For the Anthologia Hibernica. Mr. Editor,

B

Y the regulations of the Imperial is Seminary at Mofcow it established, that no man fhall be elected to the office of Principal Superintendant, who is not married; the importance of the place making it improper to entruft it to a bachelor. This fingular rule having induced me to examine with attention the policy of impofing, as we do, a strict celibacy on all the Fellows of Colleges, has led me to make fome reflections on that fubject, which I fhall venture to fubmit to the confideration of those who may be better acquainted with the ftate of our Univerfities than I am, anxious to begin an enquiry, which to me appears of confiderable importance to the welfare of fociety.

The leifure which a man unencumbered with a family enjoys; his freedom from care and anxiety; and the removal of every caufe that could diftract him from literary pursuits; are advantages on the fide of celibacy which appear to the most fuperficial obferver; and feem ingly are fo important, that they alone have, I believe, fufficed to decide the general opinion in favour of the law which prohibits all the refidents in our Univerfities from marrying. But a more accurate investigation will give us reason to fufpect that thefe advantages are much lefs weighty than we have been taught to imagine; and that, were they great as our prejudices reprefent them, yet they would not prove the law in question to be beneficial.

In every enquiry relative to the conduct of mankind, we muft acknowledge theory to be an infufficient guide. To experience, therefore, let us appeal for the advantages of celibacy, and we fhall not, I believe, find them to be numerous. Among men who are engaged in the active fcenes of life, we must obferve, that thofe who are married, almoft exclufively, are diligent; and that a bachelor and an idler are little lefs than

fynonimous terms. The hopes of raifing a name, and of establishing a family in affluence and independence, make every labour light, and footh every fatigue, even of the most disagreeable employment; and to this obfervation my experience does not fuggeft to me an exception, nor do I believe any inftance can be produced, in which marriage was the occafion of idlenefs. The diminution of leifure we find compenfated by additional motives for exertion; and the lofs of time which the care of a family occafions, appears to be a lefs evil than the liftlefs indifference arifing from the want of thofe powerful motives to diligence, which natural affection fupplies.--And what can be the difference between the Fellows of our Colleges and the rest of mankind, that would prevent the motives, which operate fo powerfully on others, from equally influencing them? that among them fhall make that ftate favourable to diligence, which in every other clafs of men is the parent of idleness and diffipation? Is it their being appointed to fuperintend the education of youth, that makes it neceflary to prevent them from ever knowing the feelings of a father. And do we prefer entrusting our children to those who never had a fon, rather than to men acquainted with the anxious cares of parental folicitude? Or do we in this most important business blindly follow the abfurd prejudices of our fore-fathers in favour of an unmarrried clergy and monaftic inftitutions?

But the question before us relates not to the advantages of a voluntary celibacy. To juftify the prefent law in our Univerfities, it must be proved that a man defirous of marrying is rendered more fit for performing his duty as a Fellow, by being prevented from entering that state, than he would be if he indulged his inclination. For the law applies not to thofe who willingly continue bachelors; with regard to them it is a dead letter: it operates only on those who are diffatisfied with their prefent ftate, and, if permitted, would change it. And the wife method which it takes to render

thele

thefe men ufeful members of the communities to which they belong, is to perpetuate their diffatisfaction; to impofe upon them a restraint which grows in tolerable as foon as it is felt, and which never can be removed; to excite in their minds that diflike to their fituation, and that defire of change, which muft inevitably produce an unfettled ftate of mind, unfavourable to every plan of fyftematic application, and but too likely to encou rage that indolent and unprofitable life which has always been the characteristic of Monks.

Thus are the advantages of celibacy doubtful, and the mifchiefs arifing from enforcing it by law, certain.

Nor let the flourishing condition of our Universities be confidered as a confutation of my theory. That can never be ufed as an argument, till the law in queftion is fhewn to have been one of its effential caufes; till inftances are produced of men who, in confequence of an unwilling celibacy, attained a degree of eminence which marriage would neceffarily have prevented them from reaching; and till it is proved, that there are not any contrary inflances, that there are not any examples of men to whom celibacy has been injurious.

But there is one confideration which I have not yet mentioned, that proves confeffedly the propriety of difcouraging celibacy among the clergy, and that applies ftill more forcibly to the cafe which we are now examining.

The proneness of our youth to diffolute pleafures is but too well known, and their readiness to feize on any circum

ftances which may ferve to palliate their licentioufnefs cannot but be observed. What then would be the mifchief that any unlucky example of immoral conduct among those appointed to be their inftructors would occafion! How would it confirm in unlawful purfuits those who had already begun them! And how gladly would it be quoted, to corrupt thofe who were yet innocent!--And who will anfwer that no fuch examples will occur among hundreds of men condemned to celibacy? Who will engage, that, among fo many, not one will be fufpected? and, in this cafe, the fufpicion is as injurious as the reality. I do not mean to accufe the Fellows of our Colleges with immorality: unacquainted with their conduct, I argue only from the acknowledged principles of human nature; and, guided by them, I will venture to affert, that, be that conduct as pure as it may, the fondness which young men naturally have to countenance their own vices by thofe of their feniors will caufe them to be fufpected, fo long as they are reftrained from marrying; and to remove this evil there are no means but repealing the law which gives ftrength to thofe fufpicions, and without which they never could arife

Unwilling to be prolix, I fhall not purfue my enquiry any further; fatisfied if what I have already fuggefted be fufficient to excite attention to this interesting fubject; and, confident, that an impartial examination would end in condemning the prejudices which fo long have obferved it.

