tempt to procure a Repeal of 'em; and A confiftent Diffenter. MILTON'S APOTHEOSIS. Continued from Vol. VIII. p. 522. N° TO Member for fome Time appearing, I had Leifure to obferve that venerable Perfon rife and go to a Table in a Corner of the Room where the Company was aflembled, on which lay two large Folio Volumes: Thefe he turned over with great Attention. And I ask'd my kind Conductor what thefe Volumes might contain? They contain, answer'd he, the Profe Works of Mr Milton, which now appear in a Drefs fuitable to the Character of that great Man It is hard, continued he, to fay whether he fhines moft as a Poet, a Politician, or a Divine; or whether Mankind is molt oblig'd to him for the Inftru&tion he has convey'd to the Head, or the Virtues he has inftill'd into the Heart. One Thing, however, must be acknowledg'd, that no Book gives a Man a clearer Idea either of the Civil or Religious Rights of Mankind in general, or the Conftitution of England in particular, than Mr Milton's Prole Writings. When he errs, his Errors are always occafion'd by his too great Jealoufy of what may affect the Liberties of Mankind; but even then, the Spirit he breathes is worthy the glorious Patterns of Antiquity, upon which he form'd his political Syftem; and his Faults would have been accounted Virtues, and render'd his Name venerable to his Country, had he liv'd under a Republic. But what inhaunces the Value of his Profe Writings, and muit recommend them to every Lover of Liberty, is, that they have been one of the principal Objects of religious Zcal and Bigotry, which detac'd and mangi'd them much, that hitherto the World could have no juít Idea of what, perhaps, forms the moft valuable Part of that exculkent Author's Character and Writings. They are brought here this Night by fome who will oppofe his Admitlion. As he was going on, I obferv'd a vigorous young Man fiep up to take his Seat; he had a noble Freedom in his Look, his Drefs refembled that of the Romans, in he Decay of their Virtue and Liberty; A B and the Stuff of which it was composed, was wrought in the most vivid Colours. Had he not taken his Seat betwixt Otway and Dryden, he might have made an Appearance inferior to none in the Aflembly, but when he was feated near thefe incomparable Poets, his Air feem'd to have more of Fierceness than of Majefty; and tho his Habit appear'd better fitted to his Shape than either of theirs, yet when compar'd with Otway's, it loft much of the Splendor that at firit fo much struck the Eye. The Perfon who now engages your Attention, fays the Genius, is Mr Rowe; who, tho' cxcelled in Genius by a few, is equall'd in Judgment by no dramatick Author, who has wrote for the English Stage, at leaft, in Tragedy. But Death deprived him of the Encomiums he fo justly merited by his Tranflation of the Pharfalia. His Succefs in that Work was owing to what alone can recommend every Attempt of that Kind; I mean a Sympathy of Genius, and a Similarity of Manners with thofe which the Authors of the Original enjoy'd while alive. I here began to think that my Conductor was growing a little too difcurfive,& was rumiDnating on what might be y Reason, when I faw John Dennis running up to the Place where the Member fat, in a great Fright: He was pursued by a Figure dreffed after a very extraordinary Fashion, not with regard to the Form and Materials of his Habit, which were as proper and rich as what molt of the Company wore; but they were miferably torn in many Places, and feemed made for a Man three times his Size: His Air appeared frantick, but at the fame Time he had an Enthufialm in his Eye that ftruck me rather with Awe than with Horror: He brandifhed in his Hand a Whip, made in Form of the antient Flagella; with which he gave Mr Dennis very fevere Difcipline. In the mean Time, I obferved Mr Dryden arife in fome Hafte, and ftep up to this Stranger, whofe Rage immediately fubfided, and he went to his Seat, without any Oppofition; tho' moft of the Members fhew'd a vifible Uneafiness in their Countenances. I had no Need of an Interpreter to let me know that this must be Nathanael Lee, whofe Imagination got the Superiority of his Reafon fo far as to deprive him of his Senfes. The next Member who advanced made a very different Figure; the Fashion of his Habit was entirely English, but he wore it in fo graceful a Manner, that it ferv'd rather to fhew the Excellency of his Shape, and the fine Proportion of his Limbs, than to conceal them. His Air had in it a decent Aflurance, but