American continent; that the place where they fettled was either the country of Labrador, or Newfoundland, and that their colony fubfifted there a good while. But then this is all we can say about it with any certainty. To endeavour to afcertain the exact fite, extent, and fortune of the establishment, would be a fruitless labour.'

There is nothing which has been deemed more remarkable in the character of the European nations, than the spirit of gallantry that prevails among them, the respectful attention paid to women, and the footing of liberty and equality on which they are treated by the men. The caufe of this peculiarity in modern manners has exercifed the thoughts of feveral ingenious perfons, who have fought for it in the feudal times, when the diforders of that fyftem were fo great, from the contentions and rapines of the petty lords and their followers, that, at length, it became neceffary for the more honourable knights to enter into engagements for the protection of travellers, and efpecially of the ladies. Hence is fuppofed to have arisen a polite and gallant difpofition, which gradually fpread itself through the general ranks and orders of the people, Monf. Mallet, however, has afcribed a much more remote origin to the deference which is fhewn, in Europe, to the female fex; and what he hath advanced upon the fubject is curious and entertaining.

While the attention, fays he, of these people was thus engroffed by their paffion for arms and the pleafures of the table, we may conclude that love had no violent dominion over them, It is befides well known, that the inhabitants of the North are not of very quick fenfibility. The ideas and modes of thinking of the Scandinavians were, in this refpect, very different from thofe of the Afiatics and more Southern nations; who, by a contraft as remarkable as it is common, have ever felt for the female fex the warm paffion of love, devoid of any real efteem. Being at the fame time tyrants and flaves, laying afide their own reason, and requiring none in the object, they have ever made a quick tranfition from adoration to contempt, and from fentiments of the moft extravagant and violent love, to thofe of the most cruel jealoufy, or of an indifference still more infulting. We find the reverfe of all this among the Northern nations, who did not fo much confider the other fex as made for their pleasure, as to be their equals and companions, whofe efteem, as valuable as their other favours, could only be obtained by conftant attentions, by generous fervices, and by a proper exertion of virtue and courage. I conceive that this will at first fight be deemed a paradox, and that it will not be an eafy matter to reconcile a manner of thinking which fuppofes fo much delicacy, with the rough unpolished character of this people. Yet I believe the obfervation is fo well grounded, that

one

one may venture to affert, that it is this fame people who have contributed to diffufe through all Europe that fpirit of equity, of moderation, and generofity, fhewn by the ftronger to the weaker fex, which is at this day the diftinguishing characteristic of European manners: nay, that we even owe to them that spirit of gallantry which was fo little known to the Greeks and Romans, how polite foever in other respects.

That there fhould, in the North, be a communication of liberty and equality between the two fexes, is what one might expect to find there in those ancient times, when men's property was small, and almost upon an equality; when their manners were fimple, when their paffions difclofed themselves but flowly, and then under the dominion of reafon; being moderated by a rigorous climate, and their hard way of living; and lastly, when the fole aim of government was to preserve and extend liberty. But the Scandinavians went ftill farther, and these fame men, who on other occafions were too high-fpirited to yield to any earthly power, yet in whatever related to the fair fex feem to have been no longer tenacious of their rights or independance. The principles of the ancient or Celtic religion will afford us proofs of this refpect paid to the ladies, and at the fame time may poffibly help us to account for it. I have often afferted, that the immediate intervention of the Deity, even in the flightest things, was one of their most established doctrines, and that every, even the moft minute appearance of nature was a manifestation of the will of Heaven to those who understood its language. Thus men's involuntary motions, their dreams, their fudden and unforeseen inclinations, being confidered as the falutary admonitions of Heaven, became the objects of serious attention. And an univerfal refpect could not but be paid to those who were confidered as the organs or inftruments of a beneficent Deity. Now, women must appear much more proper than men for fo noble a purpose, who being commonly more fubject than we to the unknown laws of temperament and conftitution, feem less to be governed by reflection than by fenfation and natural inftinct. Hence it was, that the Germans admitted them into their councils, and confulted with them on the business of the state. Hence it was, that among them, as alfo among the Gauls, there were ten propheteffes for one prophet; whereas in the Eaft we find the contrary proportion, if indeed there was ever known an inftance, in thofe countries, of a female worker of miracles. Hence alfo it was, that nothing was formerly more common in the North than to meet with women who delivered oracular informations, cured the most inveterate maladies, affumed whatever shape they pleased, raised ftorms, chained up the winds, travelled through the air, and in one word, performed every function of the fairy art. Thus endow

ed

ed with supernatural powers, these propheteffes being converted as it were into fairies or demons, influenced the events they had predicted, and all Nature became fubject to their command. Tacitus puts this beyond a difpute, when he fays, "The Germans fuppofe fome divine and prophetic quality refident in their women, and are careful neither to difregard their admonitions, nor to neglect their anfwers." Nor can it be doubted but that the fame notions prevailed among the Scandinavians. Strabo relates, that the Cimbri were accompanied by venerable and hoary-headed propheteffes, apparelled in long linen robes moft fplendidly white. We alfo find this people always attended by their wives even in their most diftant expeditions, hearing them with refpect, and after a defeat more afraid of their reproaches than of the blows of the enemy. To this we may add, that the men being conftantly employed either in war or hunting, left to the women the care of acquiring thofe ufeful branches of knowledge which made them regarded by their husbands as propheteffes and oracles. Thus to them belonged the study of fimples, and the art of healing wounds; an art as myfterious in thofe times, as the occafions of it were frequent. In the ancient chronicles of the North, we find the matrons and the young women always employed in dreffing the wounds of their hufbands or lovers. It was the fame with dreams; which the women alone were verfed in the art of interpreting.

