296 Johnson's Services to Scotland.Original Anecdote of Hogarth. funk them still lower than he thought they were, in the feveral articles of literature, learning, probity, urbanity, and cultivation of useful arts and focial manners. We have long been told that Fas eft, et ab bofte doceri; and Plutarch has demonftrated the truth of the maxim, by declaring, that to a man's enemies, if they will but fpeak out, he may owe more folid obligations, than to all the lenient courtesy of a fond and partial friend. In this view, then, I both hope and am convinced that Scotland will derive advantages, of the most substantial nature, from the ftrictures and encauftics of a Johnson's tongue and pen; and, whether he ever defigned it or not, Caledonia and her fons will, hereafter, be fully fenfible of the benefit. As to that pride of family fo confeffedly inherent in the Scots, if it arofe from mere vanity, or from a pretence to unrecorded merit in their ancestors, it might be blamed as a weakness, though humanity cannot fuffer that it fhould be branded as a crime; and, footh to fay, it is alfo very probable that Dr. Johnfon, in his own perfon, comprehended as much of felf-importance, as any individual, or all the individuals of the oldeft clans in Scotland put together. The fact is too clear to be difputed, and yet it was not wife nor decent to let it fo palpably appear. He is now no more! but Scotland, and the genius of her fons, fo far from invidiously glorying in the event, pay, I am perfuaded, much reverence to his abilities, and all the esteem they poffibly can to his memory: and I am furefrom the fpecimens we have fo recently, and fo amply, had of mental cultivation amongst our Northern brethren-that the name, the declarations, and the conduct of a Johnson, will ever ftimulate that fpirit of improvement, in the writers of Scotland, which wanted only cppofition, and the attacks of fuch an opponent, to roufe it into action. He might have been more polite, more civil, and more acquiefcent; he might have ufed fimulation, and the fhew of courtesy, if a fenfe of honour, or of pride, in his rough bofom, could have endured them; but, I am convinced, while he had ren dered himself more amiable, his beneficial influences would have been lefs widely and lefs forcibly diffufed. He may, like a harsh furgeon, have scarified an impofthume; but he may alfo, by his keen lancet, have fecured his patient from every future danger of a gangrene. Yours, PHILANTHROPUS, Mr. URBAN, April 14. IT is to be hoped that the remarkable paroxyfm, during the Hogarth Fever, that raged fo violently, at the late fale of Mr. Gulfton's collection, will be duly recorded in your Magazine; it is worth mentioning amongst the wonders of the times. Though this be an inftance of folly in the extreme, it may be traced to a principle implanted in the human breaft for important purposes, the inceffant longing after perfection; but, however noble the principle, it is frequently perverted towards frivolous objects and unworthy pursuits The publick, we are informed, will foon be gratified with a fine print from one of Hogarth's moft capital pictures, "The Ladies Laft Stake." Mr. Livefay, no doubt, will take fufficient care that the engraving fhall do the picture all the juftice poffible; Mr. Livefay also met with, in Ireland, fome other works of Hogarth, which were unknown to the ingenious and accurate compiler of the "Biographical Anecdotes." That refpectable writer feems not quite exact in his account of the pictures," Before and After." They originally belonged to Mr. Thompfor of Lincolnshire, on whofe death they came into poffeffion of his brother, who, hearing the prefent amiable and noble proprietor exprefs regret that he had no fpecimen of Hogarth's paint ing, politely fent his lordship those two pictures. On confidering thofe pictures attentively, they fhew no very ftriking merit; yet they appear the work of a mafter as to the meer execution, the colouring is dull, but the great failure is in point of expreffion. The fituation, in the fecond picture, it must be con féffed, is, in itself, extremely ludicrous, and the particular fpecies of the trifte it is intended to exprefs is univerfally acknow ledged; but Hogarth has not hit it off in the right kind; his knight has as rueful a countenance, as if detected in picking a pocket, or sharping at play. This fubject would have been treated in a manner much fuperior by a great Dutch master, Jan Stein, and yet with all the decorum fuch a fubject could have been fufceptible of. Perhaps the worthy writer of the "Anecpotes" may be thought a little too