nonpareil and golden pippins are delicious. Not a ball room but rings when a widow enters; the buz runs, have you seen the widow, that's the widow, why don't you attack the widow, fhe is a charming widow, here's a bumper to the widow."

It is a fact, though a melancholy one, to the rifing beauties of this happy ifle, that fmiling fifteen are kept unnoticed for the widow of fifty.

The world are ill-natured enough to fay, there is no old woman in this falhionable age. And how, my good Mr. Printer, fhould they wish to look like grandmothers, when the charming fellows pay them fuch adoration? their vows of love are like a hotbed, and make us fpring afresh in all the liveliness of your juvenile beauties; there is not one of us but is thirty years younger than we were ten years ago, and can dance, make love fonnets, and figh as plaintive as when we first fet our faces to the land of matrimony. Well, let the girls fret, read novels, and be romantic; I pity them poor things. But what is pity? why, it is all we have to give; for our fuccefs has fo outpaced our moft fanguine wifhes, that half of us are mad with joy, and I fuppofe you will think I am one of the number. Yours, &c.

Winchester, Jan. 25. 1787.

A WIDOW.

For the COUNTY MAGAZINE.

ТНЕ

NATURAL HISTORY

OF THE

HUMAN MIND.

IDEA is a consciousness or recognition | founds are to the deaf, as if they did not of the motion excited in the brain by a exift; because they are incapable of receiv particular object, and imparted to the ing any ideas from them. mind, in a manner which we cannot account for.

Some have imagined, that the picture of an object painted on the retina is alfo painted on the brain, and is thus perceived by the mind; but it is now more generally believed, that all external impreffions made on the nerves of the organs of fenfe, excite perception in the mind, by merely producing a correfponding motion or change in the brain; fo that an idea is only the fign of the impreffion, and not the impreffion itself.

Ideas are either fimple, as those which are excited by our feeing one colour only; or compound, as when I view a man, conceive the complex idea of his head, limbs, colour of his clothes, &c.

Ideas may alfo be divided into thofe of fenfation, being impreffions made through our five fenfes; and thofe of reflexion, being fuch ideas of fenfation as present themfelves to the imagination, or are recalled by the memory; as when I perceive in the mind's eye the perfon of an abfent friend, or recollect when and where I saw him laft.

Mr. Locke afferts, contrary to fome foreign philofophers, that we have no innate ideas; but that the mind of a new born infant is a mere blank; and that our ideas are formed from impreffions received through the eye, ear, &c. I have already remarked, that ideas of reflexion are derived from thofe of fenfation. Our fenfes do not impress the brain with the fame perception of the fame object; and it is only by experience that the mind forms a true idea of its qualities: an infant, or a perfon born blind, who had been reftored to fight, when they view a portrait for the first time, will conceive that it projects from the canvas, until by the feel Athey find it does not.

From a Work juft publifhed, entitled, Philofophical and Medical Sketch of the Natural Hiftory of the Human Body and Mind. By J. M. ADAIR, M. D.

The celebrated Mr. Boyle tells us, that a man who was born blind, and confequently could have no juft idea of colour, being told that fcarlet was a vivid and fplendid colour, expreffed his idea of it, by refembling it to the found of a trumpet: thus a deficiency of one fense rendered the idea imperfect and abfurd..

It is therefore reasonable to fuppofe, that if we had been endowed with other fenfes than those we have at prefent, our perceptions and ideas would have been very different; for there is no abfolute neceffity in the nature of things, that we should not perceive or know things otherwife than we do at prefent; or, having other fenfes fuperadded to the prefent, we fhould not perceive the magnetic, electric, or aerial fluids, as clearly as we now do water and fire. So on the other hand, light and colours are to the blind, and

In contemplating the objects and circumftances of perception, we are to con fider them in a certain order.

ift, The external object, with its genuine attributes: e. g. a tree.

zdly, Their impreffions on the organs of fenfe; the picture of a tree, painted on the retina, at the bottom of the eye..

