age may depreciate wit, as the last exploded learning. "Prenons garde que le 18me siecle ne decriè l'esprit, comme le 17me avoit decriè l'erudition."

The sixteenth century produced the greatest number of men of the most profound erudition: and notwithstanding those of the seventeenth despised them for their laborious application, it is evident that it was owing to those labours that their successors attained knowledge with so much ease.

Towards the end of the last century, some possessed, and many affected, a pure taste in literature, and setting up for a standard towards the writings of the ancients, very liberally rewarded those who imitated them the nearest in chastity of composition. But no sooner had Monsieur Galland translated The Arabian Tales, than the whole French nation ran mad, and would never after read any thing but wretched imitations of their most wild extravagancies; for it ought to be observed, that some of those original stories contain useful morals and well-drawn pictures from common life: and it may be to those stories, perhaps, that we owe that species of writing which is at once entertaining and instructive; and in which a very eminent wit, to the honour of this nation, has shewn himself so incomparably superior in drawing natural characters. But these were not the parts which had the fortune to please; the enchantments, the monsters and transformations engaged all their attention; insomuch that the famous count Hamilton, with a pleasant indignation at this folly, wrote a tale of wonders, with design to ridicule these idle books by an aggravated imitation: but with an effect so directly contrary to his intention, that to this day France is continually producing little pieces of that extravagant turn; while England, that land of liberty, equally indifferent to works of wit, and encouraging the licentiousness of the old comedy, can relish

nothing but personal character, or wanton romance. Hence arises that swarm of memoirs, all filled with abuse or impurity, which, whatever distinction my present correspondent may make with relation to food and physic, are the poison of the mind.

The best antidote to this poison, and the most salutary in every respect, is that species of writing which may properly be termed regimen; which, partaking of the qualities both of physic and food, at once cleanses and sustains the patient. Such have I studied to make these my papers; which are therefore neither given daily for sustenance, nor occasionally as medicine, but regularly and weekly as an alterative. I have been extremely careful in the composition, that there shall not be wanting a proper quantity of sweet, acid, and salt; yet so justly proportioned, as not to cloy, sour, or lacerate the weakest stomach. The success I have met with will be better proved by the attestations of my patients, than by any boasts of my own. Out of many hundreds of these attestations, I shall content myself at present with only publishing the following.

Extract of a letter from Bath.

SIR,

I CAN assure you with the greatest truth that my three eldest daughters were for more than a whole winter most strangely affected with a nakedness in the shoulders, insomuch that the thinest and slightest covering whatsoever was almost insupportable, especially in public. The best advice in the place was procured, but the disease encreased with so much vioience, that many expressed their opinion that every

part of the body was in danger of the infection. At last, when nothing else would do, they were prevailed upon to enter into a regular course of your papers, and in a very few weeks, to the surprise of every body in the rooms, were perfectly cured. I therefore beg of you, good sir, to let the bearer have thirty dozen of the papers, for which he will pay you.

I am,

Sir, &c.

The original letter, sealed with a coronet, may be seen at Mr. Dodsley's in Pall-mall.

No. LXXI. THURSDAY, MAY 9.

Ne scuticâ dignum horribili sectêre flagello.

HOR.

I FLATTER myself it must have been frequently remarked, that I have hitherto executed the office I have undertaken without any of that harshness which may deserve the name of satire, but on the contrary with that gentle and good-humoured ridicule which rather indicates the wishes of paternal tenderness, than the dictates of magisterial authority. My edicts carry nothing with them penal. After I have spent five pages out of six to shew that the ladies cisfigure their persons, and the gentlemen their pars and gardens, by too much art, I make no other conclusion, than by coolly informing them, that eac would be more beautiful, if nature was less disguised.

A certain great traveller, happening to take Florence in one of his tours, was much caressed and admired by the Great Duke. The variety of countries he had seen, and his vivacity in describing the customs, manners, and characters of their inhabitants, rendered him highly entertaining. But it happened a little unfortunately that he had taken a fancy to adopt one of the fashions of the east, that of wearing whiskers, which he did in the fullest and largest extent of the mode. The Great Duke could by no means relish this fashion; and as constantly as he finished his second bottle, his disgust would break out, though never with greater harshness than in the following words: "Signor Giramondo, I am not duke of Tuscany while you wear those whiskers." In like manner I say, I am not Adam Fitz-Adam while the ladies wear such enormous hoops, such short petticoats, and such vast patches near the left eye; or while gentlemen ruin their fortunes and constitutions by play, or deform the face of nature by the fopperies of art.

The moderation of the duke of Tuscany, who with the help of a pair of scissars, might so easily have removed the object which at once offended and degraded him, is greatly to be preferred to the tyranny of Procrustes, whose delicate eye for proportion was apt to take such offence at an overgrown person, that he would order him to be shortened to the just standard, by cutting off his feet. But a tyrannical system cannot be lasting: and violent measures must destroy that harmony which I am desirous should long subsist between me and those whom I have undertaken to govern, even were it probable that I could carry such measures into execution. But nothing exposes weakness so much as threats which we are not able to enforce. It is told us in the Acts, "that forty of the Jews bound themselves under a curse, that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.”

We hear no more of those Jews, though the apostle survived their menaces. I flatter myself that I have no less zeal for the abolishing folly and false taste; yet I am so far from uttering any such threats, that I very frankly confess I intend to eat and drink as heartily as if there was no such thing as folly remaining in the world. My enemies, indeed, have been pleased to throw out, that it is owing to my desire of continuing to gratify those appetites, that I have not long ago entirely suppressed all folly whatsoever. They make no scruple of asserting, that there would not have been so much as a patch, pompon, or Chinese rail remaining amongst us, if I had not thought proper to borrow a piece of policy from the rat-catchers, who suffer a small part of the vermin to escape, that their trade may not be at an end. But I must take the liberty of acquainting these gentlemen, that they know as little of me, as of human nature, the chace after folly being like hunting a witch; if you run her down in one shape, she starts up in another, so that there is no manner of danger that the game will be destroyed. And I most solemnly declare, that wherever I have seen a beautiful face, or a fine garden, very grossly deformed by injudicious attempts at amendment, I have laboured with the greatest earnestness to effect a reformation. But where the conduct of my pupils, though sometimes faulty in itself, has been harmless in its consequences, I have constantly for born, and will as constantly forbear, an officious reprehension of it, however disagreeable such forbearance may appear in the eyes of these gentlemen.

It is upon this plan that I have suppressed innumerable complaints from splenetic and ill-humoured correspondents: as a specimen of which complaints I shall lay before my readers the beginnings of some of their letters.