Hình ảnh trang
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

Many lives of illuftrious and learned Scots that ave been already offered to the pulbic, are fo barren in incident, and fo flight in compofition, as to give but little information or amufement to the reader, and ought to be confidered as no more than ground to be more fully explored and cultivated, of which the life of Buchanan is a remarkable inftance, having been handled either critically and heavily, as by Ruddimah, or flightly as by Bayle and the British biographical dictionary.

Lord Buchan requests the communication of original letters that may cafually be in the poffeffion of perfons who are not difpofed to make a biographical ufe of them themselves, and would wifh to see them made subservient to the honouring and illustrating the memories of the benefactors of mankind. He has received letters of the Scottish Virgil, Thomfon, which will enable him to enrich the life of that truly eminent poet; and he wishes to be provided with materials for doing justice to the memories of his other great countrymen, which he has never been difpofed to hoard as an antiquary, but to scatter upon the waters of literature, that they may be found after many days. Anecdotes of illuftrious and learned Scots will be very acceptable, when they are characteristic, fuch as the following of Andrew Fletcher of Salton. Fletcher being in company one day with the witty Dr. Pitcairn, the converfation turned on a perfon of literature, whofe hiftory was not diftinctly known. I knew the man well, faid Fletcher: He was hereditary profeffor of divinity at Hamburgh. Hereditary profeffor! faid Dr. Pitcairn, with a laugh of aftonishment and derifion. Yes, Doctor, replied Fletcher, bereditary profeffor of divinity! what think you of a hereditary king?

Travelling Memorandums, continued from page 199. As I am a lover of dramatic entertainments, I hoped to find at Paris fome modern pieces in a better talte, lefs in the quaint and outrè ftyle, than many of thefe, which, of late years, have been applauded at London; hitherto I am difappointed.-They earnestly ftudy to imitate nature:-But to ufe Shakespeare's expreffion, -they either overdo or come tardy off for want of that rare and precious gift of nature,-the power of original genius. So, like ours, their dramatic productions are not eafy imitations, but strained affectations of nature. They refemble us too in quaintnefs for wit, and the outré in place of fublime.-Voltaire himfelt, with all his fame, abounds in thofe modern qualities of excellence, in dramatic compofition, and in his HenriadeWe seem to have formed infenfibly a fort of treaty of dramatic commerce. We mutually borrow fantastical plays from each other.

This harmony of taste seems to have chiefly prevailed under the monarchy of David Garrick over our Lon don Theatre. He had great talents as an actor, but was low in the character he much affected, of a dramatic writer. His alterations on moft of Shakespeare's plays, are as execrable, as his performance, in fome of his capital characters, especially in the comedies, was natural, juft, and admirable.-I difcover that Garrick's outre characters of Flash and Fribble, which at this day give tranfports of mirth to the multitude of ur spectators, were almost literally tranflated from a French play. I felt no pleating fenfation when I faw his picture fet up at Stratford upon Avon, as a companion for Shakespeare. He looks like a Harlequin in the company of a hero.-The fooleries of his jubilee throw ridicule on our times and are only pardonable for the VOL. III.

t

Hh

good intention. Had Shakespeare himself been a spectator, he would have exclaimed, on hearing the ode,

[ocr errors]

"Extremely ftrain'd, and conn'd with cruel pain.

And upon the ballad, he would have repeated these lines :

"I'd rather be a kitten, and cry mew,

"Than one of these fame metre-ballad mongers.
"I'd rather hear a brazen candlestick turn'd,
"Or a dry wheel grate on the axle-tree;
"And that would nothing fet my teeth on edge,
"Nothing fo much as mincing poetry;

"It's like the forced gait of a fhuffling nag.

