What now wouldst thou think cou'd remain to be done,
To make our dear Madge more completely the ton?

Vaft afleep as I lav, and of thee, my dear, dreaming,
On a zudden I heard a moft horrible fcreaming,

Zuch difcord zoon wak'd me, when vorth from the cafement
I threw on a zudden mine eyes with amazement,
Vor, as zure as I live, there was Madge in her smock,`
Laying hard at the tail of our old dunghill cock!
She've pluck'd'n-and pull'd'n-and torn from the stump
All the veathers that cloath'd his unfortunate rump,
And I would I could tell the dear wife of my bofom,
How featly her daughter doth cut and difpofe 'em,
But to vit a defcription to voke at a distance,
Requires zupernatural aid and affistance,

I never can make it quite handfome and clever
Unless Polly Hymny will grant me a favour,
Which Freemen and Poet's demand at their pleasure,
Whenever they chufe it-to alter their mealure:
To a cap like a bat

(Which was once my cravat)

Part gracefully platted and pinn'd is,
Part ftuck upon gauze

Refembles mackaws

And all the vine birds of the Indies.

But above all the reft

A bold Amazon's creft

Waves nodding from shoulder to shoulder,
At once to zurprize

And to ravish all eyes,

To frighten and charm the beholder.

In fhort, head and feather

And wig altogether

With wonder and joy would delight 'e.

Like the picture I've zeen

Of th' adorable Queen

Of beautiful, bleft Otaheitee.

Who gave

zuch a ball,

To our merry men all,

And there did zo frisk it and dance it,

Zome thought her as vine,

And zome did opine,

'Twas Venus herfelf in her tranzit,

But Madge at the Rooms,
Muft beware of her plumes,
Vor if Vulcan her veather embraces,

Like poor Lady Laycock,

She'll burn like a haycock,

And roaft all the loves and the Graces.

Thus bedizened Mifs Madge, fets out for the room as follows
Not launch'd with more glory, more fplendour, and pride
The new-tackled bark fkims adown the brisk tide,

Her ftreamers difplay'd, and the wind in her
poop,
Than Madge zally'd vorth in her veather and hoop;
But how great her zurprize, when the men in despair
Virft look'd at her topfail, and then at their chair,

Half

Half grumbling, half fneering, did zeem quite unwilling
Till the goddess of wisdom in fhape of a fhilling,
While Madge was attempting her rigging to push in,
With fingers invifible whipt out the cushion;
And then, like a piftol too big for the holfter
Half in, and half out; or an obftinate bolster

(Which I thinks, I have zeen you attempting, my dear,
In vain to cram into a fmall pillowbeer,)
Thrice did the endeavour her head in to pop,
And thrice did her veather catch hold of the top;
At length, poor dear zoul, very ill at her eafe

She zat with her head almost jamm'd to her knees;

I never did yet any veffel difcern

Zo high in her bowfprit, and low in her ftern.

To conceive how the look'd you must call to your mind
The lady you've zeen in a lobfter confin'd,

Or a pagod in zome little corner infhrin'd,

Where with knees both erected, and squat on his breech
Unhappy divinity sticks in a nitch.

Indeed it was ftrange, and zurprizing to fee her,-
And never, dear wife, canst thou form an idear,
How crampt in this posture
They wriggl'd, and toft her,

While ev'ry (tep that they trod,
Her voretop and nose

Beat time to their toes,

And her veather went

-niddity-nod.

}

Next follows Mr. Inkle's defcription of himself, and his behaviour on a conference, he had the honour of holding with my Lord Perrywinkle on the fubject of his electioneering intereft.

Mean whi e pretty brifk, and uncommonly strong,

I tott'ring on two fticks went hobbl'ing along;
Thof I very much fears that the thought me a fogram,
All fuck out in zattins, and I in my grogram;
Yet I'd have her to know, in my zunday zurtout,
Zilk hofe-new peruke-frill-and ruffles too boot,
I claim'd zuch refpect, did fuch favours receive,

I ne'er shall vorget 'em as long as I live;
Vor you know, my dear wife, I efteems it delicious
To appear in high life, and am vaftly ambitious

To he fqueez'd, as I was, by my Lord Perrywinkle,

With your fervant, good Sir," how d'y'do Mr. Inkle,
"What joy, my dear friend, all the world are you giving,
"To zee you once more in the land of the living!
"Zo chearful and brisk too, I'd venture a million

