1 office, induces him to preserve in existence by his influence even the shadow of a college. He is assisted by only one tutor; the funds do not permit the employment ofmore. There is an excellent female academy, lately established by the Society of United Brethren (Moravians) at Salem. There are very good academies in Raleigh, Newbern, Fayetteville, Lewisburg, Warrenton,and two or three others. -A publick library has been foun ded in Newbern by a donation of $500 from Thomas Tomlinson. It is divided into eighty shares of $20 each; all the shares are filled, and the books purchased. It is contemplated to extend the number of shares to 120. I know of no other publick libraries in the state, except one in Iredell county, established by a society called the Centre Benevolent Society, which has subsisted nearly twenty years. SILVA, Purpureos metam flores, et flumine libam I FORESEE that in writing this Silva I must frequently recur to the loose papers on my table, or to what is as loosely floating in my memory; and I hope for pardon from every one, who has himself attempted to compose in the first month of summer. In looking over the "Anatomy of Melancholy," some time since, I found the following verses with the reference Politianus de Rustico. Felix ille animi, divisque simillimus ipsis, These verses are beautiful, but such uniform days would not constitute a happy life. It is strange, that any one, who knows himself to be human, should suppose, that he ever could, even when in health of mind, so divest himself of hope, as to live content; that tomorrow should be as to day. Common, quiet, and domestick pleasures do indeed constitute the most valuable part of our happiness; but to him alone are they delightful, who retires, to be conversant among them, No. 17. from manly, and, if I may so speak, Of the world This passage is in the 4th Book of "There is a path, which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen. "The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it." THE necessity of the alternation of rest and labour to our happiness is expressed not inelegantly in the conclusion of the two following passages: "Why,you have considered this matter very deeply," said Dr. Lyster," but I must not have you give way to these serious reflections. Thought, after all, has a cruel spite against happiness. I would have you therefore keep as much as you conveniently can out of its company. Run about, and divert yourself; 'tis all you have for it. The true art of happiness, in this most whimsical world, seems to be nothing more than this let those who have leisure find employment, and those who have business find leisure." Cecilia. "We should have known ourselves to have been in the neighbourhood of some place larger than usual [Cologne] from the sight of two or three carriages on the road, nearly the first we had seen in Germany. There is, besides, some shew of labour in the adjoining villages; but the sallow countenances and miserable air of the people prove, that it is a labour not beneficial to them. The houses are only the desolated homes of these villagers, for there is not one of them that can be supposed to belong to any prosperous inhabitant of the neighbouring city, or to afford that coveted stillness, in which the active find an occasional reward, and the idle perpetual misery." Mrs. Ratcliffe's Journey through Germany. us....all, which would first present itself to the view of a stranger, is little and low and mean. "Nos hic in republica infirma, misera, commutabilique versamur." It is the temper of democracy to crush every thing elegant, and to batter down every thing noble. In all countries where it prevails, there is an ostracism, whether visible or not, at constant war with talents and learning and virtue, with all qualities which may excite envy or claim superiority. In its worst state, it is the dominion of brute force and idiot violence. For my part, I have no wish to take any share in such a miserable sovereignty. I am willing to submit to those, on whom nature and education have conferred the right to rule. HUMAN NATURE. Alas, poor human nature! is the most composing exclamation in the world. It diffuses among the species those feelings, which, if an individual, concentrated on would be anger or disgust, but which thus become little more than pity. When we meet with any thing harsh or unpleasant, it removes our consideration from the offence to the cause which produced it, and whether this be pride, or vanity, or ignorance, or ill-nature, we shall remember, that there are many men proud, and vain, and ignorant and ill-natured, and that it is hardly worth while to be exceedingly angry with one of these, because chance has un¬ fortunately cast him in our way. LUCRETIUS. THE beginning of the 4th book of Lucretius contains the common boast of poets that they are writing of "things unattempted yet," and his celebrated simile, by which BASIUM 1. he gives his reason for treating Cum Venus Afcanium fuper alta Cythera tulisset philosophical, subjects in verse. The following is a translation, which was sometime since made of this passage. LUCRETIUS, b. iv. c. 1. Now through the Mufes' pathlefs plains I ftray, The 9th and 10th lines are not, I believe, a correct translation, but I have not the original, and cannot determine. The sense I think is preserved, but not the expression. The 7th and 8th lines of the translation appear so harsh, that I will observe, that there are not many men, I suppose, who have learning enough to read and taste enough to be pleased with the poetry of Lucretius, who are not disgusted with his philosophy. SECUNDUS. THE following are the original and a translation of the First Basium of Secundus, which treats of the