the text, enlarging, as it were, in a Chriftian manner, the fenfe of the divine precept given to the captive, Ifraelites, to seek the peace of the city where they dwelt, "and pray to the Lord for it, that in the peace thereof they might have peace." "The command in both places (continues he) is given in general terms, and enforced by an expectation of the fame happy effect to be produced by our obedience. Even the Apoftle's more explicit direction does not Countenance any officious fpecialty in our prayers, inconfiftent with our notions of that omnifcient Deity to whom they are addreff ed; a God who knows every fovereign's name and title, and will be best pleased with our fervices when they refer the decifion of all claims of right to his infinite wisdom. While men are compaffed with infirmity, and fubject to various prejudices, a determination of civil right, which appears clear and evident to one, will be matter of doubt and perplexity to another; and a confcientious perfon will be afraid to mingle his fcruples with the worship of a juft and holy God, knowing that "whatfoever is ́not of faith is fin." Yet fuch a perfon may be every way well difpofed to feek the peace, and pray for the welfare and profperity, of his country; and his fupplications and prayers to that effect, may be as acceptable to God, when made in general terms, for all that are in authority, as when reftricted to particular forms preferibed by reafons of ftate. The end propofed by fuch acts of devotion is to all good Christians the fame, that, in the peace of our country, we may have peace, or, as the Apostle more fully expreffes it, that fo we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.

Happily removed from every temptation to difturb the public tranquillity, let us chearfully acquiefce in the wisdom of Provi. dence, which knows always what is best and fitteft for us in every capacity, and will make all things work together for good to them that love God, and take delight in conform ing themfelves to his will. While we live thus in his faith and fear, and trust all our concerns, fpiritual and temporal, in his hands, we fhall not fail to enjoy the bene. fits, and feel the comforts of his peace. Nay, we shall be infenfibly led to cultivate that as a duty, which, like all our other duties, is held forth as a bleffing to us. Peace with the God of love will naturally incline us to with the like happiness to all mankind, and to feek it more especially in behalf of thofe among whom we dwell, and with whom we are connected by various ties. This defire of their welfare will excite all the tender feelings of humanity within our breafts, and help us to the outward practice of every focial virtue: it will mingle with our private devotions,

and attend us to the house of public prayer. When our piety escapes every eye but that which seeth in secret, and when it shines out before men to the glory of our heavenly Fa ther, the love of our brethren will fhew the fincerity of our love to God, and the peace of our country will be one great object of our daily fupplications.

Animated by thefe pious and charitable motives, fo confiftent with our avowed principles, the devout employment of this day, I hope, will be acceptable to God, and beneficial to ourselves. It will fhew us in a true light to our unprejudiced neighbours, and convince thofe in power, that our opinions are fuch as no government needs be afraid to tolerate. And if any ignorant people have hitherto spoken evil of us as of e vil-doers, perfons that delight in diffenfion, and oppofition to power and authority, they will furely at laft be afhamed when they find they have falfely accufed our harmless and peaceable converfation in Christ. In this manner therefore let us continue to adorn our Chriftian calling; always holding faft the truth in love; and always ready to join with fincere and brotherly affection in fuch acts of public devotion and piety as are intended to express our national dependence upon God. May he accept the fincerity of our intentions, and hear the prayers of this day that seek peace to the land in which we dwell. May be, the only ruler of princes, infpire the hearts of all our governors, from the highest to the loweft, with a becoming zeal for his glory, and the welfare and pro fperity of this nation, that fo, in the peace thereof, we, in union with the whole church of Chrift, may have peace all the days of our life."

