296 Extracts from ROMEO and JULIET. July Thro' lovers brains, and then they dream of love : [ftrait : On courtiers knees, that dream on curtfies O'er lawyers fingers, who ftrait dream on fees: [dream, O'er ladies lips, who ftrait on- kiffes I Which oft the angry Mab with blifters plagues, [tainted are. Because their breaths with fweet-meats Sometimes the gallops, o'er a courtier's nofe, [fuit And then dreams he of fmelling out a But foft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the fun! [Juliet appears above at a window. Arife, fair fun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already fick and pale with grief, That thou, her maid, art far more fair than the, Be not her maid, fince he is envious: ". Her veftal livery is but fick and green, And none but fools do wear it, caft it off[of that? And fometimes comes the with a tithe-She fpeaks, yet the fays nothing; what pig's tail, Her eye difcourfes, I will anfwer it or two, And fleeps again. This is that very Mab That plats the manes of horfes in the night, [hairs, And cakes the elf locks in foul luttish Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes. [backs, This is the hag, when maids lie on their That preffes them, and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage Rom. Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace : Thou talk ft of nothing. Mer. True, I talk of dreams; Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain phantafy, Which is as thin of fubftance as the air, And more unconftant than the wind; who wooes Ev'n now the frozen bofom of the north, And being anger'd, puffs away from thence, [fouth. Turning his face to the dew-dropping SCENE VI. A Beauty defcribed. O the doth teach the torches to burn bright; Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night, Like a rich jewel in an Æthiop's ear: Beauty too rich for ufe, for earth too dear! So thews a fnowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. ACT II. SCENE JI. The Courtship between Romeo and Juliet, in the Garden. Enter Romeo. Rom. He jefts at fears that never felt a Werd head, As is a winged meffenger from heav'n, Unto the white up-turned wandring eyes Of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him, When he beftrides the lazy-pacing clouds, And fails upon the bofom of the air. Jul. O Romeo, Romeo,-whérofore Rom. Shall I hear more, or fhall I speak 1752. Extracts from ROMEO and JULIET. So ftumbleft on my counsel ? Rom. By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am Had I it written, I would tear the word, Jul. My ears have yet not drunk a Of that tongue's uttering, yet. I know And the place death, confidering who If any of my kinfmen find thee here. Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er- For ftony limits cannot hold love out, And I am proof against their enmity. [ay, nay, [world. So thou wilt wooe, but elfe not for the 297 And therefore thou may'st think my 'ha viour light: [true But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more Than thofe that have more cunning to be [confefs, ftrange. I should have been more ftrange, I must But that thou over-heard'st, ere I was [me 'ware, My true love's paffion; therefore pardon conftant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb; Left that thy love prove likewise variable. Rom. What fhall I fwear by? Jul. Do not fwear at all. Or if thou wilt, fwear by thy gracious felf Rom. If my true heart's love Jul. Well, do not fwear-altho' I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract to-night'; It is too rafh, too unadvis'd, too fudden, Too like the lightning which doth ceafe [night, to be, and reft Ere one can fay, it lightens-fweet, good This bud of love, by fummer's ripening breath, [we meet: May prove a beauteous flower when next Good night, good night-as fweet repofe [breaft. Come to thy heart, as that within my Rom. O wilt thou leave me fo unfatif[to-night? fied? Jul. What fatisfaction canst thou have Rom. Th' exchange of thy love's faith[request it: ful vow for mine. Jul. I gave thee mine before thou didst And yet I would it were to give again. Rom. Wouldft thou withdraw it? For [again. what purpose, love? Jul. But to be frank, and give it thee And yet I wish but for the thing I have: My bounty is as boundless as the fea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite. I hear fome noife within, dear love, adieu. [Nurfe calls witbin. Anon, good nurse-sweet Mountague be true : Stay but a little, I will come again. [Exit. Rom. O bleffed, bleffed night. I am afraid All this is but a dream I hear and fee; Jul. Three words, dear Romeo, and If 298 "Extracts from VOLTAIRE, &c. If that thy bent of love he honourable, July As ating a marriage with the ufurper's fon, which however was not effected. foon as Charles's affairs took a different turn, and Britain, fick of the tyranny of an ufurper, and the more formidable profpect of anarchy, opened her arms to receive her natural lord, Mazarine reAnewed the propofal of his marriage with his daughter, which the king very justly refused, in his turn, with indignation and contempt. Driving back fhadows over lowring hills. Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love, [wings. B And therefore hath the wind-fwift Cupid [To be continued in our next.] More Extracts from VOLTAIRE. (See P. 223.) To the AUTHOR, & SIR, T HE great inequality that we ofter perceive in the productions of the mind of the fame man, is not, in the leaft, to be wondered at; for as man's body is compofed of the elements, fo it varies with the weather, and changes oftner than the moon: So the foul, as it is connected with, and compelled to act in and thro' thofe corporeal organs, which Chave its powers of acting more or lefs are always changing, muft of neceffity impeded, muft rife or fall like the mercury in the glafs, according to their degree, of clearness. Hence the mind is one hour pure as etherial air, the next, foul as the thickeft fog. COLTAIRE, in enumerating the darkness, ignorance, and fuperftition that prevailed before the enlightened age of Lewis XIV. takes notice, that the people were much addicted to judicial aftrology, and believed in witchcraft, and the power of magick. Cardinal Richelieu, Lays he, muft always fuffer a diminution of his reputation, when we confider, that by his means, and contrary to his better knowledge, Urban Grandier, curate of St. Londun, was burnt as a magician; D and pofterity must reflect with indignation on Madame d'Ancre, wife of the marshal of that name being burnt at the Greve for a forcerefs. When he was examined by Counsellor Courtin, he asked her what fort of forcery she had practifed against Mary de Medicis, who, it feems, was entirely directed by that lady's advice: E She boldly answered, that kind of forcery which great fouls always maintain over weak minds. He further adds, in the Tame place, that in the year 1601, a man who had a fine horse, brought it to market, decked out almost in the manner that horfes are now exposed to fale at our fairs; and the low people having never been accustomed to fee any thing of F that fort before, it struck their minds, that he who could thus decorate his horfe, must be a magician; and it was with the atmoft difficulty the poor man could efcape being torn to pieces by the mob. In another part of his book he gives but a difadvantageous idea of cardinal Mazarine; when Charles II. was an exile at G the court of France, and Oliver Cromwell flourishing in ufurpation, that unfortunate prince folicited the cardinal's daughter in marriage; but as he was then in diftrefs, the cunning statesman refused him, and at that very time was negoti Serene the day, on Seraphs wings" we rife, (the skies, Like great Elijah flaming, mount All nature viewing thro' immortal eyes. In clouds the next, our ftupid brains we squeeze, [thefe. To hammer out fuch wretched lines as Now wit, now dunce, according to the weather; [together. Then like an April day, both join'd Since the powers of the mind do thus depend upon the organs of the body, which vary like the wind, where is the certainty of human wit? Where the boafter of human reason? This fickleness of the mortal frame, this inftability of human wisdom, fhould teach us humility and abafe our pride, There is, furely, no paffion whatfoever fo univerfal in the human fpecies, as pride, yet none fo unreasonable; it is, indeed, the very foundation of folly, and he that has the greateft fhare of it, muft of confequence have the leaft of reason. To curb our pride, and check our unjuft cenfures, we fhould all look into, and study that living and most instructive book, our own hearts; for nothing will fo effectually fupprefs our pride, or correct our cenfures, as to know ourselves. He that most clearly perceives his own imperfections, will be the last to seek out and 1752. A DESCRIPTION of SHROPSHIRE. and condemn thofe of others Man's BRITANNICUS, A Defcription of SHROPSHIRE.' With a new and correct Mr. SHR 2 HROPSHIRE, commonly called Salop, or the county of Salop, has part of Radnorfhire, Herefordshire, and B Worcestershire on the fouth; Montgome ryshire