"then only be in the situation in which he would, "in all probability, have been much sooner, if he had "been educated in a dissipated school. Besides,--" is it certain that this will be the case? Does expe"rience show that the habits of years are so soon "overcome?-Admit however that it unfortunately

happens,-who is most likely to experience salu"tary compunction? and, when sober years, the "rétour de l'âge, as the French describe this period "of life, shall come on, who is most likely to return "to religion and regularity,-he, whose youthful years were strict and pious, or he, to whose youth "devotion was unknown? You say, that this seques. "tered education and these submissive habits dis

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qualify for active life: but don't they teach obe

dience, teach modesty, teach duty ?-Now, what "is the rank, what the pursuit, for which these do "not eminently qualify? But, let experience decide "the question. The exclusion of the catholics of “this realm from all public, and from most lucrative situations, and the general depression of their body,

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place them under many disadvantages. Making "due allowances for this circumstance, and for the comparative proportion of their numbers, you will "find that they will not suffer in comparison with "their protestant brethren. No, the more I think

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of it," continued the good ecclesiastic, "the more "I feel disposed to advocate the strict precautionary discipline of our foreign colleges."-The Reminiscent sincerely rejoices that he was educated in one of them. The words " Douay college," it has ever been a pleasure to him to hear; they have

ever brought to his recollection years of great happiness and scenes of great edification.

It may be added, that the world has unavoidably found some way into these establishments since the inmates of them have been settled in England, and that their plan of education has been materially improved. Reading, arithmetic, geography, and modern history, are systematically taught; and due regard is shown to manners.

On two accounts,- cheapness and universal equality of treatment, the foreign education, of which we are speaking, was entitled to the highest praise. The instruction, the dress, the board, the pocketmoney, the ornamental accomplishments of music, dancing, and fencing, every thing, except physic, was defrayed by the moderate yearly sum of 30 l. There was no distinction of rank-when the late duke of Norfolk was at Douay college, he rose at the same hour, studied and said his lesson in the same classes, ate at the same table, and wore the same uniform as the other boys; the son of the duke de St. Carlos did the same at Stonyhurst; the grand Condé had done the same at the Loyolan Collége de Clêrmont.

But, whatever objection might be made to the retired and devotional habits of a foreign college, in respect to persons destined to the world, none could be made to them in respect to persons destined to the church. The fruits of their pious education always appeared in the conduct of the catholic priests serving on the English mission.

In describing the general body of the clergy of

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Amiens, the biographer of the celebrated bishop of that city, says, that "they were all decent, and many exemplary." Higher praise belongs to the English catholic clergy. Who of them is not punctual in his attendance at the altar? or assiduous in his confessional? Who, not ready at the call of every poor man, to afford him spiritual succour? or to instruct his poor child? Where is the hospital, the workhouse, or the prison, into which, if it have a catholic inmate, the catholic priest does not cheerfully carry the comforts of religion?

With few exceptions, these servants of God, and benefactors of man,-for these honourable appellations they certainly deserve,-subsist by privations. Still-scanty as is their revenue, the poor generally have some share of it. Wherever he is, the English catholic priest is the poor man's friend.

It should be mentioned, that, notwithstanding their exile and persecutions, the hearts of the English scholars educated in these foreign colleges remained truly English. This was frequently observed by those, among whom they were domiciliated. During the war, which was closed by the peace of Paris in 1763, every victory which the English gained over the French, was a triumph to the English boys : their superiors were more than once admonished by the magistrates and their friends not to make their joy on these occasions too noisy. The salutary and incontrovertible truth, that one Englishman can, any day, beat two Frenchmen, was as firmly believed, and as ably demonstrated at Douay and St. Omer's, as it could be at Eton or Winchester.

II.

CLASSICAL STUDIES-HOMER-VIRGIL-DEMOS

THENES-CICERO-DRYDEN-POPE-MODERN

ENGLISH POETS.

CLASSICAL literature was, for some years after he quitted Douay college, the delight of the Reminiscent; such it had been even before that time. He distinctly recollects his almost infant admiration of Tasso in Fairfax's translation, and of Homer in Pope's; and that, even then, he felt the splendid invocation, with which Homer introduces his catalogue of the ships, and the noble speech of Sarpédon to Glaucus. At Douay he read the two great epic poems of antiquity in their original language, and then preferred the Roman to the Grecian bard. At a subsequent time he renewed his Greek education under the late Dr. Harwood *, and then he began to be sensible of the transcendent beauties of the latter.

Homer has since been his favourite author. The sublime conceptions, vivid figures, interesting narratives, but more than all, the exquisite style and perfect common sense of the Mæonian bard, are far

*

The Greek language appeared to be as familiar to this learned man as the English. An eminent Greek scholar once said,—“ I don't know why it is so, but I read no Greek author "as familiarly as I do a newspaper."-Did even the Stephenses read Greek as familiarly as we read newspapers?

above any praise which they can receive in these His work is a prodigy :-we must suppose pages. either that he was preceded by other writers, who had brought poetry to the perfection, or nearly to the perfection, in which we find it in his writings; or that he himself created the poetry of his own. immortal work.

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It is observable that Herodotus* seems to declare for the latter opinion. "As for the gods," these are his words, "whence each of them was descended, "or whether they were always in being, or under "what shape or form they existed, the Greeks knew nothing till very lately. Hesiod and Homer were, "I believe, about four hundred years older than "myself, and no more; and these are the men who "made a theogony for the Greeks; who gave the gods their appellations, defined their qualities, appointed their honours, and described their forms. "As for the poets, who are said to have lived before "these men, I am of opinion they came after them." In this passage, Herodotus expresses an opinion that the Grecian theogony was the invention of Homer and Hesiod; but, whoever reflects on its nature, its complication and contrivance, its countless but coherent relations and dependencies, must be sensible that this was impossible.

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Even if this opinion were admitted, a further difficulty would press upon us. The poetry of Homer is complete; the structure of the hexameter is equalled by no other mode of versification in any language;

* Ευτέρπη,