collected the definitions and divifions in a very methodical manner.

Heineccius's Antiquities muft alfo be read at the fame time, as the titles in both exactly correfpond.

If Mr Hope reads with attention what is here recommended as the work of one year, he will have laid a good foundation, and will find the ftudy of the Pandects not only easy, but agreeable.

Heineccius on the Pandects, and Voet, which is the most practical book, must be carefully perufed from beginning to end. For any young man who defires to understand the civil law, in the view of practice, must be thoroughly master of Voet.

Cujaccius is a book by much too long to be read from beginning to end; but in all questions of difficulty, and likewife on any interefting fubject, recourfe fhould be had to him as the very best of all civilians.

In the courfe of reading the Pandects, Mr Hope fhould have much recourse to the text of the Corpus Juris itself, from which he will draw real inftruction, and more entertainment than from any commentator.

After reading the Inftitutes and Pandects in the manner above-mentioned, Mr Hope may conclude with Vinnius upon the Inftitutes, as containing a clear and elegant fummary of the principles of the Roman law, and which, if carefully perufed, will fix them on his memory.

Mr Gillies in his letter feems to think too much time beftowed upon the ftudy of the Roman law; but upon re-confidering that opinion, he will alter it when he reflects that the grand principles of equity, juftice, and the law of all modern nations are to be found there; and the deviations from the Roman law in any modern country does not arife from the difapprobation of it, but from the manners, circumftances, and revolutions in that

Country.

Mr. Hope, after this courfe of the

Roman law, may read Beinkeifrick's excellent Treatife upon the Law of Nations, with much pleasure and inftruction.

After reading the civil law, before Mr Hope fits down to the Scottish law, he thould be acquainted with the feudal fyftem, and should also be fo far mafter of the hiftory of Scotland, as to retain in his memory all thofe events which occafioned any alteration in the conftitution; for the revolutions in that ftate give a tinge to the muni cipal law of any kingdom.

For the feudal fyftem, and likewife in order to form the connection be tween ancient and modern hiftory, Mr Hope may read,

ift, Tacitus, that most noble hifto rian, from whom he will receive much entertainment and instruction. 2d, Giannoni's Hiftory of Naples ; and,

3d, Robertfon's Hiftory of Charles V. particularly the Introduction to each, which contain most excellent fummaries of the darker times, and explain the rife and progrefs of the feudal fyftem in a very masterly man

mer.

For the Scottish history, no better occurs to me than Buchanan's Hifto y, Drummond of Hawthorndean's Hiftory of the five James's, and Robertfon's Hiftory of Scotland.

The hiftory of other countries may as Mr Gillies obferves, be very useful, particularly that of England; but then only fummaries fhould be put into Mr Hope's hands, where good may be found, that he may not be overloaded.

I wish I could recommend a compendious Hiftory of England; Rapin's Abridgement, with his Differtation on the Laws of the Anglo-Saxons; and the Letters from a Father to a Son upon the English History may answer Mr Hope's prefent purpose.

Dr Goldfmith has lately published an Abridgement of the English Hif tory; but as I have not read it, I can. not venture to give my opinion about 洽

3. Puffendorf's Introduction a l'Hif toire de l'Europe fhould be read.

Of the Hiftory of France Prefident Henault has made an excellent a bridgement; and there has been lately published on the fame plan a good one of the Hiftory of Spain. Necket fur le Corps Germanique is account ed accurate, and gives the best idea of that conftitution.

The Modern Hiftory of all Nations previous to the Reformation is obfcure, fabulous, and of little importance. A young man who has learned what is useful to be known of the dark times from Giannoni and Robert fon fhould begin his ftudy of modern hiftory at that period.

But as Mr Hope must be content for the prefent with a general fuperficial knowledge of hiftory, both ancient and modern, it is not neceffary now to chalk out an extensive plan of either.

