TO SYLVANUS URBAN: The Author, EDWARD, Lord Thurlow. Now Spring has dancd upon the bud. These are the deeds, whieh Angels love to ding meads, [quires, see ! And full-blown Summer led the graceful These are the men, whom Angels love to [cconu! Vine.crowned Autumn tun'd the joyous The blazing gates of Immortality reeds, (fires. Fly ope, and Hallelujabs echo down: And limping Winter lights our house hold By these communion is with Heaven made; What grateful custom asks, we gladly These holy men lift up to Heaven our pay, state; And follow Johnson * in his Latian song : These are the salt of earth; and, being If yet the Latian Muses keep away, weigh'd, [date. To English toil let English Verse belong. Shall find a palm and crown, that lacketh Verse, that can nourish Children's budding but not for me to sing their sacred hope, [road, Instruct the flowering Youth in Virtue's Thou, Urban, art among this boly quire : praise: Teach Manhood with disastrous fate to Thou lovest all upon good books to gaze, cope, [its load. And with pure truth to satisfy desire. Aud please the honour'd Age, and light The Muses weave a wreath, and weaving Such Verse, as is to Urban justly dear; sing, Urban, who follows Phæbus in his course; Of laurels, that in wintry gardens shine; Who wakes the rismg, charms the closing And every verdaol branch of beauty bring, year, [its source. And me they choose to make that gailand With knowledge,, that from truth derives thine. Urban, who holds the keys of Learning's If then, Respected Sir, some leaves you gate, Aud duly opes, with each succeeding moon, Which ihe lamenting Muse hath interwove, The sacred temple; never fouod too late, Yet are they leaves of immortality, And never judg’d by thirsty minds too Though sofily pluck'd within a mournful grove: Where all mag drink of Wisdom's limpid Cypress, that never fades; to speak of stream, {are more : (crowu'd, The shepherd, and the man whose gifts Whose pure fulfilled years with bliss are This fountain is for all: a liberal theme And earthly grief, for e'en the pure have Of honest praise : an ever-flowing store. woes, Such works as Urban's, read in cottages, With everlasting psalms and harpings With innocent delight instruct the mind : drown'd; Such works as Urban's, read in palaces, Standing before the sempiternal throne, J'ouch with a pure delight the more re The children of most blessed light and fin'd. love ; [own, For there the Muses in full concord sing, Whose virtues shall again become ihine Not seldom, to the poor and wealthy Beyond the power of Fate, or Time to tbrong: move, An!-ben sball Time that bappy æra bringThese words the Muses bade me gently When Kings and Shepherds list alike the speak; song? Bade me their verdant laurel to present O, for a golded verse, to bless the heads, Above all Roman fame, above all Greek, That open to the poor the sacred book! Virtue alone is perfect argument. That guide the tender age, that feebly Laeken, near Brussels, treads, Dec. 17, 1816. And tempt it on the haly page to look ! see, soon. * Dr. Samuel Johnson, the glory of the last age, who wrote an Alcaick. Ode, in honour of Sylvanus Urban, whieh may be seen among his Latin Poems in vol. I, of bis works. See also the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. vill. p. 156, or vol. LIV, PREFACE TO THE SECOND PART OF THE EIGHTY-SIXTH VOLUME. XTH “ Duc me, Parens, celsique dominator Poli, Quocunque placuil-Dulla parendi mora est, Ducunt voleniem fata, noientem trabuat.". We may confidently appeal to ihe numerous Prefatory Addresses which have jutroduced our Volumes for a booy series of Years, for the truth of the assertion, that the tone of our sentiments and the tenor of our language bave been invariably consistent and uniform ; vever too much elevated by the temporary advantages and prosperity of our Country, nor pusillaoimously depressed and dejected by any incidental mortifications and calainities. We have reposed our hopes and expectations, not presumptuously, but firmly, first in that gracious Providence whose universal influence we feel will grateful sensibility; and, secondly, in thal natural magnanimity which has ever been the proud distinction of Englishnien, and we irust will contioue for ever. What! shall Britons, who have endured with patient fortitude, resisted with successful bravery, overcome with persevering resolution, difficulties and dangers, almost unexampled in the page of History—shall we shrink appalled and disheartened by temporary pressures! Shall we be so far misled by the clamours of the ignoraot, or the fallacious inisrepresentations of The seditious, as to forfeit our Character, long and honourabls sustained for loyalty, firmness, and courage :-Most surely not. In the words of Shakespeare, “Let us play the men."