LONDON : Printed by John Nichols, for David HENRY, late of S. John's Gate; and fold by Eliz. NEWBERY, the Corner of St. P."

Church-yard, Ludgate-Streit. 1787.

i TO THE DEITY, ON THE PROGRESSION OF HUMAN LIFE.

Th' undaunted mariner, in hopes of gain, HAIL, sracious Father, 'tis to thee we owe

Each friendly blessing granted us below: Leaves quiet scenes to plow the raginginajn ; Of life's review if we the features trace, Tho'bless’d with plenty, quits his native soil, Each day will prove a miracle of grace. In search of diftant climes, with painful toil.

The helpless babe, unable to supply With breast ambitious, and devoid of fear,
Its infant wants, would ficken, droop, and die, From east to weft, from north to fouth, he'll
Unless thou didst the feeble guest fustain,

Iteer ;
And guide some hand to mitigate its pain. Anxious for riches, he disdains to sun
But with parental love thou dost inspire Eicher the frigid or the torrid zone.
'The tender mother, and th' enraptuc'd fire; Storms bellow loud, the ship's now toft 013
Each in their place nor pains nor trouble

high
spare,

(care. Bencatħ the waves, half bury'd, now does lie; But o'er their offspring watch with willing The lightning flashes, and the thunder roars,

Upheld by thee, one added year affords Nature's at war, and diftant are the shores.-Some little strength, and with but half-form'd What but a God Omnipotent could save words

The much affrightedcrew, and stillthe wave! The child tisps out its wants, and fain would Buc thou in mercy stretcheft forth thy hand, talk,

[walk; And seas and winds obey thy dread comAnd, with flow tottering steps, attempts to

mand.
The fondling parents, with regard fincere, Infancy, childhood, manhood overpast,
Giadly behold, and drop the joyous tear. Feeble old age comes creeping on at last;
With years increasing, strength increaseth Bow'd down with years, and frequently
too,

with pains,
Reason expands, and blossoms to the view: Nought but the femblance of a man remains ;
Free'd from th' attention of the careful nurse, With faultering speechi, dim eyes, each sense
To learning's fount directed is its course,

decay'd,
The tutord yonth is taught to know his God. How much is wanted thy paternal aid !
His precepts practise, and obey the rod. Thouseeft his wants; to ease them or remove,
Each winning airt is us’d, bis mind to store Thou guid'st some friendly hand, or filiallove.
With folid judgement, and with virtuous lore.. Since man, frail man! in every stage of
Yet thus advanc’rl, without a guardian-friend,

life,
His futtering life would quickly meet its end, Todangers provie, to trouble, care, and strife;
His playful sports cach day would him expose And since our greatrCeator, kind thoughjust,
To dangers great, to unexpected woes. Decreed frail mortals all should turn to dust,
How oft the ball, or quoit, high-pois'd in air, And all our prudence, every anxious care,
Would strike him dead! unless with hea- Will not persuade the tyrant Deadli to spare ;
venly care

[head As things are so, our voices let us raise, Thou didst avert the blow; and o'er his Ann hail the God of Heaven with hymns Unalk'd, thy kind, thy saving thield didít

of praise! spread!

[lave, Thank him for all the mercies he has shed, By summer's heat oppress'd, he haftes to Thank biin for fhielding oft' th” endanger'd And headlong plunge beneath the rapid

head!

[brake Imprefs'u with gratitude, let's still return
Or loitering sleeps, where lurks within the Our grateful praises, every night and morn!
The fork-longued adder, or the coiled snake; Let all our prayers to Heaven directed be,
Dangers encountering in a thousand shapes, With folemn awe, unfeign'd humility!
Aided by thee, these dangers lie escapes. Let pride, let envy, every vice depart,
Manhood comes next, when reason is ma- And find no footing in the Chriftian's heart !
tur'd,

May justice, mercy, charity, combine,
Yet then from danger is he not ensur'd, And every virtue in our bofoms Thine ! [all,
Far, far from this---for oft, with busy mind, Thee let us praise ! Thee, the great Lord of
He plans those scheires, which nought but Without whose will a sparrow shall not fall!
perils fird.

I. A. CUXATUS.

Wave;

M

0 D E Τ ο A F F E C Τ Ι Ο Ν.
ARIA, hail the gentle nane,

Peace to those hours, whose tranfient ítream.
O'er which I oft have fmild !

