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wich Hofpital, fpeaking of the penfioners, the author fays"the number, at prefent amounts to"-to fupply this omiffion a reference to the books of the Hofpital would have fufficed, and the number might furely have been added without any rifk of disfiguring the work. The other blanks are chiefly of the fame nature, and the omiffion to fill them up, of course, in our opinion, does require an apology.

Those who are acquainted with Mr. Pennant's style of writing will know what they have to expect from the perufal of these volumes; but, notwithstanding the laudable partiality of the editor, they will not, we fear, afford that degree of gratification to the general reader, which might reasonably be hoped from the paft publications of this ingenious and well-informed writer.-The work is composed too much in the style of a journal, and contains too little novelty, to arreft attention, communicate information, or even to fupply amusement. Still it is occafionally interefting, and our traveller has not failed to glean all that could poffibly be collected from a field that had been fo often vifited before.-We fhall felect two or three paffages as fair fpecimens of the work.

NORFOLK HOSPITAL, GREENWICH.

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“There are, in Greenwich, two hofpitals of private foundation, I thall only mention that called Norfolk, which ftands on the riverfide, a little to the north-east of the Royal Hospital. Notwithflanding it was founded by Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, yet it bears the title of his brother Thomas, Duke of Norfolk.Northampton had the honour of founding two others, at Clun in Shropshire, and at Caftlerifing in Norfolk. He feemed to reft entirely on a few good works, to expiate for a multitude of fins, to compound with heaven for a life moft enormously wicked he was treacherous, diffembling, mean, and cruel. The Howards muft not boaft of their blood in this corrupted stream. He is mentioned as Y fubtiliter fubdolus, and a cunning ferpent; the groffeft flatterer alive; externally a Proteftant, internally a Roman Catholic ; adapting his religion to his conveniency. He enjoyed the highest honours of the times, yet could fink into a pandar, and promote the intrigue between the favourite Somerfet and his own niece, wife to the injured Earl of Effex. To fill the measure of his iniquity, he perfuaded the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, and fortunately for himself, died before the detection of that nefarious tranfaction.

"He had the hardiness to profecute, in the Star Chamber, certain perfons, who had been indifcreet enough to fay fome fevere truths of him. Sentence was about to be paffed on them, when the honeft Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, arofe, and bluntly told the Court, that there were fufficient grounds for the reports, and, pulling out a letter of the Earl's to Cardinal Bellar

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mine, read from his own confeffion, that his conformity to the Proteftant religion was no more than a compliment to the King, but his heart flood firm with the Papists'; and that he would be ready to further them in any attempt.' His Lordthip was fo ftruck with this, that he went home, made his will, confessed himself a Roman Catholic, and died foon after. As he was Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Governor of Dover Caftle, he was buried there ;· and a fuperb monument, made by Stone, at the expence of 5001. erected over him in the Chapel of the Caftle: his figure is reprefented kneeling on a farcophagus, in the robes of the Garter, and with his hands clafped. His heirs feemed to have inherited his love of flattery; for, at each corner of the tomb, they have placed a figure of a cardinal virtue. His death happened on June 15th, 1614; in 1696, when the Chapel grew ruinous, his body and tomb were removed into the Chapel of the Hofpital.

THE POWDER MAGAZINE. AT PURFLEET.