-Let us endure the present evils with resignation, and look forward with cheerfuloess and hope. As the word “ Equality" was the howl of the Deinagogues of France, so is “ Reform” the popular catch word of our Modern Patriots. We also are staunch and avowed Advocates for Reform ; but not of that proposed Political alteration in a Constitution, which has remained for ages, like the Pyramids of Egypt, fiin on its base, unshabeo and goinjured by the War of Elements, and the Scythe of Time. We would commence, as more consistent with our habits and compatible with our views, with a Reform in Literature.-We would got bave ine Press, which has so long copstiluted the great Palladium of Britons, prostituted to base and upworthy purposes. We would oot have it used to disseminale sedition, to make the poor discontented with the stations allolled to them by Providence, envious of their superiors, and ripe for perpetration of crimes. We would not have it eni- ' ployed to mislead the credulous, and impose upon the ignorant, by ioclining them to believe that the temporary distresses to which all alike must bow, are occasioned, not by the interposition of Providence, but by the ambition, or the avarice, or the misconduct of their Rulers. We would not have this powerful and useful engine perverted from its design, by impressiog the er roneous persuasion, that the benevolent spirit of the day, demoostraling itself by unparalleled effusions of the most public and most generous charity that ever distinguished any of the world, originates in selfish and and unworthy motives, tending to uo ultimate good, and deserving no gratilude or praise. For a reformation of such glaring and destructive abuses, and many more might be enumerated, we are, and ever have been, strenuous advocates ; nod that we are so, we soberly adduce our cootinued series of Volumes as a test. It has been our endeavour to speak truth, not to misrepresent or deform it; to recommend that plain and well-beaten track, which by long experience, has been proved to lead to repose, security, and honour; but not to recommend new, untried and uoknown ways, of difficult access, dangerous experiment, and uncertain termination. It has been our maxiin to render honour where honour is due, and not Spargere voces In vulguin ambiguas. There are other reforms also, to which we would most willingly contri bule our assistance, and promote by our example. That individual Reform which in ust begin at home, in every man's own bosom, which, by moderating his desires and regulating his appetites, teaches him to view ihe actions of his neighbour with complacency and candour, to submit to the ordinances of his Country with humble acquiescence, and to regard the persons of his Rulers with deference and honour. We could also specify other instances which we deem so important and so necessary, that we would anxiously and zealously lend our aid to their effectual accomplishment:- We would, among other things, assist in rooting up the noxious werds, the nettles, the thistles, and ihe thorns, which obstruct the avenues to, and involve in shades the pure light of, our venerable Church.--We would demonstrate our ferveni indignation against the sacrilegious hands, which, with a sort of fanatical enthusiasm, are endeavouring to undermine its columns, and contaminate its chaste simplicity. In this respect, again we proudly challenge the strictest investigation of our Principles and Conduct. Friends to the Ecclesiastical Establishinent of our Country, convinced at heart that both will endure or perish together; we have uniformly and consistently demonstrated our unshaken adherence to this branch of our Constitution. To fair and reasonable and moderate argument, where the object is the discovery or confirmation of Truth, we can have no possible objection. But we oppose with all our powers the false lighis of Fanaticism, the overweening zeal of arrogant Enthusiasm, the cant of Hypocrisy, and the pride of acknowledged Heresy. This subject of Reform is exceedingly specious, and multiplies itself into numerous braoches, upon many of which we could yet expatiale with considerable satisfaction. Enough perhaps may have been said to designate such Reforms as we would zealouly support and advocate.