produces all thofe appearances which your blind philofophers call by the names of Gravitation, Centri-fugal, and Centripetal forces, and a thousand other metaphors, which are very useful, but only as a technical memorial, like the arrangements of Linnæus the naturalist, or the arrangement of a dictionary, according to the letters of the human alphabet,

"The changes that happen in the univerfe, are all uniform and regular; but the periods of revolution are of fuch immenfe duration, that it is difficult to determine all the relative motions with fufficient accuracy, to determine the return of the fame points in the expanfe of the visible heavens.

"There is nothing great or little in the eye of the Creator with refpect to the 'univerfe; beware, therefore, how you think or talk of this your planet as great or as diminutive. Endeavour to render yourself relatively great and good, with refpect to your own world and your own fociety, and be fatisfied.

"There is but one real mind in the universe, which you are permitted, and indeed injoined by your nature, to ftudy in the works of creation, and to look up from them, and know and understand your Creator.

"The globe we now inhabit, fc far as you are concerned with it, has paffed through fix great periods of fome thousand centuries, and you are in the beginning of the feventh, of which about eighty have elapfed, and your fpecies is but in its infancy.

"In every world of the universe, the Creator has infructed the creature by exhibiting the divine nature in the shape of the creature, and fetting forth the deformity of error by the contrast; and this incarnation of the Creator is the grand inftrument by which the moral wisdom of the Creator is transfufed, and made effectual for the gradual melioration of all created beings that partake of the divine intelligence.

"This medium of fafety and of wifdom is no other than active deity itself, and is univerfal and nifinite as the universe itself.

"Ages of ages muft elapfe before any new epocha will arrive in your world; but man will continue to approach nearer and nearer for ever to perfection.

"It is like the fhining light that fhinetr more and more unto the perfect day; but it is liker the fhadow of a dial, which generates a curve, the parameter of which is continually approaching to the boundary of the curve, but can never attain it. So, my fon, are you fituated with refpect to the univerfe, and to its author; be diligent, be afpiring, be modeft; fave yourfelf from folly, from vanity, from vice, from every low purfuit, and continue to feed your foul with knowledge, with the confcioufnefs of peace, and with the purity of virtue. Farewel."

Here ended my divine inftructrefs, and with a file, to which the smile of Jupiter on Juno, as defcribed by Milton, seemed to be but vulgar, afcended up to heaven, from whence he came. I was agitated beyond all expreffion, and in my agitation I awoke.

Thus, Sir, I have given you the narrative of my most extraordinary dream, which I am fenfible is not fit for the perufal of wife philofophers, to whom I am but as the nothing of my divine inftructress; but if it can afford pleasure to any of the lovely girls that read the Bee, or even to any worthy old woman that reads it, with her stocking going on at the fame time, I fhall be perfectly fatisfied.

I am, Mr. Editor, with regard, your humble
fervant,
ASTRO THEOLOGUS.

To the Editor of the Bee.

Anecdotes of Mr. Andrew Millar.

I HAVE a strong fufpicion, Mr. Editor, that you have not been initiated into the myfteries of the book feller's

bufinefs. An ingenious annotator, in one of your late numbers, has indeed ftygmatized that fraternity, as ignorant of the real value of literary performances; but this ought not, perhaps, to be imputed to them as a fault; it is no part of their bufinefs to ascertain their intrinfic value, by which I mean the power of informing the understanding, directing the judgement, or improving the heart of the reader. Let the legislator, the moralift, the divine, attend to these things. The proper business of the bookfeller is, to make money in his vocation; all other concerns are, to him, matters of little importance; and the art of book-making, as foltered by thefe Mæcenafes, muft, of course, confist in dreffing up high-feafoned difhes, calculated to provoke the appetite of their customers, without troubling their heads about the effects that these may afterwards have upon their conftitutions. If it brings money into their pockets, that is all their concern.-And do they not, in this refpect, act upon the fame principle with men in almost every other vocation?

