Upon the death of her parents, which appened before he had attained her twenty-fifth year, her fortune and manner of life were at her own difpofal.She now determined to put in execution afcheme which he had long meditated. —It was, to retire ; — but not into a coneat. A fpirit of liberty had always faved her from that facrifice, however intriously folicited by the emiffaries of the church, or encouraged by felfith relations. She was poffeffed of an estate, situated in a very retired part of the province of Campeigne; and there it was that the had determined to live fequeftered from the world, with no other fociety than an aged confeffor, and neceffary domeftics. -Of the laft fhe made a very few, and thole females, fufficient. At this crifis it might have been expect ed, that Alphenor would have used his poft address to diffuade her from her parpole.-By no means.-On the contrary, he encouraged her in her refolution, applauded the piety of her purpose, and expatiated on the happiness of folitary fanctity. He affumed not the least of the lover's character, but that of the religious friend. By this means he gained one point, which be had ufed all his industry, all his art to btain.-He had Eudocia's permiflion to pay her one vifit at the end of three months after her retirement: A favour which was allowed to none beside,either of her friends or acquaintance; and which Alphenor himelf, though through the mediation of reIgen, had scarce address fufficient to ob tain Eudocia retired.-She approached the confines of her estate with raptures, and paid a kind of idolatrous worship to the venerable groves that furrounded her habitation. "Hail!" fhe cried, "ye innocent and happy forefters! Ye fall at once be the witneffes and the guardians of my repofe. -Enjoy your vegetable exiftence, fecure from the cruelties and the ravages of man! -I have fled from the evils of society, to enjoy peace and innocence with you-my andefigning friends! my blamelefs companions! Often fhall I affociate with you, and repofe under the kind protection of your (hade!" With the fame kind of enthufiaftic pleasure, the walked through the feveral apartments of her houfe, confecrating each with a kind of petitionary ejaculation, For the first week of her retirement, the found fufficient employment in the oeconomy of her family, and the distribution of their feveral offices to her domeftics.-The fecond the devoted wholly to religious exercises and the raptures of devotion. But whatever is rapturous cannot laft long: thofe exercifes that lift the mind above its ufual pitch, if too frequently, or too long indulged, will at length, either totally deftroy it, or deprive it of that fobriety which is neceffary for the prefervation of its due poife. Nature feems, in kindness, to have guarded us against the inconveniencies that might arise from hence, by fhortening the influence of joy, by inclining us to variety, and by giving the property, either of indifference or difguft, to every object that has been too long, or too affiduously purfued, with whatever avidity it might have been embraced at first. That little fociety to which Eudocia had hitherto been accustomed, was a neceffary relief from the affiduities of religious ftudies and exercifes; and, far from being any prejudice, was, in reality, favourable to the interefts of religion.-It is certain, however, that the was of a different opinion, upon her first feclufion from the world: but many weeks had not paffed, before fhe felt the inconveniences of her mistake, if he was unwil ling to perceive the mistake itself. The exercifes of devotion, by being too frequently repeated, became languid and unaffecting: her mind, having been accustomed to communication, thrunk under the weight of its own fentiments; and every fucceeding day approached lefs welcome, and more feared, than the former. What fhould fhe do? Should the return to that world fhe had forfaken and defpifed? But a sense of fhame and pride arofe in oppofition to that thought, and strangled it in its birth. In this diffatisfied and dejected state, fhe recollected the appointment of Alphe nor's vifit; with joy fhe recollected it, and remembered, with a blush, the dif ficulties he had started against it. 66 "How," faid fhe, fhall I conceal that pleasure which I cannot but feel at the fight of Alphenor! If I express my real fentiments, he will have reafon to think his prefence of fome confequence to my happiness; and if I receive his vifit with an indifference equal to that with which E I received the propofal of it, I fhall do violence to that candour and fincerity of heart, which cannot bear even the thadow of diffimulation. In the former cafe, I should appear a weak and unfteady creature to Alphenor: in the latter, Ifhould become infupportable to myself." While the was thus meditating, in what manner the thould receive her friend, the time appointed for his visit was at hand. -But Alphenor did not appear.