PrzE-MONODY on the death of GARRICK. For the Vafe at Bath-Eafton, Feb. 11. 1779. By Mifs SEWARD.

gale;

O'er the damp vafe Horatio fighing leans,
And gazes abfent on the faded scenes;

And Sorrow's gloom has veil'd each sprightly grace,

That us'd to revel in his Laura's face,

When with fweet fmiles her garlands gay fhe twin'd,

And each light spray with roseate ribbons join'd, Dropt from her hand the fcatter'd myrtles lie; And lo! dark cyprefs meets the mournful eye; For thee, oh GARRICK! fighs from Genius breathe,

For the fad Beauty weaves the fun'ral wreath. Shakespeare's great fpirit, in its cloudlefs blaze,

Led bin unequal'd thro' th' inventive maze ;
'Midit the deep pathos of his melting themes,
Tho' the like magic of his playful dreams.
He caught the genuine humour glowing there,
Wa's vivid flath, and Cunning's fober leer;
The frange diftrefs that fires the kindling brain
Of feeble madness on the ftormy plain;
Or when the pale youth in the midnight-fhade,
Parfues the fteel-clad phantom thro' the glade ;
Or, farting from the couch with dire affright,
When the crown'd murd'rer glares upon the
In all the horrors of the guilty foul, [fight,
Dark as the night that wraps the frozen pole.
-Our fubject paffions own'd the way com-
plete,

And hail'd their Garrick as their Shakespeare great.

That voice which pour'd its mufic on our car, Sweet as the fongster of the vernal year, Thofe graceful geftures,-and that eye of fire, With rage that Aam'd, or melted with defire, Awak'd the radiant joy in dimple fleek, Or made the chilly blood forfake the cheek,Where are they now?—Dark in the narrow cell Infenfate,-fhrunk, and still,—and cold they A filence folemn and eternal keep, [dwell; Where neither Love shall smile-nor Anguish

weep.

Breathe, Genius, ftill the tributary figh; Still goth, ye liquid pearls, from Beauty's eye; With flackened frings fufpend your harps, ye Nine,

While round his urn yon cypress wreath ye

twine; Then give his merits to your loudeft fame, And write in fun-bright luftre GARRICK's

name!

The COUNTRY.
In imitation of COWLEY.

HE Ence, fmoky towns, and clamorous fuite,
away!
I mean to recreate the Muse to-day;

Or Indian gems, with their refulgent blaze,
Equal the dewdrops trembling on the sprays;
Where pearls depend in momentary chains,
And every pearl a little fun contains ?
Here violets in purple pride are feen;
Their crimson'd daifies variegate the green;
While airy warblings run through all the grounds,
And Nature's mufic Nature's praise refounds.
Here guiltless Love is found, (a paffion mild!)
Hence painters drew their harmless smiling
child.

To goad the worthy here no flander flies,
And only Echo whispers lovers fighs:
Here, unaffifted by the fabling page,
We trace fome relics of the golden age.
What city with the country may compare,
For filver ftreams, proud trees, and fragrant
air?

Here, like the bee, tho' prudent we are gay,
And morals learn in an amusing way:
From ants, from grafhoppers, and butterflies,
From amaranths and rofes, we grow wife.
Harmonious frame! where oppofites unite,
Where rocks yield plenty, and e'en wilds de-
light;

Where fmiling funs in vain court balmy bowers,
And rainbows, weeping, view their rival flowers.
JOHN SEYMOUR.

THE LAW OF LOMBARDY: A new tragedy. Written by Mr JEPHSON, author of Braganza. PROLOGUE. Written by the Author.

Spoken by Mr FARREN.

Hard is the talk, in modern days, to chufe.

Congenial fubjects for the Tragic Muse. Th' Hiftorian's page, the fertile Epic store, Were known, and ranfack'd centuries before: Like luscious gardens, uninclos'd they lay, To ev'ry faunt'ring bard an easy prey. They enter'd, and, as tafte impell'd, they fed On Homer fome, and fome on Hollingshed. From loftieft numbers, or from humbleft profe, As each confpir'd, the artlefs ftructures rofe. Thus one great labour of their work was o'er; They found a fable, and they fought no more. Careless were they of action, place, or time, Whofe only toil was dialogue and rhyme. "Rules which the rigid Stagyrite devis'd, Our fathers knew not, or, if known, despis'd.” Whilft fide by fide were mingled in the scene, A laughing ruftic, and a weeping queen. Space was obedient to the boundless piece, That op'd in Mexico, and clos'd in Greece. Then thick with plots the crowded tale was 'Till the divided bofom felt for none; [fown, "They fear'd no cenfures of a frowning pit, That judg'd as loofely as the authors writ.'