3dly, The corporeal effect of thofe impreffions conveyed to the brain: as when the image of the tree makes a correfponding motion on the brain.

4thly, The representation or idea of this motion conveyed to the mind.

It is probable, as the celebrated author* of Alciphron remarks, that thefe circumftances are arbitrary, not neceffary; for that the Supreme Being might, for example, have ordained that Scarlet fhould have been otherwise painted on the retina; and confequently, that it should make a different impreffion on the brain, and excite a different idea in the mind."

Though we perceive only the figns of things, and not the things themselves, we cannot be led into error, provided fimilar perceptions are excited in the minds of all men by the fame causes: which would not be the cafe, if the mind conceived, by means of the fight, that a portrait is a convex, folid body; whereas the touch determines it to be a plane.

The mind does not perceive all impreffions, but only thofe which are either strong, or are leaft familiar to us, and confequently moft ftriking. Thus, though refpiration or breathing is an act of the will, yet we do not, in general, attend to it; because the mind is habituated to it, though we have the power of perceiving it when we pleafe. Hence it is, that the attention of the mind being lefs engaged by flight impreffions, it is left more at liberty to perceive thote which are more important.

ATTENTION is that effort of the mind by which it applies itfelf intenfely to the contemplation of an impreffion, fo long as the representation of it continues, excluding all others. The attention is more ftrongly engaged by objects of fight, than thofe of the other fenfes; and therefore they make the strongest impreffions on the imagination.

MEMORY is that faculty of the mind by which we retain the ideas of impreffion after the object is removed.

Those things are always retained longeft and moft forcibly, which most ftrongly engage the attention. It is more than probable that the brain, and not the mind, is

Dr. Berkley, Bishop of Cloyne.

the feat of memory; and that strong impreffions are, as it were, deeply and indelibly engraved on the fubftance of the brain; whilft thofe that are flight leave no impreffion at all.

The memory is ftrongest between the 8th and 50th years of life; after that period the brain becoming more firm in its texture, it does not retain recent impreffions fo ftrongly as thofe which have been long stored up in the mind. It is perhaps for this reafon, that aged perfons are fond of recapitulating circumftances which occurred in the earlier periods of life.

The inftances of the ftrength of memory are almoft incredible. A very near relation of mine could, when a boy, repeat verbatim, one of Archbishop Tillotson's fermons after one reading. The celebrated Scaliger committed to memory the works of Homer in twenty-one days; and the other Greek poets in four months. Muller of Leipfick acquired, and perfectly retained, twenty different languages; and the famous Magliabecchi retained moft exactly the contents of any manuscript after one perufal.

There are many wonderful circumftances refpecting the retentive faculty, which are inexplicable.

The mind has a power of recalling the traces of former impreffions, provided they are entire and fufficiently ftrong; and, in this cafe, the mind is confcious that it has recalled them from the memory; but if they are weak, they recur without any remembrance of their fource.

Sometimes ideas obtrude themselves fpontaneously, repeatedly, and painfully, upon the mind; nor can it difmifs them at will. This is one great fource of human mifery; and as reafon has very little power to counteract thofe painful impreffions, the attention ought to be diverted by other ftrong and more agreeable impreffions: hence the benefit of change of place, amufements, and fometimes interefting occupations of the mind, to those who are depreffed by grief, or labour under fuch corporeal maladies as excite painful fenfations in the mind; and much relief has been tained by oppofing a paffion of a contrary nature to that which predominates.

tificial or arbitrary figns being too few for
the purpose.

The memory is improved or weakened
by our mode of life: it is improved by a
regimen of vegetables and water, as I have
myfelf experienced; and it is weakened by
a ftimulating diet. A perfon had an amaz-
ing memory until he was thirty; he then
began to drink wine, and his memory failed
him exceedingly.

and it very much imports man, whose days are few, and full of evil, that, as he has, in fome degree, the power of felecting his ideas, he fhould not be fo totally engroffed by thofe ideas of fenfation, which, though commonly deemed pleafurable, are generally unprofitable, as not to call up and arreft thofe reflex ideas which may afford rational and permanent employment to the mind.