In tides of rapture flow'd!
And oh! my tenderer sorrow's claim, Peace to that fun, whose dawning beam
When lost the darling child !

Withr mildest luitre glow'd!
Ev'o now through, Memory's beam these eyes Suffice, that Heaven's indulgence gives,
The little Infant trace!

And takes the filial carel
Still in thy charms, thou ravish'd prize, Each feature, once thine own revive
I view the Mother's face !

The Sisters' Broilier's share.
How oft upon the parent knee

Farewell, thou early lost ! my lays Meck Innoce:zy play'd !

To sympathy impait My lot on the dimm'd cheek to see

The tale of Woe-a Father's praise Health's sickening Roses fade.!

May wake the feeling heart! E. B. G.

P R E F A C E. m
T is no bad Custom for an Author that his Preface is the last part of the

I

his Plat, and to sit in Judgement on his own Performance; to display its
Excellencies, illustrate its Obscurities; and to apologize for its Defeats.

To us it is Matter of Triumph, that while Competitors, under fimilar
Titles and various Disguises, are continually starting up, we can boast
among the Supporters of our Work many of the brightest Ornaments in Li-
terature ; and that, while our crowded Pages continue to be filled with ge-
nuine Communications in almost every Department of Science and the Belles
Lettres, we may reft fecure in the Patronage of the Publick, whatever may
be the Fate of new Competitors.

To thofe excellent Correspondents to whom we owe that Superiority
which has never been denied us, our fincerest Thanks are respectfully
offered; with an Affurance, that though the Infertion of their valuable Fa-
vours may sometimes be reluctantly delayed, they never intentionally escape
our Remembrance and Acknowledgement. Some Indulgence, we are confi-
dent, they will grant us; and it fall be our Study, by that perfect Impare
tiality which has gained us the public Etteem, to merit its Continuance.

INDEX INDICATORIUS

A Correfpondent; in P: 1058; after some observations on the Gregorian Calen-

perfe&t than it really is, complains, that he was under the necessity of dating his

Jetter Nov. 30, although in fact it was written Dec. 1, 1787.--For the benefit of

fuch of our readers as may not have the means of better information, and may be

very much alarmed at being obliged to misdate their letters all the year round,

we beg leave to state, that Julius Cæsar, when he reformed the calendar, supposed

the tropical year to confitt of 365 days 6 hours, and ordained that, on account of

the 6 hours, an intercalary day should be added every fourth year, by reckoning

the fixth kalends of March civice. Hence this year was called Billextile. Again,

to correct the error of this intercalation, one day ia four years being found to be

too much, Pope Gregory XIII. in 1582 cut off ten days after the 4th of O&ober,

reckoning the sth of that month the 15th; and supposing the tropical year to con-

Sft of 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 12 seconds, he ordained that the 1600ih

year of the Christian æra, and every fourth year thereafter, thould be a billexcile,

or leap year.-By this method of intercalation, 97 days are inserted in the space

ef four centuries. But recent observations have determined the quantity of the

wopical year to be 365 days, s hours, 451 seconds; this excess above 365 days

amounts, in four centuries, to 96 days, 21 hours, 3 minutes, 20 seconds; hence

2 hours, 56 minutes, 40 seconds too much are inserted. The Gregorian Calendar

mult, therefore, be corrected after a certain period of years; but the error being
less than three hours in four centuries, far from amounting to one whole day since
1582, as is supposed in the publication alluded 10, will make only about a day
and a half in scoo years. Our readers may, therefore, long continue to date their
Letters according to the almanack, without fear of committing any great mistake!

As our correspondent OBSRVATOR LONDINENSIS profefles, and we have rca-

fon to believe wishes, to fate the first introduction of the principles of the Hue

manc Society of Amsterdam into this country with accuracy and truth (lee p. 1077);

he will not, we fiatter ourselves, attribute it to improper motives, if we affume to

ourselves the merit of giving the eariieft account of the institution of that Society,

and of laying before the publick ar large the instruâions which the Society, from

experience, judged most effectual for the recovery of persons supposed to be

drowned by lying in the water till every fpark of lite is apparently extinguished..

This we were enabled to do so early as the year 1771, by iminediate advice from

the Society, accompanied with their the first publications, requesting at the fame

time our allistance in promoting their undertaking, by making the means used for

the recovery of such unfortunate persons generally known in Great Britain and

beland as well as in Holland and the peighbouring itates. Those who have

marked