recreation, the complaint of Rousseau, noticed in the same work, has been uttered by multitudes. Such is the contexture of our abstracting powers, such the capriciousness of our faculties, (now slumbering in torpor, now roused to active energy,) such the fleeting nature of its images, that the life of almost every thinking individual furnishes periods when he laments, with this philosopher, the temporary oblivion which so soon shades his brighest visions. "He, we are told, "devoted the long sleepless intervals of his nights to these pursuits, and meditating in bed with his eyes closed, he turned over his periods in a tumult of ideas; but when he rose and had dressed, all was vanished; and when he sat down to his papers, he had nothing to write." I would finally remark of the book under notice, and which forms a delightful manual for the student, fond of luxuriating over the memorials of intellectual greatness, that in opening his subject, its author, as, perhaps, in duty bound, from the high universality of the subject he so well illustrates, advocates certain positions upon genius, which have, by some, been controverted. He takes up his ground, it is to be presumed, upon a view of those developements of character which his process afforded. But when he teaches, as may be collected from what he has said, that the staple of his speculations -Genius-is an intuitive gift from early childhood, how can he reconcile with this position certain phenomena connected with its history? The well-authenticated fact, that its possessors have for many years appeared destitute of a single spark, until a course of initiatory discipline has kindled the embers, and at length blown them to a flame, contradicts this, and favours the doctrine taught (although too indiscriminately,) by Reynolds, and by the philosophy (and this last is not so bad but that much good may be extracted from it,) of Helvetius." Education," says he, in support of his dogma, however indispensable in a cultivated mind, produces nothing on the side of Genius, for where education ends, genius often begins. Indubitably it does, and a fair casuist (we should say) would thence argue that education had much more than a subordinate share in producing it. D'Israeli himself may be cited as an example of this. His first series of “Curiosities of Literature," (published 1793) betrays a very different standard of thought and sentiment from that which characterizes the last series of that work, or his book on “The Literary Character," which alike display discriminating genius and vigour of fancy. Upon the very principles so well analyzed and classified by Dr. Gerard, it may be almost assumed with a degree of certainty, that the organization of a mind in which genius has obtained a seat, feels enjoyments and gratifications, which, as they are peculiar to itself, so also rank very high in degree. While we dwell with responsive feelings on the variety, felicity, and justness of the sentiments and imagery which he has adopted in his analysis, we think that in them we recognize the warranted position that those who are the subjects of this happy association of mind, are, likewise, the votaries of singularly high and refined pleasures. It is well said that "genius is properly the faculty of invention."— Hence the tumult of ideas which rush through the mind of an individual who has intensely contemplated a subject in its various bearings, comes accompanied with a sensation of pleasure as difficult to be defined as it is real in its operation. The deep thinker will, it is true, experience an uneasiness in some of these moments of abstraction which ill accords with this alleged pleasure,-as, in the language of Dr. Gerard, "when a person starts the first hint of a new invention, and a number of apposite conceptions are collected, various views of their connexions open to him, and perplex his choice." "But by degrees the prospect clears." Then succeeds the excitement of soul so frequently felt and spoken of, so difficult to be reduced to a demonstrative shape, or to be comprehended even by the uninitiated; when the cloud of bright visions, which had thrown a sort of chaos over the imagination, and order and me. thod unite with the associating principle, in marshalling our vagrant thoughts into a more sober and coherent shape. Melksham. ALCIPHRON. REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 84. The Life, Diary, and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale, Knight, sometime Garter Principal King of Arms, with an Appendix, containing an Account of his published Works, an Index to his Manuscript Collections, Copies of Monumental Inscriptions to the Memory of the Dugdale Family, and Heraldic Grants and Pedi grees. Edited by William Hamper, Esq. F. S. A. 4to. pp. 529. WHAT King's College Chapel is among buildings, Dugdale is among authors; and what is odd, he appears never to have been an infant, boy, or youth. He was seemingly born an old man; and whoever reads one work only, that romantic and chivalrous law-book, (for such is its real character) the famous "Warwickshire," will find it impossible not to feel, that he is insensibly conveyed into an old gableended Manor House, among old chairs, beds, and tables, old relatives and old friends, who have grown old in the country, old grey-headed domestics, old dogs and old cats, sprawling before old fire places, old fat coach horses, and old shaggy pads, and old aunts fond