Sheep, that is, the Horned fort, and thofe without Horns, called Poll Sheep: nor which of their forts are Horned, nor which Poll.

Chap. XVI. Of the of Choice Sheep.

Chiefly confifts of fuperfluous matter, and wrong directions. It acquaints us, that Sheep without horns are accounted the beft breeders, &c. And yet, we imagine, the Horned Sheep in England, are more numerous, in proportion of four or five to one, than the Poll Sheep; which, if true, feems to prove the Horned Sheep to be the beft Breeders. Moft of the rules here laid down for knowing a found Sheep, are difregarded by the greatest Dealers in Sheep. And the principal rules which they go by for that purpofe, are not here mentioned; for which o miffion, no doubt, our Authors have a very good excufe.

Chap. XVII. Of the Breeding of Sheep.

All the notice we shall take of this chapter is, to remark a maxim of our Authors, that no cattle whatever should be fat⚫ted while they are going with young, for nothing is more danC gerous to them,' &c.

This is contrary to all experience, and cuftom. For ewes when put to fatting, have generally a ram put to them, after fome time: fows are fuffered to take boar while they are feeding; cows to take bull, &c. All these animals lie quieter, and, of course, fatten fooner, after the defires of nature are fatisfied: -but care should be taken that this is not done too soon, left they should prove too forward with young, when they come to be killed.

Chap. XVIII. Of the Sheering of Sheep.

This chapter affords nothing extraordinary.

Here we close our account of the fifth book; and refume our confideration of this work in a future article.

Letters between HENRY and FRANCES.

TH

6s. Johnston.

12mo. 2 vols.

HESE Letters are chiefly of a serious and moral turn; and appear to be the fruit of a real correfpondence betwixt a philofophical but fond couple, in Ireland; where they were first published, by fubfcription: whence the Reader may, per

haps,

haps, infer the rank, or, at leaft, the circumftances of the Writers,-who seem to have been themselves the Editors alfo:

Henry appears to be a man of fense and learning; his wife a woman of understanding, and tafte; and both of them perfons much given to reflection, and moralizing. They are likewife very fond of repeating the fentiments of their favourite authors. Frances, especially, is a mighty quoter from the modern Poets: but this gives their Letters an air of affectation and bookifhnefs, which, were it not for thofe paffages which relate to the perfonal concerns of the Writers, would almost induce a fufpicion of their having been penned merely for the prefs→→→→ However, to compenfate for this imperfection, they afford many things fit to inftruct and entertain a fentimental Reader; who will be equally affected and pleafed with the frequent warm and natural expreffions of conjugal tenderness, that are interspersed throughout the whole: though it must be owned, that fome few of thefe, perhaps, may partake too much of that fond kind of fiddle-faddle jargon, which foolish Lovers, doating Parents, and loquacious Nurfes, are fo apt to pour out upon their miftreffes, and their children; and which few befides those who are in the fame circumftances, know how to relifh, or endure: for inftance, Henry, during his abfence from his wife, thus expreffes his joy on the birth of a child.

In the first place, how is my fweet love? and well, and how is Bab? and what fort of a Bab is it? Has it a broad, good-humoured countenance, like Dad; or a lively eye, double chin, and faucy look, like Mam? Is it most a Wit, or a Philofopher? Does it incline rather to poetry, or metaphysics? Is it compounded of the two heavy elements of earth and water, or the two light ones of air and fire? In fhort, tell me every thing about it; what it fays, and what it does, and whether it has ever yet difcovered any ear for mufic; what founds affect it moft, and whether its eyes fparkle at the gay colours, or its brows knit into contemplation at the grave ones? I am in very chearful fpirits upon this happy occafion, and am exerting all my wit to be a very great fool about our sweet infant.'

If the puerility of the above should force a fmile from the unfympathizing Reader, it is, however, but justice to this affectionate couple, to obferve, that the generality of their Letters are of a different caft; witnefs the following, which we fhall give as a specimen of Henry's usual manner.

REV. Nov. 1757.

Ee

Dear

Dear FANNY,

AS S the Poft for this day is not come in, I do not know yet, whether you leave town to-morrow or no; therefore I fhall write to you, because I would not (pare myself any trouble certain, for even the chance of giving you a quarter of an hour's amusement.

I met with a fmall treatife yefterday, intitled, "On the Employment of Time." It is wrote by Gilbert West *. I think it is very well collected; for, indeed, it is moftly a heap of quotations, and fhews more of learning than understanding: for a work of this kind almost any man may compile, who reads with a Common-Place Book by him.

Young, the Satirift, has two very fevere lines againft quotations, which, for that reafon, I fhall not recite; and there is certainly nothing fo tirefome to the Reader as writings of that kind, which are only to be admitted in works of fancy, but not at all neceflary upon moral or philofophical subjects. For example; if Mr. Weft fpeaks fenfe or reafon, what occafion is there to inform us, that Cicero thought the fame way, or faid the fame thing? It is Argument, not Authority, which convinces. All knowlege is derived originally from the human understanding; and a thought is nevertheless our own, because it has been hit on by fomebody elfe before: and one may as well quote Adam for breathing, because he was the firft creature who did fo, as Euclid for faying that the three angles of every triangle are equal to two right ones, becaufe he was the first perfon who demonftrated that propofition.