66

"If you laid down your cane, you could dance a cotillion,-
"Your lady looks charming, I burns to accoft her-
My dear lord, zays I," Mrs. Inkle's at Gloucester-
Lack-a-day, he replies then, 'twas Lady Killwrinkle
"Who I thinks it exceedingly like Mrs. Inkle;-
"Mrs. Inkle not here!-thic is no ball without her-
"She've carry'd away all the graeces about her-
"Your lady at Gloucefter!-and pray do you hear
"Mr. Inkle, how matters are jogging on there?
"I've a friend, my dear Sir, at th' enfuing election
"Who pants to receive your advice and protection-
"I with you'd-zays I, “ my dear lord, zay no more,
"Your wish is enough, your commands I adore,

"And

And I'm zure Mrs. Inkle will think it an honour
"If your lordship will lay your kind orders upon her,
"'Tis true I've no vote-but I'll ufe my endeavour
"I've intereft much at your fervice however,
"Vor I'm promis'd my lord-but I beg and defire,
"I befeech as an alms you won't let it tranfpire,
"Give me leave just to whisper a word in your ear,
"Let us ftep in the Card-Room-there's nobody there,-
"I am promis'd, my Lord, by old Humphry Pot-wobbler,
"The votes of three taylors,two fmiths, and a cobler,-
"At this, quite tranfported, one hand he did put on
"My fhoulder, with t'other caughi hold of my button,
"Mr. Inkle, zays he, (and he hook it a little)
"I profefs you have hit this affair to a tittle,
"And zince with zuch kindness, zuch friendship,
"Depend upon't, Sir, you shall never repent it."-
I thought this account, my dear Dinah, would please 'e
(And the Irish establishment now is zo eafy)
The leaft I expect, if things properly fadge,

Is a penfion for me--and a husband for Madge;

you meant it,

Thus with fhrugs, nods, and zimpers, each other delighting,
And poking our heads out, like game-cocks a fighting,
We ftuck out our rumps with refpect most profound,
And parted like cart-whips bent down to the ground.

MISCELLAN Y.

ART. XVII. Philofophical Empiricism: Containing Remarks on a Charge of Plagiarifm refpecting Dr. H-s, interfperfed with various Obfervations relating to different Kinds of Air. By Jofeph Priestley, L. L. D. F. R. S. Svo. 1s. 6d. Johnfon.

Vivitur ex rapto. Non hofpes ab hofpite tutus. OVID.

In an age when empirics país for philofophers, and chemical principles are mistaken for the primary elements of phyfics, it is no wonder the world is pestered with inftances of philofophical empiricism. The chymifts were the first empirics, and it may be thought hard their province fhould be invaded by phyfical experiment-mongers. Let every cobler flick to his laft. The misfortune is, that the masters in each science would have theirs to rank first. Hence the frequent mifunderstandings and altercations in fubjects, one would think too fpeculative and uninteresting to inflame the paffions. The difpute, which gave rise to the pamphlet before us, is not, indeed, between two philofophers of a very different caft: Dr. Priestley, differing no farther from Dr. Higgins than as a theoretical chymift from a practical one; the refult of the former's obfervations on different kinds of air, tending immediately to the illustration of chemical principles only fo that, as a philofopher, Dr. P. need not have given himself fo many and fuch fuperior kind of airs as he has done, in treating his antagonist, Dr. Higgins. But perhaps inferior and more perfonal motives than mere philofophical ones, have blown up the fire of altercation between our two famous experimentalifts. No offence, we hope, to Dr. Priefley, in thus coupling these chemical combatants; for though Dr. H. may be in comparifon to Dr. H. what the latter re

prefents

prefents him, an-obfcure man, who might hope to profit by a connection with fo popular and confpicuous a character as Dr. P; though he may not have fo numerous a philofophical acquaintance; though he may not fo often dine with dukes, earls and baronets, he may nevertheless be full as ufefully if not fo right honourably engaged in his laboratory.

There is again one circumftance in which we think Dr. Priestley inexcufeable, and that is, his want of that politeness and urbanity, with which one would be apt to think, the keeping of fo much good company might have taught him. His treatment of his new acquaintance, Dr.H. is often very ungentleman-like and infolent; nor is his behaviour to his old friend Dr. Brockleby much better. He makes a kind of merit, indeed, in not painting Dr. Higgin's name at full length, becaufe he would not do him more injury than is neceffary; but in naming the Doctor's profeffion and place of abode, of what use in this refpect is the printing his name in initials. Another reafon he gives, is his bring afhamed of fuch a conteft, and this is a fufficient reafon; he ought to be ashamed of the conteft, and to have fuppreffed his attack on a man, whofe name he wifhed from fuch a motive to conceal. But to the point in difpute; which our readers will probably choose to learn rather from Dr. Priestley's own reprefentation than ours, at leaft the ftate of the difpute cannot in this cafe be fuppofed to be mifreprefented by the Reviewers. The LETTERS that paffed between the AUTHOR, Dr. H

and Dr. BROCKLESBY.

