1751: Brave ACTION of General LIGONIER. B 311 elogiums on general Ligonier, "who (fays he) Curtius-like, facrificed him. felf to fave the army, by leaping into the gulph, with what was most valuable in it.-Yet this attack was openly condemned in our army, before Ligonier's return from captivity in that of the enemy. The honour of faving the army was envied him, by thofe who had reaped none themfelves. But the fervice was too glaring not to establish its own merit; nor was the testimony of the enemy wanting, to acknowledge and admire what had checked their pursuit." Thus, Sir, have I given you a few fketches of this excellent pamphlet ; to which I refer you, and all fuch of your readers, as are defirous of being made fully acquainted with the Ccaufes why the British laurel faded fo much during the late war; and am, SIR, The author thus touches on our preparations, previous to the battle of Lafeldt. "Every preceding error was now to be redreffed; and 'every step that the enemy had taken to our difadvantage was to be imitated. And as the French had drawn manifeft advantage from taking the D field early, and before us, we began to get the start of them in that particular; but were very foon taught by experience, that the oppofite of wrong is not always right. For the train of artillery being embarked, and the army being encamped, and E marched towards Antwerp to befiege it; we were scarce got into the field, but our dreams of glory vanished. For before we had marched above half way thither, it was found we could proceed no farther, for want of fubfiftence; having forgot to provide F carriages to convey our forage to us. So there we remain'd on the bleak and barren heaths, exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and the derifion of the enemy; who, as if he affected to despise us, continued to keep his army in quarters for a G long while afterwards." At the fame time that our author is fo very fevere on many of our commanders, he bestows the highest Your moft humble Servant, Two Volumes, in Octavo, have been lately printed, of Poems on feveral Occafions, by the late Mrs. Leapor, of Brackley in Northamptonhire; the one published in 1749, and the other laft Month. They were printed by Subfcription, for the Benefit of her furviving Father, a Gardener in that Country. She died in the 24th Year of ber Age. And as it is very extraordinary, that a Country Girl, without the Advantages of Education, bould be capable of fuch Productions, our Readers cannot but be pleafed with fome Account of her, which we shall extract from a Letter written by a Gentlewoman to John, Efq; and prefixed to the fecond Volume. After relating bow she came firft acquainted with her, which was not till about 14 Months before her Death, and fome Circumftances of lefs frequent Vifits, fhe goes on thus: AROM this time to that of her death, few days paffed, in which I did not either fee or hear from her; 312 Account of Mrs. LEAFOR, the young Poetefs. her; for the gave me the pleasure of feeing all her poems as foon as they were finifhed. And tho' I never was extremely fond of poetry; and don't pretend to be a judge of it, there was fomething fo peculiarly pleafing to my tafte in almost every thing he wrote, that I could not but be infinitely pleafed with fuch a correfpondent. A Nor did I admire her in her poetical capacity only; but the more I was acquainted with her, the more I faw reason to e.teem her for thofe B virtuous principles, and that goodnefs of heart and temper, which fo vifibly appeared in her; and I was fo far from thinking it a condefcenfion to cultivate an acquaintance with a perfon in her ftation, that I rather efteemed it an honour to be called a C friend to one in whom there appeared fuch a true greatness of foul, as with me far outweighed all the advantages of birth and fortune. Nor do I think it poffible for any body that was as well acquainted with her as myself, to confider her as a mean perfon. I have fent a lift of the poems that were wrote fince I was acquainted with her; which, I think, will fhew the quicknefs of her genius, especially when it is confidered how much he was engaged in her father's affairs, and the business of his house, in which the had nobody to aflift her. This, you may imagine, was fome mortification to a perion of her turn; yet fhe was always chearful: And as the wanted none of the neceffaries of life, expreffeu herself thankful for that. Her chief ambition feemed to be, to have fuch a competency as might leave her at liberty to enjoy the company of a friend, and indulge her fcribbling humour (as fhe called it) when he had a mind, without inconvenience or interruption. I could not fee how much he was ftraitened in point of time for her writing, without endeavouring to remove the difficulty; and therefore propofed a fubfcription to fome of my acquaintance; which I hoped might be a means of doing it. And here, Sir, I muft gratefully acknowledge your kind affiftance, without which I am fenfible all my endea. vours had been ineffectual; but thro' your good nature I had the pleasure to fee it brought into a promifing way before the death of the author; who unfortunately did not live to receive that benefit by it, which has fince accrued to her father. I one day fhewed her an old manufcript paftoral of Mr. Newton's, in blank verfe; with which the feemed much pleased, and defired leave to take it home with her, and amufe herself with putting fome parts of it, that the most liked, into rhyme. She did fo; and in my opinion fo greatly altered and improved them, that when the papers wete first fent to you, in order