-We now turu round to our Correspondeols of every denomination, with a complacency arising from the consciousness of having to the best of our ability, discharged our duly to them and to our Country. To those, and there are many such, who for a long extended period, have honoured us with their confidence and correspondence, we offer our cordial thanks and acknowledgmenis. Professions of our Principles, or avowal of our future objecis, would to them be entirely superfluous. They who may hereafter be induced to unite with us in the cause of Literature, or in the promotion of the common good, from a slight inspection of our former labours niay form an adequate judg. ment of our impartiality, and from a careful examination of this annual Address may easily delermine bow far our Religious and Political Creed is in harmony with their own. We take our leave with universal good-will to each and all of our Countrymen; recommending, under the present temporary gloom, patient and pious coofidence in that Power who cani alone finally preserve us. “ Sed quoniam revovata lues furbare salutem Tentat Romulidum, patris implorata medela est METEOROLOGICAL DIARY KEPT AT EXETER. Do............. ..... 56 May Bar. Ther. Hyg. at 10 P. M. i 29.40 31 15 Dl F. & C. ................. 29.42 59 11 M Do................................ 29.44 | 471 20 M Do.; some showers 229,50 50 10 DF. & C........ 29.65 564 8 M Do.......................... 29.75 46 22 do. Do.; wet baze. 3 29 86 511 10 D Cloudy with sm. showers.. 29,82 56° 25 do. Do.; and frequent showers. 29.84 504 9 do. Do, 42990 52 84 D Cloudy and hazy, but fair. 29.93 584 274 do. F. & Cloudy; windy. 29.93 51 8 do. Do.; some wet. S 529.71 54 77 D Cloudy, hazy, and windy... 29.70 581 11 do. F. & C.; blowing hard...... 29.69 484 | 14 do. Fine; bot windy. 6 29.79 50 19 D Fine; more moderate....... 29.85 5818 M Do... 29.86 45 6 D Do. 7 29.76515 1 D Wet haze, after 10 fair....... 29.65 581 4 do. P. & C........................... 29.60 46 10 M Fine. 8 9.9 51 12 D Cloudy and lowering; after 29.22 56 11 do. Squalls with rain........... 29.2645 34 M Do.; blowing hard 9 29.4? 49 4 D Cloudy & windy...[11 rain. 29.48 55 21 MDo......... 29.5044 0 Fine. Pine but windy. 29.25 422 26 do. Cloudy ; showers. S 1229.25 44 224 D F. & C.; sm. drifts of sleet. 29.31 48 5 M R. & C.... 29.37424 14 do. | Do. 13 29.41 474 | 15 D Pine, with clouds........ 29.48 52 16 M 29.58 44 15 do. F. & C. 14 29.02 49 35 M Haze, with small rain....... 29.62 504 40 do. Do................ 29.60 50 Do. 2 M Fine... 29.64 51 32 do. Do, 16 29.59 56 MWet haze; aft. 11 fair....... 29.56 62 244 do. F. & C.......... 29.55 511 13 do. Do. 17 | 29.55 584 29 M Fine, tho' hazy, aft. 12 very 29.55 65 Very fine............ 29.52 | 55 5 D Do.; squall, light. 18 29.56 58 124 D Fine though hazy.....[fine. 29.67 594 17 do. Do... 29.61 514 4 do. Fine.[thun.&rain. S 1999.65 D Cloudy &gloomy; cold wind. 29.65 54 14 do. Do, Do............ 29.67 481 24 M Pine; Do. 20 | 29 69 53 2 D Fine.......... 29.70 59 29.71 54 14 do. Do. 21 | 29.72 56 10 DVery fine............. 29,67 634 7 M Do.. 29.65 58 28 do. Do. 22 | 29.66 554 37 M 29.66 61 10 M Do.; cloudy. 29.6658 30 do. F. & C. 23 | 99.75 59 42 Hazy; fine........ 29.75 65 42 do. | Very fine......... 29.75 62 304 do. Do. 24 29.75 591 43 M Hazy aud gloomy. 29.70 56 40 do. Do...... 29.67 55 0 Do.; some wet. 29.98 60 20 do. Do.................................. 29.8+ | 474 5 do. Sm.rain; bl. fresh. 27 | 29.74 Fine with clouds.... 29.90 594 4 D Do 29.95 543 | 14 MF. & C. 28 29.95 577 14 M Fine................................ 29.95 | 644 | 13 D Do..................... 29.96 52 43 M Do. 29 | 29.94 58 17 M Very fine.. 29.84 63 T D | Fine, ................ 29.81 49 27 M Do. 30' 29.79 55 34 M Fine.. 29.75 641 14 DD).......... 29.75 51 7 M Do. 31 29.70? 58 13 D Fiue. 29.70 6+ 29 do. I Do. 29.72 511 | 20 M I Do ... 544 14 do. Do.......... Fine......... ....... ............ 54 124 M ....... ........... |
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