the poetry only, but of their private life?-Whether we contemplate the lofty morality and severe wisdom of Milton; the amiable sweetness of Cowley; the exalted and refined purity of Gray; the cultivated intelligence and mild Christian benignity of Addison; the kind-hearted amenity of Rowe; the retired seriousness and pensive accomplishments of Dyer; the lofty and impassioned piety of Young; the tender and religious enthusiasm of Collins; the hermit-like sanctity of Cowper. To these may be added Gilbert West, speaking of whom, Johnson says-in him, as well as Crashawe, the venerable names of poet and saint were united.

In this picture of the character of our best Poets, there is not the least exaggeration. Not one of them was marked by that overweening conceit, which the Critic asserts to be the general produce of Public Schools; nor disgraced by those glaring and eccentric singularities of conduct, which have sometimes characterized men of that class differently educated. Churchill is the chief exception; but it should be remembered that he ran away from School, and received a very imperfect and desultory education: had he been trained into life by a regular course of study, the roughness of his temper would have been smoothed by the collision of a large society; he would have been at least as good a Poet, and certainly a better man. Having left the reader to consider this plain, but, I trust, convincing statement, I might make our cause still more triumphant by adding some remarks on those Poets, differently instructed, who have received from their contracted mode of education a tincture of vanity, which has stained their life with irritated egotism; or who have brought dishonor on the very name of genius by disgusting conceit, by nauseating affectation, or by brutal intemperance.

Such a poet, not educated at Public School, Scotland may perhaps recollect; but I spare his name, respect his genius, and commiserate his fate; observing only, in opposition to his biographer, that the light, which led him astray, was not “light from heaven."

I have dwelt the longer on this part of the subject, because Poets are by some considered as a suspicious race, as far as morals are concerned; but on this point we may as triumphantly appeal to their characters, as we might in philosophy to those of a Boyle and a Locke.

I leave these considerations to the public, to parents and guardians, who, from what has appeared in the E. Review, might hesitate on the best mode of educating their children. It will be recollected that I have not entered into the general arguments, which might be used for or against Public Schools. I have only answered, and, I hope, to the conviction of every impartial judge, the unaccountable statement of a writer, who thought he could annihilate these

institutions at a blow, as easily as a stroke of Harlequin's wooden sword can destroy the castles at Westminster Bridge Amphitheatre. But the blundering Pantaloon has aimed his blow with different effect: not a vane on the pinnacles of our ancient establishments has been moved; they regard not the wooden sword of such an assailant; nor are their children frightened by the knife of Shylock, or the swagger and jargon of ancient Pistol! '

I have thus taken the pains of following step by step the course of argument, and examining the hostile positions of this great opponent of English Schools. However formidable his arguments, and confident his assertions, may appear to those, who have not attentively considered the subject, they have nothing more real than an African Mumbo Jumbo, which at first sight causes some alarm, but on a closer approach, exhibits nothing but rags and straw. The cause of Public Education has indeed had other defenders. The learned and excellent Dr. Vincent has triumphantly vindicated Public Schools, when they had received a partial, but serious attack. Mr. Copleston has no less triumphantly laid low the adversaries of the University of Oxford.

After all, it must be remembered that, although the enumeration of illustrious characters, brought by this writer against the system of Public Schools, has completely turned against himself; although, if I were required to produce a list of those, whose public services and private virtues have been produced and matured by a public education, I might reply,

"Oceani fluctus me numerare jubes,

Et maris Egæi sparsas per littora conchas,

Et quæ Cecropio monte vagantur apes,――"

for Schools and Universities oppose an invulnerable front to attacks much more formidable than this;-yet it is not by the numbers of illustrious characters alone that their value is to be estimated. If I were called upon to state the chief advantage and excellence of Public Schools, I should say that it is their use in forming the secondary men; men who carry a cultivated taste, a liberal and manly understanding, and a mild intelligence, into all the retired walks of life, which pervade the country and adorn the city; which convert the Squire Western to an Allworthy, and the Parson of the parish "much bemused in beer" to the well-informed clergyman, whose conversation instructs, and whose intellectual attainments improve, the humble circle in which he is destined to move; and who does not disgrace his name and character, when called upon to mix with the most cultivated and elevated ranks of society.