and part of Denbighshire on the weft; Staffordshire on the east, and Chefhire on the north. It is about 34 miles long, from north to fouth; 25 miles broad, from east to west; and 134 in circumference. It contains about 890,000 acres, is divided into 15 hundreds, in which are 5 parliamentary boroughs, 10 other market towns, and 170 parishes ; and fends 12 members to parliament, the knights of the fhire being at prefent Sir John Aftley, Bart. and Richard Lyfter, Efq; This county being a frontier against the Welsh, was formerly full of castles, inhabited by the lords marchers, or barons of the marches, who had the jurifdiction D of palatines in their refpective territories, and in their own courts administered law to the inhabitants, with divers privileges and immunities: But peaceful times, and the royal authority, by degrees abolished these private rights, and in the reign of Henry VIII. they were quite extinguished, to the great benefit and tranquillity of the Welsh nation. Shropshire is a pleasant county, the air healthful, and the foil fruitful both for tillage and pafturage. It yields abundance of wheat, barley, &c. and has many mines of pit-coal, lead, and iron. It is exceedingly well watered, having many fine fprings and rivers, particularly the Severn, which yields plenty of fish. The fouthern and western parts, being hilly and mountainous, feed great numbers of cattle," and are well furnished with wood. The boroughs in this county are, F Shrewsbury, the metropolis, a fair, large town, 124 computed, and 157 measured miles N. W. from London. It fends two members to parliament, the G prefent ones being Sir Richard Corbet,, Bart. and Thomas Hill, Efq; It has markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays for sorn, cattle, and provisions, and every Thursday is a market for Welth cottons, 299 freezes, and flannels. But having given.. a large and very particular account of this town fo lately as in our Magazine for May last, p. 203, 204, together with a beautiful Folio View of its fouth-west prospect, it is needless to say any more of it here. 2. Wenlock, or Great Wenlock, about To miles S. E. of Shrewsbury, an ancient corporation, governed by a bailift and burgeffes, who chufe the two parliamentmen, their prefent reprefentatives being Ilaac Hawkins Browne and Brook Forefter, Efqrs. It has a very good market on Mondays, and is noted for its limeftones and tobacco-pipe clay. A burning well was difcovered at Brofeley, near this place, which being lighted, burns like brandy or fpirit of wine. 3. Bridgenorth, 6 miles S. E. of Wenlock, a large, ancient borough, divided by the Severn into two parts, called the upper and lower towns, which are joined by a fair ftone bridge of feven arches, having a gate, and gate-houfe, and fome houfes upon it. It is pleafantly fituate, and commodious for trade by the navigableness of the Severn, and almost all forts of manufactures are carried on here. It confifts of feveral streets well paved with pebbles, and has two large parish churches, and a free-fchool. It is governed by two bailiffs, 24 aldermen, &c. and fends two members to parliament, who at prefent are the Hon. Sir Thomas Whitmore, knight of the Bath, and Ar-. thur Weaver, Efq; It has a large market on Saturday. It was formerly very strong, having walls, and a stately caftle feated on a rock, now in ruins. 4. Ludlow, 16 miles S. W. of Bridgenorth, a fine, large town, adorned with feveral handfome edifices, very populous, and a place of good trade. It is fituate. near the confluence of the Corve and the Temd, over which laft it has a good bridge. It was formerly defended with a ftrong wall, and a castle, which are now going very faft to decay. It is governed by bailiffs and burgeffes, and fends two members to parliament, its prefent reprefentatives being Richard Herbert and Henry Bridgman, Efqrs. The market, which is very great, is on Monday. Here is a fair church on the highest ground in the town. Ludlow has been of chiefeft note, for being the place where the court for the marches of Wales was kept, first inftituted by Henry VII. for the trial of caufes, for the eafement of the Welsh and neighbouring inhabitants. It confifted of a lord prefident, feveral counfellors, a fecretary, an attorney, folicitor, and four juftices of the counties in Wales, and 300 A DESCRIPTION of SHROPSHIRE. July was held in the caftle, a large, noble and beautiful place, fit for that purpose: But this court, like that of the prefidentship: of the North, which was at first defigned for the cafe and benefit