post in that language, for the general information of travellers.

It was a remark of Dr. Johnson, that no man ever yet wrote an elementary book sufficiently clear for comprehension to a person previously unacquainted with the subject, or unassisted by a master. There certainly is no reason in requiring a pupil to read, before he can spell, or spell before he knows his letters. Yet such is the case every day.-Time, a most important thing in youth, is squandered in profusion, from practices founded entirely upon barbarism. The wretched versification of Propria quæ maribus, As in præsenti, &c. considered as poetry pure trash, is taken from the idea of the middle age, that matters in verse are better, as such, remembered than the same things in prose. The Abbé Sade, in his "Memoires de Petrarque," adduces this reason as the origin of these valuable acquisitions to the Literary world. It is not considered, that Dog Latin was in those days quite familiar. Chaucer's Abraham could draw a charter of quittance; law and religion rendered such Latin as familiar as now is arithmetick, and it was not for the Latin, but the poetical form, that the grammars were so constructed in this exquisite taste.

The real origin of propria quæ's, &c. &c. is precisely the same as would be "Conjug. the first from o makes avi, As a Barber would say from shavo shavi. Conjug. the second makes eo-ui,

As oh he is he oh! and I you, is U I.
Conjug. the third turns the O into 1,
As O! a man cries out, who gets a black
eye.

Conjug. the fourth changes io to ivi,
For a rhyme to which nonsense fruit-

lessly strive I."

In a subsequent instance, soon to be quoted, I seriously declare that I am not joking. It was in compliance with the custom of our middle-age ancestors, that the alphabet was tacked on to the rhymes,

"A was an archer and shot at a frog;" but then the verse was not in a foreign language. The child could comprehend the nonsense.

It is not however the intention of this Essay to expose to ridicule those fine and elegant scholars, who fill the office of Teachers in our great public schools. They form our senators

and our great men. They are (to rub their nerves up a little in the manner of their own grammars, with some Saxon termination,) the Praxiteleses, and the Phidiases and the Appelleses of classical writing-admirable chemists, who by simple process of exposing the bottom of a schoolboy retort to a fire of birch twigs, extract from the lumpish coal of idleness, a brilliant gas-light. No, they are public benefactors; they enable the children of men of fortune to shine; but we are not finding fault with the workmen, only with the tools. We have a just right to complain of carpenters, who will only use a chisel and an axe, and reject a saw. But to come to the point. The Westminster Grammar is an admirable compendium of most useful knowledge in the Greek and Latin languages; yet such is the influence of pedantry, that knowledge is locked up in most barbarous Latin metre, where words at the end of lines are even divided into two, in order to make up an hexameter, and others absolutely crippled to make them fall into verse. The compiler of such extraordinary productions, (as silly as would be Mrs. Glasse's Cookery in rhymes) seems not to have known the natural propensity of the Roman language to fall into hexameters and pentameters, proved, as it has been, by only taking a prose sentence of Livy, and showing that it fell spontaneously into metre. No, they thought of no such thing. They seriously acted upon the same idea as the authors of "Who killed Cock Robin," or "This is the house that Jack built;" all derived from the dicibula of the Romans, " Apples grow in the sea" and "Fishes in a tree;" the nonsense sung by the Roman soldiers, during the triumphs, and

Bucca, bucca, quot sunt hic," mentioned by Petronius, "Buck, buck, how many horns do I hold up?" The propria quæ's, &c. still retained, bad all the same origin, address to the memory via nonsense. Why not then place their rules in the most simple intelligible English?

But to prove there is a real neglect of a solemn duty, due to the publick, so far as concerns unnecessary expence to the parents, by retarding instruction through such sheer adherence to pure pedantry, and danger

of moral corruption, let us take another ground in their elementary books. In the Eton Phædrus, p. 27, is the following passage, "Asinus, demisso pene," L. i. fab. xxix. (pretty words for boys of eight years old to look out). Again, we have (L. i. fab. 18.)" Mulier parturiens," delicate ideas to excite; and in L. iii. fab. 3, Experientia præstantior arte," we have plain and direct allusions to bestiality. Yet lessons like these are prescribed to Boys, by Clergy men! This remark not meant in asperity. The fact is, that there are only certain authors, who are fit to be put into the hands of boys, in any language. These truly respectable gentlemen act by custom; and look only to proficiency in the language.

In making excellent scholars, the great public schools are not to be exceeded. What they do, they do in the first style; and they have the advantage of a discipline, which no private school-master dares exercise. They only want two improvements; translation of their grammars into English, and more simple and pure elementary books.

Pentametri finis-SIMPLICITATIS AMANS.

HE neat market town of Dron

THE

* A copy of the Ordination is given by Dr. Pegge, in his "History of Beauchief Abbey."

GENT. MAG. April, 1819.

grandeur is exceeded by few Parochial Churches. It is remarkable, that this chancel is more lofty than the nave. All the fine tracery, which once, no doubt, ornamented the East window, has been barbarously removed.

