THO Mr. URBAN, Jan. 17. HOSE who have made the fmalleft examination of the powers of the mind and thofe of the body will immediately confefs the great refemblance that exifts between them, infomuch fo, perhaps, as to favour the opinion of thofe who have afferted that the mind differs from the body only in being a form of a lefs fubftantial nature. If we trace this resemblance ab ovo, we shall find, I. As the powers of the body may be originally ftrong, fo may thofe of the mind; fo true is the adage that preta nafcitur, non fit-as Hercules, fo ftrong were his corporeal powers, ftrangled a ferpent in his cradle, in the like manner Pope, Milton, Cowley, and fome others, fhewed the vigour of their mental ones in their very infancy. II. It is exercife that adds ftrength to the moving powers of the body, and the exercife of its refpective faculties gives the greatest vigour to the mind. The corporeal powers of the bed-ridden are very weak indeed, and the unexercifed mind of the indolent inhabitant of the Pays de Vallais is afflicted with the most deplorable idiotifm."That the facul Mes of the understanding," fays an able writer," are relaxed like the finews of the body by floth, and ftrengthened by exercise, nobody will doubt; thofe," he adds, "who from their earliest infancy have found every thing provided for them, who have not much ambition, and therefore are feldom excited to any great exertion of their faculties, generally feel thefe faculties dwindle and grow weak, for the fame reafon that a man's would become feeble, and at length perfectly ufelefs, if he were to wear them in a scarf for any length of time." III. The ftrength of the mind, like the ftrength of the body, is increased by an interval of reft; every one knows that he is corporeally ftronger in the morning, and the morning is the time which the ingenious appropriate to the exertion of their mental powers. IV. As the power of the body is known to increase till it has gained its acmè, and then to decrease, so a fimilar progrefs to its zenith, and decreate from that period, is obfervable in the mind; "As the body," faid Dr. Johnfon, "after a certain time, gains no increase of height and little of Atrength, there is likewife a period, though more variable by external circumftauces, when the mind commonly attains its ftationary point, and very little advances its pow ers of reflection, judgement, and ratiocination." The inferences that may be drawn from thefe premifese extremely manifold. On the prefent occafion, however, I fhall confine myself to one obfervation, viz. as the body may by exercife be univerfally Arong, fo the mind may be the fame; as the body by the exercife of its powers may be made capable of every corporeal exertion, fo the mind may, by the fame caufe, be made capable of every mental one. The mind that can only exercise one of its powers, that can only prefcribe, that can only preach, or can only plead, cannot be faid to be univerfally strong, but only partially fo-as the ftrength of the pu gilift may be confined to the arms, and of the pedestrian to the moving powers of the leg-a ftrong mind has an univerfal capability. Dr. Johnson, who was himself of this clafs, has faid, that "he was perfuaded that, had Newton applied to poetry, he would have made a fine epic Poem-I could," he adds, "as cafily apply to Law as to Tragic Poetry; a man that has vigour may walk as easily to the Eaft as to the Weft, if he happens to turn his head that way." If, Sir, it is neceffarv, in addition to these instances of Johnfon and Newton, to give you any farther proof of the validity of my opinion, I would remind you of that inftance which, from its fingularity, has fo often been questioned, but is at prefent fully confirmed and generally believed. I allude to the admirable Creighton, of whom it is faid that there was not an art, there exifted not a science, in which he was not fully proficient, and in which he did not conteft, and bear away, the palm from those who had made them fingly the objects of their particular attention. I have only to add, that if the refemblance between the mind and the body be great as I have fuppofed it, then those are likely to do the greatest fervice