, with bottles of brandy, and glaffes, near which an old matron is placed.

The proceffion having reached the marriage chamber, the matron offers the bride a waiter, on which are glaffes filled with brandy and other liquors: the bride then presents them to the magician firft, and afterwards to the whole company round; the magician prepares his magic art; the bride is then undreffed, and left with a fmall petticoat and an under-waistcoat only; both of them made on purpose for this day, which is confecrated to voluptuoufness. The bridegroom is alfo undreffed, and a nightgowu thrown over him : the bride then kiffes all the company round, offers them again a glafs of brandy; and when every body has drank a fecond time, they retire into an antichamber, leaving the married couple alone with the matron, who affifts at the ceremony; in which he is the more interested, as the receives a reward if the lady is acknowledged to be a virgin; whereas fhe is obliged, if the contrary happens, to drink out of a broken glass, in the midst of the company, which is confidered as a mark of ignominy.

After confummation, the jury of women is called in, who strip the bride quite naked, in order to decide whether the was a virgin. Among other proofs required upon this occafion, the inspection of the linen is what they most depend upon, and when this anfwers to their wishes, the thift is placed in a box; they give the bride a clean one, drefs her, and then call in the magician, the goc father, and the bridefman. The matron, triumphant, gives the waiter again to the bride, who offers another glafs of brandy to all the people of the proceffion. The married couple are then led back to the company: the box containing the proof the lady's virginity is carried first; and upon the appearance of that, the mufic announces

the

of 13000l. in the three per cent. annuities, to Mrs. Talbot and her daughter*, during their joint lives, or the life of the furvivor, and after the decease of both thofe ladies, then 11000 of the faid 13000 to be transferred to charitable purposes. After the payment of other legacies, he bequeathed his real, and the refidue of his personal estate, to his nephew Thomas Froft, efq. of Nottingham.

Out of his private library he left to the archiepifcopal one at Lambeth, befides the books already mentioned, a great number of learned MSS. written by himself on various fubjects. Among these MSS. fome of the most remarkable are, an interleaved English Bible, in four volumes folio, with occafional remarks upon the New Teftament, very copious; Michaelis's Hebrew Bible, filled with comparisons of the ancient versions, emendations, and conjectures on the original text; two folio volumes of notes upon Daniel; a great number of critical disfertations on controverted paffages of fcripture; remarks on fome modern publications; and several volumes of miscellanies, written in the former part of his life, containing chiefly extracts from various authors, and obfervations upon them, the objections of sceptical writers to the truth of revelation, with anfwers to fome, and materials or hints for answers to many others.

He conftantly read the best modern publications in most parts of useful learning, but more especially those which related to his own profeffion; and was one of the first to commend them if they deserved it, and to point out and obviate their errors, if they contained any which he thought material. But there was one part of his literary character extremely amiable, and that was, the incredible pains he took in revifing, correcting, and improving the works of others. This he did in numberless inftances, with equal zeal and judgment, and some of those compofitions which stand defervedly highest in the estimation of the public, owe no inconfiderable share of their merit to his corrections and communications.

It may seem surprising, that in a life fo active, fo full of employment and avocation from study, the archbishop could find leifure to read fo much, and leave behind him fo many writings, fome of them learned and critical, all of them full of good fenfe and useful knowledge. The fact is, that in him were united two things which very rarely meet together, but when they do, can produce wonders, ftrong parts and un

This amiable lady died on the 9th of January laft, in the 49th year of her age.

wearied

well fortified with the antidotes of coolnefs and judgment. Int fuch critical junctures we are apt haftily to efpoufe the interest of any individual, who, to warm prejudice and fuperficial obfervation, may feem oppreffed by power. A Bingley becomes a political hero, and a patriot, as well as a Wilkes; an Almon gains a temporary importance and dignity. We take it for granted, that a dispaffionate country gentleman has written him a Letter on Libels; and we read the phlegmatic discussion with attention and curiofity..

But what are the final confequences of thefe popular contentions They certainly need not terrify us. A country in which liberty has been long established, and which hath long enjoyed its bleflings, has nothing to fear from this tranfitory fervour. Some changes are made in the miniftry, by which the public good is but little affected. The petty champions retire from the field of patriotism, which they have fo glorioufly maintained, to their primitive obfcurity; and government resumes its regular exertion. Yet fome material improvements are made in the fyftem of freedom, in confequence of the ardour of thofe, whofe cry was liberty, virtue, and their country, and who had nothing lefs in view than those noble objects. Thus the influx of the civil tide proves falubrious to our island, as Egypt is enriched by the inundations of the Nile.

The author of this letter tells us, that he is an old man ; that he lives in the country, and has long been disused to bufinefs. His prolix and digreffive manner of writing agrees with his account of himself. The fubject of his letter, is, the province of juries, particularly in the cafe of a` libel against the crown. Yet in this fame letter, he enters, rather with abruptnefs, and garrulity, into a difquifition on literary property, and the philofophical merit of Mr. Locke and Mr. Hume. He is not content with convincing his readers; he is minute and tedious. Yet the cafes which he cites are exactly in point, and the fubftance of his arguments is fenfible and weighty. He shows himself, well acquainted with the letter and spirit of the laws of his country. It will be expected, that we should lay before our readers a few of this author's obfervations on a queftion which at prefent fo much attracts the attention of the public.

