Roman Tragedian and Comedians.-Marriages of near Kin. 561 MR. URBAN, Yours, IGNOTUS. ex We hope to be better acquainted with this Correspondent; and are at all times obliged by the receipt of Drawings on curious Subjects. MR. URBAN, TH HE learned Author of Thelypthora having, in my opinion, omitted many. very explicit determinations on the cafe, notuncommonly, though according to our ec▾ clefiaftical laws illegally, practifed, of marrying the brother's widow or wife's fifter, where no iffue furvived the father or mother, I beg him, or any other of your learned Correfpondents, to ftate their fentiments on this point, as being of no fmall importance. to domeftic decency and happiness. In a "Treatife on Marriages between near Kindred," published by Mr. Fry, and fupported afterwards in another by Mr. Alleyne, a barrister, fuch marriages are firongly de-, fended as confiftent with the Divine as well as our Municipal Laws, even, I believe, where iffue docs furvive; but where it does not, I cannot, from the Divine Law, the. only rule moft undoubtedly for who may matry together and who may not, find on what this prohibition is grounded. "Thou fhalt not take a wife to her fifter to vex her in her life-time," fays the Divine Lawgiver; as polygamy was then allowed, furely thefe words only plainly command, that, in taking two wives, a man fhould not take at the fame time two fifters; and-" to vex her"feems the reafon, in order to prevent domeftic uneafinefs. "Thou shalt not uncover the pakedness of thy brother's wife;" fuppofing this to be a prohibition of marrying the widow of the brother, if iffue furtived him; yet, if no iffue furvived, his brother was coramanded to take the widow to him to wife, and perform the duty of an hulband's brother to her; and this, under the hazard of the moft publick infamy on his refufal. If it then be true, that what God made neceffary in fome cafes to any degree, can in no cafe be finful in itself, fince God is holy in all his ways, that contracts that liberty which God for on what honeft principle is grounded the law terms, as i humbly apprehend, to mankind? human happiness hath afforded, in exprefs ferves, that a marriage must be fettled on The Author of Thelypthora very justly obtotally forbidden, it can in no cafe be althe bafis only of the Divine Law; if it be lowed; if it appears that it is no where forbidden, but allowed, then must be lawful; the contrary pofition can have no other obligation than the tyranny of cuftom, fanctified by human law. But, in the cafe that I now den, not merely allowed, but peremptorily ftate, the marriage is not only not forbidcommanded by God under a peculiar legifla tion, and therefore furely, unless human wifdom can improve on the divine, ought not under any other to have been reftrained fubject our notions of convenience and inas inmoral or even inconvenient. On this convenience fhould be drawn from the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the matter itself, authorifed by the Divine Laws; the moraand every union thould be binding that is lity of thefe for ever remains, and binds us most happily for our ignorance to abide by the award of Revelation. What is a lawful marriage in God's account, and what is not fo, was immutably fixed by his Written Laws; and human policy fhould then as little forbid what they command or permit, To thefe it is our bounden duty molt implias promote what they difallow or difcourage. thofe, who, under pretence of purity and citly to conform; and to fay therefore to holiness, or decency and convenience, dare to be joined together;" What God hath put afunder thofe whom God hath permitted cleanfed, that call not thou common or unclean." fubject I should be moft happy to be informWhether my fentiments are right on this ed, as I fhould be forry to have any great firefs laid on them by thofe who may be inenquiry, glad to catch at any favourable afterefted in the fubject; and, without further riage with a brother's widow, or wife's fifter, fertions as complete proofs. That a mareven where no iffue is left, is by our ecclefiattical laws an illegal or voidable marriage, it, the anfwer was, that, even where there is moft certain. As to a cafe lately stated on were no children, a man was as much prowoman her brother-in-law, as they were to hib ted to marry his fifier-in-law †, and the mairy their own natural and lawful brother or filler. The anfwerer was too great a civilian for me to have the leaft doubt of his opinion. I beg only, for the interefts of my frail fellow-creatures, and the immediate benefit of a few families, to learn on what Divine Law fuch prohibition is even by implication founded? Yours, A PLAIN MAN. Though irregular, it is not voidable, nor are the children baltardized. The parties are only able to fpiritual cenfures, which, though they may drain the pocket, do not annul the marriage. EDIT. + See Domeftic Occurrences of this month, 3 562 Mrs. S. F. a Portefs: Q. Who?-Queries concerning Magnetism. MR. URBAN, Durham, 08. 