tic, running after one another, and playing such pranks as would be more fuitable at a carnival, and were certainly quite inconfiftent with the facredness of the place, and the pretended miracle. Among others, I obferved a man counterfeiting a dead perfon, poflibly intending to imitate our Saviour, being carried feveral times round the grave. and then disappeared. Some carried others on their fhoulders, and let them fall on the crowd; others again tumbled about the grave, like tumblers on a stage, performing a thousand antics and postures, which continually afforded new fubject of laughter and noify applaufe. In a word, nothing can be imagined more grotefque, wild, and fantastical, than what we saw here, in any place, and on an occafion which fhould naturally have raifed feriousness in those who believed it. At laft the Greek clergy made their appearance, but it was with great confufion, that among this multitude of people, they went through the proceffion. The Armeninians, Syrians, and Coptics, at that time did not join in the proceffion. After this a Greek Bishop, followed by the • Patriarch of Armenia, and the Syrian and the Coptic priests, • went into the holy fepulchre, near which, at the fame time, the Epitropos, or Vicar of the Greek Patriarch, placed • himself, poffibly to inftruct the others how they must act, or to fecure the door, whilft three or four Turks ftood be'fore the holy fepulchre, with whips and ftaves, to keep off the people who thronged for admittance. About half a . quarter of an hour after the abovementioned ecclefiaftics entered, the Greek Bishops came out with a bunch of wax candles tied together, which had been lighted at the holy fire; then was the height of the tumult, for every one thrufting to be the firft to light his candle at that of the Bifhops, they being all firmly perfuaded, that the first fire is the moft holy and pure; and that whatever it touches, it does not burn. Whilft every one was thus expreffing his devout zeal for being poffeffed of this fire or light, the Turks laid about them without diftinction. But at that time no ftrokes were felt, the raptures at that time taking away all fenfation; and those who were behind furioufly leaped on the fhoulders of the foremost, that they might alfo get their candles lighted. The conclufion was, that fome of the bufy zealots among them, lifted the Bishop on their fhoulders, and thus carried him, with great rejoicings, to their church. With the Armenian Bishop, or Patriarch, matters did not fucceed fo well; for he no fooner made his appearance with his wax lights, than the people crowded fo violently about • him him, that they all went out, and he was obliged to light them again at the candle of a private Pilgrim. However ⚫ two men lifted him up, and he was carried away with the fame formality as the other. The Syrians and Coptics. made all poffible hafte to carry the holy fire to their chapels, in order to light their lamps with it: and thus, in an instant, there was a general illumination all over the church; after which every one performed divine worship, according to their refpective rites.' . ་ Our Author contradicts, from his own experience, the af fertions of those who have pretended, that the vapours arifing from the Lake of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the Dead Sea, were fatal to birds flying over it: having, himself, with his fellow Traveller, made the experiment with fparrows, carried thither for that purpose. At our coming to the mar gin of the water,' fays he, we ftripped ourfelves, and fwam to fome diftance from the fhore; but, to our great furprize, we found ourselves as it were lifted up by the When I had fwam to fome diftance, I endeavoured to fink perpendicular to the bottom, but could not; for the water kept me continually up, and would certainly have thrown me upon my face, had I not put forth all the ftrength I was mafter of, to keep myfelf in a perpendicular pofture: fo that I walked in the fea as if I trod on firm ground, without having occafion to make any of the motions neceffary in treading fresh water; and when I was fwimming, I was obliged to keep my legs the greatest part ⚫ of the time out of the water. water. My Fellow-traveller was agreeably furprized to find that he could swim here, having never learned. But his cafe and mine proceeded from the gravity of the water, as this certainly does, from the extraordinary quantity of falt in it, as a perfon is known to keep himself above water in the fea with lefs difficulty than in a river or canal. Yet the water of this fea is clear, and has the appearance of other fea-water. As for its tafte, it is extremely falt, bitter, and 'naufeous. It is, indeed, commonly faid, that birds flying C over the lake drop down dead; and that this deleterious quality refides in the continual thick vapours iffuing ⚫ from it. For a trial of this we had brought with us two sparrows, • and plucked out a few feathers from each wing, that they could not fly long. Accordingly, when we had fet them at liberty, after a fhort flight, they fell into, or rather up ' on on the fea; but fo far were they from dying there, that they both got fafe afhore; though had there been any fuch • noxious effluvia, they were long enough on the surface of the water to have felt its deleterious effect.' It is impoffible for us to trace our Voyager more particularly to the feveral parts of Palestine, Egypt, &c. nor is it at all needful; as most of his obfervations are common to those who have vifited thefe countries, with any fhare of understanding or knowlege. His reflections, indeed, do not give us any great idea of his talents, to judge of the various and valuable remains of antiquity, with which these parts abound. We have heard fome perfons even condemn many of these reflections, as puerile and trivial: and we muft confefs, we, ourfelves, could hardly forbear fmiling at our Author, as an important and fagacious stickler for the truth, when he takes on him to refute, from his own proper experience, the report, that the Pyramids caft no fhadow. We cannot help thinking, that notion might have been fufficiently refuted, without any one's taking the trouble of going to Cairo, to know the contrary by experience; especially as our Author learnedly obferves, from Pliny and Laertius, that Thales, the Milefian, measured the height of the faid Pyramids by their fhadows, near two thousand years ago. As we have not the original of this work by us, we cannot pretend to fay how far the Tranflator has done it juftice: but, it is very evident, he is no elegant writer of English; his language being, in many parts of the work, ungrammatical and obfcure, and, in others, totally unintelligible. K-n-k MONTHLY CATALOGUE. For SEPTEMBER, MISCELLANEOUS. 