of the fubjects, proving in time an intolerable grievance, was diffolved and taken away by act of parliament in the first year of K. William and Q. Mary. A 5. Bishop's Caftle, 14 miles N. W. of Ludlow, fo called because it belonged to the bishops of Hereford, whofe diocefe takes in a great part of this fhire. It is but a fmall town, yet has many privileges, is governed by a bailiff, aldermen, &c. and fends two members to parliament, who at prefent are Samuel Child and B John Robinfon Lytton, Efqrs. Its market is on Friday, which is very confiderable, and much frequented by the Welsh. Other market-towns are, 1. Whitchurch, 17 miles N. of Shrewfbury, on the confines of the county, near Cheshire, famous for fome monuments of the Talbots. It is a pretty large and good town, but has very little trade; yet its market, which is on Fridays, for cattleand provifions, is not inconfiderable: C 2. Draiton, 9 miles S. E. of Whitchurch, on the confines of Staffordshire, which, tho' but a poor town, has a very good market on Wednesdays for horfes and cattle, but not much ftored with provifions.-Hodnet, 5 miles S. W. is D reckoned by fome a market-town, tho", not so distinguished in the Maps. 3. Wem, 7 miles S. of Whitchurch, al fmall town, with a good market on Thurfday. The cruel Sir George Jeffreys, who was lord chief juftice of England, and afterwards lord chancellor, in the reign of K. James II. was by that monarch created baron of Wem, in which title he was fucceeded by his only fon, John lord Jeffreys, who dying without iffue male, it became extinct. 4. Ellesmere, 7 miles N. W. of Wem, fituate on the fide of a large meer, and in a little, but rich and fertile territory fo' called; a small town, with a mean market on Tuesdays. 5. Ofwestry, 7 miles S. W. of Ellefmere, fo named from Ofwald, King of the Northumbrians, who was flain here ́ in a bloody battle, and cruelly torn to pieces by Penda, the Pazan Mercian prince. It was before called Maferfield, is feated near the fpring head of a small river, and is a town corporate, governed by two bailiffs and burgeffes. It was once of confiderable ftrength, being for tified with a wall, ditch and caffle, and was a place of great account before the F G mart for Welsh cottons, &c. was removed to Shrewsbury: Yet it is ftill a pretty good town, has fome trade for flannels, and its market, which is on Mondays, is well frequented, and furnifhed with cattle and provifions. 6. Wellington, 10 miles E. of Shrewfbury, has a large market on Thursdays. 7. Newport, 6 miles N. E. of Wellington, feated on a plain, a pretty good town, with a free-fchool and markethouse, and a confiderable market on Sa turdaysa 8. Shefnell, or Shefnal, 6 miles S. of Newport, a fmall town, that has a market on Tuesdays. 9. Stretton, or Church Stretton, to diftinguish it from another Stretton hard by, 12 miles S. of Shrewsbury, has a good market for corn on Thursdays. Thefe Strettons, as well as feveral others elsewhere, take their names from the high road, or Roman way, called Wat-' ling-ftreet, which runs thro' or near them, and paffes into the remoteft parts of Wales. ༈་་་ག་་ 10. Clebury, rz miles S. of Bridgenorth; a fmall town, with a market on Wednesdays. A few miles S. E. of Shrewsbury, "are the remains of an ancient city, called Wroxeter, the metropolis of the Cornavil, and built probably by the Romans," when they fortified the banks of the Severn, fordable here, and no where lower to its mouth. It was deftroyed in the Danish wars, and is now an inconfiderable village; but they frequently plough up ancient coins here, and difcover other' pieces of Roman antiquity. All the remains of the ancient city is what the people call the Old Works of Wroxcefter, being broken walls near the midft of it, about 20 foot high, and roo long, built, of hewn ftone, laid in feven rows without, and arched within, after the manner of the Britons. The plot on which the city food is about three miles in compafs, the walls being mostly upon a peb→ ble-ftone foundation, about three yards thick, with a vast trench round, in fome places exceedingly deep to this day. Wrekin Hill, a little S. W. of Wellington, which is the highest ground of all this country, gradually falls into a pleasi fant level, and yields an entertaining prospect of the plains about it. It runs intoi a great length, and is much taken notice of by Shropshire men, both in and out! of the county, whofe cuftom is to drink a health to all their friends round the Wrekin, Bretben, Brown - Clee, and Stitterflames, other hills in this county. JOUR |