the voyage was performed, in fome fenfe or other. The influx of gold into Judæa is equally a proof of a commerce extended into the Indian or Ethiopic Ocean, beyond the limits of the Gulph of Arabia. The materials ftill found in Egypt, that contributed to the prefervation of the mummies, are fome of them fuppofed to be oriental; and if fo, Egypt muft have had, even antecedent to history, a communication with the east, either directly by commerce of their own, or indirectly by means of intermediate nations, perhaps Arabian. In all thefe cafes we have a right to affume the navigation from the view of its effects; but the voyage of Scylax from India to Egypt, or that of the Phoenicians from Egypt round the continent of Africa, have neither produce nor confequences; and though this is only a negative proof of their nonentity, it is as ftrong as the nature of the cafe will admit: if no fecond navigator had doubled the Cape of Good Hope, the difcovery of Gama might have been deemed problematical. Were it poffible to afcribe these two voyages to the age of Herodotus, his teftimony is fuch, that it ought to preponderate againft every argument of mere fpeculation: but he probably records only the vanity of two nations, one the most proud of its empire, and the other of its science; both capable of attributing to themselves an action done, if it were poffible to be done; and of this the poffibility was perhaps known from internal information. My own opinion is decidedly against the reality of both these voyages; but whatever be my own judgment, it fhall be fubject to the decifion of thofe who profeffedly confider the question in its full ex tent; it is here only incidental: but I muft ftill repeat, that it is the af fertion of facts without circumftances, while the voyage of Nearchus is detailed in all its parts, and is the earliest authentic journal extant. If, then, I am right, this is the firft voyage of general importance to mankind; If I am miftaken, it is ftill the firft of which any certain record is preferved. Difquifitions on the Phrafe THE ENLIGHTENED PUBLIC. From d'Ifraeli's Mifcellanies. HE every enlightened nation three kinds of people: an inconfide rable number inftructed by reason, and glowing with humanity; a countless multitude, barbarous and ignorant, intolerant and inhofpitable; and a vacillating people with fome reafon and humanity, but with great prejudices, at once the half echoes of philofophy, and the adherents of popular opinion. Can the public be denominated enlightened? Take an extenfive view among the various orders of fociety, and obferve how folly still wantons in the vigour of youth, and prejudice ftill ftalks in the ftubbornness of age! To trace the human mind as it exifts in people, would be the only method to detect this fallacious expreffion. The unenlightened numbers, who are totally uninfluenced by the few, live in a foul world of their own creation. The m:ral arithmetician, as he looks for the fum total of the unenlightened public, muft refemble the algebraift, who riots in incalculable quantities, and who files at the fimple favage, whofe arithmetic extends not further than the number three. E e 2 In In a metropolis we contemplate the human mind in all its inflections. If we were to judge of men by the condition of their minds (which perhaps is the most impartial manner of judging) we fhould not confult the year of their birth to date their ages; and an intellectual regifter might be drawn up, on a totally different plan from our parochial ones. A perfon may, according to the vulgar era, be in the maturity of life, when, by our philofophical epocha, he is born in the tenth century. That degree of mind which regulated the bigotry of a monk in the middle ages, may be discovered in a modern rector. An adventurous fpirit in a red coat, who is almost as defirous (to ufe the wit of South) to receive a kifs from the mouth of a cannon as from that of his miftrefs, belongs to the age of chivalry; and if he fhould compofe verfes, and be magnificently prodigal, he is a gay and noble Troubadour. A farcaftic philofopher, who inftructs his fellow-citizens, and retires from their fociety, is a contemporary with Diogenes; and he who, reforming the world, graces inftruction with amenity, may be placed in the days of Plato. Our vulgar politicians must be arranged among the Roundheads and Olivers; and Tom Paine himself is so very ancient as to be a contemporary of Shimei. The refult of our calculations would be, that the enlightened public form an inconfiderable number. It muft, however, be confeffed, that what knowledge has been accumulated by modern philofophy, cannot eafily perifh; the art of printing has imparted ftability to our intellectual structures, in what depends on the mechanical prefer vation. Human science can no more be annihilated by an Omar. A fingular spectacle has, therefore, been exhibited; and it is fometimes urged by those who contemplate, with pleafing aftonifhment, the actual progrefs of the human mind, as a proof of the immutability of truth, that, in the prefent day, every enlightened individual, whether he refides at