These hints are calculated to a bridge Mr Hope's ftudies upon every fubject, and to bring them within a narrow compafs, confiftent with the prefent difpofition of his time, and the avocations which his health requires. Mr Hope and Mr Gillies will eafily diftinguish thofe books which muft neceffarily be read, from thofe which are recommended to be read, in cafe the time permit, for amusement, or for improvement in the Latin and French

by the number of words a man des vours, or the pages he turns over, but only by fuch reading as he thoroughly digefts and makes his own.

The rules for reading all books with effect and to the best advantages are admirably laid down by Mr Locke, in a fhort and most valuable tract, entitled, The Conduct of the Human Understanding, printed in his pofthumous works, and reprinted in a small volume by itself fome years ago at Edinburgh. I would recommend to every young man, before he enters upon any courfe of study, to perufe with attention and fix in his mind the directions contained in this incomparable treatife. It will open his understanding, and teach him with the greatest perfpicuity the nature of affent and evidence.

Diftinct pronunciation, the improve ment of the ear, the modulation of the voice, and every thing that tends to render elocution agreeable, harmoni❤ ous, and grateful, merits peculiar attention.

I agree with Lord Prefident, that with this view fome paffages of Cicero's Orations fhould be read almoft every day aloud, and alfo fome paffages of one of the beft English authors. For this purpofe I would recommend the Select Orations of Demofthenes by different hands, with Toureil's preface, which is juftly admired for an elegant, beautiful, and correct stile.

I would beg leave to fuggeft to Mr Hope another exercise, that appears to me to be of great importance. Whatever be the fubject of his study, whether claffics, hiftory, ethics, or law, let him either write a fummary or ab ftract of it in English, or let him choose fome fubject arifing out of it, and connected with his reading, and compofe a differtation upon it in English.

For instance, when he reads the claffical authors, let him abstract a fummary of the customs and manners of the Romans as they occur in them or their commentators. In reading hiftory, ancient or modern, various 2

Subjects

fubjects will prefent themselves: where a fact is dubious, he may ftate the evidence pro and con, together with his own judgment upon it. If an event be complicated, he may enumerate particularly, and illuftrate the feveral circumftances; he may ftate the feveral judgments on both fides; how far an action was in the whole or in part blameable, or laudable; then give a á decifion, with his reafons for it. He may inveftigate the caufes of any great event or revolution, and allign the grounds of his opinion, why fuch caufes produced fuch effects. Such, and many other fubjects will occur in reading history, or in ethics, or the law of nature and of nations, or the civil law. A queftion may be fettled on any capital point and difcuffed. The utility of this exercife is obvious; it will digeft, arrange, and fix in his memory what he reads; it will teach and habituate him to methodize his thoughts, and will improve his ftile.

Every man by ufe will form a ftile for himfelf, and therefore great attention and care is neceffary in the be

ginning. It has been thought that the best models for the English language may be found in Addifon's profe works, in Swift's firft pieces, particu larly that upon the diffention of Rome and Athens, in that translation of Demofthenes above-mentioned, and in Middleton's Life of Cicero.

Other excellent ones might be pointed out among the English fermons and the late hiftorians; but those which I have mentioned may fuffice.

Mr Hope fhould perufe with care, Doctor Lowth, now Bishop of Ox. ford, his Effay on English Grammar, and confult it frequently when he is writing.

Thefe Hints, which were drawn up by Lord Kinnoul, were read by him to Lord President and Mr Solicitor Dundas, and approved by them; and they join with Lord Kinnoul in recommending earnestly to Mr Hope a particular attention to his elocution, and to the exercife of writing English upon the subject of his studies.

The plan for Mr Hope's ftudy of civil law was dictated by Mr Solicitor Dundas.

SIR,

THE HE perfon who has now the honour to addrefs you is a member of a community who, by the courtefy of England,. are like the Raccals of Turky, collectively involved in the moft indifcriminate ridicule, the moft comprehenfive contempt: I fay collectively, Sir, becaufe individually we are allowed to have no exiftence; the wicked waggery of the world, judging nine weavers and nine tailors requifite to the formation of one man. Yes, Sir, to fo high a pitch have they carried the difrefpect in which these profeffions are held, that, in the eyes of "the many," (as the poet calls them) to addrefs a man by the appellation either of weaver or tailor, implies not only, as

formerly, a reflection on his horfemanfhip, but on his perfonal courage, and even his perfonal existence.

