Anno 1330. Gunpowder and guns in vented by one Swartz, a German monk, of Cologne. The English in the famous battle of Creffy, 1346, had four or five pieces of cannon-Mezeray. Anno 1331. Edward III. grants letters of protection to John Kemp of Flanders, to come and exercise his trade of a woollencloth-weaver. Soon after, in the fame year, 70 families of Walloons came over. This was the first foundation of our woollen manufacture. Anno 1367. A grant of 201. yearly fettled on Geoffrey Chaucer, whom the king ftiles his fervant, valettus nofter, for the good fervices which he has done and is to do hereafter. Rymer, tom. vi. 567. Anno 1367. An inventory of goods fent to the Pope. Ibid, tom. vii. 356. Anno 1367. Clock makers brought firft into England. Ib. vi. 590. Anno 1391. Playing cards invented for the diverfion of Charles VI. of France. Anno 1410. Henry IV. grants to the town of Cambridge, a number of fmall taxes or tolls on provifions, &c. brought into their town, either by land or water, to enable them to pave their streets and mend the high roads leading thither. Anno 1410. Guicciardini afcribes to the Netherlanders the invention of painting in oil, and ftaining glass with colours, alfo the making of tapestry; who alfo named the points of the compass. Anno 1418. Stone bullets used for cannon, the iron not being yet invented. See an order of Henry V. for 7000 ftones, Rymer, vol. IX. page 542. Anno 1422. Under this year, in Sir Robert Cotton's Records, amongst the inventory of Henry V.'s jewels, arras, tapeftry, apparel, and goods" You shall (fays Sir Robert) find plain gowns of that kind of lefs value than 40s. and fuch other coftly apparel, as the worst pages of the leaft gentlemen of these days would fcorn to wear." work in queftion was in any degree spurious, or that General Washington had difavowed certain parts of the contents; I therefore once incidentally cited it as an illuftration of an opinion which I have always entertained of General Washington, and fill entertain, that, though the ftrenuous and able champion of what he regarded as liberty and the rights of the American Colonies, he was no friend to democratic violence. But though this has been and is my opinion of that great and wife man, from his own difavowal I find that the individual letter in queftion is not genuine. Far from withing to impute to General Washington any fentiment which he has not expreffed, I am defirous of correcting the error into which I have fallen refpecting that fact, and alfo, as far as in me lies, compenfating its confequences. With that view and for that purpose, the parts of pages 344 and 345 of vol. 2, that contain the fpurious paffage, are cancelled; and thofe who have purchased copies of the work, may have the corrected pages by applying to the publishers, Meffrs. Longman and Rees, PaternofterI am, Sir, row. Your moft obedient fervant, ROBERT BISSET. Sloane Terrace, June 18, 1804. To the Editor of the Monthly Magrzine. T. SIR, A. G. wishes to have, through the medium of your Magazine, the opinion of one of your correfpondents, concerning the affinity of the words Alfred and Alured; that is to fay, whether they were not originally the fame. He conceives that, according to the old way of spelling, the letter must have been fubfcribed for the u, confequently the word must have become ALVRED, cor. rupted, perhaps, into Alfred by an affinity of found. The favour is earnestly re quefted, as it will tend to clear up doubts now exifting in the minds of many. March 19, 1804. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. ORIGINAL POETRY. THE FIRST DAY OF RAIN AFTER A DROUGHT. ASALLOW garb veils nature o'er, The thirsty earth each ftreamlet drains, Sad, o'er the barren lawn and heath, Dry'd leaves that ftrew their way: Fair Flora weeps her chaplets gay; The roles wont to greet, Yet fhorter is their fhort-liv'd doom, Sad Zephyr fkims the garden round, While Nature burns throughout her frame, But, foft, the welcome fhow'rs arrive; How drinks the gladden'd foil! How the flow'rs breathe, the plants revive, How the gay paftures fimile! And man, reviving with the earth, Inhales new health, new joy, new birth. But, ah! in vain for you, whofe pow'rs, Ye may not trace the filver ftream For ev'ning's breeze and pearly dew, SONNET I. SOME boaft the vine's intoxicating juice, And call the Bachanalian's joys divine; Some hoard up riches which they never ufe; But I adore nor fplendid gold, nor wine MONTHLY MAG. No. 116. Stern Winter's fled; and Spring comes dancing on, Dreft in a robe of fragrant flowrets gay, And o'er tempeftuous ftorms has rais'd her throne. Warbling melodious notes, from every spray, The plumag'd choir my faireft love invite ; The fcented grape nectarcous, meets the fight; The beauteous flowers their varied tints display: The turtle-dove is cooing in the grove, The blooming landfcape is with verdure crown'd; All nature kindly minifters to love; Then let the dimpling laugh of pleasure found: Hafte, my beloved, why doft thou delay? Rife up my love my fair one, come away. J. W. ELEGIAC VERSES TO THE MEMORY OF MR. ISAIAH BARDSLEY, LATE OF STOCKPORT, IN CHESHIRE, ONE fpirit more has gain'd its native sky! Exult, ye bafe; the eye that watch'd you fleeps; While o'er the grave, where BARDSLEY's relics lie, The good lament, and filent Merit weeps. Afk whence his ftores of intellectual worth? The poet's ardour? or the patriot's flame ?