WRITTEN BY MRS. BROOKE. Thou, my lov'd, my latest choice, To whom my riper vows are paid! Though, thoughtless of thy heavenly voice, I first the plaintive ftrain effay'd; Be thou, O Fame, my sweeteft, best reward, And crown with deathless bays thy raptur'd bard! Awhile, by Sappho's numbers fir'd, I touch'd the languid Lesbian string; Of noble themes I burn to fing: So wanders wild the generous fteed, No thought of glory fires his breast: O beauteous Liberty! for thee The Rhine's unhappy exiles roam; To quit their dear paternal home: By thee Helvetia's barren mountains fmile, Nor be my weaker sex denied To breathe the glorious patriot ftrain: The Virgin Queen's triumphant reign; When Tyranny forfook th' enfranchis'd land, And Freedom rose beneath a female hand. With Freedom rofe her genuine train; The Statesman wife, the letter'd Sage, And own'd a new Auguftan age: Then blameless Walfingham arofe, At once his queen's and country's friend; Skill'd to difcern their lurking foes, And from the fecret dart defend : And deathless Bacon's comprehenfive soul Of boundless science grafp'd th' amazing whole. But, fee! to guide the golden reins Of empire, mighty Burleigh rise! O might thofe glorious days return! Would statesmen, fir'd by Burleigh's name, With ancient British ardour burn, Scorn felfith views, and pant for fame! Again our conquering arms fhould Gallia weep And Albion reign triumphant o'er the deep. Prophetic, lo! my raptur'd mind Beholds, as rolling minutes move, Then o'er Britannia's beauteous ifle Shall future Homers reach the fkies: But whither, fir'd, would Fancy rove; To paint the mead, or murmuring stream: THE TOUCHSTONE. NUMBER I. OYEZ! OYEZ!—OYEZ!— WH HEREAS our trufty and wellbeloved Solomon Sagebaro,Efq. being specially appointed Keeper of the Great Touchstone of the High Court of Common Senfe, is by us authorized to hear and determine all caufes, matters and difputes, touching certain of the King's liege subjects, called Philofophers, Hiftorians, Poets, Politicians, Critics, Antiquarians, Lawyers, Phyficians and Divines, who have from time immemorial afferted, denied, maintained, oppofed, explained, confounded, perplexed and puzzled, divers weighty, important, idle and frivolous things, with fuch art, learning, fkill, knavery, knowledge and ignorance, that neither them * The Author would not be misunderstood, as meaning any difrefpect to a name for which the has the greatest veneration: all fhe meant was, to exprefs the hopes almost univerfally conceived, at the time this Ode was written, of a moft amiable prince, who died not long after, lamented by a whole people; and, like Titus, left behind him the character of the friend of human kind. Lady Elizabeth Cecil. felves, felves, nor others of his Majefty's fubjects, being in the peace of our faid Lord the King, and willing ftrictly in all things to conform themselves to the rules and orders of the Court of Common Senfe aforefaid as much as in them lies, can poffibly diftinguifh right from wrong, truth from falfhood, black from white, or sense from nonfenfe, to their manifeft and great lofs of time, hindrance of bufinefs, and waste of breath, pen, ink and paper, with other grievous and exceffive loffes, damages and injuries: Now know ye, that the abovenamed Solomon Sagebaro, Efq. by virtue of the powers as aforefaid vefted in him, and by authority of the fame, will begin forthwith to try, by the Great Touchstone to his care, cuftody and fafe keeping, for that purpose committed, all matters, difputes, opinions and things, cognizable by the faid court, which fhall be delivered in writing, fealed up, at the office of the aforefaid court of Common Sense, fituate, lying and being, at No. 18, Paternofter Row, in our city of London, in the parish of St. Faith, and Ward of Cheap, on and after Wednesday the 10th day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eightythree; and in the twenty-third year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and fo forth; and the first month of the establishment of the Court of Common Senfe, and decifion, or decree by Touchftone. And whereas doubts may arise as to the perfons and things for and against whom or which the authority of the faid Solomon Sagebaro, and the powers herein before vested in him, fhall or may be deemed or taken to extend: That none may through ignorance lofe the benefit herefrom to be derived, Be it known unto all men, that every cause, matter, difpute or opinion, whether it comes from, or relates to, any Philofopher, Hiftorian, Poet, Politician, Critic, Antiquarian, Lawyer, Phyfician or Divine foever, or any person or perfons fuppofing himself