1799-] 
of domeftie happinefs, of morals, of pub- 
lic welfare. ‘The enormous. increate of 
the poor-rates, though a great evil, necef- 
farily mult flow more and more from the 
cvant of habitations for the poor; not as 
the fole cause, but as a powerfully increaf- 
ing caufe of this burthen.. And great as 
it is, it is far from the greateft evil derived 
from thisfource. Excouragementto parifhes 
to build cottages, if the prejudite of parith-, 
officers and of wealthy inhabitants can be 
furmounted, would, as your corre{pondent 
obferves, be doing much. The late alte- 
ration in the law of parochial {ettlements 
has removed one of their objections. A 
fettlement is no longer gained by mere 
rating and payment to the rates: though 
a. poor perfon is no longer removable on 
the uncertain ground of being /zkely to be- 
come chargeable, without being fo. : 
EncLosures will be of no great u‘e 
without sands to cultivate. And it is 
difficult to believe that labourers will be 
long afd eafily found, if, confequently with 
the operations of other reducing caufes, 
the dwellings which thould comfortably 
‘ccntain them and their families fhall con- 
tinue to decreafe. 

Divor’s finall fiereotype ViRGIL. 
ALLOW me a word on the Dipot 
Viraert. Having now collated it with 
care to near the end of the gth book of 
the 4uxeid, J can fay, its typographical ac- 
curacy 1s very uncominon, and. indeed al- 
moft fingularly great. I cannot fay fo 
much of its critical merit in the choice of 
various readings. On this I intend to 
obierve hereafter in detail. 

A private correfpondent has attempted 
to defend ** Muzcera latitiamque Di,” 
from the known paffage in AULUs GeL- 
L1Us *, which does certainly fpeak of fuch 
a reading. But though I had read this 
pafiage not unfrequently before I made 
my obfervation, and have new reconfulted 
it, I am not convinced by it. 
I think if Virq@it bad meant the geni- 
tive of Dies in the antique form, he wovld 
have preferred Dre or Dies, as in the 
GeorG:c: + 
Libra die fomnigue pares ubi fecerit horas. 
The Mepicean MS of the higheft 
authority, and the refpe€table MS of Fe/us 
College, CAMBRIDGE, of which I have the 
we, give no countenance to this reading. 
I believe I may fay it has no countenance 
from any of the beft editions ; ‘or from any 
ef the oldeft and moft authentic MSS: 
ae a Re ee Se ee 
* Nod. Att. lib. ix. cap. 14.) 
3 
- Didst’s Virgil—Collard’s Logic. 
607 
—unlefs, as to editions, we exceptWAkE- 
FIELD’s certainly very valuable, in which - 
it is adopted ;. but without\obfervaticn on 
it in the notes: and it feems te be a read- 
ing which, unlefs authority compelled, 
reafon would little recommend. 
ASTRONOMICAL QUESTION. 
I with to propofe this Queftion: 
1. WHETHER according to the laws of 
GRAVITATION a PLANET confifting of 
earth, feas, and atmofpherc, might NECES- 
SARILY requue @ ROTATION ON ITS 
aXis to counteract the tendency of thofe 
lighter and fluid parts of its mafs to. be car- 
_ried off from it by the rectilinear zafluence of ° 
ATTRACTION? 
2. WHETHER the IMMEDIATE CAUSE 
of fuch ROTATION can be found in the 
properties refulting from fuch a combination 
of the great conftituent parts of the planet? 
I remain your’s fincerely, Gaol. 
Trofion, Fuly 17, 1799+ 
| ‘“ SSS ‘ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magarine. 
SIR, i 
N looking into Collard’s Effentials of 
Logic the other day, I met with fome 
obfervations on the following , fentence 
from Dr. Johnfon’s preface to Shakef- 
peare, which I beg leave to fubmit to the 
confideration of your readers. ‘‘ But be- 
caufe human judgment, though it be gra- 
dually gaining upon certainty, never be- 
comes infallible ; and approbation, though 
long continued, may yet be only the ap- 
probation of prejudice or fafhion ;-it is 
proper to inquire by what peculiarities of 
excellence Shakefpeare has gained and 
Kept the favour of his countrymen.” 
<¢ Now,”’ fays Mr. C. page 244, 6‘ the firft 
member of this fentence is rendered: ob- 
{cure by a bad arrangement ; for-it ap- 
pears, that we are to appeal from the hu- 
man judgment of a former time, to. the 
human judgment ofa latter time; becau/e, 
though gradually gaining upon certainty, 
zt mcver becomes infallible. But by a 
{mall tranfpofition, which indeed materi- 
ally alters the fenfe, the firft reafon will be 
amply ftriking and fatisfaétory: as, be- 
caufe human judgment is gradually gain- 
ing upon certainty, though it never be- 
comes infallible. Here we appeal. from’ 
the human judgment of a former time to 
the human judgment of a /atter time, be- 
caufe it is gradually gaining upon certain~ 
ty; which is a reaion fufficiently forcible. 
Thus, by tranfpofing the ‘conjunttion 
though, and the pronoun) zt, we remove the 
obicurity of this very elegant fentence ; as 
will appear by reftating it in the Dofior’: 
4 Ia OWL 