to be printed, I faid I thought there was no occafion for mentioning Mr. Newton's name: But fhe would not Dconfent to have them put in her book without that distinction; and indeed had no occafion to adopt other peoples productions. Deceit and infincerity of all kinds fhe abhorred; and (if I may be allowed to give my opinion) I really E believe, what fhe wrote upon ferious and divine fubje&is, proceeded from the inmoft fentiments of her heart; which I take to be one great reafon of their appearing fo extremely natural and beautiful. G As an inflance of her uncommon manner of thinking, give me leave to acquaint you with a difcourfe that paffed between us, when the propofal for a fubfcription was on foot. I very gravely told her, I thought we must endeavour to find out fome great lady to be her patronefs, and defired her to prepare a handfome dedication. But pray, what am I to fay in this fame dedication? Oh, a great many fine things, certainly. But ་་ 1751. Account of Mrs. LEAPOR, the young Poetefs. But, Madam, I am not acquainted She really feemed fhocked, and A 3:3 mine could contribute to his comfortable fubfiftance in his old age: I therefore beg you to take the key of my buroe; and, if any thing is to be made of my poor papers, that you will, for my fake, endeavour to promoce a fubfcription for his benefit, which you fo kindly have propofed for mine." They must have had harder hearts than mine, that could have refused to comply with fuch a request. I promifed to do the best I could B (with which the feemed fatisfied); and have endeavoured to perform it to the utmost of my power. She always called it being idle, and indulging her whimsical humour, when he was employ'd in writing the humorous parts of her poems; and nothing could pique her more than peoples imagining the took a great deal of pains, or fpent C a great deal of time, in fuch compofures; or that fhe fet much value upon them. She told me, that most of them were wrote when crofs accidents happened to difturb her, purely to divert her thoughts from dwelling upon what was difagreeable; and that it generally had the intended effect, by putting her in a good humour. D I must now come to the melancholy fcene of her death which, to my inexpreffible concern, happened on E Nov. 12, 1746, and was occafioned by the measles. A day or two before her departure, while her fenfes ramained perfect, fhe defired to fpeak to me alone; and after the warmest ex Since I received your letter, I have applied to Mr. Leapor for what information he could give me relating to his daughter. He tells me, he was born at Marfton St. Lawrence in this county, on Feb. 26, 1722, at which time he was gardener to the late judge Blencowe, and continued five years in the family; and then removed with his wife and this only daughter to Brackley, where the spent the remaining part of her life. She was bred up under the care of a pious and fenfible mother, who died about four years before her. He informs me, fhe was always fond of reading every thing that came in her way, as foon as the was capable of it; and that when the had learnt to write tolerably, which, as he remembers, was at about 10 or 11 years old, fhe would often be fcribbling, and fometimes in rhyme, which her mother was at firft pleafed preffions of gratitude for my good- F with: But finding this humour in nefs to her, as the called it, conti- in this manner. "But I have ftill one favour to creafe upon her as fhe grew up; when he thought her capable of more profitable employment, he endeavoured to break her of it; and that he likewife, having no talte for poetry, and not imagining it could ever be any advantage to her, joined in the fame defign: But finding it impoffible to alter her na tural inclination, he had of late defifted, and left her more at liberty. RI He 314 A CONSOLATORY LETTER. He fays, fhe never had any intimate companion, except one agreeable young woman in this town, whom the mentions in her poem upon Friendship, by the name of Fidelia; and that the always chose to spend her leifure hours in writing A and reading, rather than in thole diverfions which young people generally chufe; infomuch that fome of the neighbours that obferved it, expreffed their concern, left the girl fhould over-study herfelf, and be mopish. But to me fhe always ap- B peared rather gay than melancholy. In the fecond Volume are feveral of Sent to a Lady, in the Illness of that I Dear Madam, C D July you for the worst: And, if my ar- All this is nature; yet it is not reafon. If, amidft that whirl of paffion, in which the foul, at fuch a time, is ufually engaged, we had power to reflect, we should think in another manner. And Another aggravating circumftance,, which I know presents itself to your imagination, is this: That your last friend is now at stake; that in her you lose all the tenderness of a relation; at least, all that is worthy to be called fo. This is true. I cannot tell how to reconcile you to this misfortune better, than to fet before you the pictures of numberless miferable orphans, expofed in their tender years to hunger and cruelty. But thefe examples feem too wide to make any great impreffion upon your mind. We will therefore leave the wretched, and turn our F eyes to thofe who are more properly filed the unhappy. If it might be allowed to make the comparifon, our conditions, in this place, feem a little parallel: But fhould I furvive my parent, the event would be very different. You lofe a fond parent, Gthat doats upon you, and all the CAN find no excufe for fending you a parcel of nonfenfe t'other day, but ignorance of your