the clo e of the tenth Satire. It forms a good fequel to the one which has juft been quoted.

"I cannot conclude without noticing an obfervation of Mr. Gibbon on this Satire. After beftowing great, and indeed juft, praife on its defign and execution, he adds, A-propos des dieux, je remarque cette indecifion, &c. I remark in Juvenal that want of decifion with refpect to the gods which is fo common among the antients. This moment nothing can be more pious, more philofophical, than his retignation and his faith; the next, our own wifdom is fufficient for us, and pruden alone fupplies: the place of all the divinities.' And this was written by a fneerer at Revelation! I am not he that judgeth another man's fervant; but, methinks, if one rofe from the deal, he could not evince the fuperio rity of the pious humble believer over the bewildered yet confident infidel by Aronger arguments than are here adduced by this extraordinary man, who bad eyes, and fuw,

not !

What is ufually given as the 16th Satire, Mr. G. has omitted. Its authenticity, I believe, was firft fufpected by Valla, who edited the Satires at Venice in 1486. In the Life of Juvenal, Mr. Gifford fays,

"It is unworthy of the author's beft days, and feems to be little fuited to his wort uppofe it to be written, in profeffed imitation of our author's manter, about the age of Commnodus. It has confiderable meri, though the fiut and laft paragraphs are feeble and taurological, and the execution of the whole much interior to the defign. Such as it is, however, I fhould have prefented a tranflation of it to the reader, if a friend, to whom this work has many obligations, and who had at my request undertaken it, had not difappointed me when it was too late to apply elfewhere, or to attempt it my felf. I yet hope to offer it to the publick on a future occafion.”

Having prefented your readers, Mr. Urban, with fufficient fpecimens of Mr. Gifford's tranflation, I thall clofe thefe remarks with a few general obfervations.

Dryden's tranflation had often inequal ties unworthy of its author; but Mr. Gifford's preferves a uniform tenor, rarely fortaking either the letter or the fpirit of its archetype. A fingle paffage has occurred (Sat. VI. 1. 278), where a recurrence of rhyme offends the ear, and many might undoubtedly be pointed out where the line or its rhyme may be traced to Dryden. Such fimilarities, however, are redeemed by the numerous merits of the whole production. In the Nores Mr. G. is very

converfant with old English poetry, particularly where it has tranfplanted fentences or ideas from his favourite author. Without endeavouring to aftonifh by the depth of his learning, he tries to reconcile former criticks; he is no connoiffeur in the blunders and miftakes of old tranfcribers; but, while he evinces a claflical tafte, is ardent in the caufe of virtue and morality. Prefixed to the whole is Mr. Gifford's por A VOLUNTEER.

trait.

THE PROJECTOR, No XI. "Nihil inauditum aut novum." Cic. T was one of the oldest complaints in the memoirs of murmuring, that "there is nothing new under the fun :" and for fome thoufands of years it has been repeated from generation to gene ration, every laft grumbler thinking he has a better title to make ufe of it than his predeceffor. It is a complaint, however, which, if I had the power, I would permit none to use have a righ: to tell us what is really old but the ableft Antiquaries, for they only and what is really new. With the generality of mankind, old and new are relative terins contined to their short fpin of exiflence: what pafled in their youth is old; and what occurs in their age mult be new without any farther enquiry.

Bot of all who complain of the want of novelty, there are perhaps none whofe clamours are to loud as thofe whofe lives are pafed in a continued de and for amufement, and who, I muff own, have had of late great reafon to complain that very little has been invented to relieve the burden of life, and employ that time which they fuppofe is given to them merely for the purpofe of quick confumption. Whatever boaft the prefent race of mankind may make of their improvements in ufeful arts and feiences, their invention feems to fail them the moment they attempt a new palime; and

not all that the atmoft ftretch of gepius has effected is to introduce a few varieties in the amusements of our ancefiors, or occafionally to revive any one that may have become obfolete. To what purpofe, then, do we take pride in our improvements in fcience ? can a party of pleature ipend an evening at a manufactory? or is it in the power of leam to raile a laugh?

I was much truck with the barrennefs of modern times in this respect a

few

few nights ago, when, in pursuit of a different kind of knowledge, I happen ed to light upon the origin of the greater part of thofe amufements which we employ against that dreadful enemy TIME; an enemy which (like another that might be mentioned) aims at univerfal empire, and, unlefs a coalition be formed of a different kind from any that has yet been projected, will continue its cruelties and tyranny to all eternity.

I fhall therefore briefly run over a few articles, not by way of difheartening the lovers of amufement, for furely they fhould rather have comfort adminiftered, but in order to check the pride of thofe minifters of pleasure, the ludimagifiri of the prefent times, who affect to be labouring in their vocation for our good, and producing every day fomething which they call At the fame time, as impartial juftice is due to all, I fhall not omit to mention any real improvements they may have introduced.

new.

And, firft, I have to obferve that, with refpect to hunting and hawking, there is nothing new under the fun; for thefe amufements were known in the fourth century. Horje-racing is alfo of high antiquity, having been practifed by our Saxon ancestors. In the time of Henry II. Smithfield was a kind of Newmarket for this fport. And here I have a very early opportunity of doing juftice to modern invention, by ftating that horferacing, as a fyftem of gaming, is among the glories of the feventeenth century; and that the improvements of more recent times may perhaps bring the honour of this invention fill lower down. At what precife time two horfes began to fupply the place of two dice, or of a pack of cards, is uncertain. But that this is a real improvement, and not a variety only, will appear plainly, if we confider that horferacing was originally practifed by way of exercife, and then the owners were the riders. That intrepid, able, and honeft race of young men, the jockies, is modern; and they firft introduced the various ufes of a rufty nail, or a pail of water feafonably adminiftered.