* Who form'd his mind, and call'd his genius forth? Who taught him to deferve or covet fame ? No patron own'd hien; no Athenian porch, torch Twas at the midnight hour, in fecret fole From the fcant fum, fleep was allow'd to wafe, That he enlarg'd the treasures of his foul, Refin'd his feelings, and improv'd his taste. The day to care and industry apply'd, The lack of patrimonial wealth reftor'd: Hence independence, hence that honeft pride, Which only independence can afford. Unaw'd by power, though reverencing the throne; His mind unfetter'd, though the church was dear To all his hopes-alike to him unknown, Ardent he burn'd with friendship's holy flame; Thy life one conftant effort to avoid Fame, to thy virtues and thy talents due. Forgive thy friend! if eager to approve He round thy memory one faint wreath would twine, A lafting token of unfhaken love, Conftant and pure, but not as ftrong, as thine. W. HAMPEON. Grief, and penury, and pain, Still attended on his way, Yet, while travelling in distress, And along that vale of tears, Which his humble footsteps trod, Still a fhining path appears, Where the mourner walk'd with God Till his master from above, When the promis'd hour was come, Sent the chariot of his love, To convey the wand'rer home. Saw ye not the wheels of fire, And the fteeds that cleft the wind? Saw ye not his foul afpire, When his mantle dropt behind? Ye that caught it as it fell, Rind that mantle round your breaft; So in you his meekness dwell; So on you his fpirit reft! Yet, rejoicing in his lot, Still hall memory love to weep O'er the venerable spot, Where his dear cold relics fleep. Grave, the guardian of his duft; Refts in hope again to rife. VERSES TO THE MEMORY OF THE Hark! the Judgment-trumpet calls, LATE JOSEPH BROWN, OF 1OTHERSDALE, Who bad fuffered a long Confinement in the Cafle of York, and the Lofs of all his worldly Property, for Confcience' Sake; by one who bad been bis Fellow-prisoner. "SPIRIT, leave thine houfe of clay; Lingering duft, refign thy breath; Spirit, caft thy chains away: Duft, be thou diffov'd in death." And the rantom'd captive fled. Welcome to a land of reft!" Thus, thy guardian angel fang. Ye that weep a friend, no more, Call to mind the Chriftian crofs Which your friend, your father bore. "Soul, rebuild thine houfe of clay, And immortal be thy walls! And eternal be thy day!" His lengthen'd course of centuries outrun; Unbleft, revolves along his dark career : fnow. Anon Extracts from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. A THEOLOGICAL DIFFICULTY. TRANSPARENT DRESS OF THE LADIES. We are informed by ancient writers, that IN None of the Jefuit Miffionary Letters, entitled, "Lettres Edifiantes & Cu- the dreffes worn by the Lacedæmonian rieuses," an obfervation is made of the maidens were fo made as to be highly ingrofs ignorance of the papas or priests of decent, and not to answer a principal end the Greek church, of which the following of cloathing; and it is probable that the Jewish ladies, defcribed by Isaiah (chap. story is given as an inftance: "A country.) might wear dreffes of a fimilar fashion, papa coming to Salonica, put this question to a papa of that city: Is it true that Chrift is God? I think I have frequently heard this afferted; but, on the other hand, they fay he is a man. How can thefe two things be made to agree? If he is God, how can he be a man; and if he how can he be God? The city papa thereupon gave a leffon in the catechifm to his village brother, who readily acquiefced in every thing." The writer goes on to obferve, that it was not neceffary to be a great theologian to refolve this question. is a man, JEWISH RECRUITS. In the fame letter is the following ftory: "The Pafs of Rondine in the diftrict of Salonica is infamous for the robberies and murders committed in it, which have given it the name of the Valley of Robbers. When Sultan Amurath was engaged in the fiege of Bagdat, having occafion for recruits, he fent an order for all the Jews in Salonica, of age to bear arms, to join him. Armed at all points, they left the city, to the number of seven or eight thousand, in order to go to Conftantinople, and thence into Afia. They marched proudly in order of battle; but hearing of the robbers at the Pafs of Rondine, they made a halt, and called a council of war. In this, it was determined, by a plurality of voices, that it would be proper to fend to Salonica and request an escort of janiffaries to protect them against the banditti. The Bafhaw, a man of fenfe, perceiving that there could be little dependance upon fuch troops, fent them their difmiffion, and ordered them to return to their respective homes. veftments of the cobweb kind, a fort of no-coverings, which would not hinder the wearers from appearing almost naked; fuch as Menander calls διαφανες χιτωνι, a transparent veft, and mentions as the drefs of a courtezan; and such as Varro. Horace, from the island of Coos where the ftyles vitreas veftes, glassy vestments; and ftuff was made, denominates Coan, lib. 1. fat. 2. line 101. 