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THE

Gentleman's Magazine;

For FEBRUARY 1765.

Mr URBAN,

and

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HAVE been just reading a pamphlet intitled, Thoughts on Civil Liberty, Licen tioufness and Faction, A by the author of Flays on the Characterifiics, c. though it is certainly well intended,. and contains fome useful observations, yet I cannot but diffent from the author in fome particulars, which I think of importance to knowledge and truth, and confequently to the general intereft of mankind. I have drawn out a very brief epitome of his principles, with fuch objections and remarks as occurred to me while I was reading them. As you frequently give an account of books, I think the C infertion of it in your Magazine will coincide with the general plan of your work; and I hope that impartiality, which is equally your duty and intereft, will admit it, whatever may be your private opinion of the principles which it controverts.

I am, Sir, yours, &c. THE author obferves, that a state

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may perifh as well by faction as by war, and that by faction Great Britain is now endangered. He has therefore attempted, he fays, to trace the prefent ftate of things to its gene ral foundations, by pointing out the E real bafis and genuine characteristics of true liberty, and by unmasking the pretences, and laying open the fecret fources and diftinctive marks of li centioufnefs and faction.

The natural liberty of man, as an individual he lays, confifts in the gratification of alt his appetites.

Men' naturally forming focieties, and producing artificial wants, greatly multiply the objects of their appetites and pallions; and an oppofition of intereft unavoidably refults: It is

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therefore neceffary to curb and fix the defires of man (he means to restrain man from the gratification of his defires) by fuch equal laws as may compel the appetites of each individual to yield to the common good of all.

From this reftraint, he says, civil·liberty is derived; he means, that thofe enjoy civil liberty who are reftrained From the gratification of their appetites and paffions, only when fuch gratification is inconfiftent with the general weal.

Every defire, carried into action, which, violates the laws enjoining this restraint, is licentioufnefs.

That licentioufnefs, of which the thwarting the ends of civil liberty is the immediate object, he defines to be faction.

the effectual means by which every He proceeds to confider what are member of society may be impelled or induced to facrifice his defires or appetites to the welfare of the public, that is, what are the most effectual means of executing the laws made for reducing natural to civil liberty.

It has been the general opinion of the friends of liberty, that the coer. cive power of the laws is fufficient for this purpose, & that thefe laws themfelves, and the magiftrates by whom the government established by them is administered, have nothing to do with opinion, but that aflion only falls under their cognizance.

This principle, it is the author's chief endeavour to confute,

He fars, that thoughts, fpeculations, opinions, and principles, have a connection with actions, fo neceffary and ftrong as to give the magiftrate a right to regulate them; and that fuch a fyftem of manners and principles fhould be impreffed upon the mind, as will be an inward curb to' inordinate defire, (i.e.) restrain it from acting.

He defines vichious manners to be

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occafion to speak with great contempt.
of human reason, which, unaffifted, he
calls a weak and fickly faculty. It is
not however very clear in what fenfe
reason admits of assistance; revelations
may offer truths to its confideration A
which it could never have discover'd by
induction, but it does not affift its dif
cerning or comparing powers; it fur-
niches new materials, but does not
give new abilities to work. Upon a
difpaffionate and impartial enquiry it
will appear that the last appeal mult
ftill be to this weak, fickly, unaffifted B
faculty. By what else are we to de-
termine whether revelation itself is.
genuine or spurious; if we admit it
as genuine, by what faculty are we
to determine what it teaches and en-
joins with respect to opinions and
Practife? These are points upon
which the wifeft and belt men have
differed and do differ, tho' fome have
with exemplary modefty, thought fit
to declare them felf-evident.

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family or other confideration cannot come into the hospital, they are attended and delivered at their own apartments, without any expence, under the direction of the man-midwife.

To this part of the charity the examination mentioned can only refer which is abfolutely neceffary (be caufe many of these women are dif treffed widows, or wives of perfons abroad in the King's service) and if their fettlement was not afcertained, the children (in case of their mother's death) would become burthenfome to the parish of S: Mary le bone wherein the hofpital tands, tho' this examination is far from being tedious, which is well known to every governor who attends the weekly-board, at which any gentleman that chufes may be present to fee the method there purfued, and any propofition for improvement will be molt readily received. But as for the fick and lame patients, they are admitted on the report of the physicians and furgeons without any examination at the board with refpect to their parish.

It is easy to procure an order from a governor of this charity, there being Da lift printed annually of the names and places of abode of every governor and fubfcriber, and as they live in dif.. ferent parts of the town and country, any perfon applying to the hofpital may have the names of feveral that are nearest to the perfon requiring relief.