Afs-ruces are mentioned, and I believe for the first time, in the Spectator; confequently we may reckon them about a century old. Their having been lately revived, with great pomp and popularity, as an abfolute

Flot-races were known in the middle ages; and can therefore only boast in our times of a revival, that they may occafionally fupply the place of a pack of cards, and evince the transferability of loofe cafh. But that they deferve encouragement in other refpects, cannot well be doubted: a good retreat, for which they eminently qualify a man, is allowed to be an honourable branch of generalfhip; and I really think that no man can object to them who does not happen to have the rigid morality of a creditor, or the prying difpotition of a bailiff

Starting, fay the Antiquaries, made its appearance about the thirteenth century. A3 to fliding, it is much older; and, although I cannot fix the precife date, I fhould fuppofe that fliding and ice came in together. The flips, however, and trips made in our days, are perhaps real improvements; they have great variety, and I queftion if it may not be faid that every man invents his own downfall. Whether the ladies be equally ingenious, is a queftion that has lately been agitated in the Senate without being brought to a conclufion; and I fhall, therefore, not prefume at prefent to offer any remarks on the fubject.

The Tennis-court is in our days a very fashionable amufement, but it was well known in the fixteenth century. Modern players, however, are to be commended for having fometimes rendered it a more expeditious method of effening the value of money than the antient philofophers had any idea of; although, amid our proficiency here, I am willing to allow that it frequently leffens the profits of the auctioneer and the conveyancer, and that it may in time greatly injure the oratory of pulpits, and contract the circumlocution of parchments.

Of cricket I have only to obferve, ̈ that it is about one handred years old; but trap-ball goes as far back as the

fourteenth

fourteenth century; and Dutch pins, fkittles, and miffilippi, are of confide rable antiquity. The ufes of these laft-mentioned amufements may be feen in the form of fervice for St. Monday."

As to dancing, tumbling, and all kinds of juggling, they have very high antiquity on their fide. Dancing bears may be traced to the fourteenth century. This animal, greatly to the praife of our ingenious ancestors, was probably felected to difplay the graces of the light fantaftic toe," from its total incapacity. "The thing," as Dr. JOHNSON once faid, is not done well, but we are furprized to fee it done at all." The most popular dan cers, next to bears, are thofe which come from France; and here we have no other merit than in inventing falaries, benefits, and prefents for them, which have aftonished all Europe, and have demonftrated, in a land of learn ing and learned men, the vaft fuperiority of heels over head.

The tricks and wonderful performances of feientific dogs and horles, and their skill in spelling and grammar, are alfo very old. But the learned pig, who flourished Anno Dom. 1789, was, I believe, an innovation, or an invention purely English. This eminent fcholar, however, having no heirs, as his preceptor did not probably with he fhould marry into an illiterate family, the breed has become extinct; and we have lived to fee " learning caft into the mire, and trodden down under the hoofs of a finish multitude *."

Whoever is inclined to give a preference to the genius of the moderns over that of the antients, muft regret with deep-felt forrow, that bull-baiting belongs not to us but to our fathers. It may be traced to the time of Henry II, when it was a fport with the young Londoners. But whether the recent difcovery that bull-baiting improves courage, fills our navy with Howes, St. Vincents, Duneans, and Nelfous, and our armies with fuch regiments as the brave 42d, be an invention, or a poetical fiction, I am unwilling to enquire. If it be, I can only fay, it is one of thofe which have been hid from the wife and prudent in all ages.

Still lefs caufe have we to arrogate to ourfeves that very humane fport, cockfighting. Alas! here, indeed, we may say, there is nothing new under the * Burae's Reflections, &c. first ed. p. 117.

fun. Cockfighting may be traced to Grecians and Romans; yet, left the breeder or amateur thould weep over the barrenness of modern times, let me hint for his confolation, that the addition of fieel or filver fpurs is a modern difcovery, and well deferves the praife of all who wish to fee blood flow, and flow freely, and to contemplate the agonies of death, when every pang changes the bet, and the laft galp may turn pounds into guineas. I am willing, likewife, to think that those horrid yells and rapid exclamations of two to one, five to two, &c. during every perceptible variety in the animal's fufferings, have the merit of novelty.

the above, is alluded to by Chaucer; Throwing at cocks, connected with but this diverfion has of late been nearly abolithed by certain magifirates, whe feem to have no idea of promoting good by evil, and into whole heads it has never entered that cruelty may be fport. This, fome will no doubt think, is to he regretted; for as it was mofily practifed by the young, it formed a very ufeful elementary exercite, and they had thereby an opportunity of being “ trained up in the way from which they were not very likely to depart. Much information on this fubject may be derived from the four plates of that able hiftorian WILLIAM HOGARTH, whofe map of the road to murder is laid down with kind I have feen. more accuracy than any thing of the

Our claims to the invention of dice are extremely abfurd. This game was played by the antient Germans, and by their defcendants the Saxons, Danes, and Normons. Of cards I need fay little, as we do not pretend to have done much more than to make them the chief infìruments in uniting fociety and dividing property. But I must not omit to do jutrice to modern times with respect to the following articles, which I have not been able to trace much farther than the commencement of the last century; I mean, hunting a pig, running in focks, and fmock rá, ces. Thefe, I am inclined to think, are native amufements; but it is not imFrance, as they were obferved, not prolable they may migrate into many weeks ago, to have reached the coalt oppotite to that country. With what dexterity that lively people may catch the pig, or run in the fack, i