of telling old saws of old ancestors. Dugdale was, in truth, a man after Sir Roger de Coverley's own heart; and like him we Antiquaries love to see, in the mind's eye, the cap-apie Knight riding up to the drawbridge, and the tunicked Squire sounding his bugle; we prefer the warlike statue of shining steel to the Frenchified haberdashery of modern uniforms; we prefer the lance in rest to those great popguns on wheels, called cannon; the graceful long-bow to longhandled cricket bats, fitted with iron tubes, and called muskets, and the hero's falchion to those spoiled swords without hilts, denominated bayonets. War is no longer picturesque. It is tragedy, attired in the costume of comedy, or improved costume of showmen and tumblers. Taylorism lords it supreme; and well it may; for the genius of the shears has rendered more service to the military among girls of beauty and wealth, than all the tardy promotions of the Crown. Our forefathers regarded not however lady-like men; and Dugdale introduces us to GENT. MAG. June, 1827. human lions, like such as we shall never see again, men who leaped from the ground into the saddle, shelled over with nearly a hundred weight of iron. But not only these brawny sons of our old English Herculean nobility and gentry does Dugdale depict, but he brings us to their fire-sides. The aforesaid taylorism, set off by town manners, has brought Frenchness and the grievous expense of frippery and show into the whole system of gentleman-living. Country esquires now spend what Lords did fifty years ago. Allowing that the money is usefully dispersed for the maintenance of the people, yet the spenders find it hard to get water enough for their pumps. Our ancestors felt not these evils. They bought estates, if they could, out of their savings, wives' fortunes and legacies, for younger children, and stocked them easily from their enormous stores of cattle. The inferior gentry and opulent yeomen planted their children (like quicksets) in a ring fence around them, i. e. set them up in adjacent market towns, even in trades, and we could mention daughters of High-sheriffs apprenticed to milliners. Such were the times in which Dugdale lived; and we find him, in pp. 226, 228, making interest to procure the situation of a lady's maid for one of his daughters. For in those days lady's maids were menials, but like nymphs, who accompanied goddesses, state attendants upon a tilted foster-mother. Admitting that these were not the days of every body a gentleman; that in truth, no persons as to habits and manners were Chesterfield gentle folks; yet people were not miserable from the necessity of wearing a perpetual blister plaster, endless expence, in order to keep respectability in good health, and they drank no spirits, to propagate liver complaints. All they wanted for food and common raiment was drawn from the domain and stock; holiday best clothes were boxed up, and mothers left their court dresses to their daughters. In truth, there were very many excellent habits among our ancestors. To mention only a few not education and provision for the children of the neighbouring gentry in their family-contributions for the marriage portions of their girls, and of humbler females-almshouses for decayed servants-hospitality towards all dependants-uncorrupted natural sympathies, the source of their sentiments the best gift of the Almighty, divine charity-veneration for the tombs of ancestors, and the good condition of that holy fabrick, which the sublime Gray did not despise, the village church;-benefactions for repairs of roads and bridges ;-Christmas meals and happy faces among the poor-a desire without grudging or ostentation to communicate worldly good and felicity. These were the principles and feelings, which living in the country and ancient habits suggested. How verily we love the patriarchism of our ancestors. Our political economists will tell us indeed of the far superior state of things at present, growing out they say of their own golden age. But the idea is unfounded. The savings of old women in mob caps, and of these our worsted-stockinged ancestors, furnished the cash borrowed by Government; and from the vast increase of income thus ensuing; residence in cities and towns, and excessive population, originally at least, proceeded; those phenomena which political economists make the effects of their mythology.* With the right or wrong of these matters we have however nothing to do. Dugdale did not live in our times. He bought no shares in joint stock companies; he followed no charlatan preachers, or charlatan philosophers; he saw their bubbles scattered to the winds by a character composed of low cunning and military ferocity, lawyerism and soldierism, the character of Cromwell, as justly given by Voltaire; but he succumbed to none. Confined to only King's Bench rules of a mile from his own country-house, he felt no other sufferings than sorrow that it should impede his ransacking records, and abstracting charters. That any thing could be wrong in ancient manners, he thought not. He made no distinction between the fraudulent superstition of Popery and the scriptural cor *We do not deny the existence of a political economy; only the empiricism so denominated. rectness of Protestantism, not from approving the former, but merely because it was the oldest, and had most to do with antiquities and heraldry. But there is a praise due to Dugdale, which we (only we