fo than a fhower in a warm day: and if the hive is thin, and much exposed, Their life at this season of the year is more uniform, and may be termed fimple existence, till the warm weather arrives again. As they now fubfift on their fummer's industry, they would feem to feed in proportion to the coldness of the feafon; for from experiment, I found the hive grow lighter in a cold week, than it did in a warmer, which led to further experiments. I first made an experiment upon a bee hive, to afcertain the quantity of honey loft through the winter. The hive was put into the fcale November the 3d, 1776. The whole 72 1 Although an indolent ftate is very much the condition of bees through the winter, yet progrefs is making in the queen toward a fummer's increase. The eggs in the oviducts are beginning to fwell, and, I believe, in the month of March she is ready to lay them, for the young bees are to swarm in June; which conftitutes the queen bee to be the earliest breeder of any infect we know. In confequence of this, the labourers become fooner employed than any other of this tribe of infects. This both queen {and labourers are enabled to accomplish, from living in fociety through the winter; and it becomes neceffary in them, as they have their colony to form early in the fummer, which is to provide for itself for the winter following. All this requires the process to be carried forward earlier than by any other infect, for thefe are only to have young which are to take care of themselves through the fummer, not being under the neceffity of providing for the winter. In the month of April, I found in the cells, young bees, in all ftages, from the egg to the chryfalis ftate; fome of which were changed in their colour, therefore, were nearly arrived at the fly state, and probably fome might have flown. As this feafon is too early for collecting the provision of the maggot abroad, the ftore of farina comes now into ufe; but as foon as flowers begin to blow, the bees gather the fresh, although they have farina in ftore, giving the fresh the preference. A DISSERTATION on BULLS. [From Dr. Gregory's Philofophical and Literary Essays.] BULLS fometimes proceed from a perfon's attention being fo thoroughly ingroffed by one object, that he can think of nothing elfe; nor, confequently, perceive even the fimpleft and most obvious relations of that object to others: but more frequently, I apprehend, they proceed from the oppofite circumftances; too little attention, too quick thought, and an imperfect and confused apprehenfion of many things together; which, without more time, and ftricter attention, can neither be properly diftinguished, nor rightly comprehended, in point of thought; nor, confequently, can they be expreffed in words with fufficient clearness and precifion. If it be true, as from its being very generally afferted and believed I prefume it is in fome measure, that the Irish nation excels in this kind of compofition, for to my certain knowledge it has not acquired an abfolute monopoly of the commodity, I conceive that it is to be explained and accounted for on the fimple principle which I am here confidering. To attribute it to any natural defect in the intellectual powers of a great people, would, in the first place, be illiberal in the highest degree; and, in the fecond place, would be abfurd. But I think it may reafonably be attributed to that peculiar rapidity of thought, and that eagerness and impetuofity of character and conduct, which I prefume the Irish them felves will acknowledge to be juftly their national character. Such a peculiarity, whatever may have been its origin, whether moral and political circumftances in diftant ages, affecting whole tribes of men, or the accidental, but natural fingularity of character, of one individual, or of one family, of great influence and extenfive connections, may have become general and permanent, in confequence of the powerful influence of inftinctive involuntary imitation in early life, and of long habit in more advanced years; which are two of the strongest and most general principles in human nature. It may therefore be confidered as an instance strictly analogous to all other peculiarities of manner, and in fome measure even of character, which are often characteris tic, not only of individuals and of families, but of whole nations; as, for example, fedatenefs or levity, taciturnity or loquacity, flow or quick fpeaking, provincial and national accents; all of which are in a great measure acquired, and often firmly rivetted, by the tendency to involuntary imitation, and the force of established habit. The bull, in whatever nation or language it may occur, I confider as the extreme cafe, or ne plus ultra, of inaccurate and imperfect thinking; on which very account it affords the beft illuftration of the nature and causes of such inaccuracies and imperfections of thought, and of the means of correcting them. If the train of thought were made fo flow in any perfon, that there fhould be time to attend to every object, and every circumftance of relation involved in any common and complex operation of thought, (for moft common operations of