406 
Talmud to wine. In their riper years, 
sevolting againft the reveries of the Mith- 
wa, they have not been able to feparate 
the abiurd tales from the truths which en- 
Sightened reafon reveres. 
For fome years paft a fpirit of réform 
has manifefted itfelf among the Jews of 
Leghorn, who in 1796 made fome altera- 
tions in their religious rites ; among 
thofe fettled at Amiterdam, four or five 
hundred of whom have eftablifhed a fepa- 
vate fynagopue ; among thofe of Berlin, 
the greater part of whom no longer attend 
their fynagogue, and fome of whom, ten 
years ago, addreffed a celebrated Letter to 
the Proteftant paftor Tellier. They of- 
fered to join the Proteftant church, with- 
out believing its doctrines ; for they redu- 
ced their fymbo] to four or five infignificant 
and abftraét propofitions, which do not in- 
dicate any fymptom of Chriftianity. 
The progreis of mental improvement 
among the Jews is however molt oblerv- 
able in Germany ; where feveral men of 
Jearning are earnefily endeavouring to im- 
prove the mode of education. ‘The Jews 
have had a fhare in this moral revolution. 
- Mendelfohn, a creative genius, raifed him- 
felf to a high rank among philofophers : 
and his renown was the eleétric fpark 
which kindled the genius of the Hebrews. 
Mendelfohin had for contemporaries or 
fuccefiors men of difiinguifhed reputation, 
fome of them now no more, fuch as Bloch, 
Herz, Maimon, Hartevig, Vezelize, &c. ; 
others ftill living, fuch as Friedlander, 
uncle and nephew, Wolfsfohn, Frevkel, 
Schottlander, &c., but in particular Ben- 
david, prefident of the Society of Friends 
of Humanity at Berlin, and author of fe- 
veral profound works, who has endeavonr- 
ed to apply algebra to the theory of taite 
in thearts. Several times the Berlin Aca- 
demy of Sciences had expreffed a with that 
Mendcifchn might be appointed one of 
their affociates; but Frederic, who has 
been called the Great, refufed his affent, 
becaufe he would not have in the lift of 
members the name of a Jew joined to that 
of Catherine IT. of Ruffia! This trait of 
Rettle-mindednefs will probably not be co- 
pied, if the Academy fhou!d now prefent 
to the Pruffian Government as a candidate, 
Bendavid, to whom it has already decreed 
feveral prizes —(To be continued.) 
OE 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ae 
HE inclofed extraéts from an original 
letter of Hearne the antiquary’s fa- 
ther were Jately communicated to me by 
an Oxford friend. 
Leiter of Mr. Hearne, 
the Antiquary’s Father. [Junel, 
‘¢ As for our family of the Hearnes, 
they came from Penn, in Buckingham- 
fhire, but of what antiquity there I know 
not at prefent, though there be of the 
name there itill, and ¥ believe they have 
been of long fianding there, though if I 
could go over J could give a better ac- 
count. My father’s name was George, 
the fon of William Hearne, of Penn, but 
what his father’s name was I do not know 
at prefent, but J am apt to believe that 
Herne, Hearon, and Hearne, were all at 
firt one family. I find in Stow’s Abridge- 
ment, which I have, that Herne was one 
of the gentlemen that came out of Nor- 
mandy with Duke William into England ; 
but I can at prefent fay no more to this.” 
‘© Your uncle his love ; he is very bad, 
poor man! I cannot think he will live 
long ; and I doubt fpeciall poor alfo. I 
am forry I am not able to help him; being 
lame, I have much adoe to maintaine my- 
‘feif; but I do get fome writing now and 
ther, or elfe it would be worle with me ; 
and if I were in a better place I could do 
much better. Your mother-in law gives 
her kind love to you, and all your brothers 
as I have lately feen. I have not. feen 
your poor fifter Nan fince Mid-Lent Sun-— 
day, but fhe fends her duty to me often, 
and often inquires after you, poor child ! 
So God Almighty biefs you, and your 
brothers and fifter, and grant that we may 
all inherit his everlafting kingdome. So 
prays Your ever-loving father, 
‘* GEORGE HEARNE, 
“© May 28, 1711. 
«*P.S. This is the great climaétericall 
year of my life, viz., 63, and I do not ex- 
pect to outlive it. God’s will be done !” 
I need hardly add, that old Mr. Hearne 
was the parifh-cle:k of White-Waltham. 
He gave frequent and confiderable affiit- 
ance to the topographical inquiries of his 
fon: and continued to live, though in 
conftant expefiation of an approaching 
end, till Oct. 18, £723. Many of his 
letters, and thofe toward the clole of life, 
in a faultering hand, may be yet feen, FE 
am told, among the papers of his fon at 
Oxford. Your’s, O. 
Liverpool, May 2, 1806. 
EE 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SiR, 
74, has been a popular notion, from per- 
haps the earlicft times, that the hu- 
man race, at previous and remote periods, 
were of a ftature and firength far fuperior 
to thofe of the inftant, and we read in Ho~ 
mer of the weak men of his degenerate 
days. Granting a satio of gradual dimi- 
nution 
