Critical Remarks on Milton, with parallel Paffages.

poetical merit, that, in his remarks on Young, he fays plainly, he had almoft forgotten to fpeak of the Re

venge," a tragedy that contains ftrokes of genius far fuperior to any of Dr. John fon's fmarteft and beft turned couplets; much more to his cold, uninterefting, undramatic "Irene." Yours, &c.

Pontifical,

10 B. P. Loft.

As the ambiguous term pontifical may be fo eafily conftrued into a pun, and may be interpreted popib as well as bridge making, befides the quaintnefs of the expreffion." To this remark of Mr. Warton let me add the following epigram

from the Poems of Sannazarius:

De Jucundo Architecto. Jucundus geminos fecit tibi Sequana pontes Jure tuum hunc potes dicere pontificem, Milton's idea of Sin and Death's creeping from the mouth of Error is generally fuppofed to be copied from Spenfer, 1 C. It might have had its origin

I B. 16.

from P. Fletcher, of whom Milton was
equally a borrower. See P. Island, 12
Cant. 27.

The first that crept from his detefted maw
Was Hamartia, &c. &c.

There is a paffage of great fublimity in Milton's Vacation exercife.

The deep tranfported mind may foar Above the wheeling poles, and at heaven's door

Look in.

Molinæus, Milton's old antagonist, has an idea fomewhat fimilar. See his Pacis cælefiis Anticipatio.

377

Saban odours from the spicy fore
Of Araby the bleft; with fuch delay
Well pleas'd they lack their courfe, and
many a league,

Chear'd with the grateful fmell, old Ocean

fmiles.

Par. Loft, book iv.
Dal mar fei miglia, o fette, a poco a poco
Si va falendo in verfo il colle ameno.
Mirti, e cedri, e maranci, e lauri il loco,
E mille alti foavi arbori hani pieno.
Serpillo, e perfa, e rofe, e gigli, e croco
Spargon dall' odorifero terreno
Tanta foavita che 'n mar fentire
La fa ogni vento, che da terra spire.
Cant. xviii. 138.

I hate when vice can bolt her arguments.

Comus, 760,

Of this plain, and feemingly intelligible paffage, I have heard it obferved (and I believe Mr. T. Warton has fheltered the opinion under his authority), that the word bolt here is an expreffion taken from the boulting mill, and means, to fift, to clear. But furely this cannot be the meaning Milton intended it to con vey. The word here feems fimply to convey the idea of darting, and is a borrowed term from archery. It is thus literally ufed by B. Jonfon in his "Vol.

pone

But angry Cupid bolting from his eyes
Hath hot himfelf into me. A&t ii, fcene 4.
In Shakspeare it is thus metaphorically
ufed in Milton's fenfe, where Imogen
awakes and finds herself near the dead
body of Cloten:

I hope I dream,

For fo I thought I was a cave-keeper,

And cook to honeft creatures; but 'tis not fo, 'Twas but a bolt of nothing, foot at nothing, Which the brain makes of fumes. Cymb. See likewife Marfion's "What you will," 1607:

Ignorance should shoot Her grofs-knobbed bird bolt. This laft paffage I found in a quotation, and an unable therefore to determine whether the meaning is literal or metaphorical.

It is hoped the following paffages, which are intended to illufirate my meaning fill further, will not be deemed

Qò tendis auime? Tene dum carnis fcaphâ unnecellary.
Ve&tus laboras in procellofo mari,
Penetrare coelos, et fores celfiffimæ
Serenitatis puifitare fas putas?

The following, amongst Milton's many obligations to Ariofto, feems to have been unnoticed :

As when to them who fail Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are paft Mozambic, off at fea north-east winds blow

Orator quoque maximus et jaculator. Juv. Sat. vii. 188. Jaculator here must mean arguer.

Aut curtum fermone rotato Torqueat enthymema. Juv. Sat. vi. 477Quis color, et quod fit caufæ genus atque ubi fumma

Queftio, quæ veniant diverfâ parte faginæ.

I thall

Letter from Mr. Hearne to Dean Horne, on Sunday Schools. 379

told them fo, will give themselves no more concern to fave them by reafon, than the rabble by faith.

