March, around Copenhagen it is a perfect Paris and London, fpeak of Copenhaplain, of courfe has nothing to recom- gen with rapture. Certainly I have mend it, but cultivation, not, decorati- feen it in a very difadvantageous light, ons. If I fay that the houfes did not fome of the beft ftreets having been difguft me, I tell you all I remember burnt and the whole place thrown into of them; for I cannot recollect any plea confufion. Still the utmoft that can, furable fenfations they excited; or that or could ever, I believe, have been any object, produced by nature or, art, faid in its praife, might be comprised took me out of myself. The view of in a few words. The ftreets are open, the city, as we drew near, was rather and many of the houfes large; but I grand, but without any ftriking fea- faw nothing to roufe the idea of elefure to intereft the imagination, except- gance or grandeur, if I except the ciring the trees which fhade the foot- cus where the king and prince royal paths. refide.

to avoid cenfure, what facrifices are not made by weak minds!

I am perhaps a little prejudiced, as I write from the impreffion of the moment; for I have been tormented to day by the prefence of unruly children, and made angry by fome invectives thrown out against the maternal character of the unfortunate Matilda. She was cenfured, with the most cruel infinuation, for her management of her fon; though, from what I could gather, fhe gave proofs of good fenfe," as well as tenderness in her attention to him. She used to bathe him herself every morning; infifted on his being loofely clad; and would not permit his attendants to injure his digeftion, by humouring his appetite. She was equal

A gentleman, who was a witnefs of the fcene, affured me, likewife, that if the people of property had taken half as much pains to extinguish the fire, as to preferve their valuables and furniture, it would foon have been got under. But they who were not immediately in danger did not exert themfelves fufficiently, till fear, like an electrical fhock, roufed all the inhabitants to a fenfe of the general evil. Even the fire engines were out of order, though the burning of the palace ought to have admonished them of the neceffity of keeping them in conftant repair. But this kind of indolence, refpecting ly careful to prevent his acquiring what does not immediately concern them, feems to characterize the Danes. A fluggish concentration in themselves makes them fo careful to preferve their property, that they will not venture on any enterprise to increase it, in which there is a fhadow of hazard.

Confidering Copenhagen as the capital of Denmark and Norway, I was furprised not to see so much industry or taste as in Chriftiania. Indeed from every thing I have had an opportunity of obferving, the Danes are the people who have made the feweft facrifices to the graces.

The men of bufinefs are domeftic tyrants, coldly immerfed in their own affairs, and fo ignorant of the ftate of other countries, they dogmatically affert that Denmark is the happieft country in the world; the prince royal the beft of all poffible princes; and count Bernftorff the wifeft of minifters.

As for the women, they are fimple notable housewives; without accomplishments, or any of the charms that adorn more advanced focial life. This total ignorance may enable them to fave fomething in their kitchens; but, it is far from rendering them better parents. On the contrary, the children are fpoilt; as they ufually are, when left to the care of weak, indulgent mothers, who having no principle of action to regulate their feelings, become the flaves of infants, enfeebling both body and mind by falfe tender nefs.

haughty airs, and playing the tyrant in leading-ftrings. The queen dowager would not permit her to fuckle him; but the next child being a daughter, and not the heir apparent of the crown, lefs oppofition was made to her difcharging the duty of a mother.

Poor Matilda! thou haft haunted me ever fince my arrival; and the view I have had of the manners of the country, exciting my fympathy, has increased my refpect for thy memory!

I am now fully convinced that the was the victim of the party the difplaced, who would have overlooked, or encouraged, her attachment, had her lover not, aiming at being useful, attempted to overturn fome eftablished abufes before the people, ripe for the change, had fufficient fpirit to fupport him when struggling in their behalf. Such indeed was the afperity fharpened against her, that I have heard her, even after fo many years have elapfed, charged with licentioufnefs, not only for endeavouring to render the public amufements more elegant, but for her very charities, because the erected among other inftitutions, an hofpital to receive foundlings. Difgufted with many cuftoms which pafs for virtues, though they are nothing more than obfervances of forms, often at the expence of truth, the probably ran into an error common to innovators, in withing to do immediately what can only be done by time.

..Many very cogent reasons have been

urged

urged by her friends to prove, that her affection for Struenfee was never car ied to the length alleged againft her, by thofe who feared her influence. Be that as it it may, fhe certainly was not a woman of gallantry; and if fhe had an attachment for him, it did not difgrace her heart or understanding, the king's being a notorious debauchee, and an idiot into the bargain. As the king's conduct had always been directed by fome favourite, they alfo endeavoured to govern him, from a principle of felf-prefervation, as well as a Jaudable ambition; but, not aware of the prejudices they had to encounter, the fyftem they adopted displayed more benevolence of heart than foundness of judgment, as to the charge, fill believed, of their giving the king drugs to injure his faculties, it is too abfurd to be refuted. Their oppreffors had better have accused them of dabbling in the black art; for the potent fpell ftill keeps his wits in bondage.

I cannot defcribe to you the effect it had on me to fee this puppet of a monarch moved by the ftrings which count Bernftorff holds faft; fit, with vacant eye, erect, receiving the homage of courtiers, who mock him with a fhew of refpect. He is, in fact, merely a machine of ftate, to fubfcribe the name of a king to the acts of the government, which to avoid danger, have no value; unless counterfigned by the prince royal; for he is allowed to be abfolutely an idiot, excepting that now and then an obfervation, or trick efcapes him, which looks more like madness than imbecility.

