"Why do the people imagine a vain "thing?"

VIRGIL has used a plural verb after a singular noun in the speech of TARCHON to his crew, B, x. line 294.

¿Nunc, ô lecta manus, validis incumbite remis; "Tollite, ferte rates”.

This change is very frequent.

Plurals are often introduced instead of fingulars, and add a dignity to the proper name, or fubftantive represented.

The most learned Dr. LowTH has made use of this embellishment in his fpirited vindication of the university of Oxford from the disappointed venom of the literary Dictator.,

"I breathed" (fays that humane bishop, whom nothing but the moft intolerable abuse and injuftice could have provoked) "the

fame atmosphere that the Hookers, the "Chillingworths, and the Lockes, had "breathed

breathed before."Letter to the Author of Divine Legation.

A fimilar inftance is obfervable in the

compofition of a very animated and laborious female writer, whofe manliness of expreffion, and freedom of fentiment, may fufficiently atone, in the eyes of many readers, for that extravagant zeal to republicanism, which the affectedly adopts.

"There are weak bigots and fanatics in all opinions: if the Puritans had their "Prynnes, their Burtons, and their Vicars ; "the Epifcopalians had their Clarendons, "their Souths, and their Lauds."

It may be wished, that a genuine, impartial history of the fingular times of the fecond STEUART could remove the prejudiced conclufions of the Clarendons, the Whitelocks, the Woods, the Ludlows, &c. &c. &c. But probably this will never happen: there is fomething fo peculiarly interefting in the H 2

events

events of that æra, that an hiftorian cannot fail to make himfelf a party on one fide, or the other: and, if thus biaffed in these later

feafons, how can perfons exifting at that age, and concerned in the transactions, be expected faithfully to record them!

Kudavas fignify Bells, with which the ancients adorned their horfes, when exhibited in fports. The custom is kept up with greater propriety: we have exchanged ornament for ufe; farmers and waggoners applying bells to their horfes, to cheer them in their journey, or rather to give notice to other carriages, when in a narrow road.

SEC

SECTION

THE

XXI.

HE critic in this fection proceeds to give inftances of Plurals reduced to Singulars. There are fentences in many authors to ftrengthen this affertion: Mr. ADDISON has used the figure (in his Cato) where DECIUS takes his leave of the Utican, who had refufed the conditions of peace fent by CASAR, and departs, saying, "All Rome "will be in tears."

Inftances of the use of this figure are to be found in the holy fcriptures; as Acts xix. V. 29.

"And the whole city was in a confufion.".

In another place more strongly :

"Oh! Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that "killeft the prophets, and stoneft them which

་

are

fent unto thee, how often would I have

H3

"gathered

66 gathered thy children together, even as a “hen gathereth her chickens under her "wings, and ye would not!

"Behold, your houfe is left unto you "defolate ;

"For I fay unto you, Ye fhall not see me "henceforth, till ye fhall fay, Blessed is he "that cometh in the name of the Lord."

St. MAT. Ch. xxiii.

Is not the city Jerufalem far more expreffive, in this paffage, than its inhabitants the Jews?

The energy of the following example is increased by the pathetic repetition—

"Oh! earth, earth, earth, hear the word "of the Lord!"—JER. Ch xxii.

"Oh! Ifrael, return unto the Lord thy "God!"-Hos. Ch. xiv.

And