When Dr. P. afferts roundly and repeatedly, that the certain knowledge of a refurrection, and of a flate of retribution to come, are all the difcoveries of the Chriftian revelation, I pity that pride of heart which forgets the wretched and forlorn state of man, and difdains to feek a remedy; and leave him to that Saviour whom he has crucified afresh. But when he launches out into perfonal invective against Mr. White, and into odious comparifons hetween the diffenter and the beneficed clergyman, I deteft the principles of the man who throws off the mafk, and deem all his morality as ill-founded as his religion.

The drift of the Dr's fermon is to requeft his audience to fuffer him quietly to find out new doctrines, and lead them into his opinions, while, like Mahomet himself, he blows the trumpet against all establishments that do not hold the unity of God. But is he fure that when the populace are told, that his new opinions are only fpeculation, in which their falvation is not concerned, they will give themselves the trouble to follow him? Let him answer one plain queftion, how many of 50,295 fouls which inhabited Birmingham in 1780, and frequented 14 places of religious worship, are Unitarians, or perfons who affert the liberty, or enjoy the capacity, of thinking for themselves? And then let us judge what probability there is that Unitarianifm increases, and not from this or that congregation who profefs it in London, Birmingham, or Montrose.

Letter from the Rev. Mr. HEARNE,
Rector of the united Parishes of St.
Alphage, and St. Mary North-gate,
Canterbury, to the Rev. GEORGE
HORNE, Dean of Canterbury.

You

OU defire, Sir, as minute an account as pollible of my fchools. After confulting a perfon who knew much of the poor here, I went round my united parishes to learn who were willing to fend their children to be taught, and found my people very ready to accept my offer: at the fame time I left a Chriftian Monitor at every houfe. About 120 children were collected. As both my parishes abound with poor, North-gate efpecially, which is poverty itfelf, I told my parishioners, when I declared intention of erecting these

my

schools, that I afked nothing from them on this occafion but their countenance and influence. I directly provided books, and three men and one woman to take care of and teach thefe children. The pay of these teachers, as alfo of the clerk, who has fince been engaged, is Is. each for the day. They receive other civilities. The principal filk manufac turer gave 2s. 6d. to each of these five perfons. The children appeared at St. Alphage church, on Sunday, Jan. 23, 1785, very ragged and very diforderly. You will not be furprized at this when you are told, that fome of them, perhaps, were never in a church fince they were baptized; but usually spent their Sabbath in playing, curfing and fwearing, in pilfering, or in fome other mifchief. Thefe fchools were at firft kept at three different places, and have all been vifited by me on every Sunday (except one, when I was at Exeter), from the beginning of them to this time. have now all the children together in the chapel of St. John's Hospital, under my own eye; for I find by experience, that unlefs one or more perfons constantly fuperintend thefe fchools, no goed is to be expected from them. For fome confiderable time I have been at the chapel exactly at nine o'clock, the time when the fchool begins, and have continued there till eleven, the time when we go to church together. In the morning, while the teachers are inftructing the little ones, I take 30 or 40 of the most forward into the chapel chancel, and hear them read the Pfalms, collects, the epiftle and gofpel, and fecond leffon for the day; and, if we have time, other chapters. Whatever occurs in our reading that is remarkable, or tends to their edification, is taken notice of, and explained to them. At half-an-hour after one we meet at fchool again, and continue there till half paft two, the time for church. At this time the little ones are taught and repeat their catechism, or the questions in the end of the fpelling-books, for the inftruction of the children, &c. We read the New Tef tament, as before, till the clerk comes to fing a pfalm or two with them. After church we all return to school. The little ones are employed, as in the morning, in fpelling or reading, or repeating prayers or hymns. At this time I examine the most forward, and explain to them the catechifm, and the ule of the Common Prayer Book. I exercife them

