what great fagacity appears in its make? Not only every fpecies compofes them of different materials, and on a peculiar plan, but each conftantly prefents the fame form, and invariably keeps to one model. Mr. Addison has obferved this before, but there are two other confiderations which fall under this head, and which he has not noticed. One is the strength and firmness with which thofe little buildings (if I may fo call them) are made. A piece of architecture founded on a rock is not more fecure than the basis of a bird's-neft, which' is fo intricately interwoven with the branches of a tree. An oak may be riven with lightning, or torn up with an hurricane, before the form fhall be able to diflodge the neft.

The other confideration is, they, whofe young cannot bear the feverity of the cold, or where they would perish by being expofed to the feverity of the weather, accordingly provide for their offspring. A crow brings up its little family upon the fummit of an elm, while a fparrow nurfes her tender progeny within the clofe recefs of a houfe ridge.

In fome the organs of fight can endure, and take delight in, the effulgence of the fun, and others cannot bear the light; therefore a lark never builds in a barn, nor an owl in a corn-field.

It is remarkable, that, among all infects, the bee and the pifmire fhould be fo re gardful of futurity, and fhew fuch indefatigable industry in laying up their winter's provifion? And, if the entrance of an hive be guarded by proper centinels to prevent a foreigner's admiffion to the community, could we difcover the paffage to the fubterraneous kingdom of ants, poffibly we might find the like policy ufed by them, and the fame out-guards pofted before their several states. Those animals, whofe life is determined to a short period, difcover none of this care, for in them it would not only be ufelefs, but burdenfome, Or, as Mr. Cowley expreffes it,

Wifely the ant against poor winter hoards The ftock, which fummer's wealth affords; In grafhoppers, that muft at autumn die, How vain were fuch an industry?

The Supreme Being has exerted an infinite benevolence towards every individual of his creatures, and has made the lives of all eafy and pleasant to themselves. In thofe which amphibiously fearch their food by land and water, how muft it have obftructed their flight, if that element had adhered, to the feathers of water-fowl? Where the neceffity of their lives confines them to places, which muft otherwise have been deftructive to them, how bao

their Maker fufficiently guarded them from thofe injuries? God, fays Boerhaave, 'left fishes should be affected by the falt water that furrounds them, has placed. innumerable glands in their skins which fecrete an oil. He has left no creature unguarded from, and expofed to, the inclemency of the weather, but each carries with itself a fufficient shelter from the cold. Nay this, in those of the same species, is proportioned according to the dif ference of the climate they inhabit. The skin of hares is remarkably thicker in the northern than in the fouthern parts of England.

I think this moral may naturally be deduced from the whole. If the Supreme Being bath fhewn fuch extreme benevolence towards the inferior rank of his creation, and if he hath given them all fatisfaction and pleasure in their momentary life, what unknown and fuperior joy muft he have reserved for man, whofe existence is not confined to time nor to mortality, but whofe duration he has defigned fhall be immeafureable as eternity? And, on the contrary, how dreadful will be the effects of his juftice on thofe incorrigible wretches who take no care to please him, but live, as it were, in defiance of Omnipotence himself.

Full Dress for January.

Small Turkish caps, with variety of

AIR Vandyked; low and narrow.

French and foil feathers. Shapes fhort and fmall. Long Italian gowns, over large hoops; the gowns feltooned down the fides. Sattins and tabbies; trimmed with ropes of gold and filver cords: flounces of crape, worked with foils. Small rofes or the fhoes.

1718, but had not an opportunity of difplaying his great theatrical powers till 1720, when the Merry Wives of Windfor being revived at Lincoln's Inn Fields theathre, he performed the part of Falstaff; and on the first night of his appearance in that character, he furprifed and aftonished the whole audience,

