been much more furprized had they come a fortnight fooner; then nothing but frightful dead bodies were feen on all fides, and there was no ftirring without vinegar at our nofes, though that could not hinder our perceiving the filthy ftench of them. I had 200 dead bodies that lay rotting under my windows for the fpace of eight days, and but for the authority of the first prefident they had remained there much longer. At prefent things are much changed: I made my round about the town, and found but few; but a prodigious number of quilts and blankets, and of all forts of the richest cloaths, which people would touch no more, and are going to burn. There are actually in the ftreets to the value of 200,000 livres. The diforder and confufion has hitherto been extremely great, but all our hopes are in the great care of the chevalier de Langeron, governor of the town. He has already caufed fome fhops to be opened. The change of the governor, and of the season, by the grace of God, will be advantageous. Had we not affected to deceive the public, by affuring that the evil which reigned was not the plague, and had we buried the dead bodies which lay a whole fortnight in the fireets, I believe the mortality had ceafed, and we should have had nothing to do but provide against the extreme mifery which neceffarily muft be the fequel of this calamity. You cannot imagine the horror which we have feen, nor can any believe it that has not feen it; my little courage has often almoft failed me. May it pleafe Almighty God to let us foon fee an end of it. There is a great diminution of the mortality; and those that hold that the VOL. III. moon contributes to all this, are of opinion, that we owe this diminution to the decline of the moon ; and that we shall have reafon to fear when it comes to the full. For my part, I am convinced, we owe all to the mercies of God, from whom alone we must hope for relief in the deplorable condition we have been in fo long a while. I am, &c. HENRY, Bishop of Marseilles. The conduct of a late unfortunate nobleman, tending to reflect on the marriage ftate. There has been inferted in the public papers a very short will of a Peerefs of Ireland, (whereby he gave her feparate fortune to her lord) in which the tenderness of her heart, delicacy of fentiments, and fincerity of conjugal affection, together with an air of genuine religion, appear fo ftrong and lively, that it has been very justly admired, and deferves to be kept in remembrance, to the honour of that noble pair. But it may be deemed altogether fuperfluous for the purpose for which it was injerted, that of vindicating the fair fex, and the ftate of matrimony; neither of which could poffibly have juffered by any afperfions of an unhappy man, whose known infanity, whilst it palliates his crime, takes away all 'autho rity from his opinion, not only in thef: points, but in others of greater importance. For the Lord PALMERSTON. S I have long given you my Α A heart, and my tenderest affections and fondeft withes have been always yours, fo is every thing elfe I poffefs; and all that I can call mine being already yours, I have D nothing nothing to give but my heartieft thanks for the care and kindness you have at any time fhewn me, either in fickness or in health; for which God Almighty will, I hope, reward you in a better world. However, for form's fake, I here give and bequeath you as following: Firft the 10,0col. left me by Sir R. H. the 200l. a year annuity, left me by my father; the gold cup, and the two leffer chocolate cups, which I with you would fometimes look on as a remembrance of death, and alfo of the fondeft and faithfullest friend you ever had.” N. B. The cups were made out of mourning rings, and ufed daily as a memorial of her departed friends and eternity. Sept. 4, 1726. A copy of an original letter, written by Mr. Solomon Da Cofta, and Sent to the Trustees of the British Mufæum, with a prefent of near two hundred curious manufcript volumes in the Hebrew language, which were originally intended by a prefent to King the Jews as Charles II. Go O, I pray thee, fee the prefence of thofe in whom there is wifdom, understanding, and knowledge; behold they are the honourable perfonages appointed and made overfeers of the great and noted treafury called by the name of the British Mufæum. The Lord preferve them! Amen. Saith the man Solomon, fon to my lord and father, the ancient, honourable, devout, meek, and excellent Mr. Ifaac Da Cofta, furnamed Athias, of the city of Amfterdam, of the people fcattered and difperfed among all nations; of the captivity of Jerufalem, which is in Spain. I have already dwelt fifty-four years in eafe and reft, in quietnes and in confidence, without fear, in this city of London, the crowning city! that is full of people, great among the nations, and princess among the provinces; a city great for wife and learned men; the mother of fciences and arts; there is not one fcience too difficult for them, either in medicine or aftronomy, or philofophy, or any art of fkilful and cunning artifts, the work of cunning workmen, fuch as have not been feen in all the earth, nor in any