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Evils of Modern Matrimony.

many and great alterations within these two hundred years. It was formerly obferved, that women were better treated in this country than in Spain and Italy, where they were kept under the strictest confinement, and guarded in every poffible way from the opportunities of finning. It was alfo obferved, that in confequence of the greater liberty which the English and German women enjoyed, they proved to be the most virtuous of their fex. Now, fir, if this had continued to be the cafe, the bufinefs of Doctor's Commons would not have been fo great as at prefent, and I fhould have been fpared the trouble of addreffing this letter to you. I, therefore, beg leave to affign that very liberty as the caufe of the prefent complaints. I prefume I need scarce tell you, that there is nothing to liable to be abufed as liberty. We have feen fo much of this abuse of late years, that many very worthy and wife men become fick at the very mention of liberty; while others have written elaborate treatifes, to prove that the world enjoys much more liberty than it ought; and that these times, which fome people call times of arbitrary power, were, in fact, very good times, compared to the prefent. Now, if the abufe of liberty be fo general, as to have pervaded all ranks, it is not uncharitable to fuppofe that the weaker fex may have fallen into the error, if it were only from the influence of bad example.

One evil confequence of the liberty allowed them is, that matrimony is now attended with no manner of difficulty. In novels, indeed, and other works of imagination, we read of the cruelty of parents, batchelor uncles, and maiden aunts; but fo very fcarce are thofe things in real life, that the writers of novels, having nothing before their eyes to paint and defcribe, are obliged to go on copying from one another, the manners of half a century old. It has never been well with matrimony, fince a lover could vifit his miftrefs by the houfe door. When there were windows and gardenwalls, and rope-ladders, and when it was an even chance whether a man faluted his mistress or the hard ground, a man learned to fet a juft value on what had been atchieved at fo much risk. And young ladies, too, permit me to fay, would naturally be much more attached to a man, who had ventured his neck only for a five minutes converfation, than to one who came quietly in at the door, in the prefence of the whole family, and without the fmalleft danger. Ah! thefe

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were happy days, when every step to gain a meeting was attended with the most delightful palpitations; and when the terrors of the blunderbufs prescribed a tip-toish caution, that is not known in our time. Then, fir, a courtship was a regular fiege, and the lovers were ac-quainted with all the ftratagems of war. To be known to be in love, was to be known to be in danger; and when a parent difcovered his fon's paffion, he locked up all fire-arms and other hurtful weapons; and when uneafy at his abfence, inftead of the prefent vulgar mode of fending a fervant, would have ordered the ponds to be dragged. These were happy days.

Marriage, fir, is greatly too eafy, and what is the confequence? We have loft the noble paffion of jealoufy, that great prefervative of a man's honour; that watchful fpy, and informer, who was always ready to give notice of a plot before it was hatched, and could cook up a most formidable confpiracy without the help of confpirators. No man can tell what are the comforts of jealoufy, and what the fecurity it affords, but the happy few who poffefs it in its original and uncorrupted form. But this leads me to what I confider as the cure of the evil.

Since matrimonial infidelity arifes from mistaken notions of liberty, and fince we have wandered far from the fecure and fafe times, when women were virtuous and confined, what can be so eafy as to retrace our steps, and return to thofe fuc cefsful practices, which will always prevent the abuse of liberty, and prevent it from running into licentioufnefs? Let us confult the fpirit of the times, and I think we shall find very little oppofition to our plan. So very abfurd are we at prefent, that when a couple are married, instead of confidering the ceremony as any tie, they confider it as a taking up of their freedom. When invited to celebrate a wedding-day, I have fometimes been furprized how it could be considered as a feftival, but experience has taught me better; and a friend, who lately fent me an invitation of this kind, dated his card, Second year of our liberty.

