discovery, which modern promulgators deem veritably their own, has been anticipated by their forefathers. The Rev. Mr. Dutens, Rector of Elidon, Northumberland, a perfevering enquirer, carried his animadverfions on this head to a voluminous extent : without recurring to his discoveries we shall briefly touch upon a few of more recent notoriety. The compofition and powers of gunpowder, attributed to one Schwartz, a German Priest, was known to Friar Bacon of Oxford, fix hundred years ago, who also, as appears in his Opus Majus, addressed to the Pope, ftill extant, was, in fpeculation at least, an aërostat, and mentions the BALLOON. Holder, in his Elements of Speech, read before the Royal Society, Anno 1668-9, ftarted the idea of the TELEGRAPHE. The whim of cashiering the names of the months, and diftinguishing them by others, derived from fome incidental production or phenomena of nature, is not of modern invention; it originated in Pagan usage, and was practifed by the Saxons, to whom we are likewife obliged for the names of the days of the week; mentioned by Verftegan, in his English Antiquities, near two centuries ago.

*

Dr.

* Small quarto, dated Antwerp, February 7th, 1605, N. S. and again printed by John Bill, his Majesty's Printer, 1628.

Dr. Johnfon, who in his English Dictionary, with difcriminating fedulity, illuftrates his explanation of words and their various acceptations by accumulated authorities from approved writers, had the example of the Claffic Lexicographers, which he meritoriously follows.* The analyfis of the alphabet and theory of oral founds, inculcated by a late eminent philologift, appear with ftriking features of fimilarity in the lucubrations of Holder, juft mentioned, and Others, now in the Author's poffeffion, publifhed upwards of a century and a half before: Works which, on the Writer's intimating the circumftance to Mr. Sheridan, he declared he had never seen! Sheridan was unquestionably a man of truth. Dr. K. in his Dictionary uses figures placed over the vowels, to ascertain their refpective powers, and in a more recent publication by another hand, it is faid he was the first who hit upon that expedient, though feveral years antecedent to

both,

The most accurate Edition of Dr. Johnson's Dictionary yet printed (as appears from a very long Lift of Errata, corrected from the last London Quarto Edition, by the Publisher, now in his Poffeffion, which may be seen by any Perfon at pleasure) in two Volumes 4to, with the Advantage of a Standard of correct Pronunciation now first united, confequently comprising those two valuable Works in one, with an Historical Account of the Author's Life, not in any former Edition, and an Engraving of Dr. Johnson's Head, is now publishing by the Printer hereof, in Numbers, at Is. Id. per Number.

both, Sheridan in his Lectures, which, it is evident, the Doctor copied, had fet the example. It were to be wished, some scheme of uniformity had prevailed among our modern orthoëpists; for by their unneceffary and capricious variations, without fecuring to themselves the Palm of Originality, the subject is involved in a state of confufion worse confounded, and pronunciation, amid the crowd of contending authorities, remains in its primitive: uncertainty, The Writer alfo has been a labourer in the fame vineyard. His mode of pronunciation, he would gladly reft upon the authority of the best of his contemporaries ; but which is the beft? how fhall the ftandard be fixed? a knotty affair!

POPE.

Who fhall decide when Doctors difagree? The contrivance he has adopted for determining the powers of letters, he perfuades himself, has many and very peculiar advantages. It poffibly may not be exclufively his own; but fcarcely the property of any other, fince the origin of printing, and so far His the merit of the application. A fingular property of this contrivance is, it does in no refpect militate against the fubfifting Editions, nor intrench upon the beauty of the page; a fpecies of luxury now more, it seems, in request, than importance of Matter, and the graces, and perfections of Style.

The

The cuftom of Writers has ever been to avail themfelves of the labours of their predeceffors. It is the road to excellence, and in no refpect derogatory to their characters. Every man, it must be presumed, has fomething of his own, and, while he partakes of the general treasure, in adding his mite to the public ftock, he deferves his fhare of credit. But credit for literary performance is at beft fortuitous and reluctantly allowed; this is peculiarly the fate of poetry, Your minor Rhetoricians, who deal much in the figure Synecdoche, though perhaps ftrangers to the term, if they hit upon a paffage or two fimilar to any thing they have elsewhere met with, pronounce upon the whole; and, though they may frigidly allow it fome praife, will tell you roundly, 'tis ALL borrowed. It is very poffible that different Writers, engaged on the fame topic, may fall into the fame train of ideas, and confequently into the fame, or nearly the fame, mode of expreffion; yet, notwithstanding fuch casual co-incidences, both, as to themfelves, be equally original; an inftance of which appears in the 735th line of the following Work, which was written before ever the Author faw Dr. Johnfon's Prologue, where the fame thought, nearly in the fame words, alfo occurs. This, with another in a more recent compofition, remotely analogous to one of Gray's, was first pointed

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out

out by that excellent A&tor, and no less valuable man, the late Mr. Henderfon; between whom and the Writer, he is proud of this opportunity to declare, there fubfifted an intimacy and friendship till his death.

If, upon the whole, it fhould be thought the subject is treated in a manner too defultory, the Writer can only say, a Syftematic Treatise was not his defign. His utmost aim was a Curfory Effay, which admits of latitude, for his own and the entertainment of a very limited circle of friends. Preferring amusements that have at least the appearance of fomething rational, they were in habits of acting private plays; a practice requiring thought, unfriendly to tattling and diffipation; to which however none were admitted, who were not fomeway concerned in the performance. The Writer had spoken of Jane Shore as a favourite Tragedy; it was got up partly in compliment to him. Such attentions, though they may not amount to what are properly called obligations, agreeably touch the ftring of fenfibility, and have often excited returns from the mufe: It was an opportunity for his to ftep forward. The firft outline was wholly complimentary; but on revifion it occurred to him, that mere panegyric, if it fhould get into print, however happily applied, could be interefting to few; ufeful perhaps to none; more commonly awaking envy than infpiring emulation;

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