gard for her. Few, very few women equalled her in knowledge: by which, it is not to be understood, that she was skilled in the learned languages; though there are reafons for conjecturing that fhe was not wholly ignorant of the Latin tongue in the former part of her life. By this expreflion is meant that general acquaintance with men and things, which conftitutes the moft ufc ful part of human knowledge. She understood French and Italian, and her skill in geography was uncommon. She knew the relative fituation of almost every place on the globe. Nor was the lefs acquainted with magnetifm, and the powers of the lodeftone. The inftruments which her father invented to afcertain his fancied difcoveries remained in her poffeffion till fhe died. Though her acquifitions were generally of the mafculine kind, yet he was nothing defective in the female branches of domestic management and economy. Nor was her knowledge tinctured with the leaft degree of formality or affectation, which is too commonly the cafe with female fophifts. Her tafte for literature was pure and penetrating. Her reading was by no means confined to the ferious ftyle, fhe perufed, with equal pleasure, all works of imagination. Thofe who were only flightly acquainted with her, and only occafion FOR THE ally in her company, were always furprifed at the little difadvantage under which the feemed to labour, from her want of fight; as fhe could affist herfelf with fo much cafe and readiness, that the required little attendance. Her moral and religious character was most exemplary. In friendthip fhe was unfhaken; and thofe who confulted her, found a most found and zealous advifer in all affairs. Some allowances must be made for her temper, which had been embittered in early life by misfortunes, and it is not wonderful if it was rendered fomewhat peevish by her fituation, and the infirmities of age and conftitution, at a more advanced period, 66 uncommon To this imperfect account of fo excellent and extraordinary woman, let the expreffive words of a lady who had many years known her intimately, and who holds her memory in the highest eftimation, be added, by way of conclufion: She was a perfon extremely interefting; he had an firmnefs of mind, a boundless curiofity, retentive memory, and strong judgement. She had various powers of pleafing: her perfonal afflictions and flender fortune the feemed to forget when he had the power of doing an act of kindnefs; fhe was focial, chearful, and active in a ftate of body that was truely deplorable." LONDON MAGAZINE. CONVERSATION. Men, fome to bufinefs, fome to pleasure take; MR. EDITOR, Pore. B. works, will fully juftify, and he certainly merited the chaftifement he once received, on that account, from the hands of an offended female. If women are of a difpofition, gay, lively, and chearful, they are then cenfured as bold, forward, and affuming; if they are thoughtful and referved, they have then the epithets beflowed on them of prudes, mopes, and poor things: fo that, however prudent and confiftent their conduct may be, they are fure to fall 3 X under under the lash of fome male tongue, which is accustomed to utter nothing but flander. I mean not, however, to draw all mankind under this defcription: I allude only to thofe pretty, smirkling, smooth-faced foplings, whofe company is more dangerous to a woman's reputation than to her virtue. Such poor creatures as thefe, the thoughtless part of the world confider as proper companions for the ladies, because they are too effeminate to keep the company of men, their whole converfation turning on the propriety and impropriety of female fafhions. One of thefe fribbles will entertain a woman for an hour on the efficacy of a newly-invented cofmetic, and will hold a long differtation on the properly placing of a patch in the center of perfection. Put, furely, the cenfures of thefe beardlefs boys, thefe little miffes in breeches, are beneath my attention. I fall, therefore, addrefs myfelf to thofe beings who are worthy of the title of men, and who will ceafe to cenfure our fex, when they are candidly reminded of the obligations they owe us. If fome women have deferved the character of rakes, is it not the men who have made them fuch? The generality of men have fome bufinefs or particular occupation to command their attention, while women in a genteel line of life have little elfe to do than to amufe themselves in the moft pleafing manner they can; and, if this is confined within the bounds of innocence, they ought to be free from cenfure. Prudent and fenfible men are always ready to acknowledge, that the company of women frequently keeps an ad affembly alive, which would otherwife be dull and heavy; and, indeed, what are all parties of pleafure, unless women form a part of them? The com pany of a prudent and fenfiole woman is frequently a check on the querulous and impetuous temper of fome men, who, out of respect to the daughters of Venus, are prevailed on to be peaceable and quiet, if not arable and goodnatured. Why women fhould not delight in innocent pleafures, as well as men, even the pettish Mr. Pope has never attempted or condefcended to tell us. If we take a candid review of fociety in general, I am fure it will be acknowledged, that when a large company of men are affembled together, among whom women are not mitted, that their converfation generally confiits of noife, nonfenfe, and obfcenity; and this confequently proves, how neceffary the fociety of women is, to refine the tafte, preferve the morals, and regulate the converfation of mankind. Though it must be confeffed, that every woman is not formed by nature and education to enliven fociety, yet the fame objection will be against numberlefs men; and whatever may be advanced against women, may be fully proved against the oppofite fex. I would, therefore, with, that idle prejudices and cenfures against women may ceafe, and that they may hold the fame rank in fociety as men, as far as the delicacy of their fex will admit, fince, without the company of women, fociety would foon languish, and man become a dull, infipid, and helpless animal. AMELIA. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, Alcaic ftanza, and the first word of the fourth were omitted in the quotation, or elfe to have fuppofed the paffage to labour under an hopeless corruption. Both fuppofitions are equally erroneous. They do not feem to have confidered that the firft fyllable of var is always long. Theocritus, Idyll. XXII. 17. Αλλ' εμπης υμείς τε και εκ βυθύς εληέλε Το μεν γαρ ενθεν κύμα κυλινδεία The omiffion of s' in the fecond line Λαίφος δε παν αδήλον ήδη, and again, in the fame author: Μελιχρον, αυταρ αμφι κορσα Horace invariably inferts a Spondee in this place, as "Non vultus inftantis tyranni.” It is needlefs to accumulate examples. Thus eafily, and without any vio lence, are thefe verfes reflored to the metrical exactners in which they were left by Alceus. The lines are very beautiful, and it is much to be lamented, that the rest of the poem is loft. It was probably from this original, that Horace, who conftantly imitates the Greeks, was indebted for the XIVth Ode of the Firft Book, if fuch an inference may be drawn from the following lines of it, which feem to refer to this fragment: "Nonne vides, ut Nudum remigio latus, Poffint imperiofius quor? Non tibi funt integra lintea." Francis has not been very happy in his tranflation: "Behold thy naked decks: the southern blast, The chifling of the wind is not in the I have long withed to fee a Magazine conducted on fuch a plan as you have adopted, that fcholars might be induced to communicate their corrections of crrors, and their explanations of difficulties to the literary world, when they are not of fufficient magnitude to form an Epiftola Critica. Witch beft withes for the fuccefs of and from another fragment preferved your ingenious mifcellany, I remain by Atheneus: Ω Βάκχε, Φαρμακον δ' αρισον, Your's, &c. GRÆCULUS. FOR THE LONDON MAGAZINE. HINTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF POLITICAL TROPES. N thefe ftrange times, it cannot man. From the fecretary on the bench to the cobler in the ftall, you hear nothing but treaties, bills, reforms, 3 X 2 votes, votes, cenfures, and debates. If you affume the haughtinefs of a courtier, and dwell in the inmoft parts of St. James's, you find yourfelf at the helm of government, and if you take the fwiftnefs of a pigeon, and fly to the uttermoft parts of Whitechapel, you have reafon to wonder his Majefty does not chufe his privy counfellors from behind the counter, and create fecretaries and firit lords from grocers and firft fidlers. No fituation can confine the lingue-motive abilities of men. You have chancellors and lawyers where the world fees only chandlers and labourers, and the national debt is often paid by an inhabitant of the King's-Bench. As the general converfation of mankind turns incefiantly upon one topic, we are not to wonder if trope, metaphor, and fimile fhould often appear. We are not to wonder that all the flowers, and even all the weeds, trees, forefts, and blighted fruit of rhetoric fhould appear. The new fpapers, thofe fovereign cordials to a political mind, thofe epifpaftics to the fluggish blood, and inert nerves of Englithmen, generally dictate the opinions of the day. Ruminating last night, in my gown and flippers, on thefe weighty concerns, I could not help thinking that he might do a fervice to the public who fhould reduce political language to fome ftandard, and arrange the metaphors of politics in a certain regular progrefs. My abilities I confefs, are woefully unequal to the task; my political career has been but fhort, nor have I performed many of thofe feats which diftinguith the forward patriots of the day. I never destroyed above one fleet, nor captured Jamaica above twice. I made only three arrangements of minitry previous to the laft change, and I do not remember that I ever proceeded further in liquidating the national debt, than by propofing to annihilate it. Twice, indeed, I impeached a certain noble lord, and I conquered America for near two months. But, alas! thefe are but trifling fervices, and how my practice to have been but fcanty. I hall, therefore, content inyfelf with throwing out a few loofe Fints concerning my intended plan of arranging the metaphors of politics, to do which we must confider what the moft common metaphors are. First, Mr. Editor, government is compared to a SHIP. Hence we hear of the helm, which I take to be the Treafury Bench. Storms are not unfrequent, alfo, particularly the dreadful hurricanes of contrary winds, and it is a remarkable property of those winds, that they blow from all quarters at once. Thus a few weeks ago, they blowed from the eaft, and from the north, from the weft, and from the fouth, and had not the master of the veffel called all hands on deck, and promifed to promote them, it is an hundred to one but the veel muft have foundered. Eefides ftorins from without, the reffel