Inftead of this, fir, let the husband, or intended husband begin, as before, with furnishing a houfe fit to receive the bride; but let him first confult some eminent architect, who has been employed on the numerous jails for folitary confinement, that have lately been built for the prefervation of focial order. In fecuring the doors and windows firmly, and plac

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Obfervations on Mr. Tennant's Bleaching Liquor.

ing a chevaux de frize along the top, he will do better than by providing tables fo finely polished, as to ferve for lookingglaffes; and chairs of fo delicate a fabrique, as to be fit for every thing but fitting upon. If there must be a chinaclofet, let him take care that there is nothing in it more brittle than porcelain; and if there must be mufic, let the notes be foftened and harmonized, by paffing through a key-hole. In the courfe of thefe preparations, I cannot help obferving, that we fhall be greatly affifted by the fuperior ingenuity of modern mechanics. Befides the ufual help of bolts and bars, we may adopt the patent lock, which, we are told, is fo contrived that

no dishonest perfon can pick it; and that the owner may depend on the fecurity of what he guards by means of it.

I fee nothing else that can prevent the abufe of liberty, but means like thefe. It is in vain to think that people will not abafe liberty, if they have it. They may afk for a little, and that little may not feem unreasonable, but, if it is granted, can we be fure that they will stop there? No, fir, the more liberty you give to a man, or a woman (which is the point here), the more they will require. It is like giving drink in the dropfy. It grows by what it feeds on. We live, however, in times, where I hope there is not much eccafion for my dilating upon this fubjet. It is a general maxim now, that the abuse of any thing is a fufficient reafon against the ufe; and it is highly requifite we should carry this theory into practice. If I have not fully explained every part of my plan, I truft many of your readers will have entered into the fpirit of it, fufficiently to fupply my defects; and I hope, in a very thort time, to find that crim, con. and all its confequences of deprivation of comfort, and heavy damages," will be for ever extinguifhed and abolished, by my plan of FAMILY BARRACKS. I am, fur, your's, C. C.

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ercifed in the ferious ufe of it? not as 1 graceful and manly exercise of sport, but as a defence, which both its efficacy in itself and its novelty in European warfare, might very justly recommend to be adopted into our tactics.

This may ftrike the eye of feveral, whofe profeffional knowledge and expe rience will enable them beft to judge whether this propofal deferves attention. I have understood it was one of the weapons which Marshal Saxe had meditated to revive. C. LOFFT.

April, 1798.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
IVE me leave, fir, to make a few
obfervations on Mr. TENNANT'S

G
new method of preparing the chemical
bleaching liquor, defcribed in your ex-
cellent Magazine for March. Mr. TEN-
NANT combines the oxygenated muriatic
acid, produced by 30lb. of falt, with a
ley, confifting of a folution of 30lb. of
falt, and 60lb. of lime, diffufed in water;
inftead of combining it with an alcaline
ley, as it has hitherto been practised.
The question is, whether his method be
preferable to the old one at prefent in ufe.
If it be preferable, it must be either
cheaper, or better in point of quality, or
both. We find, that feven pounds and a
half of pearl-afhes are fufficient to fix the
acid produced from 30lb of falt; the ex-
pence of this quantity of afhes is, at fix-
pence a pound, 3s. 9d. To fix the fame
quantity of acid, Mr. TENNANT em,
ploys
s. d.

It

39

30lb. of falt at 1d.
and 60lb of lime, about o 7

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44

appears, therefore, that the calcareous liquor is not cheaper, but even dearer than the alcaline liquor, independant of the additional labour which Mr, TENNANT's method requires. But, is his method better? is the quality of the liquor improved by it? I have feen, in a paper published in the last half volume of the "Memoirs of the Literary and Philofophical Society of Manchester," that in proportion as the oxygenated muriatic acid is neutralifed by an alcali, it becomes lefs active in bleaching. The fame must be the cafe when this acid is neu-. tralized by any other bafis. Now the quantity of calcareous earth which Mr. T. prefcribes, is more than fufficient completely to faturate the acid produced by 30lb. of falt; whereas 71ib. of pearlafhes will not faturate it; hence Mr. TEN

NANT'S

Account of the Rota Club.

