For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, FRAGMENTS by LE O. NUMBER VIL THAT part of my temper which inclines flattery of low mercenary dependants which affails their inexperienced entrance on the rank of men, during the wildest ebullition of the paffions; and above all, for that unhappy idea of their high fuperiority of birth and fortune which makes their heads giddy, M. de VOLTAIRE to the Princess AMELIA of and to fancy they are on high towers looking Thus to abufe a dream is most abʼurd. After I retired from the Coffe-house I could not get, what I then thought, the extreme infolence of his Majetty out of my mind, but fat half-dreffed by my bed-fide indalging in these indignant reveries: What characters, thought I, have more difgraced buman nature than thofe of kings! the kings of every nation, Jews and Gentiles, Greeks ad Barbarians, Turks and Chriftians? What defcription of men ever exceeded them in oppreilion and injuftice, in rapine, murder and every cruelty, in unlimited indulgence of the bafeft and lowest paffions! But it hurts me to degrade human nature too much. The fault of thofe multitudes who, poffeffed of the title and power of kings, have difgraced the name of man, is to be traced in their unhappy education. The extreme infolence of those who, according to the vulgar error, are styled the Great, has in every age been the contempt of philosophers and generous informed minds. But fuch minds, on cooler thoughts, will no more blame human nature for the worthleffaefs of the great majority of thofe vulgarly called the Great, thofe fungous excrefcences of fociety, than they will blame the good timber of an old oak tree on account of the ufelefs fungous excrefcences that ooze out of its rhind. Such minds with make allowances for the miferable indulgence fhewn to the earliest years of princes and of our young gentry; for the ignorance which follows that indulgence; for that down on the bulk of fociety, when in realag they are much below it. But whatever apologies may be made for the ignorance and confequent infolence of too many of our own lordlings, the Great Frederic, the philofopher and hero of the North, needs no fucti palliation or defence. He knows what fentiments are liberal, and worthy of an inftructed mind; infolence and contempt in him therefore are triply aggravated, triply odious. But when that contempt is bestowed on abilities fuperior to his own, it is quite unfufferable. Sir W. Temple fays, ten thousands of men are born with abilities and requifites to make great kings, generals and ftatesmen, for one that is born with the talents or mind neceffary to form the great poet. Yet it feems his accomplished Majesty of Berlin thought it blafphemy itself in Voltaire even to dream that he was one of that facred order of Superior and beaven-defcended Beings called kings! Had I read this of James 1. fuch infolence would have been in tharacter; and I fhould only have laughed ; but in the great and juftly-admired Frederic, it is intolerable.- -Thus far had my Reverie carried my indignation, when turning over fome numbers of the Journal des Scavans, which lay on the table, in hope of fome amufement, I luckily fell upon the original verses of Voltaire and his Majefty, and was agreeably deceived on finding that the infoence which had chagrined me, lay not in the French of the king's reply, but in the clumfy turn of the English translation. The original ends thus: Mais quand Voltaire en Pruffe, pour faire Ma foi ce abufer d'un Jonge. Here the turn or point is delicate, and elegantly witty. It is not as in the English, or rather Scotch tranflator, from the Scotch word in it: But when, conceited non, Voltaire here dreams of empire, on my word, Thus to abufe a dream is most abfurd. Here dreams of empire obviously means, in his verfes he dreams of empire; and that for fuch a fellow as he to dream of empire, was to abuse a dream moft abfurdly. But the paint of the original is very different; C is as good-natured as it is fharp-pointed, and is entirely free of that infolence which the clumsy English verfion fuggested to my indignation. Memorandum, if ever any acquaintance I have a regard for intend to tranflate poetry from one language into another, lay this example before him; and tell him, that the delicate precifion fo necefary in tranflation, porticularly in works of wit and humour, requires a fimilarity of feeling and tafte with his author, without which he will neither understand him, do him common juftice, or himfelf the finalleft credit. AN ACCOUNT of CUTHBERT SHAW*. AUTHBERT SHAW was born at Raventworth, near Richmond in Yorkshire, about the year 1738, or 1739. His father was a perfon in low circumstances, and followed the occupation of a fhoemaker. Our Author was first put to school at Kirkbyhill, in his father's neighbourhood; but he was foon removed to Scorton, five miles from Richmond, where, after having gone through a common courfe of education, he was appoint ed Usher. Some time after he became Uther to the Grammar- fchool at Darlington under Mr. Metcalf, and, while there, published his first Poem, in 1756, called " Liberty. Humbly infcribed to the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Darlington," 4to. During his refidence at this place he began