Paris, at Madrid, or at London, now thinks alike; no variation of climate, no remoteness of place, not even national prejudices, more variable and more remote than either, deftroy that unanimity of opinion which they feel on certain topics effential to human welfare. This appears to be a fpecious ar gument in favour of the enlightened public. But we fhould recollect, that this unanimity of opinion, which fo frequently excites furprife, is owing to their deriving their ideas from the fame fources: at Paris, at Madrid, and at London, the fame authors are read, and, therefore, the fame opinions are formed. Thus we account for this unanimity of opinion; and we may now reafonably enquire whether unanimity of opinion always indicates permanent truth? It is certain that very extravagant opinions were once univerfally received t it becomes not an individual to affirm that fome of our modern opinions are marvelloufly extravagant; we must leave them for the decifion of pofterity. We may, however, fay to the greatest genius, Look at what your equals have done, and obferve how frequently they have erred. Reflect, that when ever an Ariftotle, a Defcartes, and a Newton appeared, they formed a new epocha in the annals of human knowledge; 1 knowledge; it is not unreasonable to add one, among your thousand conjectures, and fay, that their future rivals may trace new connections, and collect new facts, which may tend to annihilate the systems of their predeceffors. Is not opinion often local, and ever disguised by cuftom? Is not what we call truth often error? And are not the paffions and ideas of men of fo very temporary a nature, that they carce endure with their century? This enlightened public may difcover that their notions become obfolete, and that with new fyftems of knowledge, and new modes of existence, their books may be clofed for their fucceffors, and only confulted by the curious of a future generation as we now examine Ariftotle and Descartes, Aristophanes and Chaucer. Our learning may no more be their learning than our fafhions will be their fathions. Every thing in this world is fashion. It may alfo be conjectured, that, amidst the multitude of future difcoveries, the original authors of our own age, the Newtons and the Lorkes, may have their conceptions become fo long familiarized, as to be incorporated with the novel difcoveries as truths fo inconteftible, that very few fhall even be acquainted with their first discoverIt would therefore appear, that the juftnefs, as well as the extravagance of our authors, are alike inimical to their future celebrity. ers. Dedication of the Tragedy of Junius Bru tus to General Washington. From Count Alfieri's Tragedies. THE HE name of hira alone who gave liberty to America can fanction the tragec of the de liverer of Rome. To you, therefore, a citizen of fingular fortune and defert, I dedicate Junius Brutus, without reciting the praises due to you; for they are all incld-ed in your name. So brief a men tion of you ought not to be deemed indirect adulation.-I am perfonally unacquainted with you; and divided, as we are, by the immense ocean, we have but one motive immediately in common,-the love of our country. Truly happy are you who have eftablished a fame fuch as yours, on a basis firm and eternal, the love of your country proved by your actions! For myfelf, I have abandoned my native foil, purely for the fake of writing with ardour on the fubject of liberty. By fuch a facrifice, I flatter myself, I have demonftrated what my patriotifm would have proved, had I been deftined to a country worthy of my fentiments. On this confideration alone I afpire to the honour of uniting to the name of Washington that of Vittorio Alfieri. Paris, December 31, 1788. Dedication of Agis to Charles the Firft, I From the fame. THINK that, without meanness or arrogance, I may dedicate my tragedy of Agis to an unfortunate and a deceased king. This King of Sparta was, like yourfelf, condemned to die by iniquitous judges and an unjust parliament; but however fimilar the effect, the caufe was widely different. Agis, in the establishment of equality and liberty, wished to restore to Sparta her own virtues, and her anfore glorious, and his fame is etercient fplendor; his death was there. Le 3 nal. nal. To you, by endeavouring to break all bounds of your authority, and to advance your private emolument, nothing remains but the ufelef's pity which accompanied you to the grave. Both Agis and yourfelf have offered, and will continue to offer, a memorable example, and a terrible one, to pofterity; with this grand difference, That many kings like Charles there have been, and will be; but fuch as Agis,—not one. Modern Platonifm. SODEFROI Izarn Marquis de Valadi, a young Frenchman of an enthufiaftic turn of mind, having adopted a Pythagorean mode of life, refolved in the year 1788 to visit England, to be more at liberty to profecute his Platonic reveries, one of his firft cares, on arriving in the capital, was to vifit a gentleman of eminence in the literary world, and to propofe to him the ftation of Chief of the Pythagorean fect. Followers, he affured him, he could not fail to find in every quarter of the globe. Upon his refufal, Valadi intimated fome intention of affuming the honourable poft himself. "But, in that cafe," faid the Englishman, "would it not be proper that you should understand Greek?"