error, but seek not to impose upon dous thoughts! tears gush, and the mankind!-Oh God! I could traverse whole is vanished! boundless desarts, and cross seas Oh! the thought of death has often which never yet have foamed beneath come across my youthful hopes, like the daring keel, to kiss the hem of the fated mildew blasting the early that man's garment, whose bosom, blossom of the year! The spring of like a crystal mirror, reflects the in- life was paralysed; its glow and ar born movements of his mind, free dour of complexion lost their hue; from spot or stain! within whose bounding activity withered before the heart the voice of nature breathes thought, and all the energy of bold without a struggle; and whose tongue declares its honest beatings! London, April 20. SIR, FENCE. IN times like these, when our poli exertion sunk into torpid apathy!But then-the whispers of delusion I was lost in these reflections; my soothed my soul: they threw a dazzeyes were full of tears; I raised them ling tint before my eyes, that hid the to the silent moon, and bade her wit- vast obscure, and shone resplendent ness to the transports of my soul: I on the immediate path: fancy plumed fancied she wheeled nearer to the her wing and took a daring flight; earth as listening to my prayer. In a reason and sense Jay vanquished be few moments I was calm, and my neath their potency, and ever chang. mind rested on the quiet, tranquil ing hope, with hues as various and scene that was before me. The as gay as tinge the liquid drops that moon was at her full. The coun- giitter in the morning ray, gilded the try round seemed to tremble in a prospect that lay before me: I trod flood of yellow radiance; low mur- cheerily onwards, till the sober setting murs and indistinct sounds swelled sun dissolved the fairy prospect! upon the ear. These are the moments when I love to sit, and plunge my soul into a delirious extacy of On the MEANS of NATIONAL Dg. thought. Gazing on the skies, all accuracy of vision lost, I animate into temporary existence scenes that are gone by scenes which every man tical existence is threatened by an bears impressed upon his heart, ambitious and implacable enemy, it though tew know how to call them behoves every good and loyal citizen into life. I assemble round me the to use the utmost of his endeavours tovenerable shades of my parents; I wards the safety of the general weal. All discourse with them, and enter with extensive plans of public benefit have them into the business of life; the been the result of many minds empresent is absorbed in the past, which, ployed upon an individual topic: and like an overwhelming flood, rushes it may fall to the lot of a very obscure upon the mind: with those whom individual to excogitate something the grave has devoured, or whom ab which happier minds may ripen into sence has separated, I mingle once maturity. At all events no man again; joy thrills through my frame, should be deterred, in times of com joy wets with tears my eyes; all mon peril, from coming forward in around is joy:- suddenly the scene is changed, I am sitting by the bed of sickness, and holding to my lips the cold clammy hand of expiring nature, I whisper comfort to their agony; pray with them to the eternal God; Authors are a very lazy set of beings, 'tis past-the last sad rites ap. though they imagine that they perproach; ah! how dreary! I hear the form extraordinary teats when they bell toll; I see the waving plumes; fill a few quires of paper in a few the grave; the coffin lowered down; months. However, without enquir mournfully sounds the earth as it falls, ing into the validity of their title to and proclaims "dust to dust,"-it industrious citizens, I am afraid they strikes cold upon my heart: the are not loyal or patriotic ones. But grave--death--futurity! Tremen- I have often thought that they might any way he thinks best for common advantage: and, acting from this principle, I venture to propose to you the following scheme towards aiding the national defence. be rendered such; and as we have now several professional corps, why might not the authors of the city of London be formed into one? On a Passage in "MILTON's L'AL- N SIR, the Magazine for December man, has mentioned a passage in the last, your correspondent, Mr RickL'Allegro of Milton," which he considers as "palpably absurd;" it is the following: There is a general prejudice against volunteer corps in some minds, and I do not here intend to combat those prejudices; neither do I pretend to offer a digested plan for carrying my ideas into execution: but in order to alleviate the drudgery of drilling Of Cerberus, and blackest midnight born,” "Hence loathed melancholy! marching, counter-marching, field days, &c. &c. I think it would be The word which he has selected as very well to render the thing as analo- a subject of criticism in the above lines