ftrait-laced refpecting the fujets librés of painters; allowances must be made for fprightly young artifts, and no one feems ever to have tranfgreffed, in this way, lefs than Hogarth, notwithstands. ing his vein was comic. Yours, &c. DAVUS. I Defcription of a Flying Ship invented in 1709. MR. URBAN, April 10. T may be no difagreeable entertainment to the admirers of modern BALLONS, if you prefent them with the following "Defcription of a Flying Ship, "in which one may travel 200 miles in "24 hours, carry orders to generals in "remote countries, as alfo letters, re"cruits, provifions, ammunition and mo"ney; fupply befieged places with all "neceffaries, and tranfport merchandize "through the Air; as is to be feen by "the following copy of the original ad"drefs prefented to the king of Portu"gal. Invented by a prieft in Brafil. "According to the copy printed at Vi"enna, 1709." A Copy of an Addrefs made to his Portuguefe Majetty in the Portuguese Tongue. "Father Bartholomew Laurent fays, that he has found out an invention, by the help of which one may more fpeedily travel through the air than any other way either by fea or land, fo that one may go 200 miles in 24 hours; fend orders and conclufions of councils to generals, in a manner, as foon as they are determined in private cabinets; which will be fo much the more advantageous to your majefty, as your dominions lie far remote from one another, and which, for want of councils, cannot be maintained nor augmented in revenues and extent. "Merchants may have their merchandize, and fend letters and packets more conveniently. Places befieged may be fupplied with neceffaries and fuccours. Moreover, we may tranfport out of fuch places what we pleafe, and the enemy cannot hinder it. "The Portuguefe have discovered unknown countries bordering upon the extremity of the globe and it will contribute to their greater glory to be authors of fo admirable a machine, which fo many nations have in vain attempted. Many misfortunes and hipwrecks have happened for want of maps; but by this invention the earth will be more exactly measured than ever, befides many other advantages worthy of your majefty's encouragement. "But, to prevent the many disorders *Literally transcribed from a printed Newspaper, intituled, "The Evening Poft, N° 56, from Tuesday, Dec. 20, to Thurfday, Dec. 22, 1709." GENT. MAG. April, 1786. 297 that may be occafioned by the usefulness of this machine, care is to be taken that the ufe and full power over the fame be committed to one perfon only, to whom your majefty will pleafe to give a strict command, that whoever shall prefume to tranfgrefs the orders herein mentioned, thall be feverely punished. "May it pleafe your majefty to grant your humble petitioner the privilege that no perfon fhall prefume to ufe, or make this fhip, without the exprefs licence of the petitioner and his heirs, under the penalty of the lofs and forfeiture of all his lands and goods, fo that one half of the fame may belong to the petitioner, and the other to the informer. And this to be executed throughout all your dominions upon the tranfgreffors, without exception or diftinétion of perfons, who likewife may be declared li◄ able to an arbitrary punishment, &c." "An Explanation of the Figure. "A, reprefents the fails wherewith the air is to be divided, which turn as they are directed. B, the ftern to govern the fhip, that The may not run at random. C, the body of the fhip, which is formed at both ends fcollop-wife; in the concavity of each is a pair of bellows, which must be blown when there is no wind. D, two wings, which keep the ship upright. E, the globes of heaven and earth, containing in them attractive virtues. They are of metal, and ferve for a cover to two load tones placed in them, upon pedeftals, to draw the fhip after them, the body of which is of thin iron plates, covered with ftraw mats, for conveniency of 10 or 12 men befides the artist. F, a cover made of iron, wire, in form of a net, on which are faftened a good number of large amber beads, which, by a fecret operation, will help to keep the hip aloft; and, by the fun's heat, the aforefaid mats that line the ship will be drawn towards the amber beads. G, the artist, who, by the help of the celeftial globe, a fea map and compass, takes the height of the fun, thereby to find out the fpot of land over which they are on the globe of the earth. H, the compaís, to direct them in their way. I, the pullies or ropes, that ferve to hoift or fuil the fails." Yours, &c. JOHN DELVER. Mr. 298 Ancient Sculpture at Bolfover.