"From Erith, we crofled the river obliquely to Purfleet. Its great chalk hill rose before us, in this flat country, like an Alp. A confiderable quantity is burnt into lime for fale. We landed at the tremendous national magazines of gun-powder, erected here about the year 1762. Before that time they were at Greenwich, which was thought to be too near our capital. They confift of five large parallel buildings, each above a hundred and fixty feet long, and fifty-two wide, five feet thick, arched beneath the flated roof; the arch is three feet in thickness, and the ridge of the roof covered with a coping of lead twenty-two inches broad. The building was referved for the reception of the barrels of powder brought out of the magazines, in order to be tried in the proof-room, to which there is a paffage, with a railed floor, covered on the bottom with water; fo that, fhould any grain drop, no accident could fet them on fire. At prefent this building is diffed, all the experiments being made in the open air, and in the mufquetry or artillery, to the ufe of which it is deftined. All thefe buildings are furrounded, at a diftance, with a lofty wall. In the two outmoft is kept the powder, in fmall barrels, piled within wooden frames, from the bottom to the roof; and between the frames is a platform of planks, that the walkers may go in without fear of ftriking against any fubftance capable of emitting a spark. As a farther fecurity, thofe who enter this dreadful place are furnished with golothoes and a carter's frock. Nothing of iron is admitted, for fear of a fatal collifion. The doors are of copper, the wheels of the barrows are of brais. The four buildings utually contain thirty thousand barrels, of a hundred pounds weight. Should an explosion take place, London, only fifteen miles diftant in a direct line, would probably fuffer in a high degree. The dread of fuch an accident by lightning, ftruck the Board of Ordnance fo forcibly, that, in 1772, it confulted the Royal Society on the most effectual method of preventé ing it. A Committee from the Society was appointed, who de termined on fixing conductors; fuch were fet up with unusual pre

caution.

caution. Thefe were, on the principle, advised by Dr. Benjamin Franklin. The very fame philofopher, who, living under the protection of our mild government, was fecretly playing the incendiary, and too fuccefsfully inflaming the minds of our fellow fubjects in America, till the great explofion happened, which for ever difunited us from our once happy colonifts. On May 15, 1777, the inefficacy of his pointed conductors was evinced: lightning ftruck off feveral pieces of ftone and brick from the coping of the Boardboufe, which ftands at a final distance from the Magazines; neither the conductor on this house, or any of the others, acted; but Providence directed the ftroke to that alone; the mifchief was very trifling. Mr. B. Wilfon had very ably diffented against the method propofed by Dr. Franklin; but the evil genius of the witty philofopher stood victorious, and our capital narrowly escaped fubverfion. At prefent these important Magazines are made fafe as human wisdom can contrive. The houfe in question is a hand fome plain building, and is called the Board Houfe, from the ufe made occafionally of it by the Board of Ordnance. It commands a fine view up and down the river, and the rich gentle range of hills in the county of Kent.”

QUEEN ELIZABETH AT TILBURY.

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"Elizabeth was fuperior to every weakness but that of love. (Surely the author fhould have excepted vanity alfo, nor have wholly omitted her vices, which, unfortunately, were numerous.) "She vifited the camp in perfon, rode from rank to rank, and animated her troops by the most infpiriting fpeeches.

"As I am now on the fpot, I fhall mention the part of one, as the moft animated of any which ever really fell from the mouth of an heroine. She has been compared to a Deborah, a Boadicea, and a Zenobia. Had her Highness been put to the proof, her deeds might have not been lefs celebrated! But I question whether any one of them confirmed their refolves with fo round a period as did the daughter of our bluff Monarch, in whom, on this occafion, his fpirit fully burst forth. She alludes to the cowardly defertion of the country at the appearance of the Armada, by feveral of the gentry who lived on the coat. I understand," fays the," that numbers of the gentry have quitted their feats on the fight of the enemy: fhould they ever again betray the like want of courage, by G-d I will make them know what it is to be fearful on fo urgent an oc cafion!!!

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THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS AT BRIGHTON.

On an altar-tomb, near the fouth fide of the Church, is the fol lowing memorial of the loyalty and fervices of Nicholas Tatterfal mafter of the small bark, which, in defiance of all danger, conveyed Charles II. fafe to France. That prince, after experiencing a long fe ries of mira ulous efcapes fubfequent to the battle of Worcester, was at length conducted by his faithful friends to Brightbelmfione, which was thought a more fecure place to meet at, than at Shoreham,

where

where his veffel lay. His Majefty was immediately known by Tatterfal; for it feems he had been taken by the King when Prince, with his own and several other veffels belonging to this town in 1648. The man behaved with unfhaken loyalty, and conveying him to Shorebam, fet fail on October 16, and landed him in the night, in a creek not far from Fefcamp in Normandy.

Captain Nicholas Tatterful, through whofe prudence, valour, and loyalty, Charles II. King of England, after he had escaped the sword of his mercilefs rebels, and his forces received a fatal overthrow at Worcester, September the 3d, 1651, was fathfully preferved, and conveyed to France, departed this life the 26th of July, 1674.

