ings: or to be mafter of the graces, that his life fhould be a contraft to every precept of Chriftianity. Cin there be a portrat more unnatural and deformed, or an objeA more completely ridiculous, than that of a father exerting at the powers of brid liant talents, aided by the chicanery of fubtle politicians, the falle reafonings of the infidel tribe, and the vulgar witticifms of all the voluptuaries from Julius Cæfar to Borgia, to aroufe the corrupt paffions in the bofom of his fon, to in fame the defires, and to urge thofe loofe gratifications, which it has been the work of ages to countreact,by all the arguments of reafon, relig on and philofophy. And, if in the pangs of paternal anxiety, he had fometimes omitted the confonant S. and inculcated on his votary of pleafure, the neceffity of a fpark of grace in the heart,however exploded by les beauxefprits, it might have produced a brighter embellishment of manners in the perfon, than all his lordship's fudied rules, his laboured maximes, his machiavilan politicks, improved in the religious fchool of Voltaire, or fupported by a'l the advocates for fimulation, and diffimulation,that have lived fince the Auguftan age, when luxury was in its zenith, till the more perfect model of education, exhibited by the noble Lord Chefter field, But I admire his fermon on Suoviter in made fortiter in re; yet, believe there happy emanations are, much oftener, the effects of a confcious moral principle, than the refult of that finished turpitude, held up under a flimley vel of deception, and urged on Mr. Stanhope as the point of perfection; and I um perfuaded, had the fame brilliancy of thought, and the many masterly ftrokes of genius been played off, with a view to fome higher motives of action; had his lordship laid a little more firefs on purity of fentiment, and lefs on the efficacy of intrigue and gallantry,it might have corrected the errors of his raw traveller,and, perhaps,fooner have robbed off the aukwardness inherent to his character, than a post about which the careful parent is fo folicitous. His Lordship's feverity to the ladies only reminds me of the fable of the hion and the man; I think his trite, backneyed, vulgar obfervations, the Tt contempt ke affects to pour on fo fair a part of the creation, are as much beneath the refentment of a woman of education and refection, as derogatory to the candour and generofity of a writer of his acknowleged abilities and fame; and I believe in this age of refinement and philofophy, few men indulge a peculiar afperty with regard to the fex in general, but fuch as have been unfortunate in their acquaintance, unfuccefsful in their addrefs, or foured from repeated difappointments; and however practicable this connoifeur in the fpirit of intrigue, might announce the conqueft of the whole fex, it has been afferted by one of his biographers, that he was never known to be fuccefsful in any of his gallantries, but that which brought Mr. Stanhope into the world. I ever confidered human nature as the fame in both fexes, nor, perhaps, is the foul very differently modified by the ve hicle in which it is placed; the foibles, the paffions, the vices, and the virtues appear to fpring from the fame fource, and under fimilar advantages, frequently reach the fame degree of perfection, or fink to the fame flages of pravity which to often stamp difgrace on the human form; yet, cußom, in moft countries, has branded licentious manners in female life, with peculiar marks of infamy; but we live in days happily adroit in the arts of removing every impediment to pleasure, whea the bars of re&itude are fyftematically reasoned down, and no other diftin&tion is neceffary but a dextrous talent at concealment. It may, perhaps,be deemed prefumption for a woman to fpeak thus freely of fo celebrated a work as Dormer's advice; but I fhill yet venture to fay more, as I have read his letters with attention, much more with a view to the happiness of fome I love, than for my own pleasure or advantage. think them crowded with the repetition of the moft trifling injunctions, replete with obfervations, rules and precepts, exceedingly advantageous for the conduct of younger life, but marked with the moft atrocious licence of thought, and flained with infinuations fubverfive of every morat and religious principle; the utile is fo fludioufly blended with the vile, that that in fome of his letters one would in take Lord Chesterfield for a fint, was not his cloven ftep difcovered by its precipitance to procure an arrangement for his soviciate. I am happy in having a fon, to whom I ca difclofe the full flow of fentiment and the mixture of indigna tion, that arifes in the maternal bofom when furvey ng foco a fpecious digeft of m.fc. ef, to artfully adapted to lead into error the most valuable part of focicty the youth, adorned with na tive grace, and the rudiments of every excellence implanted in his heart. 1 fsei mexpreffible pleasure in believ ing you to be a reader capable of inveligating truth, while charmed with the eary numbers (portively ranged to difeu fe it ; and though you admire e painted evil, the polished ad drefs, and melodious ftile, you cannot be a profelyte of the modern Clodius. It is the race of fops and fribbles, the half learned (ccpuc. the difciples of Hume, and Bolingbroke, who are the devoters of a man, bold enough to aYow himself the champion of every fpecies of vice, only cloathing it decently, that will fubferve the guilty pleasure of the accomplished debauChee. Had I not made my letter fo Jengthy, I would add an obfervation or two from the celebrated Mr. Addifon, who did more to the improvenent of the English language, and to corre&t the file of the age, than perbaps, any other man; and was a par rellei joftly run, with regard to tafle, manners, and even the graces, fo far as they can be taught by letters, I beJieve Lord Chefterfield would drop in the comparison. I expect the pleasure