declamation, noife, and wrangle; or, to be bleffed with a wife, vigorous, active, and efficient Parliament, ftrengthening the hands of Government in meafures of upright adminiftration,, at the fame time fetting Minifters right, and gently admonishing them where they err.

Having read with the strictest attention the Royal Speech, we are free to fay, that it is a very found, fenfible, and nervous fpeech, truly conftitutional, becoming a paPriot Prince, fo far as it goes; but we cannot avoid obferving, that it is wholly confined to our domeftic and our Eat-India affairs! Not one word about our remaining poffeffions in America and the Weft-India Iflands, or any where else! As little is faid about the pacific or warlike difpofition of the European Powers towards us, or among themselves! Nothing faid about the progress made in establishing the peace recently concluded with our late numerous enemies, their affurances of preferving the fame inviolate, and cultivating the arts of peace by reciprocally beneficial commercial regulations.

The Addrefs of the Lords, and the manner in which it was moved and carried, without any debate, and with only one diffenting voice, and that oppofing a very small pat only, exhibits a striking irrefragable proof of uncommon unanimity among themfelves, and their cordial approbation of his Majefty's prefent Councils, and the measures purfued, and their confidence in thofe intended to be laid before them in the courfe of the Seffion.

The Commons having done nothing as yet but going through the cuftomary formalities, we can judge nothing of them, their prefent temper, or future conduct. In the choice of their Speaker, or re-election of the late Speaker into his old office, both fides feem to exult as if each had gained a victory. Time will tell beft which has obtained it.

It is now too late to refume our criticifms on the conduct of various elective bodies, and their electioneering humours; we may perhaps introduce them occafionally in our ftrictures on the parliamentary conduct of the objects of their choice, in which we promite all parties the friclett candour and impartiality, confiftent with the love of our country and the promotion of her deareft interefts. By this criterion we try every man.

Whatever may be the event of the diffolution and re-creation of Parliament, we cannot but applaud the principle upon which the King and his Minifters appealed to the people themfelves, as far as the Conftitution permitted, to decide between his Majefty and their own Reprefentatives; the up-fhot whereof all Europe and the civilized workd ae gazing at with eagerness, to see what the

Sons of Liberty have done for themfelves in the land of Liberty, the last resort of that fair phænomenon!

Strange rumours of a battle fought in the Eaft-Indies were induftriously circulated by fome bufy politicians; but that turned out a mere act of reprifal performed by one of our Generals, to give an Indian Queen a more adequate idea of the yet remaining dignity of the British Empire, than fhe had conceived from the late appearance of things in that quarter of the globe: no evil will probably enfue from that fpirited manoeuvre. It were greatly to be wifhed, however, that in endeavouring to preserve the poffeffion of that country, we do not lofe ourselves, and fink our own country into perdition, as is delicately and emphatically touched upon in the King's Speech.

Ireland feems to be hoftile to this country, and the people there at variance among them. felves; held together by no common bond of union or cement, capable of uniting all ranks and denominations together, either for the feparate good of that country, or the mutual benefit and fafety of Great-Britain and Ireland conjunétly-thanks to the united wifdem of our feveral late Administrations,

We have already noticed the filence of the Royal Speech concerning the prefent state of Europe; it is our province to advert to it with what lights we have. We fay, then, that this circumstance, together with the fudden return of our Ambailador from the Court of Verfailles, upon a pretence of private affairs; the unexpected return of our Ambaffador from Madrid; and the non-appearance of a Spanish Ambassador here; all thefe circumftances, taken together, intimate fomething not quite cordial among these Powers, fomething that wants to be attended to and guarded againft. Perhaps unanimity, fpirit, vigour, and dispatch in our national councils are the only fovereign remedies for all thefe impending and portending evils. Thofe Powers probably wait to see what their allies on this fide of the water will do for them, before they adopt either the fyftem of peace or war. Faction, fpeak out, that your friends may know what they have to truft to; your countrymen may perhaps avail themselves of the fame hints, and take care of themfelves.

Exclufive of Britain's affairs, and all her connections and dependencies, the other Powers of Europe have feveral fmall clouds gathering over their own heads, originating among themselves, which may foon conglomerate and turn to a general ftorm. The late revolution in Denmark, which is a fubftantial one; the adjustment of boundaries, between the Emperor and the Dutch; the

difpute

Jifpute between the King of Pruflia and the Dantzickers; his interference between the Dutch and their Stadtholder; the electionftorm threatening the Empire of Germany; and the unheard-of claim of precedency faid to be fet up by the Czarina over all the Potentates of Europe; the bickerings between

the Catholick Powers and the Barbary States; are all ftrong fymptoms of approaching commotions in, and concuflions of, the present fyftem of Europe; from which may the bleffing of Divine Providence on wife and prudent councils preferve this already exhaufted and oppreffed land!