30, 1780. Ylofe all its credit with the Gentleman, if you fometimes defcend to take a momentary notice of the Ladies. A volume has been fent me with the following title-page; "Poems on Several Occafions; together with a Paftoral; by Mrs. S. F. London: Printed, and are to be Sold, by J. Nutt, ❝near Stationers Hall;" a thin 8vo vofume. It has no date, but was written to ward the clofe of the last century, or very early in the prefent. It is dedicated to Charles Lord Halifax, and accompanied with four copies of commendatory verfes of a coarfe and common manufacture. tude. For if the magnetic poles, as he fup pofes, revolve round the equatorial poles at a north and fouth only, when it lies in the certain diftance, the needle can point dee meridian that paffes through thofe two poles; and when the needle is diftant either eat or weft from this meridian, its variation is in the fame proportion either caft or weft from the poles of the earth. The mariner then, die, can easily find his distance from that by knowing the exact variation of the neemeridian in which the needle points due north and fouth, and which may be looked upon as the firft meridian in longitude. I am afraid that this fyftem, like many others in philofophy, is more fpecious than true; utility and perfpicuity must have long fince for if it were founded on fact, its very great introduced it to the notice of the learned.. After I had read over this treatife, fome difficulties arofe in my mind which I could ceed naturally from the fubject, againit neinor folve, and fome questions feemed to pro "In Virgil, Ovid, Martial, we prefer Some fingle gift; but we have all in her." So fays one of her admirers; but admirers are apt to exaggerate, and feldom or never toop below fuperlative excellence. I could with to be informed of the real name-and will note the little traces of her hiftory, that I have happened to collect in a curfory enqui-ther of which the author had provided. I ry. By her early attempts in poetry, wherein we have no examples of her proficiency, the difobliged her father, retired from London to a remote country town, but was purfued by a gallant, who had defigns upon her virtue, and with whom the expoftulates. She married againft inclination, and began to be reconciled to her condition but a little while before her husband's death. In her temper the difcovers the virago-in her verfe the affumes the female Oldham-the ftructure of her lines is addreffed to the fingers, and not to the ear. A gentleman has left n a blank leaf a fort of character from Heliod: Όσω πλέον ήμισυ παντός. About the time when the volume was published, a poetefs was living, of the name of Fowkes. If I hear of no other, whofe initials agree with the title, I fhould fix it upon her. I could wish to obtain the decifive opinion of your intelligent readers, and, for that purpofe, requeft you to infert the preceding account, from A NEW CORRESPONDENT. MR. URBAN, S As your Magazine is open to every en quiry that tends to promote knowledge, I beg you will give me leave to propofe a few Queries concerning Magnetifm to your numerous readers, many of whom, I make no doubt, can with eafe anfwer them. A few days ago a treatife on that subject, written by a Mr. Lovett of Worcester, fome time fince deceafed, came accidentally into my hands. That ingenious author fubmits to the judgement of the learned world a new fyftem of magnetifm, by which not only the different variations of the needle are accounted for, but likewife very confiftently with the principles laid down he gives an eafy and plain method of finding the longi 1 author himself by letter, and to beg an anintended to communicate.my doubts to the fwer from him; but, upon enquiry, I find forry to add, that he lived and died in the that he has been fome time dead. I am fame obfcurity. The only ftep I can now take, in order to have my doubts cleared up, is to beg the favour of fome of your ingenious readers to anfwer the following queries: needle for thefe laft fixteen years paft (the 1. What has been the variation of the time fince the author wrote) at, London, Edinburgh, and Worcester, that we may fee how far experience, in thofe places that have been particularly mentioned by our au thor, confirms his calculation and system? 2. In thofe places where the variation of the needle has been long known to vary, or tion been observed to be regular?, to differ from itfelf, how far has this varia 3. How far has the variation been ob ferved to be regular in different parts of the world where later obfervations have beca made? 4. When a fhip croffes the equator, and approaches the fouth pole, does the needle round and point towards the fouth pole in the continue its former direction, or does it turn fame manner as it pointed towards the north pole whilft it was north of the line? pole when fouth of the line, are its varia5. If the needle turns towards the fouth ly in fouthern as in the northern latitudes tions from the meridian the fame refpective 6. Have there been any late experiments or discoveries made that tend to explain the nature of magnetism? And lastly, What is the lateft fyftem of niort of the learned concerning the cause of magnetism? And, What is the prefent opithe variation of the needle? By inferting this letter, Sir, in your use* A lay-clerk, we apprehend, of that cathedral. EDAT. fut A School Anecdote.