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ingly is at great pains to contrast the blessings of a protestant administration with the miseries of what he ternis a "papal" cabinet. The Dutch war is attributed entirely to the corruption of the court; and it is asserted, that the Catholics and French were the leaders of the English councils at that period.

Although this work appeared full ten years anterior to the revolution, and during the worst part of the reign of Charles II. yet it abounds with high and exalted notions relative to liberty. Mr. Marvell asserts, that the king and subject are bound together by reciprocal obligations, and that the former ceases to be a legitimate sovereign, the moment he ceases to be bound by them.

The king and his ministers were so much offended at this production, that an advertisement appeared. soon after in the Gazette, to the following effect:

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"Whereas there have been lately printed and published several seditious and scandalous libels against the proceedings of both houses of parliament, and other his majesty's courts of justice, to the dishonour of his majesty's government, and the hazard of the public peace: these to give notice, that whoever shall discover unto one of the secretaries of state, the printer, publisher, author, or hander to the press, of any of the said libels, so that evidence may be made thereof to a jury, without mentioning the informer; especially one libel, entitled, "An account of the Growth of Popery, &c." and another, "A Seasonable Argument to all the Grand

posite political sides, the one espoused the side of power, and the other of liberty; but in the present day, all those grounds of distinction should be obliterated by a liberal removal of obstructions and a common participation of equal privileges.-(B. M. M.)

Juries, &c." the discoverer shall be rewarded as follows: he shall have 50l. for such discovery as afore said of the printer, or the publisher of it from the press; and for the hander of it to the press, 100l. &c." According to Captain Thompson, this last production nobly declares his daring fortitude and patriotic vir tue; and though the court was so incensed against its author, yet it hath established his veracity and reputation. But, alas! he did not live to see the good effects of his publication, which in its manner was clear to bis penetration, and which, Oldmixon says, "was as full of truth as the addresses published afterwards in his majesty's gazettes, were full of falsehoods."

The other work mentioned at the same time in the gazette, and of which Mr. M. was also the author, is entitled, "A Seasonable Argument to persuade all the Grand Juries in England to petition for a new par liament: or, a List of the principal Labourers in the great Design of Popery and Arbitrary power, who have betrayed their Country to the Conspitators, and bargained with them to maintain a standing Army, under the Command of the bigotted popish D; who, by the Assistance of the L. L.'s Scotch Army, the Forces in Ireland, and those in France, hopes to bring all back to Rome."

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knt. hath a pension of 500l. per an. and hath had 4000l. in giftes; married to the Earl of Bathe's sister."

"Sir Francis Winnington, knt. solicitor-general to the king; which 'place is worth 15001. per an."

"Reading. Sir Thomas Doleman, bart. 2001. per annum pension; and was assisted by the court in the cheating will, whereby he got Quarles his estate, valued at 1500l. now clerk of the council, which is worth 500% per an. and is promised to be Secretary of State," &c. &c.

In 1676 appeared, "Mr. Smirke; or, the Divine in Mode: being certain Annotations upon the Animadversions on the Naked Truth: together with a short Historical Essay, concerning General councils, Creeds, and Impositions in matters of Religion. By Andreas Rivetus, junior, Anagr. Res Nuda Veritas." The "Mr. Smirke" here alluded to, appears to have been Dr. Francis Turner, master of St. John's college, Cambridge, who replied to a discourse, by Herbert Crofts, bishop of Hereford, called "The Naked Truth; or the True State of the Primitive Church: by an Humble Moderator." The violence of the former having aroused the indignation of the member for Hull, he attacked him in this pamphlet, and that with such success, that Mr. M. received a letter from the prelate, stating, "that he had the zealous prayers and hearty service of the author of the Naked Truh."

To this last publication, Mr. M. added the Historical Essay, touching general councils, creeds, and impositions in religion, for the express purpose of showing the absurdity of imposing new articles of faith.

The last prose work we shall here mention, was called, " A Seasonable Question, and an useful Answer, between a parliament-man, in Cornwall, and a Bencher of the Temple; BELPAST MAG. NO. XXXH,

by A. M. 1676." The object of this is to enquire, whether the prorogation of parliament for fifteen months did not amount to a dissolution; it being concluded, that his Majesty had no power by the law to prorogue a parliament for more than a year. In the "Bencher's Answer," it is stated, that by the 4th of Edw. III. cap. 14, and 36th of Edw. III. cap. 10, it is enacted, that " a parliament shall be holden every year, as another time was ordained." This authority, we are told, was reinforced by that "notable act of the 16th of the late king (Charles I.) which provided effectually for the summoning and electing a parliament every three years, without the king's concurrent assent, if he neglected two years together to summon a parliament, according to those statutes of Edward III." &c. It is the opinion of this lawyer, that if the king could prorogue for fifteen months, " he may lawfully prorogue you for forty years if he please, and may refuse for ever to hold a parliament."