In this point of view, Public Schools are most important to the

Alluding to the anglo-latinized alliterations so common in the Review, such as "pugnacious pamphlets," &c. in which often the sole wit consists.

nation, and ought to receive from the State, which they are the means of improving and adorning, the most substantial encouragement. Great and distinguished characters are few, and their appearance often accidental; but these general effects are beneficial and permanent. Take away this source of improvement, and the face of society is instantly altered;

"Ex illo fluere ac retro subiapsa referri

Spes Britonum.”

I have now, I trust, proved to the conviction of every dispassionate judge how irrelevant and absurd are the Critic's arguments, and how false, utterly false is the assertion "that the English have done almost all that they have done in the arts and sciences, without the aid of that system of education, to which they are so much attached:"-False, in regard to great Poets, for the greatest poets and the best men were educated in Public Schools:-False, in Philosophy, because Locke and Boyle, one the most mighty developer of the powers of the understanding, and the other the great precursor of Newton, were educated, one at Eton, the other at Westminster; and both as eminent for their goodness and piety, as for their learning :-False with respect to Newton, false even with respect to Bacon, because the first was sent to one of our foundation schools, the other entered at Cambridge when the Colleges were conducted on the principles of our great Schools, and at a time of life when boys are often sent to Eton or Westminster :False, with regard to Statesmen and eminent political characters almost all of whom were either brought up at Public Schools, or had the advantage of an early University education, when the Universities were conducted on the plan of Public Schools; where, surrounded by a number of noble and honorable youths, and having the same benefit of emulation and comparison, the young student acquired the accomplishments of a Surrey, or the learning of a Raleigh:-False, particularly in later days, when the value of Public Schools has been more justly appreciated: and when scarcely any, except those who were publicly educated, have made a very distinguished figure in the Senate.

We give up Actors, Painters, Physicians, and Soldiers: we have indeed brought a few instances, for no other purpose than to convict such a reasoner of the irrelevancy of his arguments and the inaccuracy of his assertions.

Such are the advantages which we derive from the general system of English classical education. The time may come, when popular frensy, under the name of the "rights of man;" a bigoted ignorance, under the mask of spirituality, may subvert, as far as their power will extend, these establishments, the great nutriments of our national character; when Lord

like an

other Pembroke, may enter the Universities, to purify them from

ungodliness;-but I sincerely pray, that the day may be far distant; and that learning, liberality, cultivated taste, and genuine Christian morals, may long distinguish those seats of education, and that there, at least, they may linger, ere they leave the land!" Nov. 15, 1813.

L.

Oratio de Constitutione Tragadiarum, et Sapientia civili, atque Eloquentia ex earum Lectione haurienda.

Habita cum in Troudis Interpretatione progrederetur Boxhornius. Extracted from M. Z. Boxhornii Emblemata Politica et Orationes, Amstelodami, 1635, 12mo.

QUOTIENS tot vitæ, et studiorum præsidia mecum agito, Auditores, nihil ex iis se commendat amplius, quam sapientia, et facundia, magnæ et invidendæ dotes. In illa divinarum humanarumque rerum cognitio, et, quod potissimum est, contemtus ineptiarum. Legata ejus facundia est, sed erecta illa, quæ jam majestatem et robur accepit. Utramque in Poesi veterum habemus, et sapientissimi quique cam coluere. Unde Musarum disciplinam Plato appellabat, in qua in ordinem animus cogebatur. Quæ virtutem, quæ rectam rationem, quæ animi purgationem, moresque compositos ex sapientiæ præscripto inducit. Poesis ista variis olim sub formis latebat, quibus sine ulla difficultate animos sibi.commissos et trahebat simul, et docebat. Cum alii mysteria, alii occulta sacra disciplinam suam appellarent: alii fabularum, alii Musices, alii postremo divinitatis nomen et opinionem ei indidere. Quippe cum Philosophia, splendore suo exuta, tanquam scortum contemni cœpit, tunc demum cœpta est Poesis æstimari. Et ex quo natæ in Thracia Ciliciaque ineptiæ Græciam invasere, Epicuri Atomi, ignis Heracliti, Thaletis aqua, Anaximenis spiritus, discordia Empedoclis, Diogenis dolium, ommia non sapientiæ, sed verborum plena esse cœperunt. Divisa etiam in partes Philosophia habebatur. Ad Musicam Pythagoras, ad Astronomiam Thales, in solitudinem Heraclitus, ad amores Socrates, ad castitatem Carucades, ad laborem Diogenes, ad voluptates Epicurus suos provocabant. Tunc Homerus Philosophus habebatur. Ad ipsum tanquam ad sapientiæ omnis sacrarium accedebant. Illius alumnus et æmulator erat Plato. Ut dubium non

