UR RBAN, thy Volume, where Inftruction join To thy chafe toils allots this meed of praife, The lofty verse another SEWARD build, ́ Dec. 31, 1788. TO SYLVANUS URBAN, ESQ., When thy trim Veffel, fraught with Learning's ftores, peers, Still may th' arrangement charm the expanded view, 1 Or who each Seafon's change would nicely trace, Are there of fine and pure ethereal fight, Where Candour points to each attractive urn; 2A Word invefligated for the Oxford Dictionary 29 Green Wood proved to be not. Refifter of Shot 31 Further Particulars of the Human Petrefaction ib. 3 4 321 35 Meteor. Diaries for Jan. 1788, and Feb. 1787 4 66-8c 81-86 87 88 Embellished with exact Reprefentations of the PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT, drawn and etched by Mr. DALTON; a curious P.ece of SCULPTURE from LICHFIELD; and a BARRISTER in the Drefs of the laft Century. By SYLVANUS URBAN, Gent. LONDON, Printed by JOHN NICHOLS, for D. HENRY, late of SAINT JOHN'S GATE. 1 Crocufes begin to blow in warm fituations -2 Chaffinch (fringilla celebs) and thruff (turdus muficus) fing. Beautiful vernal day. -3 Striped crocufes in full bloom.-4 Woodlaurel (Daphne laureola) in bloom.-5 Sky-lark (alauda arvenfis) fings-6 Hedge-fper row (motacilla modularis) fings.-7 Bloom-buds of pears much enlarged. Violets in bloom. Yellow crocufes in high beauty.-9 The opening buds of the weeping willow (falix Babylonica) give a greenish caft to the tree. Our late frofts in the fpring often deAtroy thefe earliest appearances of returning foliage.-1 Perfian iris and elm tree in bloom. - Male yew-trees dufty with farina. Rooks (corvus frugilecus) build.-12 While poplar in bloom Brimstone and brown butterflies (papilio rhamni & cortice) appear.13 Greenfinch (loxia chloris) fings. Bees frequent crocufes.-14 Forward apricots in bloom. The fky-lark warbles high And, leffening from the dazzled fight, His tremblion thrilling extacy: Melts into air and liquid light. (3 THE Gentleman's Magazine: For JANUARY, 1788. BEING THE FIRST NUMBER OF VOL. LVIII. PART I. Mr. URBAN, Jan 1. XXXR. BERINGTON, wellknown to the world by his "Hiftory of AbeMillard and Heloife," and many other ingenious and interefting publications, having propofed (LVII. 1044) that, in future, no anony. mous contributions fhall be received into your valuable Mifcellany; I am one of a large number of your readers and correfpondents, who, knowing the weight which every thing must have that falls from fo refpectable a pen, are much alarmed left his propofal fhould be carried into execution. But a moment's reflection will convince Mr. Urban, that such a scheme would be greatly to the prejudice of himfelf and his readers. At prefent, Sir, your publication is the only one in Europe, which is conftantly filled with entertainment and inftruction from a variety of authors, who can expect neither fame nor profit from their communications: but, if Mr. B's plan were permanent, your Magazine would foon fink to the level of other Magazines, must be filled with infipid ftories, trifling anecdotes, piracies from other publications, or a pitiful detail of the fashions, and confequently, inftead of being circulated through all the learned part of Europe, must be confined to the perufal of feeble amateurs, or ladies' maids. For a nume rous tribe of your correfpondents, thofe who are invited by the fecrecy of the publication would immediately with draw their contributions; and many others would be ashamed to meet the world openly on fo trivial a fubject as IT Jan. 2. T was recommended, vol. LVII. p. 1044, that all your correfpondents fhould fign their real names; a recommendation to which I prefume, Sir, you will never attend. The very utility and excellence of your Magazine confits in the opportunity it gives to men of fcience or literature to investigate fubjects without the neceffity of ftanding forth as the authors. Some names, I will readily grant, might be given to the publick without any inconvenience; and whether 1 or your correfpondent fign our names, our initials, or allume fictitious ones, may be of little importance; but I fhould be forry to lose the entertainment and improvement your Magazine affords by