The poems of Mr. Marvell are numerous, and many of them often abound with wit, although there are some coarse and indelicate expressions, which designate the reign in which they were written, and fully justify the following couplet : "Uuhappy Dryden!-in all Charles' days, Roscommon only boasts unspotted bays.'

Of his satires, that written upon Sir Robert Viner's setting up an equestrian statue of the king, (Charles 11.) in Wool-church-market, is one of the most severe, and begins thus:

"As citties that to the fierce conqueror yield,

build;

in token

Do at their own charges their cittadels
So Sir Robert advanc'd the King's statue,
Of bankers defeated-and Lombard-street
broken."
Ff

The paraphrases of David's hymn on Gratitude, which Mr. Addison has printed in the four hundred and fiftythird number of the Spectator, confers great credit on Mr. Marvell's poetry.

"When all thy mercies, O! my God,
My rising soul surveys;
Transported with the view, I'm lost,
In wonder, love, and praise.

"O! how shall words with equal warmth, The gratitude declare,

That glows within my ravish'd heart!
But thou can'st read it there.

"Thy providence my life sustain'd,
And all my wants redress'd;
When in the silent womb I lay,

And hung upon the breast." &c.

Perhaps, however, an ode, also inserted in the Spectator, in point of dignity of thought, and harmony of composition, ought to be consi dered as one of the first productions

of the author.

"The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky;
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.

The unwearied sun from day to day
Does his Creator's power display;
And publishes to ev'ry land,
The work of an Almighty hand.

"Soon as the ev'ning shades prevail,
The moon pursues the wond'rous tale;
And nightly to the list'ning earth
Repeats the story of her birth.

The celebrated elegiac ballad of "William and Margaret," claimed and printed by Mr. Mallet, in his Poems, is said by Captain Thompson, to have been written by our author, in 1670.

Having thus attempted to convey some idea of the works of Andrew Marvell, it only remains to be lamented, that the account of his latter years is involved in almost inextricable obscurity. After publishing his last celebrated work, he appears to have withdrawn for a while. The last letter extant, is one

from him to his friend Mr. Popple, dated June 10, 1678, in which he observes: "There have been great rewards offered in private, and considerable in the Gazette, to any one that would inform of the authorThree or four printed books since have described, as near as it was proper to go, the man being a member of parliament, Mr. Marvell, to have been the author: but if he had, surely he should not have escaped being questioned in parliament, or some other place." On the 29th of July, however he appears to have been at Hull, and it is evident, from an entry in the books of the corporation, that he held several discourses about the town's affairs."

Captain Thompson, the last editor of his work, who supposes him to have been treacherously murdered, by means of a potion, expresses bimself in the following manner:

"And yet, alas! the period of hl's days was suddenly made on the 16th of August, and by poison; for he was healthful and vigorous, to the moment he was seized with the premeditated ruin. Thus fell this great, good, and glorious man, in the fiftyeighth year of his age; after passing through a rugged life of perpetual danger, a cruel sacrifice to the diabolical machinations of the most profligate and wicked men.*

* Implicit credit ought not to be given to the accounts of poisoning, with which we frequently meet in history. In an age when ignorance of diseases prevailed, and suspicion was active, it was common to attribute sudden or uncommon deaths to poison. Many of these tales have been refuted on irrefragable evidence, and for the honour of human nature, it is hoped, other supposed instances of violent deaths might be refuted if we were in possession of all the documents necessary to elucidate such portions of history. It is more charitable, and we hope much nearer the truth to arraign former ages on account of their general credulity, than to brand

Andrew Marvell, whose life was illustrious, and whose death appears to have been equivocal, is described by Dr. Granger, "as of a middling stature, pretty strong set, roundi-h faced, cherry cheeked, hazel eyed, brown haired." We are told also in the Biographical History, "that he was in conversation very modest, and of very few words." There was a portrait of him, painted in 1661, in the possession of the late Thomas Hollis, esq. of Lincoln's Inn, F.R. and A.S.S. who was a great admirer of his character, independence, and talents. Basire executed a print after this, in 1776, and it is observed of the original, "that if it does not look so lively and witty, it is from the chagrin and awe he had of the restoration, just then effected." The clerical whiskers adorn the upper lip, and the countenance possesses rather a sombrousappearance: in short, according to one who esteem. ed him greatly, " he is exhibited when he was forty-one, in all the sobriety and decency of the then departed commonwealth"

