Seize it, Apollo!-feize the liquid fnare! Dash it to earth, or diffipate in air! Ah, fee! a deadly bowl the fiend conceal'd, Which to his eye with caution is reveal'd— Stay, hapless Youth! refrain-abhor the draught, With pangs, with racks, with deep repentance fraught! Oh, hold! the cup with woe Eternal flows, More--more than Death the pois'nous juice bestows! In vain!-he drinks-and now the fearching fires Rush thro' his veins, and writhing he expires! No forrowing friend, no fifter, parent, nigh, To footh his pangs, or catch his parting figh; Alone, unknown, the Mufe's darling dies, And with the vulgar dead unnoted lies! Bright Star of Genius!-torn from life and fame, My tears, my verfe, fhall confecrate thy name! But all their "Germs luxuriant and fair İllume our wayward steps, and point the way: There Genius deign Tebazile to take, It is to be obferved, as one of the principal beauties of thefe little compofitions, that the Poet, after having (like a Will of the Wifp) led the reader up fteep hills and precipices, and over every poffible difficulty, till he has entirely loft his way, generally brings him fafe in fight of his home at last, and when he is quite spent and jaded with the journey, gives him a nice little bit of downhill at the end of it. This idea is not new; though I love not to accufe modern authors of plagiarism, I am obliged to confefs it borrowed from Shakespeare, in the following fpeech of Edgar in King Lear, where the end only is intelligible :-" Whom the foul "fiend hath led through fire and through "flame, through ford and whirlpool, over "bog and quagmire-bless thy five wits. "Tom's a-cold." Now the expreffion "Tom's a-cold" is clearly intelligible, as in the last line of Mr W-ft-n's Poem: "Poot, poor Omai, what a fate was thine! and the two laft lines of mine Dr Wallis afterwards purfued a similar play upon two words derived from the fame Saxon root twa, twe, or twy, in the twe following tetrastics: No. I: tween, He twirls with his twister the two in a twine; Then, tice having twisted the twines of the twine, He twicheth the twine he had twined in twain. No. II. 'The twain that in twining before in the twine, As twins were intwisted, he now doth un twine; 'Twixt the twain inter-twifting a twine more between, He twirling his twifter, makes a twift of the twine. ON THE KING'S RECOVERY. NOT with more grief did Adam firft With doubts perplext, the fetting orb of day, THE Monthly Register For SEPTEMBER, 1789. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. SWEDEN and RUSSIA. A TRANSACTION which has lately taken place between the King of Sweden and his adverfaries in Finland, may probably, in its consequences, annihilate thofe diftinctions it has been fo much the object of all civilized nations to eftablish-diftinctions which have been found to leffen the horrors of war, whilft not one national advantage has been loft by extending kindness to thofe brave men, who ceafe to be enemies the moment they are prisoners. A Ruffian officer was taken prifoner at Hogsfors, to whom his Swedish Majefty wished to give his parole; and, as he was defirous at the fame time of fhewing fome civility to the Prince Labanoff, colonel of the regiment to which the captive belonged, he order ed Baron Klingsporre, his aid-de-camp general, to write a polite letter to the Prince, and fend back the officer on his parole. This was done on the 20th of July. A trumpet, accompanied by a Swedish officer conducted the Ruffian prifoner-arrived at the advanced pofts of the enemy, the trumpet founded, and they hailed; but the only anfwer they received was, the double difcharge of arquebuffes from the coffacks and chaffeurs; and, notwithstanding a fecond founding of the trumpet, the fignal of truce, the firing was continued. The officers and the trumpet were obliged to retire and return. The King was ftill at Hogsfors, when they gave him an account of the reception of his trumpet. His Majefty, fuppofing that fo ftrange a conduct could be owing only to the ufual licentioufnefs of the barbarous and undifciplined bands who compofe the light troops of the Ruffian army, and that even their own officers could not reftrain them, ordered Baron de Klingfporre to write a letter to the Prince de Naffau, to inform him of what had happened. In confequence of this, Count Muffin Pufchin, to whom the letter to the Prince de Naflau was communicated, fent an anfwer, in which he says, VOL. X. No. 57. E Camp near the Village of Kowla, July 28. The war that it plealed the King of Sweden to commence against us, departs in its own nature from the common rules adopted by civilized nations. His Swedish Majefty