a small fund for our widows, collected our mites, and put them into the hand of a good man, to attend our interest in parliament on that businefs; but this worthy man, after hearing how things went above, and no doubt agreeing in opinion with your correspondent Thunderproof, that that house was "no better than it should be," judged that fhould the money be laid out there, it would only be "like butter in the black dog's hafs," and wisely thought it might be much more beneficially applied to another purpose; so, after having lodged the money safely, in his own pocket, he set out for the land of promise; where, by the help of our mites, it has proved to him a land overflowing with milk and honey. Yea, verily said I again' to myself, this is also one of the" many inventions," for making money, that man hath found out, and a good invention too. One thought brings on another. REFORM said 1 to myself, is an excellent word for collecting gulls together; and as no kind of reform, you know, can be brought about without money, and money cannot be applied without somebody to collect it. Now, might not a man who has a tolerable noddle for inventions, contrive to sound an alarm,-point out in strong language the necefsity of a reform of one kind or other, it matters not what;-invite people to associate, in districts, in cities, in parishes, for this purpose ;— get himself appointed secretary, to whom all collections must be sent; and then, if the sums levied be abundant, he is a dunce indeed who does not know what to do with it. I then recollected the association about the bill of rights, and remember . Sept. 11. that considerable sums were collected for that pur pese in our parish; but what became of them I know not, for I was not so much interested in that business as the other; but perhaps some of your readers can tell. I recollect also many other collections for reforms of various kinds. Would not this be an excellent invention for me, to try if I could be made secretary general to some reforming society? Can you help me to such a thing, Mr Editor? If you can, I will endeavour to befriend you when I go to America. But I fear I must get a better coat, and a new wig before I can put in my claim; for a poor looking fellow, like the apothecary in Hamlet, excites alarms at the very sight of him and how to get my belly up, and my cheeks blowsy, I know not so that I fear, however excellent the invention may be for others, it will not altogether suit my circumstances. After having tired myself with writing the above, and ruminating upon it, I took up a book to amuse myself a little. It was travels in North America by a P. Campbell. In the course of my reading, I met with the following anecdote, which fhews that this same invention is also known in America, Whether these our obedient children have learnt it from us, their loving parents, I fhall not take it upon me to say; but if they have learnt it from some of our emigrants, they are not unapt scholars. I transcribe from the 312th page of that book. "It however revived in my mind a story I was told that happened in the Jersie, much about the time I was there, and seemed well authenticated, of 65 a set of religious enthusiasts, who were in use of afsembling in a certain house of worship in the neighbourhood of Elizabeth Town, and whose tenets ran much on the notion of the devil being fond of money. This article in their creed was admitted by all, as also that he made much more use of money to bribe Christians, than Indians; which was clear from the former being greater worshippers of the Golden Calf, than the latter, wholly owing to his machinations. A wiser head than, the rest suggested the idea of bribing the devil himself with money, to prevent his working on the passions of any of their sect. The scheme was highly applauded, and approved of as the best that could be devised; and the projector of it himself, requested to set about collecting sums of money, adequate to the business, which he had the humanity to do without losing much time, lest the devil fhould be at work on them in the interim; and to inforce his arguments, he told them that each man's fhare fhould be placed to his own account; and as they all knew the devil was not to be put off with a trifle, he hoped they would contribute accordingly. 66 Contributions went on liberally; and no inconsiderable sum was collected, with which he went off, to bribe the devil, as already said, with the consent and approbation of all concerned, ; but whether he found him worse to please than he expected, and did not get his business effected, was not known when I was there; but so it was, that he had not returned, though he had then been two or three months away upon that business." 4 1 Sept. 11. Now Sir, could I meet with a set of fanatics, my long lanthern-jaws would accord very well with the character I should there have to act. But the misery is, that nature has thrown into my countenance such a dash of facetious humour, that I cannot for my life afsume these hypocritical grimaces for two minutes together; so that here also I fhould be foiled. The upshot of the whole is, that I suspect I am not one of the men who have "found out many inventions" to make money; so that I fear I must remain even as God made me, upright and poor to the end of the chapter and I much doubt I fhall never visit the land of promise, which overfloweth with milk and honey; nor have I any ambition to visit Botany Bay; so that for aught I can see, I must even re main as I began A POOR DOMINE. READING MEMORANDUMS. LET us give up our fig leaved theories, and betake ourselves to the continuation of the experimental system of the great Roger Bacon, and his more fortunate succefsor the lord of Verulam. The result of this noble and satisfactory system will be the increase of human happiness, and the confefsion of every reasonable soul, that to be busy, and useful, and virtuous, and pious, is to be happy ánd truly beneficial to society, for which we were originally intended by our bountiful Creator. In one of the early volumes of the Bee I was pleased to see some remarks on pastoral poetry; and was in hopes these might have been continued, but regret that they have not. I agree with the writer of these in thinking that there are very few good specimens of pastoral poetry existing, and that these few are to be found chiefly among the rustic compositions of the unlettered muse; for there only we meet with nature free from affectation, the great bane of modern pastorals. I beg leave to send you a specimen of pastoral poetry, that pleased me very much; and will be glad if you give it a place in the Bee. It is perfectly devoid of those nause ating common places that that so frequently recur in almost every eclogue of modern times. I need hardly add that it is taken from the poems of Rowley, with the orthography a little modernised. A. THE HAY FIELD, Amoral eclogue. WOULDST thou see nature pure and unarray'd?. MAN. I will be told whither ye go, WOMAN. I go to the dale, down to Robin and Nell, MAN Sir Robert, the parson, has hired me there, Come, come, let us hasten away; [cheer] We'll work and we'll sing, and we 'll make merry WOMAN. How hard is it always to work? ΜΑ Ν. How full is our sad state of care? Lady Bridget who lies in the kirk, Deckt with jewels and gold, Why than ours was her fortune more fair? Lo, our good priest is at the gate. Ever ready to counsel his neighbour, We are doom'd without ceasing to labour, A seed of life from ev'ry beem he sheds: Lost its rich fragrance! lost its vermeil bloom! When sever'd by death's dart, such is the gen'ral doom. |