Contend it was the fame with the onyx; but Montfaucon, who gives various fpecimens of the antient drinking-vafes, is convinced from what Arrian fays, that it was a feparate matter: the murrhinian cups were most esteemed of all others, as well for their gold and purple fhades, as for their natural perfume; they were first brought into Rome by Pompey, when he returned in triumph from the East. 2. Lefbia vina] This wine is noted by Horace, as a light wine fit for the fummer, and not intoxicating; Athenæus terms it olvagio; it is the fame with what Virgil, Geo. 2. and our poet, Eleg. 9. Lib. 4. call Methymnæum, from Methymna, a city of Lefbos. See what Ariflotle fays of Lesbian wine, according to Aulus Gellius, Lib. 12. Cap.5. 4. funibus iro rates:] The ancients, like us, not only navigated veffels along rivers with fails and oars, but alfo drew them along with cords faflened to men and beafts: thus Aufonius in Mofello, Tu duplices fortite vias; et quum amne fecundo 5. Jatas filvas,] Livineius injudiciously writes facras filvas ; but Pafferatius justly interprets thefe words, trees planted in certain ranks or orders; for filva is often put, as he clearly proves, for a fingle tree; in fuch ranks, Virgil, Geor. 2. recommends the planting of vines, as well for utility as ornament. The Romans went to an immenfe expence in the culture of their woods, or parks belonging to their villas. See an excellent note, and applicable story upon this fubject, in Grainger's Tiballus, Eleg. 3. Lib. 3. 8. Nefcit Amor, &c.] See our poet, Eleg. 5. Nefcit Amor prifcis cedere imaginibus. 9. trahit quietem,] Pafferatius interprets this paffage by; contra&ing, shortening the night; for the night, to a very fond lover, when with his mistress, never feems long enough; but I think that trahere here fimply means ducere, as Virgil ufes it, Æneid. 4. Nate dea, potes hoc fub cafu ducere fomnos ? 12. 1. rubris gemma fub æquoribus.] The Erythrean fea fo named by the Greeks from its King Erythra, is called by the Latins mare rubrum; perhaps fays Pliny, Lib. 8. Cap. 22. from its waters being tinged red, by the reverberation of the folar rays; perhaps from the colour of its fands, or foil; or from the natural redness of its waters. And in his Proem, to Lib. 12. he informs us, that on its banks were found in great quantities pearls and curious fhells, particularly the murex, from which a purple dye was extracted. 14. dum me fata perire volent.] Broukhufius cannot perfuade himfelf, that Propertius wrote thus; for, fays he, it is dura atque inaufficata locutio; from which, he adds, that the Romans religiously abftained; and he would fain fubftitute in its room venire, or manere : but let thofe fubfcribe to this refinement who chufe it. 16. trifti] This word here means, unkind, unpropitious; as in Tibullus, El. 7. L. 1. Semper, ut inducar, blandos offers mihi vultus : Poft tamen es mifero triftis et afper, Amor. 16. præmia] This word is ufurped for pecuniary riches, by Nevius, after Prifcianus. E e 2 19. 4. 19. Arabium tranfcendere limen,] Some editors write lefs elegantly confcendere. By Arabian thresholds, or doors, are understood fuch valuable ones as are made of onyx, or alabafter, which is found in Arabia. See Diodorus Siculus, Lib. 2. upon Arabian marble; and Pliny, Lib. 36. Cap. 7. The wealthy Romans incrufted their whole houfes with marble; and we are informed by Pliny, that Mamurra Formianus, a Roman knight, whom Catullus lashes with fuch determined virulence, was the first in Rome who fo decorated his house. 22. variis ferica textilibus ?] Woven coverlids for beds, as well as all other woven manufactures. Babylonica firagula et periftromata, were firft invented by the Egyptians, as Pliny tells us, Lib. 7. cap. 55. those of filk were particularly coftly; for filk was but little known among the Romans: Theophanes, the Byzantine hiftorian, tells us, that a certain Perfian first brought filk-worms from the nation of the Seres, the prefent Chinefe, to Conftantinople, under the Emperor Juftinian, and taught the Romans how filk was produced. Salmafius, in Vopifc. obferves, that the ancients had, like us, filk ftuffs, woven with thread one way, and filk another; which they called subferici and tramoferici; but fuch as were entirely of filk they called boloferiti,' and efteemed at high value. Spartianus informs us, that the magnificent emperor Heliogabalus was the first who wore a garment wholly of filk; and Vopifcus remarks, that, in the time of Aurelian, a pound of filk was worth a pound of gold. 24. Alcinoi munera] The riches of Alcinous, king of the Phæacians; and the vast gifts he lavished upon Ulyffes, at his departure from Corcyra, are amply defcribed by Homer, Odys. 7. et 13. ART. V. Modern Manners: In a Series of Familiar Epiftles. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Faulder. 1781. A Profeffed imitation of the Bath Guide, and one of the best that we recollect to have feen of that exquifite original. The characters are, an old Country 'Squire, his Nephew and Niece, and an old maiden Aunt, who come up to town on a vifit to a modern fine lady. As a fpecimen of this writer's manner, take the following detached paffages from the 7th epistle. My Lord, t'other evening when dinner was done, And bottles and glaffes, and fruit, were fet on, Said, he d just got a card from my Lady CHATTONY, Who beg'd him to come to her Converfatione: Go with me, he cried, and I'll promife a treat; There the gay, and the grave, and the learned will meet: Whom he'd feen at my Lord's-GEORGE popp'd down in a corner. the window and door, in a current of wind; That That I'm quite hoarfe this morning, you need not be told, Were pour'd out d'ye fee, In the parlour below by the livery'd fquire; As ftrong and as bitter as heart could defire, To all the gay rout, Two cups of the liquor which ladies adore; The cake and the coffee, and tea-things they bore, Then they got into parties, as fuired them beft, Who talk'd of fine ponies, fine women, fine cloaths. Next a party of critics and authors I join'd, "Sir, good Mr. SHUTTLECOCK's pamphlet (depend on't) "That JOHNSON's in town, and is writing away; "I was charm'd with his MILTON; what judgment and spirit! "Mr. REGICIDE, fure you'll allow this has merit? "You've read it, no doubt, Sir,"-" Not I, Sir, indeed "Read JOHNSON!