-Mafter of every key to the human heart, he knew, that if, by delaying his visit to Eudocia, he gave it the appearance of uncertainty, that uncertainty would probably create an anxiety on her part, which might not be unfavourable to his defign. This had the defired effect: day after day paffed away in the fame folitary langour, and Eudocia concluded, that the many objections fhe had made to Alphenor's vifit, had determined him at last to think of it no more.-This reflection made her miferable, and the now withed for nothing so ardently, as that the prefence of her friend would prove those apprehenfions vain. : At length he came.-A tear fell from the eye of Eudocia, when the received him he obferved it, and knew that he had now nothing more to do, than to reconcile her to herfelf, and to enable her to acknowledge her mistake, without fhame or confufion. Those wants that invention or eloquence could fupply, never diftreffed him Jong. "I hope, Madam," faid he, "that a life of folitude has been more comfortable to you than it has been to me."-"How?" eried Eudocia; "has Alphenor been a folitaire?" "Such, Madam, I have been ever fince I loft the happiness of Eudocia's converfa tion.—It was always my ambition to imitate her. Shall fhe, faid I, fhall a woman have fortitude to forfake the world, and retire to folitude, to practise the sublime duties of religion; and fhall I not profit by the example of that virtue I cannot but praife? But alas! Madam! alas! Eudocia ! - Shall I confess to you ——” "What would Alphenor confefs? Either the miseries and the inconveniencies of abfolute folitude must be very great, or I must have an uncommon and difgraceful weakness of mind; for the time I have thus devoted, I have not spent in happinefs, but in languor and difcontent." Eudocia fed another tear. How kind," faid Alphenor, "thus 66 T to pity the unhappiness of your friend "I cannot," replied Eudocia, " acc of a compliment I do not deserve. tear you obferved had something felfish it.-Alphenor can have no weakness t is not the weakness of human nature; a could it be any fatisfaction to him to kn that his friend has been as miferable in ftate of folitude as himself, his own ing nuous confellion might countenance i in acknowledging it. ****** For a woman of my Conftantia's per tration, it would be needlefs to tranfcri any more of the above narrative; and will be fufficient to inform her, that, fro the union of Alphenor and Endocia, in diftant defcent, came THEODOSIU A receipt for the yellows in horfes. TAke Caftile foap, cut thin, three ou ces; æthiops mineral, aloes, and be turmeric, each one ounce and a half; r fanders and madder, of each half an ounc beat what requires beating, and mix the with a futhcient quantity of honey, an make three balls; one ball to be giv the horse each morning, upon an emp ftomach, and a pint of the under-mer tioned decoction warm after it, for thre days together. Then take the innermo rind of barberry bark, falladine-root English rhubarb roots, marthmallow roots, and liver or lung wort, of each good handful; the best turmeric roo bruised, two ounces: cut them fmall, an boil them in three quarts of beer or a for about a quarter of an hour; then ad a tea-cup full of wood lice tied up in rag, or earth-worms, or the white goofe dung, or fheeps dung, half a pint alfo a large red onion, cut it from th growing end almost to the bottom, an put it into the wound; one dram of faf fron, then wrap it up in a rag and roaft it then put all together in the boiling decoc tion, and let it boil for a few minutes then take it from the fire, and put it in to a pitcher, and keep it clofe covered u for eight or twelve hours, with often ha king about, and then strain it for the uf above. The herbs may be boiled a fecon time in two quarts of water, and a pin given in the afternoons: the remedy may be repeated at about four days distance, i any occafion. The horse will require warm males and warm water, with wholefome food, efpecially if the diftemper was brought on by unwholesomeness of food. Frequent exercife, but in moderation, wil forward the cure much. Yorkshire, Dec. 20. 