the man.

bation but the humane and compaffionate hero, we hold to our hearts, and glow with love to Alexander never appears to fuch advantage as in the tent of Darius: While we there behold him foothing the distresses of the widow and the wife, and with the utmoft clemency and moderation alleviating their forrows, we are almost ready with the captives, to fall down at his feet, and embrace the illuftrious hero! A hero, then indeed; for what can be wanting to finish his character? If he had died foon after this action, what a reputation had he eftablished, how great, how honourable !

Cafar was not lefs celebrated for his humanity and mildness, than for his unparallelled courage and conduct. With what clemency did he always receive his fubmiffive enemies! We never observe any tendency in him to take vengeance: those who had most obftinately and ungratefully opposed, had but to apply, and the mercy of Cæfar ever welcomed them with open Innumerable inftances might be produced That of Brutus is ftriking, whom he received with the highest marks of friendship, after he had fought against him, under the banners of Pompey; little fufpecting that this tenderness would not fuffice to melt his heart, nor prevent him, from drenching his dagger in his amiable benefactor's blood.

arms.

:

Cyrus

Cyrus ftands firft of all the heroes in antiquity for fuperiority in this virtue his whole history is an example of it. But there is a modern hero, Peter the Great of Russia, I mean, in whom one would not have expected, from the barbarity of his nation, fuch delicate touches of this divine temper; yet, I confefs, his behaviour at Narva, always affects me, as one of the noblest instances of humanity to the vanquifhed. Voltaire tells us, "that as soon as the foldiers were mafters of the town of Narva, they fell to plunder, and gave themselves up to the most enormous barbarities. The Czar ran

from place to place to put a stop to this diforder and maffacre. He was even obliged to kill with his own hands feveral Muscovites, who did not hearken to his orders.' How gloriously fevere! How much muft the grateful citizens of Narva; how much must all posterity admire the steady attachment of his foul to generous clemency!

I will readily grant you, that under a dispenfation like the chriftian, the grand and ruling commandment of which is mutual benevolence, is mercy, is compaffion-we may justly expect higher instances of thefe virtues, than in a less enlightened state. And I am pleased to remark, that higher inftances may be produced; many, in the courfe of this prefent war: in which our gallant countrymen have not more diftinguished themselves by their valour,

than

than by their humanity; a practice which we furely must wish to prevail, as it is the most probable method to fecure his protection, who commands us to be merciful even as he is merciful, and who is able to crown their endeavours with fuccefs, who court his aid ;-for he is omnipotent.-Under fuch commanders what may we not expect? Under commanders, whofe letters speak in fuch affecting and noble terms as these; "I found the inhabitants of the parish of Sorrel had deferted their habitations and were in arms: I was therefore under the CRUEL NECESSITY of burning the greatest part of these poor people's houses. I PRAY GOD, this example may fuffice: For MY NATURE REVOLTS, when this becomes a necessary part of my duty." *

Who that reads this can doubt of the virtue and excellence of the heart that dictated? Every Briton hath heard of the courage of the hand that wrote it; and must read with a generous concern, that the effects of last winter have lamed this amiable man, so that it is with difficulty, he can write at prefent-lamed him in the caufe of his country, and to fecure to his countrymen the most valuable acquifitions !—A perfect stranger as is the writer of these lines to the worthy perfonage referred to, he begs leave only to obferve, that as this part of his letter occafioned the thoughts foregoing, fo he hopes his readers will apply

* See Gen. Murray's letter to Mr. Pitt, on the taking of Montreal.

apply them: apply them to him who so justly merits the universal esteem of his fellow subjects:—An esteem, which certainly we can never with-hold from all thofe illuftrious commanders, who forfake the bed of eafe and fatisfaction, for the fatigues and hardships of a difficult war; from all those honest countrymen of ours, who endure the feverities of long and dangerous campaigns, to secure to us at home the happy poffeffion of bleffings, fuperior to what any other nation hath to boaft.

NUMBER LV.

Of fishes next-I wou'd enquire:
From the fmall fry that glide on Jordan's fream,
Unmark'd, a multitude without a name :
To that Leviathan who o'er the feas,
Immenfe rolls onward his impetuous ways:
And mocks the wind, and in the tempeft plays.

T

}

PRIOR.

HE Animal and vegetable productions of the Ocean, are not lefs marvellous in themselves, nor lefs declarative of the wifdom and goodness of the great Defigner, than the particulars which we have already confidered: of this we shall be abundantly convinced, if we contemplate the frame, the variety, the utility of

the

the former.-Some of them are wrapped up in fcales, which are at the fame time light enough to buoy them up in the water, and folid enough, to prevent external evils: fcales which adhere clofely to their bodies, and are always laid in a kind of natural oil; while their fins ferve inftead of wings to bear them with an amazing rapidity through the liquid element.

Indeed

their whole ftructure is curious, and would well repay a more accurate investigation than can be. used in a paper of this kind. But I must not omit to mention, as a peculiar provifion of Providence, that curious inftrument the air-bladder, wherewith they are furnished, by contracting or dilating which, they increase or diminish their specific gravity, and either fink or rife in the waters, as they please.-A firmer covering than scales is provided for others: they are secured in hells, exquifite in their workmanship, amazingly elegant in their fymmetry, and superior to the finest enamel in their polifh fhells which ferve as a kind of impregnable bulwark, and are a natural defence to them, against the depredations of their ravenous foes.

But while we admire the workmanship in the fcaly or fhelly generation: the variety, so obvious to our view, muft immediately occur to us; though it no fooner occurs, than we are loft in the astonishing fpeculation. Could we VOL. II.

F

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