any two of my beft hives, where the bees were obliged to fly abroad; and this equal, both in fragrance and colour, to any imported from the warmer climates.

There are two forts of mignonette plants, the one is annual and fweet fcented, the other perennial; both equally beneficial to bees. They continue in bloom till deftroyed by frofts, and afford both honey and farina the whole feafon.

Honey is not, like the wax, made by the bees, but only collected by them: they colle& it by fuction, and afterwards convey it to their cells, which when filled are clofed with a very thin covering of wax. There

are indeed two forts of honey, which the bees make ufe of; that which they live upon in fummer is of a more Auid, watry fubftance, than that which is collected for their winter provifion. The cells which contain the former of thefe are always left open; their winter flores, on the contrary, are fecured with great care, and are never touched till the honey gathering feafon is over, and the cold weather commences.

Of the Situation of Bees.

THE best fituation for bees is facing the fouth, rather inclining to the weft; it being better for them to have the evening, than the morning fun. Full eaft or north fhould always be avoided. Bees are not able to fee but in clear light; when therefore they return late in an evening, and are placed either north or eaft, they would often, in that fituation, not be able eafily to find their way into the hive; and when they return home heavily loaded, and mifs the entrance of their habitation, they generally fall upon the ground, which if either wet or cold, chills them fo much, that they are feldom ever able to rife again; which confequently muft occafion a daily lofs.

For the fame reason the nearer bees are placed to the ground the better; five or fix inches from it is quite fufficient to fecure them from the easy accefs of vermin; they fhould by no means ever be placed in a higher £tu

ation, which however injudicious, has often been recommended.

No weeds, &c. fhould ever be permitted to grow near them, as they not only harbour vermia, but also occafion the lofs of many bees, when they happen to fall among them in wet weather. If loofe fand is spread pretty thick before them, it will be found very convenient, both in obAructing the growth of weeds, and alfo a drain for the wet.

It is very proper that the bee garden fhould be furnished with those plants, herbs, &c. that yield the bees plenty of food; fuch has goofberry and all kinds of fruit trees; Spanish broom, mignonette, thyme, borage, and tobacco plants; alfo fields of turnips, buck wheat, or dutch-clover, in bloom, are what they collect from in great quantities.

Those thrubs and flowers which bloom early in the year, will be found particularly ufefu! in or near the bee garden; fuch as the yellow winter aconite, the crocus and fnowdrop; but more efpecially hedges of the fallows (which comes early and in great abundance) the bees nourish the young brood, and nothing will produce forward (warms fo much as plenty of this food. Rafberry and blackberry bloffoms alfo afford confiderable quantities of this nutriment, though later in the year.

The Apiary being fituated near oak, or horfe-chefnut trees, is allo very beneficial to the bees: The oak moft freqnently producing the honeydews, and the chefnut trees afford great quantities of bloom.

Bees colle& too a confiderable share of honey and farina from the bloffoms of ivy; and this I believe, excepting the mignonette, and what is commonly called the bee flower, is the latest bloom they gather from.

The Apiary fhould be fheltered as much as poffible from the north and eaftern winds; and if placed near the dwelling-houfe, will fave much attendance in fwarming time.

The floors for the hives should always be made of fmooth light board, and never of flone; this laft becoming fo intenfely cold in winter, that it is almoft certain deftruction to every bee that happens to alight on it.

(To be Continued.)

EPITAPHS.

CA

AMDEN'S chapter of Epitaphs afforded me fome amufement, and an extract or two, I fancy, may not be displeasing to many of your readers.

The following lines, which were written on the removal of Queen Eli`zabeth's body from Richmond to Whiteball by water, contain an allufion or figure, or what you please to call it (for I think there is no name in rhetoric for it) which one cannot Le but pleafed with:--

"The Queen was brought by water to Whitehall,

At every ftroak the oars tears let fall:

More clung about the barge, fish under water,

Wept out their eyes of pearl, and (wam blind after.

I think the bargmen might with eafer thighs,

Have rowed her thither in her peo

Now, Mefs. Printers, I fairly challenge all the modern poets, from Hayley to Sir Cecil Wray and Lord Nugent, to produce any thing fo well connected as the above. Mr. Camden calls them paflionate, doleful lines. The idea of rowing the Queen's body from Richmond to Whitehall in her people's eyes, is loyal, at leaft, if not poetical; And, if it be not very practicable, must at leaf be allowed to be very marvello us,

The poets of thefe days, however, have been more fuccefsful when employing their pens on objeЯs of lefs

rank, more nearly approaching their own than that of royalty. In this epitaph upon a maker of bellows, there is better poetry, and more wit and truth :

"Here lieth John Cruker, a maker of bellows,

His crafts mafter, and king of good fellows,

Yet when he came to the hour of his death,

He that made bellows could not make breath!"

