I'.,!U , U'.n VV r. i) \ i M)AY AND sATUKUAYS BY JOHN FEN NO, No. 69, HIGH-STREET, BE'X WKtN ikCOND AND THIRD STRUTS, fh.LADELI-HIA
[No. i, of Vol. lII.]
TRANSLATED
Tor the GAZETTE of the UNITED STATES.
A DISCOURSE OF STEPHEN BOETIUS,
Concerning voluntary Servitude : Or the Anu-Onc.
Ow ctyetftov '7rokvxotf.ee/in uopavo; tstty
E/f BAfthivs*
Iliad, lib. 2, v. 205.
" T SEE 110 good in having several Lords ; let
X one alone be mailer ; let one alone be King."
This was laid by Ulyfles in Homer, in a public
fpeecli. If lie had only said I fee no good in
having several Lords, this would have been said
with perfecfl propriety. To have spoken with
reason he Ihould have said, that the domination
of several cannot be good, because the power of
one alone, as soon as he takes che title of Maf
fter, is hard and unreasonable. But he had gone
quite to the contrary fide and said let one alone
be Master ; let one alone be King.
Perhaps it is neceflary to excuse Uly(Tes,to whom
at that time, it might be neceflary to make use
of chat Vanguage, to compose a itiutiny in the ar--
my, conforming his words, as I believe more to
the times than to truth. But to speak in good
cotifcience, it is an extreme misfortune to be
subject to a Master, who, we can never be sure
•will be good, since it is always in his power
to be bad when he will. And to have several maf
flers, is as much as to be so many times extreme
ly unfortunate. It is not liiy delign to debate, at
present, the question so much agitated, whether
the other fafhldns of republics are better than
monarchy. Before I should discuss the question
what rank monarchy ought to hold among re
publics, I iliould enquire whether it has any ; for
it is not easy to believe, that there is any thing of
a public in a government, where all is in one.
But this question is reserved for another occa
frnn ; and will require a treatise by itfelf—or ra
ther it will draw after it, the whole train of po
litical disputes.
At present I wifft only to whether it is
poflible, and liow it Js ffoTßLlcTtTiut so many men,
so many cities, so many nations endure the ty
ranny of one, who had no power butjfuch as they'
give him, who is incapable ot hurting them, any
longer than they pleal'e to endure him, who can
do them no evil, uiilcl's they choose to fuffer it,
rather than contradict him. A great thing cer
tainly, and yet so common, that it is the more
to be regretted, to fee a million of millions of
men, serving mifbrably with their necks under
the yoke, not conitrained by any greater force,
than rhc-if own, hut enchanted and charmed by
the mere n3ij>e of one, whose power they ought
not to fear because he il single, vVhofe qualities
they ought not to love, because he is to them in
human and savage. Such is the weakness among
us men, we must often submit to force : it is lie
cefiary that we temporize ; We cannot always be
i|e strongest. If, thereforea nation is coafhain
ed by force of arms, to serve one, as the city of
Athens the thirty tyrants, it Ihould not refufe to
serve, but complain of the accident ; or rather
neither refufe nor complnhi, but bear the evil
with patience, and reserve i(felf for better for
tune in future. Such isoor nature that the com
mon duties of friendfhip, consume a great part
ofjhe course of our lives. It is reasonable to
love virtue, to efleetn fair atftions, to acknow
ledge benefits where they have been received,
and often to diminish our own ease, to increaf'e
the honor and advantage of him whom we love,
and who deserves well of us. Thus therefore if
the inhabitants of a country have found some
great perfon:ige, who has (hown them by expe
rience a great forefight, in watching over them,
great courage in defending them, great caution
in governing them : If from tbefe confederations
they grow familiar and traceable in obedience
to him, and confide in him so far, as to give him
certain advantages, I know not whether it would
he wisdom, to take him out of thofc circuui
ftances in v\hich he did good, to advance him in
to others \<'here he might do evil. Certainly it
wuft be called goodness of heart, nor to fear t-vil
frot:i him, of whom we have received nothing
hnt good. But, good God ! What can this be ?
What name can we give it ? What misfortune ?
