employments; and having fettled every thing to their entire satis faction, retired from public life.'

But enough of Addifon and Steele-we meet with little elfe that is new to us refpecting the focial virtues of either. The Dean of St. Patrick's is next to be confidered.

The rancour and enmity which Swift at all times manifefted toward Lord Wharton is fuppofed to have arifen from the following circumftance, which is related on the authority of Dr. Samuel Salter, late Master of the Charter-house:

Lord Somers recommended Swift at his own very earnest requeft to Lord Wharton, when that Earl went Lieutenant to Ireland in 1708, but without fuccefs; and the answer Wharton is faid to have given, was never forgotten or forgiven by Swift-Oh, my Lord, WE muft nat prefer or countenance thefe fellows; we have not character enough OURSELVES.

Lord Wharton's remarkable words' (fays the Editor) allude, not only to the odium Swift had contracted, as the known or fuppofed author of the Tale of a Tub," &c. but they feem to point more particularly to a flagrant part of his early criminality at Kilroot, not fo generally known. In confequence of an attempt to ravish one of his parishioners, a farmer's daughter, Swift was carried before a magiftrate of the name of Dobbs (in whofe family the examinations taken on the occafion are faid to be extant at this day), and to avoid the very ferious confequences of this rafh action, he immediately refigned the prebend, and quitted the kingdom. This intelligence was communicated and vouched as a fact well known in the parish even now, by one of Swift's fucceffors in the living, and is refted on the authority of the prefent Prebendary of Kilroot, Feb. 6, 1785.'

Swift fpeaks to the full as acrimonioufly of Walpole, both in his poetic and profaic writings, as he does of Lord Wharton. That this hatred of him was great, may be learnt from the following ftory

"As foon as Dean Swift heard that Lord Orford was difmiffed from power, he awakened with one flash of light from his dreaming of what he once was, and cried, I made a vow, that I would fet up a coach when that man was turned out of his places; and having the good fortune to behold that day, long defpaired of, I will shew that I was fincere. Send for a coachmaker. The operator comes, had one almoft ready, it was fent home, horfes were purchased, and the Dean entered the triumphant double chariot, fupported by two old women and his daily flatterer, to entertain him with the only mufic he hath any ear to hear at this age. They made up the partie quarrée, and with much ado enabled his decrepid reverence to endure the fatigue of travelling twice round our great fquare, by the cordial and amufement of their fulfome commendations, which he calls facetious pleafantry. But the next pacquet brought word (what lying rascals thefe news-writers are!) that Lord Orford's party revived, &c. Swift funk back in the corner of the coach, his under-jaw fell; he was Garried up to his chamber and great chair, and obftinately refused to be lifted into the treacherous vehicle any more, till the news-writers at least hall be hanged for deceiving him to imagine that Lord Or

ford

ford was bona fide out of power, though visibly out of place." Lett. figned Th. Derry.

We now proceed to bring our Readers acquainted with fome of the lefs remarkable (though not inconfiderable) perfonages, who have either figured as writers in the work, or whofe characters have been delineated in it under affumed and fictitious

names.

Among the names which are no way familiar to us, we meet with that of Fuller, of whom it is told, that at the age of fixteen he compofed the Vain-glorious glutton, with feveral other excellent pieces; and that he was, while a boy, the fecret correspondent of the Tatler. Prior, Rowe, Congreve, and Hughes, were alfo contributors to the work. The character of Favonius, Tat. No. 72, was intended for Dr. Smalridge; and that of the Dean, No. 66, for Dr. Atterbury. Anecdotes are given of Sir Chriftopher Wren, James Duke of Ormond, the great Marlborough, the Earl of Halifax, Diamond Pitt *, &c. &c. We find, moreover, in Note to No. 260, a learned account of the celebrated Taliacotius, the fupplemental Nofe-doctor-a curious hiftory of W. Courten, Efq. the principal collector of the curiofities in the British Mufeum-of Henry Wilby, Efq. a truly fingular character-and likewife fome particulars refpecting Partridge the almanac-maker.

We fhall conclude our account of the work with obferving, that the Editor + (apparently from an over-fondness of his fubject) is much too apt to enter into a detail of trifling incidents, and even to give importance to characters which do not feem by any means to deferve it. That the notes are unneceffarily and affectedly multiplied is certain. Was there (for example) any occafion to tell the readers of the Tatler, that automata are mere machines that glacis (where the writer is fpeaking particularly of the fiege of Tournay) is a term in fortification-that Mercury was the god of thieves-that the fign in the heavens known by the name of Libra, is next to the fign Virgo? &c. &c.? In a word, if the book is defigned for the ufe of children, fuch notes are undoubtedly requifite: in any other cafe they are needlefs and impertinent.

The prefent edition of the Tatler muft certainly be confidered (on account of the biographical anecdotes in it) not only as an entertaining, but a ufeful publication. We are, however, forry to obferve the omiffion of an article fo very material, in a book of this mifcellaneous kink, efpecially, as the Index: an advantage which the former editions poffeffed and

Not the prefent minifter. + Mr. who appears to have taken Percy laid it down.

up the pen,

where Dr.

without

without which, the large mafs of anecdotes, &c. here collected, is of no ufe for occafional confultation, and can only be regarded as little better than-rudis indigeflaque moles.

ART. IV. Solomon's Song tranflated from the Hebrew. By the Rev. Bernard Hodgson, LL.D. Principal of Hertford College. 4to. 5s. Printed at the Clarendon Press, Oxford. Sold by Rivington, London. 1785.