-Tour through the Peak of Derbyshire. 563 ful Magazine, and by giving a ready admif- MR. URBAN, U. Nov. 6. Was much amufed with the Lucubrations of your Correfpondent A. B. from New College, in your Magazine for October, p. 462. They have argument and reason on their fide to inforce what their wit may recommend to the perufal of your hoft of readers. The following little anecdote may perhaps come in aid to the liberal defign of che Wyekamist. "The untimely application of an illfavoured joke, however frequent, did on a certain occafion provoke the refentment of the, scholars against a birchen-fceptered monarch, otherwife much beloved by his fubjects, and which was fignified by an univerfal hifs through his dominions. The cafe. was this: A boy who had not returned at the exact expiration of the holidays, as was required by an unconditional custom then in force was loaded by his pitying mother with a bribe of a fine ham for Dr., together with all fuitable compliments on the occafon. The good man received the Prefent, but rejected the Bribe, rigid law took its courfe, the offender was punished; and while the pampered pedagogue was deliberately exercising the rod, he made the fmart more pungent by publickly defiring the poor fufferer to convey his compliments in return to bis perther, with many thanks for her HAM; but be affured, Sir, concluded he, it shall not fave your BACON." MR. URBAN, the fketches I have delineated in the can convey the faintest idea of the original fcenes, I shall have attained the utmost of my ambition. Aug. 14, 1779. Arrived at Ashbourn, a neat market-town on the confines of Derbythire. Rode over in the afternoon to Dovedale, which receives its name from the Dove, a'fhallow rapid ftream that runs through it. At the entrance ftands Thorp-cloud, a conical mountain, fpotted with theep. The dale winds continually, the rocks on each fide hooting to a very confiderable height in the moft fantastic fhapes. Thofe on the left are diverfified with wood. Obferved feveral caverns here, one of which particularly attracted our attention, a perforated crag rifing just before it, in the form of a magnificent arch. About a mile from the entrance, the dale, fuddenly contracting its dimenfions, is no wider than the rocky channel of the river; and foon after opens into the meadows, where the cattle were grazing. Returning, we defcended to Ilam, the residence of Mr. Porte, fituated at the entrance of a little vale, beautiful as the vale of Tempe. A hanging wood in front forms a noble amphi theatre, and behind towers Thorp-cloud, with a rude chaos of mountain behind mountain. A cliff rifes on the right, whence the Hamps and the Manifold emerge, having ingulfed themfelves at a confiderable dif tance. They unite in this fequeftered fpor, and prefently flow into the Dove, Above is a feat in which Congreve compofed his comedy of " The Old Batchelor." dreary and defolate, the hedges are of ftone*, Aug. 15. The scene beyond Ahbourn is and not a tree is vifible, except a few circular plantations on the mountains. The celebrated medicinal fprings of Buxton rife here in a bleak valley, near which is Pool's Hole, a cavern above two hundred yards in length. The entrance is fmall, but foon opens into a lofty vault, decorated with sta lactites, fpars, and petrefactions. The air, however, within is intenfely cold, and the paffage craggy and dangerous. Aug. 16. Having paffed Fairfield, we proceeded on the left through inclofures to Tidswell, a fingular pool that ebbs and flows. Soon after our arrival, the water gushed from feveral cavities at once, for the fpace of five minutes. This phænomenon is occafioned by the difcharge of a fubterraneous refervoir, fupplied by fprings, through a channel in the form of a fyphon. Hence we directed our courfe to Elden-hole, a dreadful chafm near eighty fathom deep; not far from which rifes Mam-Torr, or the Shivering Mountain, fo called from the thivers of tone fwept by the wintry forms from its fummit. Through a wild and romantic avenue, the correfpondence of the oppofite fides of which rated by a convulfion of nature, we at length defcended into a fertile valley, encir cled by mountains. On the right appears Cailleton, near which is a noble cavern, 750 yards in length; the mouth, in which are a few huts, is 40 yards wide, and 14 high. We entered, and, having paffed two rivulets, advanced, by a gentle declivity, till we arrived on the banks of a confiderable ftream, to the furface of which the rock defcends. The proprietor of this curious cavity, having concluded from the found that there is another at no great diftance, is ondeavouring to effect a communication by gunpowder. It was now dry, but in the rainy feason the water rifes in it above fix fret. The light, faintly glimmering in our return, had a fine effect. Omiah, when he accompanied Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander hither, in the year 1775, broke off a protuberance of the rock, to preferve as a memo rial. On the brow of the mountain above See this expreffion in Johnson's Journey to the Western Ulands of Scotland, p. 22. We |