and Coello were accordingly arrefted, and fent in chains to Portugal; Pacheo escaped into France. The king was at Santerem when the delinquents were brought to him; he instantly ordered them to be laid on a pyre that was previoufly formed, contiguous to which he had a banquet prepared. Before the torch was kindled, and whilft they agonized at every pore under the moft lingering tortures, their hearts were cut out, one at his breaft, the other at his back. Laftly, the pyre was fet on a blaze, in prefence of which he dined, whilft they evaporated in flames. Having thus far appeased his infatiable thirft of revenge, he ordered his marriage with Dona Ignez to be published throughout the kingdom; then her body was ta. ken out of the fepulchre, covered with regal robes, and placed on a magnificent throne, around which his minifters assembled, and did homage to their lawful queen. After this ceremony, her corpfe was tranflated from Coimbra to Alcobaca, with a pomp hitherto unknown in the kingdom; though the distance between these two places is fifty-two miles, yet the road was lined on both fides all the way, with people holding lighted tapers. The funeral was attended by all the noblemen and gentlemen in Portugal, dreffed in long mourning cloaks; their ladies alfo attended, dreffed in white mourning veils. The cloud which the above difafter caft over the mind of Don Pedro was never totally difperfed; and as he lived in a ftate of celibacy the remainder of his life, agreeably to his vow, there was nothing to divert his attention from rumi nating on the fate of his beloved spouse. The impreffion her death made on him was ftrongly characterifed, not only in the tortures he inflicted on her murderers, but alfo in all the acts of his administration, which, from their severity, induced fome to give him the appellation of Pedro the Cruel;~ by others he was called Pedro the juft; and, upon the whole, it appears that the lat title moft properly appertained to him. Extras from the correspondence of Mr. Gibbon, with various men of eminence in the literary World. From the Mifcellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, efq: Extract of a Letter from Dr. Robertfor to Mr. Strahan, dated Edinburgh College, March 15, 1776. **** Since my laft I have read Mr. Gibbon's history with much attention, and great pleafure. It is a work of very high merit indeed He poffefles that induftry of refearch, without which no mandeferves the name. of an hiftorian. His narrative is perfpicuous and interefting; his ftyle is elegant and forcible, though in fome paffages I think rather too laboured, and in others too quaint. But these defects are amply compenfated by the beauty of the general flow of language, and a very peculiar happiness in many of his expreffions. I have traced him in many of his quotations, (for experience has taught me to fufpect the accuracy, of my brother pen-men,) and I find he refers to no paffage but what he has feen with his own eyes. I hope the book will be as fuccessful as it deserves to be. I Bb 3 have 1 have not yet read the two laft chapters, but am forry, from what I have heard of them, that he has taken fuch a tone in them as will give great offence, and hurt the fale of the book. Mr. Ferguson to Mr. Gibbon. I received, about eight days ago, after I had been reading your hiftory, the copy which you have been fo good as to fend me, and for which I now trouble you with my thanks. But even if I had not been thus called upon to offer you my refpects, I could not have refrained from congratulating you on the merit, and undoubted fuccefs, of this valuable performance. The perfons of this place whofe judgment you will value moft, agree in opinion, that you have made a great addition to the claffical literature of England, and given us what Thucydides propofed leaving with his own countrymen, a poffeffion in perpetuity. Men of a certain modelly and merit always exceed the expectations of their friends; and it is with very great pleasure I tell you, that although you must have obferved in me every mark of confideration and regard, that this is, nevertheless, the cafe, I receive your inftruction, and ftudy your model, with great deference, and join with every one elfe, in applauding the extent of your plan, in hands fo well able to execute it. Some of your read ers, I find, were impatient to get at the fifteenth chapter, and began at that place. I have not heard much of their criticism, but am told that many doubt of your orthodoxy. I with to be always of the charitable fide, while I own you have proved that the cleareft ftream may become foul when it comes to run over the muddy boftom of human nature. I have not ftayed to make any particular remarks. If any fhould occur on the fecond reading, I fhall not fail to lay in my claim to a more needed, and more ufeful admonition from you, in cafe I ever produce any thing that merits your attention. And am, with the greatest refpect, Dear Sir, Your molt obliged, and most humble Servant, ADAM