or themselves to be Philofopher or Philofophers, Hiftorian or Hiftorians, Poet or Posts, Politician or Politicians, Critic or Critics, Antiquarian or Antiquarians, Lawyer or Lawyers, Phyfician or Phyficians, or Divine or Divines foever, or that comes from or relates to any perfon or perfons who has or have been puzzled, perplexed, confounded or confufed, by any or either of the aforefaid perfons, or perfons imagining themselves fo to be, as aforefaid, are all and every of them within the purview of this eftablishment, and cognizable by the above-named Solomon Sagebaro, Efq. in the court of Common Senfe aforefaid, under the Touchftone before mentioned and defcribed, as committed to his care, cuftody and fafe-keeping, for the purposes above recited; from whofe decifions no appeal whatever will be allowed, any law, ftatute or ordinance, to the contrary notwithstanding, the faid Solomon Sagebaro, Efq. acting wholly under the influence of the Touchstone aforefaid, and not having any thing at all to do with any laws, ftatutes, rules or ordinances, or any prescribed forms, technical terms, expreffions or phrafes, (which are by many fuppofed to have occafioned no inconfiderable number of the evils which this inftitution is calculated to remedy) except where he the faid Solomon fhall think fit and proper to adopt the fame. GOD fave the KING. The commiffion for the establishment of the court of Common Senfe, and decifion by Touchftone, being thus opened, Solomon Sagebaro for himself faith, That he thinks it neceffary that all whom it may concern fhould three times attentively perufe or liften to it-three readings or hearings, at leaft, being always neceffary for comprehending any inftrument made in due form of law; which is fuppofed to be the reafon why the criers of cer tain courts, commonly called Courts of Juftice, begin with the triple re petition petition of Oyez! meaning, Hear ye! or rather (as it is almost conftantly pronounced, probably left any thing in fuch grave and folemn places fhould unfortunately be at once understood) O yes! which, if it has on thefe occafions any meaning at all, must be explained by thofe who are learned in the law, for the Touchstone pronounces it nonfenfe. But that he who will perhaps have occafion to exprefs his disapprobation of all quirks and quibbles, may not be fufpected of imitating certain very good men on Change, who take care previously to depreciate any commodities in which they mean largely to deal, that they may themselves monopolize them with the more eafe and fecurity, it is thought proper to allow, that Oyez! Oyes! or any other expreffion, provided it begins with an O, and is pronounced three times by a public crier, fhall be held to fignify, Hear! Hear! Hear! Thus intimating, that what is to follow must be particularly attended to by the auditors; as they will only hear once what they might not always understand even were it to be repeated the fame number of times as this kind notice of it's commencement. By the time my readers have made themfelves thoroughly acquainted with the true intent and meaning of what has been already laid before them, they will, no doubt, have had a fufficient fürfeit of the formalities of law; I fhall now, therefore, if they please, endeavour to give them a little common fenfe; in which language, it may be neceffary to obferve, contrary to the practice of other courts, all caufes must be made up and fettled before they are delivered at the office where I have the honour to prefide. When stripped of it's profeffional jargon, the extent of my commiffion, under the inftitution of the Touchftone, will appear to be this: an authority to try, by the Touchstone of Common Senfe, all fuch notions and opinions as have from time to time prevailed in any age or country, among particular bodies of men or individuals, and are fuppofed to be either infufficiently fupported, or abfolutely erroneous. In the difcuffion of the infinite variety of fubjects which this undertaking neceffarily includes, technical terms-quotations from mufty authors-Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Egyptian, Chinefe, and even Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, German and Italian extracts-muft be fparingly ufed; as the Touchftone is fo far from permitting any affertion or opinion to have the fmalleft degree of additional force on thefe accounts, that a want of real argument will, on the contrary, always be fufpected, where any fuch adventitious articles are introduced. Having thus, at laft, given fome idea of the nature of my defign, it will only be neceffary to add, that I fhall publish monthly, under