Notwithstanding the rough fantastic manner which fo much characterifed Mr. Quin, no one was of a more humane difpofition, or lefs addicted to revenge. But there was at that time, upon Drury lane theatre, one Williams, a fubaltern player, who performing the part of the meffenger in the tragedy of Cato, in faying, "Cæfar fends health to Cato," pronounced the last word Keeto, which fo ftruck Quin, that he replied with his ufual coolneis, "Would he had fent a better meffenger!" Williams was fo exasperated at this answer, that he vowed revenge; and following Quin into the green room, reprefented the injury he had done him, by making him appear ridiculous in the eyes of the audience, and infifted upon fatisfaction. Qu'n endeavoured to rally his paffion, but this only added fuel to his antagonist's rage, who retiring, waited for Quin under the Piazza, upon his return from the tavern to his lodging: Williams drew upon him, and a rencounter enfued, in which Williams fell. For this affair Quin was tried at the Old-Bailey, when it was brought in manslaughter, to the entire fatisfaction of the court, and of all who were acquainted with the origin and progrefs of this quarrel.

Upon Booth's quitting the ftage, Quin fhone forth in all his splendour and yet he had the diffidence, upon the first night of his appearance in Cato, to infert in the bills, that the part of Cato would be attempted by Mr. Qain. The modefty of this invitation produced a full houfe, and a favourable audience; and when he came to that part of the play, where Cato's dead fon is brought in upon the bier, Quin, in fpeaking these words, "Thanks to the gods-my boy has done his duty!" fo affected the whole houfe, that they cried out with continued acclamation, "Booth outdone!" and when he came to the foliloquy, he was encored to fuch a degree, that, though it was fubmitting to an impropriety, he indulged the audience with its repetition.

Quin was now arrived at the fummit of his profeflion, where he remained without a rival full ten years; and when Cibber had thrown himself out of Fleetwood's confidence, Quin fupplied his place, in prefiding over rehcartals, and the perufal f fuch new plays as were offered. At the

end of the year 1748, Quin having taken umbrage at Rich's behaviour, retired, in a fit of fpleen and refentment, to Bath, but came from thence in the year 1749, to play the part of Othello at Covent garden theatre, for the benefit of the unhappy fufferers by the fire in Cornhill, and afterwards continued many fucceffive years to come conftantly to London, to perform the character of Sir John Falstaff, for his old friend Ryan; but in 1754, having loft two of his front teeth, he declined the task, by writing to his friend, 4 that there was no perfon on earth he would fooner ferve, but that he would whittle Falstaff for no man."

While Mr. Quin continued upon the ftage, he conftantly kept company with the greatest geniuses of the age. He was well known to Pope and Swift; and the earl of Chesterfield frequently invited him to his table; but there was none for whom he entertained a higher efieem, than for the ingenious Mr. Thomfon, to whom he made himself known by an act of generofity, that does the greatest honour to his character. Mr. Quin's judgment in the English language` recommended him to his royal highness Frederic prince of Wales, who appointed him to inftruct his children in fpeaking and reading with a graceful propriety; and Quin being informed of the elegant manner in which his prefent majefty delivered his first gracious fpeech from the throne, he cried out in a kind of extafy, "Ay-I taught the boy to speak!” Nor did his majesty forget his old tutor; for foon after his acceffion to the throne, he gave orders, without any application being made to him, that a genteel pension fhould be paid to Mr. Quin during his life. Mr. Quin, indeed, was not in abfolute need of this royal benefaction; for, as he never married, and had none but diftant relations, he funk 2000l, which was half his fortune, in an annuity, for which he obtained zool. a year; and with about 2ocol. more in the funds, lived in a decent manner during the latter part of his life at Bath, from whence he carried on a regular correfpondence with Mr. Garrick, and generally paid a visit to his friends in the metropolis once a year, when he conflantly paffed a week or two at Mr. Garrick's villa at Hampton. He died of a fever on the 21ft of January, 1766, in the 73d year of his age.