FERGUSON. Extract of a Letter from Mr. David Hume to Mr. Strahan, dated Edinburgh, April 8th, 1776. **** I am very much taken with Mr. Gibbon's Koman hiftory,which came from your prefs, and am glad to hear of its fuccefs. There will no books of reputation now be printed in London but through your hands and Mr. Cadell's. The author tells me, that he is already preparing a fecond edition. I refolved to have given him my advice with regard to the manner of printing it; but as I am now writing to you, it is the fame thing. He ought certainly to print the number of the chapter at the head of the margin; and it would be better if fomething of the contents could alfo be added. One is alfo plagued with his notes, according to the prefent method of printing the book: when a note is announced, you turn to the end of the volume; and there you often find nothing but a reference to an authority. All these authorities ought only to be printed at the margin, or the bottom of the page. I de fire a copy of my new edition fhould be fent to Mr. Gibbon; as withing that gentleman, whom I fo highly value, thould perufe me in a form the leaft imperfect to which I can bring my work. ***** Dr. Smith's performance is another excellent work that has come from your prefs this winter; but I have ventured to tell him, that it requires too much thought to be as popular as Mr. Gibbon's. Mr. Ferguson to Mr. Gibbon. Edinburgh, April 18th, 1776. Dear Sir, I SHOULD make fome apology for not writing you fooner an anfwer to your obliging letter; but if you should honour me frequently with fuch requests, you will find, that, with very good intentions, I am a very dilatory and irregular correfpondent. I am forry to tell you, that our refpectable friend [Mr. Hume] is ftill declining in his health; he is greatly emaciated, and lofes ftrength. He talks familiarly of his near profpect of dying. His mother, it feems, died under the fame fymptoms; and it appears fo little neceffary, or proper, to flatter him, that no one attempts it. I never obferved his understanding more clear, or his humour more pleasant and lively. He has a great averfion to leave the tranquillity of his own houfe, to go in fearch of health among inns and hoftlers. And his friends here gave way to him for fome time; but now think it neceflary that he should make an effort to try what change of place and air, or any thing elfe Sir John Pringle may advise, can do for him. I left him this morning in the mind to com ply in this article, and I hope that he will be prevailed on to fet out in a few days. He is just now fixty-five. I am very glad that the pleasure you give us, recoils a little on yourfelf, through our feeble teftimony. I have, as you fuppofe, been employed, at any intervals of leifure or reft I have had for fome years, in taking notes, or collecting materials, for a hiftory of the diftractions that broke down the Roman Republic, and ended in the eftablishment of Auguftus and his immediate fucceffors. The compliment you are pleafed to pay, I cannot accept of, even to my fub. ject. Your fubject now appears with advantages it was not fuppofed to have had; and I fufpect that the magnificence of the mouldering ruin will appear more striking, than the fame building when the view is perplexed with feaffolding, workmen, and disorderly lodgers, and the ear is stunned with the noife of deftructions and repairs, and the alarms of fire. The night which you begin to defcribe is folemn, and there are gleams of light fuperior to what is to be found in any other time. I comfort myfelf, that as my trade is the study of human nature, I could not fix on a more interefting corner of it, than the end of the Roman Republic. Whether my compilations thould ever deferve the attention of any one befides myfe'f, must remain to be determined after they are farther advanced. I take the liberty to trouble you with the in clofed for Mr. Smith, whofe un certain ftay in London makes me at a lofs how to direct for him. You have both fuch reafon to be pleafed with the world just now, Bb + that that I hope you are pleafed with I am, with the greatest respect, Your moit obedient, Mr. Gibbon to Dr. Robertfon. Paris, 1777: SIR, WHEN I ventured to affume the character of hiftorian, the firft, the moft natural, but at the fame time moft ambitious, with which I en-tertained, was to obtain the approbation of Dr. Robertfon and of Mr. Hume; two names which friendship united, and which pofterity will never feparate. I fhall not therefore attempt to diffemble, though I cannot eafily exprefs, the pleafure which I received from your obliging letter, as well as from the intelligence of your most valuable prefent. The fatisfaction which I hould otherwife have enjoyed, in common with the public, will now be heightened by a fentiment of a more perfonal and flattering nature; and I fhall frequently whifper to myself, that I have in fome measure deferved the esteem of the writer whom I admire. A fhort excurfion which I made to this place, during