origin of kisses. The classical reader will immediately recollect, that it is founded on the relation in the first book of the Eneid, of Venus removing her grandson Ascanius from the court of Dido. "At Venus Ascanio," &c. l. 694. Sopitum teneris impofuit violis; O quoties voluit circundare colla nepotis ? Ecce calent illæ ; cupidæ per ora Diones En ego fum, veftri quo vate canentur honores, TRANSLATION. When Venus bore with fond delight She on each rofe a kifs impreft. And lo! they warm; with murmurs weak Full many a kifs; her warm lips move, Thrice uttering unknown founds of love. And hence a fruitful harvest rofe For weary man oppreft with woes. Long as the Mufes' mount remains, Or love well learned in Latian firains, And pleafed the Ænean race to own, Speaks the foft words to Romans known. SANS SOUCI. Stealing and giving sweets. IN the year 1784 Dr. Hunter first appeared before the world, in the character of an author, by the publication of two vol umes of his Sacred Biography. The plan of this work he had conceived, we are told, when young; and so favourable was the reception it experienced, as to encour age him to extend it to seven volumes. Previous, however, to the publication of the latter part of this work, accident introduced him to an acquaintance with a French edition of Lavater's Physiognomy. Whatever opinions Dr. Hunter embraced, he embraced warmly.' He was struck with the novelty and originality of thought displayed in the essays of that writer; he became an enthusiast in the cause; and determined to translate them into English. The same ardent spirit which had induced Dr. H. to adopt this scheme, prompted him to make a journey to Zurich, for the sake of a personal interview with Lavater. In August 1787 he accordingly repaired thither. It might have been reasonably expected,that a proceeding so roman tick would have been considered by Lavater as no common compliment to him. But he did not receive Dr. Hunter with that frankness or generosity, to which so distinguished a mark of respect seemed fairly to entitle him. Lavater was jealous of Dr. H.'s undertaking, and thought the English translation likely to injure the sale of the French edition, in which he was interested. By degrees, however, his scruples were overcome, and he finally opened himself to the Doctor without reserve. In a letter, written by the SHAKESP. latter gentleman from Bern, a portrait of Lavater is drawn, and a descripttion of their last interview is given. This we consider as a curious literary morsel, and we shall make no apology for transcribing it into the Anthology. "I was detained the whole morning by that strange, wild, ec. centrick,Lavater, in various conversations. When once he is set agoing, there is no such thing as stopping him, till he run himself out of breath. He starts from subject to subject, flies from book to book, from picture to picture; measures your nose, your eye, your mouth, with a pair of com passes; pours forth a torrent of physiognomy upon you; drags you, for a proof of his dogma, to a dozen of closets, and unfolds ten thousand drawings; but will not let you open your lips to propose a difficulty: crams a solution down your throat, before you have uttered half a syllable of your objection. He is meagre as the picture of famine; his nose and chin almost meet. I read him in my turn,and found little difficulty in discovering, amidst great genius, unaffected piety, unbounded benevolence, and moderate learning; much caprice and unsteadiness; a mind at once aspiring by nature, and grovelling through necessity; an endless turn to speculation and project in a word, a clever, flighty, good-natured necessitous man. He did not conceal his dread of my English translation, as he thinks is will materially affect the sale of the third and fourth volumes of his French edition, one of which is actually published, and the other in the press." SMITH'S POEM POETRY. ΤΟ THE MEMORY OF MR. JOHN PHILIPS. In 1709, a year after the exhibition of Phædra, died John Philips, the friend So thy grave lines extort a jufter smile, What founding lines his abject themes express! and fellow-collegian of Smith, who, When the, with borrow'd pride, the buskin wears. on that occafion, wrote a poem, which justice must place among the best elegies which our language can shew, an elegant mixture of fondness and admiration, of dignity and softness. There are some paffages too ludicrous; but every human performance has its faults. JOHNSON. SINCE our Ifis filently deplores The bard who spread her fame to diftant shores ; Oh ! might I paint him in Miltonian verfe, With other fire his glorious Blenheim fhines, And all the battle thunders in his lines; His nervous verfe great Boileau's ftrength tranf cends, And France to Philips, as to Churchill, bends. Oh I various bard, you all our powers control, You now difturb, and now divert the foul: Milton and Butler in thy mufe combine, Above the last thy manly beauties shine; For as I've seen, when rival wits contend, One gayly charge, one gravely wife defend; This on quick turns and points in vain relies, This with a look demure, and fteady eyes, With dry rebukes, or fneering praife, replies. Vol. III. No. 7. 2X Bleft clime, which Vaga's fruitful ftreams improve, Etruria's envy, and her Cofmo's love; To him for cafe retires from toils of ftate, Our Spenfer, firft by Pifan poets taught, To us their tales, their ftyle, and numbers brought. To follow ours, now Tufcan bards defcend, From Philips borrow, though to Spenfer lend, Like Philips too the yoke of rhyme difdain; They firft on English bards impos'd the chain, First by an English bard from rhyme their freedom gain. Tyrannick rhyme that cramps to equa! chime The gay, the fuft, the forid, and sublime, |