an infringement on their privileges; afferting, that the ordering and marshalling of all enfigns of honour, and proceedings at funerals, properly and peculiarly appertained to the kings of arms; that no trophies of honours were to be borne on thofe occafions, except fuch as were so used by their direction, nor hung up in any church' or chapel without their efpecial licence; and that, according to the law of arms, no perfon ought to paint efcutcheons of arms for any private interment, till they had made fearch for the fame in the herald's office, and entered the number of the efcutcheons thereupon allowed. Hence, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, arofe the longcontested difpute between the kings of arms on the one fide, and the funeral-undertakers and painters on the other, as to the right of ordering and marshalling of funerals, and painting arms and trophies of honour.

To fhew the great importance in which the right arrangement of funeral folemnities were held; nothing can be more ftriking than the following curious letter.

"A Letter from Lady Elizabeth Ruffel, to Sir William Dethick, Garter Principal King of Arms.

"Good Mr. Garter, I pray you, as your leifure doth best serve you, fet down advisedly and exactly, in every particular itself, the number of mourners due to my calling, being a viscountess of birth, with their charge of blacks, and the number of waiting women for myself, and the women mourners, which, with the chief mourner, and her that shall bear the trayne, will be in number ten, befide waiting-women, pages, and gentleman-huifhers: then I pray you what number of chief mourners, of lords, knights, and gentlemen, neceffary, with their charge, and how many fervants for them, befide my preacher, phyfitian, lawyers; and xl. cloaks for my own men; then Ixiii women widows, the charges of the charge of the hearfe, heralds, and church. Good Mr. Garter, do it exactly; for I find forewarnings that bid me provide a pick-axe, &c. fo, with my most friendly commendations to you, I reft Dunnington-Castle, Your old miftrefs and friend, October 4. ELIZABETH RUSSEL, Dowager."

Mr. Edmondfon has added an improved edition of Glover's ordinary of arms; an alphabet of arms containing upwards of fifty thoufand coats, with their crefts, &c. and a copious gloffary, explaining all the technical terms used in heraldry.

The reader, by the fpecimens we have given, will judge of the ftyle of Mr. Edmondfon, and his talents for compofition. The whole work feems to be compiled with great care and judgment, though fome errors in regard to the names of places, have efcaped the author, which he should

collect

collect a lift of and prefix to his volumes. The lovers of this fcience, as well as thofe who wish to be made acquainted with it, will find abundant gratification in this valuable compilation.

Political, Mifcellaneous, and Philofophical Pieces, arranged under the following Heads, and diftinguished by initial Letters in each Leaf; [G. P.] General Politics; [A. B. T.] American Politics before the Troubles; [A. D. T.] American Politics during the Troubles; [P. P.] Provincial or Colony Politics; and [M. P.] Mifcellaneous and Philofophical Pieces; written by Benjamin Franklin, L. L. D. and F. R. S. Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, of the Royal Society at Gottingen, and of the Batavian Society in Holland; Prefident of the Philofophical Society at Philadelphia; late Agent in England for feveral of the American Colonies; and at prefent chofen in America as Deputy to the General Congress for the State of Penfylvania; Prefident of the Convention of the faid State, and Minifter Plenipotentiary at the Court of Paris for the United States of America: now firft collected with explanatory Plates, Notes, and an Index to the Whole. 1os. 6d. 8vo. Johnson, No. 72, St. Paul's Church-yard.

[Continued from page 105.]

We fhall here prefent our readers with fome farther extracts from this very curious and entertaining publication. The following reflections on the "Price of Čorn, and the management of the Poor," are equal ingenious and fenfible.

"On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor. To Meffieurs the PUBLIC.

"I am one of that clafs of people that feeds you all, and at present is abused by you all; in short, I am a farmer.

66

By your news-papers we are told, that God had fent a very fhort harveft to fome other countries of Europe. I thought this might be in favour of Old England; and that now we should get a good price for our grain, which would bring millions among us, and make us flow in money: that to be fure is fcarce enough.

But the wifdom of government forbad the exportation. "Well, fays I, then we must be content with the market-price at home.

"No, fays my Lords the mob, you fhan't have that. Bring your corn to market if you dare-well' fell it for you for lels money, or take it for nothing. VOL. XI.

A a

"Being

"Being thus attacked by both ends of the conflitution, the head and the tail of government, what am I to do?

"Muft I keep my corn in the barn to feed and increase the breed of rats?-be it io;-they cannot be lefs thankful than those I have been used to feed.

"Are we farmers the only people to be grudged the profits of our honest labour?-And why? One of the late fcribblers against us, gives a bill of fare of the provifions at my daughter's wedding, and proclaims to all the world, that we had the infolence to eat beef and pudding !-Has he not read the precept in the good book, ·Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn; or does he think us lefs worthy of good living than our oxen ?

"O, but the manufacturers! the manufacturers! they are to be favoured, and they must have bread at a cheap rate!

"Hark ye, Mr. Oaf ;---The farmers live fplendidly, you fay. And pray, would you have them hoard the money they get? Their fine cloathes and furniture, do they make them themselves or for one another, and fo keep the money among them? Or, do they employ thefe your darling manufacturers, and so scatter it again all over the nation ?

"The wool would produce me a better price, if it were fuffered to go to foreign markets; but that, Meffieurs the Public, your laws will not permit. It must be kept all at home, that our dear manufacturers may have it the cheaper. And then, having yourfelves thus leffened our encouragement for raifing sheep, you curfe us for the fcarcity of mutton!

