the infcription, often tends only to make the deceased a ridiculous. In my late vifit to Westminster Abbey, I could not but remark the difference of Tafte, which has prevailed in fetting up thefe edifices for the dead. In former times it was thought fufficient to clap up the buft or ftatue of the deceased, fet round perhaps with the emblems of their meits, their employment, or station of life. Thus, if any lady was remarkable for ffer virtue and piety, it was pointed out by two or three little chubby-faced cherubims, crying for her death, or holding a crown over her head. The warrior was fpread out at full length in a compleat fuit of armour, with the trophies of war hung round about him; and the Bishop was laid flat upon his back, with his coifed head refting on a stone bible, and his hands joined together in the pofture of praying.

It Socrates, or any other of the ancient philofophers, could revive again, and be admitted into Weftminster Abbey, he would now be induced to fancy himfelf in a Pantheon. The Modern Tatte, not content with introducing Roman temples into our churches, and reprefenting the Virtues under allegorical mages, has ranfacked all the fabulous accounts of the Heathen Theology to trike out new embellishments for our Chriftian monuments. We are not in the leaft furprised to fee Mercury_at" tending the tomb of an orator, and Pallas or Hercules fupporting that of a warrior. If there is not a ftop put to this Tafte, we may foon expect to fee cur churches, instead of being dedicated to the fervice of religion, fet apart for the reception of Heathen Gods. A deceafed admiral will be reprefented like Neptune, with a trident in his hand, drawn in a thell by dolphins, preceded by Tritons, and followed by Nereids Lashing the marble waves with their tails. A general will be habited like Mars, bearing an helmet and fpear in polifhed ftone; and a celebrated toaft will be ftuck up naked, like the Venus de Medicis, cut in alabafter. Our pious forefathers were contented with exhibiting to us the ufual emblems of death, the hour-glafs, the skull, and the crofs marrow bones. Thefe emblems, if not very elegant, were at least not indecent: But now the Three Fatal Sifters, mensioned in the Heathen Mythology, muft be inuoduced ipinning, drawing, and

cutting the thread of life. Could one of the last century see a winged figure blowing a trumpet on the top of a mo dern monument, he would be apt to miftake it for an arch-angel, and be naturally put in mind of that awful time, when the trumpet thali found,

and the dead fhall rife.' But the defign, we are told, is very different, and this winged meffenger is no other than the ancient perfonage of Fame, who is proclaiming the virtues of the defunct

round the world.

It has been recommended, on a different account, to have a separate place, diftin&t from our churches, for the recep tion of our monuments. I could with to fee fuch a fcheme put in execution: for the prefent abfurd mixture of the several objects of the Pagan and Chriftian belief, as reprefented on the tombs lately fet up in compliance with the Modern Tafte, must be fhocking to every ferious beholder. Should any one propose to take down from St. Paul's cathedral those paintings of Sir James Thornhill reprefenting the tranfactions of St. Paul, and in their place to fet up Titian's pictures of the amours of the Heathen Geds and Goddefies, every one would be thocked at the impiety of the propofal. But the fashion of introducing Heathen Deities into our monuments is not much less abfurd: and as Milton has been blamed for his frequent allu fions to the Heathen Theology in his Sacred Poem, furely we are more to be condemned for admitting the whole clafs of their fictitious deities into the Houfe of God itfelf. A reformation in this point is no lefs neceffary than from the Popifh fuperftitions; and thefe profane images, though not the objects of our idolatry, have no more pretence to be fet up in the Temple of the Living Lord, than thofe of the canonized Saints of the Roman Catholics.

Modern Tafte is continually ftriking out new improvements. We may therefore conclude, that when our ftatuaries have travelled through the ancient Pantheon, and exhausted all the fubje&ts of the Grecian and Roman Mythology, we shall have recourfe to the fuperftitions of other nations for the designs of our monuments. They will then probably be adorned with Ægyptian Hieroglyphics, and the tomb of tome future hero may be built according to the mo del of the Prophet's tomb at Mecca. It

1.

THE

HERE is no method of reproof more in vogue, than the fashion of drawing invidious parallels between the prefent times and the past. The grumbling politician rails over his coffee at the prefent miniftry, and reminds you with a figh of the golden days of Queen Befs: while, in matters of lefs confequence, the critic fhakes his head at Mr. Town, and mentions Bicker hf. But the moralifts are above all others devoted to this practice. Thefe wife gentlemen are continually locking backwards, and condemning, what lays immediately before them by retro pect. They are for ever harping on this jarring chord, and have scarce more words in their mouths than the folemn fentences faid to be delivered by Friar Baton's Brazen Head, Time is-Time was-Time is pait."

