28

Obfervations on the Clariffa of Richardfon.

ured to labour, he will continue longer at his work than a horse; therefore he will draw a heavy load for a long journey almost as foon as a horse.

Our forefathers worked their teams, and ploughed with oxen, when the roads were very bad: why cannot we do the fame now our roads are very good?

Thirty years ago, all the cheefe that came out of the Weft to Maudlin-hill, Wey-hill, and other fairs, was brought by oxen; but now all fuch cheese is brought by horses.

In the parish of Tunbridge, formerly, they had one hundred and fifty draught horfes and one thousand oxen; whereas now they have fix hundred horfes, and two hundred and fifty oxen. The oxen were worked no more than two years, therefore the people had an annual fupply of five hundred bullocks, but now they have only one hundred and twenty five*.

Which will travel the farthelt without thoes, an ox, or an horfe? An ox moft certainly. Then why fhould he not with fhoes? An ox will live on hay when he works, and on straw when he lies idle; but a horfe requires hay and corn when he works, and requires hay and corn alfo when he does nothing: befides, he wants much looking after, whereas the ox wants only provender.

Six oxen can draw a waggon out of the mire, after it has fet eight horfes faft, and this they are enabled to do from the make of their hoofs, as the toes of an ox divide and expand in

Jan.

preffing down, but clofe again in coming up; therefore they are neither impeded by friction on the fides, nor by preffure from the atmosphere: but both of thefe obftruct the horfe. The hoof an ox is twice as ftrong as the hoof of an heifer, which is a proof that he was intended for labour; but there is no difference between the hoof of a mare and the hoof of a horfe.

Oxen are gentler and fitter for the cultivation of our land than horfes, and as a proof that they are yet capable of work, many gentlemen, to their great credit, plough land of all kinds, and work all their teams, with

oxen.

Since then a few of thefe ufeful creatures can plough a fmall part of our land, why thould not a great many of them plough the whole?

I fhail now fummarily obferve, that the ufe of oxen, a heavy tax on horses, or on wheel-carriages that are drawn by them, encouragement to our fifheries, and a perpetual prohibition on the export of all our unitaple commodities, will speedily reduce the price of provifions, and of courfe the price of labour. Then our various manufactories will regain their former vigour, and our people encrease in number: then fhall we work up the golden fleece, rettore our credit, extend the commerce arifing from our principle taples unrivalled throughout the world, and thus find ourfelves in poffeffion of plenty, riches, and power, the original gifts of nature to Great Britain.

*Three hundred and feventy-five fat bullocks, at 15l. each, will enrich the parish of Tunbridge 56251. a year, besides what I must again and again repeat to be the great end of this publication, feeding our people from the produce of our own land.

For the LONDON MAGAZINE.

New CRITICISMS upon the celebrated Romance of CLARISSA.
A LETTER.

I Have juft finished Clariffa, and am
extremely pleafed with it. By
what I have heard of the author's
station in life, one would wonder how
he could enter fo well into characters
fo much above it, and fupport that of
Lovelace, for instance, with fo much
wit and humour, fuch fpirit and gai-
ety throughout. Clariffa herself, in
my opinion, does not do him fo much

credit as a painter. But, after all, the ftory is too melancholy for me. I admire the execution of his plan, but not the plan itfelf. I wish I did "admire" it, for then I should be as much a faint as Clariffa was: a Chriftian in earnest, I hope, I am and therefore, with the author in his postfcript, will " envy," if he pleafes, the triumphant death of Clarifla, as

:

the

1773. Melancholy Situation of the English Cottagers.

29

the most defirable conclufion of a life But further: in Clariffa, who was
fo unfortunate as hers; but the quef- all perfection, it was delicacy, not
tion is, whether, taking her misfor- judgment, to expect the fame per-
tunes and her death together, she is fection, or to cenfure the want of it,
to be envied; or, in other words, in Mifs Howe and others.
how many there are who would with
themselves in her place. What I
mean by this is, that the work can be
of no general ufe, as the majority of
readers, not excepting the clergy
themselves, can never be reconciled
to the fuferings of Clariffa in this life
by the prospect of her happiness in
another; though there may be many,
both among the clergy and laity,
who are hypocrites enough to pretend
the contrary.

Another objection is, that the ftory does not make good the title-page, and is no "caution" against mifconduct either in parents or children with regard to marriage; for if a daughter, whom her parents would oblige to marry against her inclination, were to remind them of Clariffa's father, the answer, I fuppofe, would be, "that the herself was no Clariff, and therefore had no title to cite the precedent:" and if the fhould run away with her lover, "What fignifies duty, (the might fay) and every other good quality in woman, fince Clariffa, dutiful as the was, and every way excellent, met with fo fevere a destiny?" I think the cafe is fairly stated; for Clariffa, confidering her great delicacy, was not difobedient in refufing two or three matches which fhe could not like it was enough that he had no great inclination to marriage, and was refolved never to marry without the confent of her parents. Her judgment might be wrong, (and was to ia fome other material circumftances) but her heart was entirely right, and no difobedience lies at her door.

