Weft. Hall. (LONDON, WESTMINSTER, SOUTHWARK, &c.) Pantheon. E. Ind. Ho. St. James's. Op.& Plays Bank. Tower. Vauxhall. Balloons. Ranelagh. Army. Aftley's St.Mare.H. DIEUEL SO MON DROTT THE NEW Royal Acad. Weekly Journals Lever's Olophu fikon, &c.&c.&c. LONDON MAGAZINE. No. 57] For NOVEMBER, 1789. ADVERTISEMENT. Howard's New Royal Cyclopædia and Encyclopædia; To be Fully Completed in One Hundred and Fifty Weekly Numbers, in Large Demy Folio. THIS DAY is Published, (¡'rive only SIX-PENCE) Number 1, Embellished with a Large Elegant FRONTISPIECE, reprefenting a General Difplay of the ARTS and Or Complete, Modern, and Univerfal CYCLOPEDIA and ENCYCLOPEDIA; DICTIONARY O F ARTS AND SCIENCES. On an entire New and Approved Plan, and Including all the Modern Improvements and Latest Difcoveries on the various Subjects. 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Of The New Newgate Calendar; Or, Malefaclors Complete Bloody Regifter. -Containing genuise and circumflantial narratives of the lives and tranfactions, various exploits, and dying peeches, of the most notorious criminals of both fexes, who have luffered death, and other punishments, in Great Britain and Ireland, from the year 1700 to the prefent time, for bigh treafon, murder, fodomy, piracy, felony, highway robberies, forgery, rapes, bigamy, burglaries, riots, &c &c. In five vals. tavo, price neatly bound 11. 10s. or may be had in fifty numbers, embellished with elegant Copper-plates, one or more at a time, price only 6d. each. The INFLUENCE of the PROGRESS of SCIENCE on the Manners and Characters of Men. THE HE progrefs of science, and the cultivation of literature, had confiderable effect in changing the manners of the European nations, and introducing that civility and refinement by which they are now diftinguished. At the time when their empire was overturned, the Romans, though they had loft that correct tafte which has rendered the productions of their ancestors the standards of excellence, and models for imitation to fucceeding ages, ftill preserved their love of letters, and cultivated the arts with great ardour. But rude Barbarians were so far from being Aruck with any admiration of thefe unknown accomplishments, that they defpifed them. They were not arrived at that ftate of fociety, in which those faculties of the human mind, that have beauty and elegance for their objects, begin to unfold themselves. They were ftrangers to all thofe wants and defires which are the parents of ingenious invention; and as they did not comprehend either the merit or utility of the Roman arts, they deftroyed the monuments of them, with induftry not inferior to that which their pofterity have fince ftudied to preserve, or to recover them. The convulfions occafioned by their fettlement in the empire; the frequent as well as violent revolutions in every kingdom which they established; together with the interior defects in the form of government which they introduced, banifhed fecurity and leifure; prevented the growth of tafte or the culture of fcience; and kept Europe, during feveral centuries, in a ftate of ignorance. But as foon as liberty and independence began to be felt by every part of the com munity, and communicated fome tafte of the advantages ariling from commerce, from public order, and from perfonal fecurity, the human mind became confcious of powers which it did not formerly perceive,> and fond of occupations or purfuits of which it was formerly incapable.. Towards the beginning of the twelfth century, we difcern the first: fymptoms of its awakening from that lethargy in which it had long been funk, and observe it turning with curiofity and attention towards new objects. The first literary efforts, how, ever, of the European nations in the middle ages, were extremely illdirected. Among nations, as wellas individuals, the powers of imagination attain fome degree of vigour before the intellectual faculties are much exercifed in fpeculative or abftract difquifition. Men are poets before they are philofophers. They feel with fenfibility, and defcribe with force, when they have made but little progrefs in inveftigation or reafoning. The age of Homer and of Hefiod long preceded that of Thales, or of Socrates. But unhappily for literature, our anceftors, deviating from this courfe which nature points out, plunged at once into the depths of abftrufe and metaphyfical enquiry. They had been converted to the Christian faith foon after they fettled in their new conquefts: but they did not receive it pure. The prefumption of men had added to the fimple and inftructive doctrines of Chrif tianity, the theories of a vain philofophy, that attempted to penetrate into myfteries, and to decide queftions which the limited faculties of the human mind are unable to comprehend, or to comprehend, or to refolve. 