"The Saxons brought their own gods with them, viz. the Sun, Moon, Tuifco, Woden, Thor, Friga, and Seater, and, in imitation of the Romans, dedicated to them refpectively the days of the week; and hence the names which continue to our times. For this subject I would recommend "Verftegan's Reftitution of decayed Intelligence."

"From the conqueft our annals are more clear than thofe of any other nation in the world. This happens from the custom or obligation that every mitred abbey was under to employ a registrary for all extraordinary events; and their notes were ufually compared together at the end of every reign. Hence the great number of monkish hiftorians.

"It luckily happens, that no party-fpirit Las biaffed the hiftorians in their accounts of our old kings and it, therefore, does not much fignify what author is read. You would smile at my love of black letter, were I to refer you to Hollinfhed or Stowe; men, I affure you, by no means defpicable, and much fuperior to Caxton, Fabian, Grafton, &c.; nor will you choose to read chronicles in rhyme; as Robert of Gloucester, and Harding. The moft elegant old history we have, is that by Samuel Daniel, a poet of no mean rank. Though he wrote more than half a century before Milton, his file appears much more modern. His continuator, Truffel, is not f well fpoken of. Daniel is very concife in his accounts before the Cenqueft, but much fuller afterwards. He ends with Edward III. and Truffel with Richard III. This book is re-printed in Bishop Kennet's "Collections;" but the old editions are the beft. The bishop employed Oldmixon, a hero of the Dunciad, in the republication; who, we are told, falfified it in many places.

"If we are not content with general accounts of the fubfequent reigns, it may not be amifs to look at their particular writers. "Buck's Hiftory of Richard III.”

is

is remarkable from the pains he takes to clear his cha racter against the fcandal (as he calls it) of other hiftorians. Lord Bacon's florid "Hiftory of Henry the Seventh" comes next. You must know this king was

a favourite with James the Firft; and, as it was written to recover his favour, the author, you may fuppofe, has not been impartial. Lord Herbert's "Henry the Eighth," well deferves reading; he was a free-thinker and a free writer; his information was good, and the era particularly interefting. The next work of importance (not quite forgetting Dr. afterwards Sir John Hayward's Edward the Sixth") is "Camden's Elzabeth," a performance worthy of its author. The ftory of Mary Queen of Scots may be more particularly learned from her countrymen Melvil, Buchanan, &c.

The Stuarts have brought in a flood of hiftories, many high-flying panegyrics, and many fcandalous invectives. On James the Firft, Wilfon, Saunderfon, Weldon, &c. and a late writer, one Harris, an Anabaptift parfon *.

For Charles the First, appears our greatest hiftorian Lord Clarendon on the other fide Ludlow, who, however, is particularly fevere on Cromwell. I omit Whitlock, Rushworth, Warwick, and a thousand

others.

"After the Restoration, Bishop "Burnet's Hiftory of his Own Times" will come in, and carry us to the end of Queen Anne's reign, a curious work, but to be read with great caution, as the bishop had ftrong prejudices. Salmon wrote an answer to it.

"Rapin feems the next writer of much confequence. Voltaire, certainly a good judge of history, calls him our best hiftorian; but perhaps he was partial to his coun

*This one Harris, an Anabaptift parfon, was a very refpectable diffenting minifter of the Prefbyterian perfuafion, in the weft of England, and his "Lives of the Stuarts" are held in high and deferved eftimation.-Ed.

tryman.

tryman. It is, however, a work of much accuracy, but barren of reflection, and confequently heavy in the reading. Carte, who emphatically stiles himself an Englifhman, wrote purposely against him, on the Tory fide of the queftion.

"The later hiftorians, Hume, Smollet, &c. you know perhaps as well as I do. Hume is certainly an admirable writer; his ftile bold, and his reflections fhrewd and uncommon; but his religious and political notions have too often warped his judgment. [Mrs. Macauly has juft now publifhed against his account of the Stuarts; but I have not yet had an opportunity of reading her book.] Smollet wants the dignity of hiftory, and takes every thing upon truft; but his books, at least the former volumes, are fufficiently pleafing. I have purpofely omitted a multitude of writers; as Speed, Baker, Brady, Tyrrel, Echard, Guthrie, &c.

