morality or religion, which are in any degree connected with his peculiar prejudices. In fuch cales, as far as my own enquiry goes, writers of this clafs are more frequently falfe or unfair than correct in their fatements; and I have been affured by a perfon, in whofe in formation, judgement, and candour, I have entire confidence, that Mr. Hume can never be depended upon even in his Hiftory of England; and, therefore, my friend burnt the book. Thefe, Mr. Urban, are my fentiments; for which, however, I do not mean to contend with Zeno, or with any one, but leave every man to examine and judge for himfelf. I gave no intimation that I discovered, or fancied I difcovered, by the tenour of Zeno's letter, whether he "believed in ghotts or not." In faying that "two correfpondents had offered fome remarks on the fubject of ghofts," I meant nothing more than to apologize for myfelf in meddling with the question. It is very rarely indeed, that I venture to obtrude upon Mr. Urban and his readers any original fpeculations of my own. I am glad to thelter myself under the example of others; and am fatisfied if I can now and then anfwer a query, correct a mistake, or improve, or enlarge a hint farted by perfons far more ingenious than myself." May I now be pardoned in recurring for a moment to the fubject which led to thefe remarks? A grave writer, having related feveral well-attefted flories, which induced him to believe in the reality of ghofts, concludes with obferving, "Digna res eft, quamdiu multumque confideres." Plin. Ep. xxvii. L. vii. If any of your readers concur in this opinion, I beg leave to fubinit to their confideration two paffages, which Pliny moft probably never faw. St. Luke (Acts xxiii.) having introduced St. Paul, faying, "I am a Pharifee, the fon of a Pharifee," informs us immediately, that the Pharifees confefled both angels and Spirits. And then fome of the Pharifees prefent faid, "If a fpirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight againft God." The fame St. Luke, in the laft chapter of his Gofpel, relates, that when our blefied Lord, after his refurrection, "flood in the midit" of his difciples," they were terrified and affrighted, and fuppofed that they had feen a fpirit." Then the compaffionate GENT. MAG. December, 1801. Lord of thofe difciples faid, "Handle Mr. URBAN, Dec. 7. plate fl.) is placed in a beau HE church of Thornton, Bucks, tiful lawn near the manfion called Thornton Hall, and is of great antiquity. There is no certain account of its date. We find in the year 1238, 22 Hen: III. Hugh was the rector. Its prefent lord, Thomas Sheppard, efq. who married the daughter of Doctor Cotton, by his wife HefterMaria Tyrrel, when he first came here, found it much dilapidated. He immediately applied for a faculty, and repaired and beautified it, adding a new North aile where an old one once flood; and it is now a neat uniform building, and a pattern for all churches and chapels for the purpose of pure devotion. It has feveral monuments dreadfully mauled by Time, with a neat one to the memory of Sir Tho mas Tyrrel. Here Wm. Bredon was vicar; who was not only a mofi profound divine, but abfolutely the mot polite perfon for nativity in his time, ftrictly adhering to Ptolemy, which he well underflood. He had a hand in comprifing Heydon's Defence of Judicial Aftrology, being at that time his chaplain. He was fo given over to tobacco and drink, that, when he had no tobacco, he would cut the bellropes and fmoke them, from, I fuppofe, too much drink. See History of Lilly's Life and Times, p. 44. lowing. "To the memory who departed this life aged 69 years. table production is requested by one of in the church-yard, were the fol This critick thus exprefles himself: "In p. 78. is the frangeft tale we ever heard; no lefs, than that defective wheat'ears are often filled with c ckle-feed: yet the author feems to speak from ecular demonstration. Such a fit would be directly repugnant to all Natural Hiftory, as much fo as if a mare were to foal a flying-fish." Yours, &c. PERE JOHN BANISTER. Mr.URBAN, Kirkby-moor fide, Nov. 17. ERHAPS fome of your correfpondents may give information concerning the feal from which the inclofed impreflion is made (fig. 3). It is part of a folid gold ring, of the form of thofe fometimes found in the tombs of bishops or abbots, this feal being the crown or apex, not foldered on, but of the fame mats as the ring, which weighs about half an ounce. It was found near the remains of the old abbey of Rofedale, in the parish of Middleton (i.e. the ruins of the abbey are on the Eaft fide of Rofedale in that parith, and the wapentake of Pickering Lyth, North riding of Yorkshire, for, the Weft fide is in the parifh of, Laftingham and wapentake of Rydale, in the North riding); and the ring is now in the pofle n of a filverfinith at this place. W. COMBER. THE Mr. URBAN, West Ham, ON. 20. HE pleafant and delightful village of Rottingdean is fituated on the Newhaven road, at the diftance of near four miles from Brighthenfione, a popular watering place. This place is no otherwife remarkable than for its welis, which are nearly empty at high water, but which rife as the tide declines. The accompanying fetch of the church, Pl. H: Con the accuracy of which you may rely) was taken during a journey into Suflex, in the fummer of 1799. The only lines that folicited attention, *50c Plate 1. fig. 3. Alfo, of ABIGAIL, his wife, aged 