ja

380 Letter from Mr. Hearne to Dean Horne, on Sunday Schools.

in repeating after me the Lord's Prayer,
and the Creeds, and all the refponfes.
All this they do in a very decent and
proper manner.
We have gone through
likewise Fox on Public Worship, and his
Introduction, &c. and alfo with Crofs-
man's Introduction, &c. The Church
Catechism, broken into short Questions,
and Mann's Catechifm. The books in
common use are The Child's firft Book,
aft and ad parts, Fifher or Dixon's
Spelling-book, the Catechifms before
mentioned, particularly Mann's, Divine
Songs of the pious and excellent Dr.
Watts; and every child is furnished
with a common Prayer- Book and Tefta
ment to carry to church, when they can
ufe them. Fifty of Unwin's Sin and
Danger, and 50 of Stonehoufe's Re-
ligious Infructions, are given to 100
children, who, after a time, exchange
with each other. Thus go tracts will
ferve 100 children. They have likewife
Stonehoufe's Prayers. I take children
of all ages, from 5 or 6 to 16 or 17. It
is beft to begin with them early. Some
time fince two lads, the one my parithi-
oner, the other of the next parish, were
condemned to death for houfe-breaking.
The melancholy event was taken notice
of by me on the Sunday following, and
the children fang The Lamentation of a
Sinner. This perforniance of children,
fome of whom, if no care had been
taken of them, might have been in the
fame dreadful fituation, had a wonderful
effect upon every one who heard them.
This accident led me to think, that as
much pfalmody as was neceflary for di-
vine worship, would be useful and pleaf-
ing both to the children and the congre-
gation. I therefore engaged the clerk,
who is a fober ferious man, to give thefe
children a little inftruction, which he
does on one or two evenings in a week.
Mr. Flacton, whofe name is well known
as a teacher and compofer of mufic, is a
benefactor to thefe children, and like-
wife condefcends to give them fome af
fiftance; he has fet to mufic fome of Dr.
Watts's Songs, Addifon on Providence,
&c. which they perform fo well as to
be heard with pleafure. About 100 of
thefe children are fent to fchool every
day for one or two hours, as they can be
fpared from fpinning wool, or winding
filk, at one penny per head per week,
the ufual pay for fuch inftruction. This
is of great fervice to them. I have
picked out four little girls to learn to
work, and pay for them with money that
has been entrusted with me for fuch pur.

pofes. I have gone through the Book of
Pfalms with fome of the elder girls, and
am going through it a fecond time at my
house, where they, for one hour every
day, are inftructed. Some few boys
from other fchools attend my Sunday
fchool. Such are the advantages my
children have enjoyed, and they have
profited by them as much as could be
expected. They are greatly civilized as
to their behaviour, and gave fatisfaction
when they were examined in the church.
The little ones repeated prayers, hymns,
&c. the great ones gave proper answers
to queftions which contained the fub-
ftance of the church catechifm, but not
juft in the words of the catechifm. The
little ones in general come on very well.
One little fellow, who is only 6 years
and 4 months old, read to me with just-
nefs and propriety, Fox's Introduction, á
book he had never feen before. This
child has had no inftruction but from
this fchool, and from his parents at
home, who are poor people. Parents,
if they have any goodnefs in them, will
be induced to do all they can for their
own children, when they find fo much
done for them by others. I think my-
felf bound in duty to mention fome cir-
cumflances, that fhew the reputation of
the fchool, and reflect great honour upon
the perfons I fhall mention. A ftranger,
who was at this church, was fo well
pleafed with the inftitution, that he gave
a guinea for me to apply as I should'
think proper. A neighbour, who is a
Quaker, offered to fubfcribe, if the
fchools had been fupported by contribu
tion. Another parithioner, who is a
diffenting teacher, gave the money for
the ufe of the children. A charitable
lady, who lives a few miles from Coa
terbury, fent me a noble prefent of five
guineas; and fome other ladies and gen-
tlemen, both in and out of the parish,
have been very liberal to thefe children,
and to their parents, who wanted relief.
Many of thefe children, who were almost
naked, have been clothed by fome bene-
volent perfons. My friend, the rév.
Mr. Byrche (who has done much on the
occafion), with two other worthy gen-
tlemen, the principal fupporters of the
weekly fchools, have been of great fer.
vice to me, not only by their money,
but by their conftant vifits to the fchools.
One of thefe gentlemen, who was a fur-
geon and apothecary, is ready to affift
any of them in the way of his profeffion,
as well as by any other act of kindness.
My third colleague, who is a captain of