"Collections of letters and ftate papers are of the utmost importance, if we pretend to exactnefs; fuch as a collection called the "Cabala," Burleigh's, Sydney's, Thurloe's, &c.

"The laft obfervation I fhall trouble you with is, that fometimes a fingle pamphlet will give us better the clue of a tranfaction than a volume in folio. Thus we learn from the Duchefs of Marlborough's "Apology,' that the peace of Utrecht was made by a quarrel among the women of the bed-chamber! Hence memoirs, fecret hiftories, political papers, &c. are not to be defpifed; always allowing fufficiently for the prejudice of the party, and believing them no farther than they are fupported by collateral evidence.

"I remain, &c.

1

"R. F, *"

*Since the writing of the above letter, the public have been favoured with HENRY'S Hiftory of England, which cannot be too much admired for the accuracy and extent of its infor mation.-Ed.

LIST

OF

BRITISH FEMALE LITERARY CHARACTERS
LIVING IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY *.
[From Randall's Letter to the People of England.]
ANSPACH, Margravine of-Tour to the Crimea,

and Dramatic Pieces.

Barbauld, Mrs.-Poems and Moral Writings.
Brooke, Mrs.-Novels and Dramatic Pieces.
Bennet, Mrs-Novelift.

Carter, Mrs.-Greek and Hebrew Claffic, Poetels, &c. &c.

Cowley, Mrs.-Poems, Comedies, Tragedies, &c. &c. Crefpigny, Mrs.-Novelift.

Cofway, Mrs.-Paintrefs.

Dobfon, Mrs.-Life of Petrarch, from the Italian. D'Arbley, Mrs.-Novels, Edwy and Elgiva, a Tragedy, &c. &c.

Damer, Hon. Mrs.-Sculptor, and Greek Claffic.
Francis, Mrs.-Greek and Latin Claffic.

Gunning, Mrs.-Novelift.

Gunning, Mifs-Novelift, and Tranflator from the French.

Hayes, Mifs-Novels, Philofophical and Metaphyfical Difquifitions.

Hanway, Mrs.-Novelift.

Inchbald, Mrs.-Novels, Comedies, and Tranflations from the French and German.

Lintvood, Mifs-Artift.

Lee, Miffes-Romances, Comedies, Canterbury Tales, a Tragedy, &c. &c,

Lennox, Mifs.-Novelift.

* In order to escape the imputation of partiality, the names are arranged alphabetically.

Macauley

Macauley Graham, Mrs.-Hiftory of England, and other Works.

Montagu, Mrs.-Effay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespeare; being a Defence of him from the Slander of Voltaire.

More, Mifs Hannah-Poems, Sacred Dramas, a Tragedy, and other Moral Pieces.

Piozzi, Mrs.-Biography, Poetry, British Synonomy, Travels, &c. &c.

Plumptre, Mifs-Tranflations from the German; a Novel, &c.

Parfons, Mrs.-Novelift.

Ratcliffe, Mrs.-Romances, Travels, &c. &c.

Robinson, Mrs.-Poems, Romances, Novels, a Tragedy,
Satires, &c. &c.

Reeve, Mifs-Romances and Novels.
Robinfon, Mifs-Novelift,

Seward, Mifs-Poems, a Poetical Novel, and various other works.

Smith, Mrs. Charlotte-Novels, Sonnets, Moral Pieces, for the Inftruction of Youth; and other works. Sheridan, late Mrs.-Sidney Biddulph, a Novel. Thomas, Mrs. late Mifs Parkhurft-Greek and Hebrew Claffic.

Thickness, Mrs.-Biography, Letters, &c.

Wolftonecraft, Mrs.-A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Novels, Philofophical Difquifitions, Travels, &c.

Williams, Mifs Helen Maria-Poems, Travels, a Novel, and other Mifcellaneous Pieces.

Weft, Mrs.-Novels, Poetry, &c. &c.

Yearley, Mrs.-Poems, a Novel, a Tragedy, &c. &c.

There are various degrees of merit in the compofitions of the female writers mentioned in the preceding lift. Of their feveral claims to the wreath of fame, the public and the critics are left to decide. Most of them have been highly diftinguished at the tribunal of lite

rature.