In the cafe of Lambe, in lord Coke, (fays this gentleman, in the 8 Jac. I. it was refolved even in the Star-chamber, that every one who fhall be convicted of a libel, ought to be a contriver of the libel, or a procurer of the contriving of it, or a malicious publisher of it, knowing it to be a libel. If he writes a copy of it, and does not publish it to others, it is no publication of it.'

nefs of human nature; but they give us an ampler prospect of its childish and deftructive paffions; of its perfidy, its cruelty, its vanity, and its ambition.

The facts of which we are now taking notice, are expofed to publick view, and are, on that account, the more easily known and communicated. But what a pity it is that the judicious and philosophical historian cannot trace the hero to his clofet, cannot relate to us his behaviour to his family, cannot ftrip him of the actor, and hold forth the moral agent to our view!-that he cannot be as converfant with him as his valet de chambre was, in whofe eyes, perhaps, with all his greatnefs, he appeared but a little man.

Were the hiftorian thoroughly acquainted with his fubjects, his pictures would be equally entertaining and useful. He would teach us by many particular, but ftriking examples, that there is more splendour than happiness in the lives of the great; that if our station is humble, we ought to be content, for that no peculiar ftation monopolizes folid fatisfaction; and that honours and fame can never afford us that uniform ferenity of mind, that conftant felf-enjoyment, which can only be the refult of fixed principles, a well regulated conduct, and a warm attachment to virtue.

No kind of writing is more pleafing and improving than biography: but the work now before us is one inftance amongst many, how much the biographer may be in want of materials. A few anecdotes of Dr. Parnell are all that we have for his Life. He is hardly vifible to us in propriâ personâ; we only see him as he is reflected to us from his acquaintance.

But this poverty of effential facts is not to be ascribed to Dr. Goldsmith's want of judgment or tafte. He could only give us the intelligence which he had; and that intelligence was but fmall. This Life contains fome anecdotes of Dr. Parnell and his friends, and fome letters which will be read with pleafure, because they are not known; and because they make us more acquainted than we were with some of the greatest geniufes which England has produced.

This account of the life of Parnell, is written in an eafy ftile, and has a fentimental turn. It keeps the attention awake; and if it had appeared without the author's name, it would have been evidently the production of a man of fenfibility.

We quote the two following paragraphs as a fpecimen of Dr. Goldsmith's performance, and to illuftrate what we have remarked above concerning hiftory in general, and biography in particular.

• The

probably make it not only prudent, but abfolutely requifite; for the writer or printer, to enter into a defence. To fhew for exa ample his extreme youth, an ignorance of the drift of the writing, that he did it fecretly in his own ftudy, from whence, though. locked up in his bureau, it had been stolen, and published without his knowledge; and that he had frequently expressed_much concern and resentment about it: or, that he wrote it as a law ftudent, or ingroffed it for the clerk of indictments; or was a foreigner, and neither understood, nor ever heard, what the purport of the writing was, &c. &c. It may be faid, that a public profecution would never be carried on against fuch a tranfcriber. What, not if it answered the purpose of any political faction, to oppreís him, upon a difference of parties? I can tell you, that in fuch cafe, a nobleman, a fecretary of ftate, would ftir in it himself. How came the world to know any thing of the abandoned blafphemy in the Efay on Woman? Was it from the complainer of the work, or the author? Did they differ in private principles of virtue, or in party only? Was it a defire of extinguishing and fuppreffing blafphemy itfelf, or of ruining a troublesome man? Was there, or could there be, the leaft motive from private or public virtue for the whole proceeding? In short, what would difgrace a man, as a gentleman, for ever, and make one thy of any intercourfe with him, will be, as a politician, praife-worthy, a proof of good capacity, and an admirable feat. There are many inftances of malicious profecutions, both on the fcore of gratifying private animofities, and of carrying political purposes. The real intention, therefore, of any writer, whether author, or tranfcriber, fhould be ascertained to the jury, before they find him guilty of the charge laid upon him. With refpect to libels, in moderate times, the man proved to be the printer and publisher, would find it very difficult to shield himfelf from being convicted of having printed and published with a libellous intention, that is, of being found generally guilty. He would probably be fo, the prefumptive evidence being strong against him. In warm times, like thofe in London towards the end of Charles II.'s reign, or in the prefent, it is poffible that a printer of the wickedeft, falfeft, and moft mifchievous libels, upon the prince and the very frame of our government, whether under the fignature of Junius or any other, might be acquitted. There are feafons of epidemical madness, when a temperate jury cannot be had, and when nothing will be deemed a libel upon government. Be it fo. The diforder cannot last long. At this moment, perhaps, Mr. George Bellas, the boat-failing proctor; Mr. Arthur Beardwore, the magna charta attorney; Mr. Humphry Cotes, the bankrupt; Mr. Horne, the Brentford curate; Mr. Vaughan, the broker, &c. taking upon themselves the ftyle and title of fupporters of the rights of all Englishmen, may have fome privilege beyond us common men. But thefe extraordinary powers are not delegated for any certain period, and are held merely at the will and pleasure of the people, and refolvable in an inftant by their majefty. The vortex too, in general, extends no farther than the bills of mortality, and perhaps does not take in fcandal between man and man, but only between the crown and the public. A late event in a bordering county, may induce one at least to think fo, where a placeman and a courtier, through the medium of a jury, has given a very fmart check indeed to the outrageous, indecent, unprofeffional pertnefs and calumny of a zealous young man, who might have found a more fuitable employment for his talents, than the being

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