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courfe. The fathers of the church are continually inveighing againft the fpectacles of the arena, and upbraiding their adverfaries with them. Thefe indeed were more unnatural and flocking than a main of cocks; but this, however, nad a tendency towards nourishing the like ferocity and implacability in the breasts and difpofitions

of men.

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Befides, this mode of diverfion has been in fact the bane and deftruction of thoufands here, as well as of thofe laniftae avium, cockfeeders, mentioned by Columella, whofe patrimonial fortunes were entirely diffipated and confumed by it.

"The cock is not only a moft useful animal, but ftately in his figure, and magnificent in his plumage. Imperitant fuo generi, fays Pliny, et regnum, in quacunque funt domo, exercent. Ariftophanes compares him to the King of Perna; authors alfo take notice of the fpectatiffimum infine, ferratum, quod eorum verticem regiae coronae modo exornat *. His tenderness towards his brood is fuch, that, contrary to the cuftom of many other males, he will fcratch and provide for them with an affiduity almoft equal to that of the hen; and his generofity is fo great, that, on finding an hoard of meat, he will chuckle the hens together, and, without touching one bit himfelf, will relinquish the whole of it to them. He was called the bird ary, by many of the ancients; he was highly esteemed in fome countries, and in others was even held faced §; infomuch that one cannot but regret, that a creature fo ufeful and noble should, by a frange fatality, be to enormoufly abufed by us. It is true, the Axexiquoparte, if I may be allowed to coin a word, or the maffacre of Shrove-Tuefday, is now in a declining way; and, in a few years, it is to be hoped, will be totally difufed; but the cock-pit till continues a reproach to the humanity of Englishmen, and to their religion, the pureft, the tendereft, and moft compaffionate of all others, not even excepting the Brachmanic.

**

"It is unknown to me when the pitched battle first entered England; but it was probably brought hither by the Romans. The bird was here before Caefar's arrival ; but no notice of his fighting has occurred to me earlier than the time of William Fitz-Stephen, who wrote the life of Archbishop Becket fome time in the reign of King Henry II. William defcribes the cocking as a sport of fcholeboys on Shrove-Tuciday, Praeterea quot-annis die quae dicitur Carnilevaria ft, (ut a puerorum Lundoniae ludis incipiamus, omnes enim pueri fuimus) fcholarum finguli pueri fuos apportant magif tro fuo gallos gallinaceos pugnaces, et totum illud antemeridianum datur ludo puerorum vacantium fpectare in fcholis fuorum pugnas gallorum . The theatre, it feems, was the fchool, and the

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Junii Gloff. v. Hen. See Prov. xxx. 31, in the Vulgate.

Ecclef. xii. 4. Menag, ad Laert. II. feét. 50. Bourdelot ad Heliodor. p. 28.
Kaempfer's Japan, p. 128.

Hamilton's Voyage, p. 158, 159.

B.G. V. fect. x.

** It was a boy's fport at Rome. See above.

+ Shrove-Tuefday. The word does not occur in Spelman or Du Frefne; how ever fee the latter, v. Carnelevamen; and the former, v. Carnefprivium,

Fitz-Stephen, p. 7. edit. 1754.

mafter

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;

mafter was the comptroller and director of the fport. From this time at least, the diverfion, however abfurd, and even impious, was continued amongst us; it was followed, though difapproved and prohibited 39 Edward III*; alfo in the reign of Henry VIII +; and A. D. 1569 t. It has been by fome, as I remember, called a royal diverfion; and as every one knows, the cockpit at Whitehall was erected by a crowned head §, for the more magnificent celebration of it. There was another pit in Drury-lane, and another in Jewin-street . It was prohibited however by one of Oliver's acts, March 31, 1654 What aggravates the reproach and the dif grace upon us Englishmen, is thofe fpecies of fighting which are. called the battle-royal, and the Welsh-main, known no where in the world, as I think, but here; neither in China ††, nor in Perfia 11. nor in Malacca §§, nor amongst the favage tribes of America il. These are scenes fo bloody, as almoft to be too fhocking to relate and yet, as many may not be acquainted with the horrible nature of them, it may be proper, for the excitement of our averfion and deteftation, to defcribe them in few words. In the former an unlimited number of fowls are pitted; and when they have flaughtered one another for the diverfion, dii boni! of the otherwife generous and humane Englishman, the fingle furviving bird is to be cfteemed the victor, and carries away the prize. The Welsh-main confifts, we will fuppofe, of fixteen pair of cocks; of thefe the fixteen conquerors are pitted a fecond time; the eight conquerors of thefe are pitted a third time; the four conquerors the fourth time; and laftly, the two conquerors of these are pitted a fifth time; fo that, incredible barbarity! thirty-one cocks are fure to be moft inhumanly murdered for the fport and pleasure, the noife and nonfenfe, nay, i may fay, the profane curfing and fwearing, of thofe who have the effrontery to call themselves, with all these bloody doings, and with all this impiety about them, Chriftians. It is a great doubt with me, whether the fons of men were indulged the ufe of animal food before the flood ***; our grant, or charter, in respect of futen nce, feems at that period to have been enlarged. However, or the we may be confident, that, without running into all the extravagance and fuperftition of the Pythagoreans and Bramins, we have no right, no power or authority, to abuse and torment any of God's creatures, or needlefsly to fport with their lives; but, on the contrary, ought to use Stowe's Survey of London, B. I.