I, Sir, am a weaver; I feel for the injured dignity of my profeffion; and fince, thanks to my own genius, and two years and an half of education at an academy on Tower-hill, I have a very decent acquaintance with the claffics; that is, I know them all by name, and can tell Greek when I fee it, any day in the week; and fince, as far as Shakefpeare's plays and all the monthly magazines go, I have a very pretty fhare of Englith book learning: from thefe confiderations, Sir, I think myfelf qualified to contend, not for the utility and refpectability only, but for

the

the honour of the art of weaving. Tailoring, as it is fecondary to weaving, will of courfe partake of the fruits of my labours; as, in afferting the dignity of the one, I maintain the credit of the other.

To this end, Sir, I fhall not appeal to the candour of my readers, but shall provoke their judgment; I fhall not folicit their indulgence, but, by the force of demonftration, will claim their affent to my opinion.

Poetry, Sir, is univerfally allowed to be the first and nobleft of the arts and sciences; infomuch, that it is the opinion of critics that an epic poem is the greatest work the human mind is capable of bringing to perfection. If then I can prove that the art of weaving is, in any degree, analogous to the art of poetry; if this analogy has been allowed by the whole tribe of critics, fo far that, in fpeaking of the latter, they have ufed the terms of the former, and have paffed judgment on the works of the poet in the language of the manufacturer; nay, if Poetry herself has condefcended to imitate the expreffions, and to adopt the technical terms, into her own vocabulary; then may I furely hope that the fanction of criticifm may challenge the refpect and the flattery of poetry (for imitation is the highest degree of flattery) may claim the admiration of mankind.

First, then, with regard to criticifm. To felect a few examples from a multitude of others, are we not entertained, in the works of Longinus and the Gentleman's Magazine, with delectable differtations on the weaving of plots, and the interweaving of epifodes? Are we not continually informed that the author unravels the web of his intrigue, or breaks the thread of his narration? Befides thefe, a friend of mine, a great etymologift, has affured me, that bombait and bombafin originally fpring from the fame root; and fuftian, every body knows, is a term applied indifferently to paffages in poetry, or materials for a pair of breeches. So fimilar is con

fidered the fkill employed in the texture of an epic poem and a piece of broad cloth; fo parallel the qualifications requifite to throw the fhuttle and guide the pen.

I was not a little pleased the other day to find, in the critique of one of the moft eminent writers of the prefent day, the works of a favourite poet ftyled a tifue. An idea then occurred to me, fuggefted perhaps by my partiality for my profeffion, which I am not without fome faint hope of one day feeing accomplished.

By a little labour and ingenuity it might furely be discovered that the works of different authors bear a con-> fiderable affinity (like this of the tiffue) to the different productions of the loom. Thus, to enumerate a few inftances, without any regard to chronological order, might not the flowery smoothnefs of Pope be aptly enough compared to flowered fattin? Might not the compofitions of all the poets laureate, ancient and modern, be very properly termed princes ftuff? And who would difpute the title of Homer to everlasting? For Shakespeare, indeed, I am at a lofs for a comparifon, unlefs I fhould liken him to thofe fhot filks which vary the brightnefs of their hues into a multitude of different lights and fhades. And, would orthography allaw of the pun, I might fay that there are few poets but would be proud to be thought worthy of the green bays.

For proof of the ufe which poetry makes of the weaver's dictionary, vide ten thousand odes on Spring, where you may catch the fragrance of the damafk rofe; liften to the rustling of the filken foliage; or lie extended, with a liftlefs languor, pillowing your head upon the velvet mead; to fay nothing of nature's loom, which is fet to work regularly on the firft of May, to weave variegated carpets for the lawns and landfcapes. Now, Sir, thefe fimilitudes, though very pretty and ve ry a-propos, I own I am not perfectly fatisfied with. The Genoefe certain

ly