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ASTATE of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER, in the open air, taken before sunrise, and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 30th of Sept. 1786 to the 30th of Oct. 1786, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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S-n has not observed that the Scriptures méant by Mr H. are those of Brame,...

Hilario, &c. are received,

T

VIEWS IN SCOTAND.

EDINBURGH CASTLE.

10 determine whether the fubject of the Plate was the Caftrum ala tum of Ptolemy, is not the prefent intention; that matter has been fufficiently inveftigated by many learned authors. I fhall only fay, it appears from Whitaker that Arthur, the celebrated King of the Bri tons, fought a battle on its prefent fite in the fifth century; its origin, therefore, need not be looked for in an earlier period. Arnot mentions, as the first historical fact preferved concerning this fortrefs, the death of Queen Margaret, the widow of Malcolm Canmore, which happened in November 1095. In 174, we find mention made of Edinburgh Castle, with those of Roxburgh, Berwick, Jedburgh, and Stirling, being delivered as pledges of the performance of the treaty for the reedom of William, furnamed the Lyon, who was taken prisoner by Henry II. at the battle of Alnwick In 1255, it was furprised by the Earls of Gloucefter and Dunbar, with their affociates, to force Alexander III. and his Queen from reftraint.

Edward I. in 1296, after having defeated the Scots at Dunbar, reduced the Caftles of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Jedburgh, marched to Edinburgh; and in eight days, being all provided with the great wooden engines used at that time in fieges, he took the caftle. During the reign of Robert Bruce, anno 1313, it was surprised and taken by Thomas Randolph the King's nephew; who in a very dark night, with a band of thirty men, climbed up the rock and scaled the wall. Edward Baliol, in 1334, as a recompence for the great expences of Edward III. in recovering and reftoring to him his inheritance, gave him among others the Castle, Town, and County of Edinburgh. Anno 1340 it was taken from the English by Sir William Douglas. Edward III. anno 1356, after fuffering great hardfhips from want of provifions, finding it impoffible any longer to combat with the Scots, retired to England, after burning to afhes the towns of Edinburgh, Haddington, and others. By Richard II. it was again burnt 1385: In 1429, the truce between Scotland and England was here concluded. During the reign of James VI. an. no 1573, the Caftle fuftained a heavy fiege by the English forces under Sir William Drury; five batteries were erected on the fpot where Heriot's Hofpital now ftands; which after firing eight or nine days, effected several breaches, and thereby occafioned a furrender. After this period it fuffered many attacks; thofe by the forces of the unfortunate Charles will, we hope, be the laft in the annals of hiftory. A. C.

In compliance with the requeft of our Correfpondent T. C, we infert the following Letter.

DEAR T.

On the Policy or Prudence of an Honest Man.

HAVE not forgot my promife to write to you a letter on honeft politics, or in other words, to defcribe

what prudent precaution and management an honeft man might and ought to make use of, in order to Dd

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promote his fuccefs in the world.

But how fhall I do juftice to fuch a fubject, overwhelmed with a thoufand cares? I must be content to give you the skeleton of what I mean to fay, and leave it to your own reflection to fill up the interfices.

The children of this world are wifer in their generation than the children of light.' This has been taken in many acceptations: One is, that bad men, and thofe who have recourse to all means to attain their ends, often fucceed better than good and honeft men.

Whether this is the defign of the paffage or not we do not now inquire, but it contains a fact-What is the cause of this? They fucceed because they stick at nothing, and fo have many ways of obtaining their wishes, which good men dare not have recourfe to.

Now there is no relief for this.But if honeft men are constrained to fubmit to this difadvantage, they ought, however, to take care, that they do not fuffer themselves to be injured by any evil which they can avoid.

Whatever they can do, without prejudice to their character as нoNEST MEN, they ought to do.

Now, we are to find out what this is.

And, I. They must be excellent. And, 11. They must feem to be fo. If the two were put in competition, every good man would adhere to the infcription on Tycho Brahe's tomb,

-Effe quam videri

make himfelf mafter of it, and on this bafis build his future fuccess.

He will then deferve to fucceed.

But in order to attain it, it is also requifite that he have the videri. He must be excellent, and also seem to be fo.

Lord Chesterfield fpake truly to his fon, that learning was filver; but without fome other qualities to fet it off, it would feem to the bulk of mankind to be lead.

Throw down twenty diamonds of ormuz, in their unpolished state, into the ftreets of London, the paffengers will kick them out of the way, and the fcavenger will heave them into his dust cart.

The multitude are ill judges of real merit in most cases; and the little judgment they do have is confounded by quacks and impoftors.

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Every wife man therefore ought to study the art of feeming to be what you are.

No author has yet written on that art, though the practice of it occurs every day in human life,

If I had as much time as fome people-but that is a vain with

Lord Chesterfield furnishes many excellent hints, but he knew not where to stop, or rather he set out wrong at the beginning. With him the effe was only for the fake of the videri.

With us the videri is only for the fake of the effe.

It is fuch writers as he that bring the art into difcredit.

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A man appears what he is by laying hold of every fair opportunity to

But a wife man will unite them; difplay his talents and acquifitions. and of him it may be faid,

Omne tulit punum t. The great foundation is the effe. This gives a man peace in his own mind-which the world cannot take away. Whatever profeffion a man adopts, let him apply diligently, to

To be than to feem to be.

This he OUGHT to do, for the world are not obliged to divine his genius, or to fuppofe his learning.

