179704 Devonfpire Congregations... Hiftory of Snuff and Tobacco. 
contained in the fame pamphlet, entitled, 
‘Jacob and+Rachael,’ but two of the 
line can be acknowledged correét, on 
the principles of the German hexame-- 
ter : 
Line /46-—Though by me more valued than all 
this world can afford me. 
-——99—=Nightingales warble through the 
lonely ftillnefs of evening. 
The clatitcal Harris, in his Philologi- 
cal E Enquiries, declares for the praGicabi- 
_ lity ef hexameter in the Englifh tongue ; 
and quotes, as an accidental example af 
a well-founding line, this verfe of a. 
pfalm : 
Why do the heathen rage, and the people ima- 
gine a vain thing ? 
Macpherfon’s Iliad abounds with frag- 
- ments, which appear to have formed por- 
tions os regular hexameters. Was it 
by attempting to naturalize fuch metres, 
that he originally acquired the fine pe- 
culiarities of his fiyle? 
Claudio YVolomei. endeavoured, about 
the year 15395 to introduce the ancient 
metres into the Italian language. The 
moft fortunate attempt of his imitators 
is, perhaps, the follox wing epigram of 
Fabbio Benvoglienti, in elegiac hexame- 
ter and Penta ets: 
Mentre da dolci favi fura del mel docil Cupido, 
Volto al ladro un ape, punge la bella mano. 
Subito percuote per acerbo dolore la terra, 
E dogliofo, ed acro, corre alla madre fua. 
Moftrale piangendo, come crudeimente ieriva 
Quella ape, a empia, S pice clola fiera 
fia’; 
Venere. dolce ride; dice Venere: -Guardatl, 
Amore, 
Picciola quanto fei, quanta ferita fai. 
{oe Eee 
Ti) the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
GUR Correfpondent J. W. in your 
Magazine for April, page 273, la- 
bours under a great mifta ke, when he af- 
ferts, that the ‘Inde pendent congregation 
at Braunton had been extinét for feveral 
years; L beg leave to inform you, it 
is one Of the oldest congregations in the 
county of Devon, and it has always been, 
tothe prefent day ,confiantly and regularly 
ferved. The Reve fend john Short has 
“preached there upwards of thirty i 
and fill continues fo to do. 
The independent congregation at I!- 
fracombe, 1s not, as J. W. flates, “‘ gone 
much to decay;’ on the contrary, the 
Diffenting intereft is fupported with {pi-. 
an 
rit and generofity, under the Rever 
Nicholas Shattock. 
Fram, your sy 
" Barnftple, Ae, Lis ae 
339 
To the Editor of f the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N your Magazine for February, a query 
was propofed by Inquisit IVE, to 
the following purpote + “ “How far back 
can the pra aétice oF fmeking and taking 
fnuff, whether of tobacco or any other 
fubftance, be traced; and to what part 
of the world?” I have as yet feen uQ° 
anfwer to this query, which £ am fur-’ 
prifed at, becaule we live in an age, the 
wifdom . which 1s very quefiionable, and: 
we abound with antiquaries whofe re- 
fearches are generally direéted to objects 
of far lefs importance. 
IT mutt confefs, however, that the 
a 
quer 
ion alarmed me not a little. 
I ton—' 
at the fame time, that I am a fnul- 
taker, both upon principle and practice ;- 
and were { difpoled to flatter my brown’ 
companion, I fhould fay as much in its* 
favour as ever Dr. Johnion faid of his 
tea, or Dr. ——-— can fay of his pipe. 
fa. > 
vourite fhould fink under the weight of” 
I- was,- therefore, alarmed left “m 
inveftigation invited by your correfpond-’ 
ent, and I had prepared anfwers of all 
kinds to whatever objections might be: 
brought forward. No perfon, however, 
rious cravings of a nofe, and I am hope- 
ful that the _prefent alarm will end, as 
the fubje& of it frequently does, in tnoke. 
I have no doubt that a eee zood - hif- 
tory might be made of {nuf, and toa: 
We have ™ 
biftory Y have no objection. 
very voluminous hiftories or things of far 
lefs confequence than { (nud, which brings - 
more than whe lfa million of money to the 
Exchequer, and comfor:s the harmlefs7 
pr openiities of many millions of geod and — 
wile men. have often thought thats 
clever antiquary might, make a couple of 
VERY, randlome folios on this fubject, 
noteca quite after the new manner; - 
aud having myfelf often meditated, on it, 
etpecially w hen at a pinch, I Bes leave © 
to offer you the outlines of my plan. 
prem 
tend to two folios ;--pe rhaps, df encou- 
ragement followed the undertaking, -2 
no doubt it would, another. folio aloe 
be added, by way ‘of eas 
‘outline is as follows: 
HisTORY OF SNUFF AND ToBacco, - 
fron the earlie#t period to the prefent day. 
Win, Be: Book I. Preliminary obfer- 
vations. ee of the nofe, with 
anatomical. plates. Size of notes: Di- 
grellio m on Romanwnofes. & Query. Whe- 
ther lone noies are iymproinatic, or per 
A.B. fe? Diteales of oe nile, 
Origin of ta- 
bacce 
‘nas yet ftept forward to curb the luxu- 
have faidthat this hiftery: might’ ex- ’ 
The 
