“ 
1802. } Fournal of a 
that, confidering the nature of thofe plans, 
he was acting lefs irrationally in indul- 
ging his paffion for martial fame and con- 
queft, on the fuppofition that there was 
no future refponfibility, than upon the 
contrary fuppofition, Louis XIV. who 
certainly never had a doubt of the truth 
of his religion, ated more inconfiftently 
in facrificing the happinefs of his fubjects, 
and the rights of his neighbours, to his 
perfonal ambition, than any unbelieving 
monarch could do, finee he aéted thus in 
the face of a dreadful retribution, which 
even his courtly chaplains could not avoid 
occafionally to place before his eyes, Ma- 
fon fays, . 
————— Why muf murdered myriads lofe their 
ile 
That thou may’{t fame the meteor of an 
~ hour! 
Frederic, fuppofing him to have been 
devoid of all humane fentiments, might 
have replied, ‘* Becaufe they are puppets, 
which fate has put into my hands, in or- 
der that I might have the opportunity of 
becoming this meteor of an hour ;”’ Louis 
certainly would not make the fame re- 
ply. Hence, then, the poet fhould have 
taken his mora!. ‘He might have fol- 
Jowed his touching exordium with fuch 
a ftrain as this :—-As pleafure is the bu- 
fine!s of the gay and young, fo ambition 
is the (port of the great and powerful ; 
and what is there to prevent them from 
purfuing their game to the defolation of 
mankind, but the thought of being here- 
after refponfible for their condust at a 
trMuanal before which all their greatnefs 
is as nothing? Soa Maffillon would have 
preached. Mafon was willing to be a 
preacher in verfe, but I think he clearly 
miftook his text. ‘Tie dottrine of a fu- 
ture ftate has nothing to do with our pur- 
fuits in this life, further than as to the 
morality of them. ‘To that, all! its i- 
fluence ought to be pointed; and truly 
Jamestable and furprifing is it, that this 
influence is comparatively fo {mali! 
Yours, &c. 
PHILOLOGICUS. 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthiy Magazine. 
SIR, 
HOULD the followirg Journal of 
a fhort Pour. into North Wales b2 
judged capable of affording any entertain- 
ment to your readers, 1t js perfectly at 
your fervice. Icis the imple unvarnifhed 
narrative of one who defcribed, on the 
fpot, what fire faw, and nothing elle —of 
one, who, traveliiog fimply to contemplate 
the grand and beautiful features of nature, 
Wellh Tour’ 
has endeavoured by a faithful, however: 
inadequate de(cription, to communicate 
fome faint reflection of the vivid pleafure 
glowing in her bolom. Iam, &c. 
L. A. 
227 
* EN 
July 17th. On the evening of this day 
we lett London in the Ludlow mail. The 
weather was as fine as we could with. The 
moon, after ftruggling for fome time with 
the clouds, fhone out in full glory as we 
reached Slough, and lighted us all the way 
to Oxford. While the horfes were chan- 
ging we walked along the High-ftreet, of 
the fplendour of which we faw juft enough 
to make us wifh to fee more— The du- 
bious light of the dawn, affifted by the 
faint rays of the fetting moon, glimmer- 
ing through the filent and deferied f{treets, 
gave a fombre caft, perfectly in unifon with 
the monaftic gloom of the colleges, and 
the antique grandeur of the churches. 
We proceeded reluctantly on our journey, 
through a flat but rather woody country, 
to the town of Chipping Norton, whole 
white houfes and flated roofs gleam 
through the wood and pleanngly enliven 
the fcene. Beyond this is fpread a high 
open country much refembling the barren 
parts of Bedfordfhire, but rendered even 
more dreary by the fione walls which fup- 
ply the place of hedges. Entering Wore 
ceiterfhire the appearance of the country 
fuddeniy improves. From Broadway 
Hill we looked down on the rich and 
beaunful vaie of Evefham, with the claflie 
ftream of the Avon winding through it, 
and the Malvern hills crowning the view 
with a ftrong blue outline. ‘Dbe road 
now begias to be bordered with pear-trees, 
and the whole landicape wears the face of 
fertility and comfort: in the midft of it 
ftunds the neat and handfome city of Wor- 
cefter, where we dined, and proceeded for 
feveral miles with the Malvern, Clee and 
Breedon hills, in full fight, till we entered 
ona tract very different trom any thing I 
had yet feen. By a winding road we ai- 
cendcd.a fteep wooded hill, whence we 
faw innumerable others ftarting in wild 
confufion irom low moiit meadows of an 
emerald green, theckly planted with wil- 
lows, oaks, afhes and apple-trees of a 
much more lexuriant appearance than any 
T remember to have feen. Horles, cows 
and fheep ealivened the meadows ; fine 
crops of wheat and barley climbed the 
hilis to meet the hanging woods depend- 
ing from them, plantations of hops reared 
ibeir {lender poles, of:en mixed with cherry 
and pear-trees; and large orchards, kept 
in the niceft order, cloatned the fides gr 
; the 
