in their king and country's caufe; and I feel myself under great obligations to them, as well as the officers and men of this fhip, for their exertions upon this occafion; which will, I hope, recommend them to your Lordship's favour.

"I left Captain Thornborough, after the action, with the Magnanime, Ethalion, and Amelia, with the prizes; and am forry to find he is not arrived; but truft they will foon make their appearance.

"I have the honour to remain,

"Sir,

"Your most obedient,

"humble Servant,

"JOHN WARREN,

"P. S. The fhips with us in the action were the Canada, Robuft, Foudroyant, Magnanime, Ethalion, Melampus, and Amelia.

"The Anfon joined us in the latter part of the action, having loft her mizen-maft in chace the day before. "I have fent my first lieutenant, Turguand, to take the command of the Hoche."

The taking of the Hoche was a masterly manoeuvre, and completely baffled the expectations of the difaffected. It has proved the means of continuing Ireland to us, at least it has kept it out of the hands of the French, who, were they to obtain fo near a footing to us, would be continually disturbing our repofe, and threatening our fafety. May our fifter kingdom be long preferved to us-reftored from thofe diftreffes in which fhe has been fo fhockingly involved, and raised to all the bleffings of humanity and religion!

Such have been the fervices of SIR JOHN BORLASE WARREN, with the account of which our readers will be gratified.

A

GOSSIPIANA.

[No. XXIX.]

CLARK'S LEAP.

GENTLEMAN who travelled lately into Cumberland, gives the following anecdote"Paffing Swirl's Gate, a little beyond the feven mile poft, is feen a rock jutting out into the lake, which has got the name of Clark's Leap, from the following ftrange ftory. A man of the name of Clark was jealous of his wife to that degree, that he was refolved to put an end to his own existence. He communicated his refolution to his wife, and told her at the fame time, that he was determined to hang himself; to this fhe objected, for fear it might prove too painful: he then faid he would shoot himself; but from this the likewife diffuaded him, for fear he might not kill himfelf outright, and to fuffer extreme pain to no purpofe; he next propofed to drown himself; this pleafed her, and they went very lovingly together to the water's edge: he then propofed to wade in, but the faid the weather was fo cold that he would fuffer much needlefs pain; then they walked by the water fide till they came to this rock, which she told him the thought was fit for his purpose, as the water was deep enough at the edge to drown him; he was then going to throw himself directly in, but she told him he might hurt himself against the rock before he reached the water, fo that he had better take a run and leap as far as, he could; he followed her advice, very calmly put off his coat and took his leap; the ftaid till fhe faw him drowned, and then returned, fully fatisfied that he had done her duty in giving him the best advice she could."-This lady is still alive, and thus fhe tells her own story!

GRATITUDE

GRATITUDE.

A MORE grotefque inftance of the fudden power of gratitude, may be adduced in a modern Kentish anecdote, perfectly well attefted.

A perfon of Whitstable, named Patten, was well known in his own neighbourhood as a man of great oddity, great humour, and equally great extravagance. Once ftanding in need of a new wig, his old one defying all farther affiftance of art; he went over to Canterbury, and applied to a barber, young in the business, to make him one. The tradefman, who was just going to dinner, begged the honour of his new cuftomer's company at his meal, to which Patten most readily confented. After dinner a large bowl of punch was produced, and the happy guest, with equal readiness, joined in its demolition. When it was out, the barber was proceeding to bufinefs, and began to handle his meafure, when Mr. Patten defired him to defift, faying he fhould not make his wig. "Why not !" exclaimed the aftonished hoft," have I done any thing to offend you, fir ?" "Not in the leaft," replied the gueft, "I find you are a very honeft, good natured fellow; fo I will take fomebody elfe in. Had you made it, you would never have been paid for it."

ANECDOTE FOR THE USE OF MINISTERS,
FROM BACON'S APOTHGEMS.

ALCIBIADES vifiting Pericles, ftaid a while before he was admitted; when he came in Pericles excused it, and faid, "I was ftudying how to give my account." Alcibides replied, "If you will be ruled by me, ftudy how to give no account.'

NATIONAL CHARACTER.

A FOREIGNER, defcribing the manners of the Englifh, writes thus-" The proneness of the whole nation to melancholy, renders the women grave and ferious;

their minds are lefs occupied about pleasures, than in folicitude for the happiness of their husbands, and the management of their domeftic concerns. Even women of quality fuckle their children; they think that the name and duties of a mother have nothing in them which they ought to blush at, and that no ftation on earth is comparable to the pleasures of maternal tenderness and the agreeable reflections which refult from it."How much has this perfpicuous foreigner discovered in the character of our fair countrywomen in the course of a short vifit, which many a dull husband has been unable to find out in the whole courfe of his life !-It is, however to be remarked, that he was an officer, and perhaps felt himself bound in honour to speak handfomely of the ladies.

GALLANTRY.

A GALLANT old gentleman of the name of Page, finding a young lady's giove at a watering place, prefented it to her with the following words:

If from your glove you take the letter G,

Your glove is love, which I devote to thee:

To which the lady returned the following neat anfwer;

If from your Page you take the letter P,
Your Page is age, and that won't do for me.

ARCHBISHOP POTTER.

TOWARDS the end of Dr. Middleton's life, when great endeavours were ufed to obtain fome preferment in the church for him, he went to Archbishop Potter to give fuch an account of his religious opinions as might take off the profcription against him. But when he found that his former writings had left ftronger impreffions than his new declarations could efface, he faid,

What then, my lord, am I never to be forgiven?' The prelate replied-God, I hope, will forgive you; but you must never expect to be forgiven here!"

ANECDOTE

ANECDOTE OF DR. HILL IN THE YEAR 1759.

He wrote a phamphlet addreffed to Mr. Garrick, charging him with pronouncing the letter I like an U, as in virtue, and fome other words; in anfwer to which the British Rofcius wrote the following epigram:

DEAR DR.

If it is true, as you fay, that I've injured a letter,
I'll change my notes foon, I hope for the better;
May the first fight of letters as well as of men,
Hereafter be fix'd by the tongue and the pen;
Moft devoutly I with they may both have their due,
And that I may be never mistaken for U.

PLATONIC PHILOSOPHY.

[From Rofcoe's Lorenzo De Medicis.]

FROM many circumstances there is great reason to conclude that the doctrines of Plato were applied to practical use, and had a confiderable influence on the manners and morals of the age. The object towards which mankind have always directed their mind, and in the acquifition of which every fyftem, both of religion and philofophy, proposes to affift their endeavours, is the fumum bonum, the greateft poffible degree of attainable happiness; but in what this chief good confifts has not been univerfally agreed upon, and this variety of opinion conftitutes the effential difference between the ancient fects of philofophy. Of all thefe fects there was none whofe tenets were fo elevated and fublime, fo calculated to withdraw the mind from the gratifications of fenfe and the inferior objects of human pursuit, as that of the Platonifts; which, by demonftrating the imperfection of every fenfual enjoyment and every temporal bleffing, rofe at length to the contemplation of the fupreme caufe, and placed the ultimate good in a perfect abstraction from the world and an implicit love of God. How far thefe doctrines may be confiftent with our na ture and destination, and whether fuch fentiments may

not