What vice ? What iniferable vice ? To fee a
multitude, an infinite number, not obey, but serve;
not be governed Win tyrannized, having neither
property, relations, children, nor even their lives
w hich thev can call their own
(Tih isti,tinued J
Saturday, April 50, 1791.
For the GAZETTE of the UNITED STATES,
ODES
ODE I.
HINTS TO REVIEWERS.
Y£ Men in whom all Science dwelleth ;
Whose Wisdom tar the world's excelleth;
Who mete out blame in plenteous measure ,
Or give, of praijc, the precious treafuie;
Reigning triumphant o'e r the field of fame,
With power unqueftion'd, and with right divine;
Renown'd alike tor what you praise or blame:
Accept this humble offering at (hrine.
Great men, full well you know,
With all their knowledge, sometimes err.
A fool may sage advice bellow :
And oft the mad will virtue (hojv ;
And good to wickedness prefer.
Then, tho your learning were as great
As Iwells the Owl's projecting pale ;
Tho' your opinions ne'er were wrong;
Your virtue like the hardcn'd fltel\
Your fouls as tender, and as jlrong;
And thots in beauteous order throng,
Like tickets in a lottery wheel;
Yet, without judgment to condr ft these powers,
Vainly you (trew rhetoric flowers,
And all the world aftonilh with your sense :
Then, kindly, from your thrones sublime,
Bellow attention to the rhyme;
And mark, the impoitant rules which I dispense.
Loud groans the Press, the Workmen fly,
Sheet after (heet appears.
The Binder plies the fcrcw and shears,
And a new Work salutes the eye.
i Five hundred pages ! how toil to read !'
O ! mind it not—you do not wifti
To con each fentcnce, groan, and pi(h :
'Tis not required, in Critics to succeed.
And never take a general view—
There 1 s nothing i nozo that's publifi'd—nezM.
'Tis needful only to feleft,
From all the book, a passage hrre and there,
To shew how candid y and howfmart you are;
A few old rules in criticifin coiled;
With a grave face, press-errors ui/c, detc&;
Then deal of praise the proper ihare,
And suit damnation to a hair.
No matter tho' you chance to frlame
A part which, in relation to (he whole,
i(h a fpint wn*fny end lets fault, 'r-
And wakes new"virtue in the human foul.
And be not troubled ihould you ptaile bellow
On whit, if mealured by the exreuded plan,
The traits of fell deformity Ihould (how,
And plant new vilr-nefs in the heart of man. t
Is't not enough, a passage to disgrace,
That a poor zigzag Z supplies an S's place ?
Is'tnot enough, the breath of praise to claim,
That titles dangle to an Author's name?
I can't help laughing, for my fdul,
To think how great a fool that Dr. Bl air must be,
Whu >« to anxious, in Reviews, to fee
A part conlidercd as't refpefts the whole.
If this were fight, how wife the Ottrich is,
W-ho, close parfued,-'in hollowMtig or tree
Thrusts his poor head, and with a joyous b'fs,
His body sticking out, exclaims u* glee—■
" If 'twill not work both'ways, a poor rule this—
" I can't fee you; you cen't difcov'er me."
Ye who, fublime,o'er Fame's dominion reign,
Here let me close this monitory drain ;
Help'd by the Muses, M another time,
New tho'ts, lor you, may blels the Man of Rhyme.
From the AMERICAN MERCURY.
THE various bounties granted by our legifla
rure for the encouragement of the farmers
in raising Sheep, has greatly increased that ufe
ful animal ; yet much remains to be done, to
bring this business to the utmost state of perfec
tion which this article will admit of. Not only
the increase ot ?iumbers (hou]& be attended to; but
! the quality of the wool also is an eflential objetft.
| A short treatise on this fwbjeCt is much wanted —
j pointing out the belt mode of managing Sheep,
so as to procure the greatest increase of their
numbers; how to prevent thedillem pers to which
they will be inoft liable in this climate ; what
food is molt f'uitable for winter ancFfpring feed
ing ; how to prevent their shedding their wool
before the proper season of fheafing—and how
to procure the fin eft fleeces, suitable for making
! fuperfiire cloths. The making "wool one of the
f>aple articles of this Hate, I consider as an objeCt
which Ihould not be loft fight of for a moment. —
No man who is a descendant of Britain, and who
reflects a moment on the causes which have con
tributed to raise that nation totheir envied great
ness, can hesitate to pronounce it to be their at
tention to manufactures—of which, that of woo l
holds the firft place. Thofc politicians who de
ride the idea of ConneClicnt's becoming a manu
facturing country, should never be considered as
friends to the (late—or as wife aittl ufeful ltatef
men.
