nished; and my hopes were yet kept alive by my vanity. Some few freshmen of fortune ftill diftantly admired me across a tea-table: a gold tuft would still deign to hand me to the concert; and a new group of flaves, tho' of an inferior order, were now permitted to wear my chains, and adorn my triumph. As the charms of my perfon decreased, I redoubled my diligence to improve thofe of my mind. I fpread my fnares for the understandings more than the fenfes of my followers. But alas! I foon - found, that where fortune is moft beneficent, nature is generally the leaft. A very few years convinced me, that I had out-run my game in the purfuit, and was reduced to the neceffity of starting fresh. The young fellows now abandoned me: 'twas no longer the fashion to stare at me: if I went to any publick place, I either went alone, or was fquir'd by a coufin; and my name was never mention'd without the odious reproach of" he has been" added to it.

Time at length inured me to my misfortunes; and as I had little more to hope from my outward accomplishments, I devoted myself to the perfecting my inward. This procured me the addreffes of feveral of the feniors in the Univerfity. Tutors, deans, profeffors, and even heads of houfes made me their tenders of affection. Inftead of my complexion, my fhape, my air, I was complimented on my good fenfe, my judgment, my learning. But I have yet had no better fuccefs from this quarter: for as I found my young admirers were generous and impatient, my old ones, on the contrary, were close and deliberate; they wish'd, yet were afraid; and tho' warm in profeffing, yet their pride, or their avarice, when it came to a teft, always prov'd ftronger than their love. I must therefore be contented to die, what the world contemptuoufly ftyles, an old maid; for I have long fince defpair'd of the gown, and if I could have defcended fo low, what fhopkeeper or mechanic would be burthen'd with a learned help-mate ?

Indeed, Mr. STUDENT, I am reduced by my vanity to a very aukward fituation. My mother is still living, and the small pittance left us by my father has been gone long ago. We are now maintain'd chiefly by the industry of honeft tonfor, my grandfather; and I am now forc'd to employ my pen, as others of my fex do their needle,--to get bread. I have written feveral poems, novels, &c. and at prefent am engaged in compofing fermons for a bookseller, which he defigns to fell for the MS. Sermons of an eminent divine lately deceased, warranted originals. And to tell you a fecret, I am that very fame MIDWIFE, who publifhes the Old Woman's Magazine, which makes fo much noife in the world. To conclude,-I am a perfect Swifs in writing; if therefore you think fit to take mẹ into your service, I am ready, and you may henceforward enrol me in your lift of auxiliaries under the name of

The FEMALE STUDENT.

Critical Obfervations upon the Song of DEBORAH.

Res antiquæ laudis & artis

Ingredior, farcios aufus recludere fontes.

JUDGES, Chap. V.

2. Praife ye the LORD for the avenging of Ifrael, when the people willingly offered themselves.

3. Hear, O ye kings, give ear, O ye princes; I, even I will fing unto the LORD, I will fing praise to the LORD God of Ifrael.

THE

HE firft part of this Exordium is the fimple propofition of the whole piece. We may observe, how finely the facred author advances from this fimple beginning to the end of the fifth verfe. She firft exhorts the people of Ifrael to gratitude, then demands the attention of foreign nations. Hear,

Hear, &c.I, even I will fing unto the Lord, I will fing praife to the Lord God of Ifrael. Here is one grand step. This repetition is strong and emphatical, and moft proper to exprefs a lively fenfe of gratitude. I will fing unto the Lord would have been weak and languid. This is not a bare repetition, but an improvement on the former words, the Lord God of Ifrael. I fing not of an unknown God, not a God of the heathen, but one who has fo often and fo fignally difplay'd his miracles, for the preservation of his chosen people Ifrael. Thus MOSES in his Song fays, He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation, my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The next step the author advances is, to a most exalted and fublime defcription of the appearance of God. The art, by which this is introduc'd, is inexpreffible. What greater incitement to gratitude could there be, than this inftance of God's former kindness and condescension, in making a covenant with his people? what more effectual to engage God in the cause of Ifrael, than reciting the affection he had formerly fhewn?

