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deep and dense bodies, as had been supposed, where it would be impossible for them to attain the enemy, but in shallow lines of two, or, at most, three ranks in depth. He discovered, also, that the men ought to stand, not in files, or one directly behind another, but the men of the second rank opposite to, and covering, the intervals between the men in the front rank; and those of the third rank, opposite to the intervals between the men in the second rank. In other words, he found that the legionary soldiers were placed in a quincunr order, where every two men in the front and third ranks, forming a parallelogram in length, from front to rear; the man of the second rank occupied its centre, where removed from the men before and behind him, at the greatest possible distance, or baif the diagonal of the parallelogram, he had the greatest possible room in the same actual space, and from which he could, without interruption, employ his arms freely before, behind, or on either side, as necessity might require.

This theory once discovered, and duly unfolded, all seeming contradictions in antient writers were reconciled, all perplexities were unravelled, and all difficulties were removed,

By a similar train of reasoning, the General had the good fortune to solve the long-contested question respecting the manner of distributing the cars and the rowers, in the war gallies of the antients. It is evident from history, that the antients had vessels of different denomina tions, called by the Romans, triremes, quadriremes, quinqueremes, &c. and by the Greeks, trières, tatrères, pontèves, &c. terms expressive (if the word may be used) of three, four, five rowings, &c. It is also evident, that by these rowings, were meant distinct rows of oars, from stem to stern, of the vessel, raised in order, the oue above the other, from the water upwards. Commentators being in general still more ignorant, if possible, of naval than of military affairs, bad propounded the most absurd notions concerning the nature of these antient ships. The notion, however, the most generally received was, that the ship's sides being perpendicular, or nearly so, to the surface of the water, the oars were likewise placed vertically, the one immediately over the, other below it. Oder systenis were also broached, tending, in some measure, to obviate the objections made to the former: but sull the best were liable to insurmountable

difficulties, arising from the placing of the rowers, the height of the ship's side, and particularly from the great length and weight of the oars, by which those in the upper rows, or tiers, must have become utterly unmanageable.

From a consideration of these objec tions, it was concluded by many enquirers on the subject, that the number of rowings related not to the rows of oars, but to the men employed to manage one oar, as is done on board the gallies in the Mediterranean; so that a trireme, a quinquere:ue, &c. meant a vessel in which one car was worked by three men, five men, &c. That this, however, was not the case, is too clearly shown in various passages of the antients, to adinit of any doubt on the head.

General Melville, whose repeated voyages across the Atlantic had enabled him to unite to the theory of navigation much more practical knowledge than usually falls to the lot of a landmao, despanning of being enabled to untie this Gordian knot, by his researches amongst the most enlightened and experienced seamen, at kast, on his way home from his government, laying authorities and theories of every kind entirely aside, eaquired in himself what were the objects of the antients in the arrangement of their rowers. To this question, the na tural answer was celerity and impetus in their movements. The next question was, how this celerity was to be obtained; and the answer could only be by introducing the greatest possible quan tity of motive power into a given space. By placing the Towers not vertically, but in diagonal order, up the perpendicular side of a ship, it was true that they could be placed in considerably less pace than when arranged one directly over the head of another. This, however, was not enough; and, it occurred to the General, that, by means of a double obli quity in the arrangement of the rowers, every possible advantage might be ob tained. He therefore supposed that the side of the ship, instead of rising verticaily from the water, was at the distance of a few feet from the surface, laid outwards, diverging from the perpendicular at an angle of perhaps forty-five degrees, Upon this inclined side, the seats for the rowers were placed, slanting diagonally upwards; at the same time that, by the incluation of the side, they slanted diagonally outwards. The consequences of this double obliquity were, that a rower raised only from fifteen to eigh

teen

teen inches above the rower below him, instead of four or five times that distance, as in some other schemes, would be able to sit and row without receiving any interruption in his labour from the others adjoining to him, and that even the uppermost oars, in a quinqueremé, were not of an unmanageable length.

This theory not only removed all the objections to the former systems, but it explained a multitude of passages in history, hitherto inexplicable; and it was discovered to be perfectly conformable to the representations still remaining on antient coins, and in the paintings discovered in the subterraneous ruins of Herculaneum.

