a

a

houses should be licenced at the general Turks have a drink called coffee, made quarter-sessions of the peace for the with boiling water, of a berry reduced county within which they are to be kept. into powder, which makes the water as

In 1675, King Charles issued a procla- black as soot, and is of a pungent and mation to shut up the coffee-houses, but aromatic smell, and is drank warm. in a few days suspended that proclama- The celebrated John Ray, in his Histotion by a second. They were charged ry of Plants, published in 1690, speaking with being seminaries of sedition.

of it as a drink very much in use, says, The first European author who has that this tree grows only within the made any mention of coffee, is Rauwol- tropics, and supposes that the Arabs defus, who was in the Levant in 1573; but stroy the vegetable quality of the seeds, the first who has particularly described in order to confine annong themselves it, is Prosper Alpinus, in his History of the great share of wealth, which is the Egyptian Plants, published at Venice brought thither from the whole world for in 1591, whose description we have in this commodity; from whence he ob-Parkinson's History of Plants, p. 1622, serves, that this part of Arabia might be chap. 79, as follows: Arbor Bon cum truly styled the mosi happy, and that it fructu suo buna, the Turks berry drink. was almost incredible how many millions Alpinus in his first book of Egyptian of bushels were exported from thence Plants, gives us the description of this into Turkey, Barbary, and Europe. He tree, which he says he saw in the garden says, he was astonished that one particular of a captain of the Janissaries, which nation should possess so great a treasure, was brought out of Arabia-Felix, and and that within the narrow limits of one there planted as a rarity never seen grow- province; and that he wondered the ing in those places before. The tree, saith neighbouring nations did not contrive to Alpinus is somewhat like Euonymus, or bring away some of the sound seeds or Spindle-tree, but the leaves of it were living plants, in order to share in the whicker, harder, and greener, and always advantages of so lucrative a trade. abiding on the tree. The fruit is called We now come to shew by what means. Buno, and is somewhat bigger than an this valuable tree was first introduced hazel nut, and longer, round also and into Europe, and thence into Ame. printed at one end; furrowed like- rica. wise, on both sides, yet, on one side, The first account of this tree being more conspicuous than the other, that brought into Europe, we have from Boerit might be parted into two: in each side haave, in his Index to the Leyden Garwhereof licth a small oblong white kernel, den, part2, p. 217, which is as follows: flat on the side they join together, cover- “Nicholas Witsen, Burgomaster of Amed with a yellowish skin of an acid taste sterdam, and governor of the East India and somewhat bitter, and contained in a Company, by his letters often advised thin shell, of a darkish ash colour. With and desired Van Hoorn, governor of these berries in Arabia and Egypt, and Batavia, to procure from Mocha in Araother parts of the Turkish dominions, bia-Felix some berries of the coffee-tree they generally make a decoction or to be sown at Batavia, which he having drink, which is in the stead of wine to accordingly done, and by that means them, and commonly sold in their tap- about the year 1690, raised many plants bruses or taverns, called by the name of from seeds, he sent one over to Governor caora; Paludamus says chouda, and Rau- Witsen, who immediately presented it to wolfus chauke. This drink has many the garden at Ainsterdam, of which he good physical properties; it strengthens was the founder and supporter ; it there a weak stomach, helping digestion, and bore fruit, which in a short tiine produthe tumours and obstructions of the liver ced many young plants from the seeds, and spleen, being drank fasting for some Boerhaave then concludes that the merit time together. It is held in great esti- of introducing this rare tree into Europe, mation among the Egyptian and Arabian is due to the care and liberality of Wité women in common feminine cases, in sen alone. which they find it does them eminent In the year 1714, the magistrates of service.

Amsterdam in order to pay a particular Lord Chancellor Bacon likewise makes compliment to Louis XIV. King of France ont of it in 1624: he says, that the presented to him an elegant plaut of this

jare tree, carefully packed up to , toy ption is evidently taken from water, and defended from the weather by nat from the ripe fruit. a curious machine, covered with glass.