to fociety who do not confine their attention to one ftudy, but who make themfelves matter of a general knowledge; who range, like Newton, unconfined amid the worlds of fcience, and who gather, like Johnson, the fweets of knowledge from almost every flower. Yours, &c. H. B. P. Mr. IT feems rather fingular that your cord refpondents D. H. and W. M. should differ fo materially in the infcription on the tomb of Thomas Cranmer. Both accounts feem to confider him as dying A. D. 1501. B the words M° quinquagefimo primo, make it 1051; and how M centefimo can mean half a thoufand, or 500, I know not. I am inclined to think the word, in the original, infead of quinquagefimo is quingentefimo D. H. calls the arms a chevron between three cranes; whereas, in the drawing, they are evidently a chevron between three pelicans vulning themselves. I have fomewhere read, that Henry VIII. foreseeing that Archbishop Cranmer would fhed his blood for the fervice of the Church, changed his arms from cranes to pelicans. To the lift of heraldic writers may be added Abraham Franfe, or Franfus, who wrote a fmall quarto, entituled, "Infignium, Armorum, Emblematum, Hieroglyphicorum, et Symbolarum,&c. Ex. plication." It was printed at London in 1588. Yours, &c. MATTHEW KNAPP. Mr. URBAN, S Jan. 14. As the following epitaphs, which in St. Mildred's Church, Canterbury, in part refolve the queries of W. M. vol. LXII. p. 994, perhaps you will give them a place in your inftructive Milcellany. ON A MURAL MONUMENT. "Memoriæ facrum. Thomæ Cranmero armigero Edmvndi vita, fvaviffimis moribvs, et fvpra quam dici poteft integro, pio, benefico, in pavperes mifericordi, in omnes ivfto, volvptatvm honorvm divitiarvm, mvnervm, contemptori feveriffimo, monvmentvm, hoc in officiofæ pietatis, æternum teftimonivm mærentes liberi et generi pofvere, qvi qvidem Thomas geritis ex Anna vxore caftiflima qvinqve filijs, filiabvs octo in die. b. Trinitati facro, eidem Trinitati fidelem animam in fvmma confcientiæ pace lætvs tradidit, anno ætatis fvæ 69, Salvtis noftræ, 1604. Viri mifericordiæ colligvntyr, nemine advertente ante adventvm mali recipi iuftum. Ijuice 57." Arms: On a fhield at the top, Cran mer, viz. Ar. on a chev. Az. between On two fields below. Left fide, Norwood, viz. Er. a crofs engrailed, Gu. quartering Cranmer. Right fide, Cranmer only. ON A MURAL CENOTAPH. of Sir William CRANMER, Knight, the fecond fon of Wiliam Cranmer, Efq. defcended from Edmond Cranmer, Archdeacon of Canterbury, and brother to that Archbishop whofe name for establishing the Reformation in England (to which he afterwards died a MARTYR) is justly celebrated. Sir William, being bred a Merchant, was eminent, not only for his knowledge in that profeffion, but for his fingular justice and integrity, always ready to relieve the poore and oppreffed, and a true lover of the liberty of his country. After having been for feveral years Deputy Governor of the Marchants Adventurers of England refilling in London. He was in the year 1691 chofen Governor of the whole Society; which truft he difcharged with great fidelity unto the time of his death; which happened on the 21st September, 1697, in the 6th yeare of his age. He lived a fingle life, and left this nephew, Mr. John Kenrick *, his executor, who, in gratitude to his memory, erected this monument. He was born in this parish of St. Mildred', in Canterbury and lies buried in the parish Church of St. Leonard, Bromley in Middlefex. Arms; Cranmer as before. Creft, on a wreath Ar. and Az. a iwan's head *Father of Clayton Kenrick, Efq. and of Matthew Kenrick, Efq. of London, father of Cranker Kenrick, Efq. of London, of Jobr Kenrick, Efq. late M. P. for Blechingley: of the Rev. Matthew Kenrick, A. B. Vicar of Chilham, Kent. + Where, in the church, hangs up (or did lately) a hatchment and three streamers for this Sir William; the coat, Arg. a chev ron Az. with three cinquefoils, Or. between as many pelicans, Sable. The erafed proper, shot through the neok with an arrow. The Rev. Mr. Cranmer, Vicar of St. Brides, London, I am affured, is a defcendant of this family. I thank D. H. p. 996, for his information refpecting the Nuremberg counter; but think him rather hafty in