fometimes fprings a leak, and if the mariners are not able to ftop it, the proprietors of the fhip impute it to their negligence, and difmifs them from their fervice. This metaphor of the fhip is not unfrequent, but it is rather unfortunate, as we hear often of her having more fail than ballaft, that the mariners fometimes run her afhore, or turn pirates and injure the proprietors. Befides, in fome cafes, he has trufted more to her guns than to the fair custom of trade, and not unfrequently (but let this be among ourselves, Mr. Editor) her bills of lading are made up from falfe eftimates. At prefent, fince the peace, fhe is laid up in dock, and they are bufied in repairing her. Very good judges pronounce that she wears exceeding well, and only wants careful hands to man her. Secondly, Government has been compared to a HORSE. Hence we hear of the reins of government. I do not profefs myfelf to be enamoured of this inetaphor. As a borje government has often flung his rider, and no fooner did he arrive at the goal of peace than he fell down on his knees, and was beat and bruifed by the other horfes in the courfe, particularly by a French horfe, remarkable for his fwiftnefs in running. At prefent, miniftry seem likely enough to keep the faddle, as they have got a new invention of Indian tirrups. Much will depend on the horfe's horfe's moving in an equable pace. The galloping during the American war was certainly detrimental, and he was diftanced in every heat. The knowing ones never, indeed, were fo palpably taken in, the reafon of which I take to be, that the rider did not know the use of the bridle, and just as he was turning to ride home, an Irish rogue came behind and cut off his tail, on purpofe to make chair-bottoms for the grand convention. At prefent cropped horfes are in fafhion, and it must be confeiled our horfe is not fingular, for he feems cropped of all his fenfes. Thirdly, and lastly, for I wifh not to be tedious, government is compared to a BODY. Hence we hear of the conftitution, and that miniftry could not ftomach this or that, and that they had digefted this or that bill. According to this metaphor, it appears that bleeding has been repeatedly employed to cure the difeafes of this conftitution, but that instead of curing it has increafed the malady, and brought on a weaknefs that threatens a fpeedy diffolution. The reafon of this was not that bleeding was abfolutely improper, but it was taken from a wrong part of the body. nay, The cephalic vein, which goes to the head, fhould have been pricked, inflead of which they opened the vellels in the lower extremities, and let out fuch a quantity of blood, as to weaken the tone of the ftomach; a fevere mortification was the confequence, and the limb was obliged to be amputated; nor was this amputation well performed, for the furgeon cut off more than was neceflary; fome are of opinion, that the limb might have been faved, had they applied lenetives before theftarlet fever took place. The food by which the conftitut on is upheld has often been complained of. Tender ftomachs, fuch as those of convalefcents, cannot bear strong meats, the receipt tax, for inftance, although twice ferved up in different fhapes, does not agree with the ftomach, producing windy complaints. Reform bills, too, are rather high feafoned, and increafe the bulk of the body without adding to its ftrength. The ufe of tea has often proved detrimental, particularly in the year 1775, when the patient voided a large quantity of blood. Different modes of cure are now adopted. Some are for epipaftics, to cure the lethargic ftate of the folids, and others are for leaving all to nature, having but little courage to attempt a new mode. Some ufe bitters made up in budgets, but they generally produce bad effects. Others are for indulging the patient in all his different longings, jult as unhappy perfons who have habituated their conttitution to fpirits are obliged at length to increafe their dofe, and find that nature cannot do without it. Thefe, Mr. Editor, may ferve as fpecimens of metaphorical difcourfes, which are held in all fashionable places of political refort. My reafon for withing that the metaphors were fludied and properly arranged is, that they are often abfurdly mixed. For instance, the hip and the harfe are often joined, and fometimes we hear of the ship and the members, and the horse all in one. We are likewife often at a lofs to know how to tranflate plain language into metaphorical. Ex. Gr. Is the receipt tax a vomit, or a blifter? Is it a part of the horse-whip, or a tirrup? Is it a part of the ballaft, or only part of the cabin ftores? The India bills too--are they ftrengtheners or purgers? Are they hors for the hore, or a bridle, or are they, which I fufpect to be the caft, a new faddle? Are they port-beles for minifterial guess, or oating batteries for oppofition? Hinc ille lacryme! These, Mr. Editor, are alarming difficulties, I know not what your learned men are about, but I cannot help faying that it is the duty of fome of them to apply their minds to this fubject. The great importance of it appears from this, that when we are difpofed to cenfure government, we may ufe the language of metaphor, without danger of Lofing our ears, or being confined in Newgate, whereas, if we ufe plain language, we may endanger our lives, fortunes, and liberty, nay, even that most important of all fpecies of liberty, the liberty of eating, fo dear and fo grateful to the feelings of an Englishman. That |