This author allows, that the fearch of truth is good, but he is for prefcribing in what district it is to be fought, that is, he has indeed precluded the fearch, by predetermining where it is, and where it is not to be found. The author of these remarks has a firm belief of the doctrines of chriftianity, and a perfect abhorrence of licentioufness and faction; but he does not with to fee those principles fubyerted, by which alone the prefent civil and religious conftitution of E his country were established on the ruins of that tyranny and fuperftition, which a code of education would, upon this author's principles, have perpetuated to the end of time.

SIR,

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HE author of a letter relating to F hofpitals, published in your laft year's Supplement, in ftating the terms of admiffion into the feveral hofpitals, has mentioned the tedious examination of patients concerning their parifbes at the Middlesex hofpital. This muft arife from his being unacquainted with the institution, which is fin gular and extenfive; for not only fick and lame patients are admitted, but all the pregnant wives of foldiers, failors, and poor industrious trace men, who are there delivered ant pin vided with every neceffary for then): G felves and children till they are able to return home to their husbands, Ly zd And whenever poor women make application, who by reafon of their

The TAKING IN DAY is the ufual time of admittance, but any fubfcriber may fend a patient that is in diftrels on any intervening day, who is immediately fupplied with advice and medicine till the next board-day (by the apothecary who is conftantly refident in the hofpital) and then the pa.. tient and all others admitted on that day have the medicines prefcribed as foon as they can be fupplied by the apothecary in a regular manner as · they ftand on the lift; but if any cafes are very bad they are directly fent to bed.

No fee for petition or any perquifite is allowed to be taken of the patients or their friends by any officer or fervant on pain of expulsion; and as to the cold during there attendance, it is prevented as much as poffible by keeping two large fires in the hall. where they wait till examined in the phyficians room, 1*1

But as to apothecaries attending the out-patients, it is impoffible, as: for a long time past there has been

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conftantly above four hundred on the books, whofe refidence muft naturally be far diftant from each other.

And as to the erection of new hofpitals at the exgence of government, it feems to be unneceflary, for if the government would enable the governors fufficiently to enlarge this, it would answer all the defirable ends; no fituation can be more convenient, being near the center of this metropolis, as now enlarged, and having an eafy communication with all the different roads on the North fide thereof, a large plat of ground already provided, and a term of upwards of nine hundred years abfolutely fixed.

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Among the prifoners that had ben taken by the Romans during this conteft, was Selinda, fifter to Pbarnacer, This lady was brought to Pompey, when Anthridates was prefent; Anthridates would inftantly have put her to death, but Pompey, who became violently enamoured of her, interpofed.

Anthridates then forced his way into the city, determined to destroy Pharnaces; he firft met with his daughter Tamiris, whom he would have infantBly facrificed to his refentment, if he had not hoped first to get her to dif cover where he had hidden her fon; he at length makes this difcovery juft as the child is brought from the tomb, he is called away to support his troops against a last defperate attack of Pharnaces's forces, leaving Pharnaces, Tamiris, and the child, to

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The governers, fenfible of fo necef-, fary a measure by the numerous ap-, plications made for admittance, more than the prefent building can contain, C did fome time fince open a subscription for carrying it into execution, to which feveral have already generously fubfcribed, but the fum is not yet fufficient. When this good intention is more generally known, and the great utility to the public is confidered, 'tis not doubted but it will meet with all the encouragement it deferves. Subfcriptions are received by Meffrs Fuller and Co. in Birchinlane; Meflrs Hoares in Fleet freet; Mers Coutts in the Strand; Meffrs Drummond & Co. Charing-crofs; Meff. Backwell, Hart, Darrell, and Croft, in E Pall Mall John Machin Efq; in Frith Areet; and, Mr William Wright, in King's Square Court, Sobo fquare, treafurers.

Dramatic Story of the Opera of PHAR

PHARN

NACES.

HARNACES was King of Pontus, and married Tamiris, the daughter of Anthridates, King of Arminia, against her father's confent.

After fome time, Pharnaces was atfacked by the Romans under Pompey; Ambridates joining as an auxiliary, to gratify his refentment against him for marrying his daughter.

• Pbarnaces being at length fhut up by these enemies in Sinope, his capital, determines rather to perish than fall alive into their hands; he also exacts a promife from his wife, when he is about to make a defperate fally, that the will, if he is unfuccessful, kill their little boy and herself.

Pharnaces being unsuccessful, the hid the child in a tomb belonging to the kings of Pontus, and committed the care of him to a servant in whom she could confide.

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the care of an officer.

During this fortunate delay, Selinda' improves her influence over Pompey, to obtain from him an order to reftrain Anthridates from executing his cruel purpofe against his fon-in-law, his daughter, and his grand-child; and the alfo prevailed upon him to offer Pharnaces terms, and exhort him to conclude peace with the Romans. Phar naces, however, fufpecting that all the appearance of advantage and kindness in this behaviour of Pompey were only artifices to feduce him into disgrace, remains inflexible.