But a volume would be requisite to contain a distinct relation of the curious and important discoveries and inventions, made by General M. and of the systematic progress of his mind in such discoveries and inventions. Amongst those are to be reckoned, the discovery he made from principles previously laid down, of the Roman camps in the vale of Strathmore, in Scotland; of the construction of the catapult, ballista, and other antient warlike machines; of that species of artillery, known by the name of carronades, from the great foundery in Scotland, where they were first made, of which the largest are now generally called, from the weight of the shot they receive, sixty-eight-pounders. The grand improvement, however, which General M. wished to introduce into that species of cannon, and of which the efficacy was established by experiments at Woolwich, before the late Duke of Richmond, when master-general of the ordnance was, by adopting a kind of ball, combining the properties of the solid shot, the shell, and the carcase, being cast with a hollow core, so that the weight of a ball, which, if solid, would be sixty-eight pounds, might be reduced to about forty-two pounds; the shot thereby becoming more manageable, and equally powerful, in sea engagements, or short distances, and therefore peculiarly calculated for the use of British seamen, who it is confessed stand closer to their guns, and fire with greater expedition, than those of any other nation. The use of these Melvillades has hitherto been very confined.

Military and antiquarian researches were, however, far from occupying the capacious mind of General Melville. It is not perhaps generally known, that the Royal Botanic Garden in the island of St.

Vincent, now so richly stored, under the management of Dr. Anderson, with the most useful and ornamental vegetable productions, was originally projected, established, and supported, by General M. during his government, at bis own expense and risk. It was at last taken under the special protection of his Majesty, and the expenses are now defrayed out of the public purse.

Of the truly simple, obvious, and scientific, analysis and arrangement of the faculties of the human frame, and of the objects to which they are respectively applicable, invented by General M. alter mature self-examination, it is impossible in this sketch to offer any adequate representation.

The

To these very defective outlines of the life and character of General Melville, it must now be sufficient merely to add, that while in private he was the friend of the widow, of the orphan, and of those who have no helper:" in public, he was a ready and a liberal contributor to the support of the most valua ble charitable establishments. Scotch corporation, or hospital, in London, by its management, as well as by its constitution, perhaps the least susceptible of abuse, of the multitude of similar benevolent institutions, will long remember the services, and long regret the loss of its venerable recruiting General. The patron of unassuming merit, the encourager of ingenuous youth, his stores of knowledge were ever open to the candid enquirer. A genuine and ardent lover of truth, in every pursuit in which mankind can be interested, and from whatever quarter it proceeded, truth was ever by him most cordially received. By the uniform tenor of his conduct, General Melville evinced himself to be, in the strictest sense of the terms, the true friend and lover of his country.

General Melville was a Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies of London and Edinburgh, by the university of which last city, his alma mater, he was honoured with the degree of Doctor of Laws. He was also an honorary member of the Board of Agriculture, and an active member of the Society in London for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Although he never had a regiment, a home-government, or any other military emolument whatever, since he quitted the West Indies, he was appointed a full General on the 12th of October, 1798; and at his decease was,

with one exception, the oldest General in the British army.

Dying a bachelor, General M. is succeeded in name and estate, by his cousin John Whyte Melville, of Bennochy, in the county of Fife, esq.

General Melville had nearly completed his eigley-sixth year, having been born at Monimail, in that county, of which parish

his father was minister, on the 12th of October, 1723: his mother was a daugh ter of Robert Whyte, of Bennochy, esq. Advocate, and a sister of the late celebrated Dr. Robert Whyte (Whytt,) his Majesty's Physician in Scotland, and professor of medicine in the University of Edinburgh.

SCARCE TRACTS, WITH EXTRACTS, AND ANALYSES OF SCARCE BOOKS.

It is proposed in future to devote a few Pages of the Monthly Magazine to the Insertion of such Scarce Tracts as are of an interesting Nature, with the Use of which we may be favoured by our Correspondents; and under the same Head to introduce also the Analyses of scarce and curious Books.

"The Letting of Humour's Blood in the Head-Vaine. With a New Morissco, daunced by seven Satyrs, upon the bottome of Diogines Tubbe." Imprinted at London, by W. White, 1611, 8vo.

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Italian ruffe, a shooe right Flemish made; Like Lord of Misrule, where he comes he'll reuel,

THIS is one of those curious little And lye for wages with the lying'st diuell."

tracts, which the commentators on Shakespeare have occasionally called in to their assistance. Ritson, in his Bibliographia Poetica, mentions an edition, with the same title, in quarto, printed in 1600; and adds, that it was reprinted in 1607, under the title of Humors Ordinarie; where a man may be verie merrie, and exceeding well used for his Sixpence.""

