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ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

Spectacle de la Nature, might also be begun in this class, and continued through the subsequent classes by other books of the same kind; for, next to the knowledge of duty, this kind of knowledge is certainly the most useful, as well as the most entertaining. The merchant may thereby be enabled better to understand many commodities in trade-the handicraftsman to improve his business by new instruments, mixtures, and materials and frequently hints are given for new methods of improving land, that may be set on foot greatly to the advantage of a country.

THE FOURTH CLASS-To be taught composition. Writing one's own language well, is the next necessary accomplishment after good speaking. It is the writing master's business to take care that the boys make fair characters, and place them straight and even in the lines; but to form their style, and even to take care that the stops and capitals are properly disposed, is the part of the English master. The boys should be put on writing letters to each other on any common occurrences, and on various subjects, imaginary business, &c., containing little stories, accounts of their late reading, what parts of authors please them, and why; letters 12 of congratulation, of compliment, of request, of thanks, of recommendation, of admonition, of consolation, of expostulation, excuse, &c. In these they should be taught to express themselves clearly, concisely, and naturally, without affected words or high-flown phrases. All their letters to pass through the master's hand, who is to point out the faults, advise the corrections, and commend what he finds right. Some of the best letters published in their own language, as Sir William Temple's, those of Pope and his friends, and some others, might be set before the youth as models, their beauties pointed out and explained by the master-the letters themselves transcribed by the scholar.

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Dr Johnson's Ethices Elementa, or First Principles of Morality, may now be read by the scholars, and explained by the master, to lay a solid foundation of virtue and piety in their minds. And as this class continues the reading of history, let them now, at proper hours, receive some farther instruction in chronology, and in that part of geography (from the mathematical master) which is necessary to understand the maps and globes.

They should also be acquainted with the modern names of the places they find mentioned in ancient writers; the exercises of good reading, and proper speaking, still continued at suitable times.

THE FIFTH CLASS.-To improve the youth in composition, they may now, besides continuing to write letters, begin to write little essays in prose, and sometimes in verse; not to make them poets, but for this reason, that nothing acquaints a lad so speedily with a variety of expression, as the necessity of finding such words and phrases as will suit the measure, sound, and rhyme of verse, and at the same time well express the sentiment. These essays should all pass under the master's eye, who will point out their faults, and put the writer on correcting them. Where the judgment is not ripe enough for forming new essays, let the sentiments of a Spectator be given, and required to be clothed in the scholar's own words; or the circumstances of some good story: the scholar to find expression. Let them be put sometimes on abridging a paragraph of a diffuse author; sometimes on dilating or amplifying what is wrote more closely. And now let Dr Johnson's Noetica, or First Principles of Human Knowledge, containing a logic, or art of reasoning, &c. be read by the youth, and the difficulties that may occur to them be explained by the master; the reading of history, and the exercises of good reading and just speaking, still continued.

SIXTH CLASS. In this class, besides continuing the studies of the preceding in history, rhetoric, logic, moral and natural philosophy, the best English authors may be read and explained-as Tillotson, Milton, Locke, Addison, Pope, Swift, the higher papers in the Spectator and Guardian, the best translations of Homer, Virgil, Horace, Telemachus, Travels of Cyrus, &c.

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Once a-year let there be public exercises in the hall-the trustees and citizens present. Then let fine gilt books be given as prizes to such boys as distinguish themselves, and excel the others in any branch of learning, making three degrees of comparison-giving the best prize to him that performs best, a less valuable one to him that comes up next to the best, and another to the third-commendations, encouragement, and advice to the rest, keeping up their hopes, that by industry they may excel another time. The names of those that obtain the prize to be yearly printed in a list.