perhaps) see in his writings, and which if it had more followers in the present day, would we think be a great public benefit. LYING, we do not mean the literal and base, but the moral construction of the term, is the rattle-snake venom which pervades modern thinking; facts, however plain they may be, are concealed or distorted, in order to be adapted to some artificial conventional system; not to truth or nature. Life in business it has made speculative and gamesterlike; happiness it has placed in money and sensualism only; religion in popular quackery, and politics in the editorial comments of newspapers; whereas in those valuable luxuries, without which liberty would have no performance, improvement no growth, and public opinion no concern with government, the facts only are to be regarded, not the opinions of men, who write upon mere principles of advocacy, and yet ridiculously claim to be treated as honest upright judges. Dugdale was impregnable to political mischief, and we hold up (for dearly do we cherish his memory) to public esteem, his deeply-principled veneration for ancient institutions in the following words from an excellent little book, recently published. "Flexibility towards publick opinion,and an indulgence towards publick folly, are in this our day cried up and overloaded with many injudicious commendations. Nevertheless [Dugdale] kept in view consistency. Thinking one way, he scorned to act another. He would not listen to clamour. He would not yield to the infatuation of his day-but in times, when the voice of the many pretended to exact the obedience of He the few, he took for his moral the stern and ment all the numberless ramifications of + See this work, 429. The Vallies, or Scenes and Thoughts from secluded life. 2 vols. 12 mo. country, and least of all supporters of the Protestant Ascendancy, who thus endangered that sway of uniformity, peace, and good order, which it cost some of the best blood of our ancestors to secure, The visions of these liberalists appeared to him to be futile; their plans full of plausibility, thinly hiding the real consequences; and he lived to see, that when success attended their efforts, the people had speedily to lament the overthrow of all that is venerable and national amongst us. In short, he thought that a false liberality, an imprudent indulgence of the prejudices of others, and a weak regard to intemperate clamour, have too often taken place of that unshaken firmness and manly confidence in their own judgments, which best become the aristocracy of a nation like this." We should as soon think of making short work with our money, as making short work with Dugdale, and having commenced with some valuable points in his character, we shall next proceed to the contents of the work before us. 85. Original Letters illustrative of English History: including numerous Royal Letters, from Autographs in the British Museum, and one or two other Collections. With Notes and Illustrations by Henry Ellis, F. R. S., Sec. S. A. Keeper of the Manuscripts in the British Museum. Second Series, in four Volumes. WE are inclined to think that the devil coaxes historians as he did Eve, and with equal success. There are at least strong signs in historians of the ravages of original sin, and the temptations (according to Commentators on the Lord's Prayer) peculiar T Toney, viz. infidelity, philosophical presumption, and other intellectual vices. Have we not scriptural authority for thinking, that Hume and Gibbon are masterly specimens of the devil's diplomatic talents; while others of a meaner proficiency in corruption exhibit weakness, partiality, prejudice, and various defects of learning, judgment, and taste, indicative likewise of a fall of man in the essentials of History? But as that is the most instructive of all sciences, its imperfection is the more to be regretted. Were it however far more perfect than it really is, and was written more often by literary Abels than Cains, there would still be many things so unsatisfactory or confused as to require miscroscopical investigation or chemical filtering. In such processes, Mr. Ellis eminently excels, for he conducts them with nesses. Among a people, so warm hearted, and full of numerous good feelings, the occurrence of such civil evils is a problem, which baffles philosophy, because it has no connexion with the moral history of man, as man. It grew out of circumstances, as appears by the following extracts from a letter of "Richard Prise, of Brecknock, to Lord Burghley, upon the abuse of the Commortha, and the general state of Wales. (iii. 41.) "Begging Petitions, Overreaching, &c. Whear of ancient time it hathe been accustomed in Wales, with a kinde of free benevolence, called Comortha, to relieve such as by some great misfortune were decaied and fallen into povertie, the same proceeding (no dowte) of a charitable and good meaning at the first, is nowe, in the generall corruption of all good thinges, growen to so great abuse, that it is no more a free giving unto the poor decaied, but more than halfe a constrained exacting of lewd officers, as undersheriffes, bailiffes of lordships and their deputies, with such like: and of unruly gentlemen; such as having consumed theyr owne ryotously, and in the maiutening of light and disordered persons, will seek to redresse their fall and meinteyne their ryott, by this colourable spoile of the poore true subjects; yea and of murderers and errant