Transiaiion of Klopstock*s Messiahs 
fountain of light, the foci draws nearer 
to the comet, and the tail shortens; at 
length the comet recedes so far from the 
sun, that the quantity of liizhc ceases to 
produce the same visual effect, while the 
increased distance from tf)e earth com» 
bines also to render it altoi^ether invi- 
sible. 
Telescopes destroy the tail, because 
they maiinify ilie space without iiicrea- 
sing the light, an etfect winch is univer¬ 
sal when they are applied to luminous 
objects, but more sensible in regard to a 
comet’s tail, than to any otlter object of 
telescopic observation ; serving therefore 
to prove that it is iight itself, rather than 
any crude vapour on which light is im¬ 
pinging. The stars are seen through it, 
because they shine by their inherent 
light, and there is no substance or 
opacity intercepting their rays in the 
comet’s tail; and the tail disappears even 
before the lunar twilight, so rare is its 
light, and so much indebted is it for its 
resplendancy to the contrast of nocturnal 
darkness.* 
Such are the obvious and necessary 
causes of this grand phenomena!—Let 
ns reflect however vvith charity on the 
terrors of superstition, ami on the 
vagaries of learning ! What becomes of 
the flaming sword of priestcraft, of the 
mephitic and disease-creating vapours of 
hypochondriacs and physicians, of the 
restorative supplies of the philosophers, 
of the cause of the deluge, See. See. See. ? 
Keed we wonder at the swoonings cre¬ 
ated by the Phantasmagoria—at the 
spectres of solitude—at tlie terrors of 
childreit in passing through the cornet’s 
tails of our apothecaries’ windows—or 
-at the alarm spread through nations by 
^ eclipses of the luminaries? 
Common Sense, . 
iBucking^iam Gaff’, Oct. 10, ISil. 
To the. Editor' of the Monthly Mattuzine. 
SIR, 
S I am one of those w ho ever feel 
warmly interested when they see 
that scieiice and literature flourish in 
Turope now as of yore in the Grecian 
* Nor can we cm.t to notice Mr. Lofre’s 
observation of the division of the taii^ and of 
the unillumined space immediately behind 
the centre of the nucleus. I have distinctly 
noticed it, and it exactly accords with this 
hypothesis, particularly ir, by the centrifugal 
force, the nucleus, and its fluids, form an 
oblate spheroid, and the axis of the comet is 
in a suitable position in regard to the eye of 
the spectator. 
[Nov. 
and Homan empires, I was particularly 
gratified with perusing in your miscellany 
of the 1st of September, the observation 
of Common Sense; and more especially 
so when I had the satisfaction to find 
that our ideas on the subject are precisely 
Consonant; and, though I am of opinion 
that, excepting Milton and Klopstock, 
no poet dare presume to stand forth at 
the side of Homer, I think that it is no 
disparagement to the father of the poets 
to place John Milton on his right, and 
Fi’iederick Gottlieb Klopstock, as the 
younger brother, on his left. 
But in Eiigland we hitherto know little 
of Klopstock, save that he lived, and, ac¬ 
cording to report, gave to the world one 
of the greatest poems which have ever 
been produced. 
In the English translation of this ines¬ 
timable work, we discover about as much 
of Klopstock’s Messiah as we should be¬ 
hold ofTheseus, were we to see the hero 
represented by a man decrepit and bait, 
hobbling along on a pair of crutches of 
unequal length. 
I am enabled, however, to state to the 
public, that an undaunted young fo¬ 
reigner, a native of Germany, purposes 
(unless some adverse fortune should re¬ 
press his bold design,) shortly to present 
to the British amateurs of literature a 
translation in English hlank-verse, of a 
Canto of Klopstock’s Messiah. He will 
in the preface assign the reason of his 
publishing one canto singly; he will also 
point out some reasons why a good 
translation of that poem has not been 
produced before now. 
The translator alluded to is as yet 
wholly unknown to the public, his age 
is nearly nine and twenty, he has resided 
in England about eleven years, during 
which he has not only devoted a great 
portion of his time to literary stuilies, 
hut has attained a familiarity with the 
English language, which he writes witli 
facility and gramRiaticai accuracy. But, 
Jest I should be either too sanguine or 
too diffident in making any observations 
respecting him as a \otary of the Muse, 
I forbear to say any thing further, save 
that he confidently trusts his work will 
be entitled to its epithet—-.'z 'Crar.slatioru 
K.’s Pedestal. 
September Q, 1811. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
The REIGN of ABSURDITY, 
EFORE we enter upon t!ie reign of 
Absurdity, it may be }>roper to take 
a View of the empire of Taste at the time 