The hours of each day are to be divided and disposed in such a manner, as that some classes may bo with the writing master improving their hands, others with the mathematical master learning arithmetic, accounts, geography, use of the globes, drawing, mechanics, &c.; while the rest are in the English school, under the English master's care. Thus instructed, youth will come out of this school fitted for learning any business, calling, or profession, except in such wherein languages are required; and though unacquainted with any ancient or foreign tongue, they will be masters of their own, which is of more immediate and general use, and withal, will have attained many other valuable accomplishments ;-the time usually spent in acquiring those languages, often without success, being here employed in laying such a foundation of knowledge and ability, as, properly improved, may qualify them to pass through and execute the several offices of civil life with advantage and reputation to themselves and country.

ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

[Dr Franklin, through life, was an enemy of every species of persecution on account of religious differences; on all proper occasions, he maintained the perfect liberty of private opinion on every matter of either church or state, and at different times wrote in favour of a general toleration of creeds. In the same spirit of justice and liberality, he strongly reprehended any attack, by means of the press, or otherwise, on the doctrines of Christianity. His sentiments on the subject of persecution are to be found in two papers--one a letter addressed to the printer of the London Packet, June 3, 1772, from which the following extract is made and the other a parable, which immediately succeeds.] SIR,-I understand from the public papers, that in the debates on the bill for relieving the dissenters in the point of subscription to the church articles, sundry reflections were thrown out against that people, importing-"That they themselves are of a persecuting, intolerant spirit; for that when they had the superiority, they persecuted the church, and still persecute it, in America, where they compel its members to pay taxes for maintaining the Presbyterian or Independent worship, and, at the same time, refuse them a toleration in the full exercise of their religion by the administration of a bishop."

If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practised it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practised it against the Puritans: these found it wrong in the bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves, both here and in New England. To account for this, we should remember that the doctrine of toleration was not then known, or had not prevailed in the world. Persecution was therefore not so much the fault of the sect as of the times. It was not in those days deemed wrong in itself. The general opinion was only, that those who are in error ought not to persecute the truth; but the possessors of truth were in the right to persecute error, in order to destroy it. Thus, every sect believing itself possessed of all truth, and that every tenet differing from theirs was error, conceived that, when the power was in their hands, persecution

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ON MODERN INNOVATIONS IN LANGUAGE AND PRINTING.

LANGUAGE AND IN PRINTING.

TO NOAH WEBSTER, JUN. ESQ. AT HARTFORD.

was a duty required of them by that God whom they | ON MODERN INNOVATIONS IN THE ENGLISH supposed to be offended with heresy. By degrees, more moderate and more modest sentiments have taken place in the Christian world; and among Protestants particularly, all disclaim persecution, none vindicate it, and but few practise it. We should then cease to reproach each other with what was done by our ancestors, but judge of the present character of sects, or churches, by their present conduct only.

[Here follows an explanation of the peculiar position of the New England Presbyterians, who, having been the original settlers and entire possessors of this country, believed themselves entitled to enact laws for the whole community.]

PARABLE ON TOLERATION.

Philadelphia, Dec. 26, 1789. DEAR SIR,-I received some time since your Dissertation on the English Language. It is an excellent work, and will be greatly useful in turning the thoughts of our countrymen to correct writing. Please to accept my thanks for it, as well as for the great honour you have done me in its dedication. I ought to have made this acknowledgment sooner, but much indisposition prevented me.

I cannot but applaud your zeal for preserving the purity of our language, both in its expression and pronunciation, and in correcting the popular errors several of our states are continually falling into with respect to both. Give me leave to mention some of them, though possibly they may have already occurred to you. I wish, however, that in some future publication of yours you would set a discountenancing mark upon them. The first I remember is the word im

[The following parable, in which the style of the scriptural writings is imitated, appeared originally in "Sketches of the History of Man," by Henry Home of Kames, who mentions" that the parable was communicated to him by Dr Franklin, and that the moral must strike every one not sunk in stupidity and super-proved. stition." It appears from investigation, that Franklin was not the real author of the parable, and that he only claimed the merit of investing it in the scriptural style. Lord Teignmouth presented Bishop Heber with a translation of the parable from the Persian into English, which is inserted among the notes to Heber's Life of Jeremy Taylor. Thus its eastern origin is ascertained.]

