the immediate vicinity appears to have been flighted, when this house was built. On the beautiful floping field which extends clofe behind it, on the northern fide, a mansion-houfe might be very happily fituated. E ven on the heights rifing oppofite, on the south-west, the fituation would have been lefs unhealthy and gloomy, than in the bottom of the vale. The farm houfe, placed on thofe heights, produces a finely picturesque effect in the landscape. It is curious to remark the viciffitudes of tafte, in refpect to the fituation of houses. The firft edifices of any confiderable ftability, which were erected in our country, were caftles and monafteries. For the fite of a caftle, a place was always chofen, which might be naturally as little acceffible as poffible; an iflet in a lake; or the fummit of fome infulated hill. The command of beautiful profpects was not fought; nor could the country afford fuch; but an extenfive range of view was diligently required, and was generally obtained. The monafteries fecure, not by military and fortified ftrength, but by the fanctity of religion; were ufually placed in fome low and acceffible, but fheltered and fequeftered fituation. The edge of an open field, which might receive and reward cultivation; the bank of fome fair flow ing ftream; fome romantic nook fweetly embofomed among hills; appear to have been the fituations which the founders of the most ancient monafteries in Scotland, moft commonly preferred. Buildings, were multiplied in the country; and civil or der acquired a degree of new fecurity in the mitigated temper of the people, and in the invigorated efficacy of law. The habitations of gentlemen were no longer built in the ftrong caftellated form; but in a ftyle of building partaking of the ftrength of the caftle, and of the accommodation of the abbey. The diffolution of the religious orders, at the Reformation, and the alienation of their houses, taught the laity to feek the convenience of the monaftic buildings; and made it common for a lay landholder to poffefs a manfion-house, more like to a convent, than to a cattle. The union of the two kingdoms under one king, following fhortly after, produced a degree of internal peace and fecurity throughout the island; in confequence of which, fortified abodes became ftill lefs and lefs neceffary, at least, to every private gentleman. In the feventeenth century, therefore, the fashion of great houfes which prevailed in Scotland, was an edifice turreted, and with fomething more of the exterior fhow of a caitle; fituate rather in a sheltered, than in an elevated fituation, and embofomed in wood. In the interval from the middle of the feventeenth to the middle of the eighteenth century, the fame style of building, and the fame tafte in the choice of fituations, ftill prevailed; yet were varioufly modified by the imitation of Italian, of French, and even of Dutch architecture. But, fince the middle of the present century, or perhaps fomewhat earlier, the rife and improvement of English Gardening; the fecure profperity of our country; and the progrefs of architecture, and of the fine arts, which are the most intimately connected with it; have eftablished principles for the choice of fituation for buildings, much more rational than any that were before received. Health, convenience, advantages of aspect, and beauty, variety, and extent of profpect, are all ftudied together. The lowly rifing eminence, and the expanding lawn, are carefully preferred. The gloom, and the damp vapours of woods, are removed to a due dif. tance. Objects of convenience are fkilfully decorated, and the decorations of talte are brought to submit and and reconcile the mfelves to convenient accommodation. The outline of a wooded park, is, in fome mea. fure, preserved: but is hollowed, as it were within; and is here and there broken, that more important pur. poses of taste or ornament, may be attained. This country, therefore, exhibits a various affemblage of fituations chofen, and of edifices built, upon the principles of the castle and the abbey; in that tafte which gradually fucceeded them, and prevailed from the end of the fixteenth, till towards the latter part of the feventeenth century; in that ftyle modified upon Italian, French, or Dutch practice, which diftinguished our at tempts at ornament and improve ment, from the Reftoration, nearly to the mi dle of the prefent century; and in that more perfect style of ar chitecture and ornamental gardening, which have had their origin in this ifland; and which probably exceed what the rest of Europe can display in the fame arts. The Hermitage of Braid is fuch a fweet, fequestered abode, as an hermit might have