The Church is a handsome Gothic structure, 132 feet long, with a spire. In the South aile is an antient monument to Sir Robert Barley, of Dronfield Woodhouse. In the chancel are memorials of the families of Fanshawe, Burton, Barker of Dore, Morewood of Hallowes, Rotheram, &c.

Dr. Pegge supposed that the rectory of Dronfield was granted to the Fanshawe family. The rectorial tythes have lately been sold to the several land-owners. The vicarage, which in 1730 was augmented by Queen Anne's bounty, is in the gift of the Crown.

Henry Fanshawe, esq. Remembrancer of the Exchequer, founded a free-school* here in 1579.

The Classics have not been taught here for many years. The school, which is open to boys of any parish, is conducted on Dr. Bell's system. General Fanshawe, an officer in the Russian service, is the present patron of the school, as representative of the Founder. J. P. M.

Wtention which you have already bestowed on the "Introductory volume to the Beauties of England and Wales," allow me to observe that this Publication may yet be entitled to a small share of your notice, in a point of view in which it has not hitherto been presented. In your Review of this production, you are pleased merely to consider it as prefatory to the Topographical Survey of England and Wales, intituled "The Beauties" of those countries. That such is its primary design, is sufficiently obvious; and I have the pleasure of knowing, that nearly the whole of a large impression has been already circulated amongst the Subscribers to that Work.

Mr. URBAN, Hyde Farm, March 3.

HILST duly sensible of the at

I request permission to submit that this "Introduction" is not absolutely

*The Orders for the government of the School are printed in Mr. Carlisle's "Endowed Grammar Schools."

designed

designed for a restriction to libraries containing the work to which it may, as I hope, be termed a necessary appendage. The Writer, in common with many persons who entertain an attachment to Topographical and Antiquarian Literature, had long felt the want of such a publication as should afford a digest of the opinions of the most respectable Authors on various objects occurring in local investigation. It was a subject of much regret, that useful information, concerning the numerous Antiquities of England and Wales, was dispersed in voluminous and very expensive works; and was consequently to be obtained, when wanted in reference to a particular object, only with considerable labour and difficulty.

He, therefore, made it his pleasing task to collate statements of such diffuse, and often recondite Authors, and to form the result of his inquiries into dissertations on the following heads; abstaining, in general practice, from the delivery of individual opinion, but illustrating, where practicable, each respective conclusion, by remarks made in the actual investigation of several Counties.

The subjects discussed may be thus briefly enumerated: the History of the Britons, involving observations on their towns, trackways, coins, the rude but grand circles of stone attributed to the aboriginal and Belgic settlers; their barrows, cairns, and other funeral reliques. The principal stations and roads of the Romans are enumerated, and described at considerable length. In the above walks of antiquarian research, the work received valuable communications from the Rev. Thomas Leman, of Bath, who is well known to have personally investigated nearly the whole of this Island, with a view of ascertaining the real state of British and Roman Antiquities.

In treating of the Anglo-Saxons, the Author bestows particular attention on the various supposed criteria for ascertaining the Military and Ecclesiastical Architecture of that race of Conquerors, in distinction from the works of their successors, the Normans. The judicious will readily admit that a discriminating line is scarcely to be drawn between the architectural fashions of the two dynasties; and it chiefly remained for the Author

to analyze and present the import of all that had been advanced upon so curious a subject, adding lists of the principal buildings ascribed by previous writers to the distinct historical æras.

In the procedure of the work, the progressive classes of Anglo-Norman Castellated and Sacred Architecture, are noticed, with an endeavour at careful discrimination; and the rise and progress of the English or pointed style (mis-named the Gothic) meets with particular attention. The different modifications of this fine style in Architecture are divided, as nearly as can be ascertained, into distinct classes, exhibiting the manner prevailing in specified ages. Examples of each class are adduced, together with references to literary works of familiar recurrence, in which illustrative Engravings inay be inspected.

The Earth-works, whether military or funereal, ascribed to different ages in the History of this Island, are characterized, in regard to form and usual situation; and some brief remarks are presented concerning the Sepulchral Monuments erected in Churches, or their adjacent cenieteries, subsequent to the ingress of the Normans.

The discussion of the above, and numerous relative subjects, in a more compendious form than has hitherto been attempted, induces me to encourage a persuasion that the work acting as an Introduction to the "Beauties of England" is calculated to be received also as introductory to the general study of English Topography and Antiquities. It is in this light that I wish to submit the publi cation to the notice of your readers.

A most laudable inclination towards Topographical research has lately made rapid advances in the public mind. This increasing curiosity, in regard to those superb religious structures, decaying piles, or massy castrametations, which add to the picturesque of English scenery, whilst they afford august subjects of moral reflection, is undoubtedly, in a great measure, to be attributed to the easy access recently afforded to topographical and antiquarian knowledge. will be my highest gratification, if the introductory volume, concerning which I trouble you with this address, should be found a useful assistant to

It

those