without E F any APOTHEOSIS of MILT O N. any Thing affuming, and his Looks difcover'd a furprizing Sprightlinefs, but without the leaft Levity: The Company feem'd to fhew him great Regard, and appear'd rather more fatisfied with him than he with them: After he had taken A his Seat, I knew him to be Mr Congreve. And my Conductor took this Opportunity of informing me, that if we confider him as a dramatic Writer, he had no Equal in his Age. He faw, continued he, fo thoroughly into the Receffes of the Soul, and could fo eafily diftinguish Nature thro' all B the Difgufes The affum'd, that his Works contain the most important Leffons for the Conduct of human Life. Here I again beg'd Pardon for interrupting my divine Conductor; I had always, faid I, a great Opinion of Mr Congreve's Wit, but his Writings gave me no advantageous Idea of his Morals. My Son, antwer'd he, from your wanting a juft Difcernment of Mankind, you accufe Mr Congreve of what he ftands acquitted by every Man who knew him: He was too good a Judge of Nature not to be fenfible, that to attempt to reform the Heart before the Head, is like healing the Flesh while the Point of D the Weapon remains within the Wound. He well knew, that the Generality of Men would foon hate their Vices, if they could be brought to blush at their Follies; and that a bad Heart commonly proceeds from a wrong Head: For this Reafon, his Writings fhew the Ridiculousness of Folly, rather than the Deformity of Vice; and expofe Affectation, rather than recommend Virtue. He well knew, that the radical C E Evil must be removed, before the Patient could be cur'd. But here comes one, to whose Morals, I dare fay, you will have no Objection. Looking towards the Door, I faw a middle-ag'd Perfon ap- F proach; he had in his Lock all the Serenity that attends a good Confcience; his Deportment exprefs'd him to be one who entirely understood the World, and by his Drefs he feem'd to be upon an equal Footing with the moft confpicuous in the Af fembly. It is true, that he did not poffefs all his Accomplishments in the fame Degree with every one of the other MemG bers, but then not one amongst them feem'd to unite fo many gond Qualities as he did, in his own Perfon: His Character, therefore, had fome Refemblance to that of Raphael, whom, tho' other Painters excell'd him in particular Branches of his Profeffion, yet none ever cquall'd him in common Beauty: If another's Figures were more correct, his were more graceful; and if another could boast a better Difguife, he was fure to excel in the Exlaft Member, whom my Conductor told prettion. Such was the Character of the me was Mr Addifon; but, to my great Surprize, I found my aerial Guide not at all lavish of his Encomiums on this great Man, for whom I had been taught, and had always entertain'd a kind of a Veneme uneafy and more as it proceeded from ration; this Coldnefs in his Favour made a Divine Intelligence. A little after I obferved a Man of a fweet engaging De portment, his Eye was piercing, and a Smile fat upon his Brow, which discover'd what I had almoft call'd a fevere Goodnature. It was, however, a Good-napity than to upbraid; and, at & fame time, ture, whofe Expreffion feem'd rather to even the Pity convey'd a Reproach. His Habits were of the richest Stuff, but those about him which were most conceal'd were most rich, and my Conductor told me that I could not have a juft Notion of fon. He then inform'd me, that I faw their Beauty unless I was nearer his PerMr Gay; a Man, added he, whofe Virtues recommended his Qualities, and who is an Inftance, that the best Ingredient that can enter into the Character of a good Writer, is that of being an honest Man. [To be continued. ] QUESTION I. WHETHER the Thunder and Lightning, which happen'd on the 4th of this Month, in the Morning, may be accounted for by the most approv'd Meteorology, or not? The following is a Difficulty propofed to your learned Correfpondents, by Yours, PHILARETES I NI Kings, Chap. xvi. Ver. 8. It is faid, that in the twentieth and fixth Year of Afa King of Judah began Elah the Son of Baafha to reign over Ifrael, &c. yet in 2 Chron. Chap. xvi. V. 1. It is faid that in the Six and thirtieth Year of the Reign of Afa, Baasha King of Ifraei came up against Judah, &c. Does not this imply an Anachronism of 10 Years? Note: That in 1 Kings, Chap. xvi. V. 6. all; if he fell short of one in Sweetnefs, he H Baafha dies before his Son El fucceeded, excell'd him in Strength; and if he was excell'd in Strength, the Defect