of feeing you hère daily, but if you are prevented, you will antwer fome of my letters, as you are rather in arrears; when you recollect that circumftance, you will not Le fo deficient in Les Bienfeances, as to aitgle& a point of politeness to a Lady, as well as duty to a moft affectionate mother. of fome of the moft diftinguished perfons in the nation; and is already known to the public for his correfpondence with the celebrated Sterne. The original motive for introducing his name to the world, was the defire of evincing, that an untutored African may poffets abilities equal to those of of an European; and it must be acknowledged that, in fupport of this Propofition, the letters before us afford full'aba indubitable teftimony. The prefent, however, is not the only inhance of the kind recorded in the an nals of literature. Rome, in the most flourishing age of the republic, acquir ed by the means of a native of Africa, fuch reputation to her theatre as not only rendered her the rival of Greece in comedy, but has tranfmitted to all pofterity au unequalled example of dramatic purity and elegance. Alued to Terence,bythe quarter in which he was born, and to Epictetus by the fortune of his early life,it may be affirmed, that in thefe letters of Ignatius Sancho, we meet with the ingeau.ty of his compatriot, and the philofophical fentiments of the moralift. This extraordimary j erfon was born in the year 1729, on beard a flip in the flave trade,a few days after it had quoted the coaft of Guinea for the Spanth Weft ladies; where the new climate foon put an end to the lie of his mother; and a fit of defperation, excited by the infupportable torrors of flavery, to the exiftence of his father. At little more than two years of age, the child, who Fad already received the name of Ignatius, was brought to England by his mafter, who gave him to three maiden fifters, refident at Greenwich, by whom, in the petulance of their difpofition, he was diftinguished by the furname of Sancho. The late Duke of Montagu, who then lived at Blackheath, fays the biographer, accidently faw the little Negro, and admired in him a franknefs of manners, as yet unbroken by fervitude, and unrefined by education. He brought him frequently home to the Memoirs of the life of IGNATI- duchefs, indulged his turn for reading US SANCHO. (from the CRITICAL REVIEW.) HE worthy Ignatius Sancho was honoured with the friendship with prefents of books, and firongly recommended to his miftreffes the duty of cultivating a genius of fuch apparent fertility. The temper of those thofe ladies, however, was far from being fuited to fo generous a difpotion; and, inftead of foftering the natural talents of young Ignatius, they often threatned to return him to his African flavery. He determined at in to abandon the house of the three fitters ; and his noble patron being recently dead, he flew for pro tection to the duchefs, who, after fome difficulty, occafioned by the report of an amour in which Sancho was faid to have been detected, admitted him into her houfenold, where he remained, as butier, until her death. He was afterwards taken into the family of the prefent duke of Montagu, who honoured him with his fovours during a fervice of confderable length. Towards the clofe of the year 1773, repeated attacks of the gout, and a conftitutional corpulence, rendering him incapable of farther attendance in the duke's family, he fettled himself in a fhop of grocery, in Weftminster, with a deferving young woman whom he had fome time before married; and here, with rigid industry, they decently, maintained a numerous family of children. At last, in December 1780, a series of complicated diforders put an end to the life of this honeft and refpe&ted African. Such is the account of Mr. Ignatius Sancho, as delivered by his bio. grapher. With regard to his talents, an idea of them will be beft conceived from his letters; for which purpose we have made the following extracts. " Auguft 8, 1777. "Know your ownfelf, prefume not God to fcan; "The only fcience of mankind, is man." HERE is fomething foamazingly grand fo flupendously affecting in the contemplating the works of the Divine Architect, either in the moral or the intellectual world, that I Think one may rightly call it the cordial of the foul--it is the phyfic of the mind--and the beft antidote against weak pride--and the fupercilious murmariags of difcontent. Smoaking my morning pipe, the friendly warmth of that glorious planet the fun---the lemeucy of the air-- the chearful glow their of the atmosphere--made me involuntarily cry, Lord, what is man, that thou in thy mercy art fo mindful of him! or what the fon of man, that thou fo parentally careft for him!" Divid, whofe heart and affections were naturally of the first kind (and who indeed ad experienced blefings without number) pours forth the grateful fentiments of his enraptured foul in the fweeteft modulations of patuetick oratory -- the tender merCes of the Almighty are not lefs to many of his creatures--but hearts unlike the royal difpofition of the thepherd king, are cold, and untouched with the fweet ray of grati tude. Let us, without meanly fheltering our infirmities under the example of others perhaps worse taught-or poffefed of lefs le:ture for felf-examination let us my dear M, look into ourselves-- and, by a critical examination of the past events of our lives, furly confefs what mercies we have received what God in his goodnels hath done for us---and how our gratitude and praife have kept pace in imitation of the fon of Jeffe. Such a refearch would richly pay us, for the end would be conviction--fo much on the fide of miraculous mercy ---fuch an unanswerabie proof of the fuperintendency of Divine Providence, as would effectually cure us of rafh de. fpondency-- and melt our hearts--with devotional afpiration, till we poured forth the effufions of our fouls in praife and thanksgiving. When I endeavour fometimes