Maitland's Hiftory of London, p. 101,

P. 302, edit. 1754

Maitland, p. 1343, 933.

Maitland, p. 260.

6 King Henry VIII. Maitland, p. 1343. James I. was remarkably fond of cock-fighting, and Monf. de la Boderie, who was ambalador from Henry IV to this King, fays, that he conftantly amufed himself with it twice a week.

Letters, vol. I. p. 56.

Maitland, p. 452, 762. Wood's Athen. Oxon. II. col. 413.

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them with all poffible tendernefs, moderation, and reverence; a doctrine indifputably true, though fo totally inconfiftent with the outrageous practices we have here been condemning.

"To end this long effay; cock-fighting is an heathenish mode of diverfion from the firft; and at this day ought certainly to be confined to thofe barbarous nations above-mentioned, the Chinefe, Perfians Malayans, and the ftill more favage Americans; whofe irrational and fanguinary practices ought in no cafe to be objects of imitation to polite and more civilized Europeans. And yet, to aggravate the matter, and to enhance our thame, our butchers have contrived a method, unknown to the ancients, of arming the heels of the birds with fteel; a device, which, no doubt, they regard as a moft noble improvement in the art; and I must needs fay, it is an invention highly worthy of men that take fo much delight in blood.

Whittington, April 5, 1770.

SAMUEL PEGGE."

[To be continued.]

ART. II. An Effay on the Original Genius and Writing of Homer: with a comparative View of the ancient and 1 efent State of the Troade. Illustrated with Engravings. By the late Robert Wood, Efq. 4to. 16s. Elmfy.

The very masterly turn for claffical obfervation and manly ftile of criticism, which fo eminently diftinguished the remarks on the ruins of Balbec and Palmyra, will naturally excite the curiofity of every reader of learning and tafte to peruse the effay before us. Nor will that curiofity be otherwife difappointed than by finding fo moderate a quantity of matter fwelled, by pompous letter-prefs, into the fize of fo large a volume. Its quality will make them fincerely regret the death of the ingenious author; which appears to have prevented his extending his obfervations farther on thefe curious topics. It is, indeed, very generally fuppofed, that this fubject has been fo repeatedly confidered, as to afford very little room for farther

*The Afiatics however ufe fpurs that act on each fide like a lancet, and which almost immediately decide the battle. Hence they are never permitted by the mo dern cock-fighters.

Pliny mentions the four, and calls it relum; but the Gafle is a mere modern invention; as likewife is the great, and, I fuppofe, neccifary, exactnefs in matching them. A curious instrument contructed for this last purpose is defcribed by Dr. Plott, in his Nat. Hift. of Staffordshire, p. 387. Thence, however, Cock-fpurfireet, I prefume, may have its name.

I The engravings contained in this work are, ift, a head of Homer, from the collection of Lyde Browne, Efq; drawn by Cipriani, and engraved by Bafire. 2. A half-frontispiece of antient fculptere in relief, drawn at Ephelus by Mr. Pars, and engraved by Bartolozzi. 3. A map of Troy. 4. A ruined bridge, engraved by Major. 5. A view of an ancient bridge near Bombafchi. 6. A view of aucient ruins near Troy, upon the gean fea, drawn by Borra, and engraved by Le Bas. 7. A tail-piece, ancient fculpture in relict, drawn at Ephesus by Pars, and enSaved by Bato'cazi.

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illuftration.

illuftration. Mr. Wood, however, appears to have been of a different opinion.

"I muit confefs, fays he, I am a little furprifed, there should ftill be fo large a field open for obfervation, of this kind; and, particularly, that thofe who have affected to discover fo perfect a fyftem of morals and politics in Homer, fhould have bettowed fo little confideration upon the character of the the times for which this inftruction was calculated. For, though the Poet's age, and that of his great critic, have never been properly distinguished by any author, I have yet met with, I will venture to fay, that they differed as much, with regard to their reigning virtues and vices, their ftate of police and degree of civilization, their modes and tastes, in short, the great business and leading pleasures of life, as we do in thefe refpects, from our Gothic ancestors in the days of Chivalry and Romance.

