You know the amiable and gentle Hamilton: though nature has given her a capacity equal to the moft arduous attainments, with what addrefs does the manage her excellent talents, and turn them to that kind of culture only which embellishes and endears the female character!-But, as a laft proof of her merit, fhe has fixed irrevocably the fickle, the volatile, the various Grammont! You knew his long attachment to herAt length, he has married her. In this measure, however, though he has fhewn both fenfe and honour, yet he proceeded on a principle, of which even you, who know him, will have no idea. And here, too, you will find another inftance of the pernicious fpirit of modern gallantry. Though Grammont believed himself that he intended abfolutely to espouse the fair Hamilton, yet when every thing feemed to be fettled, and the critical event drew near, the demon of gallantry took up his part-He played the character of Hymen, and rendered it fo infupportably ridiculous, that Grammont could no longer bear the idea of marriage. The time appointed for the nuptials was at hand-The lover flew upon the wings of the wind to the -coaft of France. This defertion was received with a proper indignation. A brother of the fair Hamilton's, a youth about fixteen or seventeen, purfued and overtook him almost as soon as he had arrived. "Grammont (faid he) you blufh to fee me -You have reafon-You know me well-Return this moment with me to England, and do yourself the honour to espouse my fitter-If that is an honour you chufe to decline-I am the youngest of feven brothers, and if I fall by your hand, know, that there are still fix living, whofe arms are ftronger and more experienced than mine, and who fcorn, as much as I do, to furvive the honour of a fifter." The count ftood filent for a while, and fmiled upon the beardlefs champion-But it was not a fimile of contempt. I have heard him fay, that he never felt the fenfe of honour fo ftrongly as at that moment. The phantom of falfe gallantry dif appeared. "Let us return, (faid he,) my brave friend-I blufh to think of my folly-I deferve not the honour of being allied to your family; but I will hope to be indebted for it to your kind interceffion."

This was certainly very great. It was a return of reafon; a recovery from a ftate of infanity. What is true honour but the exercife of right reafon? All elfe is falle and frivolous. Is courage honour? What a ftrange confufion of ideas! A man of honour would, in that cafe, make a very defpicable figure, if put in the fame fcale with a Ruffian bear. Young Hamilton behaved with a true fenfe of honour-His conduct was reasonable - It had the protection of a fifter for its object. But what fhould we have thought of Grammont, had he acted a different part? In what light would he have appeared, had

he lived to pierce the heart of the woman that he loved, through the hearts of feven brothers-The very idea is horror !-Yet this he certainly must have done, at leaft have attempted, had he placed honour in courage rather than in reafon.

Had Shrewsbury a right fenfe of honour when he challenged Buckingham? More than half the court will tell you that he had-But, how ridiculous! Is the defection of an infamous woman a difgrace to the man fhe forfakes? Far otherwife-It is rather a mark of his integrity. The antipathy that vice has to virtue is a proof of this. It was rank cowardice, pufillanimity itself, that provoked Shrewsbury to the challenge. He was afraid that his courage fhould be doubted, if he omit

ted it.

Yet how univerfal is this idea of falfe honour! In one of the campaigns I made with the Duke D'Enguien, an officer, who had loft his miftrefs, thought it neceffary to fight for her. When he applied to the duke for permiffion, the latter asked him whether it was on account of the love he had for her, and whether he wanted, by killing his rival, to recover her. "No, (replied the officer) but if I do not fight, my courage will be doubted." "If that is all, (faid the duke,)" you may be eafy about the matter. I fhall give you an opportunity of putting that out of queftion; for, to-morrow, I intend to fight myfelf."

It is to be regretted that if the Author thought fit to reprefent this as the notion of true and false honour conceived by St. Evremond only, he did not fhew its fallacy and his own difapprobation if he has exhibited his own notion of the matter in St. Evremont's character, it is to be regretted ftill more, that he did not fee its fallacy, and the pernicious confequence it was likely to produce.