nation. And much more fo now, that they have built a tower for them all, and a palace full of all good things, the wonders of nature, which God created and made; and things of great value, both by reafon of their being fingular, there being no other like them, by reason of the coftliness of the work, it being done with utmost comeliness and beauty, or by artists, whose fame has gone forth through the world. There are they depofited, and there are they to be met with in thousands and ten thoufands, where they will be for ever for a fign and wonder; and fpacious rooms full of books, both modern and ancient, printed and manufcripts, in innumerable languages, the like was not feen in all the earth, fince the foundation thereof, till now that the men of government expended abundance of money to purchase them, and to gather them within the great treafury, that it might be for the good of mankind, both for the ftranger, and for him that is born in the land, even every one whofe heart ftirred him up to come unto the works, to fearch and examine them.-May the Lord open unto them his good treafure, the heaven, and render to thema recompence according to the works of their hands! And whereas I am not worthy of the leaft of all the favours, which many honourable men of the nation have done me; and I well know within myfelf, that my hand is fhortened, that it cannot render them a recompence according to the works of their hands; therefore then faid I, Lo; I come with the volume of the book of the law of Mofes,-in pace quiefcat-written upon vellum in a handfome character, as it is made ufe of in our fynagogues; and a very ancient book, written alfo upon vellum, containing the pofterior and twelve minor prophets; and befides, another book, written alfo upon vellum, containing the five books of the law, the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclefiaftes, the book of Efther, Pfalms, Proverbs, Job; and the leffons that are read out of the Prophets throughout the year: Added to them one hundred and eighty ancient books, which had been gathered and bound for king Charles II. king of Great Britain, with valuable bindings, marked with his own cypher, all in the holy language, which I purchafed in my youth; and behold their names are written in the book of the catalogue that goes with this writing; for I faid within myfelf, may thefe alfo be treasured in the midst of the Mufæum, that they may be a witnefs in my behalf, that their love is always before me, and that I am not ungrateful to all the good they have rewarded me with. Where fore, one thing I defire of you, that I will feek after, that you accept my prefent, this handful of mine, with a pleasant countenance, and that thefe my books may be placed among thofe that ftand, to be there from generation to generation, that this may be called an offering of fweet favour, and that there they may find rest. Now as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time, for this great nation: Lo! may the people rife up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion; may he cry; yea, roar; may he prevail against his enemies; may the degrees of honour of his excellent majefty be extolled and raifed up, and in his palace may every one fpeak of his glory; may our eyes fee the king in his beauty! Lo! he is our fovereign George the Second; may his glory be extolled, and his kingdom exalted; may he prolong his days in his kingdom; for he leadeth his people like a flock, he is a buckler and fhield of freedom and defence to all thofe that come to truft under the fhadow of his dominion; his righteousness and devotion endureth for ever. So may God continue him in a flate of life and peace; may he get up very high upon the highest profperities, in fulnefs of joy; may God extend peace to him and his feed after him, like a river; may he reign, and may they reign; may he lead, and may they lead the people with juftice and with judgment, and with equity, as at this day, fo long as the moon endureth ; and that they may be filled with abundance of peace, according to their pleasure, and according to the wishes of him D 2 that that feeketh their peace and wealth for ever! with a found heart in faithfulness and truth, The Minor of the meanest, SOLOMON DA COSTA. London, this day I hursday, the 5th of the month of Sivan, of the year 5519 from the Creation. MILTON'S APOLOGY for himself, against the charge of frequenting brothel horfes. Had my time, readers, as others beftowed upon them, to be fent to thofe places where, the opinion was, it might be fooneft attained, and, as the manner is, was not unftudied in thofe authors which are moft commended; whereof fome were grave orators and hiftorians, whofe matter methought I loved indeed; but as my age then was, fo I understood them: others were the fmooth elegiac poets, whereof the fchools are not fcarce; whom both for the pleafing found of their numerous writing, which in imitation I found moft eafy, and most agreeable to nature's part in me, and for their matter, which what it is there be few who know not, I was fo allured to read, that no recreation came to me better welcome; for that it