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latter, are sustained with incomparable spirit. In the twelve Letters on Chivalry and Romance, the origin of the spirit of chivalry, (the distinguishing spirit of modern times,) as it exhibits itself in the characteristics of prowess, generosity, gallantry, and religion, is satisfactorily traced to feudal institutions; the heroic and Gothic manners are admirably compared; and the superiority of the latter, in a poetical view, successfully asserted. Parr's imputation on Hurd, given on the authority of a friend, who, by the description, must be Porson, that he had

*["The Bishop of Gloucester never thought it expedient to save appearances by shaking off the shackles of consistency', (Remarks on Hume p. 100,) to soften the hideous aspect of certain uncourtly opinions by a calm and progressive apostacy, to expiate the artless and animated effusions of his youth by the example of a temporising aud obsequious old-age. He began not his course, as others have done, with speculative republicanism, nor did he end, as the same persons are now doing, with practical toryism. He was a churchman without bigotry; he was a loyalist without servility." Tracts by Warburton and a Warburtonian p. 156. In a note we read : — "I am told by one, whom I esteem the best Greek scholar in this kingdom, and to whom the hat of Bentley would have 'vailed,' that many notable discoveries might be made by comparing the varia lectiones, the clippings and the filings, the softenings and the varnishings of sundry constitutional doctrines, as they crept by little and little into the different successive editions of certain Political Dialogues." Porson is undoubtedly the scholar alluded to by Parr, and Parr himself names Porson elsewhere. In the Doctor's library was a copy of the first edition of the Political Dialogues, which was given to him by Dr. Burney, with the following inscription: De

softened the aspect of certain uncourtly opinions, in the different successive editions of these Dialogues,' I can affirm, from a minute collation, to be unfounded. Alterations have indeed been made; but they are chiefly such, either as were necessary, when the writer exchanged the character of editor for that of author, or which evince his

sua in Bibliothecam Samuelis Parr Honoris et Amicitiæ Causa

ponendum vult C. B. M.DCCC.III. “ 'I was presented with this scarce and valuable first edition, by the very learned Dr. Burney, when I visited him at Greenwich, early in the spring of 1803. S. P." Bibl. Parr. 439. "The first edition of Hurd's Political Dialogues, was in one vol. 8vo. printed by Millar, 1759, and is now before me, with the following notice written on the fly-leaf, and variæ lectiones noted at pp. 139, 142, 150, 165, 171, 2, 5, 8, 182, 4, 6, 194, 203, 7, 9, 210, 14, 20, 36, 44, 45, 60, 69, 85, 89, 95, 96, 7, 9, 300, 301, 304. Warbur'ton Tracts: Memorandum. This bit of paper is trans'cribed from a copy of the first edition, lent me by the learned 'Mr. Green of Ipswich; and it contains references to the various readings between the first and third editions. I have compared them carefully. I have found Mr. Green's statement very correct, and I see no reason from my own re'searches to retract, or even to qualify, what I had said in the 'Warburtonian Tracts upon the authority of Mr. Porson. My

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dispute with the Bishop of Worcester did not for one moment 'suspend my great respect for his talents: and if, upon a fair ' and full inquiry, I had discovered that my words were in the slightest degree too strong for the facts, I intended to take 'the earliest opportunity of declaring the change in my opin'ion, and making a proper and public apology for my error. 'I examined Mr. Green's book in 1802, and I was presented 'with this very scarce and valuable first edition, by the very 'learned Dr. Charles Burney, when I visited him at Green

good taste and discernment in removing the blemishes of first composition. Those, which respect the strictures on Hume's History, are the most material and the most curious." P. 71.

"July 27, 1797. Read Hurd's Dissertation on the Idea of Universal Poetry, -a most impotent attempt to