He juftly commends Grammont for declining a duel in a bad caufe, but he has not the fame reafon for commending the offer of it in Hamilton, upon pretence that his caufe was good. When Shrewsbury challenged Buckingham for the defection of his wife under the notion of honour, the letter-writer cries out, ridiculous! is the defection of an infamous woman à difgrace to the man fhe forfakes? When young Hamilton challenges Grammont under the notion of preferving the honour of a fifter, might we not with the fame reafon cry out, ridiculous! is the defection of a worthless man a difgrace to the woman be forfakes? Hamilton certainly, not lefs than Shrewsbury, appealed to a false sense of bonour in mankind for the juftification of his conduct, and there·fore acted equally upon a falfe principle. The lady could fufor no difgrace in.the eftimation of right reafon by Grammont's defertion, nor hope for any happiness in marriage with a man who

X 2.

should

fhould marry her only as a more eligible alternative, than fighting her feven brothers: neither, indeed, does it appear that the fixing the fickle, the volatile, the various Grammont was the effect of the fair Hamilton's merit, and therefore, a proof of it. The fair Hamilton, certainly, had the fame merit when Grammont forfook her, that she had when he was threatened by her brother, and if he returned, not from fear, but from a returning fenfe of probity, the change was produced not by any new charm in the fair Hamilton, but by the refolution of her brother.

Honour has never been referred into mere courage, even by thole who confider it as diftinct from virtue; it depends rather upon the fear of difgrace, which this Author fays, was the cafe of Shrewsbury, and which was alfo the cafe with Hamilton. He that fears difgrace more than death, is a man of honour in the general eftimation, whether the difgrace is incurred juftly or not, whether in confequence of abfurd prejudice or right reason.

The firft of these two little volumes contains a fhort cenfure of Hobbs and his principles; a fprightly attack and defence of the fex, and fome fafhionable fophiftry concerning the facility of defiring nothing that we cannot attain. There can be no dificulty, fays the writer, in doing what nature intended we fhould do; our love of life is at an end when we die, therefore, it is our fault, if the love of ease is not at an end when we fuffer pain from an incurable disease. It contains also an encomium upon Cowley, a pathetic lamentation on the death of the Duchefs of Mazarine, fome just reflections on the folly of defiring to tranfmit a name to future generations by pofterity, and the following excellent and ftriking picture from Roman history.

In the civil wars between Vitellius and Vefpafian, the army of Vitellius was fupplied with provifions, of which the army of Vefpafian alfo was in great want, by their women: when the foldiers had received them, they conveyed part of them fecretly by night into the camp of Vefpafian, to refresh their countrymen, whom they were to fight the next day. "Take this, faid they, fellow-foldier, and eat it-'Tis not my fword I put towards you, it is bread-This too, take, and drink it-It is not mv fhield I am holding out to you; it is a cup. Whether you fall by my hand, or I by yours, this refreshment will make death more easy. It will ftrengthen the arm that gives the decifive blow, and we fhall not die flowly by a feeble wound. Thefe, fellow-foldier, are the only funeral rites we fhall have. Let us thus celebrate them while we live."

The Author's obfervation on this incident does him honour. In what a deteftable light, fays he, do thofe wretchesa ppear, whofe

whofe competitions could lead thefe brave and merciful men to the flaughter of each other! Surely fome curfe of peculiar bitterness is referved for thofe diabolical fpirits, who, for private gratifications, break the bonds of fociety! Is there no place of punishment for thefe demoniacs? I would fooner believe there is no Heaven for the virtuous.'

The second volume contains an apology for amusement in old age: a fable in verfe, which has great merit: an encomium on Milton's Lycidas: fome critical remarks on paftoral poetry: a monody, on the death of a friend, by no means fo good as the fable: a dialogue between King Charles the Second and a Worcefterfhire baronet: the loves of Thyrfis and Sacharifla, related by the genius of Penfhurft: a cenfure on fanaticifm: a letter of St. Evremond, diffuading the Duchefs of Mazarine from going into a nunnery, and some stanzas on the same subject, that have been printed before, in French, with a tranflation: it contains also a parallel between Ovid and Cowley; and the following corrections of two paffages in Ovid:

In reading the ftory of Pyramus and Thifbe,' fays Waller to St. Evremond, we both concluded that there must be fomething wrong in the following paffage :

'Tempore crevit amor, tædæ quoque jure coiffent,

Sed vetuere patres, quod non potuere vetare.

