146 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ° 
N the Catalogue of the works of Ed- 
I mund Wingate, the mathematician 
and lawyer, annexed te Dr. Watkins’ 
Memoirs of that neglected author, which 
appeared in your lait number. I obferve, 
Dr. W. has omitted to infert Wingate’s 
corrected edition of Britton, a lawyer 
who wrote in the reign of Edward the firft, 
The firit edition of this w rark, publifhed 
by Redman in 1540, being the only edi- 
tion that appeared previous to Wi ingate’s, 
began to.grow very fcarce, and W1 ingate, 
at the requeft of feveral of his friends, (as 
appears by his preface,) publifhed a 
fecond edition in 12mo. in 1640. There 
has been only one fubfequent edition, 
which was publithed i in 1762. From thefe 
three editions, of which Wingate’s is the 
moft valuable, the world has been fup- 
plied with a work, a copy of which is to 
be met with in the library of every lawyer 
and antiquary. 
Tt will be eafily imagined, that Wingate 
is better known to the learned in the law, 
as the editor of Britton, than by his 
other law publications, none of which are 
now read, or appear to have pofieffed 
much celebrity among hiscontemporaries. 
Dr. W. indeed, ftates, that his work, en- 
tituled, “The Body of the Law,” went 
Original Poetry. 
(March. 1, 
through two editions, the date of the firft 
of which he fpecities. The catalogue 
which IT have confulted, mentions only 
one edition of this work by Wingate, 
viz, a 12mo. publifhed in 1678: but I 
have no doubt of the accuracy of Dr. 
W.’s ftatement, the date of the latter 
ellidian being more than twenty years 
after the death of the author. Certain 
it is that Wingate’s name has not been 
honoured with one of thofe fcientific con= 
tractions, which have characterized the 
works of better, or lefs neglected, iaw- 
writers. 
Dr. W. mentions, that Wingate was 
the fuppofed editor of feveral works not 
mentioned in his fubjoined catalogue, 
which difplay much ability. I cannot 
fuppote that the edition of Britton is in- 
cluded in this laconic, though handfome 
confignment to oblivion, Wingate being 
the avowed editor of that book. If it be 
confidered, however, as one of the ob- 
jects of this fentence, I confefs I do not 
fee the propriety of omitting, in a paper 
intended to remind the world of an au- 
thor nearly forgotten, one of the few me- 
morials which ferve to identity the fub- 
ject of fuch a paper. Your's, &c. 
anchefier, J. Denison, 
January 18, 1807, . 
ORIGINAL POETRY. 
EEE 
TO THE PRIMROSE, 
By Mr. MAYNE. 
RY murm’ring Nith, my native ftream, 
Pye hail’d thee with the morning’s beam 3 
Woo'd thee among the Falls of Clyde, 
On Levin’s banks, on Kelvin-fide 5 
And now, on Hanwell’s flow’ry plain, 
I welcome thy return again— 
At Hanwell! where romantic views, 
And fylvan icenes, invite the Mufe; 
And where, left erring man fhould sie 
Truth’s blamelefs Teacher leads the way ! 
Lorn tenant of the peaceful glade, 
Emblem ef Virtue in the thcte:, 
~ Rearing thy head to brave the ftorm 
That would thine innocence deform ! 
OF all the How’rs thai greet the fpring, 
Of all the flow’rs the feafons bring, 
To me, while doom’d to linger here, 
The lowly primrofe fhall be dear ! 
Sprung like a primrofe inthe wild, 
Short, like the primrofe, Marion fmil’d ; 
The {pring that gave her bloffoms birth, 
‘Fore them for ever from the earth ; 
Nor left, ah me! one bud behind 
To tranquillize a parent’s mind, 
Save that {weet bud which ftrews the way, 
Bleft Hope! to an eternal May! 
Lorn tenant of the peacefyl glade, 
Emblem of Virtue in the fhade, 
Rearing ay head to brave the ftorm 
That would thine ianocence deform ! 
Of all the flow’rs that greet the fpring,. 
Of all the flo\’rs the feafors bring, 
‘Yo me, while doom’d to linger bere, 
The lowly primrofe fhall be dear4 
SSE 
SONNET TO THE SOUL. 
PARAPHRASED FROM CARLO MARIA 
MAGGI, 
By MARIANA STARKE. 
-[MMORTAL Soul! blef offspring of the 
fy ! 
Beftow'd to elevate the fons of earth 5 
Why fleep fupine, while patiions dire draw nigh 
To rob slice of thy precious rights of bith 3, 