4. LORD, when thou wenteft out of Seir, when thou marchedft out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds alfo dropped water.

5. The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Ifrael.

MAY we not justly cry out with LONGINUS, what a profpect is here! here are the mountains, the earth, the clouds, the heavens, all as it were in confufion before their foveraign. What a dreadful image is here of God in all his majefty! A confuming fire goes before the Lord, so that mountains melt like wax, even Sinai before the Lord God of Ifarel. We may obferve here, how she insists on this repetition, the Lord God of Ifrael. If we thoroughly examine this paffage, we fhall find every element combining to make up the dreadful apparatus of God. The majestic motion, by which JUPITER makes the heavens tremble, is very noble; but the image is trifling, when compared to

this. The much-applauded defcription of NEPTUNE is full of grandeur; the nodding-forest, the mountain trembling, the sportive gambols of that wonder of the creation, the whale, are circumstances which ennoble and enliven the description to a high degree. But what are all these to the universe, which is here all in commotion? What is the image of a whale sporting in the fea to a mountain melting like wax?

FROM hence the facred writer proceeds in a narration, the conduct of which is admirably fine. An enumeration of the former kindneffes of God was not a fufficient incitement to gratitude; but, to infpire a livelier fenfe, the facred writer draws a parallel between the former unhappy fituation of their affairs and their present deliverance. Could the writer better enhance the efteem of liberty, than by reprefenting the inconveniencies which attended the want of it? Such was relapfing into idolatry. Could fhe render the praise more acceptable to God, than by magnifying this mighty act of deliverance ?

6. In the days of Shamgar the Son of Anath, in the days of Fael, the high-ways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways.

7. The inhabitants of the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifracl, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Ifrael.

8. They chofe new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a field or fpear feen among forty thousand in Ifrael?

It would be endless to remark every thing here. The narration is enliven'd with repetitions and interrogations, which are proper to give fpirit to difcourfe. We must not efteem DEBORAH's fpeaking of herfelf as any vain boafting, or claiming any fhare in this victory to herself. It all redounds to the glory of God, who endued her with the fpirit of prophecy, and made her have dominion over the people. The narration breaking off fo abruptly conveys to us the firongeft pathos, and is the exacteft refemblance of

nature.

nature. Instead of that calm and easy air, which is proper to narration, we are left in suspense by a question unanfwer'd. What is the reason of this? why, nature will not be conceal'd. That gratitude to God and love to those, who were his happy instruments in avenging the people of Ifrael, rufh fuddenly on the mind of the divine writer, and exclude every other thought. Can any thing be more natural than to hear her cry out in the highest transports of paffion?

9. My heart is toward the governors of Ifrael, that offered themselves willingly among the people: Bless ye the LORD.

10. Speak ye that ride on white asses, ye that fit in judgment, and walk by the way.

II. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water; there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Ifrael: then shall the people of the LORD down to the gates.

go

12. Awake, awake Deborah: awake, awake, utter a fong: arife Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, theu fon of Abi

noam.

If we nicely examine this piece, we fhall find the ftricteft rules of rhetoric kept up. This part of the song is a great inftance of it.

The facred writer, in order to infpire the officers of the army with the love of God and joy for the victory, first of all demonftrates herself to be animated by thofe paffions. Then by a most beautiful apoftrophe fhe addreffes them. The transitions from one perfon to another, which we fee in these verses, are most perfect beauties. LONGINUS fays, Sect. 22. When men are actuated by any of those numberless paffions which are incident to the mind, they fluctuate here and there and every where; and by that flux and reflux of paffion they alter their thoughts, their language, and their expreffion a thousand times. And, in the next fection, he fays, Changes of perfon are very fit to diverfify expreffion. In the twelfth verse

We

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