fought for his cell; and its fituation has been certainly chofen upon those principles of tafte, which had their rife in the ancient manners of the country, and among the clergy. Blackford hilf rifes near it on one fide; Pentland heights overhang it, at a fmall diftance on the other. On the fouth-weft, are Braid craigs, and a tract of open pafture-gounds. The Firth of Forth opens towards the " caft. North and north weft, are the City of Edinburgh, and fome of the mott interefting parts of its orna. " mented environs. A FEW RULES AND MAXIMS FOR PROMOTING MATRIMONIAL HAPPINESS. THE likelieft way, either to ob- your fhoulder to the yoke, and make tain a good hufband, or to keep it cafer to both, 13 Refolve, every morning, to be one fo, is to be good yourself., Be not over-fanguine before mar-chearful and good natured that day: riage, nor promife yourfelf felicity and if any accident fhould happen to without alloy; for that is impoffible break that refolution, fuffer it not to to be attained, in this prefent late of put you out of temper, with every things. Confider, before hand, that thing befides, and efpecially with the perfon you are going to fpend your husband. your days with, is a man, and not an angel and if, when you come to-well gether, you difcover any thing in his humour or behaviour, that is not altogether fo agreeable as you expect, pass it over as a human frailty. === Remember always, that whatever misfortunes may happen to either, they are not to be charged to the account of matrimony, but to the acci dents and infirmities of human life, a burden which each has engaged to affit the other in fupporting, and to which both parties are equally expofed. Therefore, inftead of mur murs, reflections, and difagreement, whereby the weight is rendered abundantly more grievous; readily put Be affured, a woman's power, as as happiness, has no other foundation but her husband's esteem and love; which, confequently, it is her undoubted intereft by all incans poffible to preferve and increafe, Do you, therefore, ftudy his temper, and command your own; enjoy his fatisfaction with him, fhare and footh his cares, and with the utmost diligence conceal his infirmities and to Have you any cencern for your own cafe, or for your husband's efteem? Then have a due regard to his income and circumflances, in all your expences and defires; for if neceffity fhould follow, you run the greatest hazard of being deprived of both. ANSWER 329 SIR, IT of TO THE EDITOR OF THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. 1 want of prudence and plenitude o prefumption, to arrogate much merit to himself for his performance, which he conceives may have fome small, "influence in guarding youth a "gainst modern fashionable corrupted "tyle-and while expreffing his indignation at the frequent use of the words "and" but"-" yet," he feizes an opportunity of evincing his critical difcrimination and decifive fagacity, by declaring, that Mr Gibbon's Hiftory" is a perpetual enigma, "with the grandeur and the dark 66 T has long been the practice, probably the privilege, of the igno, rant, to cenfure what is fuperior to their comprehenfion, and to abufe what they are unable to equal; and while men of learning, of liberality, and of judgement, offer the juft tri bute of admiration to eminent abili ties and commendable exertions, thofe of a contrary defcription (the mali-, cious and the narrow-minded,) are eager to point out trivial imperfec tions and paltry errors, in hopes of detracting from merit, which the eye envy alone dares to glance at, and the breath of prefumption to flander, The Efay on Mr Gibbon the hif torian's ftyle, inferted in your Sept. Magazine, appears evidently to exem.cuitous and obferving defcriptions, plify this affertion; and it being un. doubtedly your duty, as Editor of a Literary Mifcellany, to fubmit to your readers the communications you receive upon any fubje&t of fuch a nature, I have been induced, by veneration for one of the nobleft ornaments of the eighteenth century, to offer the following remarks in anfwer to this Effay, with the juft demand "audi alterum partem." ncis of an oracle;" that "each. "fentence is a riddle, which, by ob-. "fcure allufions to events, fcarcely, "if at all, mentioned before, by cir "of well known perfonages; or, on "the contrary, by mentioning others "never before introduced, as if per"fectly known to the reader; opens "an occafion for conjecture, and pre"supposes a previous knowledge, "which would make his Hiftory un neceffary;"-and that he is perfuaded, (how wonderful the ample felf-fufficiency of this excellent obferver) few, very few, have been led An author of distinguifhed capa- "by