272 
Who but would bow the neck to thee, and 
court 
The treedom of thy yoke? With thankful 
heart ; 
F blefsthee, Hymen, for that fetaph form, 
In whom thou gaveft me another foul, 
Doubling exiftence. ‘Thou haft given to me 
Truth, tendernefs, and all the namelefs Joys 
©f quiet life, making me live indeed ! 
Who but would bow the neck to thee, and 
court 
The freedom of thy yoke? Oh, holy Power ! 
¥ have efcap’d from Babylon, and blefs 
‘Thy faviour aid. 
As thefe lines indicate, Villegas now 
bade adieu to poetry, and applied himfelf 
to fuch ftudies as were likely to be more 
effeemed, and better rewarded. Two 
folio Aes mee of claffical criticifm, enti- 
tled Varig Philocogig, yet remain in 
* manufcript, to nee his learning and 
imdufiry ; and he began the more labo- 
rious tafk of commenting upon the Theo- 
dofian Code. Butno exertion of genius, 
er of indufiry, could procure him fuch 
patronage as he deferved and wanted; 
and when, in his old age, experience had 
convinced him of the vanity of his hopes 
he employed the Jatter days of life in 
Cae the Contfolations of f Philotophy. 
fully participating, perhaps, the proud 
and melancholy feelings that comforted 
‘Boethius. 
fe Oe 
~ eee eee 
To the Editor of the Manthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AM one of thofe men who take de- 
light in feeing fcience encouraged and 
ennobled, and, far from -cavilling at the 
diftribution of titles and honours (and 
even places and wee fic ns) upon lit erary 
men, and literary tocieties, 1 have often 
lamented, that in this country, they have 
been fo fparingly diftributed that way. 
After this hort preamble, you will not 
be furpriied that I avow a pleafure in 
viewing the fpirit of the furgeons’ com- 
pany, who are, at this tine; petitioning 
the legiflature to have their corporation 
ereéted into a college. 
As we attach ideas to founds, a cor- 
poration carries with it 2 notion of form - 
thing mechanical and vulgar; a college, 
that of fomething {cientific and refpeét- 
able ;, and, thouvh every college is “a 
corporation, yet we all feel ehat every 
corporation is not a college; the latrer 
word being pee confined to fociettes 
of “men refpectable in the fciences, 
and in the liberal and ornamental arts. 
Surgery is both a fcience and a liberal 
College of Surgeons. 
“their 
encouragement of 
[Apri], 
art; and the education of a complete 
furgeon fo neceffarily involves a ftudy of 
nature through many of the principal 
diftriéts of her dominion, that we can 
have no feruples of calling that clafs of 
men /éarned, in the bef relative fenfe of 
that term, their public utility. They 
are therefore, fir, certainly entitled to 
the favour of the legiflature, and fince 
they petition to be called a college, they 
are entitled to that honourable diftin@tion 
---a diftinétion which, while the legif- 
lature of the country freely grants, the 
country will have fomething to expect in 
return. 
Every charter of incorporation ought 
to be regarded in the light of a compact 
for reciprocal benefit, between the coun- 
try which gives, and the company 
which receives, the charrer. Where 
the benefit is only on one fide, viz. that 
of the company, the hideoufnefs of 
monopoly always ftarts Into view, and 
power is imprudently vefted in a corner, 
-with no fuitable advantage to the public, 
but often evident lofs. This 1s moft 
obvious, indeed, in trading incorpora- 
tions, but is not lefs real in fcientifie 
ones. Every (fcientific incorporation 
has a character to maintain, and a public 
good to ferve ; very fortunately, it ean- 
not fulfil one without the other. To 
confine myfelt to that of the furgeons, 
as an example, they can only ferve the 
public by promoting the fcience of 
furgery ; and they can only maintain 
charaéter as a college, by their 
fcientific labours to that end. By con- 
veriing their corporation into a Sse 
they are going to be invefted publicly 
with the robe of fcience—and let not 
affes’ ears flick up above the lion’s fkin! 
It is not London alone, but Europe, who 
will witnefs their Aurelian change, with 
all its learned colleges and. focieties, to 
which I with to fee the furgeons’ com- 
pany aggregated, and among which [ 
know they will make a_ refpeétable 
figure, p: rovide d-they aét upon a regu- 
lar, lib eral, and zealous plan, for the 
their profeffion. me 
fearcely know the number of furgeons 
in Lond lon, but I hear of many who 
are’ learned, and active, and zealous, 
in promoting {cience---me of capacious 
Minds, Whe Gre acquainted with all 
thofe means which bring forward the 
reputation of literary focieties: Beas 
fuch men, I hope, will devolve th 
plans for forming regular and fremiene 
meetings, for the reading of obferva- 
tions and enquiries, for forming come 
“‘mittees 
