LONDON:

S

Printed at St. John's Gate, for D. HENRY'; and fold by E. NEW

the Corner of St. Paul's Church-Yard, Ludgate-Street.

appar

Addreffed to MR. URBAN, on completing the Lth Volume of THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE

And noify Faction, pointing ftill to Gain. Here Britain's alter'dMufe, that once was free, Low bows the head, and bends the fupple knee; *And, when th' imperious Tyrant gives command,

Strikes the bafe lyre with proftituted hand;
Dims with dark mifts fair Reason's ray of
light,
Or gilds Rebellion with the name of Right;
Calls rafhnefs Valour, calls fedition Great,
Sullies Succefs, or dignifies Defeat ;
Whilft Falfhood, leagu'd with Science, hand
in hand,
Pour forth their poifon, and ufurp the land.

And, like Marfeilles' good Bishop, daunt lefs till,

Lo! when meek Mercy's Son't, o'er fwelling

Leas,
Sought with firm Atep the dungeons of discafey

To guard the facred caufe of Truth be thine!
And fill to Virtue and to Genius true,
With fedfaft ftep the glorious path pursue:
So, e'en from Britain's Sons, thy genuine lays,
Like Orpheus' lyre; fhall force the words of
praife,

And future times fhall blefs thy pious page,
And glory bear thy name from age to age.

-But midft thisfervile train,this fordid race,
The blot of Genius, Learning's foul difgrace,
Pleas'd let me own one genuine Son of Song,
Whom Britain boasts, and may the boat
him long!
A
[choir,
In whofe pure breaft preferve the tuneful
With juft and holy care, their veftal fire.
In Virtue's facred caufe the Peet fings,
And all o'er Genius fpreads his guardian
***wings.

"Of tranfient life to leave fome little trace, "And win remembrance from the rifing "race §,"

Yes, 'tis our with, and be the with confefs'd,
For ah! I feel it glowing in my breaft.
And that this languid lay, this trivial rhyme,
May live, diftinguifh'd love, to future time,
I famp the cold faint page with HAYLEY'S

name,

"And graft my verfe immortal on his fame."
Dec. 30, 1780.

W. J.

See a Poetical Epistle to an eminent Painter, by William Hayley, Fly; reviewed, Vol. XLVIII. p. 525.

+ See Hayley's Ode to John Howard, Efq; "the humane vifitor of the prisons, throughout. This Ode is reviewed, p. 483.

Why drew Marfcilles' good Bishop purer breath,
When Nature ficken'd, and each gale was death?

Efay on Man, IV. 157.
See Epifles to Edward Gibbon, Efq; the Hiftorian of the Roman Empire. There are
reviewed, p. 288.
SEpifles to Gibbon, I, 109.

ALF a Century, a large proportion of the life of man, having now

we first pleafing but of

ructing and amufing, we think it expedient, for the convenience of our umerous readers, in fome meafure to complete this part of our Work by fub›ining a General Index to the last Thirty, as has been done to the first Twenty olumes; but as this will be a work of much labour, and will require great are and accuracy, our Readers cannot expect it to be hailily exeecuted. Thofe ho have complete Sets may then easily refer to any former volume, and those ho chufe to begin de novo may confider THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE for fanuary 1781, as the commencement of a new work, which in due time will e clofed in the fame manner, with this material advantage over every new ompilation, and indeed over all our competitors, that our long-established rebutation has procured us so many friends and correfpondents in all parts of the British dominions, that we have often reafon to fay, with the fanciful poet of Sulmo, Inopes nos copia fecit, "we are often at a loss what to adopt and what to eject, and, in general, inftead of extracting honey, as at first, from the fugiive flowers and bloffoms of the month, or poifon (as is the manner of fome From the baneful hemlock of the day, have little more merit than the induftribus husbandman or gardener, who fows good feed in his ground, and clears it from weeds and vermin. Our Biographical Memoirs have been generally efteemed, and are frequently copied. Our Antiquarian Researches have re ceived a very flattering commendation ; and many other elogiums might be mentioned that do us equal honour. But for the importance of the fubjects difcuffed, we shall refer (as usual) to the principal contents of each month, and shall conclude with obferving, that, instead of relaxing in our speed, the encouragement which we receive and gratefully acknowledge, and the rivalry which our fuccefs has excited, fhall only quicken our endeavours to deferve the one, and to counteract the other.

In January, Debates in parliament; Theatrical register; Memoirs of the life and gallant actions of the late Earl of Briflol; Curious remark from Thorn's Chronicle; Lift of the fociety of Antiquaries at their firft incorporation; Particulars relative to Robert Scot, a famous bookfeller in Little Britain; Remarks on the tables of equal and apparent time; Illuftrations of obfcurities in Shakspeare; Account of Mr. Maittaire's learned publications; Prior's Solomon. Strictures on that poem; Humorous epiftle (a literary curiofity); On the festivities of Shrove-Tuesday.

In February, Parliamentary debates continued; Mifcellaneous obfervations and corrections; A paffage in St. Paul farther illuftrated; Hints to authors and bookfellers; Curious particulars of New Zealand; Remarks on Hannibal's paffage through the Alps; Account of the wonderful boy of Lubeck.

In March, Parliamentary debates continued; Character of Bp. Atterbury; Brief addrefs to protestants of all denominations; Obfervations on the univerfity of Oxford; Average price of wheat for 80 years; Mr. Dodley's collection of poems illuftrated Biographical anecdotes of eminent perfons: Original letters of Bp. Atterbury and Mr. Prior; The Dean of Gloucefter's thoughts on the prefent fituation of public affairs.. i

9

In April, Parliamentary dehates continued; Characters of Dr. John Burton, Dr. Stephen Hales, Mr. Charles Godwin, and Mr. Joseph Sandford; Remarks on Dr.

* J

• Prodeffe és delettare,

+ E pluribus unum,

It may be fufficient here to refer to the Annual Register; a publication of sterling merit. In the volume which has appeared within thefe few days, the long and curious account of Mr. Garrick is (among other articles) copied almoff literally from our Magazine. # In the British Topography. See our Volume for 1772, p. 275.

Pricftley;