to fhew that negligence of the dictates of prudence, and the rules of azonomy, which marked bis future life, infomuch that he was obliged to quit his poft and the country; and with nothing but his talents cme in queft of fortune to the metropolis. til the 14th May 1762, when he perfonated Pierre in Venice Preferved for his own benefit. He poffeffed but few of the requifites for the Theatre except figure, and from this time feems to have abandoned a purfuit from which he was likely to derive neither profit nor credit. From this period we hear no more of him as an actor. The exact time of his arrival in London we are unable to afcertain; but we are informed that his fit employment was writing paragraphs and effays for the newspapers. In the spring of 1760 he was at St. Edmond's Bury, probably a member of the Norwich company of comedians, and published under the name of W Seymour "Odes on the Four Seafons," 4to, a performance which had been one of his youthful productions. In the fummer of that year he joined Mr. Foote's hafty raifed troop with which that gentleman opened the Haymarket with "the Minor," a play that was acted with uncommon fuccefs thirty-five nights, and in which Mr. Shaw performed the part of Sir George Wealthy. The winter of that year he paffed either in Ireland or in fome country company, and in the fummer of 1761 performed at DruryLane, then opened by Mr. Foote and Mr. Murphy. On the 19th October he appeared at Covent Garden in the character of Of myn in Zara, but with fo little fuccefs that he never was permitted to perform any more un In the beginning of the year 1762 he refumed the pen, and the poetical war kindled up by Churchill raging at that juncture with great violence, he wrote a Satire, called, "The Four Farthing Candles," 4to. in which he attacked Meif. Lloyd, Churchill, Colman, and Shirley. This performance was executed with fome fpirit and fuccefs, and obtained fo much notice as to encourage him to proceed as an author, In 1766, he published "The Race, a Poem," 4to. in which he characterized the chief poets of that period, and fome of them with great feverity. This poem was republished and enlarged in the next year. It appears from it, that he had, by this time, no want of confidence in his powers. He had learnt to deal his fatire about with no unípating hand, and if it was not felt by the parties against whom it was directed, it was owing to no lenity or forbearance in the fatirift. About this time he wrote an account of the virtues of a then popular medicine, called "The Beaume de Vie," and was admitted as a partner to a proportion of the profits arifing from it. He had hitherto led, if not a profligate, at least a diffipated life. He feemed tenfible of it himself, and foon afterwards married, and for a fhort time had the care of the prefent Earl of Chefterfield, then an infant, to inftruct him in the firft rudiments of literature. He alfo put forth propofals for publishing his poems by fubfcription; but this was never executed, and he returned the money he had received. In 1768, he left his wife in child-bed, of her fiift child, and on this occafion wrote his In this article we have received fome affiftance from a correfpondent who figns himself D. fome original fpecimens of Mr. Shaw's Poetry see p. 50, be 1 If from thy lov'd embrace my heart to gain, Proud friends have frown'd and fortune fmil'd in vain; If it has been my fole endeavour, ftill To watch thy very imiles, thy with to know, If this I've done, and more-oh then be kind To the dear lovely babe I leave behind. When time my once-lov'd memory fhall efface, Some happier maid may take thy Emma's place, With envious eyes thy partial fondness fee, And oh! be tender for its mother's fake. 1 know thou wilt;--fad filence fpeaks affent, And in that pleafing hope thy Emma dies content. The child, which was a daughter, lived but a short time after its mother, and Mr. Shaw again lamented his fecond lofs in ftrains not inferior to the former The publica tion of these poems introduced him to the notice of the first Lord Lyttelton, who extolled the author in the higheft terms; but he derived no other advantage from his lordfhip's acquaintance. In the foregoing Poems are many allufions to the mifery of their Author, independent of the circumstances which gave rife to them. He was at this period afflicted with difeafe, which put on its moft difgraceful form, and rendered him an object almost offenfive to fight. He had poffeffed no fmall portion of vauty about his perfon, and this alteration added pungency to his afflictions. He however ftill continued to write, and in 1769 published "Corruption, a Satire, infcribed to "the Right Honourable Richard Grenville "Earl Temple," 4to. In the dedication be fpeaks of himself in the following terms: "For me, long loft to all the World holds ❝ dear, "No hopes can flatter, and no funs can chear; "Sicknets and forrow, with united rage, "In early youth have wreak'd the ills of age: "This all my wish,-(fince earthly joys are " flown) "To figh unfeen,—to live and die unknown. "To break the tenor of this fad repofe, "Say, what could roufe me, but my coun"try's woes? "But thus to fee vice ftalk in open day, "With thameless front, and universal fway! "To view proud villains drive