drinking destroys the body, mind, memory, and every excellence of our nature. Moderate potations, on the contrary, are useful to the body and mind,

Κλησει τε καλώς εις εργ' Αφροδίτης.

Here for κλησει, read πρήξει οι πρήσσει.

It also induces sleep, xapatwr urva, the haven of labour and fatigue.

Sleep is called by Shakspeare

"Sore labour's bath :"

And Macbeth uses these words:

"Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care.”

Sir Thomas Brown, in his Religio Medici, B. 11. §. 12. has written a very awful and impressive passage or sleep, with which I shall close this paper, not wishing it to be mingled with baser matter. "It is," says he, a death, whereby we live; a middle, moderating point between life and death, and so like death, I dare not trust it without my prayers, and an half adieu unto the world, and take my farewell in colloquy with God. After which I close my eyes in security, content to take my leave of him, and sleep unto the resurrection."

March 7.

MUSIC;

OR, A PARADOX OF THE ANCIENTS, WITH RESPECT TO MANNERS, EXPLAINED

By JAQUES.

POLYBIUS, the judicious Polybius, tells us that music was necessary to soften the manners of the Arcadians, who inhabited a country whose atmosphere was cold and gloomy; that the Cynesii, who neglected music, surpassed all the Greeks in cruelty, and that no city ever exhibited so many crimes. PLATO does not hesitate to say, that no change can be made in the music, without occasioning one in the constitution of the state. ARISTOTLE, who appears to have composed his politics, simply to oppose the opinions of PLATO, is, nevertheless, agreed with him, touching

* See Montesquieu de l'Esprit des Lois.

the power of music over the manners. THEOPHRASTUS, PLU TARCH *, STRABO †, all the ancients are unanimous on this point. It was not an inconsiderate opinion, but one of principles of their politics. So they legislated, and so they wished their cities to be governed.

I think I can explain this matter. It must be remembered, that in the cities of Greece, especially in those whose object was war, all trades and professions, tending to the acquisition of money, were looked upon as unworthy of a free man. Most of the arts, says XENOPHON §, corrupt the bodies of those who exercise them; they induce the necessity of sitting in the shade, or near the fire; and leave no time, either for friendship or the republic. It was not, indeed, until the corruption of several democracies, that artisans became citizens. This, we learn from ARISTOTLE who contends that a good republic will never grant such persons the freedom of the city ¶.

of Agriculture was yet a servile profession, and commonly the labour of some vanquished people; the Helots amongst the Lacedemonians; and in other republics, other ** nations reduced to slavery. Every low species of commerce tt was i infamous amongst the Greeks. A citizen might have served a slave, a tenant, a stranger-the idea was odious to the spirit of Grecian liberty. Hence, PLATO is desirous that a citizen dealing in commerce should be punished.

Much embarrassment was consequently felt in the Grecian republics. They would not suffer their citizens to become tradesmen, to exercise arts, or to labour in the field-neither did they

Plato, lib. iv. of Laws, says, that the prefects of the music and gymnastics, are invested with the most important employments of the city; and in his Republic, lib. iii. Damon will tell you, says he, what sounds are capable of creating baseness of soul and insolence, as well as the contrary virtueshmeri oila agline nt vis-29) § Lib. v. Memorabilia.

Polit. lib. 3. c. iv.

Diophantus, says Aristotle, c. vii. Polit. formerly established at Athens, that ar tisans should be the slaves of the public.on for Hdie ** Plato and Aristotle also wish that slaves lib. vii.

of

It is true that agrould cultivate the earth.

the earth. Laws, was not every where the work

i. Polit. lib. vii. c. x.. S on the contrary, as Aristotle observes, the best republics were those whose

́s citizens were agriculturists; but that only happened through the corruption of ancient governments become democratic; for, in early Greece, the cities lived in a state of aristocracy.

+ Cauponatio.

Lib. ii.

wish that they should be idle. They, therefore, found an occupation in gymnastic exercises, and such as bore a relation to wart. The institution allowed them no other. We must, then, consider the Greeks as a society of athletes and warriors, or wrestlers and prize-fighters. Now, these exercises, so well calculated to make a people hardy and savage‡, needed to be tempered by some others, that might soften their manners. Music, which engages the mind through the organs of the body, was most properly adapted to the purpose. It is not possible to say that music inspires virtue; that would be inconceivable; but it prevented the effect of the ferocity of the institution, and gave the soul a part in the education, which it before had not.

I will suppose that there was amongst us a society of men, so passionately fond of the chace, as to be exclusively devoted to it; it is clear that they would contract a certain degree of roughness. If these same persons should acquire a taste for music, a difference in their manners would soon appear. In a word, the exercises of the Greeks excited in them but one sort of passion, roughness, rage, and cruelty. Music excites all, and can penetrate the soul with the feelings of softness, pity, tenderness, and love. Those moral writers, who so earnestly and vehemently proscribe the theatre, sufficiently prove what we are to think of the power of music over the soul.