"Within this marble monument doth lie,
Approved faith, honour, and loyalty;

In this cold clay he has now ta'en up his station,
Who once preferv'd the Church, the Crown, and Nation :
When Charles the Great was nothing but a breath,
This valiant ful stept 'tween him and death:
Ufurpers' threats, nor tyrant rebels' frown,
Could not affright his duty to the Crown:
Which glorious act of his for Church and State
Three Princes in one day did gratulate,
Profeffing all to him in debts to be,

As all the world are to his memory.

Since earth could not reward the worth him given,
He now receives it from the King of Heaven.
In the fame cheft one jewel more you have,
The partner of his virtues, bed, and grave.'

"Soon after the Restoration, Tatterfal broughthis veffel up the river Thames, and moored oppofite to Whitehall, in remembrance of his Majefty's efcape. An annuity was granted to that loyal failor, and his heirs for ever, of 1001, a year; but for a confiderable time paft it has been difcontinued."

It is worthy of enquiry, how an annuity fo fettled, and for fuch a purpofe, came to be difcontinued. The Regium Donum to the defcendants of the men who murdered the tather of the prince, whofe life this gallant tar contributed to preferve, continues to be paid with wonderful punctuality.

The plates are well executed; and the greater part of the defigns difplay much taste. A Northern Tour, from Downing to Alfton Moor, by Mr. Pennant, is, we find, in the preis.

A Collation of the Hebrew and Greek Texts of the Pfalms: in order to account for the Variances between them, and thereby eftablish the Authenticity of the one, and the Fidelity of the other. By John Reeves, Efq. 8vo. Pr. 286. Price 8s. Payne, White, Wright. 1800.

WE

WE

E have already had frequent occafion to commend the conftitutional labours of Mr. Reeves. We are now called upon to put off our fandals, and meet him upon holy ground; a task the more agreeable, because it will not here be our lot incedere per ignes fuppofitos cineri dolso. Hitherto we have been obliged to accompany him with circumfpection, and to measure our paces with caution; but here we shall be at liberty to look about and loiter, without having occafion for the fweet found of flutes, and recorders, to charm our painful fteps aver the burning marl.

The Collation is prefaced by a learned letter to Mr. Pitt, of fixty-four pages, explanatory of the author's defign in the work itfelf. The publication of the Holy Scriptures being one of the employments of the King's Printer, and Mr. Reeves having an intereft in that concern, he has determined to be inftrumental in editing fuch biblical works as fhall be useful, not only to English readers, but to fcholars. Feeling the refponfibility of his fituation, he is laudably actuated by the defire of "doing fomething for the public, and of paying the debt, which a great man has faid, we all owe to our profeffion." As his preliminary epiftle is of fome importance, we fhall review it with attention, and take the liberty of difapproving, as well as commending, where we think we have. juft occafion.

The Septuagint tranflation of the Pfalms is, in our opinion, justly appreciated by Mr. R.: but we cannot confent, that the fame merit fhould be extended to much the greater part of the Greek verfion. Has he compared the book of Job with the Hebrew Has he collated the prophecies of Ifaiah with the original? With Bishop Lowth's fentiments of the latter, we cannot fuppofe him to be unacquainted. Has he marked the deficiencies of the Greek tranflation of Jeremiah? Is he aware, that there is a paffage in that book, which the incapable tranflator gave up as inexplicable, and inferted the Hebrew in Greek letters in his verfion, notwithstanding the fenfe was obvious and eafy? We cannot point to the passage, for Trommius affords no reference to it, but of its existence there cannot be the fhadow of a doubt. Michaelis's fentiments on the excellence of fome parts of the Greek verfion, and particularly of the book of Proverbs, we have been long acquainted with; but we must beg leave to fubjoin our own fentiments, that other parts are extremely defective: fo defective, as not to warrant the conclufion that the Greek verfion, as we have received it, was, in all its parts, the work of feventy-two able and competent interpreters, felected for the purpose. We fpeak from experience, and we are confident that Mr. R. will

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