1764. J. RAYNER 33 A Catalogue of NEW BOOKS, the Prices and Publishers Names annexed s with REMARKS and EXTRACTS. [We sometimes few from what works we take thefe Remarks; by annexing M, for Monthly Review; C. for Critical Review; G. for Gentleman's, and L. for London Magazine, &c.] The Merry Philofopher; or, Thoughts on Fling. Containing rules by which a proper judgment of jets may be formed; and the criterion for diftinguishing true and genuine wit from that which is falfe and fpurious: Together with inftructions for improving the taste of those who have a natural turn for pleasantry and good humour. By George Frederick Meier, Prefeffer of Philofophy at Halle. Now fr tranflated into English from the German original. 12mo. 3 s. Newbery. A Philofopical treatife on jefting may be fuppofed written with a view to make jeft of philofophy. Nothing, however, appears farther from the defign of the treatife before us; which is really a grave and judicious inquiry into the fource, not indeed of the fublime and beautiful, but of the low and rifible. That there is certainly as determinate a caufe in nature, why we are affected by the latter with laughter, as by the former with admiration, is not to be doubted; but whether the caufes of both are equally inveftigable, can only be judged of by a comparative review of the different attempts made toward their investigation. In the jocofe reign of that merry moFarch K. Charles II. the art of jefting feems to have been in the higheft repute England. But the practice of an art, and the fcientific principles on which it is founded, are very different. How maBy fuccessful practitioners in phyfic have we, who know nothing of medicine as a fcience! How many excellent performers, and even compofers, in mufic, who are totally ignorant of the nature of the vibrations, and the mechanical proportions, of the chords productive of the feveral tones, of which they know how to difpofe lo harmoniously! How many in genious artifts in painting and defign, that know fo little of the phyfical caufes thofe admirable effects their labours, produce, that not one in twenty of them can divine, even to this day, what their great mafter Hogarth intended by his Line of Beauty! [zvi. 38.] In like manher we have numerous adepts in the artfible; choice fpirits! who juft when they pleafe, as Hamlet fays of Yorick, an fet the table in a roar; and yet, we VOL. XXVII. Comus will comprehend a whit more of conceive, not one of our modern fons of the generality of our artifts understand of our Profeffor's Analysis of Jefting, than time and flow degrees that an art imthe Analysis of Beauty. It is indeed by proves, and ripens into a science: the fuccefs, even from the days of Archime mechanic arts were long practised with des to thofe of Bp Wilkins and the Mar quis of Worcester; but who, before Dr of determining the laws of motion, and Wallis and Sir Ifaac Newton, was capable reducing mechanics to a science? Thus Longinus and Ariftotle wrote, ages ago, on the beautiful effects of literary com pofition; but it was referved for the prefent philofophical age to difcover the me chanifimm of the true fublime, the phyfical caufes of tafte*, and the general phyfiological principles of true fun. It is fomewhat extraordinary, however, that this difcovery fhould fall to the lot of a German; it being no longer ago than the time of Louis XIV, when it was folemnly debated in the university of Paris, whether it was poffible in rerum It hath been for many ages a standing proverb, De guftibus non eft difputandum; but attempts by Montefquieu, Voltaire, D'A if we may judge from the fuccefs of fome laté lembert, Gerard, and others, we shall foon fee that adage reverfed. Nay, we doubt not this fubject will in a fhort time become so fa miliar to our cafuiftical critics, that the me chanical and mathematical principles of wit humour, and tafte, will be canvafied at the Queen's-arms and Robinhood, in the fame manner as are now thofe of the human underftanding, the principles of religion, politics, or any other fcience equally understood by the learned members of thofe flourishing focieties. We would indeed recommend it in this metropolis, under the auspices of the to the new literary fociety now establishing Rev. Dr Trufler, and others, to offer pre miums, in imitation of the fociety in the Strand, not only to young writers and speak ers, but alfo to young jokers; unless indeed this good work be taken out of their hands, by the union of the Catch Club and Comus's Court, which we conceive would form a truly national and comical infiitution, under the