pretium duxi. At priusquam ea describam lubet illa Henrici opuscula præmittere quæ in Barberii Bibliotheca indice et Draudii Bibliotheca Classica habentur, quæque V. C. la Croix du Maine recensuit."

He then, from the Bib. Class. of Draudius, mentions the above tract, without any remark; and it may be added, that Draudius merely transcribes the title.

It appears that H. Stephens was always, from his earliest childhood, addicted to poetry, and was much pleased with his own productions of this kind: "Nonnullis tamen," adds Maittaire, "et naris certe non obese Judicibus inconcinnis et multus fuisse visus est."

Another of his biographers, Almeloveen, tells us, that he usually composed most of his verses on horseback:

"Quæ omnia peregrinans, patria exsul maxima quidem. Ex parte êquitans, pro more suo composuit."

This Poem, DE SENATULO FOMINARUM, is unquestionably entitled to the praise both of humour and of wit. He gravely recapitulates those parts of the sexual character, which, in the judgment of the world, appear to disqualify women for the situation of political counsellors; first, however, praising by name many females,

whose

whose high endowments and great wisdom, rendered them worthy of partaking in the cares and honours of sovereign authority. These disqua lifications, such as levity, thoughtlessness, loquacity, &c. he takes upon him to answer and refute; and, as a specimen may well be introduced, I subjoin what he says on female loquacity.

Loquacitatis impetes nunc crimine"

Sexum hunc. videris velle jam te accingere
Telo hoc: sed istud non minus reddam irritum.
Nostro loquacem non nego sexu magis
Potissimumque vulgus unum si velis
Conferre vulgo cum altero; sed cur tibi
Cadere & in aliquas feminas taciturnitas
Posse haud videtur? sunt cicadæ fæmince,
Locis quibusdam, perpetis silentii,
Silere nullo quum mares queant modo.
Circa mulieres quaspiam non sit potis
Natura facere, quod cicadarum facit
In fæminino sexu? Omitti si tamen
Vis istud a me, nullius ceu ponderis :
Esto loquaces esse cunctas fæminas,
Viros loquaces esse vix præ fæminis:
Quale mihi dicis illud esse obstaculum
Prudentiæ affert quod ea lingua quæ loquax.
Prudentia esse nonne cernis præditos
Aliquos & esse de loquacium grege?
Loquacitate non nego prudentiam
Posse maculari, placeat ut multo minus;
At posse tolli prorsus id tibi nego.
Loquacitatis sed duplex quum sit genus
(Compellitur ad has sermo nam minutias)
Ridiculum & anum sit magis quam noxium,

Periculosum

Periculosum sed genus sit alterum,
Quod illa reserat obserari quæ decet:
Volo, magis illud quis timeat a fœminis,
Sed timeat idem hoc a viris nolo minus.
Ac velle dico id, idque dico nolle me,
Quod ratio dictat ut velim, vel non velim:
Non quia voluntas venit huc audaciæ,
Sibi rationis sumere ausit ut locum.
Ergo repetentur illa, cautius tamen :
(Accedet etenim certa quædam exceptio)
Volo magis illud quis timeat a fœminis,
Sed timeat idem hoc a viris nolo minus:
Si non pericli nesciæ sint fœminæ,
Habet alicuius quod rei detectio,
Periculi esse quum sciri queant viri.
Cur istud addo ? misogynus hîc quispiam
(Vel de grege tuo quispiam, vel ipsemet)
Quod mentietur esse non extrą metum
Loquacitatem proditricem a fæminis
Esse metuendum eliminent ne plurima,
Penetralibus claudenda quæ SENATULI:
Sed illæ habebunt sibi vadem me tertio.
Dicam, magis illud haud timendum a fœminis,
Viris quam ab ipsis: jurejurando utraque
Obstricta si pars fuerit, os utrique idem
Verbisque sub eisdem illud intonauerit.
Quis namque & istud fœminis non obiicit,
Timoris esse quam viros prædam magis?
Objectio ista veritate non caret:
Sed quidam eis est & timor laudabilis.
Nam rumpere quoq. mage timent leges eas
Quarum haud negarunt se iugo submittere:
Jurisque jurandi extimescit his magis
Frangere catenas ipsa conscientia,

Punicus

Panicus hic ergo judicandus est timor,
Tibi muliebris quem incutit loquacitas,
Misogyne, ab illa dicis aut tibi incuti.
Objicere posthac fœminis quum quid voles,
Circumspice, illud quale sit quod objicis.
Materia laudis nostra ne responsio

Sexus sit ejus, dedecus cujus technas

Quæris per omnes, machinas, necnon strophas."

Never having seen but one copy of this tract, which is in the Bishop of Ely's collection, and finding no mention made of it by any bibliographer, but the concise notice above specified in Draudius, I may not unreasonably conclude that it is of the greatest rarity.

I am not altogether certain whether The ARTIS TYPOGRAPHICE QUERIMONIA, from the same pen and press, may not be classed in point, of rarity with at least the first of these tracts.

HAMPTON'S

HAMPTON'S POLYBIUS.

Of the merit of Hampton's translation of Po lybius, it cannot now be necessary to say any thing, Its reputation has been long established, and many succeeding editions prove the extensiveness of its circulation. One thing relating to it, however, may not have been a circumstance of general remark, and this is, that the style of the dedication to Lord Henley, who was at that time Lord Chancellor, as well as that of the work itself, has not precisely the same character which distinguishes the preface.

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This idea is by no means my own, nor is it altogether novel. A learned friend, some years since, suggested to me, that the outlines of the preface were drawn up by Hampton himself, and that the composition had received its finishing polish from the pen of Dr. Johnson.

Nothing can be more certain than that the characters of two minds are easily discernible; and perhaps, in one or two instances, that want of uniformity may be distinguished, which really exists in the Bampton Lectures of Dr. White, but which, at the time of their publication, wholly escaped the penetration and sagacity of certain learned

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