The inferior ranks of mankind, down to the lowest commonalty in Britain, certainly enjoy more effectually an equal and impartial adminiftration of law and juftice in all points, either civil or criminal.-They are much more fecure from the haughty infults or cruel oppreffions of the great, the powerful, and the nobles, than in France. This is very obvious even on a tranfient comparison of the condition and manners of the people in London and Paris.-Our people in general are alfo lefs involved in the miferable delufions of fuperstition and priestcraft.-Thefe are glorious advantages for us-but fenfible and confiderate men will not vainly boaft of and overvalue thofe benefits.-Trace our history fairly, and it will be found evident that we owe them more to accidental and fortunate circumftances, than to fuperior virtue or exertions.-Do not the bulk of our people in the South and North, often fly into all the exceffes either of wild enthufiafm or licentiousness, and fometimes, by a ftrange affociation, into both at once.-In point of abject credulity, we are a match for the French-Not to mention any abfurdities in the common tenets of our established faith-and leaving thefe to dealers in controverfy-in divinity, phyfic, Jaw, and politics, quacks thrive among us, and

no people on earth are more egregiously duped. The Catholic belief of miracles and cures performed by relics of faints, is not a greater proof of weakness in the human understanding, than our prevailing credu lity in the advertised puffs of infallible remedies, for every diftemper-We are, almoft in a conftant fucceffion, misled by pretenders to patriotifm. In politics, those who are not the interefted creatures of faction and party, form their opinions from the fuperficial information of feeble news-mongers, and declamatory pamphleteers and we value new books generally according to the dictates of thofe affuming critics, who call themfelves reviewers-and, for the moft part, are neither wife nor impartial judges.

On the 28th September, I fet out on the road through Burgundy from Paris to Lyons-all night at Effone, only twenty miles, at the Lion d'or a dear bill; fix livres for lodging, and fix for poor entertaiment.

29th September. I paffed Fontainbleau with little obfervation, diftinguished only as the King's hunting feat in the middle of a wild barren country-yet the grapes produced in it are remarkably good-I proceeded no farther that night than to Moret, twenty-fix miles-put up at the Belle Image, which Dütens fays is a good inn-I found it execrable for entertainment, though my bill was moderate.

30th September. I breakfasted at the post-house, Villeneuve. My landlady, when I called for a bill, said, fhe knew the custom of this road was to charge the English higher than any other travellers-that fome of them were offended at this practice as an impofition, and others feemed difpleafed at vulgar reckonings-She therefore begged I would pay what I pleafed-or at the fame rate as I thought reasonable at any other inn on the road.-I knew not from what motive, but this fingular fort of difcretion induced me to pay her very li berally. I was all night at the post-houfe Villeneuve le roi, well ufed--Advancing fouthward, I think I already H է: 2

feel a milder climate, and fome benefit to my health' fince I left Paris, from change of air and moderate journeys. This day I have advanced about thirty-fix milesI think the grapes begin to be of a better relish and richer flavour—I find the pears in France excellent-the apples and the peaches in general no better than our own the firawberries, goofeberries, and other small fruit not so good.—I do not think the wheat bread fo favoury and nourishing as in Britain-I know not for wh reafon, whether from defect of foil fit for producing that grain, from want of proper cultivation, or from the circumstance, that they use leaven, and no barm or yeast-or from all these causes-I observe that through all this country, they have at the inns, &c. great plenty of pigeons, turkies and other poultry.

ift October. I dined very well and reasonably at the post-house Auxerre, a town of confiderable trade, and proceeded to Vermenton all night-about thirty-fix miles; a delightful day's journey, the hills covered with luxuriant vineyards, and a very exter five plain also covered with rich vineyards, and intermixed with fertile corn-fields-I faw little pafture-and must inquire how their cattle, fheep and horfes are maintained. I observe many odd carriages, commonly drawn by two or four cows, for tranfporting wines and other merchandise.I was particularly captivated with a fpecies of poplar or willow abounding in this countrythey are beautiful, finely bufked-and grow both in thickets and rows very fast, and to a great height-They resemble both the Lombardy poplar and Huntingdon willow-but are of a different species, and more beautiful than either.-I am affured I may have excellent plants of them from the nursery-men near Lyons-and am refolved to try the experiment of propagating them in our country *. I obferve, that the peasants and villagers in this country, employ an uncommon, and furprifing number of affes for riding and petty carriages→→

In fact, I have done fo with every promifing appearance of success

« TrướcTiếp tục »