Difeafes, thofe of the head efpecially, often impair, or totally deftroy the memory. A NOTIONS are thofe ideas which are perfon, after a violent fever, could not re- formed by abftraction, which is that effort collect the letters of the alphabet, or even of the mind by which we feparate a part his own name. Sometimes the ftrongest from the whole; as the quality of blackand moft agreeable ideas are retained, whilft nefs, when I think of a negroe, indepenthe reft are loft: a musician, after a fit of dent of the circumftances of form, charac illness, retained his mufical ideas, but forgot ter, &c. in which he is not different from every thing elfe. We are told by Thucy- other men. Mankind, in the various stages dides, that during the prevalence of the of focial improvement, have invented maplague in Attica, feveral of those who re- nifold figns or means of expreffing their covered were found to have loft their me- abftract ideas, as words, writing, hieroglymory. Violent head-aches, apoplexy, ex-phics, printing, &c. The human mind, pofure to violent heats, and a variety of in its prefent ftatc of existence, is fo conother caufes, have injured the memory; nected with, and clogged by the body, which, on the caufes being removed, has that we are fcarcely, if at all, able to abbeen restored. Even in health fome per- ftract the idea of quality from that of matfons have alternately loft and recovered ter. Thus, if I attempt to form the abtheir memory, at certain intervals, without ftract notion of whitenefs, ftrength, &c. I any affignable caufe. Sometimes from difcannot separate them from one or other of eafe; thus a perfon, who by a blow on the thofe things with which I have found them head was entirely deprived of his memory; connected; as a white wall, a black dog, when his health was reftored, recovered the a ftrong horfe, &c. Nor can we even abrecollection of circumftances which had ftract moral qualities entirely and precifely occurred many years before, but none of from matter; hence it is that the all-wife, recent tranfactions. good, powerful, and immaterial Author of the universe has been reprefented by fuperftition under a corporeal form; and from this defect of the mind image-worship took its rife.

On diffecting a man who had loft his memory, the brain was found to be dry, hard, and even friable; and that part of it from whence the nerves proceeded, was dry and shrunk,

Some very old perfons are not only deftitute of memory, but of defire or appetite, even for food. The great Duke of Marlborough, and the celebrated Dean Swift, are faid to have been mere ftrulbugs fome time before they died.-Such is the lot of exalted talents and fuperior genius!

Ideas feem to thruft out each other when the memory is, as it were, overloaded; as ob-happens to men who read on a variety of fubjects in quick fucceffion.

fent ideas.

ASSOCIATION is that faculty by which ideas are connected which have no intimate relation thus, when I think of a perfon, his place of abode, family, friends, &c.

are apt to recur to my memory.

IMAGINATION is fo far different from memory, that the latter only recalls the figns, whereas imagination recalls the fenfations themselves; and the impreffions on the mind are confequently much more vivid and strong.

An early habit of arrangement improves been remarked, that many impreffions are SUCCESSION OF IDEAS. It has already These faculties of the mind, therefore, the memory. The late celebrated Baron are diftinct. Some men have strong meHaller, who was a prodigy of learning, the memory: it is by the fucceffion of ideas the imagination is ftrong, but the memory fo flight as fcarcely to leave any traces on mories, but weak imaginations; in others tells us, that it was his practice from early that we eftimate time and duration; hence weak; and they are not often united in the youth to commit what he read to paper, it is that time feems to move rapidly or by claffes, orders, &c. fame perfon. Memory may make a man Some of the human race have been found lowly according to the nature of our pre-learned, but imagination makes the poet. deftitute of memory. Thus Madame Le The immortal Shakespeare, who, though ftrongly, as that they cannot be diftinBlanc, the wild girl found in France, and Imagination may reprefent fenfations fo a Polifh boy caught in the woods, after thelefs a moft intimate, and, as it were, in- preffions; thus, after hearing the found of no fpeculative metaphyfician, had neverno fpeculative metaphyfician, had never-guifhed from the firft and immediate imthey were taught to speak, could give no account of their former life; becaufe, hav-tuitive knowledge of the human mind, has preffions; thus, after hearing the found of a bell for fome time, the found seems still ing been deftitute of the ufe of fpecch, the admirably reprefented thofe circumftarces to remain upon the ear after it has ceafed. mind could not be impreffed with any notions that could affift the memory; the ar