denomination of The Rifible Society: The motto of whofe arms might be, Homo eft animal rifibile, 1 1 natura, that a German could be a wit? We are told, it is true, in the introduction to this work, that "an author, though without any turn for jefting himfelf, may, as a philofopher, undertake to inquire, on felid principles, into the rules of jefting: as fuch a one is fuppofed to have refined his tafte by the rules of found and philofophical criticism, to have acquired juft notions of beauty in general, and to be well instructed in the nature of wit and acumen in particular; just as he may be a proper judge of the beauties of a picture, the noble strokes of a fine poem, the energy and force of a fublime piece of oratory, though neither painter, poet, nor orator. The reafon is, theory and practice are not always infeparable." Thus it feems the academical queftion above mentioned might have been determined in the affirmative, and yet the propriety of our philofopher's inquiry be fully admitted. And, indeed, this was very probably the cafe: while the beaux efprits and efprits forts of England and France were bufy in pelting each other with farcaftic jefts, and making the world Jaugh at their wittici ns, our author was fitting, hum-drum, with his pipe in his mouth, like a true German profeffor, endeavouring to fmoke the cream of the jefl, and to find out what people were fo merry about. Whether he hath really extracted the marrow of the joke or not, may be ga thered from the following abflract and fpecimens of the work. As to the general defign of this performance, the author speaks thus of it in his introduction, which appears to have been added in a fecond edition of the book. "Several exceptions were made by fome formal gloomy perfons to these thoughts, on their first publication: they accounted the undertaking indecent and ridiculous: they imagined I fat up for a profeffor of jefting, and publicly declared, I affected an extraordinary turn that way, and wanted to keep it in exercife. My pupils and my more intimate friends can readily acquit me in this refpect. I must, however, reft contented with the judgment of the world, fhould it be thought a ftill greater indecency, that I now give an improved edition. I only want to be thought a whet flone for harpening iron, without pretending to cut & · fungar vice cotis, acutum Reddere que ferrum valeat, exfors ipfa fecan Some perfons indifcriminately conde all laughter and jefting, as criminal; they make no diftinction between a n rofe and a ferious turn of mind. I eafily forefee, they will deem, as inc fiftent with the principles of morality. fubject, which they, in their gloomy prehenfions, look upon as incompati with its practice. As I admit, that veral jefts are inconfiftent with true tue; fo, if impartial, they, on th part, must admit, that morofenefs is from being a virtue : Multum ringitur otiofa Virtus. Hypocrites, with the appearance, b without the reality, of virtue, condem from the teeth outwardly, the laugh and jefting, which they fincerely appro in their hearts. And many fincere,v tuous perfons, alfo account them crim nal, either from temperament, mela choly, or erroneous principles of mora ty. As the cenfure of fuch perfons gi me pain, fo their approbation would g me great pleasure. But as long as th confider the fuggeftions of their temp rament, deep melancholy, and erroned principles, as fo many dictates of re virtue; fo long they muft not take it mifs, if, while I revere their virtue, I d fpife their judgment. It most be allowed, great offence m be given by jefting, and that much c cumfpection is requifite to jest innocen ly. Some jefts are irreligious, coar lewd, unfeemly, &c. But I am to he a happy jeft must in its nature be inn cent. To determine in general, wh ther jefting be innocent, or no, it is n ceffary to explain briefly the intentio fubject, circumftances, and the nature a jeft, and of the laughter confeque upon it. As to the intention, a perf may jeft out of malignity, lewdnefs, in piety, rancour, &c.; things no wife a ceffary to conftitute jefts: and therefo we cannot condemn them in the lum because fometimes proceeding from cr minal intentions. The fubject of je may be things which ought not to be je ed on; things of a momentous nature, religion, virtue, truth, &c.; but as thel are no requifites to a jeft, we canno therefore condemn all jefting, because o fuch abuse and mifapplication. Many cir cumftances may be improper for jefting as in the house of mourning, on a death bed ,&c. but none can be reftrained at Er