'wich early in the spring of 1803. S. PARR, April 9, 1803.' I am of a different opinion. I have collated the first, the third, and fifth editions, and have marked the clippings, filings, softenings, and varnishings with my pen, and to my weaker optics of criticism it appears wonderful where such great wits and profound scholars could find these marks of calm, progressive apostacy. Without doubt Bishop Hurd thought differently on many subjects of history, religion, morals, and politics in the interval between 1759, and 1776; and I know that Dr. Parr did so. But it would be unjust to charge him with apostacy, because he modified his opinions or his expressions. For my part, I see no change but for the better in the Dialogues in the last edition, which, moreover, contains the 7th and 8th Dialogues on Foreign Travel, and the Letters on Chivalry and Romance, intended to illustrate them. When Dr. Parr was writing his Notes to Rapin, and reading accurately Bishop Hurd's Dialogues, he, of course, had the third edition, (his own copy,) before him. How strange that he should not have noted the courtly opinions changed from the uncourtly, when he was criticising Hume for too great fondness for the Stuarts, and praising Hurd's juster views! I lament my honoured friend's attack upon Hurd the more, becanse I think I have proved that the general cause of letters had little to do with it. But the proof of that, which he had seen only through the medium of his sagacity, was at length spontaneously offered to the public gaze, I wish I could add, to the public admiration." Dr. J. Johnstone's Memoirs of Dr. Parr p. 315.

ravish a barren generality. Formally to deduce the necessity of versification to the constitution of a poem, from the abstract principle that the end of poetry is pleasure, demanded a vigonr of powers, and violence of compression, to which only his MASTER was equal The fierce attack on novel-reading, towards the close, appears

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In the Bibl. Parr. 439. are two notices about the various lections. In the copy of the first edition, 1759, 8vo. Dr. Parr wrote these words: Many notes are inserted in these books connected with the Warburtonian controversy. In the first edition, in one volume, Mr. Green of Ipswich, pointed out many of the alterations made in the subsequent edition." In the 4th (or third) edn. 3 vols. 12mo. 1771. Dr. Parr wrote this memorandum : "For the purpose of knowing whether I had once spoken too severely of Bishop Hurd, respecting the charges silently and gradually made in his celebrated Dialogues, I carefully compared this edition with the two former ones, and the result was my conviction that I had done the Bishop no injustice. If I had thought differently, my determination was to retract and apologize. S .P."

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The case, then, stands thus: · Porson first discovered the varia lectiones to be in part substitutions of courtly for uncourtly language; Dr. Burney seeins from the copy of the first edition, which he presented to Dr. Parr to have looked into the matter, and to have confirmed the decision of Porson; Dr. Parr examined also, and arrived at the same conclusion. On the other hand, though Mr. Green pointed out to Dr. Parr the variations from the first edition, yet Mr. Green never viewed them in the same light as Porson did; my excellent friend, Dr. John Johnstone, has collated the first, third, and fifth editions, and is of the same opinion as Mr. Green. But there is one other authority in favour of Porson's decision, viz. Dr. Samuel Johnson. His chronicler. honest Boswell, writeth

unseasonable and unprovoked. In the subsequent Dissertation on the Drama, Hurd recovers his wonted powers; and I am inclined to acquiesce in the different. provinces, which he assigns, with much subtlety of discrimination, to Tragedy, Comedy, and Farce." P. 38. "April 20, 1800. Read again Hurd's Dissertations on

thus 1, 202.: -“ Of Dr. Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, Johnson said to a friend 'Hurd, Sir, is one of a set of men, who account for every thing systematically; for instance, it has 'been a fashion to wear scarlet-breeches: these men would 'tell you that, according to causes and effects, no other wear 'could at that time have been chosen.' He, however, said of him at another time to the same gentleman:- Hurd, Sir, ' is a man, whose acquaintance is a valuable acquisition.' That learned and ingenious Prelate, it is well known, published at one period of his life Moral and Political Dialogues, with a woefully Whiggish cast. Afterwards, his Lordship having thought better, came to see his errour, and republished the work with a more constitutional spirit. Johnson, however, was unwilling to allow him full credit for his political conversion. I remember when his Lordship declined the honour of being Archbishop of Canterbury, Johnson said I am glad ' he did not go to Lambeth; for, after all, I fear he is a Whig ' in his heart.' The date assigned to this anecdote is 1783, and as the Tracts by Warburton and a Warburtonian were published in 1789, it was six years before Dr. Parr published the note in question, and in all probability long prior to Porson's communication. In the article on Hurd in Chalmers's Biogr. Dict. we read : "In 1759, he published a volume of Dialogues on Sincerity, Retirement, the Golden Age of Elizabeth, and the Constitution of the English Government, in 8vo. without his name. In this work he was thought to rank among those writers, who in party-language are called consti

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