No comparifons of this fort are fo frequently repeated, and so much infifted on, as thofe drawn between the Ancients and Moderns. If an eloquent member of the Houfe of Commons is cruelly fufpected of bellowing for a place, nothing rings in his ears but Tuily and Demofthenes. If a gentleman, or perhaps a nobleman, with an heavy mortgage upon his eftate, difencumbers it by felling his intereft at a county election, he is immediately upbraided with one Roman, that was not alhamed to follow the plough-tail, and another, who could refuse large bribes, and content himself with a cottage and turnips. If a lady makes an unfor tunate fp, he is told again and again of Lucretia, and fifty other fchool-boy tales of honour and chastity. In a word, there is not one fashionable frailty, but

has fome stubborn antiquated virtue fer in oppofition to it; and our unhappy metropolis is every day threatened with deftruction for it's degeneracy from the rigid maxims of Rome or Sparta, 1999 In the midst of all these fevere res flections, it gives me infinite pleafore that I can with juftice take notice of the inconteftible fuperiority of the Moderns in point of Modefty. The arrogancel of the Ancients was fo remarkable, that, in their idea of a perfect character, they included every public and private virtue. They aimed at a strict obfervance of all the duties of life: and if fome old Romans had been filed Gods while living, it would not have been fuch grofs flattery as was afterwards practifed in honouring the Emperors with an Apo theofis. Their inflexible honefty was their perpetual boat, and their virtue was their pride. This high idea of a Perfect Character among the Ancients naturally urged them to lift themselves to an invidious fuperiority above the rest of the world: while the modest Mo derns, by taking all the vices, instead of the virtues, into their notion of a Fine Gentleman, endeavour to let them felves down to a level with the lowest of

their fpecies, and have laid the fureft foundation for humility, Fine Gentle men are fo far from being proud, that they are never guilty of any thing which gives them the leaft reason to be fo and our Fine Ladies have none of the difgufting haughtiness of virtue, though indeed they are feldom known to be afhamed.

It is impoffible to devise any one me thod of lowering the good opinion & man might poflibly conceive of himself,

that

that has not been put in practice. No Fine Gentleman ever aimed at acquiring any excellence: and if any natural perfections might give fome little occafion for pride, the greatest pains have been taken to deftroy them. Good parts have been often drowned in drunkenness, and a ftrong constitution fweated away in bagnios: and in the mean time learning has been totally neglected, left improvement fhould bring on pedantry and literary pride. The most thinning parts in the character of a Fine Gentleman are, that he drinks deep, dreffes genteelly, rides well, can fhoe his own horfe, and is poffeffed of fome other qualifications which nobody can ever fufpect that a mind the leaft given to ambition would ever labour to acquire. For my part, I am fo far from agreeing with our Satirift, that the love of fame is the univerfal paffion, that when I observe the behaviour of our Fine Gentlemen, I am apt to think it proceeds from the loweft and humbleft turn of mind. Indeed, their fingular Modefty appears to me the only means of accounting for their actions, which commonly tend to place them in the meanest and most contemptible light.

Nothing but this invincible Modefty, and fear of feeming to aim at excellence, could ever give rife to certain habits, not only ridiculous, but ungraceful, Good eyes, for instance, are univerfally acknowledged to give luttre to the whole countenance; yet fashion and humility have blinded the whole town. The beau draws his eyes out of his pocket, and the beauties kill us through fpying glaffes. It has been known to be the vogue for perfons of fashion to lofe the use of their legs, and limp along as if they were crippled. This practice I daily expect to be revived: for I take it for granted, that the tall ftaves now carried about muft naturally dwindle into crutches. An inarticulate lifp even now infects the delivery in polite converfation. It is not at all unfashionable to pretend deafincis; and unless the ladies object to it, I do not defpair of feeng the time when the whole modish world shall affect to be dumb.

This humble way of thinking has been carried fo far, that it has even introduced a new species of hypocrity. Fine Gentlemen, fearing left their good qualities fhould in their own despite overbalance their bad ones, claim feveral vices, to

which they have no title. There fomething very admirable and ingenuous in this difpofition among our young people, who not only candidly discover all their frailties, but accuse themselves of faults which they never intended to commit. I know a young fellow who is almoft every morning complaining of the head-ache, and curfing the last night's Champagne at the St. Alban's, when I am well affured he paffed his evening very foberly with his maiden aunts in Cheapfide. I am also acquainted with another gentleman who is very fond of confeffing his intrigues, and often modeftly takes fhame to himself for the great mifchief he does among the women; though I well know, he is too bathful even to make love to his laundrefs. He fometimes laments publicly the unlucky confequences of an amour, and has more than once been discovered to fend pill-boxes and gallipots directed for himself, to be left at the bar of neighbouring coffee-houfes. The fame humble turn of mind induces the frugal to appear extravagant; and makes many a religious young fellow den y his principles, brave his confcience, and affect the character and converfation of an atheift. To fay the truth, the generality of the gay warld are arrant hypocrites in their vices, and appear to be worse than they really are. Many of our pretended Bloods are, in fact, no more drunkards, whoremasters, or infidels, than a bully is a man of courage; and are as little fincere in their boasts of vice, as states men or beauties in their mutual profef, fions of friendship.

