A Friend to the Frnch.-A perfon who wished to make peace with advantage and honcur. Spirit of the Laws.-Any conftruction that a lawyer may give them. Starvation.-A curious experiment, which, after being tried in America and France, has fucceeded tolerably well at home. Barracks.-Symptoms of loyalty. Social Order.-Abfolute monarchy, and a military government. Corruption.-Reasoning. Convincing Arguments.-Any fum from 500l. to 5000l. a year.-[Chronicle.] R. EMETICUM MIRIFICUM EDMUNDI SANCTI. Pulv: Auri fulminant: Stipendiar: regal:- olim oriund:*. a. a. gr. x. Spumæ venenat: rabid: ex imo mentis attrabil: fcr. ij. Antholog: rhetoric: Munny-Begummic: Spicileg: orient: odorif: fpeciofa fed fallaci & effœta virium fimilitudine, ad captandum, s. a. confusè congeft : a. a. dr. ij. De feipfo, ad fatietatem, arrogantis et folicita loquelæ ; De miferiis vitæ, quæ fibi ipfi communiter contigerint (alienis, quas *The fearned writer has fallen into the common error with refpect to Mr. B.'s education. accendere Addentur, accendere jamjam furibun- ad libitum infundatur potio Crin: e tonfura Ducis elegantiffime select :- Manip: ij. Axung: bovin: ex renibus & omento quam Ceti Sebac: malefuaviter olentis, cum rarum fordibus ftudiofe compoft.----. a. a. oz. iv. Hæc omnia conglomeratim, attamen caute, ne frangatur vas, in vetufto & rimofo quodam Cranio commifce & contunde, donec excitetur efferv: violentiff': Misturam denique totam, ne prius refpuatur, per infundibulum ftomacho fortiter ingere, prout potentius excitetur Naufea. Die Jejunii Politico-religiofi, Chapter Coffee-houfe. X. X. Extra Licent: Coll: Med: Lond. [Chronicle.] ODE ON WESTMINSTER ABBEY. WRITTEN BY COLLINS; NOT PUBLISHED IN HIS WORKS. HER [ERE fleep the brave, who fink to reft, By Fairy hands their knell is rung, ORIGIES Learn from your paper, that an expreffion in Mr. Frend's Pamphlet," the orgies of Bacchus," has been much bandied about. As I apprehended that many of your readers may be in as great doubt as I was concerning these fame orgies of Bacchus, I hope the following brief sketch will not difplease them. In drawing up this account, I have had recourfe to my two excellent friends, the Rev. Thomas Kipling, wouldbe Profeffor of Divinity to his Majefty, and Thomas Taylor, self-created Polytheist of Great-Britain. These two amazing men, quos longe fequor et veftigia femper adoro, have kindly condefcended to chalk out the plan of the following Differtation, and to furnish me with feveral valuable hints for its conduct. Let me here indulge myself in giving a fhort character of these two worthies.---The one, by the mere force of genius, without the flightest tincture of learning, has founded all the depths and fheals of Christian theology; the other, without staying to learn even the inflexions of Greek words, has plunged to the very bottom of Pagan philofophy, Taught by the heavenly mufe to venture down the dark defcent, and up to reafcend, though hard and rare. But to bufinefs. There are some rumours, indeed, of Bacchus being an Egyptian, but I fhall lay no ftrefs upon them. What gave rise to these humours, is probably the fact which Apollodorus relates, that he fojourned fome time in Egypt. The common opinion is, that he was the fon of Jupiter, King of gods and men, by Semele, a mortal female of Thebes. This fyftem, while it was defended by his difciples and followers, was denied or ridiculed by the profane. In this latter number were fome of his own family, who afferted that Bacchus was no more a child of Jupiter than themfelves; but that "Semele "Semele (a), having been too well acquainted with fome mortal man, dignified her difgrace by calling Jupiter the father of the child." Of this injury Bacchus complains in very pathetic terms, and threatens to make them smart for their incredulity. "For (b) which reafon," fays he, "I have put on a mortal appearance, and have changed my form into the nature of a man," or, as he expreffes it elsewhere," I have changed myself to an human form from a god." Among the obftinate unbelievers were Alcithoë and her fifters, who denied that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and had the impudence to work, after the priest had given orders for a general holiday (c). Ovid is as rather too luxuriant in his defcription for an historian; fo he tells us, in his allegorical ftyle, that these unfortunate fifters were changed into bats; other authors fay, into owls and bats (fee Antoninus Liberalis, in his tenth story); but take either account, the meaning is equally clear. Thefe poor girls, for daring to fpeak their minds, were fo perfecuted by the drunken mob, who called themselves Bacchanalians, that they were fain to fhun the haunts of men, and hide themfelves from the light, in holes and corners. But neither did this ftop the mouths of the fcoffers. Pentheus derided the claims of this new god, and denied the divinity of his coufin. You may easily guess the (α) Διόνυσον οὐκ ἔφασκον ἐκφῦναι Διός. Σεμέλην δὲ συμφευθεῖσαν ἐκ θνητου τινος, (6) Ω, οὔνεκ εἶδος θνητὸν ἀλλάξας ἔχω, Μορφὴν ἀμείψας ἐκ θεοῦ βροησίαν. (c) At non Alcithoe Minyeïas orgia cenfet Eurip. Bacch. 26. Accipienda Dei; fed adhuc temeraria Bacchum Jufferat feftum celebrare facerdos Bacch. 53. Bacch. 4. fate of fuch an unbeliever; for the fect of Bacchanalians, while they were weak, were perfecuted, and when they grew ftrong, perfecuted others; which is perfectly natural. Indeed, Tirefias, the wizard, (who, by the bye, was as blind as a beetle) foretold as much to the young man. "Unless," (d) quoth he, " you honour this Bacchus with temples, your mangled limbs shall be scattered in a thousand places, and your mother and aunts shall be stained with your blood." Grandfire Cadmus, too, gave found advice to the headstrong young man; but he was refolute, and would not be ruled. It will do your heart good to hear the old gentleman's arguments in behalf of occafional conformity. "Suppofing," (e) fays he, " that this person is not a god, as you fay that he is not, let him pafs for one with you, and tell a fplendid lie, that he is; partly for Semele's credit, that the may have the reputation of being brought to bed of a god; partly for our's, that honour may redound to the whole clan." But all these reasonings were thrown away upon Pentheus. Wherever the spirit of enthusiasm takes poffeffion of the human mind, it extinguishes all fentiments of mercy, and all the charities of relationship. Pentheus was torn in pieces (according to the prophecy of Pirefias, which probably was the cause of its own completion) by a gang of female devotees, and his mother and her fifters were in at the death. It is fcarcely worth while to observe, that Bacchus recommended to his followers to take now and then a fup of the juice of the grape. (d) Quem nifi templorum fueris dignatus honore, Mille lacer fpargere locis; et fanguine filvas Fœdabis, matremq; tuam, matrifque forores. Ovid. Met. III. 521. (ε) Κεὶ μὴ γαρ ἐςιν ὁ θεὸς οὗτος, ὡς σὺ φής, Eurip. Bacch. 333. |