NANT'S combination must be lefs active. Unanswerable as this reafoning feems to me, I fhall determine the point by experiment, and communicate to you the refult, if it fhould be different from the above deduction. There is another objection to the calcareous bafis: it is to be apprehended, that part of the oxymuriate of lime will, in the procefs of bleaching with it, be decompofed, and its calcareous bafis fixed upon the cloth. In this cafe, the ftuff, though white at firft, will in a fhort time become yellow; or, if it were printed, it would be ftained in the bath in which the colours are raised. I have ftated this objection to an eminent chemift of this town, who differs from me in opinion, alleging, that the lime being diffolved in an acid, would prevent the bad effects I apprehended from it. But he did not confider, that no bafis for any colour can be applied to cloth, if that bafis be not in actual combination with an acid.-Such an inconvenience, however, cannot arife from the ufe of the oxymuriate of potafh. But though the alcaline liquor be fuperior to Mr. TENNANT's (which I am, however, inclined to think is capable of much improve ment), both in point of price and strength, yet it is inferior to a fimple folution of the oxygenated muriate acid in mere water. Nothing is cheaper than water, and no other vehicle impairs the bleaching power of that acid less than water. The only inconvenience lies in its application. The fuffocating vapours which escape from it, require that it should be used in clofe veffels, which fhould, however, be fo contrived as to enable the bleacher to work his pieces in the liquor, that is, to expofe every part of them, to the action of the liquor, as otherwise the stuff would be of an uneven colour. Having invented an apparatus for this purpofe, I refer your readers to the last volume of the "Manchester Memoirs," in which I have given to the public a defcription of that apparatus. I am, fir, your most obedient fervant, THEO. LEWIS RUPP. Manchester, April 19, 1798.

For the Monthly Magazine. Some ACCOUNT of the ROTA: N the year 1657, Oliver Cromwell peremptorily diffolved the laft of the republican parliaments. He had hitherto governed conftitutionally; but, being

IN

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Conformably to the conftitution fettled. by the agreement of the people at the conven

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325

convinced that he was no longer likely to retain the protectoral office with the confent of the legislature, he determined to difmifs it, and to attempt an undisguised military defpotifm. The republicans took alarm; and the more literary politicians among them collected into a debating fociety, called the Rota, whofe fpeculations had for their object to involve a true idea of the beft form of government. "Their difcourfes of ordering a commonwealth (fays the royalist Anthony Wood), were the most ingenious and finart ever heard; for the arguments in the parliament house were but flat to those. This gang had a balloting box, and ballotted how things fhould be carried by way of effay; which not being ufed or known in England before, on this account, the room was every evening very full. Befide James Harrington and Henry Nevil, who were the prime men of this club, were Cyriac Skinner, Major Wildman, Roger Coke, author of "The Detection of the Four last Reigns,” William Petty and Maximilian Petty, and a great many others, fome whereof are still living. The doctrine was very taking, and the more because as to human forefight there was no poffibility of the king's return. The greateft of the parliament-men hated this rotation and balloting, as being against their power. Eight or ten were for it, of which number Henry Nevil was the one who propofed it to the house, and made it out to the members, that except they embraced that fort of government, they must be ruined. The model of it was, that the third part of the fenate, or houfe, fhould vote out, by ballot, every year, and not be capable of being elected again for three years to come; fo that every ninth year the fenate would be wholly altered. No magiftrate was to continue above three years, and all were to be chofen by a fort of ballot, than which nothing could be more fair and impartial as it was then thought, though oppofed by many, for feveral reafons." It is probable that Milton was a member of the Rota; fince the fatirical attack on his "Ready and Easy Way to establish a free Commonwealth," profelles to be the cenfure of the Rota, on Milton's project of conftitution.

After the death of Cromwell, thefe

tion of St. Albans, in November 1647, con-1 firmed by the fecond convention of 1653, and proclaimed in the inftrument of government. Fairfax prefided in the firft, Barebones in the fecond of thefe conventions. political

326
political philofophers gave great publicity
to their proceedings. In the works of
Harrington, the following memorandum
of one of their meetings is prefërved.