was fupply'd by a masterlyCorrectnefs, and an which was in the 26th Year of Aja, lu FREDERICA in GEORGIA, THE Troops that came over with Gene- A ral Oglethorpe landed at the Soldiers Fort, the 19th of September, and were faluted by all the Cannon. The General ensamped near the Fort, and fray'd till the 21ff, to forward the Disembarkation, and give out neceffary Orders. B SAVANNAH in GEORGIA, GENERAL OGLETHORPE fet out of Frederica the 8th of October in an open Boat, with two more Boats attending him, and after rowing two Days and two Nights, arrived at Savannah the 10th. He was received by the Magiftrates at the Waterfide, and faluted by the Cannon and the Militia under Arms: The People pent The Regiment is above compleat, the Ge- the Night in rejoicing, making "Bonneral having given Direction for bringing fires, &c. The next Day Mr Caufton, who over fupernumerary Men for fear of Sick- was first Magiftrate of the Town, and nefs and as they have had a healthy Storekeeper to the Truffees, was difplaced Paffage, and the Detachment here before for having expended much larger Sums than having been also very healthy, the Regi- the Truffees allowed, and thereby brought ment is not only compleat, but there are the Colony in Debt: The Books in his Charge near 40 Supernumeraries attending on it. were immediately feized, and he obliged to There is also another remarkable Thing in C give Security for his forth-coming to answer this Regiment, that all the Officers of it the Trustees Demands. are now prefent at their Pofts. Town. On the 21ft Day of September the General came up hither, and was faluted by 15 Pieces of Cannon from the Fort at this waited upon him in a Body, to congratulate The Magiftrates and Townsmen him upon his Arrival, and to teftify the great Senfe they had of his Majesty's Goodness in providing for their Security; fo that they now can go on with improving their Lands, which they have hitherto been much hindered in by continual Alarms. The Inhabitants of the Town went out on the 25th with the General, and cut a Road thro' the Woods down to the Soldiers Fort in a ftrait Line, fo that there is an open Communication from thence; they perform'd this Work in three Days, tho' it is near 6 Miles thro' thick Woods. Several Indians are come to Town in order to meet the General; they hunt and carry Venijon every Day to the Camp. They report that the chief Men from every Town in the upper and lower Creek Na tions will fet out from their Towns to come down and fee him, as foon as they have Notice of his Arrival. Three Soldiers who lifted in London, and one from Gibraltar, have been discovered to have been in the Spanish Service, the Furlow to one was taken. They attempted to d bauch fome of the English Soldiers in the Regiment, who not only refused to joyn with them, but difcovered their Design of deforting to the Spaniards. One of them has owned that he is a Roman Catholic, and that he never intended to acknowledge King George's Authority. They have been try'd by a General Court Martial, but the Report is not yet made. This Day the General set out from hence for Savannah. On the 11th Tomo Chichi, Mico, came to wait upon the General: He had been very ill, but the good old Man was fo rejoiced at the General's Arrival, that he said it re Dacek Indian Nation were at his House to covered him. He acquainted the General that the Chiefs of feveral Towns of the E congratulate him on his Arrival, and to affure him of their Fidelity to the King of Great Britain. On the 13th the Indians came down the River from Tomo Chichi's House, viz. the Mico (which Word tranflated is King) of the Chehaws, the Mice of the Oakmuges, the Mico of the Ouchafes, the Mico of the Parachacholas, with thirty of their Warriors, and fifty two of their Attendants: As they walked up the Hill they were faluted by a Battery of Cannon, and conducted to the Town Hall by a F Party of Militia, where the General received them. G they expressed great Foy, and said that the On their feeing the General Spaniards had firove to perfuade them that the General was at St Auguftine, and invited them down to their Fort to fee him there, where they accordingly went; but as foon as they found the General was not there, they returned; tho' the Spaniards offered them great Prefents, and pretended that he was on board a Ship very ill, which was their Excufe for their not Jeeing him. They advis'd them to fall out with the English, but they adhered in their Fidelity to his Majefty, and were come down to