Ossian Collection > Gentleman's magazine, and historical chronicle > Volume 66, Part 2

SgS Mr. Svvete's Anfwer to form late Critiques, — St. David's. [Nov
Mr. Urban, Nov. 3.
RETLIRNINC5 from an Excurfion,
at)Oai ihe middle of lail month, I
found it too lare to notice fome critiques,
in jou. ..Ill the European Magazine,
on a " Volume of Elfavs by a Society of
Gentlemen, at Ex ter/' m whicli my
name has been {injudximjly 1 think)
brought before ti^e puhlick.
The aitxle ia the £uropean Maga-
zine (ex^lufive of a fneer at the want of
arrangen.cnt) f. r a vviiile, pafies on
pleafantly enough ; in one ttlay tliere is
diiccvered *' both ingenuity and learn-
ing ;" •' from another," the autiior of the
critique lays, " he indulges himfelt in
m;:king a pretty long extrafl." So far
the flowers, which compolc the nofegay,
have a fweet favour, but
" medio de fonte leporum
Surgit amari nliquid quod in ipfis fioribus
angat;"
in the remainder there is no perfume !
they are cither difagreeable to the fmell,
or unfeemly to the fight.
My bufintfs, however, is not to cen-
fure another, but to vindicate myieif.
Being particularly calUd on by name bcTii
in the Gentleman's and European Ma-
gazines, I cannot permit a flur to be
imprefTed \vithou,t uiing fome effort at
leaf! to erafe it. You will allow me
then, Mr. Urban, to ftate to you a few
fa^s ; which, I trull, will do awav all
imputation of " hojiiHty to Mr. Pol-
wheie," or of " plagiarilm from his Hif-
lorical Views of Devon." 1 have fiift
to obferve, that all the remarks made on
the " Britifc Monuments in Devon"
were written by me in the year 1789 ;
and arranged fo as to form a flight eltay
for the Society in the beginning of the
year 1793, antecedent to liie publication
of Mr. Polwhele's Hillorical Vic.vs, to
which of courle there " could be no refe-
rence," But to produce a proof, which
cannot be controverted, thet my tllay
was read before Mr. Polwhi le's book
was pub'iftitd, I fljall beg leave to make
a fliort extratl from the'nuriilen eflay j
which, db being comphmentary to one
of the members of tiie Society, was
properly judged, by the committee that
fupcrintended the publication of our
volume, irrelevant to the compofition
itfelf.
Having introduced my fubjeii:, which
was to defcribe the Britifli monuments
extant in Devon, I cbfeive, "that they
will be merefuitcbes, which, Idoubinor,
jou will have the plealure of feeing in
fome future, though, I tiuft, not dif
taot, day, aWy painted by the more maf
terly hand of our leain^d aifociate, thij
Hiftcrian of tht county *."
Mr. Polwhele was at this time 1
member of' the Socifty ; if he was no
prefcnt at the reading of the efTay
he well knew its contents ; and,
could not be unacquainted with a fub
fiiiing rule, that " whatever eflav wa
not withdrawn was wh lly at the dif
pofal of the Society ;" and refted on tb
decifion of the committte, whether
fhould be printed or not ; it follows,
that, if the intended publication fbou1>
have been cooctived by Mr. Polwhel
" hoftile to the work he had in hanj^
he wou!d have {■. cxprefTed himfclf t
me (one of the earlieft and warmci
promoters of that work,) or to fom
other of the mvmbers ; and there cannti
be a doubr, but tlvat it would have bc8i
moft readily fupprtffed.
Refpediing tlie " Haldon Urn,"Ihav
only to obferve, that Mr. Polwhele's ad
count of it was taken verbatim from*
manttjcripts. " This urn," fa) s he i
his Hiflorical Views, " is at prefcnt i
the pofTefTion of the Rev. John Swet
of Oxton Houfe, who is animated, ai
&t the fame time exaft, in the followip
defcription : ' Quitting the grounds-
Oxton," &c. &c.
I need njt go on with the pafTaa
it would be but to occupy fpace wM
might be appropriated to a more va
able communication ; thus far, he
ever, it was incumbent upon me to 1
patiate, to vindicate myfelf from afp
fions, which, as I did not dcfevve, fpl]
could not paflivcly fufFer to remain
your page unrefuted.
Yours, Sec, John SvvETE.
Mr. Urban, ^01;. 13. j
YOUR correrpondent,*\vho enquis
fo unfuccefbtuHv after the ftate
the fervice in the cathedral of St. D|
vid's, is defired to add to his eriqair[
theallufion made by t\\tl0te\ Mr. Ha
combe, one of the canons, to the ml
nagement at Sr. David's, " which fcf
ended in fo much cenfure and diltrefs
we fuppole to himlelf, in the dtdicatii|
of his, faft-fermon to .Mr. Horner,
vvitneflcd that management, whaji
it was. QyERiSlI
* We have fuppielTeU many letters,
and cm, on this fubje(5t. Edi:
•)• Frobably the fame gentleman,
death wasauuounced Aug. i, p. 79t»