71 years. And hope itill bloffoms tho' frail nature d'es; + Commercial and Agricultural Maga-, zine for November, 1800. The humble fpirit, all its frailties o'er, To the bieft regions of celestial Fight." This little village has of late been genteel company; for which bathingthe refort of a confiderable number of machines and every accommodation riety of lodging-houfes, a good inn, have been provided. Here are a va&c. It is moft frequented by fuch fa- ! with convenient ftables, coach-houtes, milies as prefer a little retnement to the butile and gaiety of Brighthelmfione, with the company there, for which its and who occafionally may wish to mix fituation renders it, at any time, perRottingdean to Brighthelmtione, is fectly convenient. The road from } delightfully pleafant in the fummer feafon. On one fide you have an extentive view of the fea, and on the other the downs covered with innumerable flocks of sheep, fo jufily held in etimation for their delicious flavour. It is fuppofed that there is no spot in tho univerfe which produces finer mutton than that fed on thefe downs *. The exquifite flavour of the meat is from marth or fwamp, the falubrity owing to the lands being entirely free of the air, the fine quality of the grafs, with which it is intermingled . and the abundance of aromatic herbs ally rite to Beachy-head. Thofe called From Rottingdean the cliffs graduthe Three Charles's, or Churls, afcend *The fort of the downs is of a chay nature, but exceedingly prolific. + Great numbers of whea ars, which caught on the South downs. This mail are by many called Enghth ortolans, are but delicately-flavored bird as the beccafion of Italy. It is conjectured that they direct their flight Northward tu confeq eace of a deficiency of infect-food in their native climate. about ! about 500 feet, and are the highest on the Suflex coaft. To thete clitis great numbers of birds, of divers fpecies, refort to breed; and at the latter part of the feafon they pass to warmer climates. Two apartments are cat in the chalk-rock under the eliff, which hear the name of "Purfon Darby's Hole." It is alerted that Darby formed thefe hollows, meaning then as his conftant refidence; but that he had enjoyed his retirement only a fhort time when he fell a facrifice to the dampnefs of the fituation. Your correction, fir, of an error, refpecting Kien Long, Emperor of China, p. 803, calls for my grateful acknowledgment. accurate in having applied Pliny's dimenfions of this temple to that defigned by Cteliphon, which was burnt in the 106th Olympiad. If, then, we have erred in this particular, we have at leaft wandered in good company; we have Vitruvius with us to keep us in countenance; who, in his third book, refers to a temple of Diana at Ephelus, in his days à Ctefiphonte conftituta; and, in his preface to the feventh book, informs us, that one of the four celebrated temples was the lonic of Diana, at Ephefus, à Cretiphonte & ejus filio Metagene infiirata, and fays it was finifhed, according to report, by Demetrius & Peonius. Now, can gen tlemen imagine for a moment that, when Vitruvius inttanced this temple for an example of an octafiyle diptere defigned by Ctefiphon, he was unacquainted with the circumftance of its having been damaged by fire? Most certainly he knew it: but as he attri buted not the defign and erection of this temple to Demetrius and Peonius for having finished it, fo neither did he judge it fair to rob Ctesiphon of his fame, to bettow it on the reflorer of it; well acquainted, as no doubt he was, that it was reinftated as at firft defigned, by Ctesiphon. Had the rettorer, indeed, rebuilt it from the very foundation, and in the dodecafiyle aspect, Vitruvius, by refering Cafar Auguftus to it as an inftance of an octaliyle diptere of Diana by Ctesiphon, expofed hinfelf to the cenfare of douage and ignorance, both as to the affect of the temple as well as the name of the inYet Obfervator, reiving on a bafis which he fems to think as folid as a rock, confidentiu decides in favour of a dodecaftyle, leaving the confident affertions of Vitruvius and Cæfar's credulity to confequent ridicule; deeming Viator and Philo-technon inaccurate for not doing the fame, In p. 8 of a pamphlet, intituled, "Relation de l'Etabliffement du Chritianifme dans le Royaume de Corée. R dig e eu Latin par Mont. de Govea, Evêque de Pekin, & addreflée, le 15 Aout, 1797, à Mont de St. Martin, Eveque de Caradie, & Vicaire apoftolique de la Province de Sutchuen, en Chine," printed by Ph. le Boutonnier and Co. 1800, the following note occurs: "I e d'ufage de calibrer folennellement chaque dixieme année l'anniverfaire de la naifance. L'empereur de la Chine cél brou cette meme ann e 1790 au mois de Septembre la quatre-vingtieme année de fon age. Les ambaladeurs de prefque tous les princes voifins de Tempire, & entre autres celui de Corée fe rendirent à cette fete." From this fource I borrowed my authority, The news of his death never reached me; I muft, therefore, intreat you to pardon the ignorance I difplayed in that parti-ventor. cular. THURSTON FORD. GRECIAN ARCHITECTURE. No. VI. T HIS number was intended for the difcuflion of the effects of the optics in the concerns of Architecture. But fince your correfpondent Obfervator, has been at the trouble of examining and deciding on the merits of the controverly concerning the Temple of Diana at Ephefis, to put an end to the controverty, and