As a hint to you, Mr. Editor, in your new-begun business of book-making, I fhall beg leave to narrate to you the following anecdote, which can be fufficiently authenticated, if neceffary, though I own I do not entertain much hope, that you will profit as much by it, as fome others might do; for you feem to poffefs fuch a fondnefs for fome antiquated notions about utility, inftruction, improvement, and virtue that makes me fufpect you are fome how related to a mulih fraternity, who, I have often found fo wedded to certain unfashionable opinions, as not to be easily driven out of them. Be that as it may, you fhall have my anecdote, without disguise or exaggeration of any fort.

Mr. Andrew Millar, that once eminent bookfeller in the Strand, when he first began bufinefs, like many others, had but a very fcanty flock, and he also poffeffed fome leven of that antiquated notion in bufinefs,

"that the best way to fucceed well, was to keep goods "of the very best quality in his fhop." On this principle, the ten or twelve books he 'first printed, were good books in philosophy, history and morality, that tended to enlarge the underftanding, and improve the heart. Nobody had any objection to the books; every one praised them as excellent; but, to his great mortification, the fale of them was very flow, and his stock of cafh was nearly exhaufted. This brought poor Andrew to reflect very seriously upon the matter, and to confider in what way he might retrieve his affairs, which wore not the most promifing afpect. At last, he ventured to communicate his thoughts to a friend. This gentleman knew a little more of the world than Mr. Andrew; and he, laughing at his confcientious fcruples, told him, that if he had the fenfe and fpirit to get the famous cafe of Mifs Cadiere against father Gerard tranflated into English, and publifhed for his own account, he would foon find, that his affairs would take a very favourable turn.-This book, Mr. Editor, fome of your readers may know; but, for the fake of others, it may be neceffary to fay it was one of the most luscious, that is to fay, one of the moft by performances that had then appeared in the world, and was esteemed in France, the most witty performance of the age. With the fear of want before his eyes on the one hand, and the hope of gain on the other, the fcruples of honeft Mr. Andrew began to fubfide, and he at length obtained a man to translate the book, for the fum of twenty pounds. This he paid, and set to work to print it.

་

In this ftate of the bufinefs, the knowledge of the undertaking came to the ears of his wife, who thought herself no lefs interested in the fuccefs of his affairs than himself, and who expreffed her difapprobation of the undertaking, in very unequivocal terms. Here, fays fhe, you have nearly ruined yourself with printing books already, which lie upon your hands in VOL. III. +

R

whole cart-loads, without any profpect of fale; and yet you are going to print more; depend upon it, if you go on in this manner, we fhall foon be reduced to beggary.-Befides, I hear this is a vile by book, which no decent perfon will ever venture to look at. I wonder what infatuation could poffefs you, when you thought of engaging in fuch a ruinous undertaking."All this, and much more, he listened to without making much reply; for Mr. Andrew was a man of a meek and patient difpofition. But being fo far engaged, he refolved to go on. The book at length was published; and the demand for it was fo great, that in the courfe of one week, the whole edition was fold. He took care to have another ready to answer the demand, in a fhort time. This alfo was fold, and another ftill. In short, upon fettling accounts, he found, that in the course of one month, he had cleared by the fale of this book alone, no less than SEVEN HUNDRED GUINEAS. On that occafion, with a view to give an agreeable furprise to his wife, he put all the money he had got into a green purfe, and carried it home. After dinner, which, at that time of his life, ufed to be a very moderate one, and his common allowance of drink, a pot of small beer, he pulled out his purse, and spread the guineas upon the table; faying, at the fame time, that fince he had brought all this money, he thought they might now indulge themfelves with a pot of porter, instead of small beer. His wife, in amazement, afked where in the name of wonder he had come by all that money. All of it, faid he, my dear, from the fale of that book for which you rated me fo foundly a few weeks ago. Is it poffible, faid fhe?Nothing more certain, he replied. Then, faid the, praised be God for fuch a lucky difcovery; could we find twenty fuch books, our fortune might be made.

I leave you, Mr. Editor, to make what use of this you pleafe; and am, fir, your fincere well-wisher,

AUTHENTICUS.