mother's condition: I am too well acquainted with your mother's temper, not to feel for you in your prefent cir- E cumftances: And, if I was mistress of any tolerable eloquence, would endeavour to reconcile your fpirits to what must certainly happen to you, to me, and to all mankind, viz. a feparation from our friends, at leaft fo far as concerns our prefent life and enjoyments. I, who cannot boaft of a heart fo fufceptible and delicate as yours, have at leaft felt the ftrength of nature in the parting pang; and can affure you from experience, that (to a foul capable of firong ideas) the apprehen. fion of this formidable evil is more terrible that its real approach; though I hope there is no immedi e danger: But I would prepare tender comforts that flow from her; 1 lofe both that, and all the neceffaries of life; left naked and defenceless, without friend, and with 1751. King of Pruffia's Letter to the Bishop of Breflau. 315 out dependence; with a weak and indolent body to provide for its own fubfiftence; and a restless mind, racked with unprofit able invention. This is no very pleasing profpect; but I feldom dwell long upon it. I am now to beg pardon for this long epiftle. Dear Madam, if you find I can be of any ufe, this whole frame, fuch as it is, is at your service at any hour. That you may not want thefe confolati ons, but long enjoy health, happiness, and a mother, shall be not only the wifh, but the prayer, of Your humble fervant, Y any fhape to their relief. We would not have delayed making an attempt for this purpose at the court of Vienna, had we not been diverted from it, by the ill fuceefs of the inftances of that court's best friends and allies on this head: In confequence of which we had too much room to infer, A that thofe powers, to whom the faid court lies under fuch great obligations, not having been able to bring her into favourable fentiments concerning the article in queftion, our instances muft needs be much lefs regarded, and might, moreover, only contribute to increase the misfortunes of thofe poor people, by giving fome colour to what has been fo often laid to their charge, viz. endeavouring by indirect ways and unwarrantable means to obtain the affiftance of a foreign power. B C OUR dilection muft, doubtless, have been informed, as we have been already, of the profecutions the proteftants of Hungary have fuffered for fome time D paft; and how, in violation of treaties concluded with them by the mediation of foreign powers, their churches have been fucceffively wrefted from them under the moft frivolous pretexts. You cannot but be likewife acquainted with the rigorous proceedings against them, and how their adverfaries daily ftudy to moleft them in their private domeftick life; fo that one is E almoft tempted to believe, that nothing elfe is intended by this way of dealing, but to drive them to defpair, and force them to take fuch courfes as may afford a colour and pretext to come to a refolution to exterminate them entirely. F Tho' we have no engagements nor connections with thofe people, and that, on the contrary, the remembrance of their exceffive animofity against us, during the late troubles, has hindered them from complaining to us of their miferable fituation, and imploring our interceffion; and tho we ourfelves, if fwayed only by political views, ought rather to feel a fecret fatisfaction, than be forry, at fecing ourselves fo amply revenged for the bitter fpirit with G which they did then act against us: Nevertheless, we have been fo fenfibly affected with the wretched fate of fo many innocent people, and perfons of merit, that, out of pure compaffion for their fufferings, we could with to be able to contribute in Another confideration that has confirmed us in the refolution not to apply to the faid court, is, that we are well informed, that the emprefs, queen of Hungary and Bokemia, whofe greatnefs of foul the world is well acquainted with, is not so much the caule of thefe perfecutions, as the Romancatholick clergy of Hungary, who daily manifeft a fixed refolution to make an end, once for all, of the protestants of that kingdom; which point they purfue with fo much eagerness and cruelty, that this wife princefs, thro' political motives, left she should difoblige them, finds herself under a neceffity rather to ftifle her truly maternal affection and tenderness for all her fubjects in general, than oppofe, with authority, the enterprizes of the clergy, who aim at the total ruin of her faithful fubjects of the proteftant religion. It is impoffible for any rational Roman Catholick to read, without indignation, the piece lately published by the bishop of Vefprin against the prote tants, in which, not content with rendering them odious to his fovereign, he lays down, under the fhadow of dogmatical truths, fuch principles as are mott capable of dif folving the bands of civil fociety. Matters ftanding thus, a thought occurred to us, that, fuppofing there was yet any hopes of faving from imminent ruin, innocent people of the fame communion as ourfelves, it would be proper to go to the very fource of their calamity, in getting tranfmitted to theRoman-catholick clergy of Hungary, the effects of our folicitude, and properly reprefenting to them, but ftill in a manly and vigorous way, the injustice of the perfecutions hitherto exercised against the proteftants; in order to make them fenfible, how far the glory and majesty of the fovereign are concerned in, and fullied by, fuch proceedings; and let them fee what may one day refult therefrom, to the difadvantage and prejudice of her fame, fa Rrz jualy |