1. And it came to pass after these things, that Abraham sat in the door of his tent, about the going down of the sun.

2. And behold a man, bowed with age, came from the way of the wilderness, leaning on a staff.

3. And Abraham arose and met him, and said unto him, “Turn in, I pray thee, and wash thy feet, and tarry all night, and thou shalt arise early on the morrow, and go on thy way."

4. But the man said, "Nay, for I will abide under this tree."

5. And Abraham pressed him greatly; so he turned, and they went into the tent, and Abraham baked unleavened bread, and they did eat.

6. And when Abraham saw that the man blessed not God, he said unto him, "Wherefore dost thou not worship the most high God, creator of heaven and earth?"

7. And the man answered and said, "I do not worship the God thou speakest of, neither do I call upon his name; for I have made to myself a god, which abideth alway in mine house, and provideth me with all things."

8. And Abraham's zeal was kindled against the man; and he arose and fell upon him, and drove him forth with blows into the wilderness.

When I left New England in the year 1723, this word had never been used among us, as far as I know, but in the sense of ameliorated or made better, except once in a very old book of Dr Mather's, entitled Remarkable Providences. As that man wrote a very obscure hand, I remember that when I read that word in his book, used instead of the word employed, I conjectured that it was an error of the printer, who had mistook a short in the writing for an r, and a y with too short a tail for a v, whereby employed was converted into improved: but when I returned to Boston in 1733, I found this change had obtained favour, and was then become common; for I met with it often in perusing the newspapers, where it frequently made an appearance rather ridiculous. Such, for instance, as the advertisement of a country house, which had been many years improved as a tavern; and in the character of a deceased country gentleman, that he had been for more than thirty years improved as a justice of peace. This use of the word improve is peculiar to New England, and not to be met with among many other speakers of English, either on this or the other side of the water.

During my late absence in France, I find that several other new words have been introduced into our parliamentary language. For example, I find a verb formed from the substantive notice: I should not have noticed this, were it not that the gentleman, &c. Also another verb from the substantive advocate: The gentleman who advocates, or who has advocated that motion, &c. Another from the substantive progress, the most awkward and abominable of the three: The committee having progressed, resolved to adjourn. The word op

9. And at midnight God called unto Abraham, say-posed, though not a new word, I find used in a new ing, "Abraham, where is the stranger?"

10. And Abraham answered and said, "Lord, he would not worship thee, neither would he call upon thy name; therefore have I driven him out from before my face into the wilderness."

11. And God said, "Have I borne with him these hundred ninety and eight years, and nourished him, and clothed him, notwithstanding his rebellion against me; and could'st not thou, that art thyself a sinner, bear with him one night?"

12. And Abraham said, "Let not the anger of the Lord wax hot against his servant; lo! I have sinned; lo! I have sinned; forgive me, I pray thee."

13. And Abraham arose, and went forth into the wilderness, and sought diligently for the man, and found him, and returned with him to the tent; and when he had entreated him kindly, he sent him away on the morrow with gifts.

14. And God spake again unto Abraham, saying, "For this thy sin shall thy seed be afflicted four hundred years in a strange land.

15. But for thy repentance will I deliver them; and they shall come forth with power, and with gladness of heart, and with much substance."

manner, as, The gentlemen who are opposed to this measure, to which I have also myself always been opposed. If you should happen to be of my opinion with respect to those innovations, you will use your authority in reprobating them.