Rota Club.....Lady W. Montague's Letters.

At the Rota, December 20, 1659. "Refolved, that the propofer be defired, and is hereby defired to bring in a model of a free ftate or equal commonwealth at large, to

be further debated by this fociety; and that

in order thereunto, it be firft printed.

Refolved, that the model being propofed, in print, fhall be firft read, and then debated by claufes.

Refolved, that a clause being read over night, the debate thereupon begin not till the next evening.

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Refolved, that fuch as will debate, be defired to bring in their queries upon, or objections against, the claufe in debate, if they think fit, in writing.

"Refolved, that debate being fufficiently had upon a clause, the question be put by the balloting box, not any way to determine of or meddle with the government of these nations, but to difcover the judgment of this fociety on the best form of popular government in abftra&t."

At length this club of law-givers, this committee of conftitution, having agreed on the model at large of a free ftate, propofed, through Henry Nevil, to the reaffembled fragment of the too celebrated long parliament, to appoint a committee to receive Mr. Harrington's propofals for fettling the government of this country. He affigned as the reafon for his motion, that the fairest way of introducing a government is, that it be firft propofed to conviction, before it be impofed by power and he further recommended, that to the committee of the houfe might be added one hundred perfons (who were named) as of fuch judgment and authority, that they being convinced, the plan must needs have an healing effect. So great was the reputation of this difinterefted and patriotic fociety for learning, for talent, and for eloquence, that it became a queftion, whether it were more honourable to belong to the Rota, or to the fociety of Virtuofi. The members of the Rota threw in the teeth of their rivals, that they had an excellent faculty of magnifying a louse and diminishing a commonwealth. When the perfidy of General George Monk had accomplished the Reftoration, Charles II. revenged this epigram, by erecting the Virtuofi into a Royal Society; by difperfing the members of the Rota; and by exiling Harrington for life, to the iiland of Saint Nicholas.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine:

SIR,

You

7OUR anecdote concerning Lady Wortley Montague, containing the affertion-" When the publication was about to take place, Lord Bute, who had married her daughter, fent for the editor, and offered one hundred pounds to fupprefs them. The man took the money, promifed-and published," is a grofs miftake. My worthy and intimate friend, the rev. Benjamin Sowden, of Rotterdam, who died during the American contest, informed me, in fome of those annual vifits he paid to Ipswich (where I was once fettled), and to London, to the following purpofe: When Lady Mary Wortley Montague was returning from the Continent to England, the refided for a while at Rotterdam, waiting for a 20 gun frigate to bring her fafely over, as it was a time of war. During her fay Mr. Sowden waited upon her. His good fenfe, agreeable converfation, and fuitable conduct were fo pleafing to her ladyfhip, that the made him a prefent of her manufcript letters; and, in her own hand-writing, attefted her having given them to Mr. Sowden. Lady Bute having been informed (probably by Lady Montague's chaplain), that the manufcripts of her ladyship were in the poffeffion of Mr. Sowden, claimed them of him. He confulted, if I mistake not, among others, Meffrs. Cliffords, the bankers. Lord Bute was acquainted with the particular donation of them to Mr. Sowden. The giving them up was ftill urged. length Meffrs. Cliffords and Mr. Sowden concluding, that a proper acknowledg ment for fo valuable a manufcript treasure. would undoubtedly be made, the letters were fafely conveyed to Lady Bute. No acknowledgment was made. The letters were shortly after published, and had an amazing fale. This raised the spirits of Meffrs. Cliffords and Sowden, and fuch meafures were taken, that the latter was prefented with three hundred pounds. It was at length difcovered, that a Scotchman, who was to enjoy the whole profits of the impreffion, paid the three hundred pounds. I remember, that meeting Mr. Sowden afterwards at Mr. Field's, the bookfeller, the latter faid to the former, if we had poffeffed the publishing and fale of them jointly, we should each have gotten three hundred pounds.

At

St. Neot's, Your humble fervant, April 9, 1798. WILLIAM GORDON.