I

which influence the fucceffion of our ideas:*

As You Like it.

E e 2

If the traces of a sensation are very strong, they are often equal to a new and prefent

2127 Mcad, Cyder, Vinegar, and Whilft warring waves and ratling wind

flow fire till they have boiled about fix times. Great care is neceffary left it boil over. If any furf appear at the top, skim off with a filver spoon; any other metal it fubitance whatever will destroy the effect; then throw in three grains of common falt, and an ounce of camphire, and let the whole cool in the open air: fcoop out a hole an inch deep in a pumpkin or melon, which fill with the above mixture, and close the hole, leaving a small orifice for the infertion of fome touch-paper: light one end of the touch-paper, and remove immediately to the diftance of ten yards: smoke will firft iffue out, then a blue flame, about three feet; laftly, a body of lava will rush down the fides of the melon, accompanied with a tremendous explosion; before which, and from the beginning, a pretty loud rumbling will be heard. This experiment has never failed, but should only be conducted by a very careful perfon, or one fomewhat acquainted with natural philosophy.

For the COUNTY MAGAZINE. ELECTRICAL MACHINES, Made with TAFFETA instead of GLASS.

A NEW DISCOVERY. GENTLEMAN, furprised at the beauA ty and brilliancy of the electrical pencils and corrufcations which he had produced by rubbing, in the dark, with a cat's fkin, two large taffeta curtains, conceived the idea of employing filk in his electrical machine. M. Rouland, profeffor of experimental philofophy in the univerfity of Paris, caught the idea, and in a large machine has employed taffeta instead of the two plates of glass that are used in the machine of M. Van Marum.-The conftruction of this machine, in which there is no glass, and which is much less expenfive, and lefs liable to accidents, than that of the Dutch philofopher, has been examined by commiffioners appointed for that purpose by the Royal Academy of Sciences and their report is, that the machine of M. Rouland is ingenioufly conftructed, and exempt from the accidents to which others are expofed that it opens a new field for electrical experiments, and is adapted to produce the. greateft effects. This report, given into the Academy by Count de Milly, Meff. Leroi, Briffon, and de la Place, is every way worthy of the confidence of the public.

To the Editor of the COUNTY MAGAZINE.

SIR,

NOW have it in my power to fend you Collins's Coalition Song tolerably perfect; and I dare fay you will agree with me, that however drunk he may be when he fings it, he was only merry when he compofed it.

INTRODUCTORY STANZA.

So here goes, my dear Lord [blows in one candle]
There you fee I can do it ;"

And fo can I too, Charles [blows in the other]
Sic lux et lux fuit.

Derry down, &c.

IF you'll not think the subject too hackney'd and Like two farthing rush-lights, puff'd out [blows out both candles] both together.

ftale,

Derry down, &c.

But patiently let me go through with my tale,
At the joke I'm perfuaded no party will spurn, Now extinguish'd they lie, like make-weights on
But Pittites and Foxites will laugh in their turn.
Derry down, down, down derry down.

SONG.

AS the fun rules by day, and the moon rules by
night,

From whence come diurnal, and nocturnal light,
So if one in the way of the other but trips,
He that plays least in fight is pronounc'd in eclipse.
Derry down, &c.