the fummer months, has occafioned fome delay in my receiving your letter, and will prevent my poffeffing, til my return, the copy of your history, which you fo politely defired Mr. Strahan to fend me. But I have already gratified the eagerness of my impatience; and although I was obliged to return the book much fooner than I could have wifhed; I have feen enough to convince me, that the prefent publi cation will fupport, and, if pof fible, will extend the fame of the author; that the materials are collected with diligence, and arranged with skill; that the first book contains a learned fatisfactory account of the progrefs of difcovery; that the achievements, the dangers, and the crimes, of the Spanish adventurers are related with a temperate fpirit; and that the moft original, perhaps the moft curious, portion of the hiftory of human mauners is at length rescued from the hands of fophifts and declaimers. Lord Stormont, and the few in this capital, who have had an opportunity of perufing the hiftory of America, unanimoufly concur in the fame fentiments. Your work is already become a favourite topic of public converfation; and Mr. Suard is repeatedly preffed, in my hearing, to fix the time when his tranflation will appear. I flatter myself you will not abandon your defign of vifiting London next winter; as I already anticipate, in my own mind, the advantages which I hall derive from fo pleafing and fo honourable a connection: In the mean while, I fhould efteem myself happy, if you could think of any literary commiflion, in the execution of which I might be useful to you at Paris, where I propose to stay till very near the meeting of Parliament. Let me, for inftance, fuggeft an enquiry, which cannot be indifferent to you, and which might, perhaps, be within my reach. A few days ago I dined with Benioffki, the famous adventurer, who efcaped from his exile at Kamfchatfka, and returned into Europe by Japan and China, His narrative was amufing, though I know not how far his veracity, in point of circumftances, may fafely be trufted. It was his original defign to penetrate through the North Eaft Paffage; and he actually followed the coaft of Afia as high as the latitude of 67° 35', till his progrefs was stopped by the ice, in a freight between the two continents, which was only feven leagues broad. Thence he defcended along the coaft of America, as low as Cape Mendocin; but was repulfed by contrary winds, in his attempts to reach the port of Acapulco. The journal of his Voyage, with his original charts, is now at Verfailles, in the Depot des ffaires Etrangeres; and if you conceived that it would be of any ufe to you for a fecond edition, I would try what might be obtained: though I am not ignorant of that mean jealoufy which you yourself have experienced, and fo defervedly ftigmatifed. I am, &c. Dr. Robertfon to Mr. Gibbon. SIR, to me, we live, that men of letters can enter the fame walk of fcience, and go on fuccefsfully, without feeling one fentiment of envy or rivalihip. In the intercourfe between Mr. Hume and me, we always found fomething to blame, as well as fome hing to commend. I have received frequently very valuable criticifms on my performances from him; and I have fometimes ventured to offer him my ftrictures on his works. Permit me to hope for the fame indulgence from you. If, in reading the Hiftory of America, any thing, either in the matter or ftyle, has occurred to you as reprehenfible, I will deem it a moft obliging favour if you will communicate it freely to me. certain of profiting by fuch a communication. I HAD the honour of your obliging letter, and I fhould be a very proud man indeed, if I were not vain of the approbation which you are pleased to beftow upon me. As you will now have had an opportunity to perufe the book, which you had only feen when you wrote I indulge myself in the hopes, that the favourable opinion you had formed of it, is not diminished. I am much pleased with your mentioning my friendship with Mr. Hume; I have always confidered that as one of the moft fortunate and honourable circumftances of my life. It is a felicity of the age and country in which I am I return you thanks for your frank offer of executing any literary commiflion for me. I accept it without ceremony, and am flattered with the idea of receiving fuch aid from your hands. I knew nothing of Beniofiki's Adventures, but what was published in fome newfpapers. If one can rely on his veracity, what he relates must be very interefting to me. If you had been writing the Hiftory of America, the question concerning the mode of peopling it, might not perhaps have occupied your attention very much. But it was proper for me to confider it more fully. Benioffki (if he may be credited) has feen what it may be useful for me to know. I can fee no reafon why the Court of France fhould be fhy about communicating his journal, and the charts which illuftrate it; poffibly my name may operate fomewhat towards obtaining a copy of both; 4 your |