What a farce is life! This effigy of majefty is allowed to burn down to the focket, while the haplefs Matilda was hurried into an untimely grave.

་

familiar and agreeable kind, to be commented upon and difcuffed.

In imitation of this, a philofophic countryman of mine, having invited me, and many others, to an entertainment, took care that certain convivial queftions should be placed under each of our plates. At a fuitable interval we were feverally defired to lift our plates; which, being done, we were agreeably furprifed, and eagerly entered into the fpirit of this new fpecies of amufement.

I, in particular, that this feaft might be recorded as a pleafant example to others, remembered, and wrote down, all the queftions, with their refpective anfwers. They are fuch as follow.

Why are women more talkative than men?

The mouths of women are compared to houfes which have no doors, and at this I do not wonder, fince they are reftrained by no obligations of fecrecy. The difcipline of fecrefy, as it regards the fenate, or any private affairs of the flate, is to them unknown. Female garrulity has every where fuch impunity and licentioufnefs as to fear no cenfor. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that this defect is not peculiar to women, and our own annals afford illuftrious examples of women, who, when exigence required, have been no lefs tenacious of fecrefy than men.

What is the literary world?

It is a kind of fair, full of stalls, ware and fhopkeepers; in which the theologift fells his ftuff, which at the fame time fupplies food and warmth. The critic, his cobweb linen and tranfparent lawn, of no fhelter from the cold. The philologift, his embroidered vefts, Corinthian vafes, and Phrygian marble. The phyfician, letters and fyl lables. The lawyer, men. The alchymift, himself. The poet, fmoke.

As flies to wanton boys, are we to The orator, paint. The hiftorian,

the gods;

They kill us for their sport.'

IT

Curious Queftions.

fame. The natural philofopher, heaven and earth. The antiquarian, old fhoes, &c.

What are the moft rare animals in nature?

T was a very pleasant cuftom which A rich man contented with his forprevailed among the more elegant tune. A man diftinguished by genius, and accomplished Greeks, to propofe and not alfo diftinguished by defects. questions at their entertainments of a. A courtier grown old. A learned man

whe

A LAYMAN.

S to the Old Teftament, who were the authors, or whether each book was written by one perfon, or by a fucceffion of perfons appointed for that purpose among the Jews, it is very immaterial for Chriftians to enquire: our enquiry fhould be, whether thefe things that are written in thofe books (which the Jews alfo have afferted, were written by infpired men) concerning the birth, life and fufferings, of Jefus Chrift, are fulfilled.

The Jews, by Mr. Paine's acknowledgement, "had men ftyled prophets 862 years before Chrift, and from that to 607 years before Chrift;" a fufficient time for prophecies to be written beforehand, to foretel the coming of Chrift and what he fhould fuffer, which fince, being fulfilled; fhew us that their authors, whoever they were, were men infpired by God.

Chriftians got thefe books from the Jews, and the Jews to this day fupport the veracity of thefe books, at leaft thofe of the law of Mofes, the prophets and pfalms, that is the pfalms of David; which we find by Luke xxiv. 44. are thofe books Chriftians are moft concerned with, and principally thofe parts that fpeak of Chrift. Thefe are the writings by which Chriftians prove the Chriftian religion to be the work of Hib. Mag. March, 1795.

God; and although the Jews know this, and fill oppofe the Chriftian religion, yet they perfevere in bearing witness, that thefe books are true and wrote by men infpired by God.

Now let any unprejudiced perfon declare, is not this the work of God, that makes the enemies of Chrift to this day, the chief witneffes to the truth of his religion?

As I am neither a clergyman or a Jew, I leave it to them to answer all that Mr. Paine has written concerning thefe books; (if they think it worth their while,) as I hurry on to remark on what he has written on the New Teftament, a book I am better acquainted with than the old, and fhall only take notice of thofe parts of the old, that Mr. Paine fays, has not been fulfilled, or that the event did not agree with the prediction, or that contradict themfelves. But firft let me juft add a few words to what Mr. Paine fays of a paffage in Ifaiah, and then he will be right in his obfervation, viz. Mr. Paine fays: "The latter part of the 44th chap. and the beginning of the 45th of Ifaiah, could only be written by fome perfon who lived at leaft 150 years after Ifaiah," (now add) unless he was a prophet; and this will make his obfervation true. Mr. Paine feems to be' ignorant, that God calleth thefe things which be not, as though they were: fee Rom. iv. 17. Mr. Paine's Religion of Nature, has not taught him, that God would be an imperfect being, un-* lefs he was omnifcient: but fince he is a perfect being, he therefore is omnifcient, and has a right to fpeak of things to come, as if they were prefent.

"The predicton Ifa. 7. 14. (Mr. P. fays) refers wholly to Ahaz, and was intended to promife the defeat of his enemies; inftead of which they fuc ceeded, in their enterprize, and took Jerufalem, fee 2 Chron. xxviii." FanIwer Mr. Paine is mistaken. The prediction, Ifaiah vii. 14. is given as a fign to the houfe of David, fee the 13th verfe, and not being fulfilled untill Chrift was born, when the prediction was fully verified, even to the words "ending the 16th verfe, fhews it was not given as a fign to Ahaz, for he had reGg

fufed