32

If to the society of which I have just spoken, the martial sounds of drums and trumpets merely were given, is it not likely that the end would be less easily attained, than if they were treated with soft airs? The ancients, therefore, were right, when, in certain circumstances, they preferred, with regard to manners, one mode to another. But, it will be said, why give the preference to musie? Because, of all the pleasures of sense, there is none, which less corrupts the soul. What the Thebans established in the place of music, to soften the manners of youth, read in the life of Pelopidas, by Plutarch, and summon all your faith to believe what I dare not write.

Feb. 5.

Aristot. Polit. lib. x.

tId. lib. viii. c. 3.

↑ Aristotle says, that the Spartan children, who began these exercises at the tender. estage, contracted too much ferocity. Polit. lib. viii. c. 4.

S-VOL. Y.*

ENDYMION THE EXILE.

LETTER XIV.

I HAVE news, my friend, to communicate, which will at once surprize and grieve thee. Thy English goddess, the beautiful LEONORA MEADOWS, is found; but alas! so found, as to make me cry, in the words of Ovid's Inachus

vergevest Tu non inventa, repertá

Luctus eras levior!

Thou rememberest how, in the lucid interval that took place in the insane conduct of the two nations, the lovely LEONORA Shone the brightest star in the hemisphere of the Thuilleries. The great DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH was, when plain CAPTAIN CHURCHILL, known in France by the title of the handsome Englishman. But never did he commit greater havoc there, than did this handsome English woman. Thou, AMBROSE, wilt, I am sure, bear her in eternal recollection. Yes, thou wilt never forget how, in hastening to worship that glittering meteor, in the central promenade of the Thuilleries, thou didst disdain the circuitous path round the sheet of water, in those gardens, but enticed by its frozen surface, didst, like LEANDER, commit thyself to cross that treacherous Hellespont, and by the abduction of a large piece of ice, wert immersed in the element. Alas! thou dist not find a HERO in LEONORA, but wert left to the consolation of thinking thyself one of the bravest. In less than a week after that event, la belle Angloise abruptly quitted Paris, and left its gallant inhabitants in the very vortex of despair. Not even Madame RECAMIER, GARNERIN, or the new musical glasses, could for five whole days calm the general agitation! I have found her, my friend.-Moderate thy transports while I tell thee how.

I went last week to a concert of music, where the English meet to mortify themselves during Lent. Music, you know, enabled Orpheus to regain his wife, and from the indifference displayed by this nation during its performance, you would imagine they were about to be rewarded in a similar manner. A solo is the season for whispering, but a grand chorus gives a privilege to chatter as loudly as you please. In the interval between the first and second acts, we all adjourned to another room, to regale on sour orgeat and sweet lemonade. On re-ascending the

stairs, I heard a female voice, whose melody was familiar to my ears, and on turning round, discovered it to proceed from a lady, whom I at first took, from her great similarity, to be the mother of LEONORA Alas! how brief the illusion-it was LEONORA herself! Five short years have wrought a fearful metamorphosis. It is now only from an air of the antique, that her figure can possibly be mistaken for that of Diana! Its graces are fled. At this instant two bucks of the new school, who did not need the addition of furred great-coats to be mistaken for bears, squeezed by me, and my ears were greeted with the following dialogue: "Damme, Jack, isn't that LEONORA MEADOWs ?"" Yes it is.""Indeed! why she's dev'lishly altered !"-" Aye, faith! in more ways than one."-" How d'ye mean ?""Why, her old dad has hopped the twig, leaving her rather minus as to goldfinches.Tom Dangleton was making up to her while Square-toes was above-ground, but he now fights rather shy.-Egad, I fancy it's a complete cut, and poor Lenny now vegetates with an old lemonfaced virago of an aunt." This elegant dialogue was then interrupted by a fat man, in a dirty white waistcoat, who began to sing something about the pricking of his thumbs, which was repeated at least a hundred times-the fellow had as m many thumbs as Briareus. This, you may be sure, did not drive LEONORA from my thoughts, and when "Away with Melancholy" was chaunted by half a dozen of the sons and daughters of Euterpe, I could only reply with Prior-le

Je suis triste quand je crie,

Bannissons la mélancholie.

Alas! how brief the duration of female charms! Beauty is, indeed, what the Poet DRYDEN describes it to be-" A mighty empire, but it lasts not long." Let teachers and preachers rail against it as they please; still, my friend, it's woman's all-in-all." Handsome is that handsome does," said the wife of the Vicar of Wakefield to her daughters; and in the same breath desired them to "hold up their heads." Man, comparatively happy man, if he possess industry and talents, may always attain independence, and frequently affluence; but what are woman's pretensions to renown? A handsome face and a graceful figure. To these sentiments I anticipate an objection from some controversial female, like the following-" Ridiculous! what nonsensical stuff! Isn't my cousin Harriet far from handsome, and didn't a rich banker