: It is well-known, that Edinburgh has a distinct professorship for agriculture. How far the improvements made in agriculture, may be, in any measure indebted to that professorship in the way of science, or to statistical and agricultural Surveys, in the way of observation, let others determine but improvements in agriculture have, as all know, been made in Scotland. Cambridgeshire, too, it is well-known, is an agricultural county; and certain professors have, no doubt, in their lectures, with propriety, assigned agriculture its place in their course of lectures. But let not ignorance smile at scientific farmers and professors of agriculture. Who knows not that agriculture derives its surest rules, its most natural improvements, and steadiest supports, from science? That the University of Oxford should have a Saxon professorship, and Cambridge not, as just observed, is a circumstance which some might choose to dwell on with peculiar emphasis. Every one, too, will recollect what attention the French have paid to the study of their own language, from the time of Cardinal Richlieu, under whose auspices was founded an academy, exclusively, for the study of the French language: now the Saxon is in fact our own language: it was that spoken by our English ancestors, and into that the greater part of our words, and our grammar, may be resolved. Consequently, in inquiries into the genius, analysis, and con a Recueil des Harangues prononcées par Messieurs de l'Academie Françoise, dans leurs Receptions, et en d'autres occasions, depuis l'establissement de l'Académie jasq'à present. Par Jean-Baptiste Coignard. Monsieur Charpentier, one of the academicians, in his address, ascribes the perfection of the French poetry and eloquence to this institution, and, conformably to that idea, wrote his Treatise de L'excellence de la Langue Françoise, struction of the English language, and into our local customs, and national antiquities, as well as our history and laws, a knowledge of the Saxon language must bring with it undoubted advantages: and, perhaps, never from the English press issued a book, better entitled on many accounts, to the attention of Englishmen, than Bishop Wilkins's edition of the Anglo Saxon Laws. The language itself, too, is copious and expressive a. Should any one affect to treat it as monotonous and poor, he should be dismissed for more correct information, and wholesome chastisement, to an English lady, who wrote a very useful Saxon Grammar. I cannot help adding what follows on this subject. In Baker's MSS. in the British Museum, are some papers relative to a Saxon professorship. From several letters of Sir Henry Spelman, the antiquary, copied from MSS. in the public library at Cambridge, it appears, that a few years before his death, he meditated to found a Saxon lectureship; and that eighteen years after the establishment of the Arabic lectureship, by Sir Thomas Adams, Lord Mayor of London, funds were appropriated by Spelman for a Saxon one. The order of the senate may be seen among Baker's Papers, signed by the Vice Chancellor; and part of an introductory discourse to the University. The following is the title: "Oratio et Specimen in Britanno-Saxonicam Prælec a See a Treatise on Languages, and one professedly on the English Language, in Camden's REMAINS. b Preface to Dr. Hickes of the Rudiments of Grammar for the English-Saxon Tongue; by Eliz. Elstob. This work is grounded on Dr. Hickes's Grammatica Anglosax. in his Thesaurus Linguarum Septentrionalium :-Mrs. Elstob handles those who affect to treat the Saxon language and antiquities contemptuously with great smartness. tionem, auspiciis honorabilis viri Domini Henrici Spelman inchoatam, datum et habitum in Conventu academicorum omnium ordinum in Scholis juris consultorum ab Abrahamo Wheloco." Englished: An Oration and Specimen towards a British Saxon Prelection, begun under the auspices of that honourable gentleman, Henry Spelman; given and delivered at a meeting of the academics of all ranks in the law schools, by Abraham Whelock. The Oration and Specimen are very short, abrupt, and unfinished, ending with-cætera desiderantur. And here some readers may call to mind, the professorship (founded by Geo. I. in 1724,) of Modern History, which in the hands of Mr. Gray, was ineffective: this is mentioned not to censure Mr. Gray, but to applaud the present professor, Mr. Smyth. Mr. Mason has undertaken Mr. Gray's defence. It appears, there were some