been genteelly provided for in fome office fuitable to his inclination and abilities.-Inftead of which, in 1727, he was offered the place of gentlemanufher to one of the youngest princeffes; an office which, as he looked on it as rather an indignity to a man, whofe talents might have been fo much better employed, he thought proper to refufe, and fome pretty warm remonftrances were made on the occafion by his fincere friends and zealous patrons the duke and dutchess of Queensberry, which terminated in thofe two noble perfonages withdrawing from court in disgust.

Mr. Gay's dependencies on the promifes of the great, and the difappointments he met with, he has figuratively defcribed in his fable of the Hare with many Friends. However, the very extraordinary fuccefs he met with from public encouragement made an ample amends, both with respect to fatisfaction and emoluments, for those private difappointments. For, in the feafon of 1727-8, appeared his Beggar's Opera, the vait fuccefs of which was not only unprecedented, but almost incredible. It had an uninterrupted run in London of fixty-three Nights in the firft feason, and was renewed in the enfuing one with equal approbation. It spread into all the great towns of En gland; was played in many places to the thirtieth and fortieth time, and at Bath and Bristol fifty; made its progrefs into Wales, Scotland and Ireland, in which laft place it was acted for twenty-four fucceffive nights, and laft of all it was performed at Minorca.-Nor was the fame of it confined to the reading and representation alone, for the card-table and drawing room fhared with the theatre and clofet in this refpect; the Ladies carried about the favourite fongs of it engraven on their fan mounts, and fcreens and other pieces of furniture, were decorated with the fame.Mifs Fenton, who acted Polly, tho' till then perfectly obfcure, became all at once the idol of the town; her pictures were engraven and fold in great numbers; her life, written; books of letters and verfes to her published; and pamphlets made of even her very fayings and jefts; nay, the herself received to a ftation, in confequence of which the, before her death, attained the highest rank a female fubject can acquire.

In short, the Satire of this piece was fo ftriking, fo apparent, and fo perfectly adapted to the taste of all degrees of people, that is even for that season overthrew the Italian opera, that Dagon of the nobility and gentry, which had fo long feduced them to idolatry; and which Dennis, by the labours and outcries of a whole life, and many other writers, by the force of reafon and reflection, had in vain endeavoured to drive from the throne of public tafte. -Yet the Herculean exploit did this little piece at once bring to its completion, and for fome time recalled the devotion of the town from an adoration of mere found and fhew, to the admiration of, and relish for true satire and found understanding.

The profits of this piece was fo very great, both to the author and Mr. Rich, the manager, that it gave rife to a quibble, which became frequent in the mouths of many, viz. That it had made Rich gay, and Gay rich; and I have heard it afferted, that the author's own advantages from it were not lefs than two thousand pounds. In confequence of this fuccefs, Mr. Gay was induced to write a fecond part to it, which he entitled Polly-But the disgust subsisting between him and the court, together with the mifrepresentations made of him, as having been the author of fome difaffected libels, and feditious pamphlets, a charge which, however, he warmly difavows in his preface to this opera, a prohibition and suppression of it was fent from the lord chamberlain, at the very time when every thing was in readiness for the rehearsal of it.This difappointment, however, was far from being a lofs to the author, for, as it was afterwards confeffed, even by his very best friends, to be in every respect infinitely inferior to the first part, it is more than probable, that it might have failed of that great fuccefs in the reprefentation which Mr. Gay might promife himself from it; whereas, the profits arifing from the publication of it afterwards in quarto, in confequence of a very large fubscription, which this appearance of perfecution, added to the author's great perfonal interest procured for him, were at least adequate to what could have accrued to him from a moderate run, had it been reprefented.-This was the laft dramatic piece of

Mr.

Mr. Gay's that made it's appearance during his life; his opera of Achilles, and the comedy of the Diftreft Wife, being both brought on the ftage after his death.-What other works he executed in the dramatic way will be feen in the enfuing lift.-Their titles are as follow.

1. Achilles, an Opera. 2. Beggar's Opera. 3. Captives, a Tragedy. 4. Dione, a Pastoral. 5. Diftreft Wife, a Comedy. 6. Mohocks, a Farce. 7. No Fools like Wits, a Comedy. 8. Polly, an Opera. 9. Three Hours after Marriage, a Farce. 10. What d'ye call it, a Tragi-Comic PaftoralFarce. II. Wife of Bath, a Comedy.