I

SIR,

AM not surprised to find by your letter, that Mr. Gray fhould have entertained fufpicions with regard to the authenticity of thefe Fragments of our Highland poetry. The first time I was fhewn the copies of fome of them in manufcript, by our friend John Home, I was inclined to be a little incredulous on that head; but Mr. Home removed my fcruples, by informing me of the manner in which he procured them from Mr. Macpherson, the tranflator. Thefe two gentlemen were drinking the waters together at Moffat laft autumn; when their converfation fell upon Highland poetry, which Mr. Mac pherfon extolled very highly. Our friend, who knew him to be a good fcholar, and a man of tafte, found his curiofity excited; and asked whether he had ever tranflated any of them. Mr. Macpherson replied, that he never had attempted any fuch thing; and doubted whether it was poffible to transfufe fuch beauties into our language: but for Mr. Home's fatisfaction, and in order to give him a general notion of the ftrain of that wild poetry, he would endeavour to turn one of them into Englifh. He accordingly brought him one next day; which our friend was to much pleafed with, that he never ceafed foliciting Mr. Macpherfon till he infenfibly produced that fmall volume which has been published.

After this volume was in every body's hands, and univerfally admired, we heard every day new reafons, which put the authenticity, not the great antiquity, which the tranflator afcribes to them, beyond all

J. W. queftion: for their antiquity is a point which must be afcertain'd by reafoning; though the arguments he employs feem very probable and convincing. But certain it is, that thefe poems are in every body's mouth in the Highlands, have been handed down from father to fon, and are of an age beyond all memory and tradition.

In the family of every Highland chieftain there was anciently retained a bard, whofe office was the fame with that of the Greek rhapfodists; and the general fubject of the poems which they recited, was the wars of Fingal; an epoch no lefs celebrated among them, than the wars of Troy among the Greek poets. This cuítom is not even yet altogether abclifhed; the bard and piper are ef teem'd the moft honourable offices in a chieftain's family, and these two characters are frequently united in the fame perfon. Adam Smith, the celebrated profeffor in Glasgow, told me, that the piper of the Argylefhire militia repeated to him all thote poems which Mr. Macpherion has tranflated, and many more of equal beauty.Major Mackay, ford Rae's brother, alfo told me, that he remembers them perfectly; as likewife did the laird of Macfarlane, the greatest antiquarian whom we have in this country, and who infifts fo ftrongly on the biftorical truth, as well as on the poetical beauty of thefe productions. I could add the laird and lady Macleod to thefe authorities, with many more, if there were not fufcicnt; as they live in different parts of the Highlands, very remote from each other, and they could only be acquainted with poema that had become in a

manner

manner national works, and had gradually spread themselves into every mouth, and imprinted on every me

mory.

Every body in Edinburgh is fo convinced of this truth, that we have endeavoured to put Mr. Macpherson on a way of procuring us more of thefe wild flowers. He is a modeft fenfible young man, not fettled in any living, but employed as a private tutor in Mr. Graham of Balgowan's family, a way of life which he is not fond of. We have therefore fet about a fubfcription of a guinea, or two guineas a-piece, in order to enable him to quit that family, and undertake a miffion into the Highlands, where he hopes to recover more of thefe Fragments. There is, in particular, a country furgoon fomewhere in Lochaber, who, he fays, can recite a great number of them, but never committed them to writing; as indeed the orthography of the Highland language is not fixed, and the natives have always employed more the fword than the pen. This furgeon has by heart the epic poem mention'd by Mr. Macpherion in his preface; and as he is fomewhat old, and is the only perfon living that has it entire, we are in the more hafte to recover a

monument, which will certainly be regarded as a curiofity in the republic

of letters.

I own, that my firft and chief objection to the authenticity of thefe fragments, was not on account of the noble and even tender ftrokes which they contain; for thefe are the offfpring of Genius and Paffion in all countries; I was only furprised at the regular plan which appears in fome of thefe pieces, and which feems to be the work of a more cultivated age. None of the fpecimens of barbarous poetry known to us, the Hebrew, Arabian, or any other, contained this fpecies of beauty; and if a regular epic poem, or even any thing of that kind, nearly regular, fhould alfo come from that rough climate, or uncivilized people, it would appear to me a phenomenon altogether unaccountable.