The Life of Dr. John Radcliffe. RADCLIFFE (Dr. John) a very eminent phyfician, was born at Wakefield in York thire, in the year 1650. As his father had but a small eftate, and was encumbered with a numerous family, he did

not

1781.

not intend to give any of his children a learned education; but some of the neighbouring gentry and clergy obferving his fon John to have a very promifing genius, perfuaded him to breed him a fcholar. Accordingly he was firft fent to the grammar-fchool at Wakefield, from whence he was removed to University college, Oxford. He took the degree of bachelor of arts, and was afterwards elected a fellow of Lincoln-college. He was now enabled by the income of his fellowship, and fome further allowance from his mother, who was become a widow, to profecute the ftudy of phyfic, and to go through the necellary courfes of botany, chemiftry, and znatomy; in all which he quickly made a great progrefs. In 1672 he took the degree of matter of arts, having perform ed the preparatory exercifes with uncomon applaufe. After this, he enrolled his name upon the phyfic line. It appears that he did not much study the antient medical authors, but preferred the more judicious of modern writers, and particularly Dr. Willis, whofe works he held in very high eftimation. In 1675 Mr. Radcliffe proceeded bachelor of phyfic; and as this degree gave him a right to practife in the university, he did not neglect to make ufe of that privilege. He foon acGired a confiderable degree of reputation as a fuccessful practitioner, though his method of treating his patients was very &crept from what was generally approv ed by the faculty. Two of the most emiBent apothecaries in Oxford, therefore, cd all they could to decry his mode of practice; and Dr. Luff and Dr. Gibbons endeavoured to depreciate him in his medical character; the firft faying, "the Cures he performed were only guefswork," and the laft, who is faid to have been an excellent Grecian, obferving of Radcliffe, by way of farcalm, "That it was a great pity his friends bad not made a fcholar of him." But Radcliffe made fach returns to thefe reflexions on him, that his opponents were no gainers by their

attacks.

It appears, indeed, that Radcliffe never was a hard ftudent; but recommend. ed himself more to his friends by his wit and vivacity, than by any diligent applicabea to his books. He hd little turn to a contemplative life; but his focial talents made him the delight of his companions; and the most eminent fcholars in the uniterity were pleafed with his converfation. He had very few books of any kind; fo few, indeed, that the learned Dr. Ralph Bathurst, prefident of Trinity-college, when he one day vifited him at his chamber, afked him in a kind of furprize,

67

"Where was his ftudy?" Upon which Radcliffe, pointing to a few phials, a fkeleton, and an herbal, anfwered, "Sir, this is Radcliffe's library

The reflexions thrown out with a view to injure his reputation, did not prevent his having a very great practice, which was attended with extraordinary fuccefs. The fmall-pox happened then to rage in and about Oxford, and proved fatal to great numbers; but of those who applied to Radcliffe, he recovered to many by a judicious ufe of the cool regimen, which was not then the fathionable practice, that it greatly extended his fame. But the remarkable cure of the lady of Sir Thomas Spencer, who lived about four miles from Oxford, fet Radcliffe above the reach of all his competitors. That lady had been under the hands of the moft eminent medical practitioners at Oxford for fome time, without receiving any benefit from their advice, and without hopes of recovery, from a compleation of diftempers; 'till Mr. Dormer, who had married her ladyfhip's daughter, obtained her confent to fend for Mr. Radcliffe; which being accordingly done, his prefcriptions very happily fit her upon her legs again, in three weeks time, after the had been in a languithing condition more than fo many years; and restored a decayed conftitution in fuch a manner to its wonted vigour, that the lived to a very great age.

Radcliffe ftill continued to have fome enemies in the university, and, among others, Dr. Marthall, rector of Lincolncollege, who could not forgive him for fome fatirical remarks he had made on his parts and conduct; he therefore thewed his enmity to him, by oppofing Radcliffe's application for a faculty place in the college; which would have been a difpenfation from taking holy orders, which the ftatutes required him to do, if he kept his fellowship. This was inconfillent with all his views, as he had no defign to be a clergyman: he therefore quitted his fellowship in 1677. However, after his refignation, he was defirous of keeping his old chambers, and refiding in them as a commoner; but meeting with fome ungenteel ufage on that account from Dr. Marthall, he thought proper to quit Lincoin-college, and to refide clfowhere in the univerfity. In the mean time, he continued to exercife is profeilion with a high degree of reputation; and his extenfive practice neceffarily increafed his experience, which was aided by great natural fagacity, respecting the causes of difeafes, and the means of cure. It was not unufual with him to exprefs himself with a kind of farcaftic feverity concern