The Latin language, long the vehicle used in distributing knowledge among the different nations of Europe, is daily more and more neglected; and one of the modern tongues, viz. French, seems, in point of universality, to have supplied its place. It is spoken in all the courts of Europe; and most of the literati, those even who do not speak it, have acquired a knowledge of it to enable them easily to read the books that are written in it. This gives a considerable advantage to that nation. It enables its authors to inculcate and spread through other nations such sentiments and opinions, on important points, as are most conducive to its interests, or which may contribute to its reputation, by promoting the common interests of mankind. It is perhaps owing to its being written in French, that Voltaire's Treatise of Toleration has had so sudden and so great an effect on the bigotry of Europe, as almost entirely to disarm it. The general use of the French language has likewise a very advantageous effect on

AN ACCOUNT OF THE COURT OF THE PRESS.

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this difference to Faulkner, the printer of the Dublin Journal, who was vainly making encomiums on his own paper as the most complete of any in the world. "But, Mr Faulkner," says my Lord, "don't you think it might be still farther improved, by using paper and ink not quite so near of a colour?" For all these reasons, I cannot but wish our American printers would, in their editions, avoid these fancied improvements, and thereby render their works more agreeable to foreigners in Europe, to the great advantage of our bookselling commerce.

the profits of the bookselling branch of commerce; it being well known, that the more copies can be sold that are struck off from one composition of types, the profits increase in a much greater proportion than they do in making a greater number of pieces in any other kind of manufacture. And at present there is no capital town in Europe without a French bookseller's shop corresponding with Paris. Our English bids fair to obtain the second place. The great body of excellent printed sermons in our language, and the freedom of our writings on political subjects, have induced a great number of divines, of different sects and nations, as well as gentlemen concerned in public affairs, to study it so far at least as to read it. And if we were to endeavour the facilitating its progress, the study of our tongue might become much more general. Those who have employed some part of their time in learning a new language, must have frequently observed, that while their acquaintance with it was imperfect, difficulties, small in themselves, have operated as great ones in obstructing their progress. A book, for ex-wise, the reader is apt to modulate wrong; and, findample, ill printed, or a pronunciation in speaking not well articulated, would render a sentence unintelligible, which from a clear print, or a distinct speaker, would have been immediately comprehended. If, therefore, we would have the benefit of seeing our language more generally known among mankind, we should endeavour to remove all the difficulties, however small, that discourage the learning of it. But I am sorry to observe, that of late years those difficulties, instead of being diminished, have been augmented.

Further, to be more sensible of the advantage of clear and distinct printing, let us consider the assistance it affords in reading well aloud to an auditory. In so doing, the eye generally slides forward three or four words before the voice. If the sight clearly distinguishes what the coming words are, it gives time to order the modulation of the voice to express them properly. But if they are obscurely printed, or disguised by omitting the capitals or long s's, or othering he has done so, he is obliged to go back and begin the sentence again; which lessens the pleasure of the hearers. This leads me to mention an old error in our mode of printing. We are sensible, that when a question is met with in the reading, there is a proper variation to be used in the management of the voice: we have therefore a point called an interrogation affixed to the question to distinguish it. But this is absurdly placed at its end, so that the reader does not discover it till he finds that he was wrongly modulating his voice, and is therefore obliged to begin again the sentence. To prevent this, the Spanish printers more sensibly place an interrogation at the beginning as well as at the end of the question. We have another error of the same kind in printing plays, where something often occurs that is marked as spoken aside. But the word aside is placed at the end of the speech, when it ought to precede it, as a direction to the reader, that he may govern his voice accordingly. The practice of our ladies, in meeting five or six together, to form little busy parties, where each is employed in some useful work, while one reads to them, is so commendable in itself, that it deserves the attention of authors and printers to make it as pleasing as possible, both to the reader and hearers.

