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by turning over the leaves, reading aloud the title-page, and exhibiting the gilded binding to the gazing crowd. I perceived too all along that she affected great popularity, On her nearer approach fhe threw off her former grimace, and began to compofe herself with great affiduity and art. She gave figns of the utmost fubmiffion, by making three obeifances to the lady who fat on the bench as judge; yet she could not help fending some oblique malevolent glances at ORTHODOXY; and the cross that CEREMONY held feem'd to give her great offence; but this difguft fhe endeavour'd as much as poffible to conceal. On fo great a change in her behaviour, the whole affembly express'd the highest fatisfaction. The lady on the bench indeed seem'd to be but little affected with it, and with a nod gave leave for an audience, ALTERATION then spoke, but as the whole harangue was nothing but an abftract from the well-known book fhe held in her hand, the repeating it would be needlefs. I fhall only therefore mention some circumstances that happen'd during the harrangue. When the frequent use of the Lord's Prayer in the Liturgy was ftrenuously objected to, ORTHODOXY who had till then been tolerably attentive, 'exprefs'd how much the regarded fuch an objection by a smile; whilst CEREMONY, as being plainly aim'd at, look'd pale with refentment. Again, when a certain notorious vice was pronounc'd to be no deadly fin,joy was immediately diffus'd over the face of every partizan. The propofal for contracting the liturgy, because it took up too much time, was also receiv'd with the highest marks of approbation, and particularly fo by the whole herd of pluralifts. When ALTERATION had finish'd her harangue, the lady on the bench pronounc'd with a loud voice, MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PREVALEBIT; when lo! drefs'd in an antique garb, more white than fnow, more transparent than chryftal, DEVOTION enter'd: humble was her deportmont, her eyes were lifted up to heaven. Her

retinue

retinue was small; nay to fome it appeared even mean, for it confifted only of a few undignify'd divines, drefs'd in rufty wigs, and tatter'd crape; but how badly foever they appear'd to be habited, the resolution each perfon exprefs'd plainly intimated, that they wanted neither the heart nor the head to support the cause they had fo bravely undertaken. On a fudden with extended arms DEVOTION held out on high The Book of Common Prayer; the covers of it were adamant, on which in indelible characters were stamp'd the ́illustrious names of Edward the fixth, Queen Elizabeth, Archbishop Laud, King Charles the Martyr, and the noble Septemvirate of tower'd Prelates; the leaves were of ivory, the letters were of gold. On beholding this glorious fight, the whole affembly were ftruck with a religious awe: but after fome minutes, nothing could be heard but the loudeft fhouts of applause. The partizans of the Free and Candid Difquifitions were driven to defpair, whilft ALTERATION, when the shouting ceafed, endeavour'd to fpeak, but whatever she utter'd appear'd to be nothing but Cant. At length the lady on the bench plac'd DEVOTION on a stool next to ORTHODOXY. Her retinue were order'd to follow her, when to my most agreeable furprize I faw each venerable divine rob'd with lawn. order, ORTHODOXY ftood up to read a decree, but at that instant the college bell rung for prayers: the found of it awaken'd me: I arose from my bed, went to the chapel, and addrefs'd my creator in a Form of Prayer, one tittle of which not the utmoft machinations of the deceitful, nay not even the powers of darkness will ever be able to alter.

After they were all feated in

PHILO-CHRISTUS,

Oxford, Sept. 22. 1750

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their voluminous tracts in pathetically complaining of the curtailed brevity of human life; and have elegantly illustrated its mifery by many juft fimilitudes. Some of them have compared it to a fhadow, others to a dream, and others again to a mift on the mountain top.- -But none of them all have fo emphatically display'd its tranfitory ftate as the learned and ingenious author of the following diftich

OH MAN! OH MAN! THY LIFE IS LIKE

A CANDLE IN A CANDLE-STEICK

Let us take a small view of the beauty of the whole fimile And first here is a doubling or iteration of the oh and man. Oh man! oh man! a fort of reverberation (fi ita loqui liceat) very expreffive in ejaculation, exclamation, lamentation, &c. borrowed from the most celebrated authors of all languages.-The Greeks have their EU, EU-the Latins have hei and va; and we often cry out alas! alas! exactly parallel to oh oh; and the Arabians, Chaldeans, Syrians, and Chinese have their X P P Í Í?.

But to go on, in the next place we have life and like, two L's together, which make a moft beantiful alliter

*ation,

ation, a figure in rhetoric the most engaging, and which -The laft line, A wonderfully promotes the pathos.Candle, &c. is inconceivably elegant, which it would be throwing away time, words, and ink, to take notice of,only we'll just remark the poetick licence splendidly refulgent in the laft word CANDLE-STEICK; how happily has the author fegregated the letters in the last fyllable, by the figure diærefis-Steick for flick, harmonious turn ineffable! So OVID evoluiffe for which HOMER, the prince of poets, is fo defervedly celebrated by the critics in the fift verfe of the Iliad Πηληιαρεω Αχιλήος— Him no doubt our author had in his eye. -Upon the whole, there is an extraordinary neatness in the fimile.— We have an idea of the clean mould candle in a filver candle-stick, gently wafting away its tallowy substance, and mildly decaying its wooly wick; this the other fimilitudes above-cited fall far fhort of, therefore we conclude that ours exceeds them all, and fhines and glitters amongst them-velut inter igres

Luna minores

Q. E. D. Vale & fruere:

An

An EPISTLE to Mr. ROBERT LOWTH.

"T

In imitation of HORACE, Book ii. Epift. 19.

By the late Mr. CHRISTOPHER PITT.

IS faid, dear fir, no poets please the town,
Who drink mere water, tho' from Helicon :
For in cold blood they seldom boldly think;
Their rhymes are more infipid than their drink.
Not great APOLLO could the train infpire,
'Till generous BACCHUS help'd to fan the fire.
Warm'd by two Gods at once, they drink and write,
Rhyme all the day, and fuddle all the night.
HOMER, fays HORACE, nods in many a place,
But hints, he nodded oftner o'er the glass.
Inspir'd with wine old ENNIUS fung and thought
With the same spirit, that his heroes fought:
And we from JOHNSON's tavern-laws divine,
That bard was no great enemy to wine.
'Twas from the bottle KING deriv'd his wit,
Drank till he could not talk, and then he writ.
Let no coif'd ferjeant touch the facred juice,
But leave it to the bards for better use:
Let the grave judges too the glass forbear,
Who never fing and dance but once a year,

This truth once known, our poets take the hint,
Get drunk or mad, and then get into print :
To raise their flames indulge the mellow fit,
And lose their senses in the search of wit:
And when with claret fir'd they take the pen,
Swear they can write, because they drink, like BEN.
Such mimick SWIFT or PRIOR to their coft,

For in the rash attempt the fools are loft.
When once a genius breaks thro' common rules,
He leads an herd of imitating fools.

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