Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

ears to their foftly flowing accents. As to the ftate of learning in this city, you know I have not been long enough in it to form a proper judgment of that fubject. I don't think, however, there is as much respect paid to a man of letters on this fide the water as you imagine. I don't find that genius, the "rath primrofe, which forfaken, dies," is patronized by any: of the nobility, fo that writers of the firft talents are left to the capricious patronage of the public. Notwithstanding this difcouragement, literature is cultivated in a high degree. Poetry raifes her enchanting voice to Heaven. Hiftory arrests the wings of time in his flight to the gulph of oblivion. Philofophy, the queen of arts, and the daughter of heaven, is daily extending her intellectual empire. Fancy sports on airy wing like a meteor on the bofom of a fummer cloud, and even Metaphyfics fpins her cobwebs and catches fome flies. The House of Commons not unfrequently exhibits explofions of eloquence, that rife fuperior to thofe of Greece and Rome, even in their proudest days. Yet after all a man will make more by the figures of arithmetic than by the figures of rhe: toric, unless he can get into the trade wind, and then he may fail fecure over pactolean fands. As to the ftage, it is funk, in my opinion, into the lowest degree; I mean with regard to the trafh that is exhibited on it, but I don't attribute this to the taste of the audience, for when Shakespeare warbles his "native wood notes," the boxes, pit, and gallery, are crowded-and the Gods are true to every word, if properly winged to the heart.

"Soon after my arrival in town, I vifited Westminster Abbey; the moment I entered I felt a kind of awe pervade my mind, which I cannot defcribe; the very filence feemed facred. Henry the Seventh's chapel is a very fine piece of Gothic architecture, particularly the roof, but I am told that it is exceeded by a chapel in the Univerfity of Cambridge. Nightingale's monument has not been praised beyond

Mrs.

its merit. The attitude and expreffion of the hufband, in endeavouring to fhield his wife from the dart of death, is natural and affecting. But I always thought that the image of death would be much better reprefented with an extinguifhed torch, inverted, than with a dart. Some would imagine that all these monuments were fo many monuments of folly I don't think fo; what useful leffons of mortality and found philofophy do they not exhibit. When the high-born beauty furveys her face in the polished parian, though dumb the marble, yet it tells her that it was placed to guard the remains of as fine form, and as fair a face as her own. They fhew befides how anxious we are to extend our loves and friendship beyond the grave, and to fnatch as much as we can from oblivion-fuch is our natural love of immortality; but it is here that letters obtain the nobleft triumphs; it is here that the fwarthy daughters of Cadmus may hang their trophies on high, for when all the pride of the chiffel, and the pomp of heraldry yield to the filent touches of time, a fingle line, a half worn-out infcription, remain faithful to their truft. Bleft be the man, that first introduced thefe ftrangers into our iflands, and may they never want protection or merit. I have not the leaff doubt, that the fineft poem in the English language, I mean Milton's I Penferofo, was compofed in the long refounding ifle of a mouldering cloifter or ivy'd abbey. Yet after all, do you know that I would rather fleep in the fouthern corner of a little country church yard, than in the tomb of the Capulets. I fhould like, however, that ny duft thouid mingle with kindred duft. The good old expreflion, "Family burying-ground," has fomething pleafing in it, at least to me. I am glad that Dr. Sheridan is returned, and determined to spend the reft of his days in your quarter. I fhould fend him fome Botanic writings, which I have in view, if I were not certain that the Irish Hippocrates would rather read nature in

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

her own works; with what pleasure I have feen him trace the delicate texture of a lily, and exclaim with the God in humanity, that " Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of thofe," and you know that our lilies are fairer than new fallen fnow. I am extremely forry that any dispute fhould arife betwixt you and your brother-in-law; he is, I know, a little hot-headed, efpecially when he takes a glass, and I am afraid he leans a little too much to the focial can. Mr. Peyton, however, is a peace maker, and I am fure, if the whole was laid before him, that he would fettle it to your fatisfaction, and the fooner the better. You are quite miftaken when you think I don't admire Plutarch, I prefer his writings to thofe of any other.-Sacra femper excipio, quæ in fummá arce locare fas eft & æquum nunquam non in manibus habende.