sit Homero quam simillimum Platonem esse. Quippe uterque divinus fuit. Sic quidquid in Platone et qui disciplinam ejus excepere, admirantur, id totuni ab Homero emanavit, ut ex Oceano Mæotis, ex Mæotide Pontus, ex Ponto Hellespontus, ex Hellesponto mare: quæ sententia et verba sunt Maximi Platonicorum. Nam res omnes humanas Homerus inspexit; ue quis cæcum fuisse credat antiquis. Nec tamen oculorumista, sed animi judicio explorabat. Et, quod mira

bimini in somnio de rebus maximis, de excidio Troja, de Ulysse suo cogitabat. Ubique circumferebatur. Corpus eundem locum servabat, aimus totam terram ambibat. E terra in cœlum ferebatur. Ubi cum Sole et luna suo more loquebatur, cum ceteris astris consistebat, et propemodum cum Jove universa moderabatur. Ibi propius mortales inspexit, et illa sapientiæ arcana, Tragoediam et Satyram invenit. Tragoedias enim jam agebant homines, cum adhuc nomen ignorarent. Satyram merebantur, cum nemo eam appellaret. Petebant quippe bona, sed non intelligebant. Et talia ipsis visa acceptaque quæ non erant. Sie bonis utébantur, ut mox carerent, sic malis, ut multo miseriores redderentur. Sordebat virtus, vel quod nimis diu exculta, vel quod prima specie austera videretur, vel quod libido animi et voluptas magis placeret: quam novam semper excogitabant, priorem contemnebant, et dum læta sectabantur, in calamitates incidebant. Turpia vituperabant, nec tamen fugiebant, felicitatem mirabantur, non virtutes. Bella aversabantur, pacem autem insolenter habebant. Deos invocabant, tanquam donare possent, negligebant, tanquam qui pœnas non irrogarent. Timebant eos ut qui perjuria acerrime vindicarent, pejerabant autem quasi aut Dii non essent, aut res humanas non curarent. Inde nata tot scelera, tot mala, Satyrarum et Tragoediarum argumenta. Fallitur qui in Poetarum modo scriptis hæc quærit et invenit. In omni ætate, omni vita habemus. Nemo est, qui materiam illis non dedit: reges, populus, sapientes, pueri, juvenes, viri, senes, feminæ in Græcia, in Italia, in Thracia, ubique terrarum. Nec mirari debetis, Auditores, in hoc numero sapientes censeri. Illi enim calamitate etiam agitantur. Calamitates autem Tragoediam constituere. Aliter tamen hic sapiens, aliter populus se gerit. Populum voco, qui impetum sequitur, non rationem, umbram virtutis, non ipsam, et voluptatem putat, atque dolorem, in quo non habet. Ferunt Socratem nunquam ingemuisse, non quod calamitatem non haberet, sed quod contemneret. Quippe illa sapientem premit, non prosternit. Qua alacritate vinum Alcibiades, eadem venenum Socrates bibit. Et tamen dum bibit, Tragoediam egit. In qua pulcherrimum spectaculum edebatur, dignum in quod oculos omnes convertant. Sapiens cum dolore congreditur; adversum minas, et supplicia, et tormenta componitur cum strepitum mortis, et horrorem carnificis irrideus exsultat: cum libertatem suam adversus reges et principes exponit: cum soli Deo suo cedit: cum triumphator et victor, ipsum, qui adversum se sententiam dixit, ludificatur. Vicit enim, qui quod contendit obtinuit. Dicam breviter; ex flagitiis mortalium odium Fortuna concepit, ex odio ejus natæ calamitates, ex calamitatibus neces, carceres, exilia, eversiones. Sic et Satyram, et Tragoediam, et Comœdiam accepistis. Nam caussa calamitatum scelera fere mortalium sunt, quæ cum nostri amore occæcati vix dignoscere aut videre possimus, scelera tamen esse ex eventu Dii ostendunt: a quibus mala non merentibus imponi, nefas est cogitare. Ea autem Satyra sibi perstringenda vindicavit : in qua aut risus, aut indignatio dominantur. Calamitates sunt et publicæ, et privatæ, et leves, et horrendæ. Quæ et Dragoediam et Comœdiam absolvunt. Inter utramque vero tantum

st, quantum inter Socratem et Epicurum. In Comoedia perjuria