Befides thefe, Mr. Gay wrote many very valuable pieces in verfe, among which his Trivia, or the Art of walking the Streets of London, tho' I believe his firft poetical attempt, is far from being the leaft confiderable,

and is what recommended him to the esteem and friendship of Mr. Pope; but, as among his dramatic works, his Beggar's Opera did at firit, and perhaps ever will, ftand as an unrivall’d masterpiece; fo, among his poetical works his Fables hold the fame rank of eftimation the latter having been almof. as univerfally read, as the former was reprefented, and both equally admired. It would therefore be fuperfluous here to add any thing farther to these felfreared monuments of his fame as a poet.-As a man, he appears to have been morally amiable.-His difpofition was fweet and affable, his temper generous, and his converfation agreeable and entertaining.-He had indeed one foible, too frequently incident to men

of great literary abilities, and which fubjected him at times to inconveniences, which otherwise he needed not to have experienced, viz. an excefs of indolence, without any knowledge of oeconomy; fo that, tho' his emoluments were, at fome periods of his life, very confiderable, he was at others greatly ftraiteued in his circumftances; nor could he prevail on himself to follow the advice of his friend Dean Swift, whom we find in many of his letters endea vouring to perfuade him to the purchafing of an annuity, as a referve for the exigencies that might attend on old age. -Mr. Gay chofe rather to throw him

felf on patronage, than fecure to himfelf an independent competency by the means pointed out to him; fo that, after having undergone many viciffitudes of fortune, and being for fome time chiefly fupported by the liberality of the Duke and Duchefs of Queenfberry, be died at their houfe in Burlington Gardens, on December, 1732.-He was interred in Weftminster-Abbey, and a monument erected to his memory, at the expence of his aforementioned noble benefactors, with an infcription expreffive of their regards and his own deferts, and an epitaph in verfe by Mr. Pope; but, as both of them are still in exiftence, and free of accefs to every one, it would be impertinent to repeat either of them in this place.

Inoculation for the Measles recommended. Leigh, June 18, 1774. Summa fequor veftigia rerum. cotemporary, and fomething of HE meafles, and fmall-pox, are

TH

kin too, as originally proceeding, according to the learned, from the fame foil and air, viz. The climate and country of Æthiopia; thence, in procefs of time, they were by traffic conveyed to Egypt, and from thence to Arabia; whence the Arabians or Saracens by their quick and extensive conquefts in the feventh century communicated them to other nations, which at laft spread all over the globe.

What favours this opinion is, that neither the more ancient Greek, nor yet Latin phyficians, in all their writings, take the leaft notice of them, which it was impoffible for them to mifs mentioning had they appear.d in the age they lived, and wrote in.

To have the meafles fafely, by preventing their bad effects, or proving mortal, it would be highly proper even to inoculate them, as well as the fmallpox; for although they prove not fo commonly fatal as the other, yet they are generally attended with most troublefome fymptoms that leave fad diforders for life, if they prove not mortal, which they often do: befides, a few years ago we had a melancholy account of the next heir to a great houfe dying by the meafles, though even grown to man's eftate; and the many thousands that yearly die of this difeafe in the nation, prove the great need of fome extraordinary

traordinary method of prevention: wherefore, I do thus earneftly recommend to the public this most safe and salutary practice of inoculation of the meafles, as well as of the fmall-pox; being confident by fo eafy a method many a life may be preferved from the fatal effects of a mott malignant fort, that in fome certain epidemical feafons rage mortally. To give every one their due, the learned Dr. Francis Hume, an eminent phyfician at Edinburgh, was the first perfon who fortunately found out this new method of inoculating for the meafles; and that, if I mistake not, about twenty years ago: and at Edinburgh, feveral of the profeffion have followed his laudable example.

The practice, as that of inoculating the fmall-pox, is not yet obferved in England; which for the general good of the public I fincerely with it was.

But it may naturally be queried, as the measles produce no puftules, whence can infectious matter be taken to inoculate others with, in order to produce the meafles. I anfwer, the method of conveying the infection is as easy in one cafe as in the other. It is only by dipping a little bit of lint, or cotton, in the tear that hangs in the greater angle of the eye, about the crifis, and laying it over a small scratch-like incifion of the cuticle in the upper-arm, fecuring it on.

This fo eafy and fimple operation (if it deferves that name) will effectually, but fafely produce the measles in a most mild manner and degree, that will need neither doctor or nurse to attend them.

This often melancholy epidemical difeafe fhould be communicated to young fubjects especially as foon as it makes its appearance in a place, by which both death, and the latting ill effects thereof, may be easily prevented.

As our belt physical knowledge is the refult of experiments and obfervation,

permit me here to communicate a fingu lar piece of information concerning the above-faid infectious disorders.

The late reverend Evans Davis, some time paftor of the diffenting congregation at Rochford, in this hundred, a truly venerate divine, an excellent fcholar, and extraordinary Chriftian, fent from Pembrokeshire to Dr. Eames, who communicated it to the Royal Society the following cafe, and which was inferted in Vol. xxxvi. No. 429. Art,

ix. 1733, of their Philofophical Tranfactions, too long to tranfcribe, but the substance thereof was as briefly follows: a little before Christmas, the fmall-pox, efpecially of the conflux kind, were dangerous at Haverford weft. Towards fpring the measles became more epidemical than the other. Some of the fubjects, who had been vifited but a little before with the fmall-pox, and upon recovery had their bodies purged, yet died of the violent cough which attended, and fucceeded the meafles, that afterwards feized them.