- True,' anfwered Valadi; I had forgot that: I will go and study it at Glafgow.' He fet off for that place on foot; ftaid there fix months; and then returned to London, where he chanced to hear that Mr. Thomas Taylor, of Walwerth, was generally confidered as the principal Pythagorean in England. Valadi immediately purchafed his works; and, G a young after having perused them, dif patched the following scroll, which is highly characteristic of his eccentricity and temper of mind : To Thomas Taylor, better named Lyfis, G. Izarn Valadi, of late a French Marquis, and Tanifaire, Sendeth Joy and Honour. 12 Xbre. 1788, vulg. ara. "O Thomas Taylor! mayest thou welcome a brother Pythagorean, led by a Saviour God to thy divine school! I have loved wisdom ever fince a child, and have found the greatest impediments, and been forced to great ftruggles, before I could clear my way to the fource of it; for I was born in a more barbarous country than ever was Illyria of old. My family never favoured my inclination to study; and I have been involved in fo many cares and troubles, that it cannot be without the intervention of fome friendly Deity that I have efcaped the vile ruft of barbarifm, and its attendant meanness of soul. My good fortune was, that I met, eighteen months ago, an English gentleman of the name of Pigott, who is a Pythagorean philofopher, and who eafily converted me to the diet and manners agreeable to that moft rich and beneficent deity, Mother Earth; to that heaven-infpired change I owe perfect health and tranquillity of mind, both of which I had long been deprived of. Alfo my own oath has acceded to the eternal oath (which mentions the golden commentator on G. V.) and I would more cheerfully depart from my present habitation on this Themis-forfaken earth, than defile myfelf evermore with animal food, ftolen ftolen either on earth, in air, or water. "I met with thy works but two days paft. O divine man! a prodigy in this iron age! who would ever thought thou couldst exift among us in our fhape! I would have gone to China for a man endowed with the tenth part of thy light! Oh, grant me to fee thee, to be luftrated and initiated by thee! What joy, if, like to Proclus Leonas, to thee I could be a domeftic! who feel living in myfelf the foul of Leonidas. "My determination was to go and live in North America, from love of liberty, and there to keep a school of temperance and love, in order to preferve fo many men from the prevailing difgraceful vices of brutal intemperance and felfifh cupidity. There, in progrefs of time, if thofe vices natural to a commercial country are found to thwart most of the bleffings of liberty, the happy felect ones, taught better difcipline, may form a fociety by themfelves, fuch a one as the gods would favour and vifit lovingly; which would preferve true knowledge, and be a feminary and an afylum for the lovers of it. "There I would devoutly erect altars to my favourite gods,-Diofcari, Hector, Ariftomenes, Meffen, Pan, Orpheus, Epaminondas, Pythagoras, Plato, Timoleon, Marcus Brutus, and his Portia; and, above all, Phoebus, the god of my hero Julian, and the father of that holy, gentle commonwealth of the Peruvians, to which nullus ultor has, as yet, been fufcited! "Mufic and gymnaftic are sciences neceffary for a teacher to poffefs (what deep and various fenfe thefe two words contain!) and I am a ftranger to both! O Gods! who gave me the thought and the fpirit, give me the means! for all things are from you. "Thomas Taylor, be thou their inftrument to convoy into my mind knowledge, truth, and prudence! Do thou love and help me. I will go to thee to-morrow morning. "P. S. May I look to thee, endowed with an ancient and no modern enthufiafin ! "GRACCHUS CROTONEIOS." According to the promife contained in his letter, Valadi waited upon Mr. Taylor the following day; threw himfeif in due form at his feet; tendered to him a fmall fun in bank-notes, which at that moment conftituted all his fortune; and begged, with great humility, to be admitted as a difciple into his houfe. His prayer was granted; and for fome time he enjoyed the advantage of imbibing philofophy from the fountain-head: but, finding himfelf more formed for an active than a contemplative life, he determined to quit philofophy, in order to take fome fhare in the litical commotions which began to agitate France with redoubled force. When he took leave of his refpectable mafter of philofophy, he had exchanged his quaker-like apparel for a complete fuit of military clothes. "I came over Diogenes,' faid he: "I am going back Alexander." po It was now the fpring of 1789; and every thing, indeed, announced a revolution, in which he was far more inftrumental than is generally fuppofed. After paffing through the various viciffitudes of the revolution, he was guillotined under the agency of Robespierre, in December 1793. E e 4 Proceedings |