pline. The Danes, a wretched band of adventurers, whofe ferocity was their only diftinguishing charactereftic; whofe only motive for forfaking their own country was poverty, and whofe only view in invading Britain was plunder: The Saxons, in themselves a brave and antient nation, but happily at that time delivered of their own ruffians in the perfons of our conquerors : Laft of all, the Normans, under the command of a baftard, put a finishing blow to the contentions of foreign powers for the poffeffion of this unhappy ifland; and compleated a mixture of bravoes, differing in their manners and interefts, each (as not being attached to one head by any principies of loyalty and affection) naturally endeavouring to advance his own partizans; and fmothering that jealoufy from constraint, which only waited for an opportunity to burst into a flame, From this engaging portrait of our forefathers, a Chinese Philofopher would be led to fuppofe, that the antiquity of a British family was its great eft ftain. But fo far is this from being the cafe, that even in this miniature picture of mankind, family pride is no inconfiderable feature; and fome there are, who though their only merit lies in a crowded crowded vault, from that fingle distinction confider themselves as infinitely fuperior to thofe men of Yesterday, whofe meritorious exertions evince them to be rather ambitious of founding, than boafting a noble family. But from a probable fuppofition that this extravagant principle can only have taken toot in the minds of thofe from whom it is impoffible to eradicate it, let us proceed to that family pride, which has at first a more fpecious appearance, and if ingrafted on notions naturally virtuous, is more likely to produce good effects; that, I mean, which boasts not fo much the antiquity, as eminence of its family. Even this, however, though to a noble mind it is an additional incentive to great and glorious actions, if it happens to be cherished by a wicked or even a paffive difpofition, will be found to be equally ridiculous with the other. If the good qualities of mankind were like those of cattle, hereditary, a virtuous ancestry would be the most desirable poffeffion a man could receive from inheritance; but if experience teaches us that they so seldom are, if from the adulation with which men of family and fortune are generally from their infancy furrounded, it is very improbable H 2 bable that they fhould be oftener virtuous, what does a man derive from a noble family; unlefs, that by the profufion of light in the back ground, the fhade in front is more effectually expofed. To thofe few therefore, to those chosen few, who confider that a noble family reflects either honor or difgrace only according to the ufe made of it by themfelves; who reflect, that it is nothing more than a fplendid burthen, an additional tax on them, to add one more to the distinguished lift, to them may a degree of family pride be confidered as an advantage: And among thofe, our little world may boaft of having ushered no inconfiderable share into the larger theatre of life; who have fince distinguished themselves as good and great men. Nor in any other respect does a public education fo much evince its fuperiority, as in the equitable treatment our citizens receive from each other; and which, fays Dr. Moore," often ferves as an antidote against the "childish fophiftical notions with which weak or defigning men endeavour to inspire them in af"ter life." No. IX. OF THE MICROCOSM. MONDAY, January 29, 1787. Sit quodvis fimplex duntaxat & unum. HERE are few precepts, dictated Tlike the above, by judgment and ex perience, which, though originally confined to a particular application (as this to the formation of Dramatic character) may not be adopted with fuccefs in the feveral branches of the fame science, and even transferred into another. The direction which the poet gives us here, to preserve a regard for fimplicity and uniformity, may be applied to the general defign and main ftructure of a poem; and, if we allow them a ftill greater latitude of interpretation, may be found to convey a very useful rule rule with respect to the inferior component parts which conftitute a work. A venerable pile of Gothic architecture, viewed at a distance, or after the fober hand of time has stripped it of the falfe glare of meretricious ornament, communicates a fenfation which the same object under a closer inspection in its higheft degree of perfection, was incapable of producing; when the attention, folicited by a thousand minutie with which the hand of caprice and fuperftition had crowded its object, was unavoidably diverted from the contemplation of the main defign. In all points which admit of hesitation, the fifter sciences are found to throw a correfponding luftre on each other. The impropriety of admitting ill-judged ornament, though connected as in the above inftance with all that is awful and venerable, must be evident to the most fuperficial obferver; and this circumstance fhould lead us to conjecture, that the fame principle existed in a fimilar tho' fuperior fcience. Originality of fentiment, vivacity of thought, and loftiness of language may conduct the reader to the end of a work |