the arbitrary in junction Mr. Berington propofes. It oughe ought to be a fufficient fecurity to your readers, that the candour and good fenfe of the publisher fecures his work from being the vehicle of malignity and Yours, &c. D. R. folly. Mr. URBAN, Jan. 5. YOUR CQuefpondent B. B. mentions the fuccefs with which the late Dr. Batue adminiftered a potion of mimicky to fome of his patients; nor can there be any doubt but that a cordial laugh, properly timed, may prove as beneficial in fome cafes as any cordial whatever in the Materia medica; and I can affure you that Battie always carried that cordial about with him, though lately it was only here and there that he would adminifter it. In short, Mr. Urban, the Doctor was as good a PUNCH as he was a phyfician. At fchool, or at college, he was always in purfuit of what we call fun. Now, Sir, as it is agreed, that thole who play at bowls must take rubbers, I cannot help relating a piece of funnery which befel the Dor hunfelf at Uxbridge, the place where he hift opened his medical buget, and when his Fellowthip of King's-college, Cambridge, and what lite he could pick up in fees, were his svhote Tupport. ings, and edged off his tye, that a once- Now, Mr. Urban, you may, if you pleafe, clofe this account of an innocent piece of fun, unless the following additional anecdote may administer health to your many readers: There was at King's-college, a very good-tempered, handfome, fix-feethigh parfon, of the name of L--t. He was one of the college chaunters, and the conftant butt at commons, in the hall as well as in the parlour.. Harry dreaded fo much the fight of a gun, or a cafe of piftols, that fuch of his friends as did not care for too much of his company, always kept fire-arms in their room. The relater of this article, then fcarce a man, was encouraged by the reverend the Fellows to place himself at the corner of the chapel, with a gun loaded only with powder, and, as Harry went to prayers, to shoot at him at the diftance of about twenty yards. Unfor tunately, the gun being loaded with coarfe damp common powder, the whole of it did not burn, and poor H. L-t's face received a great many whole grains therein, and with fuch force as to re main in the skin. The fright, and a little inflammation, put the poor chaunter to bed. We were all much alarmed; and, left the report fhould reach the Vice-chancellor's cars, the good-tempered L---t was prevailed upon to fink the caufe of his diforder, and to be only ill. Battie and Banks (the only two fellow ftudents in phyfic) happened not to be of the booting party, and were, therefore, called to the affiftance of the fick man. They found his face red, inflamed, and fprinkled with black fpots! that his pulfe was high, and his Mr. T-fe, a Fellow of the fame college, and a fellow-jufter alto, having Tode from London one morning to vilt his old chum, arrived when the Dr. was cut upon his vifits, and, as a little rain had wetted his vifitor's wig, he called upon Wiliam to bring him the Doctor's old grizzle, and to put a duft of powder into bis. But before that operation was compleated, the Doctor appeared in his well-drefled tye. As foon as the mutual civilities were over, Zounds," faid Battie, Ralph, what a curled wig you have got on!" "It is true," laid T (taking it off his head), it is a bad one, and if you will, as I have another, I will burn it." By all meaus," faid the Doctor, "for, in truth, it is a very Caxon." Accordingly, the fry went to the fire. Now, in thofe days frugality was neceffury, and the Doctor conftantly, upon returning home, uncovered his yarn under-ftockWe are not a little indebted to the good opinion of this and the preceding correfpondent; and cannot help being of opinion with them, that the advantage of an anonymous fignature to thofe who are defirous of trying their ftrength in our "Ulyffes his bow," prepon derates against the obligation of adding real names. There are cafes, however, and thofe of the fuft importance, when the name adds refpectability to the publication; and in this point evely correspondent will confult and comply with his own feelings. Anonymous flander we are ever studious to avoid. EDIT. Spirits |