a maa

Rev. Mr. Hearne on Sunday Schools,-Memoirs of Dr. Trapp. 381

a man of war, has been a great benefactor to thefe children, and to fome of their families. One very great advantage of Sunday schools is, that they afford every minifter an opportunity of giving to the children of the poor inftructions in the plain and important principles of religion; of bringing them to church, where they are under his eye, and under the eyes of their benefactors, who may take proper notice of their good or bad behaviour. My children are very narrowly watched; and no inftance of improper behaviour is palled over without a folemn and fevere rebuke. If they are diforderly, they partake of no benefaction intended for good children; and if this treatment will not reclaim them, they are expelled. When I find any of them guilty of lying, the whole fchool is called together, and I read to them a little book, called, An Exercife against Lying, concluding with the prayer at the end. Such are the regulations that have been obferved in my fchools; which gentlemen may adopt or vary, according to their particular local circumitances. It is very evident to multitudes by facts (which are better than a thousand arguments), that this inftitution has been attended with many beneficial effects. I have heard of perfons, no friends to religion, who have fupported these schools, and they are, in my opinion, no bad politicians; for our lives and fortunes will

not be lef. fafe because our fervants, and the lower people in general, have been inftructed in a religion that commands them, under the fevereft penalty, to hurt nobody by word or deed. I fuppofe every magiftrate, when a young offender is brought before him for theft, &c. gives him fome good advice. Would not good advice given him by his minifter, before he became hardened, be more likely to prove effectual? If ever a reformation be brought about in this kingdom, it will be by the labours and diligence of the parochial clergy, each in his parish. If our law-makers would endeavour, by thefe fchools, and by fetting a better example themfelves, to reform men, they would fhew more wifdom, than by any mode of punishment they can inflict on them for being wicked. I fincerely wish, that by the blefs. fing of God, this inftitution of Mr. Raikes (a name that every clergyman, efpecially thofe of his own city and neighbourhood, should highly reveGENT. MAG. May, 1786.

rence) may univerfally prevail, and produce the beft effects.

ORIGINAL MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE AND
WRITINGS OF THE LATE REV. DR.
JOSEPH TRAPP.
HIS eminent divine, as appears

the

was

cond fon of Jofeph Trapp, clerk, rector of Cherrington, in Gloucefterfhire, and Elizabeth his wife; and was there baptifed, Dec. 18, 1679. The father was a mafter of arts, and had formerly been ftudent of Christ Church, Oxon, and was inftituted and inducted into Cherrington Nov. 16, 1662, as appears from a record in the parish register, of his own entering, to the following effect.

Jofephus Trapp, artium magifter, ædis Chrifti apud Oxonienfes alumnus, actualem, realem, et corporalem poffeffionem rectoria de Cherrington per mortem naturalem Danielis Parker, ultimi incumbentis vacantis, poft præfentationem et inftitutionem ritè habitam, inductus erat Novembris die decimo-texto, 1662: τίς δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἱκανός.”

He was there buried, September 24, 1698, with a Latin infcription, immediately over his grave, in the north corner of the chancel, upon a brass plate, three caltrops fable, on a fhield argent, having on the top the Trapp's arms: the creft a man's head, with a cap and plume of feathers, all proper, the fame as for the Trapps of London,—and runs thus:

M.S.

Viri reverendi Jofephi Trapp, M.A. dis Chrifti, Öxon. olim alumni, et Hujus ecclelia per annos 37 rectoris vigilanuffimi; Cujus

(Licet obfcuro in loco pofitus fuit) Dignæ funt virtutes quæ pofteris tradantur s Eximia erga Deum pietas,

In uxorem liberofque affettus propenfiffimus, Munificentiâ in pauperes pene quam par fuit effufior.

In amicos fides, et obfequium,

In univerfos benevolentia,
Ingenio fuit vividus, et perfpicax,
Eruditione non mediocriter inftru&us ;
Summè humilis interim, et modeftus,
In congreffibus comis, humanus, facilis,

Difciplinæ fideique ecclefiæ Anglicana tenax,
Schifmatic s omne genus infenfus,
Hoc tamen vitio vertimus viro cætera lauda-
tiflima,

Ignofcendum quidem, fed doctis et piis
Heu nimiam folemne

Quod