540 Account of Thomas Majors Confinement in the Bastille. [July 1, 
without detail or quotation.” The fol- 
Jowing citations are surely very awkward- 
ly introduced :—Sir J. Belfield, speaking 
of Mrs. Fentham’s daughter, says, “ The 
damsels still remain, like Shakespeare’s 
plaintive masd, ‘ in stagle blessedness ;’ 
they do not, however, like her, spend 
gloomy nights * chan ling cold hymns to 
the pale fifeless moun, but im singing 
sprightlier roundelays to livelier ‘audic 
tors.” Here we are first to be told in 
jofty verse what they do not do, beture 
we hear ir humble prose what they ac- 
tually do. In the play from which this 
forced allusion and quotation is made, 
Tlermia asks the Duke what is to befal 
her, if she refuse to wed Demetrius? The 
‘Duke tells her either to die, or to live in 
a cloister ‘* chanting, &c.” but hints, that 
more earthly happiness is to be found in 
marriage than in “ single blessedness ;” 
here we have no plaintive maid “ chant- 
ing faint hymns to the cold fruitless 
moon” (which, by the bye, is as Shake- 
speare wrote it. I wish these ladies, 
when they quote, would turn to their 
Shakespeares and Popes, and not give 
their lines from memory, which is a 
very treacherous faculty). Again, Sir 
John is quite poctical in his relation of 
what he supposes occurred in his young 
fricud’s visit at Mrs. Fenthain’s; but he 
keeps within bounds, till he commits the 
absurdity of making Milton tell us what 
Celebs did not do, before he tells us 
himself what he diddo! 
Coelebs, as soon as he enters Stanley 
Grove, grows poetical; but as he almost 
as soon becomes a lover, we must allow 
him as a privilege belonging to that cha- 
racter, the full range of poetry; though 
it, would surely be a greater compliment 
to the lady, were this verse original and 
not borrowed. 
Ts not the following line from Pope very 
awkwardly forced in (1 may say) by that 
indefatizable quoter, Sir J. Belfield? 
Mr. Tyrrell proposes making a general 
bonfire ofthe poets: aftera ‘reply, from 
Rin. Stanley, Sir John exclaims, & And 
if fuel fails, we might not only rob Belin- 
da’s altar of her 
¢ Twelve tomes of. French romances, neatly 
gilt,” 
but, &c.”"— 
Ido net hke the task of censuring, 
therefore “shall here close my remarks, 
cwith recommending to the female writers 
who adorn-the present age, to preserve 
a plain and sinsple style, free from forced 
esos and frequent quatation. 
Your's, &c, ‘SEs 
4 
Pansy 
XEN, 
For the Monthly. Magazine. 
ACCOUNT of THOMAS MAJOR’S CONFINE* 
MENT wa the casrLE of the BASTILLE, 
wn the YEAR 1746, interspersed with 
several ANECDOTES of POPISH BIGOTRY, 
22a LETTER tO THOMAS HOLLIS, ESQ. 
Of LINCOLN’s INN, F.R.S. and S.A.S. 
1772, RevIsED end. PUBLISHED by his 
GRANDSON, THOMAS WILSON. 
(Concluded from page 435.) 
HE morning after my confinement, 
the governorsent toknow if [ would 
acquaint my friends with my imprison- 
raent, that ‘they might endeavour to get 
my reiease. This T took as a great Clvi- 
lity, and I returned him my thanks, and 
said Ishould take it asaparticular favour. 
Accordingly pens, ink, paper and wafers, 
were sent me. I wrote to Monsieur 
D’Anville, {the King’s geographer)* who 
knew that my coming to France with his 
brother, Monsieur Gravelot, of whom ¥ 
had been a pupil, was purely for my im- 
provement in the arts. I desired that he 
would apply to the Duke of Orleans (the 
king’s uncle) for whom I had engraved 
some copper-plates; and entreat his i in= 
terest for my release, that I might pursue 
my studies. This letter, as wafers were 
sent, I inconsiderately closed, not then 
knowing the nice punctilios of the French, 
and how tenacious they are of ceremoni- 
ous trifles. This was an incivility to the 
governor; it should have been sent open 
tor his inspection, for which reason he ne- 
ver forwarded it. Perhaps, it was only 
a method used to come at the connecs 
tions of the prisoner, and by that means to 
Obtain light into any affair they may wish 
to be acquainted with, But of this Tam’ 
not certain, it is only a surmise, and I 
should be sorry to cast any reflection’ 
upon this gentleman, who behaved so: 
genteely to me. I have since been in- 
turmed, that no prisoner is allowed to 
write from hence, but by a particular or- 
der, first obtained for that purpose, from 
the minister of state; and this confirms 
my conjecture, that the above was an are 
tifice only, My landlord earnestly en- 
treated the exempt, to acquamt hin 
where he was going to nhetie: and to 
tell of what I had been accused, sayiny, 
he had no reason to suspect me of harm. 
He was deaf to his entreaties; and, with 
the usual brutality annexed to his profes- 
sion, absolutely refused to give hin an an- 
igs A gentleman universally known, by tee 
legrn ed, fer his excellent maps. 
,  BWens 