A quoting Author is juft as ridiculous as a country girl, who, upon her firft coming to town, being decked out by the help of her friends, fhould make public acknowlegement from whom he had her ftockings, her fhift, her ftays, &c. So that, if every person was there to claim their own, fhe would be left as naked as the jay in the fable, or as fuch a pye-bald Author, fay Writer rather, fay Compiler, fay Publifher, fay fecond-hand Cook, who gives you a beggar's difh out of fragments, or fay Printer's Sign-poft, upon which are pafted the heterogeneous fcraps of many Authors..

I remember a ftupid fort of fellow, who used to put me in mind of thefe men, who are too modeft to fay any thing of their own; for he never afked for bread, drink, told you what o'clock it was, or mentioned even the most trifling occurrence, without adding, "as the man faid:" and whenever he had a mind, like thefe men, to fhew the extent of his learning, by

This is a miflake. The Employment of Time, was the production of a Reverend Divine, now living.

recurring

recurring up to the most ancient authority, he would cry, "as the man faid a great while ago.”

The importance of the fubject which Mr. Weft treats on, is great, and ought to be the frequent reflection of every man of fenfe, morality, or religion. He has confidered it with regard to the two laft, and placed the matter in, feveral very strong lights: but, as a thing of this confequence cannot ftand in too many points of view, I fhall attempt to confider it with relation to the firft, merely as a rational man, without any regard to virtue; relative only to our prefent ftate, and, in that refpect, confined entirely to ourselves: which few hints you may file, Of the Oeconomy of Time-Of the fimple Enlargement of it-Or, a certain Method to lengthen Life, in fpight of Fate, or of the Grave.

There is an expreffion often made ufe of by thoughtless people, which aftonishes and provokes me extremely; "Let us do fo and fo, to kill Time." It is fome revenge, however, to obferve, what Suicides they are, at the fame time of this moft horrid and unnatural murder: So true it is, that we and our Time muft live and die together. We generally lament the shortness of man's life taken together, while we are blaming the tediousness of every portion of it. This contradiction may be accounted for, if we confider, that as Time, unemployed, lags heavily along, an idle perfon, for this reafon, must complain of tirefome days; and as duration is marked only by the fucceffion of ideas, his life muft appear fhorteft, who has feweft actions or paflages to recollect.

To confider Man, then, only with regard to this life; what a miferable wretch muft he be, whofe paffing minutes are told as fo many hours, and whofe paft years are reflected upon but as fo many days!

'Let us then, as rational creatures, contrive fo to employ ourfelves in a series of actions, which, by marking every period of our lives, we may enjoy this great and happy advantage, that the prefent moments fhall glide imperceptibly away, and our paft age appear fo long, upon fumming up, that we may not murmur at the fhort fpan "of threefcore years and ten."

O Vita Stulto longa, Sapienti brevis.

Again, it is computed, that the generality of men fleep away about one third of their Time, that is about eight hours in the twenty-four. Now five hours is full fufficient for any perfon, who would preferve health of body, and vigour of mind: fo that there may be above three hours faved out of every day, which is about one day in the week, and that is one year in feEe 2

ven.

ven.

Then, by the Time a man has reached his grand climactric, he may be faid to have lived just nine years more than fome of his twin cotemporaries.

• What would a man give for nine years added to fixty-three! How much more valuable are nine years before fixty-three! for furely that Time is the moft preferable, which we can live without growing older. We cannot, indeed, borrow Time from Death; but we can take it from its femblance, Sleep-Which brings me to the close of my Proposition, or a certain method to lengthen life, in fpight of Fate, or the Grave.

66

HENRY."

Our Readers will doubtlefs remark the feverity of Henry's ridicule of a foible which we have charged upon himself, but more particularly on his Fanny, to whom he has addreffed that ridicule

of their own dear felves. This is, indeed, a ftriking instance of our blindness to our own imperfections; and reminds us of what the Author of The Eftimate of the Times remarks, with regard to the characters of Fribble and Chalkstone: “Did ever characters," fays he, "raife louder peals of laughter and applaufe, even among those who fat for the likenefs? They hear with pleasure, they acknowlege the truth of the representation, they laugh at the picture of their own follies.".

We shall conclude this article with a fpecimen of the Lady's epiffolatory talents.

'I

FRANCES to HENRY.

Would have answered your's of the 7th laft poft; but my not being well, joined to the prefent unfettled fituation of my mind, had fo much lowered my fpirits, that I feared my Letter would appear to you of the fplenetic cast.

I now return my thanks for the very elegant compliments you make me. To deferve them, would be too high a boast for the most perfect of my sex; yet I confefs, though confcious of my want of merit, I feel a fecret pleafure, mixed with pride, (not vanity) when praised by you. Though I am, perhaps, naturally vain, I find myself humbled, by the very means which might be fuppofed to raife it. I look on the compliments you make me, as I fhould on a picture, which, though I had fat for, he Painter, from the elegance of his fancy, not judgment, had made a finifhed beauty. I am, however, proud of that affection, which can, to the very few merits I poffefs, add the multitude I want, and place me in fuch a light, as it fhould be my utmoft w.h to appear in.