the bodies to be conjoined together, or the vacuities or fiffures that are to be made good. Where a great quantity of cement is wanted for coarfer uses, the coal-afh mortar (or Welsh tarras as it is called) is the cheapest and best, and will hold extremely well, not only where it is conftantly kept wet or dry, but even where it is liable to be expofed to wet and froft: it fhould, at its being laid on, be suffered to dry thoroughly before any moisture have acceís to it; and in that cafe it will likewife be a great improvement to temper it with the blood of any beaft. This mortar or Welth tarras must be formed of one part, lime, and two parts of well-fifted coalabes; and they must be thoroughly mixt by being beaten together: for, on the perfect commixture of the ingredients, the good nels of the compofition depends. Where the cement is to remain contincally under water, the true tarras is commonly used, and will very well an fwer the purpose. It may be formed of two parts of lime, and one part of plafter of Paris, which thould be thoroughly well beaten together, and then ufed iminediately. For fixing the fhells, and other fuch nice purposes, putty is most generally ufed: but it may be formed of quicklime and drying oil, mixed with an equal quantity of lintfeed-oil; or, where the crying quicker is not neceffary, it may be made with lime and crude lintfeed-oil, without the drying oil. I A BACHELOR's Will. W. N. of D. in the county of S. ba chelor, being found both in body and mind, but apprehenfive I fhall thortly quit this vain and forlorn estate of celibacy; which I hope to exchange for a more comfortable and happy one, through the aid and indulgence of a kind and vir tuous help-meet; do make and ordain this my last-will and testament, in manner and form following. Imprimis. I give and bequeath, to my good friend Mr W. M. all my manor of Long Delay: confifting and being made up of the feveral farms and mefluages, called, or known, by the names of Doubts, Fears, Bashfulness, Irrefolution, Uncertainty, Fickleness, Obftinacy, &c. &c. being, for the most part, wafte and barren ground, and much overgrown with briars, thorns, and thittles; but capable, by proper management, of great cultivation and improvement. Item. I give and bequeath unto my good friend Mr J. A. my dwelling-house and courtlage, called by the name of VainHopes; untuate, lying, and being, in High-Street, in the town of Caftle-building, in the county of Imagination; rifing to the height of feven ftories; having a fair garden and profpect before it, and a large number of windows in the front; but without any outlet behind; nor having any kitchens, cellars, or other conveniencies, of a focial nature, belonging to it: to have, and to hold, the faid dwellThe flone cement, prepared as above ing-houfe, until the day of his marriage, of the bees-wax and refin, is alfo an ex--if he fhall think proper to keep it fo long. tremely good compofition for this purpote; but refin, pitch, and brick-duft, in equal parts, melted together, and ufed bot, are much the cheapest cement for fhell-work; and will perform that office very well, provided the bodies they are to conjoin be perfectly dry when they are used. Item. I give and bequeath to my good friend Mr W. R. all my woodland, called and known by the name of Ambiguity; which is well planted with pun-trees, conundrums, quirks, and quibbles; together with feveral impenetrable brakes and thickets, of dark unintelligible incomprehenfibilities. And, laftly, I give and bequeath all the reit of my bachelor goods and effects, confifting of a large treafure of whims, fancies, megrims, freaks, reveries, schemes, projects, and defigns, &c. to my aforefaid good, friend Mr J. A. whom I conftitute and appoint lole executor of this my lastwill and teftament;-only defiring and requefting of him, that he would put a fancy, or two, into the heads of fuch old bachelors of his acquaintance, as he thall think proper;-as alfo, that he writes, and pronounces, an epithalamium on this happy 1 happy occafion; in order that this my departure into the blessed regions of matrimony may be decently celebrated. And as I apprehend I fhall have no more occafion for the legacies above difpoled of; fo it is my true intent and meaning, that my faid legatees fhould not confider them as favours and obligations conferred on them; as it is alfo my farther fincere will and defire, that they do not hoard them up, or continue to make a long and unprofitable use of them; but that they fhould endeavour to put them off as foon as poffible: to the end that they may be the better fitted, and difpofed, to follow me, into that happy ftate, into which I am now about to enter. Executed at my manfion of Vain-Hopes aforefaid, this 20th day of March, A. D. 1765. W. N. L. S. Signed, fealed, and delivered, by the above-written teftator, in the prefence of us, MARMADUKE MATRIMONY. WILLIAM WEDLOCK. FANNY FORWARDLY.. To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZINE. SIR, Edinburgh, June 14 1765. Suppofing that the overture which was debated in the general aflembly on Friday the 31st of May laft, with their refolution concerning it, will have a place in your Magazine, I make no doubt, from your known impartiality, of your giving a place likewife to this letter. The overture is in the following terms: "As the progrefs of the fchifm in this church, &c. [Here read p. 277. below, col. 2. from l. 11 to 1. 