teftify it, and on all Occafions they would ferve the General against all the King of Great Bri H tain's Enemies; that the Deputies of the remaining Towns of the Creek Nation waited for their Return to go down to the General, when they were fure of his Arrival ; that the Nation would march 1000 War LETTERS to ria: wherever he should command them. They defired that the General would order them to have true Weights and Measures, for the Indian Traders that went amongst them from Carolina ufed bad Weights; they therefore defired Brass Weights and fealed Meafures to be lodged with the King of each Town. They invited the General to come up in the Summer to fee their Tewas, which he promis'd to do; they lie about four hundred Miles to the Westward of this Town. The General made them handfame Prefents; at Night they danced, the General was prefent, and the next Day they fet out on their Journey home. A B C the AUTHOR. 23 paying them. The Garrisons are relieved upon the Men to take their Labour without by the Regiments, fo that Expence ceases; but there is no Fund to provide for the Sick, the Widows, the Orphans, the Improve ments in Silk, Wine, &c. and thele Im provements are already confiderable. There is an Italian Family that has wound as fine Silk as any made in Piedmont. There are now Mulberry Trees grown up enough to feed a tolerable Quantity of Worms. Several Families fucceed in Vines, but their PlanYears before they can make any Quantity tations are fo young, that it will be two of Wine. There is a very fine Saw Mill at Ebenezer, which faws feven hundred Foot of Board a Day. There is also a Potter here that has found out the Clay that China is made of, and has baked fome; but all unless the poor People have Affiftance from thefe Improvements must be given over, the Trufees. The General, by his great ported Things, but we are apprehensive that Diligence, and at his own Expence, has fupcannot last long unless affifted from Engfingle Man to bear. land; for the Expences are too great for any On the 17th he held a General Court, and affembled all the People. He made a Speech to them, and began by thanking them for their Fidelity and Courage, and net being frightned at the Threats of the Spaniards to for fake the Province. He told them the Situation of the Trustees Affairs; that being obliged to maintain the Garrifons, &c. till the Arrival of the Troops, and the dear Price Provision was last Year forced to be bought at, together with other Expences made by the Magiftrates here, bad occafioned fuch a Demand upon the Traft, that it was not able to continue Allowances, nor to make further neceffary Ex. pences, unless it had a Supply from Parlia ment. He acquainted them also, that he, with Surprize and great Grief, found that A Writer in your Mag. who hath lately D there was more due from the public Store than there were Stores to pay; but he or dered that all Perfons should be paid as far as the Stores would go, but as he was ap- E prehenfive, by reason of their having loft their Crop, that the People would not be able to fubfift till next Crop, if any of them could mend themselves by going out of the Province, he would recommend them, and forward them in their Way; he declared "he was fenfible of the Hardships they must Saffer if they staid, and ordered them who had a Mind to go, to come to his Quarters and acquaint him. It is remarkable, that mt one Man chofe to leave the Province, the they all very well know they must endare great Hardships before next Crop can some in, for there ring, and as their Crop failed, very few very little Money fir have Provisions fufficient to keep them till G Next Year. However, they all feem refolv'd rather to ftay than to leave the Country now it is in Diffrels. 15 The General, out of his own Pocket, has affited the Orphan and the Sick, but has bin obliged to reduce many neceffary Expences; the Troop of Rangers, who guarded the Country on the Land Side, is disbanded, tho' they offered to ferve without Pay: by the General thought it would be w There is a Ship just arrived with 130 Germans on board, Mr URBAN, entertain'd us with a Differtation on Country Wakes, tho' in the main he feems to be a Well-wifher to revealed Rethink, is injurious to it, as well as ligion, yet has advanced a Fact, which, I falfe in itself, and if it appears fo to you, you will agree with me, that it ought not to pafs without Cenfure, and allow the following Room in your Paper. сс In the first Part of the Diflertation, p H A be fettled in