I remember, Mr. Macpherson told

me, that the heroes of this Highland epic were not only like Homer's heroes, their own butchers, bakers, and cooks, but also their own fhoemakers, carpenters, and fmiths. He mentioned an incident, which put this matter in a remarkable light.-A warrior has the head of his fpear struck off in battle; upon which he immediately retires behind the army, where a forge was erected; makes a new one; hurries back to the action; pierces his enemy, while the iron, which was yet red-hot, hifles in the wound. This imagery you will allow to be fingular, and fo well imagined, that it would have been adopted by Homer, had the manners of the Greeks allowed him to have employed it.

I forgot to mention, as another proof of the authenticity of these poems, and even of the reality of the adventures contained in them, that the names of the heroes, Fingal, Ofcur, Olur, Ofcan, Dermid, are ftill given in the Highlands to large maftits, in the fame manner as we affix to them the names of Cæfar, Pompey, Hector; or the French that of Marlborough.

It gives me pleafure to find, that a perfon of fo fine a tafte as Mr. Gray approves of thefe Fragments, as it may convince us, that our fondness of them is not altogether founded on national prepoffeffions, which, how ever, you know to be a little strong. The tranflation is elegant; but I made an objection to the author, which I wish you would communicate to Mr. Gray, that we may judge of the juftnefs of it. There appeared to me many verfes in his profe, and all of them in the fame meature with Mr. Shenftone's famous ballad,

Ye fhepherds, fo careless and free,

Whole flocks never carelessly roam, &c. Pray afk Mr. Gray whether he made the fame remark, and whether he thinks it a blemith?

Your's, moft fincerely,
DAVID HUME.

Edmburg, Aug. 16, 1760.

THE

HE French and the English are, at prefent, the moft literary nations in the world. The other Europeans do not pretend to enter into any competition with them. Germany claims the third place, and Italy the fourth. The other parts of Europe do not feem to think themfelves intitled to challenge any place of note in this province: neither, indeed, do many of them appear to hold literature in any great eftimation, or at leaft to think it deferving of that uncommon attention and refpect which is paid to it by fome men.

In England and France, men of wit, learning, and deep understanding, abound at this day. Such, indeed, is the number, that fome thinking pcople are of opinion, it exceeds the neceliary demands of fociety; and that, were it reftricted, it might prove equally beneficial to the world, and more advantageous to the learned themselves.

Voltaire, in his latter days, was of this opinion. The reafon he affigned was, that it diminished the refpect due to learning as well as to its cultivators.

He certainly could not have alledged a more valid one. His idea perfectly coincides with that of the celebrated Duke of Orleans, Regent of France in the late king's minority. When preffed to grant a penfion to La Motte, the famous ode writer and fabulift, his anfwer was, that not only he, but every man of literary merit, deferved the highest praifes and encouragement; but they were fo numerous, that he hardly knew where to felect the most deferving, and had not funds fufficient to recompenfe them all according to their just pretenfions: adding, that it would be more conducive to public utility, were it practicable to reftrain the number of youth claffically educated, whofe abilitics might undoubtedly be rendered more profitable to themfelves, and EUROP. MAG.

more useful to the community, were they diverted into other channels.

The ideas of fo good a judge have not, however, been adopted. France yet fwarms with literati; among whom the moft meritorious are not always fure of a provifion adequate to their deferts.

In this refpect, however, their fituation is fuperior to that of their brethren in England. Oxford and Cambridge excepted, there is little of folid encouragement for literature in this country. These noble univerfities have undoubtedly produced a multitude of learned and ingenious men; but as human nature is not ftinted in her ways of bringing forth great geniufes, we fhould be very much mistaken in our calculations, to imagine that, without a regular education in thefe illuftrious feminaries, nothing truly perfect could be effected in the departments of wit and science. Some of the greatest and most wonderful exertions of human capacity have proceeded from the pens of individuals unacquainted with colleges.

But in this country, unless a literary man is a member of these learned bodies, the chances are greatly aga nft his profpering in the world.

The only probable means of fucceeding, are by embracing one of the three learned profeffions. Divines, lawyers, and phyficians, often rife to great affluence; but all other methods are much more precarious.

The principal reafon is, that the patronage of the Great in England is very difficult to obtain merely through literary merit: their avocations and their circumstances are wholly different from thofe of people of fashion abroad, efpecially in France. Thefe receiving little interruption from political caufes, enjoy an ample share of leifure for amufement and inftruction: fuch as are able to adminifter to either, are always fure of a welcome. But in England it is quite otherwife,

Tt