3 U Thefe 518 The Influence of the Progrefs of Science. It was not this circumftance alone that gave fuch a wrong turn to the minds of men, when they began again to exercife talents which they had fo long neglected. Most of the perfons who attempted to revive literature in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, had received inftruction, or derived their principles of science from the Greeks in the caftern empire, or from the Arabians in Spain and Africa. Both thefe people, acute and inquifitive to excefs, corrupted thofe fciences which they cultivated. The former rendered theology a fyftem of fpeculative refinement, or of endlefs controverfy. The latter communicated to philofophy a fpirit of metaphyfical and frivolous fubtlety. Milled by thefe guides, the perfons who first applied to fcience were involved in a maze of intricate enquiries. Instead of allowing their fancy to take its natural range, and to produce fuch works of invention as might have improved their taste, and refined their fentiments; inftead of cultivating thofe arts which embellifh human life, and render it comfortable; they were fettered by authority; they were led aftray by example, and wafted the whole force of their geniu: in fpeculations as unavailing as they were difficult. But fruitlefs and ill-directed as thefe fpeculations were, their novelty roufed, and their boldness interested, the human mind. The ardour with which men pursued these uninviting studies was aftonifhing. Genuine philofophy was never cultivated, in any enlightened age, with greater zeal. Schools, upon the model of those inftituted by Charlemagne, were opened in every cathedral, and almost in every monaftry of note. College and univerfitics were erected, and formed into communities, or corporations, governed by their own laws, and invefted with feparate and extenfive jurifdiction over their own members. A regular courfe of ftudies was planned. Privileges of great value were conferred on mafters and fcholars. Academical titles and honours of various kinds were invented, as a recompence for both. Nor was it in the schools alone that fuperiority. in fcience led to reputation and au thority, it became the object of refpect in life, and advanced fuch as acquired it to a rank of no inconfiderable eminence. Allured by all these advantages, an incredi ble number of students reforted to these new feats of learning, and crowded with eagerness into that new path which was open to fame and distinction, But how confiderable foever thefe first efforts may appear, there was one circumftance which prevented the effects of them from being as extenfive as they ought to have been. All the languages in Europe, during the period under review, were barbarous, They were deftitute of elegance, of force, and even of perfpicuity. *From the fubverfion of the Roman empire to the beginning of the fixteenth century. No attempt had been hitherto made to improve or to polifh them. The Latin tongue was confecrated by the church to religion. Cuftom, with authority fcarce lefs facred, had appropriated it to literature. All the fciences cultivated in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were taught in Latin. All the books with refpect to them, were written in that language. To have treated of any important Tubject in a modern language, would have been deemed a degradation of it. This confined fcience within a very narrow circle. The learned alone were admitted into the temple of knowledge; the gate was fhut against all others, who were allowed to remain involved in their former darkness and ignorance. vented, during feveral ages, from diffuling itfelf through fociety, and its influence was circumfcribed, the progrefs of it may be mentioned, nevertheless, nevertheless, among the great caufes which contributed to introduce a change of manners into Europe. That ardent, though illjudged, fpirit of enquiry, which I have defcribed, occafioned a fermentation of mind, which put ingenuity and invention in motion, and gave them vigour. It led men to a new employment of their faculties, which they found to be agreeable, as well as interefting. It accustomed them to exercises and occupations which tended to foften their manners, and to give them fome relifh for thofe gentlé virtues which are peculiar to nations among whom fcience hath But though fcience was thus pre- been cultivated with success. A A curious Account of the HERRINGS, their Shoals, &c. BOUT the beginning of June, every year, the ShetJanders difcover, by feveral figus in the air and on the fea, a vaft and incredibly amazing fhoal of herrings, advancing from the north. The place where they breed, their numberless multitude, their manner of coming, and efpecially, their regular, annual progrefs, are quite wonderful. With regard to the place they come from, and in which they may be faid to inhabit, breed and increase; all we know is, that it is far north. That they are almoft infinite in number, may be fuppofed from what we fee of them; and yet these (it may be concluded) are but as the swarm to the hive; a certain number of fupernumeraries, detached from the still far greater multitude of inhabitants who remain behind, and fent abroad (as it were) every year, to feek their food in other places; as though there was not room for them, in the countries inhabited by their ancestors. These fifh do not return, (fo far as we can perceive) to their native place, there to breed a farther fupply for next feafon; but, on the contrary, come from home big with their prolific fpawn, when every fifh produces many thousand others. This fpawn they caft in those feas; the her rings coming full to us, and being fhotten and empty long before they depart. Their number may be reckoned among the infinites of finite nature (if this expreffion may be allowed) I mean almost beyond the reach of figures. They come up, as we may lay, on the breadth of the ocean and it is thought that the bulk of the fhoal may be 3 U 2 more |