In examining the English books that were printed between the restoration and the accession of George II., we may observe, that all substantives were begun with a capital, in which we imitated our mother tongue, the German. This was more particularly useful to those who were not well acquainted with the English, there being such a prodigious number of our words that are both verbs and substantives, and spelt in the same manner, though often accented different in pronunciation. This method has, by the fancy of printers, of late years been entirely laid aside, from an idea that suppressing the capitals shows the character to greater advantage those letters, prominent above the line, disturbing its even regular appearance. The effect of this change is so considerable, that a learned man of France who used to read our books, though not perfectly acquainted with our language, in conversation with me on the subject of our authors, attributed the greater obscurity he found in our modern books, compared with those of the period above mentioned, to a change of style for the worse in our writers; of which mistake I convinced him, by marking for him each sub- AN ACCOUNT OF THE HIGHEST COURT OF stantive with a capital in a paragraph, which he then easily understood, though before he could not comprehend it. This shows the inconvenience of that pretended improvement.

From the fondness for a uniform and even appearance of characters in a line, the printers have of late banished also the Italic types, in which words of importance to be attended to in the sense of the sentence, and words on which an emphasis should be put in reading, used to be printed. And lately another fancy has induced other printers to use the round s instead of the long one, which formerly served well to distinguish a word readily by its varied appearance. Certainly the omitting the prominent letter makes a line appear more even, but renders it less immediately legible, as the paring of all men's noses might smooth their features, but would render their physiognomies less distinguishable. Add to all those improvements backwards, another modern fancy that grey printing is more beautiful than black. Hence the English new books are printed in so dim a character as to be read with difficulty by old eyes, unless in a very strong light, and with good glasses. Whoever compares a volume of the Gentleman's Magazine printed between the years 1731 and 1740, with one of those printed in the last ten years, will be convinced of the much greater degree of perspicuity given by black than by the grey. Lord Chesterfield pleasantly remarked

My best wishes attend you, being, with sincere esteem,
Sir, your most obedient and very humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN.

JUDICATURE IN PENNSYLVANIA,

THE COURT OF THE PRESS.

Power of this court.-It may receive and promulgate accusations of all kinds, against all persons and characters among the citizens of the state, and against all inferior courts; and may judge, sentence, and condemn to infamy, not only private individuals, but public bodies, &c., with or without inquiry or hearing, at the court's discretion.

Whose favour, or for whose emolument this court is established.-In favour of about one citizen in five hundred, who, by education, or practice in scribbling, has acquired a tolerable style as to grammar and construction, so as to bear printing; or who is possessed of a press and a few types. This five hundredth part of the citizens have the liberty of accusing and abusing the other four hundred and ninety-nine parts at their pleasure; or they may hire out their pens and press to others for that purpose.

Practice of this court.-It is not governed by any of the rules of the common courts of law. The accused is allowed no grand jury to judge of the truth of the accusation before it is publicly made; nor is the name of the accuser made known to him, nor has he an opportunity of confronting the witnesses against him, for they are kept in the dark, as in the Spanish court of in

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DISSERTATION ON SCOTTISH MUSIC.

quisition. Nor is there any petty jury of his peers sworn to try the truth of the charges. The proceedings are also sometimes so rapid, that an honest good citizen may find himself suddenly and unexpectedly accused, and in the same moment judged and condemned, and sentence pronounced against him that he is a rogue and a villain. Yet if an officer of this court receives the slightest check for misconduct in this his office, he claims immediately the rights of a free citizen by the constitution, and demands to know his accuser, to confront the witnesses, and have a fair trial by the jury of his peers.

The foundation of its authority.-It is said to be founded on an article in the state constitution, which establishes the liberty of the press a liberty which every Pennsylvanian would fight and die for, though few of us, I believe, have distinct ideas of its nature and extent. It seems, indeed, somewhat like the liberty of the press that felons have, by the common law of England, before conviction—that is, to be either pressed to death, or hanged. If, by the liberty of the press, we understood merely the liberty of discussing the propriety of public measures, and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please; but if it means the liberty of affronting, calumniating, and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my share of it, whenever our legislators shall please to alter the law-and shall cheerfully consent to exchange my liberty of abusing others, for the privilege of not being abused myself.

sacred liberty of the press. At length, however, I think I have found one, that instead of diminishing general liberty, shall augment it; which is, by restor ing to the people a species of liberty, of which they have been deprived by our laws-I mean the liberty of the cudgel! In the rude state of society prior to the existence of laws, if one man gave another ill language, the affronted person might return it by a box on the ear-and, if repeated, by a good drubbing—and this without offending against any law; but now the right of making such returns is denied, and they are punished as breaches of the peace, while the right of abusing seems to remain in full force-the laws made against it being rendered ineffectual by the liberty of the press.