difficulties in the way, which Mr. Gray could not easily surmount; and that after all, had he lived, (for he had great scruples on the subject,) he would, most probably, either have given lectures, or resigned the professorship. a The circumstance has been more particularly mentioned, to shew, how establishments, that may have been suffered to sleep awhile, may be brought again into effect. For under the management of the present professor, the department of modern history is become, not merely effective, but of high consideration. It is obvious to remark, that Alma Mater has no professorship for the fine arts. Anciently, in the monasteries, See Mr. Gray's last Letter to Mr. Mason, with the observations of the latter on it, at the end of Mason's Memoirs of the Life and Writ ings of Mr. Gray. What there was of Art took her seat near Science. painting was executed principally in monasteries. The Norman divines were generally architects, who studied to rival each other, and sometimes strove to outvie themselves, in their churches of massy, curious, elaborate workmanship. Nuns were limners: and the finest Gothic buildings were designed and superintended by monks and abbots. But as Science extended her views, she increased her stores, and would not admit of partnership. Art has, therefore, provided for herself elsewhere. She seeks royal academies, and the great city, where numerous paintings of the best masters, and models of the antique, abound; where rivalry stimulates to excellence, and excellence may look for the public patronage. But though Alma Mater has no professorships of the arts, she is not without exquisite models: she can shew but few fine paintings; but she exhibits one of the grandest display of public buildings in England: she has a few very exquisite busts and magnificent statues of her sons; and some of her best modern buildings were designed by her own members. Cambridge possesses, in the town and university, a few specimens of Norman or Saxon architecture, the most perfect of the Gothic, (as King's College Chapel,) and some of all the Grecian and Roman orders: these may be called her silent lecturers. Let a person, inquisitive into these matters, furnish himself with a few books, that are within reach of almost every one, and study these buildings, and he will enjoy the advantage of a professorship without its formality. Thus it was Gray, who, for the twenty-five last years of his life, resided almost constantly at Cambridge, studied architecture; and few men were better acquainted with the principles of our old English architecture than Mr. Gray. And here, perhaps, some may ask: But has Cambridge done nothing for poetry? Has she no professorship for this divine art? No-but Oxford has. True-Which has acted most judiciously? Gray refused the offer of poet laureat's place; and I doubt whether he would have had humility enough for a professorship of poetry. The fact is, the province of poetry is more to please than instruct, or rather, prodesse delectando, to profit in pleasing, and her essential qualities are not so much the effect of a too regular discipline, as of force of imagination. You may give laws for framing measures, and advice to poetry in the form of poetical prælections", with great exactness, and much at ease; but, Can you kindle up the fires of genius? Can you call forth the sublime energies of poetry? Whether Alma Mater's conduct is a silent reply to such objections; whether she has proceeded from accidental oversight, or systematic design, matters not. But let an Oxford critic bear testimony, that, in true poetry, Cambridge has not been defective; that without a professor to cultivate the soil, and amidst all her mathematical training, which is said to stint the growth of poetry, our Alma Mater of Cambridge, in times past, has produced a rich a I do not mean to degrade such books as Trapp's Prælect. Poetica, (Oxford, 1722,) but allude to a too large expectation from them, and too minute, artificial an application of them; being entirely of Longinus's opinion on the subject:-Orɩ avrη (Natura) (Lev шρwтov тi xai apxeτυπον γενέσεως ςοιχείον επι πάντων υφεςηκεν· τας δε ποσότητος και τον εφ' εκαςα καιρον, ετι δε την απλανες ατην ασκησιν τε και χρήνιν ικανη παρορίσαι, και συνενεγκεν η μεθοδος. And again,—Ως η μεν φυσις την της ευτυχίας ταξιν επέχει η τέχνη δε τεν τες ευβουλίας. De Sublimitate, ed. Pearce, p. 10. 12. I also allude to what was, probably, Gray's opinion on the subject. |