I quote the following upon account of the rhymes, which are very peculiar, and have been of late very fuccefsfully imitated by fome political poets, and Hud.brafic-ferio-comic Eclogue writers.

"Under this Rone
"Lies John Knapton,
"Who died juft
“The 28 of Auguft,
"M D. XC. and one
"Of this Church Peti canon."

But if truth, perfpicuity, wit, gravity, and every property pertaining to the ancient or modern epitaph, may be expected in one figle epitaph, it is in one made for a Mr. Burbidge, a Tragedian, in the days of Shakespeare, but whether it comes from the pen of that great poet, I cannot determine. Its brevity particularly recommends it, the following being the whole:

"Exit Burbidge."

There is a fuperiority of merit in the following, which would not dif grace a poet of eminence, on the untimely death of a child.

"As careful nurses to their bed de
lay

"Their children, which too long
would wantons play!
"So to prevent all my enfuing

Thou did

but foon, I truf, thy

pow'r will end;

No longer will I hold thee as my friend;

No longer fhalt thou be my fav'rite

gueft,

Unless it be to feek the paths of rež. Bofton, Dec. 1784.

Verfes written by a Lady on the Addreffes of a Rake. 7OUNG Strephon, the artful, the dang'rous (wain,

You

My love and efleem has attempted to gain;

With the fame wicked arts, he fo oft had betray'd,

He thought to feduce one more innocent maid;

But appriz'd of his power, of my weaknefs aware,

I baffled his fcheme, and avoided the (nare;

For virtue I love, and was taught in my dawn,

When I gather'd a role to beware of the thorn.

His tears I neglected, his oaths I defpis'd,

For his heart, by thofe tears, by thofe oaths, he difguis'd; What prefents he brought me, I chose to decline,

The prodigal bounty of art and defign, He coax'd, and he flatter'd, but fatter'd in vain,

And practis'd each art on my weaknefs to gain,

Protected by prudence, I laugh'd him to (corn,

Tho' I fancied the rofe, yet I dreaded the thorn.

He wantonly boaRed what nymphs he had won,

What

What credulous beauties his art had undone ;

He fwore that his faith should inviolate be,

Tha: his heart and thofe fair ones were victims to me;

I told him thofe victims and faith I defpife,

And from fuch examples would learn to be wife,

That I would never prostitute virtue to (corn,

Or fmell at a rofe, to be hurt by a thorn.

Was the perjur'd betrayer afham'd of his guilt,

Was his paffion on virtue, not wantonly built,

Was his breaft as fincere, as his oaths were profane,

I could fancy (I own I could fancy) the fwain;

But experience has taught me 'tis

dang'rous to truft,

And folly to think he can ever be juft; So I'll Rifle my flame and reje& him with fcorn,

Leaft I grafp at the rose and be hurt by the thorn.

The Anfwer.
To judge of him now, by what he

has been,

To years of difcretion from that of fixteen;

What beauties he followed, what women betray'd,

(Aware of their wiles, of marriage afraid)

Would injore yourself, call in queftion his fenfe,

Make doubtful your merit, your virtue pretence; Then believe him in earneft, away with your fcorn, Receive but the rofe, you'll be safe from the thorn.

For the BOSTON MAGAZINE.

Shall not the mufe a grateful tribute

rear.

And drop the filent, fympathetic tear?

If aught that glows within the friendly breaft,

That weeps at tales of woe, or hearts oppreft;

With me your fympathizing tribute pay,

And to her peaceful manes infcribe the lay.

Ye! who her talents and her vir tues knew,

With grief's fpontaneous tears her urn bedew.

She too comply'd with nature's facred tye,

She gently wip'd the forrow-freaming eye,

As if by heaven infpir'd, did she relate,

The fouls grand entrance at the sa, cred gate! *

And fhall the honour, which the oft apply'd,

To other's reliques, be to hers deny'd?

O that the mufe, dear spirit ! own'd thy art,

To foften grief and captivate the heart,

Then fhould thefe lines in numbers foft array'd,

Preferve thy mem❜ry from oblivion'

fhade;

But O! how vain the wifh that friendship pays,

Since her own volumes are her greateft praise,

As Orpheus play'd the lift'ning herds among, They own'd the magic of his powerful fong;

Mankind no more their favage nature kept,

And foes to mufic, wonder'd how they wept.

So PHILLIS tun'd her fweet melliAuous lyre;

(Harmonious numbers bid the foul aspire)

celebrated Poetejs.

F confcious fenfe of genius yet re

mains, Of lofty verfe, and foft poetic trains;

tranfport heard,

They

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