My proposal then is, to leave the liberty of the press untouched, to be exercised in its full extent, force, and vigour, but to permit the liberty of the cudgel to go with it, pari passu. Thus, my fellow-citizens, if an impudent writer attacks your reputation-dearer perhaps to you than your life-and puts his name to the charge, you may go to him as openly, and break his head. If he conceals himself behind the printer, and you can nevertheless discover who he is, you may, in like manner, waylay him in the night, attack him behind, and give him a good drubbing. If your adversary hires better writers than himself to abuse you more effectually, you may hire as many porters, stronger than yourself, to assist you in giving him a more effectual drubbing. Thus far goes my project as to private reBy whom this court is commissioned or constituted.-sentment and retribution. But if the public should It is not by any commission from the supreme executive council, who might previously judge of the abilities, integrity, knowledge, &c., of the persons to be appointed to this great trust of deciding upon the characters and good fame of the citizens; for this court is above that council, and may accuse, judge, and condemn it at pleasure. Nor is it hereditary, as is the court of dernier resort in the peerage of England. But any man who can procure pen, ink, and paper, with a press, a few types, and a huge pair of blacking-balls, may commissionate himself, and his court is immediately established in the plenary possession and exercise of its rights; for, if you make the least complaint of the judge's conduct, he daubs his blacking-balls in your face wherever he meets you; and, besides tearing your private character to splinters, marks you out for the odium of the public, as an enemy to the liberty of the

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Whoever feels pain in hearing a good character of his neighbour, will feel a pleasure in the reverse and of those who, despairing to rise in distinction by their virtues, are happy if others can be depressed to a level with themselves, there are a number sufficient in every great town to maintain one of these courts by subscription. A shrewd observer once said, that in walking the streets of a slippery morning, one might see where the good-natured people lived, by the ashes thrown on the ice before the doors: probably he would have formed a different conjecture of the temper of those whom he might find engaged in such subscriptions. Of the checks proper to be established against the abuses of power in those courts.-Hitherto there are none. But since so much has been written and published on the federal constitution, and the necessity of checks in all parts of good government has been so clearly and learnedly explained, I find myself so far enlightened as to suspect some check may be proper in this part also; but I have been at a loss to imagine any that may not be construed an infringement of the

ever happen to be affronted, as it ought to be, with the conduct of such writers, I would not advise proceeding immediately to these extremities, but that we should in moderation content ourselves with tarring and feathering, and tossing in a blanket.

If, however, it should be thought that this proposal of mine may disturb the public peace, I would then humbly recommend to our legislators to take up the consideration of both liberties-that of the press, and that of the cudgel-and, by an explicit law, mark their extent and limits; and, at the same time that they secure the person of a citizen from assaults, they would likewise provide for the security of his reputation.

DISSERTATION ON SCOTTISH MUSIC.

[The following is the dissertation on Scottish Music, written by Franklin in a letter to Lord Kames, June 1765, and alluded to at page 31 of the present work. The notes are from the pen of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Esq., better known by the title of Lord Woodhouselee, the accomplished author of the Memoirs of Kames, in which the letter first appeared.]