to turn my thoughts inwards, to review the power or properties the indulgent all-wife Father has endowed me with, I am ftruck with wonder and with aweworm, poor infignificant reptile as I am, with regard to fuperior beings-mortal Pike myself. Amongft, and at the very head of our riches, I reckon the power of refleion: Where? where, my friend doth it lie? Search every member from the toe to the nofe--ali-all ready for action--but all dead to thought it lies not in matter, nor in the blood; it is a party, which though we feel and acki owledge, quite path the power of definition-it is that breath of life which the facred Architect breathed into the noftrils of the firft man--image of his gracious M.ker, and let it it animate our torpid gratitude --it rolls on, although diminished by our cruel fail, through the whole race. We are fearfully and wonderfully Inade," &c. &c. were the fentiments of the royal preacher upon a teli re view; but had he been bleffed with The full blaze of the chriftian difpenfation what would have been his rapfures? The prom fe of never, never ending exiflence and felicity, to poffels eternity Glorious, dreadrul thought." to rife, perhaps, by regular progres fion, from planet to planet, to behold he wonders of immenfity; to pals from good to better - increafing in goodnefs knowledge ove to glory in our redesmer to joy in ourselves--to be acquainted with prophets, fages, heroes and poets of old times and join in fymphony with angels! And now, my friend, thou fiileft at my fu tile notions why preach to thee? For this very good and fimple reason, to get your thoughts in return. You shall be my philofopher -my mentor my friend; you, happily difengag ed from various cares of life and family, can review the little world of min with fleader eye, and more compofed theaght, than your friend, declining faft into the vale of years, and befet with infirmity and pa n. Write now and then, as thought prompts, and inclination leads refute my errors--where I am juft, give me your plaudit. Your welfare is truly dear in my fight; and if any man has a share in my heart,or comirands my respect and efteem, it is I M. Sunday evening we expected him, the hearth was fwept the kettle boiled -the girls were in print--and the marks of the folds in Mrs. Sancho's apron fili vifible the clock paft fixno Mr. R Now to tell the whole truth, he did add a kind of claufe, that in cafe nothing material happened of hofpital bufinefs he would furely do himself the &c. &c. &c.—~~ So upon the whole I am not quite clear that he deferves cenfure, but that he d fappointed us of a pleasure, I am very certain. You don't fay you have feen Mr. P. I beg you will, for I think he is tre kind of foul congenial to your own Apropos, the right hand fide (almoft the bottom) of Gray Street, there is a Mrs H. an honeft and very agreeable Northern lady, whom I should like you to know fomething of, which may e.fily be done; if you will do me the credit juk to knock at her door when you go that way, and tell her there is a Devil that has not forgot her civilities to him, and would be glad to hear the was well and happy. Mr. R. called on me in the friendly flyle, when I fay that, I mean in the R. manner, he asked a queftion, bought fome tea, looked hapFy, and left us pleafed: He has the graces. The gout feized me yesterday morning, the fecond attempt, I looked rather black all day tell Mrs. C. I will lay any odds that he is either the handfomeft or ugheft woman in Bath, and among the many trinkets the means to bring with her, tell her pot to forget health. May you all be enriched with that blefling, wanting which, the good things of this world are trash. You can write tirefome letters! Alas! will you yield upon tre receipt of this? if not, that palm un, queftionably belongs to your frendI. SANCHO. B 2 beheaded, was banished into Siberia. "The commanding officer of the for- The count found amusement in the ex- But thefe alleviations of their captivity wereinterrupted. A Ruffian officer paffing thro' the country, and staying fome days at the fortrefs, obferved the liberty enjoyed by Munich, and had the fingular inhuman ty, on his return to St. Petersburga, to inform Elizabeth of all he had leen. The difpo fitions which led him to inform, led him alfo to exaggerate. Heinfiquated, that the count was plotting mischi f against the emprefs, or against the fate: and that his plans and writings were not matter, of mere amufement. Accordingly, the friend of Munich was fuddenly recalled, divefted of his authority, and threatened with the punifhment of treasonable difobedience. But the count, in order to exculpate his benefactor, fent all the papers he poffeffed, thofe memoirs and those plans, which were the objects of his affection, and his folice for many winters of difmal folitude: be fent them with the utmoft readiness to St. Peter(burgh. This effort coft him a grievous pang. They were burnt. But they were an oblation offered on the altar of grateful friendship; for he had the confolation of learning, that they had been the means of preferving his friend from rigourous punishment. He had not, however, the happiness of feeing him return to Siberia. On the acceffion of Peter the third, he was releived from his captivity; and, after an exile of twenty five years, was reftored to his former honours. One of the firft perfons he met with at court, after nis reforation, was his old enemy and rival count Offerman, who, as was above mentioned, had been exiled at the fame time with h.mfelf, and was now alio at court for the first time fince his recall. What do you apprehend, were the fentiments of thofe two remarkable men, on this extraordinary and unexpected meeting? They had been equally ambitious; had poffeffed fimilar political abilities, had been engaged in the fame pursuits; competitors for the fame pre-eminence, and of courfe in violent oppofition to pointed, each other: they had both been difap |