Voltaire wrote a book to praise himfelf. This was abominable. He would have been afhamed to have been known as the author. There is a meanness too in pub

He gains every point.

lifh

Policy or Prudence of an Honest Man.

lishing purely for fame; but if a man has any thing useful to communicate, it is an additional motive if it will add to his reputation.

There are many qualities, however, which a man cannot make known in this way. Few of mankind read books, and ftill fewer are in a fituation to write them,

We want a more general and ready way of the videri. Such as can Thine in converfation ought to do it; only being as merciful as not totally to eclipfe others.

Many a modeft man of great excellence cannot make a figure in company. And as no man can set about to praise himself, it is clear that every man stands in need of fome foreign aid, to make him appear what be really is.

This aid is only to be fought for in his friends. Obferve what wonders jugglers perform by confederacy;

And learn from this, what the weakeft man may accomplish by friendship.

It is lucky for the bulk of mankind that fo few men are wife enough to be real friends to one another. An affociation of real friends might fubdue the world.

Something like this is realifed in the Highlands of Scotland. When a young man fets out into the world from that quarter, if he has any merit he never wants friends, and thofe of the fterling kind I have described. The whole country feems interefted in his fuccefs. Every body is ready to give him letters or introductions. Nobody fails to contribute his mite; and the accumulation even of trivial powers produces force irrefiftible.

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Thefe men are remote from all external advantages-but they occupy the first lines in London-they govern in India, and are illuftrious broughout all Europe.

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A man who has got a few real friends is an Argus: His eyes look every where. He is a Briareus; and nothing is too hard for his hundred hands.

A real friend ought to publish a man's true charecter; to tell the world what his talents really are; to obviate prejudices and objections against him, and to take every occafion of conveying impreffions in his favour.

Do you wifh me to think well of your friend? It is not enough to mention him in terms of cold refpect; [ fhall hear you as though I heard you not; you muft fpeak with pathos, with energy and affection. He muft fpeak from the heart who would fpeak to it

Would you recommend your friend effectually to me? you must risk fomething in his behalf. You must manifeft attachment; you must show me that you would be mortified if your friend did not become mine.

This is real friendship, very different from that cautious policy which the world commonly dignifies with

the name.

To come to examples: A focial and a profound man might be of infinite ufe to each other; firft, in correcting the extremes of each others character; and, fecondly, in obviating certain prejudices to which both of them are liable in the judgment of the world.

But if they are no wiser than the bulk of men, they will hate and traduce one another. The one will drop hints, that the other is a trifling fuperficial genius; while he again will retaliate, by holding forth his companion as a dull disagreeable philofopher.

Some of the happiest mercantile companies in London confift of two partners of oppofite characters. The one a fedate plodding man, who keeps all right in the compting

houfe:

houfe: the other an active bustling man, who attends at the exchange, manages bufinefs out of doors, and prefides at table when an entertainment is given to the friends of the houfe.

The great thing is nofcere teipfum*, to know the rank you hold in the fcale of human beings, and to aim at nothing above that.

Arafpes was a man of genius, and had a clear title to the second station in the univerfity where he was a profeffor: But he would be thought the first man there, and there was one man of greater talents than he which unfortunate ambition rendered his life a conftant fcene of difappointments, vexations, and embarraffments.

If the focial man will be content to fhine in his own way, he will do well, and have the profound man for his affiftant and friend; but if he muft feem to be profound as well as agreeable, he will expofe himself to the hatred of the profound man, and to the ridicule and detection of other men.

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So vice verfa. Da et recipe t. Let me fhine in my line, and fhall be allowed to fhine in yours. But think not of monopolizing all merit. Be content with your fhare.

Eugenius was a modest and learned man: His friend Calliftus was a man of addrefs and politenefs, with a flender share of knowledge. They were both good men, and their ac quaintance was a bleffing to each other.

Calliftus never affected to be more learned than his friend. He faw his fuperiority, nor hesitated to own it: And with every man of fenfe, the acknowledgment gained him credit.

If any one fecmed lefs difpofed to refpe& Eugenius, because his manners were awkward, and fome of his

To know yourself.

ideas peculiar, Calliftus never failed to remind them, that his friend poffeffed whatever is moft valuable in a human character. By his means even the gayeft companion of Cal. liftus were made to revere Eugenius: for they thought there must be fomething very excellent in this man, whom their friend, so diffimilar in manners, yet admired fo much.

Through Eugenius was Calliftus admitted into the fociety of the learned and beft informed. And his reception there contributed much to is improvement; for he who is often with men of knowledge, cannot fail to carry off fomething.

If any one feemed lefs difpofed to refpect Calliftus, becaufe his learning was not extenfive, nor his refearches profound, Eugenius remind ed them, that fimilar opportunities had not been afforded to all; that Calliftus had improved fuch as had fallen to his lot; and that by his good heart and friendly difpofition he merited the efteem of every good

man.

Ill difpofed men even durft not injure either Eugenius or Calliftus: they feared to meddle with a man who was fupported by fo firm a friend. And good men admired each of them more, because they so much loved one another.

Without Eugenius, Callistus would have wanted many valuable advantages; without Calliftus, the virtuous Eugenius might have remained obfcure and unknown.

"Full many a flower is born to blush unfeen, And waste its sweetness on the defart air.”

But it is rare to find men who truly know themfelves; or who, knowing themselves, are willing to fubmit to appear what they really

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