In my passage to America, I read your excellent work, the Elements of Criticism, in which I found great entertainment: much to admire, and nothing to reprove. I only wished you had examined more fully the subject of music, and demonstrated, that the pleasure which artists feel in hearing much of that composed in the modern taste, is not the natural pleasure arising from melody or harmony of sounds, but of the same kind with the pleasure we feel on seeing the surprising feats of tumblers and rope-dancers, who execute difficult things. For my part, I take this to be really the case, and suppose it the reason why those, who being unpractised in music, and therefore unacquainted with those difficulties, have little or no pleasure in hearing this music. Many pieces of it are mere compositions of tricks. I have sometimes at a concert, attended by a common audience, placed myself so as to see all their faces, and observed no signs of pleasure during the performance of much that was admired by the performers themselves; while a plain old Scottish tune, which they disdained, and could scarcely be prevailed on to play, gave manifest and general delight. Give me leave on this occasion to extend a little the sense of your position, that "melody and harmony are separately agreeable, and in union delightful;" and to give it as my opinion, that the reason why the Scotch tunes have lived so long, and will probably live for ever (if

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they escape being stifled in modern affected ornament), | in F, there the B-which if used, should be a B flat-is is merely this, that they are really compositions of me- always omitted by passing over it with a third. The lody and harmony united, or rather that their melody is connoisseurs in modern music will say I have no taste harmony. I mean the simple tunes sung by a single-but I cannot help adding, that I believe our ancestors, voice. As this will appear paradoxical, I must explain in hearing a good song distinctly articulated, sung to my meaning. In common acceptation indeed, only an one of those tunes, and accompanied by the harp, felt agreeable succession of sounds is called melody, and more real pleasure than is communicated by the geneonly the co-existence of agreeing sounds harmony. But rality of modern operas, exclusive of that arising from since the memory is capable of retaining for some mo- the scenery and dancing. Most tunes of late composiments a perfect idea of the pitch of a past sound, so as tion not having the natural harmony united with their to compare with it the pitch of a succeeding sound, and melody, have recourse to the artificial harmony of a bass, judge truly of their agreement or disagreement, there and other accompanying parts. This support, in my may, and does arise from thence a sense of harmony opinion, the old tunes do not need, and are rather conbetween present and past sounds, equally pleasing with fused than aided by it. Whoever has heard James that between two present sounds. Now, the construc- Oswald play them on his violoncello, will be less intion of the old Scotch tunes is this, that almost every clined to dispute this with me. I have more than once succeeding emphatical note is a third, a fifth, an octave, seen tears of pleasure in the eyes of his auditors; and or, in short, some note that is in concord with the pre- yet I think even his playing those tunes would please ceding note. Thirds are chiefly used, which are very more, if he gave them less modern ornament.* pleasing concords.* I use the word emphatical to distinguish those notes which have a stress laid on them in singing the tune, from the lighter connecting notes, that serve merely, like grammar articles, to tack the others together. That we have a most perfect idea of a sound just past, I might appeal to all acquainted with music, who know how easy it is to repeat a sound in the same pitch with one just heard. In tuning an instrument, a good ear can as easily determine that two strings are in unison, by sounding them separately, as by sounding them together; their disagreement is also as easily, I believe I may say more easily and better distinguished, when sounded separately; for when sounded together, though you know by the beating that one is higher than the other, you cannot tell which it is. Farther, when we consider by whom these ancient tunes were composed, and how they were first performed, we shall see that such harmonical succession of sounds was