"I have heard my grandfather say, that the farmers fubmitted to the prohibition on the exportation of wool, being made to expect and believe that when the manufacturer bought his wool cheaper, they should also have their cloth cheaper. But the deuce a bit. It has been growing dearer and dearer from that day to this. How fo? Why, truly, the cloth is exported; and that keeps up the price.

Now if it be a good principle, that the exportation of a commodity is to be reftrained, that fo our people at home may have it the cheaper; ftick to that principle, and go thorough ftitch with it, Prohibit the exportation of your cloth, your leather, and fhoes, your iron ware, and your manufactures of all forts, to make them all cheaper at home. And cheap enough they will be, I will warrant you till people leave off making them.

"Some folks feem to think they ought never to be eafy till England becomes another Lubberland, where it is fancied the streets are paved with penny-rolls, the houses tiled with pancakes, and chickens, ready roafted, cry, come eat me.

"I fay, when you are fure you have got a good principle, stick to it, and carry it thorough.-I hear it is faid, that though it was neceffary and right for the m -y to advise a prohibition of the exportation of corn, yet it was contrary to law; and alfo, that though it was contrary to law for the mob to obftruct waggons, yet it was necellary and right.-Just the fame thing to a tittle. Now

they

m

they tell me, an act of indemnity ought to pafs in favour of the -y, to fecure them from the confequences of having acted illegally. If fo, pafs another in favour of the mob. Others fay, fome of the mob ought to be hanged, by way of example.. If fo,- but I fay no more than I have faid before, when you are fure that you have got a good principle, go through with it.

"You fay, poor labourers cannot afford to buy bread at a high price, unless they had higher wages.-Poffibly. But how shall we farmers be able to afford our labourers higher wages, if you will not allow us to get, when we might have it, a higher price for our corn?

"By all that I can learn, we fhould at least have had a guinea a quarter more, if the exportation had been allowed. And this money England would have got from foreigners.

"But, it feems, we farmers must take fo much lefs, that the poor may have it fo much cheaper.

This operates then as a tax for the maintenance of the poor. A very good thing, you will fay. But I afk, why a partial tax? Why laid on us farmers only?-If it be a good thing, pray, Meffieurs the Public, take your fhare of it, by indemnifying us a little out of your public treafury. In doing a good thing, there is both honour and pleasure ;-you are welcome to your fhare of both.

"For my own part, I am not fo well fatisfied of the goodness of this thing. I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means.-I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them eafy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and Iob. ferved in different countries, that the more public provifions were made for the poor, the lefs they provided for themfelves, and of courfe became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. There is no country in the world where fo many provisions are eftablished for them; fo many hofpitals to receive them when they are fick or lame, founded and maintained by voluntary charities; fo many alms-houses for the aged of both fexes, together with a folemn general law made by the rich to fubject their eftates to a heavy tax for the fupport of the poor. Under all these obligations, are our poor modeft, humble, and thankful? and do they use their best endeavours to maintain themselves, and lighten our fhoulders of this burthen?-On the contrary, I affirm that there is no country in the world in which the poor are more idle, diffolute, drunken, and infolent. The day you paffed that act, you took away from before their eyes the greateft of all inducements to induftry, frugality, and fobriety, by giving them a dependance on fomewhat elfe than a careful accumulation during youth and health, for fupport in age or fickness. In fhort, you offered a premium for the encouragement of idleness, and you fhould not now wonder that it has had its effect in the encrease of poverty. Repeal that law, and you will foon fee a change in

A a 2

their

their manners, Saint Monday and Saint Tuesday, will foon ceafe to be holidays. Six days halt thou labour, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a refpectable precept; induftry will increafe, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumftances will mend, and more will done for their happiness, by inuring them to pro-. vide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.

Excufe me, Meffieurs the Public, if upon this interesting fubject, I put you to the trouble of reading a little of my nonfenfe; I am fure I have lately read a great deal of yours; and therefore from you (at leaft from thofe of you who are writers) I deserve a little indulgence. I am yours, &c.

ARATO R."

Though the following parable has already appeared in print, yet the repetition of it, we believe, will not be difagreeable to any of our readers.

"APARABLE against Perfecution, in Imitation of Scripture

Language:

*

"And it came to pafs after these things, that Abraham fat in the door of his tent, about the going down of the fun, And behold a man bent with age, coming from the way of the wilderness leaning on a staff. And Abraham arofe, and met him, and faid unto him, Turn in, I pray thee, and wash thy feet, and tarry all night; and thou shalt arife early in the morning, and go on thy way. And the man faid, Nay; for I will abide under this tree. But Abraham preffed him greatly: fo he turned and they went into the tent and Abraham baked unleaven bread, and they

*[I have taken this piece from the Sketches of the Hiftory of Man, written by Lord Kaims, and fhall preface with his Lordship's own words. See Vol. II. p. 472, 473.

The following Parable against Perfecution was communicated to < me by Dr. Franklin of Philadelphia, a man who makes a great figure in the learned world: and who would still make a greater figure for ! benevolence and candour, were virtue as much regarded in this declining age as knowledge.

The hiftorical style of the Old Testament is here finely imitated; and the moral muft ftrike every one who is not funk in ftupidity and fuperftition. Were it really a chapter of Genefis, one is apt to think, that perfecution could never have fhown a bare face among Jews or Chriftians. But alas that is a vain thought. Such a paffage in the Old Teftament, would avail as little against the rancorous paffions of men, as the following paffages in the New Teftament, though perfecution cannot be condemned in terms more explicit.' "Him that is weak in the faith, receive you, but not to doubtful difputations. For, &c." E.]