In point of language many of his compositions are penned in a majestic style; although at times he could assume the burlesque, and was considered by his contemporaries, as one of the wittiest and most humorous writers of that day. In Latin too, as well as English, he wrote with great facility and eloquence; and it was he who drew up the state

so many with cruelty, as we must do, if we admit without examination, the many accounts which history hands down to us on this subject. Impartial justice in judgeing fairly of our common nature requires s to pause and doubt.-(B. M. M.)

papers, during the protectorate under the inspection of Milton. It was he also who penned the Parliamenti Angliæ Declaratio."

Marvell was more eminent for his virtues and his talents, than for his wealth. Ile, however left behind him a small patrimonial estate, on which, and the honourable allowance from his constituents, paid after the manner of ancient times, he subsisted with credit; for having but few wants, he was neither extravagant or expensive. As he was the last representative in this country who received pay from those he represented, so he appears to have been the only one, who was ever buried at their expense; the corporation of Hull having ordered fifty pounds to be issued for that purpose, September 30, 1678.

His body was interred in the church of St. Giles' in the fields; and in 1688, a monument was erected there to his memory by the town of Kingston-upon-IIull, with an epitaph, at once expressive of "their grief and gratitude." This having been torn down by the zealous royafists, another inscription was placed at the expense of one of his relatives, of which the following are the concluding lines:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ANDREW
MARVELL.

As a strenuous assertor of the constitution,
Laws and liberties of England,
And out of family affection, and admiration
Of the uncorrupted probity of his life

and manners,

ROBERT NETTLETON, of London, mer

chant, his Grand Nephew,

Hath caused this small memorial of him, To be erected in the year 1764.

218

DETACHED ANECDOTES.

THE EVILS OF MENDICITY, AND THE
DISADVANTAGE OF SUPPORTING THE
POOR IN IDLENESS.

THE utility of a system, which
combines labour with sup-

port, is apparent, as practically and beneficially brought into effect by the plan of houses of industry. "A prince of Liege, in order to cancel all at once the wrong side of his spiritual account, bequeathed on his death-bed, his whole fortune, which was very large, to the poor, appointing the magistrates of Liege his administrators. The consequence is, that of all the beggars and vagabonds in the Netherlands, Liege is now the common receptacle. It is no uncommon thing for an army of five or six thousand of these people to invest the house of the chief magistrate, and threaten to extirpate him, and all his generation, with fire and sword, if he does not instantly make a pecuniary distribution. The gentleman from whom I have this account, and who is a person of sense and veracity, resided some time in Liege, and to give an

idea of the multitude of beggars that swarm in the streets of the town, told me further, that one day in walking half a mile, he gave away, to professed beggars, not less than fifty-eight pieces of money." [Letters of James Beattie, L.L.D. lately published. The one whence this anecdote was extracted, beurs

date in 1774.]

SHAKESPEARE.

Mrs. Montague, in a letter to Dr. Eeattie, on hearing that some verses had been made on a dove alighting on the statue of Shakespeare, erected by Garrick, at Stratford-upon-Avon, remarks, -" I wish much

to see the verses on the pretty incident of the dove's alighting on Shakespeare's statue. Of whatever nature and disposition the animal had been, he might have been presented as a symbol of Shakespeare. The gravity and deep thought of the bird of wisdom: the sublime flight of the eagle to the starry regions, and the throne of Jove: the pensive song of the nightingale, when she shuns the noise of folly, and sooths the midnight visionary: the pert jackdaw, that faithfully repeats the chit chat of the market or the shop: the sky-lark, that soaring seems to sing to the denizens of the air, and set her music to the tone of beings of another region-would all assort with the genius of universal Shake speare."

MODERNIZING.

to give its proper weight to the French The Emperor Napoleon, in order language, and to simplify the acquiredered that all exercises and thesis in ment of useful knowledge, has orthe universities throughout France, French; and that a knowledge of shall be performed and written in Latin and Greek shall, in no department of his government, be deemed a qualification for degrees, ranks, legal or clerical. The prescriptions or offices, either political, medical, of physicians are to be in French, and the service of the church is no longer to be performed except in the vernacular tongue.

The above alterations constitute a part of the great plan of simplification, which is at present making its way in the world, slowly but surely, notwithstanding the obloquy and prejudices which according to the present fashion of the times are

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