But our rulers of ftate are of quite different kind,
As they fhine or wax dim not by motion but wind,
| Mere candles in fact, which I'll prove beyond
doubt,

For a puff blows them in, or a puff blows them out.
Derry down, &c.

a till,

In hopes they'll once more the ftate-candlesticks
fill;

And there's no doubt, if politics take a new turn,
But one royal puff may blow both in again.

Derry down, &c.

'Tis thus the state candles are in and out blown,

And they'd puff out a brother's to keep in their

own,

Yet fome had much better be darken'd outright, Than have all which they've done in the dark brought to light.

Derry down, &c.

Tho' 'tis whisper'd that fome folks have blown out each spark,

Because secret influence does beft in the dark;

Two rivals, who long like two link-boys, in fpite, So they've puff'd out the candles, and muzzled the
Had puff'd and blown hard, to quench each other's
light;

DREA M. Dreamt, that buried in my fellow clay, Clere by a common beggar's fide I lay'; And as fo mean an object shock'd my pride, Thus like a corpfe of confequence I cry'd: "Scoundrel be gone, and henceforth touch me not, More manners learn, and at a distance rot." "Vain mortal!" with a haughtier tone cry'd he, "Proud lump of earth, I fcorn thy words and thee, Here all are equal, now thy cafe is mine, This is my rotting place, and that is thine."

0. Z.

JOCKEY SONG.

SUNG BY MR3. MARTYR, IN THE

GIRL IN STYLE.
O the poft we advance, at the fignal to start,

T Thrice I flourish my whip over Slimmerkin's

ears ;

When springing amain by a refolute dart,
He gains a whole length of the proudest of peers.
That advantage to keep, as I lift him along,
Behind me full many a glance do I throw-
I foon find I've the foot, but old Nabab is strong,

our relative duties in particular; to make
us fober, meek, and lowly; in fhort, to
bring us as near to perfection as the lapfed
condition of human nature will allow. It
is needlefs to add, that by education, I mean
the education of Chriftians. How differ-
the name, which the generality of man-
ent from this is the education, if it deferves

kind have received! how different the mode
commonly perfued, from this comprehen-
five idea! Thofe who, by application to
study under able tutors, have acquired fome
learning, whether of the moft ufeful kind
or not, are thought to have received a

(And the poor little peer carry'd weight, as you good education. No enquiries are made,
know.)

I try'd then to cut the third poft pretty close,
At the fame time the length I had gain'd to pre-

ferve;

I gave Slim the whip, but he kick'd at the dose,

And (a vile little devil) attempted to fwerve.
I chang'd, and a left-handed cut brought him too;
But the peer, between me and the poft, made a
push,

And lay neck and neck with me all I cou'd do,
Not feeming to value my efforts a rush.

I led him, however, again to the flough,

Where he funk to the fetlock at every stroke: The peer had the bone-he prefs'd hard at me now, And feem'd to enjoy much the best of the joke.

But I crofs'd at the next post, and stretching my

hand,.

(As I hope to be fav'd, without malice or heat,) I put all his trials of skill to the stand,

For I threw the unfortunate peer from his feat.
He recover'd his faddle by feizing the mane,
But Slim darted forward as swift as the wind;
Nor heard I of Nabob or Lilly again,

Till I turn'd and beheld them come panting

behind.

My pleasure alone that sensation defines,
Which the Laplander courts from the breeze of

the South,

When I saw the peer diftanc'd, and dafh'd up the

lines,

With my horse hard in hand, and my whip in my

mouth.

For the COUNTY MAGAZINE.

LETTERS ON EDUCATION.

whether they have acquired virtuous ha-
bits, whether they have been taught to fub-
been taken to polish their manners, and to
due their paffions, nor whether care has
fet before them, in every thing which is
amiable, generous, and humane, the moft
perfect examples. To acquire learning is
one branch only of education; and, I will
add, not of the firft confequence. We
have many learned men, who yet have had
1 very bad education. To be entirely free
from prejudice is a certain indication that
a perfon has been well educated: but many
of our learned bookworms can fcarcely
discover truth through the mift of preju-
dices.

one of them be qualified for fo arduous task.