1
JOHN.
[Whole No. 2ot).]
Great-Bi itoin and Ireland might as well de
pend 011 hu(bandry as we ; nay better, for Uley
are in potlefiion of a finer country —their lauds
produpeih better crops, and ihey have less win
cer to intercept a constant course of labor in the
field, and fucceflion of crops. Yet had Britain
depended fiinply on her hulbandry, (he would
this day have been ranked among the most infer
ior nations ; indeed (he had not maintained lieij
independence in the midli of such powerful
neighbors.
But our farmers ihould not confine their atten
tion to railing wool all parts of the ftaie are
not equally well calculated for that purpose
Hemp and Flax merit their attention, and should
be lifted amongst their yearly crops. The pre
paring those articles for market, would furnifli
labor tor the winter mouths, when so many of
our farmers, who have not large crops of grain,
are idle. Large funis of money are sent out of
this state every year, for hemp—which is now
imported, at a heavy expence, from the Baltic.
t 1 lax is wanted alio for rigging—but iminenfe
quantities are deatanded tor (be. iup.ply: of the
Duck IVlanufadures, over and above the constant
demand for coarse linens.
A short treatise on thebeft method of cultivat
ing those two articles, and preparing them for
market, is much wanted : Anyone who can fur
nifli such a desirable piece of inftrucftion, adapt
ed to the most common capacity, would better
deserve a Docftorate than most of those who now
so cheaply obtain them.
There have been federal experiments made,
about Norwich, in raising lien>p, which are said
to have proved fuccefsful : It is much to be wifli
ed a more general spirit of adventure and expe
riment were observable amongst our farmers—
and that ihey did nor content themselves with
barely doing what their fathers have done before
them.
Some experiments have been made at New-Ha
ven in the cultivating of Klax, so as to produce
that article iir grearenjbnndan** aiulpeife&ion.
1 hope those gentleman whd have fetn the great
benefit of their new mode of culture, will have
pu&lic spirit enough to publish the result of their
experiments, for the purpose of introducing a
more general attention to, and adoption of, their
improvements.
EXTRACT.
MEN fliould never be in hafle to conclude thac
any enquiry is impracticable, merely be
cause there appears no relation between the pre
sent means, and the fact to be ascertained ; for
have all the combinations of these means been
tried ? If not, who can be certain, that he is ac
quainted with all the relations between these
means and the faift, which is to exist,
and proposed to be ascertained'? This reflection
is strengthened by numberlefe inilances, record
ed in every page of the hiiiory of natural philo
sophy, and more especially of philiology. Con
sider how many inventions, for which the an
cients would scarce have ditVed to hope, even if
they had had a distant glimpse of them, have en
riched these f'ciences ! Could they have imagined
that the artificial foundation of the germs of va
rious animals would one day be acconvplifhed,
aud that chickens would b6 hatched without the
aid of animal heat, orof a stove ? Need I men
tion tbofe admirable chirurgical operations, the
miracles of the healing art, which are scarce cre
dible even to those who behold them i We are
as yet incompetent judges of what is impoffiblo
in philosophy ; for we always decide from our
present acquisitions of knowledge, which bear no
proportion to nature. Nature is immense ; the
poifible combinations of beings have 110 bounds,
and the human understanding is always too baity
in its decisions. The conviction of our ignor
ance or moderate attainments, ought to preserve
us from despairing of any thing in physics ; we
(hould fay to ourfetves, What I cannot discover,
another will lay ojieit to every eye.
SHEARING OK SHEEP.
THE following method has been found effcduaf. Immedi
ately after the iheep «»re fliorn, soak the roots of rh* wool that re
mains all over with oil, or butter, and bnmftone,afid three or four
days afterwards wash them with fait and water, and the wool ot
next season will be not only much finer and fofter, but the quan
ity will be greatly enlarged, and it may be depended on, that tho
flicep will neither be troubled with the scab or vermin that year.
BONNET.