31. ending most proper."] All Papifts in this country, - and all Epifcopalians in it, non-jurors, as well as jurors, (who cannot be understood as among the perfons "who were former of our communion, but have now feparated then felves from the church of Scotland"), are plainly abftracted from by this overture; fo that it takes no notice of their cafe as an "alarming evil," of any threatening afpect to this church, to the interefts of religion, and to the peace of the country: "but the overture feems plainly reflricted to the Seceffion, under the character of the fchifm.- Accordingly, as I am informed by fome who were profent, the debate on the overture was properly concerning the Seceders: and I upole it might be chiefly with an eye to *but body of Seceders which I am in com munion with; as they are known to b more numerous, and to ftand at a great er distance from communion with the e stablished church, than others of that de nomination. I fhall not meddle particularly with th account which the overture gives of th number of meeting-houses which th Seceders have erected, and of perfon who refort to these meeting-houles; a I have never fought the knowledge o these matters: only, so far as I can judge the number of perfons is greatly exagge rated. But however far the number o thofe Seceders whom I am connected wit may yet be thort of what would fall t their proportion, according to the over ture, they have ground of thankfulnes to the Lord, that he has raifed up fo ma ny to appear on the fide of the Reforma tion-teftimony, at a time when th interefts of the Reformation, and of re ligion in general, are at fo very low pafs in this country. - They appear upon no private or fectarian footing. Their whole profeflion lies in a ge nuine adherence to the Reformation-prin church of Scotland; and if they must b ciples and established standards of the charged with fchifm, because they wil not concur with the grievous defection from these principles and standards which is now the prevailing fashion, - they wil patiently bear the groundless imputation Their teftimony has no fort of threatening aspect on the established church in any o her interefts as a Chriftian church: nor ha it any sort of threatening aspect, but al the contrary, in what were once-a-day reckoned the interefts of religion, in al the Reformed churches. Neither do know any effects of their pretended schisi that now begin to appear, and at likely to take root, in the greatest an most populous towns,”—more than too place above twenty years ago. 66 What fort of remedies for this pretend ed fchifm the authors of the overtur might have an eye to, I fhall not offer t guess; but I may venture to affirm, the the only remedies which confft wit Chriftianity, and with the rights of hu man nature, must lie in fetting abou reformation: and let the Seceders who I am fpeaking of be once fatisfied abor proper entertainment being given t Chriflianity in the established church they will then most humbly crave to b entertained in her communion. —I the overture fhould have refpect to an othe ther fort of remedies, I fhall leave others > judge how far it is out of character aang Prefbyterians: but I may fav, that, o the great mercy of these lands, it is lear feventy-seven years out of time. There is one thing in the overture hich I beg leave to take particular no∞ of; as it atfirms, that their pretend(chifu hath fo threatening an a -to the peace of the country." I all abstain from any strong language aat the injuriousnels of this alledgeance, with any remarks about the spirit and Indency of it; as I am confident that eir character is well enough known, for sing every way proof against any fuch putation in this country. Yet they ight to entertain a grateful fenfe of the wice which I am informed was done to m on this head, during the debate in general affeinbly, by fome Honour le members of that court: particudy by one gentleman of diftinction, oftrongly affirmed their loyalty to the elent government, - from this confisation, that none of them took up arms int it in the year 1745. This point would now a little enlarge upon; and must do it with respect to the Seceders general, as they were all one body at at time: and whatever differences have sce taken place among them, as divided to two; I know no reafon to think that ere is yet any difference betwixt thefe, the head of inviolable loyalty to the elent government, of stedfast friend ip to the peace of the country. At the time of the rebellion in the year 145 and 1746, the Seceders were spread, Dow, through all the lowlands of utland, — from Dunkeld to Cheviot, St Andrew's to Air, and in the counof Angus, Mearns, Banff, Elgin, árn, and Rofs. But not only did not le of them join with the rebels,- but of them, men and women, took all portunities to manifeft their abhorrence the rebellion; as they took all oppornities to join in public prayer and faftfor the fuppreflion of it, and in pue thanfgiving for the fame, after the eat day of Culloden. All the Seceng minifters were this way employed their congregations,, with expreis fupnations in behalf of our Sovereign King LORGE, and his government. When the rebels were first approaching Edinburgh, about three hundred Sece of the congregation in and about this y prevailed with the then Lord Pro voft to be allowed to take part in defending it against them; upon which they were furnished with arms and ammunition from the caftle, having hired a ferjeant to teach them military exercife: and they ftood to their poft in the fafirmary-yard, on the