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It consists of thirty-seven Epigrams and seven Satires.

From the former we have selected the 19th, 26th, and 31st, as specimens, illustrative as well of the manners of the time, as of the author's poetry. EPIG. 19.

"A woefull exclamation late I heard, Wherewith Tobacco takers may be fear'd; One (at the poynt with pipe and leafe to part)

Did vow tobacco worse than Death's black

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EPIG. 31.

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To jumpe or leape ouer ditch or hedge,
To wrestle, play at stooleball, or to radne
To pitch the barre, or to shoote off a gunne :
To play at loggets, nine-holes, or ten-pinnes,
To try it out at foot-ball by the shinnes:
At tick-tacke, Irish, noddie, maw, and

At

ruffe,

hot-cockles, leap-frogge, or blindmane buffe:

To drinke halfe pots, or deale at the whole

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At leaping ore a Midsommer bon-fire,
Or at the drawing Dan out of the myer:
At any of those, or all these presently,
Wagge but your finger, I am for you, I.
I scorne (that any younster of our towne)
To let the Bow-bell Cockney put me downe."
The author of this work was Samuel
Rowlands, a prolific poetical pamphlet-
teer, whose other writings in verse are
enumerated in Ritson's work already
quoted. See also the Literaria, vol. ii.
p. 150.

"Memorials of Worthy Persons : two Decads: by Cl. Barksdale." 24mo. Lond. 1661.

Of Barksdale, who compiled this work, a long account is given in Wood's Athenæ Oxonienses: 1st edit. vol. ii. 613, 614; 2d edit, vol. ii. p. 812. He was born at Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, Nov. 23, 1609; educated at Abingdon, in Berkshire; and afterwards, in 1625, entered of Merton College, Oxford; but reinoving to Gloucester Hall, since Worcester College, he there became a, graduate of the University.

During the troubles of the civil war, he was a sufferer for the cause of Charles the First; but, at the restoration, was presented to the parsonage of Naunton, near Hawling and Stow in the Wold, in Gloucestershire, which he retained till his death, Jan. 6th, 1687. His principal pieces were:

"Monumenta Literaria: sive obitus et Elegia doctorum Virorum, ex Histo-. riis Jac. Ang. Thuani." Lond. 1610,

4to.

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Beside a great number of Translations from the Latin.

The third Decad of the "Memorials of Worthy Persons," was printed at Oxford, in duodecimo, 1662: the fourth, in 1668; and the fifth, under the title of "A Remembrance of Excellent Men." 8vo. Lond. 1670.

1. DECAD.

1. Dr. Joseph Hail, B. of Norwich.
2. Dr. John Donne, Dean of St. Paul's.
3. Sir William Cokain, Ald. of London.
4. Sir Thomas Bodley.

5. Dr. John Jewell, Bishop of Sarum.
6. Mr. George Herbert.

7. Dr. James Usher, A. B. of Armagh. 8. Mr. John Hales, of Eton.

9. R. Evelyn.

10. Dr. Arthur Lake, B. of Bath and Wells. II. DECAD.

1. Edward Peyto, Esq.

2. Dr. William Laud, A. B. of Canterbury.

3. Archbishop Usher.

4. Thomas Brandeston, of Barfold.
5. Mr. John Dod.

6. Mr. Joseph Mece.

7. Mr. Josias Shute.

8. Francis Bacon, L. Verulam.
9. Dr. Thomas Jackson.

10. Lady Falkland.

The following is the character of the ever-memorable

JOHN HALES:

1. Mr. John Hales, sometime (Fellow of Merton Colledge, and) Greek Professor of the University of Oxford, long Fellow of Eton Colledge, and, at last, also Prebendary of Windsore, was a man, I think, of as great a sharpness, quickness, and subtilty of wit, as ever this, or perhaps any nation, bred. sible, to equall the largenesse of his capacity; 2. His industry did strive, if it were pos whereby he became as great a master of polite, various, and universal learning, as ever yet converst with books.

3. Proportionate to his reading was his me ditation, which furnished him with a judgement beyond the vulgar reach of man, built upon unordinary notions, raised out of strange observations, and comprehensive thoughts within himself. So that he really was a most prodigious example of an acute and piercing wit; of a vast ard illimited knowledge; of a severe and profound judgement.