natural and even necessary in their construction. They were composed by the minstrels of those days, to be played on the harp accompanied by the voice. The harp was strung with wire, and had no contrivance, like that in the modern harpsichord, by which the sound of a preceding note could be stopt the moment a succeeding note began. To avoid actual discord, it was therefore necessary that the succeeding emphatic note should be a chord with the preceding, as their sounds must exist at the same time. Hence arose that beauty in those tunes that has so long pleased, and will please for ever, though men scarce know why. That they were originally composed for the harp, and of the most simple kind-I mean a harp without any half-notes but those in the natural scale, and with no more than two octaves of strings from C to C-I conjecture from another circumstance, which is, that not one of those tunes really ancient, has a single artificial half-note in it; and that in tunes where it was most convenient for the voice to use the middle note of the harp, and place the key * This notion of Dr Franklin's respecting what may be called the ideal harmony of the Scottish melodies, is extremely acute, and is marked by that ingenious simplicity in the thought, which is the characteristic of a truly philosophic mind. In supplement to his observation, that the past sound being retained by the memory, forms a concord with the present sound, it may perhaps be added, that the tympanum of the ear continuing to vibrate for some little time after it is struck by any musical note, the succeeding note will be either agreeable or disagreeable as it accords, or is in discordance, with the existing vibration. Now, a succession of notes by thirds and fifths will always find the tympanum in concord, and the last vibration harmonising with the succeeding. This notion accounts completely for the effect of the Scottish melodies, in giving pleasure alike to an intelligent judge of music, and to a person of uncultivated taste, provided he have a good musical ear: for the pleasure arising from a succession of sounds, in the regular intervals of thirds and fifths, and likewise that arising from their concord, is founded in nature, and in the mechanical structure of the organs of hearing, and is altogether independent of custom or acquired taste. A Scottish air will therefore be grateful alike to the ear of a Greenlander, a Japanese, and a native of Italy: if possessed of the musical sense, they will all equally understand and relish it; for it speaks an universal language.

E

PAPER:

A POEM.

SOME wit of old-such wits of old there were-
Whose hints show'd meaning, whose allusions care,
By one brave stroke to mark all human kind,
Call'd clear blank paper every infant mind;
When still, as opening sense her dictates wrote,
Fair virtue put a seal, or vice a blot.

The thought was happy, pertinent, and true;
Methinks a genius might the plan pursue.
I-(can you pardon my presumption)-I,
No wit, no genius, yet for once will try.

Various the papers various wants produce,
The wants of fashion, elegance, and use;
Men are as various, and if right I scan,
Each sort of paper represents some man.

Pray note the fop-half powder and half lace-
Nice as a bandbox were his dwelling-place:
He's the gilt paper, which apart you store,
And lock from vulgar hands in the 'scritoire.

Mechanics, servants, farmers, and so forth,
Are copy paper, of inferior worth;
Less prized, more useful, for your desk decreed,
Free to all pens, and prompt at every need.

The wretch whom avarice bids to pinch and spare,
Starve, cheat, and pilfer, to enrich an heir,
Is coarse brown paper-such as pedlars choose
To wrap up wares, which better men will use.

That these observations are dictated by good taste, we may presume from their agreement with the opinions of one who was

an exquisite judge of the subject.-"The Scottish songs, when sung in the genuine, natural manner, must affect the heart of every person of feeling, whose taste is not vitiated by fashion and novelty. As they are the effusions of genius, and devoid of art, they bid defiance to artificial graces and affected cadences. To a sweet, liquid, flowing voice, capable of swelling a note from the softest to the fullest tone, and what the Italians call a voce di petto, must be joined sensibility and feeling, and a perfect under. standing of the subject and words of the song, so as to know the significant word on which to swell or soften the tone, and lay the force of the note. From a want of knowledge of the language, it generally happens, that to most of the foreign masters our melodies at first seem wild and uncouth; for which reason, in their performance they generally fall short of our expectation. It is a common defect in some who pretend to sing, to affect to smother the words, by not articulating them, so as we scarce can find out either the subject or language of the song. This is always a sign of want of feeling, and the mark of a bad singer, particularly of Scottish songs, where there is generally so intimate a correspondence between the air and the subject. Indeed, there can be no good vocal music without it. The proper accompaniment of a Scottish song, is a plain, thin dropping bass, on the harpsichord, or guitar. The fine breathings, those heartfelt touches which genius alone can express, in our songs are lost in a noisy accompaniment of instruments. The full chords of a thorough bass should be used sparingly, and with judgment, not to overpower, but to support and raise the voice at proper pauses."-Dissertation on the Scottish Music, by William Tyller, Esq., in the Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

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