the gilded car, "Deck'd with the ipoils and ravages of war! "Whofe ill-got wealth, fhifted from hand "to hand, "With vice and want have delug'd all the "land; "'Tis Satire's only to avenge the cause "On thofe that 'icape from Tyburn and the "Laws: "Drag forth each knave confpicuous and "confeít, "And hang them high-as fcare-crows to "the rest! "Let this grand object claim my ev'ry <<< care, * Both these pieces are reprinted in Vol. III. of Fearch's Collection of Poems. contributer contributor if not the editor of "The Freeholder's Magazine." One of his laft pieces was an Elegy on the death of Charles Yorke, the Lord Chancellor, which was generally fufpected to have been fuppreffed on the family's paying a fum of money to the author : it even has been infinuated that it was written with that view, and it is to be feared that the morals of the author would not discountenance the opinion. At length, overwhelmed with complicated diftrefs, he died at his houfe in Titchfield freet, Oxford-market, Sept. 1, 1771, having exhibited to the world a miferable example of genius, extravagance, vanity and imprudence; genius to be commended, vices to be avoided, and follies to be defpifed. ACCOUNT of the ORGAN of HEARING in FISH. HE organs of hearing in fith, he ob of fkull, or that cavity which contains the brain; but the fkull itfelf makes no part of the organ, as it does in the quadruped and the bird. In fome fish this organ is wholly furrounded by the parts compofing this cavity, which in many is cartilaginous, the fkeleton of these fish being like thofe of the ray kind; in others alfo, as in cod, falmon, &c. whole fkeleton is bone, yet this part is cartilagi nous. In fome fish this organ is in part within the cavity of the skull, or that cavity which alfo contains the brain, as in the falmon, cod, &c. the cavity of the skull projecting laterally, and forming a cavity there. they must be compofed of fuch substance as Each tube defcribes more than a femicir- Two of the femicircular canals are fimilar to one another, may be called a pair, and are placed perpendicularly; the third is not fo long; in fome it is placed horizontally, uniting as it were the other two at their ends or terminations. In the fkate it is fomething different, being only united to one of the perpendiculars. The two perpendiculars unite at one part in one canal, by one arm of each uniting, while the other two arms or horns have no connection with each other, and the arms of the horizontal unite with the other two arms of the perpendicular near the entrance into the common canal or cavity. The organ of hearing in fish appears to grow in fize with the animal, for its fize is nearly in the fame proportion with the fize of the animal, which is not the cafe with the quadruped, &c. the organs being in them. nearly as large in the growing fitus as in the adult, It is much more fimple in fish than in ail thofe orders of animals who may be reckoned fuperior, fuch as quadrupeds, birds, and amphibious animals, but there is a regular gradation from the first to fith. It varies in different orders of fith; but in all it confifls of three curved tubes, all of which mite with one another; this union forms in fome only a canal, as in the cod, falmon, ling, &c. and in others a pretty large cavity, as in the ray kind. In the jack there is an oblong bag, or blind procefs, which is an addition to thofe canals, and which communicates with them at their union. In the ed, &c. this union of the three tubes ftands upon an oval cavity, and in the jack there are two of thote cavities; thefe additional carities in thele fith appear to answer the Laie purpose with the cavity in the ray or cartilaginous futh, which is the union of the three canals. The whole is composed of a kind of cartiEginous fubitane, very hard or firm in fome parts, and which in fome fih is crufted over with a thin bony lamella, to as not to allow them to colapte; for as the Jou'l does not form any part of thote calls of cavitjes, Near the union of thofe canals into the common, they are fwelled out into round bags, becoming there much larger. In the ray kind they all terminate in one cavity, as has been observed; and in the cod they terminate in one canal, which in these fith is placed upon the additional cavity or cavities. In this cavity or cavities there is a hone or bones, In fome there are two bones; as the jack has two cavities, we find in one of thofe cavities two bones, and in the other only one; in the ray there is only a chalky fubftance. At this union of the two perpendiculars in fome fith enters the external communication, or what may be called the external meatus. This is the cafe with all the ray kind, the external orifice of which is fmall, and placed on the upper flat furface of the head; but it is not every genus or fpecies of fish that has the external opening. The nerves of the ear pals outwards from the brain, and appear to terminate at once on the external furface of the fwelling of the femicircular tubes above defcribed. They do not appear to pafs through those tubes fo as to get on the infe, as is fupposed to be the cafe in quadrupeds; I thould therefore very much fulpect, that the lining of thofe tubes in the quadruped is not nerve, but a kind of internal perioiteum. |