The

the most distant approaches to it: the in a very ingenious and elaborate way to two ideas are utterly irreconcileable. account for the sense of pain by suppo

To suppose that thought and feeling sing it to arise from the solution of conti are only matter and motion disguised in a nuity, or viole aration and straining particular way, is, as if we were to believe of the parts h the nerves are that a circle inay be composed of straight composed, nunicates the like lines, or that a tune may be reflected disorder t

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another, so that the sense by which they temporary execution, nor were they combegan the first, was completed only in pelled to the adoption of a subject steril, the second-nor upon the possibility of uninteresting, or frivolous. They media according these, suspensions of the poet's tated, beforehand, the subject of their meaning with the measure of the music songs; they proposed to themselves the and the steps of the dancers. All these most grave and sublime compositions; difficulties have sufficiently exercised the their enthusiasm was not excited to please learned; and many are yet unexplained. a circle of idle auditors; but, in the midst The history of the arts and sciences of armies, to the sound of warlike instruamong the ancients, may be compared ments, they sang of valour, the love of to an immense country, overspread with their country, the charms of freedom, the monuments and ruins— with specimens hope of victory, or the glory of dying in of the most finished architecture, inter- battle. It was among a people to whom mingled with every symptom of decay they celebrated the majesty of laws and and fallen splendour. The ancients them- the empire of virtue--in funereal games, selves have left us no traditions, by which wbere, before a tomb covered with trowe can ascertain the history of the origin phies and decorated with laurels, they reand progress of art among them. They commended to posterity the memory of appear to have taken no precaution some personage who had lived and died against time or future barbarity. It in the service of his country-in'feasts, would seem, that they dreaded neither where, seated by the side of kings, they the one nor the other; and when we applauded the deeds of heroes, and sticonsider the long and brilliant part they mulated the monarch to the laudable deacted in the annals of mankind, we can sire of being celebrated in his turn by readily excuse their having been lulled future poets equally eloquent-or in a into security, by this high opinion of temple, where the sacred bards seemed their glory, and the immortality of their inspired by those gods whose power they works.

exalted and whose goodness they proWhen, in Italy, we hear a skilful Im- claimed. In a word, the idea that we provisatore, preluding upon an instru- are to form of an ancient lyric poet in ment, sing a profusion of verses extem- the highest elevation of the ode, is that poraneously upon a given subject—when of a virtuous enthusiast, who, with the we perceive him, as he advances, become lyre in his hand, endeavoured to allay more animated, and accelerate the move- sedition-who, in a period of public ment of the air upon which he composes, disaster, gave hope to those who deand then produce ideas, images, senti- spaired, and courage to those who were ments, and long strains of poetry and ready to sink-who, in the hour of suceloquence, of which he would have been cess, recorded the exploits of his counincapable in moments of greater calm. trymen--who, in the solemnity of a ness, and sink at last into a state of ex- feast, augmented its interest and splenhaustion similar to that of the Pythian dour--or who, in the games and exercises goddess,--we recognize that principle of peculiar to his nation, excited the emuinspiration and enthusiasm common to lation of the candidates, by the hope of the ancient poets; and are, at once, victory, and the certainty of reward. filled with astonishment and pity. With Such was the ode among the Greeks, astonishment, to find those emotions real. With a people who worshipped their heized, which once were deemed fabulous roes, even more than their gods, the -and with pity, to behold these efforts character of a lyric poet could not fail of nature employed upon a futile and to be highly important. Ile was revered evanescent art, froin which the Improvi- as the friend of the Muses and the favousatore can claim no other success than rite of Apollo. The enthusiasm of the the pleasure of having amused a few cu- people stimulated that of the bard_and rious auditors--while all the pictures, all the genius of the country was devoted sentiments, and beautiful verses, which to this divine art. But what contributed escaped hun in the rapid moments of his still more to the character of grandeur delivery, are gone, and leave no other which it assumed, was the use which was inpression but the vibration produced by made of it for political purposes, by conthe sound of his voice. It was thus, no necting it with the establishment of laws, doubt, that the ancient lyric poets were and the reformation of manners. animated; but their inspiration was more could suppose in the middle of Rome, worthily and more usefully employed. Pergolese or Somelli, a lyre in his hand, They were not exposed to the hazard ofex- with the voice of Timotheus and the elo