But this is not all. At a time when piracy, and a fondness for feeking adventures exposed weakness to continual and unexpected attacks, the women, efpecially thofe of celebrated beauty, flood in want fometimes of deliverers, and almost always of defenders. Every young warrior, eager after glory (and this was often the character of whole nations), muft have been glad then to take upon him an office which promifed fuch just returns of fame, which flattered the most agreeable of all paffions, and at the fame time gratified another almoft as ftrong, that for a wandering and rambling life. We are apt to value what we acquire in proportion to the labour and trouble it cofts us. Accordingly the hero looked upon himself as fufficiently rewarded for all his pains, if he could at length obtain the fair hand of her he had delivered: and it is obvious how honourable fuch marriages muft have been among the people who thought in this manner. This emulation would quickly increase the number of thofe gallant knights: and the women, on their parts, would not fail to acquire a kind of ftatelinefs, confidering themselves as no less neceffary to the glory of their lovers, than to their happiness and pleafure. That fair one who had stood in need of feveral champions, yielded only to the most courageous; and the who had never been in a fituation that required protectors, was fill defrous of the lover who had proved himself capable of

encoun

encountering all kind of dangers for her fake. This was more than enough to inflame fuch fpirits as thefe with an emulation of furpaffing each other, and of displaying their courage and intrepidity. Befides, the character of the northern women themfelves left the men no other less glorious means of gaining their hearts. Naturally chafte and proud, there was no other way but this to come at them. Educated under the influence of the fame prejudices concerning honour as the men, they were early taught to despise those who spent their youth in a peaceful obfcurity. All the hiftorical records of ancient Scandinavia prove what I advance. We fee there the turn for chivalry as it were in the bud. The history of other nations fhews it afterwards as it were opening and expanding in Spain, France, Italy, and England, being carried there by the fwarms that iffued from the North. It is in reality this fame fpirit, reduced afterwards within jufter bounds, that has been productive of that polite gallantry fo peculiarly obfervable in our manners, which adds a double relifh to the moft pleasing of all focial bands, which unites the lafting charms of fentiment, regard, and friendship, with the fleeting fire of love, which tempers and animates one by the other, adds to their number, power, and duration, and which cherishes and unfolds fenfibility, that most choice gift of Nature, without which neither decorum, propriety, chafte friendship, nor true generofity, can exift among men. It would be needlefs to prove, that we are not indebted for this manner of thinking to the ancient Romans. We may appeal for this to all who know any thing of their character.'

We could gladly take notice of what Monf. Mallet hath faid concerning the antiquity of the Runic letters; but we must conclude the prefent article, when we have obferved, that we have here, what is very uncommon, a tranflation preferable to the original. This is owing, not merely to the fidelity and elegance with which it is executed, but to the valuable additions and notes made by the Tranflator, tending either to correct the mistakes, or farther to confirm and illuftrate the fentiments of his Author.

ART. II. Letters to the Honourable Mr. Juftice Blackstone, concerning his Expofition of the Act of Toleration, and fame Pofitions relative to religious Liberty, in his celebrated Commentaries on the Laws of England. By Philip Furneaux, D. D. The fecond Edition, with Additions, and an Appendix. 8vo. 4 s. fewed. Cadell. 1771.

ST

INCE the first publication of thefe Letters, Mr. Juftice Blackstone has favoured the world with a new edition of his yaluable Commentaries, in which he hath made confiderable al

terations

terations in fome of the moft obnoxious paffages that had been objected to by Dr. Priestley and Dr. Furneaux. This he had promised to Dr. Priestley; and there can be no doubt but that Dr. Furneaux's accurate, judicious, and candid obfervations have contributed to lead the learned Judge into a review of his fentiments, and a change of his language. Where the corrections are of such a nature as totally to remove the causes of complaint, Dr. Furneaux takes notice, that the reader will confider him, in that cafe, as not now writing against Mr. Juftice Blackftone, but against any other person who may happen to hold or advance the sentiments which that gentleman before seemed to espouse.

There are ftill, however, fome material queftions between. them, nor have the alterations of the able and worthy Judge been always made in such a manner as to render what he hath faid wholly unexceptionable. Several inftances of this kind are pointed out by our Author, and he has added a poftfcript, of more than twenty pages, to his fourth letter, occafioned by Mr. Juftice Blackstone's ftill continuing to vindicate, though in different expreffions, the claufe in the Act of Nonconformity, 1 Eliz. c. 2. § 9. against declaring, or fpeaking any thing in open words, in derogation or depraving of the Liturgy. As Sir William thinks that the continuance of this claufe to this time, in terrorem at least, is not too fevere or intolerant; Dr. Furneaux hath taken occafion, among other obfervations, to make the following excellent remarks upon the unreasonableness, injuftice and cruelty of laws in terrorem.

Such laws, fays he, cannot, I think, be confidered as the offspring of political wifdom, fo much as of an arbitrary and tyrannical difpofition: for the laws of a wife ftate fhould only be fuch, if I am not mistaken, as may be carried into effect, with reafon and juftice. The common law of England, in particular, is the voice of reason; and its statutes should always fpeak the fame language.

It is not fufficient to allege, that thefe laws are made only in terrorem: an allegation, I fay, which can never vindicate them, for this obvious reafon, because they never contain in them a declaration, that they are made only in terrorem. Indeed if they did, they would abfolutely defeat their own intention. That fuch laws are not executed therefore, and that acts of feverity and cruelty are not, in confequence of them, and under their fanction, committed, is not at all owing to the laws themselves, but folely to the fpirit of the times; and the laws themselves are neither better nor worse, because they do not happen to be executed. To form, therefore, a right judgment concerning them, we fhould examine them as to what they are in their own nature, and on fuppofition they will be executed;

and