In the mean time, Anthridates being acquainted with Pompey's order, that he should offer no violence to Pharnaces or his family, was fo enraged, that he formed a defign to put the whole city, Romans and all, to thefword.,

This defign being difcovered by Pompey, Anthridates was feized; but as he had done the Romans fome service, and was diftantly related to Selinda, Pompey no farther punished him than by taking from him the command of his troops, whom he incorporated with his own.

Pharnaces being now convinced of Pompey's fincerity and greatness of mind, accepts his mediation, concludes an honourable peace with Rome, and with his own hand gives him Selinda in marriage.

Heads of the Schemes lately offered to the Publick, for framing a new Law for the better Maintenance and Regulation of the Poor.

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96 Schemes for regulating the Poor.-Medicine for the Stone.

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own. The aged, infirm, diseased, and' helpless, would, by this regulation, foon be abandoned by the healthy and able: And as all who are in real want have a juft claim to a public provifion, that provifion ought to be adminifter. ed in a way the moft conformable that could be to the manner in which the neceffitous perfons had been accustom ed to live.

Mr URBAN,

1. One for uniting feveral townships,
aud eftablishing one general workhouse
for the whole district.
2. A scheme
for levying a general tax upon the
people, and applying the fame accord.
ing to the wants of the relpective.
parishes, in exact proportion to the
litts of the poor in each. 3.- Ap.
portioning the wafte lands all over.
England to the induftrious poor, in-
ftead of encouraging them to depopu-
late their country, by removing with
their families to distant colonies. 4.
abolishing law fuits on account of BA
fettlements, and fettling the fame by
memorial before juftices at the quar
ter-feffions, without fees. 5.
pointing certain guardians of the poor,
instead of overseers, and collecting the
rates by land-tax collectors, &c. with-
out fees. 6.-by erecting cottages in
every parish, with a certain allotment
of fire wood to each cottage, into
which as many industrious poor might
be admitted rent free, as, upon exact
computation, will be neceffary to do
the common labour in each parifh;
an eftimate of which may easily be
made at a veftry to be held for that
purpose: And, 7thly, by apprehend-
ing all frolling and sturdy beggars,
and fhipping them off to the planta-
tions; which would ease the public of
an enormous burden, lessen the num-
ber confiderably, and leave a greater
proportion of the public charity to be
diftributed among thofe who thould be
real objects of it.Thefe are the
heads of most of the schemes that
we have yet feen.'

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But it may be prefumed, that no law will be found adequate to the nature of the complaint, that does not make a diftinction in the rank of the F poor; for, what would be a relief to one, would be an intollerable punishment to another: County charityhoufes would therefore bid fairest for general utility, in which the aged, the diseased, the infirm, and the helpless, might all be relieved, and accommodated according to their feveral wants, and all be made comfortable in their respective claffes; for inftance, those who have lived reputably might be appointed mafters or tutors to others of inferior rank, whole morals they might be employed to correct, and whofe bulinefs it fhould be to establish order and industry among them; this, H once effected, their number would daily leffen; for none, who were able and wiling to work, would do that in a house of charity, by which they could futfit in a tenement of their

Dedington, Feb. 23.

our benevolent correfpondent, who communicated to the public an investigation of Dr Chittick's medicine in Da. Mag. 1763. (P. 4716) requefted those who should take the lixivium as directed by him, to communicate the event, I'think myself obliged, to communicate to you, and by your means to the public, my own cale; and I cannot but express iny furprize, at the fame time, to find, that of the many, who I am fure mult have made trial of his method, not one has hitherto complied with his request, to which they are certainly bound, not only in gratitude to him, but the ftrongest of all obligations, that of an individual to fociety.

I have been always fubject to the frangury from a youth; and about 10 years ago my pains greatly increased, and I began to void gravel in great quantities, with constant uneasiness & aggravated fymptoms during the evacuations. About five years ago, I began to void innumerable small stones, Tome round, fome oval, but all smooth, and of a reddish colour; my pains now gradually increafed, till they became almost intollerable; I had no perfect remiffion even in bed, and the leatt motion brought on a paroxyfm, and bloody urine.

In this condition, I received from a friend the account to which I refer in your Magazine, and began to take the medicine as there directed, on the 31ft of laft October. It has been fo fuccefsful with me, that I am now entirely free from pain, not only when at reff, but when I walk about; I can even ride in a chair over our rough roads, with very little uneafinefs, and without ma. king bloody water: I void neithet gravel nor tone, but I obferve that my water depolits a white fediment, like flour, in a very confiderab.e quantity.

I am now near 70 years old, yet I have great hopes of a perfect cure: hall certainly communicate to you what farther happens to me during my course of taking this medicine, which I fhall continue as I began. Yours,&

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