To that delicacy, and to her fincerity, the facrifices her prudence by acting, in a fituation of fo much diftrefs, as if he were in none; and thereby lofes the only opportunity of faving herself by taking refuge among the ladies of Lovelace's family, becaufe the aimed at fomething better, without fufpecting a great deal worse, as the had reafon to do, tho' not the very worft which might and did actually happen to her.

Her playing faft and loofe with her lover, in regard to her appointments for meeting, before he carried her off, are out of character, and particularly where the writes him word, that "the will meet him unless the alters ber mind."

Her apprehenfions of the ill effects attending her father's curfe have a leaven of fuperftition.

Her lover's generous behaviour to the Rosebud, whofe mother confided in her honour, was known to Clariffa; and, enforced as it was by the power her going off with him had given him over her, fhould in all reafon have made her place that timely confidence in him which would have fet him right, and might have ended in a happy marriage.

Befides the intrinfic merit of the work, the author has fecured the patronage of the ladies by the perfection he afcribes to Clariffa, (as he did before to Pamela) and of the clergy, by the religious turn of his work, her afpirations and multiplied texts of fcripture on every occafion.

G. J.

IA

COUNTRY DISTRESSES.
AM just returned from an excur-
fion into the country of four core
miles. The ditrefs of the poor cot-
tagers is beyond defcription. No hog,
no cow, no poultry, no wood to be
feen in their yard-fome of the blessed
effects of inclosing commons and con-
folidating farms! In this difaftrous
condition, not having strength for la-
bour, from the want of proper and

fufficient nourishment, they pine away
with hunger, with cold, with naked-
nefs, on the meagre fubfiftence of a
parish allowance. The gentry, who
in the time of fickness and misfortune
were their comfort and fupport (the
fragments of whofe plentiful boards
were the principal maintenance of the
poor man's family) have deferted the
villages. The manfions of hospitality

30
and innocence are forfaken for the
curfed luxuries and vices of the town,
and the bleffings and prayers of di-
ftreffed virtue exchanged for the fongs
of drunkards and mirth of fools. Ef-
tates, which formerly gave content-
ment to poverty, and administered
ftrength, vigour, and life, to thou-
fands, are now moft vilely confumed
on drefs, on equipage, on whores;
in gaming, in feafting, in mafque-
rading. Let the following inftance
fuffice to fhew the wretchedness of
thefe poor and neglected, yet honeft
and laborious people. It is a fact:
the distress needs no colouring from
art. The horrible tale fhall speak for
itfelf. May it induce the legislature
to be ferious and expeditious in ap-
plying relief to the diftreffes of the la-
bouring and induftrious poor. En-
tering into a little cot in an obfcure
village, I beheld Famine itself in the
fhape of a woman, fitting on the
floor, furrounded with feven naked
and ftarved children. Upon raifing
her head, I addreffed her, "From

General Profligacy, and its Tendency.

T

Jan.

whence, good woman, this mifery and wretchedness?" She answered, "Thefe, Sir, are the children of an unfortunate brother, who, being rendered incapable of working for his family by an ague and fever, applied to the parish for relief, from whom he received four fhillings and fix-pence per week for his and their fupport. This fmall allowance, and the continual cries of his children for bread, fo affected him, that one evening, when I was gone into the fields and lanes to pick up fome dung for a fire, he called the children to his bed, and, kiffing them, faid to the eldeft, My dear boy, if God fhall bless you after my death, take care of your brothers and fifters. After a multitude of tears, and the most tender embraces, he looked up to heaven, and in the bitterness of his foul prayed, God preserve my dear children, and forgive me! then cut his throat, and immediately expired." I dropped a guinea into her hand, and withdrew to give vent to humanity.

MODERN MANNERS.

HE conftitution of this country, from the effeminacy of our manners, and from the luxury of our entertainments, seems not to rest on a permanent foundation. True nobility now confifts in fplendid titles, gay equipages, and princely palaces. These vanities engrofs the attention of the great, and from them they court applaufe. Expenfive furniture, elegant repafts, and rich apparel, are the ambition of the middle clafs of people: from these childish baubles they feek to acquire respect and esteem from the vulgar.

The honeft pride of virtue, the difinterested love for our country, a pure zeal for our religion, are upon the decline. To be irreligious reflects no difgrace; the villain blushes not, and the public good is abforbed in felfifhnefs. Industry and competency cannot anfwer the exceffive demands of pleasure and luxury, nor fatisfy the wants which they contitually create. Hence arifes the fpirit of monopolizing in the tradefman, and the anxiety for a place or penfion in the gentleman; even nobility defcends to mean

nefs in accepting lucrative appointments, which, but a century ago, the member of an obfcure borough would have refufed with difdain. Notwithstanding these difagreeable truths, we may comfort ourselves under thefe afflictions, that liberty ftill exists in the freedom of the prefs, that juftice is adminiftered with the greatest candour and fricteft impartiality, (much to the honour of the perfonages prefiding in our courts of judicature) and our bumanity is confpicuous in the variety of charitable inftitutions. Effeminacy and luxury, however, may deprive us of these invaluable bleffings, which the fooner deftroyed, the lefs will be our apprehenfions. England hath nothing to fear from without; her enemies are within. From the happinefs of our fituation, we are in no danger from the attack of an open adverfary; our ruin, whenever it fhall happen, will be from our follies and vanities, which, unless feasonably checked, will foon become formidable, and render us willing and contented fubjects, either to foreign or native defpotism.