-S,

"It is with much reluctance, as feveral of my friends can witnefs, that, after withstanding, as long as I could, their earnest remonstrances on the fubject, I have been induced to make this appeal to the public; I having been willing to think it unneceffary, and they infifting upon it that it was abfolutely neceffary. At length I yielded to their reafons. The cafe is as follows,

"Before I left London, in the fpring of the prefent year, in which my acquaintance with Dr. H s commenced and terminated, I was told it was reported, that fome of my new experiments, of which I had fent an account to the royal fociety, fubfequent to my acquaintance with him, were only the refult of his general principles concerning air; and Dr. Brocklesby, when he faw fome of my new experiments, in the company mentioned in my letter to him, faid of them all, without diftinction, that they were thofe that Dr. H-s had fhewn. But as I knew that Dr. H- s and myfelf held no common principles concerning air, as Dr. Brocklesby had not the character of being the most accurate man in the world, and I thought that my character for veracity, at leaft was fufficiently established, I entirely neglected the infinuation, and really thought no more about the matter, till I was informed, by a letter from London, while I was in the country, that the report of my having taken several things from Dr. Hs gained ground.

Knowing, however, that there could be no foundation for this charge, I continued to pay no attention to it; and though, upon coming to town, I found it was in every body's mouth, and my friends urged me to make fome enquiry concerning it, I neglected to do it for a confiderable time; thinking that the publication of 'my fecond

volume of Obfervations concerning Air, which was then nearly printed off, would fpeak for itself, and fatisfy every body who should perufe it, that the narrative carried its own evidence along with it.

had

But I was told that the charge of plagiarism, abfurd as it was, been fo long, and fo induftriously circulated, without having been contradicted by any proper authority, that it had really gained much credit; that many perfons, without diftinguishing times or dates, had publickly, and with great confidence advanced, that even all my dif coveries had been taken from the fame Dr. H. s. On this account, not only my friends, but perfons with whom I had no ftrict connection, affured me that, in their opinion, it really behoved me to make some regular enquiry into the bufinefs. Accordingly I did, at length, though with great reluctance (ftill hoping that there could be no neceffity for any appeal to the public upon the fubject) fet myself about it; when I presently found what the following letters will fpecify.

Dear Sir,

To Dr. BROCKLESBY.

"The bufinefs I write to you about is fo irksome to me, that I have deferred it as long as poffible, hoping there might be no occafion to give you any trouble on the fubject. At length, however, I have been perfuaded by my friends to do it.

It is reported, I find, that fome experiments, which I have lately exhibited as my own, I took from Dr. H-s, and wherever I enquire about it, I am told that you charged me with it when you faw my experiments at Shelburne-houfe, in company with Dr. Fothergill, the two Dr. Watfons, and Doctor and Mr. John Hunter.

"Now as you did not at that time charge me with any plagiarism, but only fuppofed that both Dr. H-s and myself had made the fame difcovery, and did not even say that you had yourself seen those experiments of Dr. Hs's, I muft beg the favour of you to tell me what those common experiments were, and by what authority you took upon yourself to fay, that the experiments common experiments you then faw were the fame with thofe of Dr. H -s's, which you had not feen; for, if I remember right, I fhewed you several at that time, which were not mentioned in my first volume.

"I have not heard that Dr. H--s himfelf charges me with having taken any thing from him: and with refpect to the principal thing which I then fhewed you as new, it is impoffible that he fhould. have claimed it; when, as 1 immediately told you, in the prefence of the gentlemen abovementioned, it was but a little time before, that he had hesitated to admit the facts when I mentioned them to him; as indeed I fhould have done myself a little before that, had any other perfon mentioned them to me; the difcovery of them having been perfectly accidental, and affording no foundation for merit whatever.

"What he advances in his printed Syllabus is the very reverse of my ideas on that fubject, and in my opinion, is contradicted by the experiments I then thewed you. Indeed, it is now abundantly evident, that Dr. H-s and myfelf have hardly one common idea concerning air; fo that if he be right, moft of my difcoveries are, what he has thought proper to call them, mere conceits; and if I be right, his general doctrine is entirely chimerical and falfe. On this account, it is hardly poffible that we should have taken any thing from

each