his cen. fure on the drawing of the coin of Hadrian (though certainly it is but indifferent); for, had he attentively compared the engravings, he would have obferved a greater diffimilarity than could have arifen from the badnefs of the drawing: on that in Camden, Britannia is fitting, on mine flanding, on one, her head is fupported by her hand, on the other it is not; S. C. for Senatus Confulto on one, on the other omitted; the baftapara above the arm on one, below it on the other; one the great shield, the other the common one, &c. &c. peculiarities fufficient, I should have thought, to have convinced him of its being a different coin; as I conceived it to be, or fhould never have fent it for infertion. Yours, &c. Z. COZENS. Defcription of the famous Stone, which ferves for a Pedestal to the Statue of PETER THE GREAT, at ST. PETERSBURG; of which a beautiful Engraving has been given in Vol. LIII. p. 128 (and fee Vol. XLV. p. 488; Vol. XLVII. p. 334) THE HE prefent Emprefs, Katharine II. having refolved to erect an equeftrian ftatue to Peter the Great; Stephen Falcoact, who had the charge of executing this monument, imagined anewkindofpedestal for the noble model he had framed. It was a feep misshapen rock; whereby he might indicate to pofterity, whence this hero of a legiflator took his rife, and what obftacles he at length furmounted. An idea, thus original and fublime, obtained the approbation of every beho der. But the difficulty was to find a block of stone adequate, both in form and fize, to the grandeur of the defign. Fortune, which always favours great attempts, but does nothing for mediocray, feps in to the affiftance of this noble pian. A rock was found, which Nature had placed in a vast morals, not far from a bay which the Gulf of Finland forms. At the very first fight it was deemed proper for the execution of the defign of the artit. People were sent to measure it; who found that its height, taken in a horizontal line, was GENT. MAG. Fabimary, 1793. 21 feet, on 42 in length, and 34 in breadth. The very idea of moving fuch a mafs was enough to terrify a common mind. But, under the reign of Katharine II. difficulties never defeat the execution of a purpose. This proj&t, to bold, so worthy of the ancient Romans, of traniporting this rock to the centre of the capital, was immediately formed. In this view, they began digging about it to difcover its depth. It was natural to think, that what appeared above the morals, was only the fummit of a rock that defcended far into the bowels of the earth. But how great was their furprife, on perceiving, that this mafs of tone was abfolutely infulated from it, and placed upon the ground as if by a miracle ! To this fingularity was added another, in no degree lefs remarkable; which is, that in all this vast morafs, and its environs, there is not to be found another fingle flone; nay, not even gravel or fand, or any other matter analogous to this wonderful rock; or that could ferve to the formation of it. What most affected perfons with aftonishment, was the interior of the tone. A stroke of thunder had damaged it on one fide. For which reafon, it had for many ages paft been called, by the boors of the villages in its vicinite. The Thunder Stone. On friking off this shattered piece, there appeared, inflead of homogeneous parts, a quantity of all forts of fine and precious tones. Cryftals, agates, granates, topazes, cornelians, and amethyfts, afforded a fight to the curious no lefs magnificent than new; while, to the naturalifts, it was an object of the most interesting investigations. So many ftriking peculiarities, united by Nature in this one rock, were powerful motives, for fparing neither pains, nor expence, nor labour, to draw it from its bed, and employ it in a monument, unexampled in the world, and worthy of perpetuating the memory of the greateft of monarchs *. The firft difcovery of this ftone was in the month of November, 1768. The neceflary works were carried on with fuch activity, that, in the month of Ma ch following, the workmen were enabled to raife it from the earth, by placing it on a kind of fledge, and beginning its mɔtion towards Petersburg. *See plate Ill. fig. 1. One |