the Land of Canaan. So far is it from being true, that the Hebrews built Tabernacles, &c. after the Example of the Heathens, that on the contrary the Heathens borrowed this as well as many others of their religious Customs and Practices from the Hebrews. To fpare filling your Paper with the Proofs of what I have here advanced, I refer your Readers to the learned Mr Shuckford's Connection, Vol. II. p. 323. Vol. III. p. 180. As the Truth of the Chriftian Religion doth, in a great meafure, depend upon that of the Jewish, they mutt both be built upon very fandy Foundations, if the latter was derived from Heathenism, as a learned Author endeavours to prove,whose Notions this Gent. feems too much to give Into. I might add a Remark or two more upon fome other Paifages of his, but as C they are not fo material, I chufe to pafs them by, and conclude, Yours, &c. A Curate of S P. From the Craftsman, Jan 6. No 652. R D'Anvers having put down fome B M Remarks on the old Tepic of the D bad Situation of Domestic Affairs, by the languifhing Condition of Trade, and the vigorous Spreading of Luxury and Corruption; and having exprefs'd his Fears concerning Foreign Affairs by reason of the ambitious Views of France and Spain, from which he concludes that the Balance of Power and the Liberty of Europe are certainly more in Danger than ever; comes to our Merchants Loffes by the Spaniards, another popular Subject, but without faying any thing new to our Readers; fo far from it, that he seems to have borrow'd fome Hints from us. On this Occalion he recommends to fome honourable Gentlemen the Perufal of Milton's Letters, wrote by Direction of Oliver Cromwell, one of which he gives as follows, tranflated from the original Latin: To the most Serene Prince LOUIS King of FRANCE. Moft Serene King, My dearest Friend and Ally, IT is with great Reluctance that we are fo often obliged to trouble your Majelty with the Injuries done by your Subjects, fince the Renewal of the Peace. However, We affure Ourselves that it was against your Majelly's Confent; and we cannot refufe to hear the Complaints of our People. It plainly appears, from the Judgment of our Court of Admiralty, that the Ship Anthony of Diepe was justly E as taken, before the Conclufion of the Treaty. Part of the Prize, amounting to_about four thousand Hides, was bought by Robert Brun, Merchant of London; thofe, who were authorized to fell it, have teftify'd to Us. About two hundred of these being exported to Diepe, after the Ratification of the Treaty, were jold to certain Currier of that Place, and the Money being paid into the Hands of his Factor, was flopt by a Law-Suit, and he cannot procure Juftice. For this Reason we thought proper to beseech your Majefty, that the whole Affair may be referred to your own Council; and that the Money may be no longer detain'd, under the Pretence of fo unjust a Demand; for if what was tranfacted and decided, before the Peace, is to be call'd in Queftion again, after the Peace, We cannot understand of what Ufe Treaties are. Indeed, there will be no End of fuch Difputes, if fome exemplary Punishment is not foon inflicted on thefe common Violaters of Treaties which, we hope, will be one of your Majefty's first Cares. In the mean Time, may God keep you under his moft holy Protection. Your Majelly's Moft affur'd Friend, O. CROMWELL. Protector of the Common-wealth From our Palace at MrD'Anvers remarks that this vigorous Remonftrance, to one of the greatest Powers in Europe, was only in Behalf of a single Merchant, and about a few Hides. -How would the old Ufurping Protector have thunder'd, if either the French or the Spaniards had, for a long Courfe of Years, not only plundered our Ships, and treated our Seamen with Cruelty, but likewife infulted the Honour of the English Flag, and even fent Defiances to Himself! OBSERVATIONS on the Foregoing. Ashnet want Cenfurers and DirectGors, a Correfpondent very justly obferves that fince Mr D'Anvers has not mention'd the Succefs of this Remonftrance, the British Hiftory would have afforded him many Inftances where our lawful Princes have not been fatisiy'd with evafive and prevaricating Answers, on fuch Occafions: He expreffes his Surprize, therefore, that our political Gentlemen are grown fo fond of an Ufurper, as to recommend his Example to the prefent Government; as if the heroic, glorious, and unequal'd Acts of a Queen, in this Century, and in the Memory of all Men who can write, were S those who write for the Publick H obliterated |