That part of the female world which compotes the order of Fine Ladies, have as much humility as their counterparts the Fine Gentlemen. There is famething fo charming in the fair sex, that we should almott adore them, if they did not lay afide all the pride of reputa tion, and by fome good-natured fami liarities reduce themfelves to an equality with us. It is, indeed, wonderful to obferve with what diligence our polite ladies pare off the excellencies from their characters. When we see them almott as naked as the Graces, it is natural to fuppofe them as warmly devoted to Ve nus; and when we hear them talk loosely, and encourage double meanings in converfation, we are apt to imagine their potions of honour not very strict or fevere. But after all, this is frequently

mere

mere hypocrify, and the effect of humility. Many a lady, very wanton in appearance, is in reality very modeft; and many a coquet has loft her reputa tion without losing her virtue. I make no doubt but that feveral ladies of futpi cious characters are not fo bad as they ferm, and that there are honourable per fons among tlie gayeft of our women of quality.

To return whence I fet out, the ex; traordinary Modefty of the Moderns, fo averfe to the arrogant pride of the Ancients claiming all virtues and good qualities whatfoever, is the only key to their behaviour. Vice, or at leaft the ap. pearance of vice, becomes abfolutely requifite to pals through the world with tolerable decency, and the character of a man of spirit. As Sir John Brute

fays, They were fneaking dogs, and

afraid of being damned in thofe days;" but we are better inforined, and fear nothing but the appearance of too much virtue. To fecure the nobility, gentry, and others, from fo fhocking an imputation, a friend of mine will tpeedily prefent the world with a curious piece compiled from the practice and principles of the prefent times, entitled, A New Treatife on Ethics; or, a Syitem of Immoral Philofophy. In this work he has treated at large of Modern Modefty, fhewn the excellence and utility of Immorality, and confidered Drinking, Whoring, Fighting, and Gaining, as the four Cardinal Vices, or, in other words, the principal confituents of Bucks, Bloods, and Fine Gentlemen.

(OOD-Nature is to the mind what

G

beauty is to the body; and an agreeable difpofition creates a love and etteem for us in the rest of mankind, as an handsome perfon recommends us to the good graces of the fair fex. It may he further obferved, that any little defect in point of figure is fooner overlooked, than a fournefs in the temper; and we conceive a more lafting difguft at a morofe churlishness of manners, than at an hump-back or a pair of bandy legs. Good-nature is, indeed, fo amiable a qualification, that every man would be thought to poffefs it: and the ladies themselves would no more like to be accused of a perverse turn of mind, than of an unhappy caft of features. Hence it proceeds, that thofe unfortunate ftale virgins, ufually called Old Maids, have both these heavy cenfures thrown upon them; and are at once condemned as ugly and ill-natured.

Some perfons are (according to the ftrict import of the phrase itself) born Good-natured. These fortunate people are easy in themselves, and agreeable to all about them. They are, as it were, conftitutionally pleafing; and can no more fail of being affable and engaging in conversation, than an Hamilton or a

HOR.

Coventry can be otherwife than beauti ful and charming. Yet it is the duty even of thofe who are naturally endowed

with the foft parts of converfation,' to be careful not to deprave or abuse them. They must not rely too confidently on their native fweetness of difpofition: for we should no more efteem a man who difcovered a negligence of pleasing, than we fhould admire a beauty who was an intolerable flattern. Nor, on the other hand, fhould they let their Good-nature run to an excess of compliment and extravagant civility: for an engaging tem perhas been as often spoiled by this troublefome politenefs, as a fine fhape has been squeezed into frightful diftortions by tight ftays, and a fine complexion entirely ruined by paint.

But if this care is requifite, even in thofe few who are bleffed with this native complacency and good-humour, how neceffary is it for the generality of man kind to labour at rectifying the irregu larities in their temper? For this pur pofe it would be fully fufficient if they would employ half the art to cultivate their minds that is daily ufed to let off their perfons. To this important end, not only the female delicacies of paint and offence are called in as auxiliaries

Y