HE learned and ingenious work of the prefent Bishop of Dromore may be fuppofed to have rendered Dr. Hedgfon's attempt unneceffary; but whatever tends to illuftrate the beauties, or explain the meaning, of a piece of fuch antiquity (to fay the leaft of it) as the compofition entitled the Song of Solomon, deferves encouragement; and if but a few obfervations are more clearly unfolded than they have hitherto been, the defign is laudable, and the end cannot be faid to be useless.

Dr. Hodgson hefitates not to pronounce this antient and beau tiful poem to have been an epithalamium, written by Solomon on his marriage; but mentions it as the fuppofition of others *, that it was penned on occafion of that monarch's marriage with the daughter of Pharoah.

The learned Principal is merely concerned to illuftrate the. literal meaning of this Song: he takes no part in the difputes which have been agitated refpecting its mystical fenfe. It is one of thofe fublime controverfies in which a prudent man would be cautious of engaging; and if fancy is once fet a-flying in the airy regions of fpiritual allegory, no one can circumfcribe its progrefs, or fay, Hitherto halt thou go and no farther;' for myftery and imagination know no end!

We will point out fome paffeges in which the prefent tranflation differs from that in common ufe; and that the reader may perceive the difference at one glance, we will place Dr. Hodg fon's and the old verfion in oppofite columns:

Cap. i. 6. Hodgfon,

Regard it not that I am tawny,
That the fun hath looked upon

me.

Bible.

'Look not upon me because I' am black; becaufe the fun hath looked upon me.

Thou hast dove's eyes.'

From the fourth verse of the third chapter (viz I would not let bim 80 till I had led him into the house of my mother) Dr. Hodgfon would infer that this fuppofition is not well founded; for if (fays he) the bride had been Pharoah's daughter, her mother's houfe would have been in Egypt; whereas the fcene lies at Jerufalem; for in the next line fhe addreffes the daughters of Jerufalem, and deûres them not to disturb her fleeping hulband!'

In a note, Dr. Hodgson obferves, that the word is in the plural number; and may be literally tranflated thine eyes doves, as is faid in chap. vii. 5. Thine eyes, fishponds, which cannot mean 'thou haft fishpond's eyes.'- Solomon feems to compare her eyes, not to the eyes of doves, but to doves themselves-the emblems of love,' and it may be added, innocence alío.

The little foxes that deftroy the foxes that fpoil the vines, for our

vines have tender grapes.

Thou haft ravished my heart, my fifter, my fpoufe; thou haft ravished my heart with one of thy eyes; with one of the chains of thy neck.'

In eighteen of the collated copies the Hebrew word fignifies at once. A falfe reading indeed might naturally be fufpected in the common text; for it conveys a very ludicrous idea to say, that he had ravished his heart with one eye.'

C. vi. 12.

'Or ever I was aware, my foul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.'

Unexpectedly methought were drawn out for me The chariots of my loyal people.' If Amminadib be confidered as two words (which is justified by a great number of MSS.), the meaning is a willing,' or a loyal people; and in the margin of the bible-tranflation this interpretation is inferted, though fomewhat obfcurely. Dr. Hodg fon's idea of the paffage is this:-Methought there were drawn out for me (or my foul placed for me,' or my fancy conceived), the chariots of my willing people, who, zealous to ferve me, thus enabled me to fly with speed to the Shulamite.'

The hair of thy head is like purple; the king is held in the galleries. How fair and how pleafant art thou, O love, for delights! This thy nature is like to a palm-tree; and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I faid, I will

That thy ftature is like a palm- go up to the palm-tree. I will take hold of the boughs thereof:

tree;

And thy breafts are as clusters of grapes;

I faid, I will climb up into the
palm tree

And will take hold of the branches.
And now fhall thy breafts

Be like bunches of the vine,

And the fragrance of thy face like

that of apples.'

now alfo thy breafts fhall be as clufters of the vine, and the smell of thy nofe like apples.'

Subftituting the face instead of the nofe is not an arbitrary improvement of the allufion; but is juftified by feveral MSS. of

אפך inftead of אפיך credit, which read

C. viii. 2.

Dr. Hodgfon fuppofes the word Talmadui to be a proper name; and that the common tranflation of it, who would instruct me,' hath no connection with the subject, and encumbers the fenfe.

6.

Mercilefs as the grave is jealoufy; The coals thereof are coals of fire; the flame of God.'

8.

We have a fifter who is little
And hath not breasts.

What fhall we do for our fifter'
In the day when it shall be spoken

of concerning her?'

'Jealoufy is cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a moft vehement flame.'

We have a little fifter, and fhe hath no breasts. What fhall we do for our fifter in the day when the fhall be spoken for?"

Dr. Hodgfon illuftrates feveral paffages in this Song by quotations from Anacreon; and, from the fimilarity of allufion fo very characteristic and exact in the following, he would infer marks of imitation; obferving that, as this Song was written between four and five hundred years hefore the time of Anacreon, it was poffible that he might have feen and copied from it. Cap. v. 2. The voice of my beloved knocking!

Open to me my fifter,

My friend, my dove, my perfect one:

For my head is covered with dew,

My hair with the drops of night, &c. &c. &c.

Anacreon (Ode III.) reprefents Cupid as coming to his gate at night, foliciting entrance, because he was cold and wet. Ο δ' Έρως, ανοιγε, φησί,

Βρέφος ειμί. x T. λ.

Said Cupid, fear not, 'tis a child'

Who having loft his way,

Has wander'd much, is cold and wet,

O let me in, I pray.

• I rofe