praife, and profeffed defign were fingularly at variance; like a timid enemy, meditating an attack, Ready to wound, and yet afraid to strike, He hints applause, and hesitates diflike. "I have no intention," fays Mr. Lauder; "to derogate from the merits of the author of Paradise Loft, to whom great praife is undoubtedly due, for fo beautiful a ftructure, even if it fhould be proved that a good part of his materials were borrowed from his neighbours. But it cannot be denied, that he is confiderably indebted to the following productions: Sarcotidos Libri Quinque, pubblifhed by Jacobus Mafenius; to Adamus Exul, a Latin Drama, written by the learned Grotius; and laftly, to a volume of Latin Poems, published at Edinburgh, by Andrew Ramfay." Some of the following paffages, with those they are compared to, perhaps may be thought worthy of attention; from the strong refemblance both in texture and thought. Gravior orcus, fub pedibus tremuit. GROTIUS. Hell trembled as he trod. MILTON. Adfit ambitio nova, nam me judice, videt ille? Quod dabit et fecum ætheriis adcumbere menfis. The following quotation is remarkable for having been the means of convicting the accufer of producing a paffage, which, in fact, never exifted in Paradise Loft: Lacufque vivi fulphuris, femper A line, the production of Lauder's own brain, which, in the heat of controversy, or the dexterity of fupporting, in any way, the caufe he had undertaken, he conceived would not have been detected. A remarkable fimile of the English poet is next brought forward, in which a fhip is defcribed Regnare dignum eft, etfi in working into port againft wind, to illuftrate the ferpent's infinuating method of addreffing our firft mother: At first, fide-long, he works his way, As when a fhip by skillful steers. man wrought Nigh rivers mouth, or foreland, where the wind Veers oft, as oft fo fteers and fhifts her fails; So varied he, and of his tortu. ous train, Curl'd many a wanton wreath in fight of Eve, To lure her eye." MILTON. Út vento portum qui forte reflante Ludere Tartareus Coluber- Mutat, et ad Palmam converfo tramite tendit. I will exercife the patience of my readers, by reciting only another extract from Mr. Lauder's accufation; it is the beautiful and pathetic fpeech of the mother of mankind to Adam, after the fatal fruit had been plucked, and the horrors of her fituation are fuppofed to have made a forceable impreffion on her imagination: Forfake me not. Thy fuppliant I beg and clafp thy knees; be Ne me relinquas, nunc tuo Auxilio eft opus, Cum verfa fors eft unicum lapfæ mihi Firmamen Te mihi referva, dum licetRelicta, quo vadam, Of aut ævum exigam. By fuch allegations was the charge against our great English poet fupported; but genius was not without its defenders. thefe, Mr. John Douglas, a Shropfhire Clergyman, and now Bifhop of Salisbury, was the moft ingenious, the moft fpirited, and moft fuccefsful. In a letter addreffed to the Earl of Bath, he, in a great measure, vindicates Milton from the charge of Plagiarism, and convicts Mr. Lauder of forgery and impofition. For as I have before obferved, the fimilarity, inmany inftances, is remarkable, beyond the reach of accidental coincidence; but not content with a fair use of his 'vantage ground, the Caledonian had called in the aid of fraud and impofture, which blafted his literary character, and prevented the worlds giving credit to many well grounded objections. Befides it is almost impoffible for two perfons, one at London, and the other at Pekin, writing on the fame fubject, not to occafionally feel the fame impreffions, utter fimilar fentiments, and use the fame language. "Allowing the Plagiarism," fays the advocate for Milton, "does not prove any want of genius. The admirers of Virgil, do not confider his keeping Homer ever in his eye, as at all depreciating the merits of the Eneid." "A work, obferved Mr.Douglas, fomewhat paradoxically, 66 radoxically, and without his ufual precifion, work may a be original without invention, and an imitation without Plagiarism," a pofition, which feems to require fome deliberation before we can affent to it. "A great genius," continues our ingenious writer, "exercises his right of profiting from the labours of another, in fuch a manner, as to fatisfy the world of his own abilities; it is not an effect of the fterility of his fancy, but of the folidity of his judgment. It is this which enables him to give dignity to language, and propriety to epithet. Let us admit, that Milton took many hints from Mafenius, John Fox, Grotius, Ramfay, and Taubman, yet the great whole, the connection, and reference of part to part, are undeniably his own." LEOPOLD, EOPOLD, MAXIMILIAN, JULIUS, of Brunswick, a prince of well directed courage and active humanity. In feventeen hundred and eighty five, the Oder fuddenly overflowing its banks, fpread ruin, death, and devastation over the adjoining country, while the peasants and farmers who were able to reach the fummit of a neighbouring hill, and other places of fafety, under the ftrong impreffions of terror, declined affifting their unfortunate companions, who every moment lofing their holds, were swept away with their cattle and other property, by the rapid inundation. Irritated by cowardice, prompted by benevolent zeal, and contrary to the intreaties of his attendants, this excellent young man, in a fmall boat, committed himfelf to to the ftream, for the purpose of refcuing feveral unfortunate wretches, who had afcended a tree, which the furious torrent, rifing every inftant ftill higher, would in a short time have overflowed. Bent on preferving others, but too for getful of himself, the boat ftruck on a stump, and this amiable prince, whose intrepidity was only equalled by his goodness, unfortunately funk, to rife no more. In the prime of life, and in the practice of virtues, without which the elevations of rank, blood, and wealth, are only enfigns of difgrace, he fell an illuftrious facrifice to enthufiaftic philanthropy, which prefers dangerous effort to inglori. ous fafety; deplored by a family who paffionately doated on him, and lamented by a people, who ftill record his private worth, his public fpirit, and heroic conduct. "It is a great confolation," said an inhabitant of Frankfort. upon Oder; "it is a great confolation, in the general forrow with which we are overwhelmed, on account of the prince's death, to recollect the numerous inftances in which this worthy young man exerted his humanity and beneficence. A few days