The

1773.

Specimen of Walpole's Antiquities.

The LIFE of Sir THOMAS WYAT, the Elder.

From No. II. of Mifcellaneous Antiquities, by Horace Walpole, Efq.

INTRODUCTION.

HE following papers of Sir Tho

31

Ant. a Wood tells us was a knight and baronet -- a piteous mistake in

THE of d by Mr. a profeffed antiquary, who ought to

Gray from the originals in the Harleian collection, now in the British Mufeum. The Parnaffian flame that had prophecied from the mouth of the bards could condefcend to be a transcriber. In this inftance his lahour was the homage of juftice paid to a genius, his predeceffor. What Mr. Gray thought worth copying, who will not think worth reading? Hitherto Sir Thomas Wyat has been little known but as a poet. His fpeech on his defence will show him an orator; his letters, a statefman; in both he was a mafter. Yet with all thefe merits his real ftory remains in the dark, fo obfcurely has it been told. The caufe of his misfortunes we find only hinted at; that of his death related diverfly. Having collected everyfcattered paffage that regards him, I fhall endeavour by comparing them, to present the reader with the cleareft sketch that I can form of his life and character. If his cotemporaries have tranfmitted to us but infufficient memorials, or if time and accident have deftroyed more authentic teftimonies, we can only blame the negligence or lament the lofs. He deferved a better hiftorian: all I pretend to, is to place a ftone over what I could recover of his difperfed afhes.

Sir THOMAS WYAT, the Elder,

WAS born in the year 1503 at Allyngton-Castle in Kent, (a) which refidence, fays Fuller, he afterwards repaired with most beautiful buildings. His family was ancient and (b) honourable -- a circumstance I mention to his glory, only because he did not think it a difpenfation from every other kind of merit. His mother's name was (c) Anne Skinner; and his father was Sir Henry Wyat, who

have known that baronets were first created by James 1. Sir Henry was of the privy council to Henry VII. whofe penetration in chufing his minifters was more admirable than the fervices in which he employed them. One of the laft offices in which Sir Henry was (d) trufted by him, was in conducting to the Tower in concert with Sir John Wiltshire comptroller of Calais that unfortunate (e) Prince Edmund de la Pole Earl of Suffolk, whom Henry the King had bafely extorted from Philip King of Caftile, his gueft, and as perfidiously configned to execution with his dying breath. Wyat was continued of the council by Henry VIII. and either by the father or fon appointed master of the jewel office. That he held that poft under the latter appears by a book which was (f) fhown to the antiquarian fociety by Mr. Wife, one of their members, Jan. 22, 1734. It was the original account of the king's jewels, every leaf being figned with Henry's own hand, and was intituled, "A vewe and accomptis of all and fingular the kinges jewellis, stone, perle, plate of golde and filver, in the cuftodye and kepynge of Sir Henry Wyat maifter of the kinges jewellis, as well touching all and every percellis by him receyved to the kinges use and iffuynge out of the fame, as alfo fuch plate as is in the charge of fuch officers of the kinges most honourable houtholde and other by indenture, and the true poyz and waight of every parcel of the fame, taken by the Rt. revd. Father in God John Archbp. of Armachan, maifter Thomas Magnus archdeacon of Eaftriding, and Sir Wm. Kingston Kt. deputed commiffioners by the kinges highness for the fame purpose the 14 day of February the XII year of our foveraine (b) Ex illufiri profapia, fays Bayle. (d) Stowe's Chron. 486.

(a) Fuller's Worthies in Kent, page 81. (c) Wood's Athena, vol. I. col. 56. (e) He was fon of Elizabeth Duchefs of Suffolk, fifter of King Edward IV. (f) From the minutes of the fociety.

Laurel dangerous to Cattle.

(g) Stowe, p. 566. Of that coronation it is remarkable that Archbishop Cranmer alone fat at the table with the queen, awhile the Counteffes of Oxford and Worcefler food all the time. Some other little circumftances may be aljo noted. Counteffes avore plain circles of gold without flowers. Two maids fat under the table at the queen's feet during dinner; and the two attendant countefjes "did bold a fine cloth before the queen's face, when she lift to spit or do otherwije at her pleasure." Stowe, ibid.

(b) It would be fortunate if mention of these pictures should lead to the knowledge of the perfon who now poffeffes them.

(i) Vide No. I. of this work; and the epitaph of Sir Henry Lee in Collins's Peerage, under Earls of Litchfield.

To the EDITOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE.
SIR,

S there may be many people who are ignorant of the danger of laurel to cattle, if eaten by them, I write this for their information; having my felf formerly loft two fine heifers by the leaves of that tree, and laft week again being very near lofing fix cows, who got into an inclofed clump of ever-greens, amongst which was a great deal of laurel; the cow which had eaten the moft plentifully