Ex æquo captis ardebant mentibus ambo.

Sed vetuere patres, quod non potuere vetare, is certainly nonfenfe. Yet fo it ftands in all the editions I have met with, undisturbed by commentators, who pass it over in facro filentio. Nothing, however, is more eafy than to remove the error, which lies only in the punctuation. Let the paffage ftand thus, and it is reftored to sense:

Tædæ quoque jure coiffent,

Sed vetuere patres. Quod non potuere vetare,

Ex æquo captis ardebant mentibus ambo.

There is, if I am not mistaken, another error in the fame story:

Confcius omnes abeft; nutu fignifque loquuntur.

If every spy is at a diftance, why should they have recourfe to nods and figns, to convey their fentiments? That could only be neceffary, admitting the cafe to be quite otherwife. Suppofe then we read

Confcius omnis adeft; nutu fignifque loquuntur. This alteration is by no means violent, and it at once brings the paffage to fenfe and confiftency. However, I am not fo hardy as to fay, Sic lege meo periculo. I only offer this to you by way of conjecture; but the first, I am fatisfied, must be right." These two little volumes contain many other particulars, which will render them acceptable to the generality of thofe who love reading. MONTHLY

X 3

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For OCTOBER, 1769.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 12. Memoirs of the Life of the late Right Hon. John Earl of Crawford: defcribing many of the highest military Atchievments in the late Wars; more particularly the Campaign against the Turks, wherein his, Lordship ferved both in the Imperial and Ruffian Armies. Compiled from his Lordship's own Papers, and other authentic Memoirs. 12mo. 3 s. Becket. 1769.

A

S this work appears to be no other than a republication of Rolt's Memoirs of Lord Crawford, firft published in quarto, about twelve or fifteen years ago, we have nothing farther to fay concerning it.

Art. 13. Mifcellaneous Views of the Coins ftruck by English Princes in France, counterfeit Sterlings, Coins ftruck by the Eaft India Company, thofe in the West India Colonies, and in the Isle of Man. Also of Pattern Pieces for Gold and Silver Coins, and Gold Nobles ftruck abroad in Imitation of English. With Copper plates. By Thomas Snelling.. Folio. 10s. 6d. Snelling. 1769.

In Mr. Snelling's views of the gold, filver, and copper coins of England, respectively mentioned in our journal, this induftrious and accurate Compiler, confined himself to fuch as were the true and lawful currency of this kingdom. Thofe contained in the prefent work, although ftruck by English princes, or under their authority, were not, however, the proper money of this realm. The collection here offered to the public is numerous, and will be very acceptable to thofe who have a tale for this curious and important branch of historical knowledge.

Art. 14. An Introduction to the Hifiory and Antiquities of Scotland, 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Noteman. 1769.

From the advertisement prefixed to this publication, our Readers will perceive that it is not altogether a new work; and, confequently, that a brief mention of it, in our catalogue, is all that can be expected: the words of the advertisement are fubjoined:

The following effay was originally wrote in Latin by the late Mr. Walter Goodall, and prefixed to Fordun's Scotichronicon; but that hiflory being in few hands, and the effay containing many particulars relating to the antiquities of Scotland, either little known or entirely overlooked by other writers, the Editor was induced to give it to the public in an English tranflation,'-Mr. Goodall appears, from this work, to have been a perfon of confiderable learning and abilities. If we mistake not, he is alfo author of An Examination of the Letters faid to be written by Mary Queen of Scots, to James Earl of Bothwell,-fhewing them to be Forgeries.

Art. 15.