the title of the TouCHSTONE, all fuch causes, fubmitted to my decifion, as are fufficiently interesting for the public eye, * If any critic, or perfon fuppofing himself to be a critic, fhould stop at this place, to make en quiry how I became vested with such authority, and by whom it was granted-I shall beg leave to refer him to the reply of my ancestor, the founder of the ancient family of Sagebaro: who having, in his younger days, had the honour to be diftinguished-under the fole appellation of Solomon--as one of the most active and industrious of those very honest people vulgarly called Gypfies-acquired a fername, for the firft of his generation, on being appointed-in conformity to that excellent adage, Set a Gypfey to catch a Gypfey,'-fagebaro, or juftice, in the reign of Hen. VIII. when this refpectable tribe was rather hardly dealt with; and one of his old acquaintances coming before him, and not experiencing quite fo much favour as he thought their former friendship entitled him to, rudely afking who the Dl made bim a juftice of peace! and fundry other equally impertinent questions was immediately anfwered from the Bench How I came here, never mind; and very shortly after received a Jentence-which was faithfully executed. Certain gentlemen, high in office, are faid to have lately made fimilar replies to fome of their quondam friends; and would, it is fuppofed, have purfued the remainder of my worthy ancestor's conduct, if the law had happily furnished them with fuch excellent opportunities. VOL. III. with with the decrees pronounced by authority of the Touchftone. But, as no appeal from thefe decifions will be allowed, it is not expected that thofe who remain unconvinced fhould be implicitly bound, nolens volens, to adopt what they cannot comprehend; REVIEW AND GUARDIAN OF LITERATURE. AUGUST 1783. ART. I. Obfervations on the Commerce of the American States. With an Appendix; containing an Account of all Rice, Indigo, Cochineal, Tobacco, Sugar, Molaffes, and Rum, imported into and exported from Great Britain the laft Ten Years-Of the Value of all Merchandize imported into and exported from England-Of the Imports and Exports of Philadelphia, New York, &c.-Alfo an Account of the Shipping employed in America previous to the War. 8vo. 3s. Debrett. F OR this important work we are indebted to Lord Sheffield, though the name of that nobleman is not inferted in the title-page of the fecond edition, from which our account is taken. There cannot, however, be the smallest doubt that it is really the performance of his lordship, as his name is fubfcribed to an advertifement prefixed to this edition; and, indeed, it is a production which does him infinite honour, His lordship's conftitutional as well as commercial knowledge feems unbounded; and genuine patriotifm, good fenfe, and philanthropy, are confpicuous throughout the work, Were every member of the legislature half as well informed as Lord Sheffield, we should not fee our parliamentary annals difgraced by accumulated ftatutes, fabricated without the fmallest apparent knowledge of the true principles of thofe regulations on which our ancestors laid the bafis of British liberty and British fplendor, and of courfe too often defroying their best effects. Happy will it yet be for England, if thofe in power adopt the modes which his lordship has prescribed for regulating our commercial interefts! No wild fpeculation, no fpecious theory, has his caufe is that of fubftantial reason, been indulged by the noble writer: and his evidences are the most authentic documents that can poffibly be procured. It may be faid, that Lord Sheffield Obfervations public, in a way more had an opportunity of making his likely to answer his intention than through the channel of the prefs: but his lordship is of opinion that, when stated in his manner, they may be better comprehended and confidered, than if spoken to benches usually almoft empty, except when a ministerial queftion depends.' Thefe invaluable Obfervations open in the following manner. As a fudden revolution-an unprecedented cafe-the independence of America, has encouraged the wildeft fallies of imagination; fyftems have been preferred to experience, rafh theory to fuccefsful practice; and the Navigation Act itself, the guardian of the profperity of Britain, has been almoft abandoned by the levity or ignorance of thofe who have never feriously examined the fpirit or the confequence of ancient rules. Our calmer reflections will foon difcover, that fuch great facrifices are neither requifite nor expedient; and the knowledge of the exports and imports of the American States will