66 Ut nudam." Cois tibi pæne videre eft "Through the Coan veft You almoft fee her naked." This Coan ftuff was probably a kind of very thin filk or gauze. So Lady M. W. Montagu, defcribing her Turkish drefs, fays, her fmock was of fine white filk gauze, clofed at the neck with a diamond button, but the shape and colour of the bofom was very well to be diftinguished through it. Dr. Shaw informs us, (Travels, p. 241.) that " in the Levant, mirrors form a part of female drefs; for that the Moorish women in Barbary are fo fond of their ornaments, and particularly of their lookingglaffes, which they hang upon their breasts, that they will not lay them afide, even when after the drudgery of the day they are obliged to go two or three miles with a pitcher or a goat's skin to fetch water." And it is certain, from Exodus 38, 8. that the Ifraelitish women used to carry their mirrors, made of polished brafs, with them, even to their moft folemn places of worship; but it is by no means * Letters, vol. 2. 8vo. p. 183-4. equally equally certain that they ever wore tranf parent garments. In the 30 chapter of Isaiah, referred to above, the prophet particularly defcribes the manners and diefs of the Jewish 1-di-s, which appear to have been fomething nearly of the fame defcription as thofe of the more fashionable part of the females of the prefent day. THOMAS WOOLETON. Thomas Wooleton, B. D. fome time fellow of Sidney College, in Cambridge, was tried and convicted in March, 1729, in the Court of King's Bench, for caufing to be printed and published a blafphemous book, entitled, Difcourfes on the Miracles of our Saviour. The judgment against him was, that he should pay a fine of sool. fuffer a year's imprifonment, and give fecurity for his good behaviour during life, himself in a recognizance of 2000l. two fecurities in 1oool, each, or four in sool. each. To thefe difcourfes there were several answers. That written by Mr. Solomon Lowe, is a concife, clear, and masterly performance. The Trial of the Witnesses. of the Refurrection of Jefus, in answer to Mr. Wooleton's Difcourfe on the Refurrection, is an entertaining and elegant piece, written with much fpirit, correctness, energy, and good fenfe, without the leat degree of that fcurrility which was formerly fo common in religious disputes. The following paragraph was printed in feveral newspapers: On Saturday night, January 27, 1722.3, died Mr. Wooletop, author of the Difcourfes on our Saviour's Miracles, in the 66th year of his age. About four or five minutes before he died, he uttered these words :This is a struggle which all men must go through, and which I bear, not only with patience, but willingness. Upon which he clofed his eyes, and thut his lips, with feeming defign to compofe his face with decency, without the help of a friend's hand, and then he expired." art more concerned in it. But this I will remind thee off, that thou be infinitely to performe to God all those holy promifes which I fuppofe thou didst make in thy fickneffe, and remember what thoughts thou hadft then, and beare them along upon thy fpiritt all thy life time, for that which was true then is foe still, and the world is really as vaine a thing as thou didst then fuppofe it. I durft not tell thy mother of thy danger (though I heard of it) 'till at the fame time I told her of thy recovery. Poore woman! she was troubled and pleafed at the fame time; but your letter did determine her. I take it kindly that thou haft writ to Bowman. If I had bene in condition, you should not have beene troubled with it; but as it is, thou and I must be content. Thy mother fends her bleffing to her and her little Mary; foe do I, and my prayers to God for you both. Your little cofens are your fervants; and I am, Thy most affectionate and Nov. 24th, 1643. JER TAYLOR. Supd. To my very deare brother, Dr. Langfdale, at his apothecarye's houle in Gainsborough. BISHOPS. Uber, Archbishop of Armach, to Mr. Wm. Brook. (Ex Mfs. R. Thoresby, Efq.) SIR, Dublin, October 18th, 1665. There was fuch a deare affection betweene your father and me, that I pfwade myfelfe you, reflecting upon that, will not be unwilling to doe me any reasonable civilitie, and upon that confidence I intreat you to doe me that favour as toaffift and advife my brother in fuch things as doth and may concerne me. I have a defire to buy fome more lard in your towne, that I may leave fuch a proportion there as may encourage one of my fons to my knowe, and fometimes to repaire to, the place where I was borne. When any is to be fold, I pray you to helpe my brother in the buying of it, foe that I neither may too deare nor purpay chale an uncertaine title; and what is contracted for I will fee honeftly paid, provided that I have convenient time to returne money. I had a defire to build an hofpital in your towne, but feeing you and the rest of the towne defires that I fhall rather build a free schoole, I fhall obferve your defires, and have given my brother |