theifes also, which having by some means escaped the law, doo retorne immediately (as unto a last refuge) unto these outragious Comorthaes." It is known, that not ten years ago a murderer took refuge in the mines, and has escaped justice from that time to the present day. no The fondness for litigation grew out of another archaism, and shows first, that Burke was correct, when he said that cheapness of law was blessing; and secondly, that commonness of oaths and frequency of going to law introduces perjury. Also whear the Sheriff over and beside his monthly high countie courtes and turues in their times, doth every thre weekes at the least in every hundred of the shire, keep a courte in the manner of a courte baron for that whole hundred, and whereas besides that every hundred is either a lordship of itself or hathe divers lordships with in it (as appereth hereunder written for the com. of Brecknock) in every of which lordships bothe iij leet courtes yearly, and courtes baron every thre weekes are holden and kept for determining of actions under the valew of xls. by verdict of vi men, or else by wager of lawe; which actions are almost infinite, by reason that the people are overmoch inclined to quarrelles and full of bargaining [whence the habit of overreaching]; and for the more speedy recovery of their demandes in those thre wekes Courtes doo use to sever one entiery dets (as for example of xx li more or lesse, by several bills of xxxix s. 11d. Forasmoche as manye inconvenyences, especially two, which are very great, doo growe therby first daily and (almost) infinite perjuries, through the continual use of wagers of lawe [vadiare to law legem, to give security to go a upon day assigned-see Cowell] whereby it is in manner growen into an habite amongst the people and reckoned no vice." pp. 44. 45. He therefore recommends, in abatement of these evils, longer intervals between holding the courts; and then proceeds to show the bad effects upon the morals and civilization of the people, resulting from an insufficient endowment of the Established Clergy. "In this whole shire of Brecknock there are scarce ij learned and sufficient pastors, and for a greate parte some one slender chaplain, which can but read the divine service, doth serve ij, some iij parishes, and those two or thre miles asunder at the least, wherby the comon people are so rude and ignorant in the most necessary pointes of the Christian Faith, that over many of them cannot as moche as saie the Lordes Praier and Articles of the Belief in anie language that they understand. And therefore it is no marvell, that they are very injurious one to another, and live in contempt both of the lawes of God and man, as in keeping one his brother's wief, another his wief's *The following curious instance of this is told. Some tourists to Snowdon, over taken by a storm, took shelter in a hovel, where they saw three peasants, apparently eating dry bread, who begged for a donation, because the times were so bad, they could only earn mere bread and water. The travellers relieved them, but after departure returning suddenly, found, that the other side of the dry bread was for half an inch thick, covered with butter. daughter, and living and dwelling with them as manie doth most abominably [It recently prevailed among the lead miners at Rhydfengigaid. Nichols, Camp. Trav. 572.] seing they are not instructed in the fear of God. But this lack of good teachers doth partly growe by reason the churches are, in manner all impropriate, and no livinges left to maintein sufficient curates but such as please the proprietaries and their fermors to geve, which commonly will geve as little as they can." iii. 48. How much Wales was behind England in civilization, Mr. Ellis further instances in the retention of very ancient superstitions, and holding fairs upon Sundays. Now we could mention a parish church of a market town, or populous village, where the sacrament had not been administered for years, and the shops kept open on Sundays, which evils were only abolished four or five years ago, by a clerical magistrate who happened temporarily to perform the church duty. We speak in no ill-will, but merely to attract attention; for Wales is the most beautiful part of this island, and only requires greater approximation to English habits and refinements to make it a favourite land of riches and comfort. We shall now revert to the first vo lume, and go through it in series. The first fifteen letters relate to the rebellion of Owen Glendower; and contain many important historical facts. We have read that his insurrection destroyed full two hundred thousand inhabitants of this thinly peopled region. Now as unsuccessful insurrections always strengthen the existing government, this depopulation prevented the Welch from ever rising again. The next series refers to the gallant reign of Henry the Fifth ; and among the letters [No. xix.] is a long account of the barbarism of Ireland, which Mr. Ellis justly observes, was then in the same wild state, as it had been, when first conquered by Henry the Second. To us, they appear to have been mere human wolves. Henry was the first of our Kings who established a permanent navy. The first ship contracted for at Bayonne was 186 feet in length, (i. 67.)— Henry found at Harfleur in "gold coyned XXX M. li. in sylver coyned MM li." (i. 83.) an enormous aud very unusual disproportion. The Letters during the reigns of |