thought are complex) and if, by any expedient whatever, the perfon were made to attend duly to every one of them, either in fimultaneous combination, or in very quick fucceffion, according to the circumftances of different cafes, I think it would be as impoffible for him to make a bull, as to deny an axiom of geometry, or the conclufion of a good fyllogifm. We hear and read of many wonderful bulls of the truly practical kind, altogether independent of language, and plainly founded in thought alone; fuch as, fending express for a phyfi cian cian to come without delay to a patient who was in the utmoft danger, and telling the doctor, in a poftfcript of the letter addreffed and actually fent to him, not to come, as the patient was already almost well again; or obferving gravely, when this ftory was told, that it was right to add fuch a poftfcript, as it faved the fending another exprefs to countermand the doc tor; or inclofing a thin fixpence in a fnuff-box, that it might not be again to feek when it was wanted to open the box, the lid of which was stiff; or realifing Hogarth's ingenious emblem, in one of his election-prints, by cutting away close to the tree the bough on which the perfon who cut it fat himfelf; which I once faw fuccefsfully performed; and, for the honour of my own country, I must say that it was in Scotland, and by a Scotchman, who narrowly escaped breaking his neck by fo doing; or what may fairly be reckoned the maximum of bulls, and inftar omnium, a gentleman, when his old nurfe came begging to him, harthly refufing her any relief, and driving her away from his door with reproaches, as having been his greatest enemy, telling her that he was affured he had been a fine healthy child till fhe got him to nurfe, when fhe had changed him for a puny fickly child of her own. If I am rightly informed, France has the honour of having produced this immenfe and unparalleled bull; which is indeed perfectum expletumque omnibus fuis numeris et partibus, and perfect of its kind. At first view, it might be thought that men who could fall into such abfurdities in their speech or conduct had not the ordinary faculties of mankind: but this would be a' great mistake. There was probably no natural defect in their intellectual powers; nor any imperfection in their mode of ufing them, either habitually or on the occafions specified, but what it was in their own power to correct almoft in an inftant. No laborious effort, or what could be called patient thinking, would be requifite for that purpofe; nor any thing more than an easy degree of attention to those circumstances which thould have been confidered. This fimple expedient would instantly enable them to perceive, nay, would make it impoffible for them not to perceive, not only the impropriety of their words and actions, but the incongruity and abfurdity of their first hasty thoughts, as clearly as mathematicians perceive that a part is lefs than the whole. Surely a man who could not by fuch means be made in half a minute to perceive the bull he made, would be as much a monster, and as great a curiofity, as one who could not fee that the whole is its part. greater than ANECDOTE of a DISINTERESTED WOMAN. BOUT the year 1720, fignora in Italian operas, and a popular finger. At thirty years of age, fhe was connected with a German count of high rank and great diftinction, whose fondnefs for her increased by poffeffion to fuch a degree, that he formed the refolution to marry her; although high birth, more particularly in that country, is confidered as an indifpenfable quality in a wife. The enamorato had no fooner declared his intention to the object of 6 his paffion, than she used every argufrom it; by laying before him the many difagreeable confequences which would refult from fuch an alliance; but all in vain; he adhered to his refolution, and would not be denied. Signora Tefi finding all remonftrances vain, left him one morning, repaired to a neighbouring street, and addreffing a poor labouring man, a journeyman baker, proffered to give him fifty ducats if he would marry her; but on the exprefs condition that he fhould fhould not cohabit with her. The poor fellow, surprised and overjoyed, readily accepted the conditions on which he should become her nominal husband and they were immediately married in due form. The enamoured count presently renewed his folicitations; when his fair one affured him that it was now utterly impoffible for fuch an union to take place, as the was at that time the wife of another; a facrifice which she had made to his family and his fame. When Dr. Burney faw this fingular woman at Vienna, in the year 1772, he was more than eighty years of age, I and had long quitted the ftage. Although she had lived many years with a man of great rank in Vienna, of near her own age, yet fhe was then in high favour with the emprefs-queen, in whofe reign the court of Vienna was formed upon the ftricteft principles of female virtue. Probably the generofity of the act was confidered as an atonement for the inftances of illicit intercourse, and the latter connexion, might, in the judgment of charity, be supposed to have nothing