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His pilot, an old Greek, as they were sailing along, said with some satisfaction: "There 'twas our fleet lay.' Mr. Anson demanded : "What fleet?" 'What fleet!" replied the old man, a little piqued at the question; "why, our Grecian fleet at the siege of Troy." As a specimen of Harris's ingenious though often unsound grammatical speculations, we subjoin a short and lively definition from his 'Hermes.'

Of Pronouns.

All conversation passes between individuals, who will often happen to be till that instant unacquainted with each other. What, then, is to be done? How shall the speaker address the other, when he knows not his name? or how explain himself by his own name, of which the other is wholly ignorant? Nouns, as they have been described, cannot answer this purpose. The first expedient upon this occasion seems to have been pointing, or indicating by the finger or hand; some traces of which are still to be observed, as a part of that action which naturally attends our speaking. But the authors of language were not content with this. They invented a race of words to supply this pointing; which words, as they always stood for substantives or nouns, were characterised by the name of pronouns. These also they distinguished into three several sorts, calling them pronouns of the first, the second, and the third person, with a view to certain distinctions, which may be explained as follows: Suppose the parties conversing to be wholly unacquainted, neither name nor countenance on either side known, and the subject of the conversation to be the speaker himself. Here, to supply the place of pointing by a word of equal power, the inventors of language furnished the speaker with the pronoun 1. I write. I say, I desire, &c.; and as the speaker is always principal with respect to his own discourse, this they called, for that reason, the pronoun of the first person. Again, suppose the subject of the conversation to be the party addressed. Here, for similar reasons, they invented the pronoun thou; thou writest, thou walkest, &c. And as the party addressed is next in dignity to the speaker, or at least comes next with reference to the discourse, this pronoun they therefore called the pronoun of the second person. Lastly, suppose the subject of conversation neither the speaker nor the party addressed, but some third object different from both. Here they provided another pronoun, he, she, or it; which, in distinction to the two former, was called the pronoun of the third person. And thus it was that pronouns came to be distinguished by their respective persons.

Two distinguished antiquarian writers, whose researches illustrate the history of their native country, may be here mentioned-WILLIAM STUKELEY (1687-1765), who published Itinerarium Curiosum, or an Account of the Antiquities and Curiosities of Great Britain,'An Account of Stonehenge,' &c., &c. Stukeley studied medicine, but afterwards took Orders, and at the time of his death, was rector of St. George's Church, Queen Square, London. EDWARD KING (1735– 1807), an English barrister, published Observations on Ancient Castles,' an elaborate work, in three folio volumes, 'Munimenta Antiqua,' descriptive of English architecture anterior to the Norman conquest. A still more valuable literary pioneer was DR. THOMAS BIRCH (1705– 1766), one of the-secretaries of the Royal Society, and a trustee of the British Museum. Birch wrote elaborate but dull Lives of Queen Elizabeth; Henry, Prince of Wales, son of James I.; of Dr. Ward, He edited Thurlow's State Papers,' Archbishop Tillotson, &c. Spenser's Faery Queen,' and Milton's prose works. He collected a great amount of materials, literary and historical, and deserves ho nourable mention in any retrospect of British literature.

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CYCLOPÆDIA OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. [гo 1780.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND MAGAZINES.

The 'Cyclopædia' of EPHRAIM CHAMBERS, published in 1728, in two folio volumes, was the first dictionary or repertory of general knowledge produced in Britain. Chambers, who had been reared to the business of a globe-maker, and was a man of respectable though not profound att inments, died in 1740. His work was printed five times during the subsequent eighteen years, and has finally been extended, in the present century, under the care of DR. ABRAHAM REES, to forty volumes in quarto. The 'Preceptor' of ROBERT DODSLEY, published in 1748, long continued to be a favourite and useful book. It embraced within the compass of two volumes, in octavo, treatises on elocution, composition, arithmetic, geography, logic, moral philosophy, human life and manners, and a few other branches of knowledge, then supposed to form a complete course of education. In 1751-54 appeared Barrow's New and Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences.' The celebrated French Encyclopædia' was published between the years 1751 and 1765, and the popularising of scientific knowledge went rapidly forward both in France and Britain.

This reign may also be termed the epoch of magazines, reviews, and journals. Of the latter, there were no less than fifty-five weekly publications-enumerated by Nichols in his Literary Anecdotes'-and some of them were conducted with spirit and ability. The Grub Street Journal' was begun in 1730, and continued till 1737, enriched by the personal attacks of Pope, and by some acute and lively criticism. Fielding also had his True Patriot's Journal' and Covent Garden Journal.' The monthly form of publication was first adopted by EDWARD CAVE, Johnson's humble literary friend and patron, who commenced in 1731 the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' which still exists. Cave, in his introduction, said: Upon calculating the number of newspapers, it is found that, besides divers written accounts, no less than 200 halfsheets per month are thrown from the press only in London, and about as many printed elsewhere in the three kingdoms; a considerable part of which constantly exhibit essays on various subjects for entertainment.' Hence the sagacious printer argued that a magazine was necessary to preserve what was valuable in the multifarious half-sheets. Original communications were afterwards admitted, and Cave's success led to rival works of the same kind. The 'London Magazine,' the Universal,' the Grand,' the Town and Country,' and others followed. The 'Literary Magazine or Universal Review,' commenced in 1756, was chiefly supported, during its three years of existence, by the admirable criticisms of Johnson. The 'Lady's Magazine' and 'Public Ledger' contained many of the fine essays of Goldsmith; and about the same time Smollett started the 'British Magazine,' which appeared under the distinction of the royal license.

At this period many other monthly miscellanies were commenced, but most of them were short-lived and obscure. Scotland was not long behind the sister-country in having a monthly periodical. In Jannary 1739 was issued the first number of the 'Scots Magazine,' produced, among other reasons, as stated by the publishers, that 'the Caledonian Muse might not be restrained by want of a public echo to her song.' This magazine continued down to 1826.

The first periodical devoted exclusively to criticism on new books was the 'Monthly Review,' established in 1749 by Griffiths, a bookseller, assisted by Dr. Kippis, Ralph, Langhorne, Grainger, and others. As the Monthly' was Whig and Low Church, the Tory and High Church party in 1756 set up a rival, the Critical Review,' which was placed under the editorship of Smollett, and led the irritable novelist into many feuds and wars. Griffiths, i dignant at having his province invaded, said his review was not written by physicians without practice, authors without learning. men without decency, or writers without judgment.' Smollett, in reply, said the Critical Review' was not written by a parcel of obscure hirelings under the restraint of a bookseller and his wife, who presume to revise, alter, and amend the articles.' Both reviews kept the field for a long period, and were the chief publications of the kind previous to the commencement of the British Critic' in 1793.

Another useful and valuable periodical was commenced in 1758-the 'Annual Register,' towards which, as previously stated, Burke was a contributor, and which is still (1875) continued in a generally improved form. It is the best record we have of the history, political and literary, of the times at home and abroad.

END OF VOLUME IV.

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