L' CONTENT S IFE of Pfalmanazar, written by -Conjectures concerning the place of ib -His education, and early progrefs in learning 504 -Is check'd in his career by bad tu tors -He quits the schools, & commences 505 tutor -His virtue in resisting the advances of his pupil's mother 506 -The date of his misfortunes from 507 that circumftance 508 Letter to L. C. J. Pratt from the corporation of Bath ib His Lordship's answer Explanation of the term coterie ib ib A table, exhibiting the comparative Antiquities of Chefter city 509 510 ib A curious altar, with its infcrip. tions, coins, fkeletons, &c. -Religious houses, fanctuaries,' &c. 511 The Philof. Tranfactions epitomized ib -The Ophris of Gronovius defcrib'd ib -Curious experiments in electricity 512 -Obfervations on the electrical properties of Iceland chrystal -Remarks on fwallows near Bafil ib 513 -Account of a Peruvian plant lately introduced into English gardens ib -Obfervations on two Roman infcriptions discovered at Netherby -Method of lessening friction in en514 gines -The longitude of London and Paris ib afcertained Remarkable fish taken in King-Road delineated and defcribed ib Mr Randall's account of his feed furrow plough 515 516 A non-defcript marine infect dif covered 517 Improvements in husbandry ib Cautions against breeding, from blind ftallions ib -Method of converting ftiff clay into profitable loam ib -Improvements in malting, with directions for the choice of barley 518 -Remedy for hoved cattle ib ib -Ways of deftroying the dolphin-fly in beans -Recipe to make Somerfetfh. bacon ib Ealy rules for speaking and writing correctly -Examples in familiar phrafes 520 519 Candid obfervations on the new hufbandry -Great fuccefs of an Effex farmer sag Rife of the new hufhandry, with an account of its great mafter -Difficulties in introducing it 524 -Motives to establish its theory $25 -And to relinquish the practice An impartial ftate of the controversy concerning cancers, & their cure 526 Some account of the difputants ib -Mr Gataker's objections to Mr Guy's notions & treatment of cancers 527 -Mr Guy's defence The feed box of a drill plough accu528 9-30 38 rately delineated and defcribed 532 Occafional reflections on Carlo Vanloo's arrival in England to see paintings -The practice of defacing pictures by picture-cleaners expofed Sealonable obfervations on the high price of wheat and provisions -True caufes of the present dearth fairly flated pers Queftion to the author of the Effay a gainst the effects of imagination in pregnant women Anecdote of an old clergymen in the ib west POETRY. A morning walk. Verses ib on the obfervatory near Yeovill 538 -The Rats and Cheefe. Soliloquy. Anfwer to Dr All n's Verfes in our laft -The Fair Penitent. The Contraft. 539 Exhortation to a certain borough on the late earthquake To Lucinda. To the memory of Lord Bath Memorable Occurrences. The Pruffiau 540 minifter recalled from Ratisbon.Treaty with France to recover Corfica.-Death of an Irish officer Remarkable meteor feen at Philadel 541 peia.-Treaty between the courts of Hiftorical Chronicle, THE A Gentleman's Magazine; For NOVEMBER 1764. Some Account of a Perfon known by the me fit of bis Executrix. HERE can be no He conceals his real name, and the C D He was born in the fouth of Eu- This appears probable, in the highest His mother, notwithstanding the ftrait- after 504 Account of the Life of George Pfalmanazar. Before he was quite nine years old, he could write and fpeak Latin with great readiness, tho' fcarce any but common fchool books had been put -into his hands; so that he was almost wholly unacquainted with the claffics both in verfe and profe. ed to his genius, particularly heraldry, geography, and fortification, fo that they were obliged to exchange their books for coats of arms, maps, and plans of cities and caftles, and to dabA ble with him in clay and water, to make fortifications, with all their appurtenances. It happened, however, that, about this time, the good father was chosen head of another convent, about 24 B miles diftant, in an archiepifcopil city, where was also a college of Jefuits for the education of youth: He prevailed upon Pfalmanazar's mother to let him take her fon with him to board at the monaftery under his eye, and purfue his studies at the college, promifing to recommend him to the fa- C thers, and to make him repeat and explain, in the evening, what he had learned in the day. Notwithstanding his ignorance in the claffics, he was here chofen into the fifth clafs, in which the boys read D Horace, Cicero, and Terence, made good verles, & compofed fet fpeeches on a given fubject: The good old father would have it fo; for though it was talking his favourite very high, he infifted that it was not beyond his ability, and that he would keep up his credit under all his difadvantages,and be ready to rife in the next tlais at the end of the year. E This was a new incentive to his ambition; and, exerting his diligence and his powers to the utmoft, he acquitted himfelf with the greatest honour at his examination, and was admitted into the fixth clafs, which was rhetoric; but here his progrefs in li- F terature, hitherto fo rapid, was unfortunately checked.The Jefuits change the regent or mafter of these feminaries every year; and the perfon who came in when Pfalmanazar entered on the fixth clafs, was wholly unqualified to inftru&t him in it. He at first effayed to expound fome of G the Greek poets and orators, by the help of a Latin verfion; but doing it fo ill as to betray his ignorance, even to his fcholars, he at length totally defifted, and diverted himself with