1809.] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
Should feel myself greatly obliged by 
] the insertion of this letter in your 
widely circulated and highly respectable 
Magazine. I was lately in a literary 
party, in which the following lines were 
the subject of conversation, and the 
question was agitated, Prom whom are 
they taken? 
He that fights and runs away 
May live to fight another day ; 
But he that is in battle slain 
Will never rise to fight again. 
TI hope this letter will attract the atten- 
tion of some of your humerous readers, 
and should they be so good as to give me 
the information which I have solicited, I 
shall deem myself much indebted to 
their kindness, and greatly flattered by 
their communication. 
Your’s, &c. 
13, Castle-street, James RupceE. 
Jun. 6, 1809. 
—— ae 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
VER ready to assist in diffusing 
whatever may produce innocent 
amusement, it is with pleasure [ inform 
your correspondent F.D.L. (p. 444) that 
a very good transparent screen for the 
exhibition of the Phantasmagor:a, may 
be prepared by spreading white wax, 
(dissolved in spirit of wine, or oil of tur- 
pentine,) over thin muslin. A-screen so 
prepared will roll up without injury. A 
clearer screen may be produced by hav- 
dancing ; and that they danced one way while 
the strophe was singing, and then danced 
back again while the antistrophe was sung, 
and remained inactive while the epode was 
performing. hus, the strophe and anti- 
strophe may be compared to our recitatives, 
and the epodeto the air. ‘There is a passage 
in the ancient grammarian, Marius Victori- 
nus, which is much to the saine purpose, 
though he does not distinctly spealk of dan- 
cing. The passage is this: ‘* Pleraq. lyrico- 
rum carminum, quz versu colisq. ef comma- 
tibus componuntur, ex strophe, antistrophe, 
et epodo, ut Greeci avpellant, ordinata sub- 
sistunt. Antiquideorum laudes carminibus 
comprehensas, circum auras corum euntes ca- 
nebant 5 cujus primum ambitum, quem in- 
‘gredicbantur ex parte dextra, strophen voca- 
bant; reversionem autem sinistrorsum factam, 
completo priore orbe, antistrophen appella- 
bant. Deinde in conspectu deorum soliti 
consistere cantici, reliqua consequebantur, 
appellantes id epodon.” Consult also the 
Schelia on Pindar. 
Transparent Screens— History of Coffee. | % 
ing the muslin always strained upon a 
rectangular frame, and prepared with 
turpentine instead of wax. Such a screen 
however is not always convenient, and at 
cannot be relied without cracking and 
becoming jn a short time useless. Some 
years ago I tried various methods of pre- 
paring the muslin, but I cannot recollect 
any thing better for the purpose thai 
what [ have here mentioned. 
Cirencester, Your's, we. :, 
Jan. 2, 1809. a 
Se 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
The wistory of corres, by the late Dr. 
JOHN FOTHERGILL, ediled by Dr, 
LETTSOM. 
HE earliest account we have of Cof 
fee is taken from an Arabian Ma- 
nuscript in the King of France’s Library, 
No. 944, and is as follows: 
Schehabeddin Ben, an Arabian au- 
thor of the ninth century of the Hegira, 
or fifteenth of the Christians, attributes 
to Gemaleddin, Mufti of Aden, a city ef 
Arabia Felix, who was nearly his cetem- 
porary, the first introduction into that 
country of drinking coffee. He tells as 
that Gemaleddin, having occasien to tra- 
velinto Persia, during fis abode there, saw 
some of his countrymen drinking coffee, 
which at that time he did not much at- 
tend to, but on his return to Aden, finding 
himself indisposed, and remembering 
that he had seen his countrymen drink- 
ing coffee in Persia, in hopes of receiving 
some benefit from it, he determined te 
try iton himself; and, after making the 
experiment, not only recovered his healtla 
but perceived other useful qualities in 
hat liquor; such as relieving the head-— 
ache, enlivening the spirits, and, without 
prejudice to the constitution, preventing 
drowsiness, ‘This last quality he resclved 
to turn to the advantage of his profession ; 
he took it himself, and recommended it 
the dervises or religious Mahometans, to 
enable them to pass the night in prayer, 
and other exercises of their religion with 
greater zeal and attention. The example 
and authority of the mufti gave re- 
putation to coilee. Soon men of letters, 
and persons belonging to the law, adop- 
ted the use of it; these were followed by 
the tradesmen and artisans, that were un- 
der a necessity of working in the night, 
aad such as were oblived to travel after 
sunset. At length the custom became 
general in Aden, and it. was not only 
drank by those who were desirous of 
being kept awake, but inthe day forthe 
sake of its other acrecable qualities, 
ryt 
LS 