At the age of eight years it is proper to begin teaching boys to read; but I am very certain, that before this they may be in poffeffion, if they have been properly attended to, of more real and ufeful learning than boys ufually have when their education is thought to be completed. Infant minds are greedy of knowledge, and will imbibe it, if it be imparted in a pleasant, eafy, goud natured manner, as the thirsty ground im bibes refreshing fhowers. By way of contraft, we will fuppofe a boy educated ac cording to my idea of the moft perfect mode, at the age of fifteen, with a man who has finished his academic education. The academic,-we will not fuppofe him the best nor the worft fcholar in the uni

verfity,-has acquired the Greek and La tin languages in a tolerable degree of perfection; he poffeffes a fmattering of logic, and has a knack at difputing; he knows the figures of rhetoric by name, has gone through a few problems in Euclid, and perhaps has read a little poetry.- Such a man is far from being confidered a defpicable fcholar at our univerfities.-The advantages in favour of my pupil of fifteen are fo great and evident, that it is juft neceffary to mention the store of knowledge which he poffeffes to gain profelytes to the mode which I recommend. He will be, at that age-(but it must be underflood that the mode which appears to me the best has been adopted from his infancy)

What I am going to affert may appear a paradox-it is truth; viz. That it is not only poffible, but extremely eafy, to give a perfon a good education, without even teaching him to read, or to know the letters of the alphabet. And if a parent he will be a good claffical fcholar;-he be very capable, and will take upon him- will read and fpeak, with fluency and felf the education of his own children, (or cafe, the French and Italian languages; if a tutor have but few pupils, he may un- -he will have the outlines of univerfal dertake the fame tafk on the fame prin- hiftory imprinted on his memory, with ciples) he will adopt this method, and begin that of England he will be quite fami by teaching them viva voce, in converfaliar; geography, and the ufe of the globes, tion, by clear and familiar explanations, he will perfectly understand;-to aftroremarks and informations, every thing, and nomy he will not be a stranger:- the laws a great deal more, which is ufually taught of nature he will be acquainted with ;in our beft fchools.-Living words, like and, in fome branches of experimental living examples, make the moft forcible philofophy, he will be well verfed;and durable impreffions; he will not, there arithmetic and writing, and, above all, fore, be very folicitous about teaching his fpeaking his own vernacular tongue with children to read, (which may be foon and elegance, propriety, and eafe, reading it eafily acquired) till he has ftored their with an exact juftness of prononciation, minds with a variety of ufeful and elegant with true emphafis, and graceful variety knowledge; always endeavouring to adapt the information which he means to impart to the age and abilities of his pupils: for knowledge to the mind is the fame as food to the body.-A good phyfician will pre

By the Rev. PHILIP LE BROCQ, M. A. fcribe the food molt proper, in tender years,

LETTER I.

HE end of education is to make us wife, virtuous, and happy; to improve the mental faculties, to moderate our paffions, to implant a love of our maker, and a dread of offending him; to teach us our duty towards mankind in general, and

to preserve health, and ftrengthen the con-
ftitution; and a good tutor will felect that
kind of knowledge which is the moft plea-
fant, and tends to invigorate the mental
faculties. But, alas! this is too much
trouble! So it is; if a few men, met by
chance, or brought together by intereft,
will undertake the education of a hundred
boys! And it is at last ten to one if any

thefe will have been gradual and almott imperceptible acquirements. The whole ftore of learning, abundant as it may feem, which he will then poflefs, will have rather flowed fpontaneously into his mind, than been acquired by reluctant applica tion, and forced labour; and, which is infinitely preferable to all this, he will be habitually good, generous, and fober ;-totally free from prejudice; - in love with, and eager in the perfuit of, truth; brought up in the conftant practice of genuine politenefs;-and, in fhort, an ho

nour to human nature.-Lift up your hands and eyes to heaven, ye inhabitants