afford us facts and principles to afcertain the value of their trade, to foresee their true intereft and probable conduct, and to chufe the wifeft measures (the wifeft are always the moft fimple) for fecuring and improving the benefits of a commercial intercourfe with this foreign and independent nation. For it is in the light of a foreign country that America muft henceforward be viewed-it is the fituation fhe herself has chofen, by afferting her independence; and the whimfical definition of a people fui generis, is either a figure of rhetoric which conveys no diftinct idea, or the effort of cunning to unite at the fame time the advantages of two inconfiftent characters. By afferting their independence, the Americans have renounced the privileges, as well as the duties, of British fubjects-they are become foreign ftates; and if, in fome inftances, as in the lofs of the car rying-trade, they feel the inconvenience of their choice, they can no longer complain; but if they are placed on the footing of the most favoured nation, they muft furely applaud our liberality and friendship, without expecting that, for their emolument, we fhould facrifice the navigation and the naval power of Great Britain. By this fimple, if only temporary expedient, we fhall efcape the unknown mifchiefs of crude and precipitate fyftems, we shall avoid the rafhnefs of hafty and pernicious conceffions, which can never be refumed without provoking the jealoufy, and perhaps not without an entire commercial breach, with the American States. In the youthful ardour of grafp. ing the advantages of the American trade, a bill*, ftill depending, was first introduced into parliament. Had it paffed into a law, it would have affected our moft effential interefts in every branch of commerce, and to every part of the world; it would have deprived of their efficacy our navigation laws, and greatly reduced the naval power of Britain; it would have endangered the repofe of Ireland, and excited the just indignation of Ruffia and other countries+; and the Weft India planters would have been the only subjects of Britain who could derive any benefit, however partial and tranfient, from their open intercourfe directly with the American States, and indirectly with the rest of the world. Fortunately, fome delays have intervened; and, if we diligently ufe the opportunity of reflection, the future welfare of our country may depend on this falutary paufe. Our natural impatience to preoccupy the American market, should perhaps be rather checked than encouraged. The fame eagerness has been indulged by our rival nations; they have vied with each other in pouring their manufactures into America, and the country is already ftocked, most probably overftocked, with European commodities. It is experience alone that can demonftrate to the French or Dutch trader the fallacy of his eager hopes, and that experience will operate each day in favour of the British merchant. He alone is able and willing to grant that liberal credit which must be extorted from his competitors by the rashness of their early ventures; they will foon difcover that America has neither money nor füfficient produce to fend in return, and cannot have for fome time; and not intending or being able to give credit, their funds will be exhausted, their agents will never return, and the ruin of the first creditors will ferve as a lafting warning to their countrymen. The folid power of fupplying the wants of America, of receiving her produce, and of waiting her convenience, belongs almost exclufively to our own merchants. If we can abstain from mifchievous precipitation, we may now learn, what we fhall hereafter *Moved in parliament by the Right Honourable W. Pitt, late chancellor of the Exchequer; entitled, A Bill for the Provifional Establishment and Regulation of Trade and Intercourfe between the Subjects of Great Britain, and thofe of the United States of America.' + To inftance only Ruffia: by treaty fhe is to be confidered as the most favoured nation. She will not eafily be amufed by any ridiculous attempts that may be made to treat the American States other than foreign. Iron from Ruffia pays a duty on importation into this country of 21. 16s. per ton; while iron from America, when a part of the empire, was free from all duty. If we do not put both countries on an equal footing, we may facrifice the beft trade we have.' British goods of feveral The American market is already glutted with European manufactures. kinds were cheaper last year in New York than in London; and the last letters from Philadelphia mention feveral articles 25 per cent. cheaper.* Q 2 feel, |