teaching the boys things altogether foreign to their clafs, but better fuit Here we find that the city in which he was born was within 24 miles of an archiepifcopal city, where there was a college of Jefuits that taught school. H When three parts of another year had been thus trifled away, to the great regret of poor Pfalmanazar, he was acquainted, by a letter from his mother, that the rector of a small convent of Dominicans, in her neighbourhood, was going to teach philofopby to as many young gentlemen as he could get, and invited him to be one of the number. To this he readily agreed, the convent being but a pleafant walk from his native city; and though he knew that he must take leave of the claffics, yet he thought the learning of philofophy would be both more creditable and useful. When he came to the rector, he found he had procured about twenty more pupils, fome mere dunces and ruftics, with no other knowledge than a fmattering of Latin, and a few better qualified from a great univerfity, at the diftance of about fixty miles . He began, as usual, with logic, in which he acquitted himself tollerably well, & which Pfalmanazar took with great quickness and delight. He proceeded to Ariftotle's phyfics, with Thomas Aquinas's comments; but here it very foon appeared, that the rector had undertaken to expound what he himself did not underftand, and that Aquinas's fubtilties and diftinctions were as much above his reach as that of his pupils; being wholly unable to obviate the difficulties that were ftarted, the moft intelligent of his fchool made themfelves merry at his expence; and Pfalmanazar, finding his lectures mere jargon, alike unintelligible to mafter and (cholar, contracted by degrees an habit of indolence and negligence, fo that, though he took down his lectures in writing, and heard his expofitions, he paid not the least regard to either. From phyfics he proceeded to metaphyfics, in which he was equally defi cient, and Pfalmunazar equally dif appointed; lo that when he should Here we wind that the city in which Pfalmanazar was born, was' within 60 miles of a great univerfity, which, we are afterwards told, was in a city very populous and magnificent. 1 "have entered upon ethics, the laft fubject, he was fo wearied and difgufted, that he derived no more benefit from it than from the reft, tho' it might otherwife have proved both more useful and entertaining. A Another year being thus wafted, the rector difmiffed Pfalmanazar, among his other fcholars, with great enco miums on his parts and proficiency; but ftrongly folicited him to enter into the order: To this, however, his mother would not confent; the rector then preffed her very earnestly to fend B him to the next univerfity, to learn theology, promifing a recommendation to the Dominicans who taught it there, as well as the Jefuits: His mother complied, and he fet out for that great city, with a certificate that he had gone through a courfe of philofophy, and was fit to be admitted ftu. dent in theology; which, however, could recommend him only to the Dominicans, as the Jefuits would expect him to go through a new course of philofophy, as it was taught by their fociety. His pride induced him to enter under the Dominicans, upon the credit of his certificate, rather than tacitly confefs his ignorance by fubmitting to a new course with the Jefuits, and he was readily admitted a ftudent under two reverend rectors, one of whom read lectures in the morning, and the other in, the afternoon. way that This fchool appeared to him like a new world; there was no ftudent near fo young as himself; fome of them were twice his age; and he, who had always before been at the head of every clafs through which he paffed, now faw him elf flighted as a raw ftripling, not worthy to affociate with the reft: This might perhaps have ftimulated his pride to furpafs them; but there were difficulties in his not only difcouraged, but difgufted him; there was no diftinction made between those that had ftudied two years, and thote that were just admitted; the fame lectures were read to all alike, and in the ufual course; fo that those who came not at the beginning, had no other chance but to begin in the middle, attend patiently to the end, and then, when the lectures began again, which was at the end of every two years, glean up the beginning which they had miffed, and patch all together as they could. As this alienated his mind from study, he was in a fituation in which it was for. cibly drawn to other objects. C The city was very great, magnificent, and full of nobility and gentry, of coaches, and all the fplendid apparatus of luxury and grandeur very different from the city in which he was born, and from that where he ftudied under the Jefuits, though that was archiepifcopal; he was, befides, boarded at the houfe of a near relation in the fuburbs, at a great distance from the convent; and they dined fo late, that he was obliged either to take up with an irregular meal, or come half an hour after the fchoolexercife was begun. At first he put up with the irregular meal, but having been before difgufted with Aquinas's fubtilties in philofophy, and finding now nothing but fubtilties more refined and unintelligible in his theology, he at length preferred his dinner to his lectures. Matters now grew worse every day; for, lofing the beginning of the lecture, it was impoffible to understand the middle or the end; and the two rectors took fuch ftate upon them, that he was not permitted to object, nor even to request the explanation of a point or a term : For fome time he contented himself with