1759. Art. 1. An Addrefs to the People of England, in which the Conduct of Lieut. Gen. Lord George Sackville is properly confidered; at once to Silence, by the Voice of Truth, the Cries of Falfhood, Scurrility and Dulnefs. 8vo. 1s. Burd. T O the intelligent reader, the title page of this pamphlet gives an omen of the nonfenfe and ftupidity which is fpread over the whole compofition. The author, indeed, modeftly profeffes that it is T not not his defign to prove himself a good writer, but an honest man. But we must inform this trifler, that when he prefumes to take pen in hand publicly to addreis the people of England, it is incumbent on him to thew that he has a good head, as well as a good heart. This is a profelfed anfwer to a pamphlet, entitled, A Letter to a laten ble Commander of the British Forces in Germany*, which this writer attacks in the hackneyed file of ill-mannered controverfy, calling the author hired fcribbler, &c. It would not become us to give our opinion in a difpute of this kind, which depends on facts not yet properly authenticated, and of which it is every man's duty to fufpend his judgment. But though we do not prefume to decide, with refpect to the noble Commander's conduct, yet with regard to the merits of his accufers and defenders, we muft obferve, that if the former condemn him upon report, the latter justify him upon hear fay. The juftifications likewife, if they deferve that name, which have been hitherto attempted, are fo extremely weak, that had his Lordship's enemies dictated to the writers, they could fcarce' have fuggefted any thing more to his prejudice. The illustrious pamphleteer before us, would, indeed, infinuate that he is in the noble Lord's fecrets, and that what he tells us is nothing but truth: for he affures us that he has more than once had the honour of being in his Lordship's company: what he has advanced, however, has been fometime fince known to every man who mixes with the world; and is, in part, the fubftance of a narrative privately handed about, which in fact proves nothing in respect of the charge exhibited, how justly we know not, againit the noble Commander. * Vide our laft, p. 175, Art. 17. R-d Art. 2. Remarks on a Pamphlet lately published, entitled, The Conduct of a noble Lord fcrutinized. By an Officer, 8vo. Is. Thrush. The defign of this wretched piece, is the fame with that of the foregoing one, and the execution equally contemptible. R-d Art 3. "A Letter from a P**m**e in Ireland, to a certain Great Man, who was out of Town on the first of August last, Bvo, 19. Dublin printed, London re-printed for Stevens in Pater-nofter-row. An execrable catch-penny. Art. 4. A Letter to the most noble John Manners, Marquis of Granby, Commander in Chief of the British Forces. under. Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. From a Member of Parliament, Svo. Is. Pridden. We more than fufpect, that this author has had the prefumption to affume a character, which does not belong to him. If, however, his a Member, nevertheless, in the capacity of a writer, he cannot plead his privile e, It may be temerity in us to determine, what are are the privileges of a British Parliament; but we will venture to affert, that a right to murder the English language, and butcher common fenfe, is not among the number. This incomparable letter-writer, addreffes himself to the Marquis, on the fubject of his Predeceflor's behaviour, in the following terms i You know, my Lord, and muft from your fituation be an eye wit * nefs of his conduct that day; then to whom fo fit can we apply for a detail of it? His enemies have radily and ignorantly condemned him, and his advocates, in hints, have even attempted to pollute your name.'That a Commander on the left wing may be an eye-witness to the conduct of the Commander on the right, is poflibie: but that he muft, is not altogether fo clear to us. As to the at tempts which, as he fappofes, have been made to pollute the Mar quis' name, we are firangers to any endeavours of that fort. The first attempt of the kind which we have obferved, is the prefixing his Lordship's name to this filthy pamphlet. The next fentence is an admirable fpecimen of grammatical correctnefs, and elegant phrafeo logy. We are truly fenfible, fays he, that from you must proceed the trueft account, and cleareft obfervations; whofe integrity is unfhaken, and whofe fentiments is untampered by faction; whofe honour is as fpotlefs as famous, &c.' Now, gentle reader, attend to him as a rhetorician. If I may, (fays he) my Lord, call the flower of rhetoric to aid me in declaring the fatisfaction we feel in you, late the volunteer of active patriotifm. In the fenate uncorrupt, in war intrepid. To others, you leave to prove their zeal by fpeeches you fight-in the behalf of Britain and with your fword, in characters indelible, your title to patriot virtue, lands written upon the records of immortality.' What a pity it is, when this gentleman called the flower of rhetoric to aid him, that the thittle fhould fpring up to his affistance. The purport of this pamphlet, if any meaning it has, is to engage the public to with-hold their judgment, with refpect to a late Com mander's conduct. For this purpofe, the writer makes ufe of Hibernian rhetoric. While, (fays he) the matter lies in OBLIVION, or rather the whole affair in fufpenfion, how unprecedented it is to afperfe his character, fcrutinize his conduct, &c. That this pamphleteer will from henceforth lie in oblivion, is more than probable; while he remains fo, his character is fafe: for we will venture to affure him, that no one can remember him and forget him at the fame time. ' R-d Art. 5. A Vindication of the Right Hon. Lord George Sackville. A. Henderfon. It is difficult to guefs what this pretended vindicator would be at: his performance being fuch a ftrange medley of abfurdity and low impertinence, that it is hard to fay, whether he is most entitled to the pity, or the contempt of his readers. P |