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On Sonnets and the Word "Afpect"....Quakers.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

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N the ingenious hints on verfification, p. 263, Mr. DYER is certainly miftaken when he fays that Milton introduced the fonnet-measure into England. It was ingrafted upon our stock of national poëfy at leaft a century before, by Henry, Earl of Surry, who celebrated his Geraldine, a lady of Florentine extraction, in the Petrarchian ftanza, It was adopted with eagerness by the numerous

327

Mr. D. I truft, will pardon the mi-nuteness of these obfervations, and may probably concur with the writer in thinking it unfafe to follow the track of any critical predeceffor, without a careful examination of the ground on which he trod. I am, &c. May 4.

S. K.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

CORRESPONDENT, in your laft

imitators of our "firft claffical poet;"A Magazine, has been anxious to

and appears to have been as favourite a fpecies of compofition in the age of Eliżabeth as it is at the prefent day: fince many centuries of fonnets, amatory, encomiaftic, fentimental, and fpiritual, were published near the clofe of her reign. During that of James (though he had been a fonnetteer) the fashion feems to have declined; and Milton, therefore, rather revived than introduced, that Italian mode of metrical drefs; which, however unbecoming on many occations, almost all our modern poets have condefcended to

wear.

At p. 264. col. 2. Mr. DYER has committed another flight mistake, in charging Milton with a fault which is imputable to the æra at which he lived. The word afpéct was, before his time, uniformly accented upon the laft fyllable. In my refearches among the works of our earlier verfifiers, one folitary inftance only has occurred of a contrary ufage, which may be confidered as a mere exception to a generally-established rule. Dr. FARMER, in his well-known Effay, doubts whether afpect, in any fenfe of the word, was ever accented on the first fyllable in the time of Shakespeare: and he alludes to a paffage in Hudibras, where even Butler followed the ancient accentuation

"As if the planet's first afpect
The tender infant did infect."

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Part II. 1. 941.

This very accent, he adds, hath troubled the annotators on Milton. Dr. BENTLEY obferves it to be a tone different from the prefent ufe ;" and Mr. MAINWARING remarks, in his " Treatife of Harmony and Numbers," that the line cited by Mr. DYER is "defective both in accent and quantity, a fyllable being acuted and long, which ought to be graved and fhort." Thefe gentlemen have not been fufficiently aware that Milton affected the antique,

MONTHLY MAG. No. XXXI,

exculpate the fociety of Friends, or Quakers, from the charge of deifm brought against them by Hume, Guthrie, and others. It is indeed unjuftifiable in writers of their claís, to have mifreprefented, in various ways, a very respectable body of people, concerning whom they had the power of obtaining the most accurate information.

If, according to the fenfe of the term generally received, deifm confifts in "acknowledging the existence of one God, the creator and preferver of the universe; and in following the light and law of nature, to the exclufion of all revealed religion, the Friends are certainly not Deifts:-for they allow of divine revela tion to a much greater extent than any other denomination of Chriftians.

Perhaps, Mr. Editor, we might clafs them better, were we permitted to eftablifh two kinds of Deifts: ft. Those of natural religion. 2dly. Deifts of revelation; the former being as above stated; the latter acknowledging one perfect and eternal God (not compofed of different perfons, as the majority of Chriftians would perfuade themselves); and believ ing that his will has been revealed to mankind at fundry times, and through a number of individuals.

The Quakers are clearly not Trinitarians: they never perfonify the holy Spirit, but confider it as an attribute of God, or an emanation from him, which enlightens men beyond the extent of natural reafon, and gives them an inward fenfe or confcioufnefs of the divine will. I. N. however, afferts they do recognize "the divinity of Chrift, the Son of God, the Meffiah, the Word, the Mediator of the new Covenant:" but how do they acknowledge it, Mr. Editor?-becaufe Je fus Chrift is the wifdom' and power of God unto falvation." This, Sir, is allowing Chrift's divinity in words: but the elucidation of the thing completely

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