delight through the voluminous city and acknowledged celebrity," page; and perhaps moft of its apcannot, probably, in the flighteft de "plauders, like thofe of many other gree, be injured by the miferable ob“books, praise from report, and echo fervation, or benefited by the moft" the applaufes of others." animated encomiuins, of anonymous writers; yet it might be confidered as a deficiency of refpect to the me mory of one, who has polifhed the language and augmented the information of his countrymen, to allow a most unjust infult upon his labours to pass with impunity; although it would, in all likelihood, fall like the fhower upon the defert, unnoted and unremembered. The Effayift appears, with equal It is alfo obferved, in forming a comparifon betwixt the merit of Åddifon and of Gibbon, that "the pe-' "riods of the former, with eafy air, "embrace infinite variety;" and "Gibbon's, with uniform difpofition " and monotonous cadence, offend the "ear of every lover of true harmony "in compofition"—that" the style of Mr Addifon is fo eafy as fcarcely "to excite admiration, unlefs in "perfons of tafte and refinement," and Tt that that it is" inimitable ; while the "others may be copied, as it were "by a receipt or formula." Several paffages are then quoted from the work of the Hiftorian, with able comments, tending to prove e the abi lities of the Effayift and the demerit of Mr Gibbon; and a story by Ad. difon follows as a contraft, which is converted into what is termed Gib. mifcellaneous works of his friend, Dr Robertfon to Mr Strahan.March 15, 1776. Since my laft I "have read Mr Gibbon's History with much attention and great pleasure. It is a work of very high merit indeed. He poffeffes that industry of research, without which no man deferves the name of an hiftorian. His narrative 18 perfpi ***David Hume to Ed. Gibbon18 March 1776. Whether I còn. "fider the dignity of your flyle, the "depth of your matter, or the ex"tenfiveness of your learning, I müft borian Style, with a degree of affec-cuous and interesting his ftyle is tation approaching to eminent abfur-elegant and forcible." &c. dity, and a meannefs of diction demonstrative of the critic's " taste and "refinement ;"who farther afferts his belief of Gibbon's mode of wri-" ting being unpleafing to youth, and expreffes his conviction, (Reader!" regard your work as equally the mark the humility of Shepherd Norval.) many of them if urged, would be "forced to confefs they never per"ufed a moiety of the work." "object of esteem."-" 1 koow it "will give you pleafure (as it didme,) " to find, that all the men of letters "in this place concur in their admi"ration of your work, and in their "anxious defire of your continuing Profeffor Ad. Ferguson to Mr Gib-` bon, March 19 1776. The perfons in this place (Edinburgh) whofe judgement you will value moft, agree in opinion, that you have made a great addition to the claffical literature of England, and give, what Thucydides propofed leaving with his own countrymen, a poffeffion in perpetuity". Previous to answering these obfervations, which, 1 affirm with confidence, are moft illiberal and ill-foun-it." &c. ded, I must declare, that when Fcommenced the perufal of Mr Gibbon's Hiftory I was young, and not a little light-headed, with my tafte for reading much depraved by works of fic tion; yet my attention and admiration were fo entirely occupied, that I never experienced the flighteft de gree of laffitude, of difguft, or of tadium, even from the elaborate differtations upon the various feuds and fects of the Chriftian Religion; and. indeed, I have re-perufed the greatest portion of "the Decline and fall of "the Roman Empire," with increafed pleafure, and I truft with addi. tional improvement. Dr. George Campbell Profeffor at Aberdeen to Mr Strahan.-June 25, 1776. —“I have lately read over one of your last winter's publications with 66 very great pleafure, and I hope, "fome inftruction. My expectations "were indeed high when I began it; but I affure you the entertainment As to the obfcurity" of Mr Gib. "I received greatly exceeded them.". bon's Hiftory, its poffeffing the "I fuppofe I need not now inform "darkness of an Oracle," "each 66 you, that the book I mean is Gib"fentence being a riddle," and "bon's Hiftory of the fall of the Rothe uniform difpofition and mono Empire, which, in "respect of ❝tonous cadence" of his periods, I" the style and manner, as well as the revert to the following teftimonies of "matter, is a most masterly perfor the most diftinguished literary cha-mance." &c. * 66 man racters of Great Britain, published Mr Wallace to Mr Strahan. Auby Lord Sheffield in the valuable gust 30, 1776. It has been re“marked, |