time, to jest unfeasonably. In the ature of a jeit, which, as I fhall fhew, aits in an extreme fine thought, the lt of a great wit and acumen, which cre eminent perfections of the soul, there aa be nothing criminal. And lastly, in Lighter, condemned by perfons whom nature has neglected, having denied them the faculty thereof, whofe averfion there fse to laughter can be no virtue; in Lighter, I fay, beftowed as a preroga tive on man, above the brute creation, there can as little be any thing criminal. hall this, I only attempt to set my readers in the train of judging in a raDonal and folid manner, on the morality ef jetting the further profecution is forega to my purpose. I might however aledge, that a harsh, difagreeable truth, a reproof, can in no better manner be coached. Many failings and mifcarriages erve a flight ridicule, not a folemn re primand. A man may often make his fortune by a happy jeft; or handfomely extricate himself out of fome difficulty. Mr Waller, whom Charles II. reproachJed with a better poem made on Cromwell, than on himself, readily replied, "Poets, pleafe your Majefty, are happier at fic ten than truth." A foldier, who, by his Bravery in the wars, came to lofe an arm, had a mere trifle in money from his general. Aftonished at this, he frankly toke out: "Have I loft but a pair of Loves This jeft procured a more conSerable prefent. mon benefit to all who incline to jest: it will make them cautious to examine, whether a conceit may not clash with the rules of jesting; enable them to improve their tafte in jefting; and gain refolution enough to stifle all jefts in the birth, which cannot ftand the teft; the abortions of a motley wit, and which, brought forth, would difgrace the author, and distaste the hearers." The writer goes on to enumerate other advantages arifing from the fuitable application of a talent or capacity for jefting; as well as to fhew in what manner the art of jefting may be reduced to a science. In chapter the first, the author proceeds to give his definition of a jeft: "A jeft," fays he, "is principally a creature of the fenfitive wit and acumen; I must therefore define what I mean by wit and acumen. Nature has bestowed on us a faculty, by which we can perceive the agreement of one thing with another. Now as things are faid to agree mutually, when they are in quantity and qualities the fame; to this their agreement we are to rank all refemblances, equalities, and proportions. Wit is the readiness or habit to discover the agreement of things; and thus their refemblances or fimilitudes, their equalities and proportions; - and is divided into the fenfitive and rational wit. The fenfitive wit confifts in the readiness or habit of representing the agreements of things in an indistinct and fenfitive manner. But the rational wit, is the habit of difcovering the resemblances of things in a distinct manner. By this laft fpecies of wit we gain, for inftance, abftract notions, by means of logical rules, feparated or abstracted from others, all of them confifting in a distinc reprefentation of the agreement of feveral other notions. But when Horace makes Lydia fay, The benefits to be reaped from the pertal of this treatife, will be, Firft, to ele perfons with a turn for jefts, to guith the falfe and infipid from the gene and fprightly; to ftifle in the burth all low and indecent drollery; to reprefs imprudent fallies of wit, which are not even a bofom-friend; to prune the luxuriancies of a wild imagination, faults, the wittiest and most ingenious ay at times be fubject to. Cicero is a friking inftance, that a fine genius may jet in a wretched manner, because jeftg too often, and not accurately enough tamining his jefls. Public profeffors in verfities often difgrace themfelves by wretched jefts, with a view to divert ir hearers, and relieve the feverity of the profound truths they are propofing, by interlarded jefts. A general treatife jefting, may, therefore, yield uncomWe apprehend there is fome mistake , either of the tranflator, or the printer. Quanquam fidere pulchrior Tecum vivere amem, tecum cbeam libens, he in a fenfitive manner reprefents the refemblance of the beauty of Calais, with the beauty of a conilellation; that of levitv, with the bark of a tree; and the refemblance of fudden anger, with the raging of the Adriatic: thefe are therefore reprefentations or ideas of the fenfitive wit. All reprefentations and dif courfes, produced by the wit, whether the fenfitive or rational, are ingenious or. witty reprefentations and difcourfes. But F 2 here |