22.

But

tirely your trusty citizens, during that period, have been actuated by a conftant with to fupport the true dignity of their fovereign, and to preferve his realm entire; and we implore your Majefty fo far to receive us into your favour, as to trust that our future condu& will be prompted by the fame with, and the leaft attention to our dutiful petitions and defires be acknowledged with the moft perfect gratitude." [40. 162.]

The King anfwered, "I thank you for your dutiful congratulations on the fafe delivery of the Queen, and the birth of another prince. I fhall always receive expreffions of loyalty from the city of London with great fatisfaction."

"London, Feb. 19. The London committee for giving bounties to voluntiers for the land and fea fervice [40. 46.] have clofed their accounts, and voted the balance (which is about 1000l.) to the Marine fociety; as government, by the late imprefs-act [63.], will, it is thought, foon get men enough."

Attempts have been lately made to fet the dock-yards on fire. About the dead of night, Jan. 23. a perfon was obferved to afcend the wall of the dock-yard at Plymouth, and to throw himself over; and, upon examining the spot on the outfide of the wall, there was found a raffling line tied in knots, about fixteen or eighteen inches afunder, with a large Newfoundland fish hook at the end of it, by which he got up ; and a twine-thread, with a ftone tied to it, which reached from the top of the wall to the bottom; and near the spot was alfo found a bottle filled with gunpowder, ftopped with brown paper; prepared to burn as a quick ratch. For the apprehending of this perfon, who is defcribed to be a fhort elderly perfon, with his own hair, a fhrivelled face, a foreign afpect, and had on a dark furtout coat, and a fantailed hat, the commiffioners of the navy offered 300l, reward. And on the 9th of February, a box of combuftibles, with a train to it, was found by a boy, who was fent to a forehoufe for hemp, in Chatham dock-yard. This is faid to be the third difcovery that has been made of intended attempts to fet that yard on fire. Some perfons have been laid up on fufpicion.

"London, Feb. 26. The number of armed veffels fitted out at Liverpool fince hoftilities commenced against France, conlift of 100. The force of the whole

included amount to 1654 guns, 7439 men, and their burthen 24,407 tons.The very great fuccefs that has attended them deferves particular notice; only fix having been taken by the enemy, and two loft: on the contrary, they have taken forty-two prizes; the total value of which are estimated at 734,800l.

The Fortune armed fhip, fent out fome time ago on difcoveries, arrived at Porthfmouth Feb. 11. from the North feas.

SCOTLAND.

On the 6th of February, a pardon paffed the great feal to John Hay, Efq; one of the gentlemen attainted by the ad 19° Geo. II. [8. 269.]

66

Edinburgh, Jan. 18. The King has granted a charter, erecting the Medical Society [38. 339.] into a body-politic." On a petition of the managers of the charity-workhoufe of Edinburgh, fetting forth the distressed situation of the hou [39. 158.]; that its debts on the 31st of July laft, amounted to L. 536 : 2 : IC Sterling, and that at the fame time ther were little or no provifions in the houfe an act of council was paffed, with the concurrence and approbation of the judges of the courts of feffion and exche quer, dated Feb. 17. appointing a gene ral and voluntary contribution for its re lief.

Tuesday, Feb. 9. was obferved as national faft all over Scotland. [105.]

The alarm spread by the dreaded Po pifh bill [40. 684.] produced numerou refolutions by different focieties, fo nu merous, that the titles of them would fill a large fpace.

The friends to the Proteftant Interest at Edinburgh [40. 684.], prefented a petition to the town council, Jan. 6. defiring their concurrence in oppofing the bill. The petition was ordered to lie on the table, till the fentiments of the incorporations fhould be known; and, on a motion for that purpose, instructions were fent to the city-folicitor at London, to tranfmit a copy of the bill fo foon as it fhould be prefented. Next council-day refolutions for oppofing the bill, by all the incorpo rations in the city [25. 378.], except the furgeons, by the Merchant company, and the fociety of Candiemakers, were prefented, requesting the town-council to join in the oppofition. A committee was thereupon appointed to confult with the Lord Advocate, and to report. The committee reported, next council day,

Jam