"Mr. Balfe fets out for Germany in the fpring, on a vifit to his uncle, who is now in Vienna. The General is very rich, and advancing in years, fo that it is probable when he is called to repofe on his laurels, that his nephew will be his heir, and I need not tell you that he is worthy of it. I expect, in a day or two, to be introduced to Mifs Woffington, our country-woman. She is rapidly rifing into theatric fame; I could wifh to publifh a few anecdotes of her. She is of low origin, it is true, but talents and nature often avenge themfelves on fortune in this refpect. The roses of Florida fpring out of the finest foil, they are the fairest in the universe, but they emit no fragrance. I recollect that the read her recantation in a little country church, fomewhere in the county of Cavan. Mr. Fleming of Stahalmuck, wrote fome verfes on that occafion. I wifh you could procure a copy of them for me as foon as poffible. I alfo wifh that you could procure fome anecdotes of Mr. Brooke, author of the juftly celebrated tragedy of Guftavus Vafa."

The remainder of this letter touches on fome of Mr. Smith's family affairs, which would not be proper to publifh.

That the Reader may judge of the epiftolary ftile of Mr. Burke's correfpondent, it may not be unacceptable to infert the anfwer.

MY GOOD SIR,

"I once read of a King of Spain, Alphonfus, I think, who was cured of a dangerous disease by reading a paffage in Livy. Your kind letter had much the fame effect on me, for my fpirits were fo low the moment I received it, that it is not in the power of words to defcribe my fituation; but scarce had I read fix lines, when my heart began to emerge, and the fun fhone as bright as ever, and if you pity a poor dealer in Syntax, buried alive, I may fay, write to me as often as you can. My fchool is on the increase, it is true, but the people are fo poor that they cannot pay. I have thirteen Latin fcholars, at a crown a quarter, and fix and twenty in writing and figures. I have taken a little farm, of about five acres, fo that betwixt the cultivation of my fields, and that of the tender mind, I have very little time on my hands, or my feet, I may fay, for fometimes I mingle in the dance. As to Greek, there is no attention paid to it in this quarter. Laft week I endeavoured to prevail on, Mr. Johnfon to permit me to give his nephew a few leffons in the language of Heaven. He faid he had no objection, if I could affure him that it would enable Jack to buy a cow or a horse to more advantage. Having caft his eye on a Greek book, which I had in my hand, What, faid he, would you have my nephew spend his time in learning thefe pot-hooks and hangers? Thus you fee how learning is prized in this part of the world; and from your own account, I don't find that the Mules are he'd in fuch high eftimation in England, which I was early taught to confider as the feat of

arms and arts. What, then, is to become of their votaries?-neglected, and I am afraid defpifed!You'll forgive me, I feel myself fo uneafy and depreffed as often as I think on this matter, that I can. not help dropping a tear on my books-the only fource and companions of my folitary hours, fo that you fee we have little caufe to boaft of the triumph of letters over the breathing marble, or the proudeft trophies of war. Yet I join with you in bleffing the memory of the man that firft introduced the fwarthy daughter of Cadmus into thefe iflands. I think I can recollect fome lines on this fubject in the form of an ænigma, which, perhaps, you have not seen.

Bis venere novem juvenes ad mania noftra
Ex aliis, huc ad nos rediere, locis:
Confpicui forma, pariles florentibus annis,
Attamen his minime par decor oris adeft.
Nil eft egregia quod dicas de effe cohorti,
Quam quod non potis eft edere lingua
Non illis vox eft, fed fecum quemque godales fonos.
Ducunt, ex his, ut verba loquantur, habent;
Submoto nullum dicunt interprete verbum,

Orbe fed eft toto gloria magna verûm.

Whilft I am on this interefting fubject, I am forry to tell you that our old Irifh bard, who could conduct those nymphs through all the myftic mazes of poetic dance, refigned his tuneful breath laft week. I accompanied his remains to the grave. He has left me all his manuscripts, and I fhall felect some of the finest paffages of them for you, and tranflate them for you as well as I can.

My school-house was levelled with the ground last week in a storm;-Boreas, of true Ruffian descent, pays very little refpect to learning. The neighbours, however, affembled the next day, and raifed me a new one, on a more pleafing fcite, fo that my bare-footed pupils are quite happy, as it is better

« PreviousContinue »