was then thofe years with me which are excufed though they be leaft fevere, I may be taved the labour to remember you. Whence having obferved them to account it the chief glory of their wit, in that they were ableft to judge, to praife, and by that could eftem themfelves worthieti to love thofe high perfections which under one or other name they undertook to celebrate, I thought with myself, by every in ftinct and prefage of nature, which is not wont to be falfe, that what emboldened them to this task might with fuch diligence as they ufed embolden me, and that what, judgment, wit, or elegance, was my fhare would herein beft appear, and best value itself, by how much more wifely, and with more love of virtue, I fhould chufe (let rude cars be abfent), the object of not unlike praifes: for albeit thefe thoughts to Tome will feem virtuous and commendable, to others only pardonthird yet the mentioning of them now will end in ferious. Nor blame it, reader, in thofe years to propose to themselves fuch a reward as the nobleft difpofitions above other things in this life have fometimes preferred; whereof not to be fenfible, when good and fair in one perfon meet, argues both a grofs and fhallow judgment, and withal an ungentle and twainifh breaft; for by the firm fettling of thefe perfuafions I became, to my beft memory, fo much a proficient, that if I found thofe authors any where fpeaking unworthy things of themfelves, or unchafte of thofe names which before they had extolled, this effect it wrought with me, from that time forward their art I ftill applauded, but the men I deplored; and above them all preferred the two famous renowners of Beatrice and Laura, who never write but honour of them to whom they devote their verfe, difplaying fublime and pure thoughts, without tranfgreffion. And long it was not after, when I was confirmed in this opinion, that he who would not be fruftrate of his hope hope to write well hereafter in laudable things, ought himself to be a true poem, that is, a compofition and pattern of the beft and honourable things; not prefuming to fing high praises of heroic men, or famous cities, unlefs he have in himself the experience and the practice of all that which is praifeworthy. which is attributed to Homer; to have written undecent things of the gods. Only this my mind gave me, that every free and gentle fpirit, without that oath, ought to be born a knight, nor needed to expect the gilt fpur, or the laying of a fword upon his fhoulder, to ftir him up, both by his counfel and his arm, to fecure and protect the weaknefs of any attempted chastity. So that even thofe books, which to many others have been the fuel of wantonnefs and loofe living, I cannot think how, unlefs by divine indulgence, proved to me fo many incitements, as you have heard, to the love and fedfaft obfervation of that virtue, which abhors the fociety of Bordellos. These reasonings, together with a certain nicenefs of nature, an honeft haughtiness, and self-esteem either of what I was, or what I might be, (which let envy call pride). and laftly that modefty whereof, though not in the title-page, yet here, I may be excufed to make fome befeeming profeffion, all these, uniting the fupply of their natural aid together, keep me ftill above Thus, from the laureat frater. thofe low defcents of mind, be- nity of poets, riper years, and the neath which he muft deject and ceafelefs round of study and readplunge himself, that can agree to ing, led me to the fhady spaces of faleable and unlawful proftitutions. philofophy, but chiefly to the divine Next (for hear me out now, rea- volumes of Plato, and his equal ders,) that I may tell you whither Xenophon; where if I thould tell my younger feet wandered; I be- you what I learnt of chastity and took me among thofe lofty fables love, I mean that which is truly fo, and romances, which recount in whofe charming cup is only virtue, folemn cantos the deeds of knight- which the bears in her hand to thofe hood founded by our victorious who are worthy (the reft are cheated kings; and from hence had in re- with a thick intoxicating potion, nown all over Chriftendom. There which a certain forcerefs, the abufer I read it in the oath of every knight, of love's name, carries about) and that he should defend, to the ex-w the first and chiefert office of pence of his best blood, or of his life, if it fo befel him, the honour and chastity of virgin or matron. From whence even then I learnt, what a noble virtue chastity fure mult be, to the defence of which fo many worthies, by fuch a dear adventure of themselves had fworn. And if I found, in the ftory afterward, any of them by word or deed breaking that oath, I judged it the fame fault of the poet, as that love begins and ends in the foul, producing thofe happy twins of her divine generation, knowledge and virtue, with fuch abftracted fublimities as thefe, it might be worth your liftening, readers, as I may one day hope to have ye in a still time, when there thall be no chiding; not in thefe noifes, the adveriary, as ye know, barking at the door, or fearching for me at the Bordellos, where it may be he D 3 has |