night when the rebels were admitted into the city, without carrying back their arms to the caftle, till they were informed that all others in the city had already done fo. When the rebels were in poffeffion of this city, I convened the congregation for public worship at Dreghorn, near Collington, where the rebels kept a principal guard: on which occafion I spoke to them as follows, viz. "The place where we are met fhould be putting us in mind of what occafions our removal from our ordinary place of meeting; that we may bring a concern about thele things before God. And here I would notice unto you, that our not affembling in our ordinary place appears warranted, in point of neceflity, and in point of duty. 1. In point of neceflity: That this congregation may, as far as poflible, attain compofure in worship, as therein we have God, not man, to deal with. 2. In point of duty: That thus we may give an open teftimony, proof, and document, that we are refol ved, through the Lord's grace, to come to no terms with the enemy that has power in the city; but to look on them as ene mies, fhewing ourselves to be none of their confederacy. In our public capacity, it is fit that we make even a voluntary removal from the place where they are, as from the feat of robbers; fhewing ourfelves refolved, that their feat fhall not be ours." [x. 324.]. And, upon our returning to our ordinary place of worship at the city, when the rebels were gone toward England, I spoke as follows, viz. "We have reafon to acknowledge providential kindness; in that, when remo ved from this place, we have yet been al lowed to meet within our own bounds, where we had access to fomething of that outward compofure without which worshipping affemblies are vain. And our very meetings elsewhere, during the time that the antichriftian and malignant party now in arms had their feat here, have been an open and neceifary teftimony against them; and of our purpofing no confederacy with thein, nor putting any confidence in them." While the rebels were in poffeflion of the city, I preached at Dreghorn, in the open Falkirk. In a word, it must be f remembered by many perfons of diftincti yet alive, - what fpecial confidence w then put in the Seceders; and which w particularly documented by some lette to me, yet in my cuftody. I have given pretty good evidence being no way difpofed for oftentation u on this fubject, as I have never offer any account of these matters to the p blic, for now near twenty years: nor h I the leaft thought of ever doing fo, t called upon by the prefent overture; which occafion I may well enough, I thin ufe all this freedom, without being juft liable to any imputation of vanity.— I plead no merit in the cafe: nor did ever expect or defire either reward thanks, as I was only effaying my duty and have thought it a fufficient recon pence,that we enjoy the great bletfir of liberty and protection, in common wi all other peaceable fubjects. open fields, five Sabbath-days; exprefsly preaching up an abhorrence of the rebellion then on foot, and an hope of its speedy overthrow. On each of these days I made exprefs mention of our Sovereign King GEORGE in public prayer; praying for the fafety of his reign, the fupport of his government, a blefling on his family, and the prefervation of the Proteftant fucceflion in that family;-at the fame time praying for the fuppreflion of the rebellion, exprefsly under the characters of an unnatural and antichristian rebellion, headed by a Popish pretender and while I was doing fo, I ordinarily had a party of the rebel-guard from Collington, who understood Englifh, ftanding before me on the outfide of the multitude; -particularly, upon one of these Sab baths, I read an act of the Affociate fynod for a folemn faft, to be obferved on the Tuesday following; which act was mainly levelled against the rebellion, with calls to pray for the King, and against that rebellion, in fuch exprefs terms, and under fuch exprefs characters, as I have mentioned. During the reading of which act, I had a party of the rebels ftanding before me, who fhewed great difpleafure, -and threatened, in the hearing of fome of the people, to prevent the obferving of that faft. But though they then attend ed, with figns of great difpleasure, they were reftrained from using any violence: yet about that time, as I was paling on the road near Collington, one of them, who seemed to be in fome command, fired at me; but, for any thing that appeared, it might be only with a defign to fright me. When the rebels were returning from England, and there was fome fear of their coming this way, the Seceders here readily obeyed a call from the fheriff, to take After all, I must observe with fatisfa part again in the defence of the city: and tion, that, according to my inform they kept their poft in the college-yard, tion, the overture was far from being r learning their exercife, all at their owned in the general affembly, by the mi expence, till a fuficient body of the military arrived. A company of Seceders from Glasgow readily obeyed a call to attend the army to Falkirk; where fome of them loft their lives. And I was fearched for by the rebels in Farkirk, on the evening after the battle there, upon account of my activity, about two or three hours before the battle, in getting a perfon apprehended who was just come from the rebel-camp, and carried to General Hawley, to be examined for intelligence; as the faid perfon was found in prifon by the rebels, upon