-Yarn Hall at Dublin. Mr. URBAN, IF Nott. March 27. F you think fragments of ancient fculpture worthy of a place in your valuable Repofitory, the inclofed drawing of one is at your fervice. About fourfcore years ago a ftone was taken up, which ferved as a ftep to the north door of Bolfover church, co. Derby. On the lower fide was difcovered ancient rude fculpture in very high relief, reprefenting the Nativity (fee plate it. fig. 2.) The Virgin Mary appears to be fitting in a ftable, with a mutilated figure of our Saviour in her lap, who feems to have had one hand on a dove; the other figure, ftanding on the fide, was probably in tended for Jofeph. In the back ground, an old man is feen coming into the table. The two camels heads are looking into the manger; the great projection of these heads from the back ground is very fingular. The fone is five feet by thres. I think it appears, from the drapery, and other parts of the fculpture, to be the work of the thirteenth century, if not anterior to that period. It was then probably held in high estimation; and, from the fituation in which it was found, I fhould imagine it was put there as a place of fafety, during the frequent attacks that were made on Bollover Cafile, or to fecure it in later times from the fanatic fury of the parliament's forces, when they took poffeffion of the caflet. The flone now ftands against the wall in the chancel. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, H. R. SHOULD you conceive this inclofure worthy public notice, you will, at fome convenient time, favour the public eye with this reprefentation of the Yarnhali in Dublin; an edifice built for the accommodation of traders bringing linen yarn for fale to that city (Jee fig. 3.) The higher buildings on the lides comprize the officers apartments and rooms for business below; and above, warerooms for the reception of the goods. The lower range in front, and on the fides of the greater buildings, confift of fmall chambers, each feparated from the other, in which the traders depofit famples of their goods, each kept under his own lock and key, and for which receptacles a very trivial acknowledgement is paid. In another part of the city is an hall upon the like plan of institution, for Bibl. Top. Brit. N° XXXII. p. 7.. + Ibid. p. 17. the fale of linen cloth; but the building is more magnificent, being a large brick quadrangle, three ftories high, with fmall chambers over each other for the reception of made-up linens, until fold by the country dealers, one of fuch chambers being appropriated to each dealer. But in either of these places there are not any retail fales. The order of knighthood established in Ireland in 1783, under the name of St.. Patrick, took its rife from a voluntary fociety, exifting above fifty years before, in that kingdom, under the title of "The Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick," whofe motto, and many of whole fymbols, the new order has adopted. Inclofed you have a representation of thefe fymbols (fee fig. 4,) taken from one of their fummonfes for their meetings. The upper ornament above the collars is what all members of the fociety wear, embroidered on a green ribbon, between two of the waistcoat button holes; the lower impreffion under the collar is that of one face of a gold medal, worn by the more perfect brothers, depending from one of the fame button-holes; the reverfe of the medal is the fame with the upper ornament abovementioned. As thefe particulars are not generally known out of Ireland, I have prefumed to offer them to the world through the means of your extenfive Magazine. Yours, &c. STEPHEN NIBBLETT, Mr. URBAN, Burbach, April 2.. As the ftudy of Heraldry is not un connected with Biography, fo far as it relates to perfons and families, I am of opinion that the inclofed drawings will not be difpleafing to fome of your readers who delight in refearches of this nature. The four coats [fig. 5, 6, 7, 8,] are embroidered on a piece of very rich filk, in which are interwoven flowers and griffins in gold, at the bottom and cor ners whereof the fhields are finely wrought in needle-work, the gold and filver yet fresh, the other colours much faded, as is the ftuff itself, which appears to have been green, though now, by length of time, almok turned to blue. The flyle of the figures thews it to be very ancient; and, morcover, it is traditionally fuppofed to have belonged to fome bishop or abbot. N° 5 is cafily made out; but the other three I am not perfect in. I fhall be particularly ol liged to any of your ingenious correfpondents who can explain them, as it may lead to a difcovery of the perfon or |