transcribing that part of the lecture which he had loft, from the manufcripts of his fellow-ftudents, but at length he grew weary of an irk fome labour which produced him no advantage; and, inftead of attending E the afternoon lecture under these dif advantages, he amufed himself by fauntering about the city and country adjacent, gazing at the buildings, and fometimes taking plans and views of the places that most pleased him. He had, however, warmly remonftrated to his relations against their late hours, but without fuccefs, and he ftill at tended the lecture in the morning; but the rector taking an opportunity to reprimand him for not coming in the afternoon, his pride was piqued at the reproof, and he foon after abfented himself from his lecture, as he had done from that of his coadjutor. D H From this time he minded nothing but his pleasures, which, however, in themselves were innocent; yet he was fometimes feized with pungent remorfe at this waste of life, and at thefe seasons made fome attempts to read his manufcripts both in philofophy and theology, but was till fo - 506 Account of the Life of difgufted with them, that he had not patience to go through. He had before this time fent fome complaints to his mother, as well by letter as by verbal meffages when he had opportunity, acquainting her with the bad hours that were kept where he boarded, and the ill effects they produced with respect to his ftudies. His mother in return, acquainted him that an old rich Counsellor her neighbour, was going to spend some time at Avignon, who, having no child had taken fome nephews under his care, and intended to bring up one a fcholar, whom he was willing to put under the care of Pfalmanazar, and would with that view receive him to lodge and board in his mouse till he could be better provided for. She there. fore advised him to fer out for Avignon directly, and sent him a small supply to bear the expences of his jour ney. As he thought this a change for the better, and a relief to his mother who could ill afford to continue the expence the bad been some time at in his education, he took her advice. At Avignon, he found the old gen. tleman ready to receive him, and in a day or two entered upon his new office of tutor to the nephew who had already made fome progrefs in the Latin grammar, At Avignon he made another attempt to learn Theology under a Dominican profellor, who treated him with great kindness and attention, but he found himself still bewildered among a multitude of cramp terms, under which he had no ideas, fo that he finally defifted in difguft and deSpair. He hoped, however, that he might introduce himself as tutor into fome good family, by his knowledge in the fanguages, but every other part of his education having been totally neglec ted, he had fo little addrefs or politenefs and knew fo little of the world, that he was not fit for that employment among perfons above the com. mon rank, and his pride would not fuffer him to aim at any thing below it; fome of his acquaintance, however, unknown and undefired, got him into a middling family, where he was in fomewhat a better fituation than with the old Councellor. The overgrown youth that now came under his care was much older than himself, and taller by the head and fhoulders, he had therefore very A George Pfalmanazar. little influence over him, and having already contracted an indolence and averfion to study, the mafter and scholar fpent their time in playing on the violin and flute when they ought to have been at their books; of this the mother often complained, but as no reformation took place, Pfalmanazar was foon after dismissed. It happened, that notwithstanding his difadvantages, he was in a fhort time admitted into the family of a perfon of distinction, to educate two of his fons both very young, the eldeft not seven years old, and, both fpoiled by the mother; neither of them were inclined to learn, and Pfalmanazar tried to bring them to it with very little fuccefs. This, however, did not produce the effect that at first would be expected, for Pfalmanazar had fome reafon to imagine that the mother would have been content if he had transferred his attention from her children to herfelf: She was a sprightly lady, and her husband somewhat heavy though not old; they had parted beds foon after Pfalmanazar D came into the houfe, and the treated him with particular marks of regard: He was naturally fond of the fex, and he had therefore great pleasure in paying a particular attention to her; yet, he fays, his view was bounded by the gratification of his vanity, which he enjoyed by the diftinction the fhewed him in confequence of his affiduities, and in fuppofing himself to be the object of her efteem and admiration, rather than her love. E F As this was his turn of mind, it is not strange that he ftrove to recommend himself by that kind of merit which was rather the object of esteem and admiration than of love, and this he fays was really the cafe, for he pretended to more virtue and religion than he had, and he alfo took every opportunity to difguile the low circumftances of his parents by feigning falfe caufes of his fituation and apGays, was very mean, though it was pearance, which at this very time, he chiefly owing to his own negligence, and want of oeconomy. But though this was acting in direct oppofition to her views, the still made him advances, which, he fays, his inexperience made him diftrust, H and his pride and bashfulness concurred to prevent his improving; his bafhfulness kept him back by a fecret restraint when he thought himself fure, and his pride alarmed him by |