"I believe the truth is, that Homer's deep political and ethic plan has been carris much farther than he intended his great merit, as an instructor of mankind, feems to be that of having tranfmitted to us a faithful tranfcript, or (which is, perhaps, more ufeful) a correct abstract of human nature, impartially exhibited under the circumftances, which belonged to his period of fociety, as far as his experience and obfervation went. Nor fhould we think lefs refpectfully of the important moral leffons which may be collected from the Iliad, and ftill more from the Ody ffey: for elegant imitation has ftrange powers of interefting us in certain views of Nature. Thefe we confider but tranfiently, till the Poet, or Painter, awake our attention, and fend us back to life with a new curiofity, which we owe entirely to the copies which they lay before us. In a judicious collection of thofe pleafing and inftructive sketches of manners, where the artist is happy in his choice, the arrangement, and the truth of his characters have this advantage over real life, that they are fuf ceptible of a more deliberate examination and clofe comparison, than the fleeting and difperfed originals will admit.

Of the prefent effay, our author proceeds to fpeak with that becoming modefty, which will make the reader alfo regret, with him, the decease of his affociates and fellow-travellers, who might otherwife have contributed both to its enlargement and improvement.

Should the fate of the experiment, I am now making, fays Mr. Wood, convince me of a common error, of which I have too much reason to be apprehenfive, viz. that of mistaking a fondness of my fubject for a knowledge of it, I again promife to ftand corrected, and to fpare at least the Public, if not myfelf, any further trouble on this head; hoping that my partiality to thofe romantic fcenes of heroic action will meet with fome indulgence, especially from thofe, who can imagine, and therefore, I hope, excufe, that fpecies of enthufiafm, which belongs to fuch a journey, performed in fuch fociety, where Homer being my guide, and Bouverie and Dawkins my fellow travellers, the beauties of the firft of Poets were enjoyed in the company of the best of friends. However wild and unreafonable tiefe feelings may appear to judgments of a more fober caft,

I must

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I muft ftill confefs a return of their influence, whenever I indulge in a grateful review of thofe happy days, which we paffed together, examining the Iliad on the Scamandrian plain, and tracing Ulyffes, Menelaus, and Telemachus, through the various fcenes of their adventures, with the Odyssey in our hands.

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"Had I been fo fortunate as to have enjoyed their affiftance, in arranging and preparing for the public, the fubftance of our many friendly converfations on this fubject, I should be lefs anxious about the fate of the following work. But whatever my fuccefs may be in an attempt to contribute to the amusement of a vacant hour, I am happy to think, that though I fhould fail to anfwer the expectations of public curiofity, I am fure to fatisfy the demands of private friendship; and that, acting as the only furvivor and trustee for the literary concerns of my late fellow-travellers, I am, to the best of my judgment, carrying into execution the purpose of men, for whofe memory I fhall ever retain the greatest veneration. And though I may do injustice to the honeft feelings, which urge me to this pious task, by mixing an air of compliment in an act of duty, yet I muft not difown a private, perhaps an idle confolation, which, if it be vanity to indulge, it would be ingratitude to fupprefs, viz. that as long as my imperfect defcriptions fhall preferve from oblivion the prefent ftate of the Troade, and the remains of Balbeck and Palmyra, fo long will it be known that Dawkins and Bouverie were my friends."

After paying this merited tribute to the memory of his refpeatable affociates, our Author proceeds to give a sketch of the order and diftribution of his fubject. We fhall give this in his own words.

"I fhall begin by offering a few conjectures with regard to Homer's Country. In the next place I fhall take into confideration his Travels. Thefe I fhall chiefly deduce from his Navigation and Geography; the firft will lead to fome obfervations on his Winds, as the fecond will introduce a review of that part of Mr. Pope's Tranflation, which relates to this matter: and each of thefe articles will give me an opportunity of vindicating Homer from fome unmerited imputations of inaccuracy. I fhall alfo enter into an examination of his Religion, Mythology, Manners, and Customs; and having confidered him as an Hiftorian and Chronologer, fhall take a view of his Language and Learning: and fhail conclude with his pretenfions as a Philofopher; confining myfelf however, in what I fhall offer under thefe different heads, to what is connected with my fubject, and may ferve to throw light upon his Original Genius."

With regard to the first divifion, Homer's Country, a subject so much difputed, Mr. Wood embraces the most received opinion, that he was an Afiatic, probably an Ionian or Æolian, and perhaps of Chios or Smyrna. For adopting this opinion Mr. Wood gives feveral reafons of claffical authority, common to otheis, among which he introduces an ingenious one more pcculiar to himself; and which, whether convincing or not, wears at leaft fome plaufibility.

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