quence

If we

quence of Demosthenes, recalling to the “ All odes," says Dr. Blair, “ may be memory of the modern Romans the splen- comprised under four denominations. dour of their ancient city, and the virtues First, sacred odes; hymns addressed to of their ancestors, we might form an idea God, or composed on religioas subjects. of the lyric poet, among the first intiabi. Of this nature are the psalms of David, tants of Greece. Such was Epimenides which exbibit to us this species of lyric in the middle of Athens, Tbersander or poetry, in its biggest degree of pertecTyrtæus in Sparta, Alceus in Lesbos. Not tion. Secondly, heroic odes, which are that the lyric bard always maintained this emplaved in the praise of heroes, and in serious character—but his language, in the celebration of martial exploits and every variation of his style,

great actions. Of this kind are all Pin. From grave to gay, from lively to severe,

dar's odes, and some few of Horace's,

These two kinds ought to have sublimity was always the language of nature, and and eleration for their reigning character. adapted to the dignity of his subject, or Thirdly, moral and philosophical odes, suited to the peculiarity of his own feel where the sentiments are chiefly inspired ings and situation. Anacreon sang the by virtue, friendship and humanity. Of joys of wine and pleasure, because he this kind are inany of Horace's odes, and was a wine-drinker and a voluptuary, several of our best modern lyric producSappho was the poet of love, because tions; and here the ode possesses that she was herself the slave and the victim middle region, which it sometimes occuof lore.

pies. Fourthly, festive and amorous odes, We have said, that the word ode is calculated merely for pleasure and amusesynonimous with song. It is from this ment. Of this nature are all Anacreon's; circumstance, of the ode's being supposed some of Horace's; and a great number to retain its original union with music, of songs and nodern productions, that that we are to deduce the proper idea, claim to be of the lyric species. The and the peculiar qualities of this kind of reiguing character of these ought to be poetry. Jusic and song naturally add elegance, smoothness and gaiety." to the warinth of poetry. By them we A principal object in the corsideration can express all the various feelings of of the ode, will be an inquiry into that the soul. The enthusiasm of admiration, species of enthusiasm, which is supposed the delirium of joy and love, the agony to be essential to its composition. An of grief, or the milder emotions of me an- ode, professedly so, is expected to be cbly, are as equally within the power of written in a higher degree of elevation song to delineate. In common life, the and spirit than any other. If the poet sharpness of anguish may be softened, as be possessed of genius, he is allowed to well as the transports of joy exalted, by indulge it, in all its warmth and sublic singing and though the grief which is mity. He is not checked by those sesere more fised and settled in the mind, would principles of correctness and propriety appear to betray repugnance rather than which other poems de:nanit. He may inclination for music, we know that it is give free rent to all the fire and impetuoften soothed by the same effects—as osity of his ideas, not controuled by the Orplieus is said to have calmed his sor- laws of metre, or restrained by the appaTow for his loss, by the sound of his lyre: rent incoherency of the thoughts. Thus, Te, dulcis conjux, te solo in litore secum,

Boileau, speaking of the, ode, has obTe, veniente die, te decadente, canebat.

served, It is easy, therefore, to distinguish what Son style impétueux souvent marche au are the subjects which more immediately Chez elle, un beau désordre est un effet de belong to the ode. Whatever raises or

l'art. exalts the soul above itself; whatever excites it to heroism, or depresses it into But this observation can be true with languor; whatever has a tendency to in- respect to very few, and can be excused spire emotions spirited, melancholy, or only by genius. What is inspiration in Folaptuous; the interesting dreams which one, may be extravagance in a thousand occupy the imagination, and the variety others. The freedom of writing without of descriptioris wbich it summons to its order, method or connection, has infectaid ;-in a word, all the emotions of ed the ode more than any other species which the mind is susceptible and is ca- of poetry. It is inconceivable to what a pable of describing, are favourable to pitch of absurdity this licentiousness has this species of poetry.

been carried. The self-created Pindar

imagines

hazard ;