-I'd fooner fubfcribe to the creed! His opinions, religious and civil, 1 hate " "Sir, he'd make us all flaves to the church and the ftate !". ""Tis lik after a virgin a mess o' the toun: "On this fubject the Doctor does nothing but dream, "For he is too purblind to ken the tubleeme." IN ART. VI. The Interest of Great Britain, with regard to her American Colonies confidered: To which is added an Appendix, containing the Outlines of a Plan for a general Pacification. By James Aoderfon, M. A. Author of Obfervations on the Means of exciting a Spirit of National Industry, &c. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Cadell. 1782. N times when fubjects of general importance engage the attention of the Public, and teeming heads are delivered of thoughts for their own ease and the benefit of others, any person, whatever his opinions may be, can be furnished with ready-made arguments to fupport them, that will fit them as neatly, as a tall, fhort, fat, lean, ftrait, or crooked man, may be fitted with a fuit of cloaths at Monmouth-ftreet or Rofemary-lane: It is indeed as happy for communities as for individuals, that we have fuch a facility in accommodating our thoughts to circumftances as they arife; for the train of reafoning purfued in this very fenfible effay, which, perhaps, the ingenious Author himfelf never conceived, till it was dictated by events, may now operate as a cordial, by its novelty, though the taste of it would have been totally difrelifhed at the close of the late war, when we were flushed with conquefts, and congratulated ourselves on the recent extenfion of the British empire. After having been repeatedly told, both in print and in the fenate, that our welfare as a nation, depended on preferving the fupreme government over our American colonies; we are now comforted under the lofs of them, by a difquifition, the refult of which is, That our American colonies, instead of promoting the trade and manufactures of Great Britain, have tended in a moft powerful manner to deprefs them. That inftead of adding ftrength and flability to the empire, they have neceffarily weakened it to a great degree, and expofed it to the molt imminent danger. That, therefore, the fettling of thefe colonies at firft was unwife, and the fubfequent encouragement that was given them highly impolitic.' To maintain thefe pofitions may be deemed an arduous task, by those who have ever confidered American colonization in a direct contrary point of view; but it is undertaken by a writer, whofe abilities we have, on more than one occafion, found to be refpectable. Inftead of extending this article by attempting an abridged detail of the whole work, which, from the connexion of the feveral parts, muft be injured by curtailing, we fhall confine ourselves to the chapter which treats of the confequences that refult from extended dominion, as an abstract queftion; and our choice is the rather directed to this paffage, as the argument of it points directly at certain current opinions, as well relating to ourselves as to the new-formed American States, the validity of which is generally fuppofed incontrovertible, and may ferve to reconcile us to difappointments, that, according to the writer, ought rather to give us fatisfaction. It is, fays our Author, admitted, that of two countries containing an equal number of inhabitants, the fmalleft in extent of territory will be the most powerful. The larger the territory, the more difficult it is to be defended; many garrisons and numerous troops being required to fecure an extended country from infult and danger. The fame reafoning applies to the internal police of the country; the difficulty of obtaining prompt' juftice against tranfgreffors, being much greater in countries. where the people are thinly fcattered, than where they are more numerous, or live closer together: if therefore equal fecurity is obtained in each, it will be much more chargeable in the large, than in the fmall country. In a well-peopled country, the labourer and manufacturer are fo near neighbours, that they exchange the produce of their induftry with great facility, and with the leaft poffible wafte of labour; therefore the produce of the fields, and manufactures, can be afforded at the lowest poffible rate. But if a country be thinly peopled, all commodities must be carried confiderable diftances to market; and the expence of carriage enhances the price of goods without adding to their value: To this must be added, the labour and charge attending making and fupporting extenfive roads of communication between different parts of the country. It is for fuch reafons Mr. Anderfon calls the large country, thinly peopled, the poor country; the fmaller, and more populous, the rich country: and the taxes required for fupporting the civil and military establishment, are railed cheaper, and are of course more productive, in the latter than in the former. The poor country therefore is doubly oppreffed, as being more feverely taxed, and being after all, much weaker than the rich one. He extends the parallel to a greater variety of circumftances than we can attend to, and concludes that the only states where the felicity of the people has been confiderable and durable, have been those whofe want of power precluded any ideas of conquest to enlarge their territories. After this general doctrine, he comes to the application: If,' fays he, the preceding reafoning be well founded, we have room to doubt if our forefathers acted with prudence, when they fhewed fo much folicitude to extend the bounds of the British empire. in America. We thus acquired, it is true, an immenfe tract of country, abundantly fertile, and capable of maintaining an innume rable multitude of people, but that country totally deftitute of inhabitants. As individuals in Britain have been accustomed to value their poffefions, by the extent and fertility of the foil which belonged to them, we naturally enough applied the fame rule to judge of the value of those countries that have been annexed to the British empire, not properly adverting to the difference of circumftances between ourfelves and the western continent. Had Ruffia, which is a thinly peopled, and in many places a fertile country, acquired thefe pof E 4 fefliona, |