4. Yet, had he never understood a letter, he had other ornaments suflicient to endear him. For he was of a nature (as we ordinarily speak) so kind, so sweet, so courting all mankind; of an affability so prompt, so ready to receive all conditions of men, that I conceive it were as easy a task for any one to become so knowing as so obliging.

5. As a Christian, none more ever acquainted with the nature of the gospel, because none more studious of the knowledge of it, or more curious in the search; which being strengthened by those great advantages before mentioned, could not prove other than highly effectual.

6. He took, indeed, to himself a liberty of The following are the characters given judgin, not of others, but for himself; and In the two first Decads: if ever any man might be allowed in there

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matters to judge, it was he, who had so long, so much, so advantageously considered; and which is more, never had the least worldly design in his determinations.

7 tie was not only most truly and strictly just in his secular transactions, most exemplarily meek and humble, notwithstanding his perfections, but, beyond all example, charitable, giving unto all, preserving nothing but his books, to continue his learning and himself; which, when he had before digested, he was forced at last to feed upon, at the same time the happiest and most unfortunate belluo of books; the grand example of learning, and of the envy and contempt which followeth it.

8. While he lived none was ever more sollicited and urged to write, and thereby truly to teach the world, than he; none ever so resolved (pardon the expression, so obstinate,) against it. His facile and courteous nature learnt only not to yield to that sollicitation. And yet he cannot be accused for hiding of his talent, being so communicative, that his chamber was a church, and his chair a pulpit.

9. Onely that there might some taste continue of him, 'some of his remains were collected, such as he could not but write, and such as, when written, were out of his power to destroy. These consist of two parts, of Sermons, and of Letters; and each of them proceeded from him upon respective obligations. The letters, though written by himself, yet were wholly in the power of that honourable person to whom they were sent, and by that means they were preserved. The ser mons, preached on several occasions, were snatcht from him by his friends, and, in their hands, the copies were continued, or, by transcription, disperst.

10. As to those letters, written from the Synod of Dort, take notice, that, in his younger days, he was a Calvinist, and even then when he was employed at that Synod," and at the well pressing, lo: in. 16, by Epis copus, "There I bid John Calvin good night, as he has often told me."t

* Out of Mr. Farington's letter.

+ Out of Dr. Pearson's Preface to his Golden Remains..

Extracts from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters.

THEATRES.

public. It is becoming what the Circus

WHILE the two great theatres of was at Rome, and the Hippodrome at

London were in ashes, it would have been easy for government to buy in the patents, or exclusive grants; and to permit associations of individuals to erect theatres in any parts of the metropolis. In this case, play-houses would be small and numerous. Some would be cheap, in order to tempt the multitude; some would be dear, in order to segregate the luxurious. The greater number of actors would secure a more unremitting growth of excellence in that art; the greater number of exhibitions, would open to dramatic poets a wider range of competition: more plays would be written, and of course inore good ones. In small theatres, dialogue can be heard, and acting seen, though naturally executed; but in great theatres, only carica ture is acceptable. Bellman-voices, and features that outgrin Le Brun's Passions, are alone intelligible. Hence the drama loses, in all respects, (see Espriella's XVIIIth Letter), by large play-houses.

A new danger, not to the poetic art, but to the political constitution of the country, is growing out of the singleness of the national theatre. It is becoming a poll-booth of faction, a place for giving public suffrages on those questions of pinion, which divide the metropolitan

It

Constantinople. Now let any man read.
Gibbons's fortieth chapter, and ask him.
self, whether the size of the theatres was
not precisely the cause, which rendered
the public opinion expressed there, so
imperious throughout the metropolis.
is notorious, that not merely administra-
tions, but even royal families, have been
cashiered by the well-timed placards and
cockades of the spectators in the Con-
stantinopolitan hippodrome: and that
the emperor Justinian was in a manner
deposed by an audience, and restored by
an actress.

To deliver this country from such
dangers, surely the expense of buying in
and levelling with the ground the new
theatre, ought not for a moment to be
grudged. Play-houses, when exclusive.
privileges are abolished, would become
as numerous as conventicles; and indeed
might be so constructed as alternately to
In this state of
serve both purposes.
dimension, they could not collect a dan-
gerous assemblage.

THE FXAMINATION OF SIR MORGAN ME
REDITH, VICAR OF OUR LADY CHURCH
THERE.

"In primis he sayeth, that he hath bene vicar there xxii yerus.

"Itm. that Vicar Frodsham tolde him,

that

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