cannot fupport it but in violence to good faith; it is occafioned by no outrage of ours; but is in direct violation of the bonds which by folemn treaties bind us together, as well as in open violence of the engagements which he entered into with his own nation. In the mean time, however, humanity and juftice ought to be exercised a bove all things. Thofe virtues have guided the conduct of the emprefs. When this conduct is compared with the horrid and fhocking plot, contrived by a minifter acknowledged by his Swedish Majefty, to burn the Ruffian fquadron ftationed at Copenhagen, and with it the refidence of a Sovereign who had received that minifter under the facred fafeguard of public faith-and the recent capture of a neutral veffel, in a neutral port, by a Swedish privateer, in the moft traitorous and perfidious manner; we cannot be embarraffed to decide, if we are to receive leffons of humanity and generofity from an enemy who are ignorant of the firft principles, or who at leaft have no fcruple in violating them all.' I have the honor to be, MUSSIN PUSCHIN.' 6 In the 28th feffion of the Diet of Poland, they deliberated on making a compenfation for the revenues of the bishops, who fhall fucceed to actual bishoprics. After long debates, they decided that all bifhops fhould have 100,000 florins annually, and the Archbishop of Gnethe, as Primate, 200,000. The Ruffian bishops of the Greek church hould have 50,000 florins, and their arch-bishops 100,000. The reft of the revenue enjoyed by the bishops is configned to the Treasury. FRANCE. The committee appointed by the National Affembly to enquire into the explosion of gunpowder at Vefoul, by which which fome people were killed and wounded, have made their report, from which it appears that the explofion happened by accident. The Lord de Quincy had a pavilion in his park, in which he kept his gun-powder and fire-arms.-Thee dragoons, intoxicated, went into this, pavilion with a candle; and not being careful of the candle, a fpark went into a barrel of gunpowder, and blew up the whole, and deftroved them and the building to-gether. The Marechauffee, feeing the mangled limbs of the dead bodies feattered about, without proper enquiry, fent the report to the National Affembly. The Lord de Quincy luckily made his escape at that time, for, in the temper and belief the people were then in, they would have torn him inftantly in pieces. August 17. The National Affembly ftill continue to march forward with gigantic ftrides, to the total destruction of every fpecies of abufe in the ancient wornout fyftem of defpotifm. No clergyman is to poffefs two livings, if they jointly exceed 300 livres or 125 l. Sterling; nor a penfion and a living at the fame time, of more than that fum. The prefent ftate of the penfion lift is to be examined, and measures taken by the Affembly and the King for the retrenchment, or abolition of fuch as are too confiderable, or improper; and a ftipulated fum is to be granted to the King for that purpofe in future. The falary propofed, though not finally agreed to, for the extent of clerical livings, 150 livres, or about 621. Sterling, for the country parish priefts, 251. Sterling for their curates; rool. Sterling for the city priefts, and 331. for their curates. The bishops, and other beneficed clergy, to undergo a proportional reduction. The oaths of fidelity to the nation and allegiance to the King, are all that are required by thofe entering into civil or military employments in Erance, or even in future, to qualify themselves for being members of the General Affembly. No. thing like the teft of abjuration, &c. is required, and therefore it is no matter of confideration whether the perfons returned be or be not of the established religion of the State, as the oath does not militate against the private opinions of any individual whatever, fo as he has been properly chofen by the electors of any particular diftrict in France. It is indeed well known that there are fome Proteftants in the Affembly of the States, who openly profess themselves to be so, one ftriking inftance of which has very recently occurred among them, in the fpeech of a patriotic member. This furely is a fpecies of liberality not to be found in any other country in Europe, for tho military officers in the Pruffian, German, or Ruffian service may be of any religious denomination, fo they have real merit, yet the minifters and members of their fupreme councils muft undoubtedly be of the established worship. Too great a fpirit of levelling is thought to appear in all the decrees of the National Affembly, which it is apprehended by many, may, at lasl, like