to fhew proper attention to this gentleman's obfervations,' the subject of the opties, by your peruiffion, dhall appear in the next; and the prefent letter fhall be taken up with the final difcuffion of the fubject of this renowned temple. Obfervator, p. 691, intimates that both Viater and Philo-technon are in Now what folidity, Mr. Urban, is there in the batis on which Obfervator fo confidently relies: The weak part of it is," that fo great an extent as 220 feet in front makes it reafonable to infer that there were 12 columus." But he mufe permit it to be faid, this is not to reafon on architectural principles; for if an octa ivi on a fcale of 40 feet has an acknowledged beauty, what marrs this beauty or perverts the beholder's difcernment, when he ball fee this fame form, proportioned by exact fimilar rates, on a feale of 940 feet. feet, fince the only change is from miniature to magnificence? and it was this magnificence, together with its marble materials, and not its particular afpect, that tranfmitted the cele brity of this once noble ftructure to pofterity, and entitled it to rank with the wonders of the world! The fuppofed ftrong part of Obfervator's bafis, and which he makes his Achilles, is the happy unfractional coincidence of Pliny's dimentions with the dodeca ftyle, which, he contends, could not happen by accident; and, therefore, reciprocally prove each other to be right. But unluckily this plaufible appearance of a nicely concerted unfractional coincidence, to confidently relied on, is grounded on a niftaken calculation; for Viator, in dipoting of Pliny's 220 feet amongst his integerical quantities of juft 7 feet for diameter of column, juft 12 for each of ten intercolumniates, and juft 16 for the cen tral one, making juf the fum of 220 feet, forgot to appoint places for the projectures of the 2 angular bases, which claim about 3 feet 6 inches; this will derase all thefe nicely concerted integerucal quantities, and render then all fractional, both in front and fide, except the 7 feet diameter. Now, it is not known whether Pliny took his front line from the extent of the platform, or from the extent of the plinths of the angular bafes, but certainly from one or the other; and not, as Viator has, by applying his 220 feet to the extent of the fhafts of the columns: If from the platform, we muft allow fomething for the fallies over-top rifer of the fieps, as well as for the projectures of angular bafes (fee Vitruvius, ch. II. book III. after his defcription of the euftyle, where he calls thefe fallies crepidines); and in fione steps, the fally, called by our workmen the nofing of the tread, well may have 2 inches: If, then, 220 is the extent of platform, deda@ting 4 inches for 2 fallies, Viator's ordination must be at 7 feet diameter, thus ; 12 columns=84 feet 10 intercolumniates at 11.. 9: 118.9+central one 15 101 + two projectures of angular bafes at 4 diameter (as ordered by Vitruvius) 3..6+ two fallies at 2 inches 4 inches, total juft 220 feet. And the 23 columns and the intercolumniate at 11..9: and projectures of two bafes, with 4 inches for fallies, will be alfo 425 on the fide. And if the extent is taken from the plinths of the angular bafes, then his central intercolumniate in front must be 14.. 1y'r and each of the others, every where, must be 1. 10, in order to coincide with Pliny's dimenfions. So that the unfractional coincidence relied on fo confidently, and deemed not to have happened by accident, turns out not to have happened at all. And it is now in turn confidently offerted, that no co→ incidence with 220 and 425 can be procured, either in dodecaftyle or octaftyle, let the intercolumniation be fyftyle, or dyaftyle, or even in any meafure between them, without frac tions and violation of the known efta- } blifhed rules of Grecian architecture, by enlarging the central intercolumniate, not practifed nor allowed, as we are taught by Vitruvius, by Grecian architects, except in the enftyle and the doric monotriglyphon. Pliny's accuracy, therefore, is not the invulnerable Achilles that Obfervator judged it to be; for his 225 for the length will for ever be too fhort to answer any regular ordination on 220 in front. And if Obfervator ftill contends, that coincidence with Pliny's meafures, by the liberty only of enlarging the central intercolumniate, is fufficient ground on which to fupport the dodecastyle afpect, he will find, that the octaftyle will coincide ftill better with the 220 and 425, because lefs liberties are required; for by giving the 8 diameters to the proportional height of the column, as at first the antients affigned to Ionic columns (Vitru. chap. I. book IV.), then 60 feet divided by 8 quotes 7 feet and 6 inches. Then the ordination will be 8 columns 60+ 6 intercolumuiates at 22.. 0132.. 3+ two projectures of angular bases 3.9+ central intercolumniate 23 .. 114, total = 220 feet. And on the fide, 15 columns 112.. 6+ 14 intercolumniates at 22.0° = 308 .. 9 + two projectures 8.. 9 total = 425 feet. This is perfectly coincident with Pliny's dimenfions, very nearly dyaftyle, as required for ionic columns die intercolumniate enlarged by only (fee Vitru. ch. II. book III,) and mid1..54, whereas the dodecaftyle is enlarged by 4 feet, is hefs than fyftyle, an intercolumniation not conformable to cedented novelty in Grecian architecVitruvius, and is altogether an unpreture for an inclofed temple, as Diana's wes, |