in it which was criminal, but to be a mere fentimental connexion. SELECT PASSAGES FROM SHAKSPEARE. NUMBER XIII. KING LEAR. Parental Impartiality, Kent. THOUGHT, the king had more affected the duke of Albany, than Cornwall. Glofter. It did always feem fo to us: but now, in the divifion of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values moft; for equalities are fo weighed, that curiofity in neither can make choice of either's moiety. This is a fine defcription of a parent's diftributive juftice in the divifion of a fortune between his children. In nature, their claims are all equal, and, in equity, ought ever to be preserved fo; except where particular usages prevail, adopted by fociety at large, not for the purposes of craft and cunning, but of true wisdom and policy; which, in fact, are ever infeparable, and which constantly regard, not the aggrandizement of particular individuals or famil.es, but the more general diffufion of happinefs upon the whole. In this view, perhaps, fomething may he said for the right of primogeniture, the invariable right of ages, although much has been recently written against it, and a great neighbouring nation, among other bold experiments, has ventured utterly to abolish it. Felicity fought in Retirement and Leisure. Lear. And 'tis our fast intent t To shake all cares and bufinefs from our age; Conferring them on younger ftrengths, while we, Unburden'd, crawl toward death. There may, unquestionably, be a period of life, when fuch an abdication as Lear proposes may be rational, manly, and virtuous. There is fomething great in the idea of relinquishing Greatnefs; in diverting the mind from the comparatively ignoble cares of this tranfient fcene to the fublime views and afpirations of immortality. But it ought to be prefuppofed, that the mind has been fo well cultivated by long habits of virtuous reflection and virtuous action, as to afford ample refources within itself, to fill up the great vacuity, which will inevitably be perceived, when it is no longer occupied by the ufual routine of affairs. The mind of man is not formed for too intenfe and conftant contempla * Curiofity here means fcrupuloufnefs or captiousness. + Our determined refolution. O 2 tion; But tion; and active employment is fo neceflary, that in few cafes will the wisdom of abfolute retirement appear. In royalty, in particular, the examples of a Charles the fifth of Germany, of a Chriftina of Sweden, of a Philip the fifth of Spain, or of a Victor Amadeus of Sardinia, exhibit no profpects of fatisfaction to the monarchs that may be inclined, in future, to abdicate their thrones. royalty out of the queftion, it may be obferved of life in general, fuch is the force of habit, that perfons used to Occupations of any kind, are apt to feel an ennui, as the French expreffively call it, an indefcribable irksome vacuity and wearinefs in themselves, with an oppreffive tedioufnefs of time lying on their hands, whenever they ceale from employment. This has been almost the univerfal confeffion of numbers that have retired from their profeffions, or quitted their ordinary fcenes of action, late in life. Happy he, who can unite, Eafe and alternate labour, useful life, Progreffive virtue, and approving Heaven. THOMSON, She is herself a dowry. Give her but that portion which yourself propos'd, And here I take Cordelia by the hand, Lear. Nothing: I have fworn: I am Burgundy. I am forry then, you have fo loft a father, That you muft lofe a husband. Cordelia. Peace be with Burgundy! Since that refpects of fortune are his love, I fhall not be his wife. France. Fairest Cordelia, thou art moft rich, being poor; Most choice, forfaken; and most lov'd, defpis'd! What a fine contraft is here between the mercenary and selfish views of the mere fuitor, and the pure and difinterefted tenderness of the true lover! There are cafes, indeed, where love must evince its fincerity by being mingled with respects; that is, by being actuated by cautious and prudential confiderations, where the negleft of them would involve the beloved object in unavoidable calamity. But where the lover, for inftance, poffeffes a fufficient fortune, how delightful is it to fee his every view directed to the entire point; that is, to fee it pure, fingle, and unmixed with other confiderations! "Who feeks for aught in love but love alone?' Civil War. ; in Glofter. Love cools, friendfhip falls off, brothers divide: in cities, mutinies countries, difcord; in palaces, treafon ; and the bond crack'd between fon and father. We have feen the best of our time. Machinations, hollownefs, treachery, and all ruinous disorders, follow us disquietly to our graves! Shakspeare takes frequent opportunities of reprefenting the dreadful condition of a nation involved in the calamities of a civil war. Poetical fiction is not neceffary to heighten the defcription, or to fhed a blacker horror on fuch scenes: for, not to recur to the histories of every age and country, what can be conceived more calamitous than the fituation of a neighbouring nation, of which the paffage here quoted is such a striking picture. The war of liberty,' it has been he roically |