The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-07-18

estratTs from MFG SssvdrsPJ Life IF Dr.. Oar
sVin. The t5liosving Iseteb from ribs scork
com5rebendy Tonne enrfsmJ anecdotes of0 gentle |
man, svbo bGs made /ome figure in in tbe lite
rGtare Of England. Tbers IS Isareeiy n febo0l- |
BOY ia tb5 country, srbo is not familiar svifb at
LaG one Of TIE Productions of'TbOmas Day The
4smbor Of The admirable -" IHRory Of Sant5ra0
Merton" From heberoie energy zv5ieb is de-
(cyi6ed, and tie t,sjob5ieicated morality svbicb
IS mealeafed IN many parts ofthGf in.ereRiag
81 pbi!ejopbicai Tale, be rad formed q bigbopi-
nion offbr moral character Of its anfbor; and
IN IS baber to dife5qer thar TIE Fight /setcb
evhicb Mis- Seasvar9 has given Of tie man, has
ampy Jipporfed tie Ioidea bre5enfimsnfJ .bnthe
bad formed from bis svorks. NE .A1sN in tie
.joHoSving esfrad Pereeisr him undertaking as
extraordinary an adventure as any svbieb inse-
r,sfs rs IN the fictitious Tale Of Romance.
Frank Heniy, confsnting to Jaerjfee bis osva
happiness to tie principle ofjujgiee, and uniting
svitb bis beio1sd mifreij in her esertions TO re
form bis ri7,ai, exhibits a character not more
EngaiarS aRonijBing,fbanT T. Day, turning Svifb
appointment fromtbe female fociety to svbicbbe
bad6ec1 aeenqonled, 8 rejoivmgto to,zntbebro-
fcgee ofa fonndling kolbital, into an aeeonlpLj6-
edpartner ofbi!fntnre days. Men oftbe svor!d
may smile at The attempt, and perhaps cat an
undftinguiihng ridsenLs upon the character Of
ITS author. The Editor, boSve1er, is avilLing
peculiarlygrandJ independentint tbs pro
jed. Perhaps the scheme itjtLf sva5 svila 8 ro-
mantle. Bar tie independent energy eo6icb
lnggeaed and carried it through so many diff
fcuitieS svbieb opposed its execution, commands
bis admiration. Had this energy conducted
fchemes gilmore certain utility, be &osld baTe
Prononnee9bim sVoyTby ofa much moAs z'a!i4a-
BILE boom than IL zva5 al ,erzyard5 bis good for
tune TO meet avit6 in bis accomplished aVye.J
After having eftabliihed friendihip and cor
refpondence with DR.. Darwin, MIR. Edgeworth
did not return to LitchGeld till the filmmer of
the year I7JO. With him, at that period, came
the late Mr.. Day, of Bear-hill, in Berkshire.
Thcfe youn- men had been fellow-fudents in
the unworthy of Oxford. Mr.. Day was alto at
tra6ted by the fame celebrated abilities, which,
five years before, had drawn his friend into their
fphere. He was then twenty -four, in poiiefii-
or Of a clear eitste, about twelve hundred
pounds per aunum.
Mr. Day looked the philosopher. Powder
and fine clothes were, at that time the appendix
ges of gentlemen. Mr.. Day wore not either.
He was tall and ftooped in the ihoulders, full
made, but not corpulent ; and in his meditative
and melancholy air degree of awkwardnefs &
dignity were blended. We found his features
intereRing and agreeable arnidft the traces of
fevere fmall-pox. There was fort of weight
upon the lids OF his large hazle eyes yet when
he detained,
...---..-. " OF good and evil
Patton and apathy, and glory, and fhame,"
very expreflive were the energies cleaning from
them beneath the fhade of fable hair, which,
Adam-ke, curled about his brows. LET'S grace
full, lefs amuiing, lefs brilliant than MIR. E. but
more highly imaginative, more claifica, and
deeper reafoner fri6t integrity, energetic
f-,a aI fsIn md
diffufve charity, greatly overbalanced, on the
deof virtue, the tin6ture of mfanthropicg leen.
and proud contempt of common-life fociety,
that marked the peculiar character, which ihall
unfold itfclf on thefe pages. In fuceeeding
years, MIR. Day publifhed two noble poems,
The Dying Negro, and The Devoted Legions !;
alto Sanford and Merton, which by wife pa
rents isput into every youthful hand.
MIR. Day dedicated the third edition of the
Dying Negro to Rouf1eau. That dedication
has every force and every grace of eloquence.-
The fentiments are ftrongly characteristic of
their writer except in the philippe againft Ame-
rican reiiftance juft commenced when the adj
drefs to Roulleau was competed. Generous
indignation of the lave trade, practifed without
remorfc IN the fouthern colonies of North Anne
RIGA, induced Mr.. Day to refufe them all credit
for the patriotic virtue OF that refifance to new
and unconstitutional claims which threatened
Lnelr NOertleS.
Inthe courfe of the year ITO, Mr.. Day food
for full-length picture to MIR. Wright Of Der
by. A ftrong lkeneis and dignGed portrait
were the refult. Drawn as IN the open air, the
surrounding Ky is teupefuouS, lurid, aud dark.
He fsnds leaning his left arm againt column
inlcribed to Hambden. MIR. Day looks upwards,
as enthusiastically meditating on the contents of
a book, held in his dropped right and. The
open leaf is the Grafton of that virtuous patriot
in the fenate, againft the grant of fhip-money,
demanded by king Charles the frf. A flalh of
lightning plays in MIR. Days hair, and illumi-
mates the contents of the volume. The poetic
fancy, and what were then the politics of the
original, appear in the choice of fubje6t & atti-
tude. DR.. Darwin fat to Mr.. Wright about the
fame period. That was Gmply contempla-
tive portrait, fthe molt perfect resemblance.
Even at that period, " when youth, elate and
gay, fteps into life,' MIR. Day was rigid moral
IT, who proudly impofcd on himfelf cold abfi-
hence, even from the mott innocent pleafures !;
nor would he allow an action ~ be yrtrcus,
which was performed upon any hope ofreward,
here, or hereafter. This feverity of principle,
more abaraGt and fpecious, than natural or ufe-
full, rendered Mr.. Day fceptical towards reveal
ed religion, though by no means confirmed de-
lit. Mott unlike Doctor Johnfon in thofe
doubts, he refemblcd him in want of fympathy
c,ri,,ey frro