to Mr. Arthur Aikin. 363 



of Fenelon, the author of Telemachus, who thus concludes 

 his Survey of the Wonders of Creation, to rouse the sense- 

 less spirits of a giddy world to the contemplation of his 

 glory who formed it, be also included in the mass of dull, 

 stupid, and unappropriate matter? To its fitness, not as 

 books commonly run, I appeal to every judge of composi- 

 tion. Adam is supposed, after the wonder excited by the 

 objects of creation, to begin to class these in his mind, and 

 he separates the three kingdoms of nature : he then dis- 

 criminates the seven vegetable tribes, as represented to us by 

 Linnaeus. This appeared to me a proper, grand, and suitable 

 opening to a botanic work ; and, if wrong, might even 

 from its i( magnificence" have disarmed the severity of criti- 

 cism. But your reviewer is devoid of all "grandeur of con- 

 ception" and of "taste;" and, had he been placed as Adam 

 was, would have only said, " All this is very pretty, but I 

 want something good to stuff my guts with;" and brute- 

 like, after filling his belly, would have fallen into a profound 

 sleep,, and snored like a hog, not caring about waking *. 

 I have the honour to be, sir, 

 Your obedient and much injured servant, 



Robert John Thornton. 



P.S. I would here wish to apologize to the philosophic 

 reader for making him a party in this contest : but being 

 openly challenged in this magazine to vindicate myself 

 from what are called iS serious charges/ 9 brought against 

 me by Mr. Arthur Aikin's reviewer; as a public lecturer, 

 successor to the Linnean Smith, I have esteemed it as a 

 duty not to shrink, when the gauntlet is thus publicly thrown 

 down; or I had contented myself with the single letter <( on 

 the satellite of Venus," not willing to obtrude more on the 

 time and patience of the philosophic world. 



* How delicately does Milton handle this subject ! When he repre- 

 sents our first father as falling into a sweet ilumbcr^z nevertheless makes 

 him dream. 



«' On a green shady bank, profuse of flowers, 



Pensive I sat me down : there gentle sleep 



First found me, and with soft oppression seij'd 



My drowsed sense -.----. 



Then suddenly stcod at my head a dream. 



Whose inward apparition gently mov'd 



My fancy to believe Ijet bad being " 



B b 4 IX Ae+ 