But the principal point was this, five children, from three years of age to eight, were inoculated for the fmallpox; but what was extraordinary, inftead of the fmall-pox appearing, as expected, on the eight or ninth day, the meafles came out in their room, and with a cough too, as is common: then the feverish disorder abated till the eleventh or twelfth day, when they became feverish afresh; and, towards the fourteenth day, the fmall-pox took their courfe, a finall diftinct fort, with little or no fecondary fever.

In thort, there needs no ftronger argument to prevail for putting in practice the inoculation of the meafles, as much as that of the fmall-pox, than the account of the thousands who annually die thereof, in our bills of mortality, in and about London only.

J. COOK.

The following Account of the laft Revel beld in any of the Inns of Court (taken from the Notes, and never before Publifhed) is too curious for us to omit, as it may probably be the laft of the Kind. It was held in the InnerTemple, in bonour of Mr. Talbot, when he took leave of that House, of which he was a Bencher, on having the Great Seal delivered to him.

Chancellor came into the Inner

N the 2d of Feb. 1733, the Lord

Temple hall, about two of the clock, preceded by the Master of the revels (Mr. Wollafton) and followed by the Mafter of the Temple (Dr. Sherlock) then Bp. of Bangor, and by the Judges and Serjeants who had been members of that houfe. There was a very elegant dinner provided for them and the Lord Chancellor's officers; but the Barristers and ftudents of the house had no other

repeated at very fhort intervals, and that it is common to neftlings of both fexes.

The call of a bird, is that found which it is able to make when about a month old; it is, in most instances, (which I happen to recollect) a repetition of one and the fame note, is retain ed by the bird as long as it lives, and is common, generally, to both the cock and hen +.

The next ftage for the notes of a bird, is termed by the bird-catchers, recording; which word is probably derived from a mufical inftrument, formerly used in England, called a recorder.

This attempt in the neftling to fing may be compared to the imperfect endeavour in a child to babble. I have known inftances of birds beginning to record when they were not a month old.

This firft effay does not seem to have the leaft rudiments of the future fong; but as the bird grows older and stronger, one may begin to perceive what the neftling is aiming at.

Whilft the scholar is thus endeavouring to form a fong, when he is once fure of a paffage, he commonly raises his tone, which he drops again when he is not equal to what he is attempting; juft as a finger raises his voice, when he not only recollects certain parts of a tune with precision, but knows that he can execute them.

What the nestling is not thus thoroughly mafter of, he hurries over, lowering his tone, as if he did not wish to be heard, and could not yet fatisfy himself. I have never happened to meet with a paffage in any writer which feems to relate this ftage of finging in a bird, except NOTE.

For want of terms to distinguish the notes of birds, Bellon applies the verb chantent, or fing, to the goofe and crane, as well as the nightingale. "Plufieurs "oifeaux chantent la nuit, comme eft l'oye. la grue, et le roffignol." Bellon's Hift. of Birds, p. 50.

It seems to have been a fpecies of Aute, and was probably used to teach young birds to pipe tunes.

Lord Bacon defcribes this inftrument to have been strait, to have had a leffer and greater bore, both above and below, to have required very little breath from the blower, and to have had what he calls a fipple, or stopper. See his fecond Century of Experiments,

Stat. Sylv. L. iv. Ecl. §.

A young bird commonly continues to record for ten or eleven months, when he is able to execute every part of his fong, which afterwards continues fixed, and is fcarcely ever altered.

When the bird is thus become perfect in his lesson, he is faid to fing his fong round, or in all its varieties of paffages, which he connects together, and executes without a pause.

Jong

I would therefore define a bird's to be a fucceffion of three or more different notes, which are continued without interruption during the fame interval with a mufical bar of four crotchets in an adagio movement, or whilst a pendulum fwings four feconds.

By the first requifite in this definition, I mean to exclude the call of the cuckow, or clucking of a hen, as they confift of only two notes; whilst the short burfts of finging birds contending with pach other, (called jerks by the birdcatchers) are equally diftinguished from what I term fong, by their not continuing for four feconds.

As the notes of a cuckow and hen, therefore, though they exceed what I have defined the call of a bird to be, do not amount to its fong, I will, for this reafon, take the liberty of terming such a fucceffion of two notes as we hear in these birds, the varied call.

Having thus fettled the meaning of certain words, which I shall be obliged to make use of, I fhall now proceed to state some general principles with regard to the finging of birds, which feem to refult from the experiments I have been making for several years, and under a great variety of circumstances.

Notes in birds are no more innate than language is in man, and depend entirely upon the mafter under which they are bred, as far as their own organs will enable them to imitate the founds which they have frequent opportunities of hearing.

Moft of the experiments I have made on this fubject have been made with cock linnets; which were fledged, and nearly able to leave their neft, on aecount not only of this bird's docility, and great powers of imitation, but be