gous to the pursuits of the individuals is. Cerberus," and he substitutes in as possible. For example, the words of it's place that of "Erebus," as being command might be put into ingenious much more applicable to the subject poetical couplets, which would not on which the bard had devoted his only have the effect of rendering them pen. In my opinion, either of these easy of remembrance, but have a cerfictitious characters may be used with tain power over the minds of the lite propriety, to express the melancholy rary soldiers, far exceeding any na- or gloom which sometimes pervades tional air whatever. For this purthe mind, as they are closely allied to pose it would be necessary to have each other in signification. The forpoetical commanders, who would mer was considered by the ancients sometimes be able to exhilirate their as a dog possessing three heads, who men by a sudden and unexpected use guarded the entrance into the inferof extemporaneous poetry. I pronal regions; and the latter, we are pose, therefore, that Mr. Southey be told, was an infernal deity and the colonel; Mr. Pye, lieutenant-colonel; offspring of Chaos and Nox; and the and Messrs. Cottle, Sir J. B. Burgess, name of this deity has also been apCumberland, Walter Scott, &c. &c. plied by heathen mythologists to a have the rank of majors, captains, and river in hell. So that Erebus and lieutenants, in preference. In addi- Cerberus were both considered as intion to this, and for the purpose of habitants of the same regions, and ungiving active employment to other doubtedly (without exciting an idea individuals of the corps, the regi- of "absurdity,") either of them mental orders might be logically be certainly used as characteristics, to drawn up, by chapter, section, and denote the explanation which Milton paragraph, in which department intended the passage to convey. Messrs. Godwin and Co. would be I remain, found eminently serviceable. The your's sincerely, drummers and fifers might be col- Leicester, April 7. lected from editors of Magazines, Reviews, &c. and the leader of the band might be a writer of operas, Mr. Isaac Brandon for example. The serjeants should consist of novel writers, and the preference be given to Messrs. Holcroft, Surr, and Godwin, in case the latter gentleman should decline the former office assigned him; and the privates would of course consist of hungry authors of all denominations from the writers of epics and the translators of novels, down to your humble servant, London, April 17, 1908. TIMOTHY USEFUL. may J. S. H. EXTRACTS from POLYENUS' STRA- [Continued from p. 203.] to fight the Lacedæmonians, Many applied to him for appointments: one asked for a tribuneship, a second solicited to be made a captain, a third requested to be a centurion, and a fourth to lead a cohort. He put off all the Petitioners to a convenient season. It was this. He led out his forces, and having placed a After these transactions the Carthacompany by itself, he secretly com- ginians employed other generals: manded it to sound the signal of bat- and, having been often defeated and tle, as if the enemy were beginning often brought into the danger of capthe attack. All were thrown into tivity, repented of driving Gescen consternation and confusion. The into exile, and of putting to death timid, struck with tear, retreated. Hamilcar. But it was not possible to The courageous advanced, and drew recall home the deceased Hamilcar; up in battle array. Iphicrates laughed, they invited Gescon, however, back and confessed, that the signal was from his exile, invested him with sosounded by his direction, to try who preme and absolute command, and were qualified to command. He be- delivered up his enemies to receive stowed on the latter tibuneships and such punishment as he should choose. captaincies; but commanded the former, who had retreated, to follow. No. 24. Iphicrates. Iphicrates escaped punishment for treachery. His accusers were Aristophon and Chares. The charge against him was that, when it was in his power to have slain the enemy at the promontory of Embatus in Asia, he avoided a naval engagement. When he perceived that the court was against him, he stopped his pleading and brandished his sword to the judges. They, terrified with the apprehension that he would surround the tribunal with his armed soldiery, all voted his acquittal. After the acquittal, one of them observing that he had offered violence to the judges, he replied, "I should have been a fool if, having fought for the Athenians, I had not fought for myself also against them." Gescon, receiving them bound, commanded them, before all the people, to lie with their bellies on the ground, and he gently trod upon the neck of each with his foot, saying, "that he had enacted from them sufficient punishment for taking away his brother's life. Having spoken thus, he let go his enemies, adding, "that he would not recom pence evil with evil, but with good."