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HE town of Abdera (notwithstanding Democritus lived there, trying all the powers of irony and laughter to reclaim it) was the vileft and most profligate town in all Thrace. What for poifons, confpiracies, and affaffinations; libels, pafquinades, and tumults; there was no going there by day 'twas worfe by night.

Now, when things were at worst, it came to pass, that, the Andromeda of Euripides being reprefented at Abdera, the whole orchestra was delighted with it: but, of all the paffages which delighted them, nothing operated more upon their imaginations, than the tender ftrokes of nature, which the poet had wrought up, in that pathetic fpeech of Perfeus, "O Cupid! prince of gods and men, &c." Every man spoke almost pure iambics the next day, and talked of nothing but Perfeus' pathetic addrefs. "O "Cupid, prince of gods and men !" was heard in every street of Abdera, in every houfe; "O Cupid! "Cupid!" warbled every mouth, like the natural notes of fome sweet melody, which drops from it whether it wili or not- Nothing but "Cupid! "Cupid! prince of gods and men "The fire caught; and the whole city, like the heart of one man, opened itself to love.

No pharmacopolift could fell one grain of hellebore-not a fingle armourer had a heart to forge

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one inftrument of death.Friendship and Virtue met together, and kiffed each other in the street. --The golden age returned and hung over the town of Abdera. Every Abderite took his oaten pipe, and every Abderitish woman left her purple web, and chaftely fat her down, and listened to the fong.

'Twas only in the power (fays the Fragment) of the god, whofe empire extendeth from heaven to earth, and even to the depths of the fea, to have done this.

GALGACUS TO THE CALEDONIAN ARMY.

WH

HEN I reflect on the caufes of the war, and the circumftances of our fituation, I feel a ftrong perfuafion, that our united efforts, on the present day, will prove the beginning of univerfal liberty to Britain. For none of us are hitherto debafed by flavery; and we have no profpect of a cure retreat behind us, either by land or fea, whilft the Roman fleet hovers around. Thus the use of arms which is at all times honourable to the brave, here offers the only fafety even to cowards. In all the battles, which have yet been fought with various fuccefs against the Romans, the refources of hope and aid were in our hands; for we, the nobleft inhab tants of Britain, and ftationed in its deepest receffes, far from the view of fervile fhores, have preserved, even our eyes, unpolluted by fubjection. We, at the fartheft limits both of land and 1 berty, have been defended, to this day, by the obfcurity of

our fituation, and of our fame. The extremity of Britain is now difclofed; and whatever is unknown, becomes an object of importance. But there is no nation beyond us; nothing but waves and rocks; and the Romans are before us. The arrogance of thefe invaders, it will be in vain to encounter, by obfequioufnefs and fubmiffion. These plunderers of the world, after exhaufting the land by their devafta tions, are rifling the ocean. Stimulated by avarice, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor: unfatiated by the Eaft, and by the Weft: they are the only people, who behold wealth and indigence with equal avidity. To ravage; to flaughter; to ufurp under falfe titles; they call empire: and, when they make a defart, they call it peace.

us.

OUR children and relations are, by the appointment of nature, rendered the dearest of all things to Thefe are torn away, by levies, to foreign servitude. Our wives and fifters, though they should escape the violation of hoftile force, are polluted, under the names of friendship and hofpitality. Our eftates and poffeffions are confumed, in tributes; our grain, in contributions. Even the powers of our bodies are worn down, amidft ftripes and infults, in clearing woods, and draining marfhes. Wretches born to flavery, are first bought, and afterwards fed by their masters Britons continually buy, continually feed their own fervitude, And as, among domestic flaves, every new comer ferves for the fcorn and derifion of his fellows; fo, in this ancient household of the world, we, as the laft and vileft, are fought out to deftruction. For we have neither cultivated lands, nor mines, nor harbours, which can induce them to preserve us for our labours: and our valour and unfubmitting fpirit, will only render us more obnoxious to our imperious mafters; while the very

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remoteness and secrecy of our fituation, in proportion as it conduces to fecurity, will tend to infpire sufpicion. Since, then, all hopes of forgiveness are vain; let thofe, at length, allume courage, to whom glory, to whom fafety, is dear. The Brigantines, even under a female leader, had force enough to burn the enemy's fettlements, to ftorm their camps; and, if fuccefs had not introduced negligence and inactivity, would. have been able entirely to throw off the yoke. And fhall not we, untouched, unfubdued, and struggling, not for the acquifition, but the continuance of liberty, declare, at the very first onfet, what kind of men Caledonia has reserved for her defence?

CAN you imagine, that the Romans are as brave. in war, as they are infolent in peace? Acquiring renown from our discords and diffentions, they convert the errors of their enemies, to the glory of their own army; an army compounded of the most different nations; which, as fuccefs alone has kept together,, misfortune will certainly diffipate. Unless, indeed, you can fuppofe, that Gauls, and Germans, and (I blush to fay it) even Britons, lavishing their blood for a foreign ftate, to which they have been longer foes than fubjects, will be retained by loyalty and. affection! Terror and dread alone, weak bonds of attachment, are the ties by which they are restrained; and, when thefe are once broken, thofe, who cease to fear, will begin to hate. Every incitement to victory, is on our fide. The Romans have no wives, to animate them; no parents to upbraid their flight. Most of them have, either no habitation, or a diftant one. Few in number; ignorant of the country; looking around, in filent horror, at the woods, feas, and a heaven itself unknown to them; they are delivered by the gods, as it were imprisoned!

and bound into our hands. Be not terrified with an idle fhow, and the glitter of filver and gold, which can neither protect nor wound. In the very ranks of the enemy, we fhall find our friends. The Britons will acknowledge their own caufe. The Gauls will recollect their former liberty. The Germans will defert them, as the Ufipii have lately done. Nor is there any thing formidable behind them. Ungarrifoned forts; colonies of invalids; municipal towns, diftempered and distracted between unjust masters, and ill-obeying fubjects. Here is your general; here your army. There, tributes, mines, and all the train of fervile punishments; which, whether to bear eternally, or inftantly to revenge, this field muft determine. March, then, to battle; and think of your ancestors-and think of your pofterity.

A

ND how did Garrick speak the foliloquy last night? Oh, against all rule, my lord; moft ungrammatically! Betwixt the fubftantive and the adjective (which fhould agree together, in number, cafe and gender) he made a breach thus ftopping as if the point wanted fettling. And betwixt the nominative cafe (which your lordship knows fhould govern the verb) he fufpended his voice, in the epilogue, a dozen times, three feconds and three fifths, by a ftop-watch, my lord, each time. Admirable grammarian!-But, in fufpending his voice, was the fenfe fufpended likewife? Did no expression of attitude or countenance fill up the chafm?