"The Tears of Affection; a Poem, occafioned by the Death of a fifter tenderly beloved. By the Rev. James Hurdis, B. D. Profeffor of Poetry in the University of Oxford." 8vo. p. p. 90. 2s. 6d.

No

UMEROUS are the poetic undertakings, which have been iffued from the prefs, and of all attempts for literary reputation, we know of none which are in general more unfuccefsful than the labours of the candidates for the laurel. Of their failure many have affigned the reason, that the world is now too old to produce any thing that is new; that nothing but what is novel can excite our admiration, and poetic imagery has been already monopolized by our fortunate predeceffors. However plaufible thefe affertions may be, yet upon inveftigation it will be found that they are not altogether irrefragable. Our wonder may be raifed by a thousand inftances which continually occur, the paffions of pity, love or tenderness, have been in all ages the fame, and we contemplate the portraits of melancholy, and hear the narratives of anguifh of the present day, with the fame emotions of fympathetic tenderness as we are accustomed to feel when we revert to the misfortunes of antiquity, and weep with an Andromache, or a Dido. Admitting thus the poffibility of modern perfection, we cannot mention Mr. Hurdis without feeling that degree of veneration which is always due to diftinguished excellence. His poem is a compofition of beauties in which all that is tender and delicate is united;

and all thofe fcenes are introduced which ftrike the mind with a recollection of the times that are past, and fill the foul with fentiments of pleasure and melancholy. It is impoffible to read the work without fully participating in the author's own emotions, without experiencing that religious hope and joy, that forrow and refignation which alternately diversify this exquifite, this pathetic poem. From the complexion of the work we might in fome measure be enabled to judge of its author, but we fhall fpare his delicacy by withholding panegyric, which indeed we fhould have done before did we not conceive him entitled to fomething more than ordinary compliment: we cannot even now difmifs him from our notice without acknowledging the refpect and admiration which we feel for his talents, and the impressions which must ever be experienced from the effufions of genuine poetry, and forrow elegantly described.

gree of eagernefs which is feldom obferved at the delay of literary publications, and indeed, if we confider the extenfive comprehenfion of the matter, and the time and judicioufnefs which were requifite to comprife what was most interesting from a multiplicity of facts, it will not be difficult to form an apology for its protraction. The arrangement is clear and methodical, and the hiftoric department is executed with that fpirit and accuracy which entitle the authors to uncommon praife. They are, it is true, inimical to the war with France, but their afperity never gets the better of their candour, and they inveftigate its caufes with that impartiality which fhould ever mark the fentiments of thofe who trace the fources of events. Their zeal for religion and virtue is every where remarkable, and they have clothed their arguments in a style that is bold, mafterly and expreffive. In their introduction they have given an account of the parties of Great Britain, which we have reafon to believe is a faithful reprefentation of the perfons and tranfactions which they record. They have in the courfe of their work attempted to delineate the character of the late unfortunate monarch of France; but at this early period fuch an undertaking is no more than an attempt, for the torrent of paffion is at prefent fo violent, and prejudice is fo apt to domineer over the reafon of the beft of men, that objects muit neceffarily be viewed through an unfaithful medium, and time alone muft difpel the mifts which obfcure the truth. This praife, however, we cannot withhold, that it is extremely well written, and that it is pourtrayed with that delicacy which avoids the bigotted extremes of veneration and hatred. There is prefixed to this volume an Hiftory of Knowledge, which will be highly interefting to those who make knowledge their purfait, and the fummary of the state of Literature for the year 1793 is given in terms that difplay both erudition and tafte. Upon the whole, we deem it fofficient to fay, that as the New Annual Regifter has attained a degree of refpect

ability which is feldom surpassed, the prefent volume will be found to poffefs a proportionate share of merit.

"The Tranflator of Pliny's Letters vindicated from the Objections of Jacob Bryant, Efq; to his Remarks respecting Trajan's Perfecution of the Chriftians in Bythinia. By William Melmoth, Efq." 8vo. pp. 39. Is. 6d.

HE elegant author of the tran

TH

flation of Pliny's Epiftles has long enjoyed in retirement the reputation which is annexed to distinguished talents. His adverfary, Mr. Jacob Bryant, has obliged him to enter the stage of public notice by an attack upon his principles, as tending in his remarks upon the prefecution of the Chriftians under Trajan, to shake the pillars of revealed religion. This charge Mr. Melmoth denies, and confiders the advocate for revelation as alarmed by a phantom of his own ima gination. He treats him with great temper, even with great refpect, throughout his entire defence, and after fully convincing his readers of his innocence, he declares, that it was with the utmost regret that he was conftrained, by a very unprovoked attack, to enter the lifts against his polemic difputant, and that he could not but confider himself, on that occafion, as in circumstances fimilar to thofe of Laberius, the fuperannuated Roman actor, who, in the last period of his days was compelled by Cæfar to re-appear in the theatre; but that no reply, from whatever hand it may come, fhall induce him to advance a step farther in the controverfy. -Mr. Mel moth has on this, as on other occafions, exhibited the fame abilities and the fame elegance for which he has ever been diftinguished.

"A Profpect of the Political Relations which fubfift between the French Republic and the Helvetic Body. By Colonel Weifs, Member of the Sovereign Council of Berne, originally published in French,

11793