* His enemies therefore, and their friends, and all the Carthaginians. yielded to Gescon, and obeyed him as the best of good generals; and imme diately victory changed sides in battle, and Gescon became conqueror, through the activity and attachment of those who were under him. N. B. This was a speech worthy a great man, and differs little from that of the apostle, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." So that it has been hastily said, that no passage can be found in pagan writers that can bear a comparison with that of the apostle. As l'am on this point, I will quote a line or two from schylus, which may throw light upon the language of Scripture. In Matthew we read, that seeing they did not see, and hearing they Hamilcar, the most excellent gene- did not understand." The poet, de ral of all the eminent generals which scribing the blind ignorance of manAfrica produced, having conducted kind, before the invention of the many wars with great success, was arts, says, in like manner, "At first accused, from envy, by faction in seeing, they saw in vain; and hearthe administration, of aiming at ty- ing, they did not hear: but like ranny. He was taken off, and his those who dream, they or a long brother Gescop fell with him, and time mingled and blended together was banished. The citizens made, all things as phantoms."-Upton. by a public confiscation, a distribu[To be continued.] No. 25.-Gescon. tion of their effects among themselves. OBSERVATIONS on the POOR LAWS: claim on the bounty of his neigh. WHAT 2d. To limit the assessments for the poor. [Concluded from p. 195] HAT remedy then can be de- The wisdom of this expedient must vised for this increasing evil? appear to every one, who is conHad a friend, whose loss I shall vinced of the absurdity of leaving never cease to lament, been now liv- an unlimited demand on limited reing, and had he been restored to the sources. The increase of the Poor's high office which for a short time he Rate has been progressive; and should held, I should not have despaired of it receive no check, should it be perseeing some effectual remedy. His mitted to advance, we have no re son strong mind, his well informed un- to think that its progress in future derstanding, his indefatigable appli- will be less rapid than it has been for cation, his exalted patriotism, his half a century. If it has doubled boundless benevolence, would have every fourteen years, and should condevised expedients to alleviate the tinue advancing in that ratio, it must distresses of the indigent without at a given period swallow up the checking their industry, and without whole, the occupiers of lands will then continuing to invade the rights of pro- increase the number of the poor, the perty. He had turned his attention distress will be universal, and there to the lamentable condition of the will be no human being to relieve poor: he had sought for information, it. and he had resolved to adopt, when- 3d. To let every cottager employed ever he should have the opportunity, in husbandry have, at least, a quarter whatever plans sound wisdom could of an acre of land as near as may be to suggest, for the prevention of an evil his own cottage, and not to suffer a which the legislature had in vain at- new cottage to be built without this tempted to remove. provision. In conversation he did me the ho- For this he might pay rent, or, nour from time to time to communi- should he be too poor to pay the rent cate his thoughts upon this subject, himself, he might be assisted from and on these occasions I collected, the parochial fund; but no cottager that, without having made up his should receive any assistance from mind as to the precise mode of pro- this fund who wilfully neglected the viding a remedy for this increasing cultivation of his land. evil, his views were directed to the subsequent expedients: 1st. To encourage friendly societies for mutual relief. By the cottage law of Queen Elizabeth (31 E.cap.7) it was provided, that no cottage should be erected, unless endowed with four acres of land to be The advantages arising from such occupied with it as long as the cottage institutions are too manifest to need should be inhabited. But this quandiscussion. But unfortunately the tity of land would be surely too much prevailing sentiment of the labouring for the spade, too little for the plough, poor has been, that such establish- too much for a dependent, and too inents tend only to relieve, at their little for an independent state. expense, the occupiers of land from a One quarter of an acre is sufficient burthen which the law has imposed to employ the leisure hours of the on them. Hence it is, that few soci- cottager, and to provide his family eties have been established, and these with cabbages, potatoes, carrots, parsfew are