after the late ruinous fire, as he was vifiting a tradefman, being on a friendly footing with moft of the citizens, I addreffed him in the following words. "In my own name, and that of my fellow citizens, we have a favor to afk of your Highnefs:" "What is it?" faid Leopold. "That you will not continue to expofe yourself to fuch dangers, as you did during the late conflagration; we make this request, for the fake of thousands, who love and adore you, and who would would experience an irreparable lofs by your death." Affected as every feeling man must have been, by an expoftula tion fo tender, delicate, and friendly, the prince replied, "WHAT AM I BUT A MAN; and it is furely my duty, to afford every affistance in my power to my fellow creatures." The life of Leopold was temperate, fober, and exemplary; his manners, gentle and conciliating; from a moderate income, he expended annually on a charityfchool, and other works of mercy, upwards of five hundred pounds. If princes, and their defcendants, could be perfuaded, on the fcore even of felf intereft, to follow his example, Levellers might publish, and Republicans lecture in vain. L ILLY, WILLIAM, a ftargazer of the fixteenth century, a prolix but entertaining writer, an eye witnefs, and well informed hiftorian of the interefting facts he relates. Though paffing in his day for a conjuror, whofe fcience has been nearly laughed out of countenance, I fufpect he did not believe in his own art, but, like other profeffors, thought it no crime, if mankind were refolved to be impofed upon, to take advantage of abfurdity, and procure wealth and reverence, at the expence of folly. 66 Many have curiously enquired," fays Lilly, who was patronized by Whitelocke, "many have curioufly enquired who it was that cut off King Charles's head? I have no permiffion to fpeak of fuch things, but he that did it is valiant, refolute, and of a competent fortune." After the reftoration, the fubject of our pre 66 fent article, was examined on this fubject, before the parliament of 1660. 66 At my firft appearance," fays Lilly, "I was affronted by the young members, who de manded feveral fcurrilous queftions, and I fhould have been forely troubled, but for the affift ance of Mr. Prinn and Mr. Wefton, who whispered to me occafionally, holding a paper before their mouths. Liberty being at laft given me to speak, I delivered what follows. "The next Sunday but one after the execution of King Charles the First, Robert Spavin, fecretary to General Cromwell, and feveral others, dined with me, when the whole of our discourse was only, who it was that beheaded the king; fome faid the common hangman, fome Hugh Peters, and feveral others were named, but none concluded. After dinner was over, Robert Spavin retiring with me to the South window, took my hand, and faid; "These are all mistaken; Lieutenant-Colonel Joyce was the man, for I was in the room when he fitted himself for the work, and ftood by him when he did it; no man knows this but my mafter, Commiffary Ireton, and myself." On a point, the settling of which is confeffedly not important, this plain unadorned narrative of a cotemporary writer, who could have no interest in misleading, and who has been generally confidered, when on terra firma, and not among the ftars, as a refpectable evidence, we fhould naturally fuppofe, would be.decifive; yet Monfieur D'Arnaud, on what foundation I have not been able to discover, has pub. lifhed a different account in his Delaffements Delaffements de l'Homme fenfible, with folemn affertions of its truth. "Lord Stair," fays the writer I quote, whofe pages I fear have been embellifhed, "Lord Stair, once the favourite General of King George the Second, retired in difguft, from fome real or imaginary flight offered to him, at the battle of Dettingen. In his way to Scotland, making a fhort ftay in London, he was furprized at receiving an anonymous letter, earneftly intreating, that he would favour the writer with an interview, as he had particulars of the highest importance to communicate. Prompted by curiofity, and the pathetic energy of the writer, he went to the place appointed, previously taking certain meafures for his fafety. It was in a remote quarter of the town, the common refidence of poverty and wretchednefs, that following the directions of the letter, he knocked at the door of a small tenement, which ftood at the corner of an obfcure ally, when he was conducted by an attendant, fuitable to the habitation, up a narrow stair-cafe, into a dirty garret, in which, by the glimmering light, he perceived, ftretched on a bed, a very old man, who, after an apology, entered into difcourfe on the private history of his Lordship's family, mentioning many anecdotes, not generally known, and concluded with afking him, whether he had not experienced great inconvenience for want of certain deeds relating to his paternal eftate? "Yes," replied Lord Stair, "for want of those parchments, I am in great danger of losing a portion of my inheritance." "There," replied the old man, giving a key, and pointing to a casket by the bed-fide, "there are the writings depofited. You will naturally with to know by what means they came into my poffeffion, and who I am. After leading a wandering and unhappy life, prolonged to one hundred and twenty-five years, I live to behold, in yourself, a lineal defcendant from me, in the third generation! I have for fome time heard, with delight, the glorious career you have trod; but, to make up, as far as was in my power, for the frowns of fortune, and your prefent difgrace at court, I refolved to put into your poffesfion, the contents of the cafket. "The unhappy old man you fee before you, was a fubject, and once a favourite of King Charles the First, but fufpecting him of having feduced my daughter, the domeftic indignity converted a loyal attachment, into bitter hatred, and an insatiable thirst of revenge. I joined in all the violent measures of the times, was an active partizan in the feveral victories of the parliament forces; and refining on a vengeance, not to be fatiated but by blood; after the degradation and trial of my fovereign, I requefted permiflion to be his executioner, which was granted; at the moment of lifting the fatal axe, I communicated to him, in the rancour of revenge, the name, and motives of the perfon who put him to death. From that hour, my foul has been a prey to distraction and remorfe; I have been an outcast, and a voluntary exile in different parts of Europe and |