the proceedings of our diffenters, in the time of Charles I. revert again to abfolute mo narchy. Another circumftance unfavourable to the re-eftablishment of good order and tranquillity, is that the refolutions of the National Affembly for abolishing particular privileges do not meet with the fame approbation in the country as they did in the capital. Private property is fo greatly affected by them, that it is feared the enforcing of thefe refolutions, may be attended with very ferious confequences. By the fuppreffion of monaftic establifhments, and propofed reduction of the falaries of Archbishops, Bishops, and Dignitaries in France, the nation will derive confiderable relief in its finances, and the inferior clergy receive more fuitable flipends. The number of ecclefiaftics, fecular and regular, with the nuns, amount, as it appears by late calculations, to 316,274, who require a revenue of 117,699, 500 livres for their fupport. Near 80,000 of both sexes are computed to belong to different orders, and no lefs than 1,000 are mendicants. There is certainly great room, and not lefs occafion, for reform in this department. The Prefident received from the Lord Keeper of the Seals a packet containing feveral ordinances by the King, in confequence of the refolutions of the National Affembly.--These ordinances were, 1. To invite the troops to affift the national militia, on the requifition of the civil officers, whenever the public tranquillity fhould require it. 2. An amnefty in favour of all thofe foldiers who had quitted their colours without leave fince the 1ft of June laft. 3. The fame amnefty in favour of the feamen. 4. A declaration of pardon to thirteen perfons confined in the gallies for hunting and sporting. Commemoration Medal for the French Guards. One fide of the medal to represent the city The ground of the medal prefents a multitude of fpectators, and the legend is -Abolition to the Feudal Syftem. This medal will colt 9 livres, or 7s. 6d. in bronze; 45 livres, or 1. 185. in filver, 800 livres, or 8 guineas in gold. Several letters found in the Bastile, are Aanded about. The following has made much noife: Letter from M. de Se. Lieutenant General of Police, to M. de Launay, governor of the Buftile. 'The of June, 17. 'Ifend you my dear de Launay, one F, an atrocious offender; keep him eight days, atter which time order matters. the gallery of Versailles, made the following aniwer: "I accept with gratitude the title you decree me, of Rettorer of the Liberties of France; it correfponds with the mo tives which guided me when I affembled around me the reprefentatives of my nation. My prefent wifh is to fecure, in concert with you, Public Liberty, by the neceffary return of order and tranquillity. Your enlightened knowlede, and your intentions, infpire me with the greatest confidence in the refult of your deliberations. Let us proceed to pray Heaven to grant us its affittance, and let us return thanks to God for the generous fentiments which reign in your affembly." The addrefs to his M jefly, as origi nally drawn up by M. Target, produced feveral pointed obfervations and amendments. When the first paragraph was read, containing the expreflion of "the offering laid at the feet of your Majesty,” there was a general cry of "Out with the feet!" which words were according ly erafed. Paris, Sept. 7. The Prefident announced to the Affembly that there was a deputation of Ladies from Paris, chiefly the wives and daughters of artifts, who, in the prefent moment of national embarraffinent, were folicitous of devoting to the neceflities of their country, their jewels and other valuable ornaments. He took the fenfe of the House, whether they would accept the homage of this truly noble, and heroic body. The plaudits teftified the general fenfe of the Affembly. The politenefs and gallantry which, in the moft ierious deliberations, never abandon the French, would not permit them to receive, at the bar, merely, thefe refpectable citizens; the Prefident, at the defire of the Allembly, admitted them into the body of the Houfe, where they remained during the whole of the fitting. M. Bauche (member for Aix) was commiflioned by them to pronounce the difcourfe which thete diftinguished fe male patriots had prepared, and which their diffidence prevented them from delivering themselves.-After having obferyed, that they came to offer the jewels that they blufhed to wear while patriot. ifm invited them to make the facrifice, they propofed, that an office should be established, tolely for the reception of jewels, which fhould be told, and the fum applied to the diminution of the national debt. Ee 2 The |