diminishing in numbers. To nips, turnips, peas, beans, and onions, induce them to contribute toward the the offals of which will feed a pig. support of these institutions, no pau- This quantity of land will render the per should, after a given period, re- leisure hours of the cottager producceive parochial aid, who did not be- tive, and prevent him from losing his long to one of them. Nothing could time, spending his money, and debe more reasonable than this regula- stroying his health by intoxication at tion, for, surely, if a man will not do an alehouse. all that is in his power to make pro As a reward for distinguished merit, vision for himself, he can have no the quantity of land thus rented by UNIVERSAL MAG. VOL. IX. 2 N the labouring poor might be in- in proportion to their distance from creased, and part of it being cultivated the alehouse. by the spade for wheat, might be ren- 5th. To establish houses of correcdered sufficiently productive for the tion. consumption of the whole family. These, however, should not be such Mr. Estcourt, at Long Newnton, a as now bear that name, places of conparish which belongs to him, has tried finement, in which the most profithis expedient on a very extensive gate wretches are assembled together, scale, and has found it effectual in re- not to work, but to corrupt each ducing the Poor Rates, in relieving other. They should be such as the poverty, promoting industry, encou- workhouse of Bradford, in Wiltshire, raging subordination, and in all re- was for many years, during the best spects improving the moral character days of Rayner. Under his direction, among his tenants. all who entered that house, were well I had an opportunity of trying this lodged, well clothed, well fed. But in one solitary instance. A poor he made them work. He gave to man in my parish had a miserable every one a morning and an evening mud-wall hovel, with about three lug task, and till they had accomplished of ground in the corner of our com- this they could not eat. All that they mon. He had a wife and children, earned beyond this task was their who constantly received parochial aid own, and they were at liberty either prior to the time when I prevailed on to spend it or to save it, till they were him to inclose from the common a able to leave the house, and to esta little more than a quarter of an acre blish themselves in a state of indepen for a garden. From that time he and dence on the parochial funds. With his family employed their leisure his management the work house be hours in cultivating this little spot, came a school of industry; but when and by their industry, without paro- it lost his superintending mind, it chial aid, converted the mud-wall became again the residence of indohovel into a comfortable brick-wall lence, wretchedness, and vice. cottage. And for years I have had The jail at Oxford, whilst under the satisfaction of seeing this indus- the care of Mr. Harris, was indeed a trious family well clothed and fed. house of correction. The prisoners, The little copy-holders, both such who had the good fortune to be conas had farms and such as had merely fined in it, earned more than their a small garden with their cottage, livelihood, during the term for which have always been the most sober and they were committed, and when they the most industrious people in my left the house it was most frequently parish, and their children have been in a state of reformation. good servants. Such might be the institution proShould small copy-hold estates be jected by General Bentham, as long exempted from taxation, both produc- as that gentleman should live. Whetive labour and the revenue of the ther it would answer on so large a country would be increased. scale as he proposed, I am at a loss to say; but it appears to me as a very hazardous expedient. 4th. To discourage alehouses. These are the sinks of vice. When a poor man has malt liquor in his own cottage, he drinks with his family, what is sufficient to recruit his strength and to fit him for his work. At an alehouse he drinks to intoxication, dissipates his gains, and saps the foundation of his health: he loses his time, inflames his evil passions, and renders himself unfit for the labours of the succeeding day. In forty-four years residence at Pewsey I have constantly observed, that my parishioners have been sober, honest, industrious, and well behaved 6th. To encourage schools for the instruction of children in reading, and of females in needle-work. The benefits arising from such institutions have been experienced in my parish, and must every where be great. 7th. To make emigration easy. In the first place, emigration should be facilitated from parishes, in which the population is superabundant, in which mines or manufactures have failed, to other parishes where miners and manufacturers are wanted. In former times the vagrant laws |
