doubt of the legality of the Recorder's directions, and was, by me, laid before his Majesty, the original must remain in my office, but I send you the inclosed copy.

I am, &c.

WEYMOUTH.

John Doyle and John Valline were executed at BethnelGreen, on Wednesday, December 6, 1769.

The next sentence which Mr. Recorder of London passed, was on Monday the 11th of December, when he pronounced the following words only.

"You, the several prisoners at the bar, shall be severally hanged by the neck till you are dead, and may God Almighty be merciful to your souls."

1769, Suppl.

1770, Jan.

XLII. Want of CHARACTER, a common Defect.

MR. URBAN,

THERE are an infinity of persons in the world, who have absolutely no character: the temperament of whose minds is so equal, so insipid, that no one passion predominates, no talent appears conspicuous above the rest: and I know not whether this evenness of disposition be not a state much to be envied, since the maxim is, qui bene latuit, bene vixit; most men, however, will be aiming at an excellency in some way, though they so frequently miscarry in their views and designs; and it is doubtless a very laudable ambition for a man to endeavour to distinguish himself above the herd, especially when his object, or point in view, is honourable and praiseworthy, as tending to the benefit and advantage of his fellow creatures; and as his view is splendid, so he will be sure to display his best parts and abilities in the pursuit of it. Hence arises character, and as men's minds are various, and their pursuits different, characters will of course be both numerous and distinct. I will here recite a few instances of men, both ancient and modern, in whose characters all the world have in a manner agreed, and have

accordingly conferred upon them a peculiar epithet expressive of the turn, the genius, and superior excellency of them in their several departments.

Amongst the Orientals.

Moses was eminent for his meekness.

Job for his patience.

Solomon for his wisdom, &c.

In Greece.

The poet, xar xn, meant Homer.

The philosopher, Aristotle.

Heraclitus was called & Exolvos, on account of the obscurity of his style.

Alexander was the Great, and

Plato the Divine, &c.

At Rome.

Valerius was Publicola.

Fabius, Maximus.

Pompey, Magnus.

Cicero, the Orator.

M. Aurelius, the Philosopher, &c.

And lastly, amongst ourselves, all have consented to give to Bede the title of Venerable, whilst amongst the Schoolmen, one was Doctor Subtilis, another Doctor Profundus, &c.

Mr. Hooker is usually termed the judicious.
Mr. Hales, of Eton, the memorable.

Camden, the learned.

Milton, the sublime.

Newton, the sagacious, &c.

So in regard to Kings.

Lewis was le debonnaire.

Charles, le sage.

Philip, le hardi.

Lewis, le bien aimé.

Henry, Beauclerc.

Richard, Coeur de Lion.

William, of glorious memory, &c.

And the Pope upon occasion hath much in the same manner characterised several of the Europeans, by the titles of Christianissimus, Fidei Defensor, Catholicus, Fidelissimus,

&c.

I am, Sir, yours, &c.

1770, Jan.

T. Row.

XLIII. On the general application of the Word GREAT,

MR. URBAN,

IN speaking, or writing of those persons, who have been very eminent and conspicuous in their way, of whatever kind their excellence has been, we are very apt to call them, and to dignify them with the title of great. Thus we say, the great Lord Bacon, the great Doctor Harvey, the great Newton, meaning Sir Isaac Newton, the great Locke, &c. But besides this, there are certain subjects in history, on whom, by general consent, the posterities have conferred the addition of great, magnus, or peɣas, zar' egoynı, distinguishing them thereby from others, who have happened to bear the same names.

For the amusement of your readers, Mr. Urban, I have here sent you a short list of those extraordinary personages, who, so far as I can recollect them, have been honoured with this noble agnomen, leaving it to others to supply deficiencies from their own reading and memory; and only observing, that though here speaking in general, I have termed it a noble agnomen, yet greatness separate from goodness, does not always constitute a noble, a finished, and exalted character, but perhaps in some instances may be the reverse: goodness being, without doubt, much more amiable and valuable, and consequently more noble, than mere greatness, how transcendent soever.

Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian monarchy.
Alexander, son of Philip of Macedon.

Antiochus, King of Syria.

Herod, the Idumean, King of Judea.

Pompey, the rival of Julius Cæsar.

Valentinian, Roman Emperor.

Theodosius, Roman Emperor.

St. Basil, one of the Greek Fathers.

Leo, the Pope.

Gregory, the Pope.

Constantine, Roman Emperor.

Charles, Charlemagne, Emperor of the Franks.

Offa, King of Mercia.

Egbert, King of Wessex.

Alfred, King of England.

Egbar, Great Mogul.

Lewis XIV. King of France.
Peter, Czar of Muscovy.

I have omitted, you observe, St. James Major, one of the Apostles, so called to distinguish him from St. James the Less; also Olaus Magnus, Joannes Magnus, and Albertus Magnus, have no place assigned them in the list; neither have I noted the expressions, the Great Mogul, the Grand Signior, the Grand Cham, and the Grand Laina of Tartary; as these do not so much denote the pre-eminence of particular persons, as the grandeur of their several states and empires. I am, Sir, yours, &c.

1771, March.

T. Row.

XLIV. Description of a wonderful Automaton. In a Letter from the Rev. Mr. Dutens.

SIR, I LEAVE others to describe to you the magnificent feasts and rejoicings occasioned here by the presence of the Empress Queen, the Emperor, and all the imperial family. It is in my opinion almost impossible to do justice to that affability and condescension, so full at once of regard and confidence, with which these great personages converse with their subjects; and no less so to describe that noble tribute of love and reverence which they receive from their subjects in return. I shall content myself to inform the public, through the channel of your correspondence, of an invention which reflects no less honour on the sciences, than on the city of Presburg which hath produced it.

Presburg, (in Hungary,) Jan. 24.

During my stay in this city, I have been so happy as to

form an acquaintance with M. de Kempett, an Aulic Counsellor and Director-General of the salt mines in Hungary. It seems impossible to attain to a more perfect knowledge of mechanics, than this gentleman has done. At least no artist has yet been able to produce a machine, so wonderful in its kind, as what he constructed about a year ago. M. de Kempett, excited by the accounts he received of the extraordinary performances of the celebrated M. de Vaucanson, and of some other men of genius in France and England, at first aimed at nothing more, than to imitate those artists. But he has done more, he has excelled them. He has constructed an Automaton, which can play at chess with the most skilful players. This machine represents a man of the natural size, dressed like a Turk, sitting before the table which holds the chess-board. This table (which is about three feet and a half long, and about two feet and a half broad) is supported by four feet that roll on castors, in order the more easily to change its situation; which the inventor fails not to do from time to time, in order to take away all suspicion of any communication. Both the table and the figure are all full of wheels, springs, and levers. M. de Kempett makes no difficulty of shewing the inside of the machine, especially when he finds any one suspects a boy to be in it. I have examined with attention all the parts both of the table and figure, and I am well assured there is not the least ground for such an imputation. I have played a game at chess with the Automaton myself. I have particularly remarked, with great astonishment, the precision with which it made the various and complicated movements of the arm, with which it plays. It raises the arm, it advances it towards that part of the chess-board, on which the piece stands, which ought to be moved; and then by a movement of the wrist, it brings the hand down upon the piece, opens the hand, closes it upon the piece in order to grasp it, lifts it up, and places it upon the square it is to be removed to; this done, it lays its arm down upon a cushion which is placed on the chess-board. If it ought to take one of its adversary's pieces, then by one entire movement, it removes that piece quite off the chess-board, and by a series of such movements as I have been describing, it returns to take up its own piece, and place it in the square, which the other had left vacant. I attempted to practise a small deception, by giving the Queen the miove of a Knight; but my mechanic opponent was not to be so imposed on; he took up my Queen and replaced her in the square she had been removed from. All this is done with the same readi