their taking poffeffion of What I have narrated concerning m felf, is to be taken as a specimen of t Seceding minifters and people in general for I have not been distinguished from ny of them, by my principles and zeal behalf of the Hanover Family; but on by my opportunities of fhowing the fam And it is every way notorious, that w are still of the fame principles and di pofition, without the smallest abatemen as particularly appears by the Refolution the Affociate fynod, concerning the a ceffion of our prefent amiable SOVE REIGN;-which is to be found your Magazine for April 1761. I ha about two thousand witnesses for this, my part, every Sabbath-day; and all n brethren have the like testimony in the congregations. jority of either the Reverend or Honou On the imitation of the Grecian artists in PAINTING and SCULPTURE. [194] LETTER V. A Mong the ftriking marks of excellence and perfection that diftinguith the productions of the Grecian artists, there is one that deferves particular notice, as it is obfervable in all their capital performances, and is very rarely to be found elfewhere; I mean, a noble fimplicity, and a jedate grandeur, in their attitudes and expreffion. As the bottom of the ocean remains calm and unmoved, however vio lent the tempefts may be that trouble its furface; in the fame manner the expreffion that reigns in the Grecian ftatues, difcovers a certain grandeur and tranquillity of foul under the most terrible agitations and the molt violent patlions. This fublime mark of a great soul shines forth, in all its beauty, through thofe affecting expreflions of pain and anguifh that appear in the countenance of the famous Laocoon, and diffufe their horrors through his convulfed members. The bit ternefs of his torment feems to be imprinted on each mufcle, and to fwell every nerve; and it is expreffed with peculiar energy, by the contraction of the abdomen, and all the lower parts of his body: this expreffion is fo lively, that the attentive fpectator partakes, in fome meafure, of the anguish it reprefents: and yet, notwithstanding all this, there is nothing, either in the attitude or countenance of this wonderful ftatue, that bears the most diftant refemblance of diftraction or defpair; there is not the leaft appearance of that hideous cry which Virgil makes him fend forth on this dreadful occafion; the conformation of the mouth, from the fmallness of the opening, is incompatible with fuch a cry; it indicates rather a figh, extorted by great anguifh, and half fupprefled. The fufferings of the body and the elevation of the foul are expreffed in every member with equal energy, and form the moft fublime contraft imaginable. Laocoon fuffers it; but he fuffers like the Philoctetes of Sophocles; his lamentable fituation pierces the heart, but fills us, at the fame time, with an ambitious defire of being able to imitate his conftancy and magnanimity in the pains and fufferings that may fall to our lot. The expreffion of fuch a noble and elevated mind furpaffes infinitely the imitatation of what is called beautiful or felett VOL. XXVII. Nature. In order to give the breathing marble fuch a character of grandeur, the artift muft poffefs it in his own mind, and must draw it from thence. Greece was fo happy as to exhibit often the Artist and the Sage in the fame perfon; and Metrodorus is not the only example that might be brought to prove this defireable union. Philofophy lent an affifting hand to the fine arts, and animated their productions with efforts of fentiment beyond the common feelings of humanity, and breathed into them a foul of a fuperior nature to that which is obferved in ordinary mortals. It may be alledged, that the artist ought to have covered his Laccoon with a drapery, as this circumftance would have been fuitable to his character as a priest. But the observation of this ftrict propriety would have concealed a multitude of beauties, and rendered the expreffion of his torment lefs ftriking. Bernini tells us, that on a clofe examination of this famous ftatue, he observed in the stiffness of the thigh, the effect which the poifon of the ferpent was beginning to produce, All the attitudes and motions of the Grecian figures, whole violence, fire, and impetuofity, were incompatible with that fedate grandeur of which I have now been fpeaking, were looked upon as defe live; and this defect was called parenthyrfis. The more calm that we fuppofe the ftate of the body, the more adapted it muft naturally be to express the true character of the foul. On the contrary, all the attitudes that deviate too far from this ftate of ferenity and repofe, reprefent a foul whofe fituation, instead of being natural, is forced, violent, and constrained. It is true, the soul is exprefled, in a more ftriking and lively manner, when it is reprefented under the agitations of ftrong and impetuous passions; but it never appears with fuch grandeur and dignity as when it is calm and ferene. True grandeur must have a certain degree of permanence and confiftence, that is not to be found in the tranfitory emotions of violent paflions; and a great artist, as well as a judicious obferver, will be careful to diftinguish between paffion and character. If the Laocoon had expreffed nothing more than pain and anguish, the artift would have been chargeable with the parenthyrfis, already mentioned; to avoid this defect, and to represent the firmnefs and conftancy of foul that diftinguifhed this dying hero, without weak I i ening |