not be branded with the ignominious appellation of vagabonds; at leaft, they deferve a rank in fociety equal to the mystery of barbers, or undertakers; and, could my influence extend fo far, they fhould be allowed to earn even forty or fifty pounds a year, if eminent in their profeffion.

I am fenfible, however, that you will cenfure me of profufion in this respect, bred up as you are in the narrow prejudices of Eastern frugality. You will undoubtedly affert, that fuch a ftipend is too great for fo useless an employment: Yet how will your furprize encreafe, when told, that though the law holds them as vagabonds, many of them earn more than a thousand a year! You are amazed. There is caufe for amazement. A vagabond with a thousand a year is indeed a curiofity in nature; a wonder far furpaffing the flying fish, pe trified crab, or travelling lobster. How ever, from my great love to the profeffion, I would willingly have them divefted of part of their contempt, and part of their finery; the law fhould kindly take them under the wing of protection, fix them into a corporation, like that of the barbers, and abridge their ignominy and their penfions. As to their abilities in other refpects, I would leave that entirely to the public, who are certainly in this cafe the propereft judges-whether they defpife them

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be cooped up with the fame caution as a Bantam cock that is kept for fighting. When one of thofe animals is taken from it's native dunghill, we retrench it both in the quantity of it's food, and the number of it's feraglio: players fhould in the fame manner be fed, not fattened; they should be permitted to get their bread, but not eat the people's bread into the bargain; and, inftead of being permitted to keep four miftreffes, in confcience, they should be contented only with two.

Were ftage-players thus brought into bounds, perhaps we fhould find their admirers lefs fanguine, and confequently lefs ridiculous in patronizing them. We fhould no longer be truck with the abfurdity of feeing the fame people, whofe valour makes fuch a figure abroad, apoftrophizing in the praife of a bouncing blockhead, and wrangling in the defence of a copper-tailed actress at home. I fhall conclude my letter with the fenfible admonition of Me the philofopher.

You love harmony," fays he, and are charmed with mufic. I do "not blame you for hearing a fine voice, when you are in your clofet with a lovely parterre under your eye, or in the night time, while perhaps the moon diffuses her filver rays. But is a man to carry this paffion fo far as to "let a company of comedians, muficians, and fingers, grow rich upon his exhausted fortune? If so, he refembles one of thofe dead bodies, whose brains the embalmer has pick⚫ed out through it's ears.' Adieu.

here for feveral feafons. The odds · were in favour of Crab in the beginning; but Slamerkin, after the first heat, feemed to have the match hollow: however, it was foon feen that Periwinkle improved in wind, which at laft turned out accordingly; Crab was run to a ftand ftill, Slamerkin was knocked up, and Periwinkle was brought in with univerfal applaufe.' Thus, you fee, Periwinkle received univerfal applaufe; and no doubt his lordfhip came in for fome fhare of that praife which was fo liberally beftowed upon Periwinkle. Sun of China! how glorious muft the fenator appear in his cap and leather breeches, his whip croffed in his mouth, and thus coming to the goal amongit the fhouts of grooms, jockies, pimps, table-bred dukes, and degraded generals!

From the defcription of this princely amulement, now transcribed, and from the great veneration I have for the characters of it's principal promoters, I make no doubt but I fhall look upon an horfe-race with becoming reverence, pre-difpofed as I am by a fimilar amufement, of which I have lately been a fpectator; for just now I happened to have an opportunity of being present at a Cart-race.

Whether this contention between three carts of different parifhes was promoted by a fubfcription among the nobility, or whether the grand jury, in council affembled, had gloriously combined to encourage plauftral merit, I cannot take upon me to determine; but, certain it is, the whole was conducted with the utmoft regularity and decorum; and the company, which made a brilliant appearance, were univerfally of opinion that the fport was high, the running fine, and the riders influenced by no bribe.

It was run on the road from London to a village called Brentford, between a turnip-cart, a duft-cart, and a dungcart; each of the owners condescending to mount and be his own driver. The odds at itarting were duft against dung five to four; but after half a mile's going, the knowing ones found themfelves all on the wrong fide, and it was turnip against the field, brafs to filver.

Soon, however, the contest became more doubtful; Turnip indeed kept the way, but it was perceived that Dung

had better bottom. The road re-echoed with the fhouts of the fpectators-Dung against Turnip! Turnip against Dung! was now the univerfal cry; neck and neck; one rode lighter, but the other had more judgment. I could not but particularly obferve the ardour with which the fair-fex efpoufed the cause of the different riders on this occafion; one was charmed with the unwashed beauties of Dung; another was captivated with the patibulary afpect of Turnip; while, in the mean time, unfortunate gloomy Duft, who came whipping, behind, was cheared by the encouragements of fome, and pity of all.

The contention now continued for fome time, without a poffibility of de-. termining to whom victory defigned the prize. The winning-poft appeared in view, and he who drove the turnip-cart affured himself of fuccefs; and fuccefsful he might have been, had his horfe been as ambitious as he; but upon-approaching a turn from the road, which led homewards, the horse fairly, food ftill, and refused to move a foot farther. The dung-cart had scarce time to enjoy this temporary triumph, when it was pitched headlong into a ditch by the way fide, and the rider left to wallow in congenial mud. Duft in the mean time. foon came up; and not being far from. the poft, came in amidst the fhouts and acclamations of all the fpectators, and greatly careffed by all the quality of Brentford. Fortune was kind only to one, who ought to have been favourable, to all; each had peculiar inerit, each laboured hard to earn the prize, and each richly deferved the cart he drove.

I do not know whether this defcription may not have anticipated that which I intended giving of Newmarker. I am told there is little elfe to be feen even there. There may be fome minute differences in the drefs of the fpectators, but none at all in their understandings the quality of Brentford are as remark, able for politenefs and delicacy as the breeders of Newmarket. The quality of Brentford drive their own carts, and the honourable fraternity of Newmarket ride their own horfes. In short, the matches in one place are as rational as thofe in the other; and it is more than probable that turnips, duft, and dung, are all that can be found to furnish out defcription in either.

Forgive

Forgive me, my friend; but a perfon like me, bred up in a philofophic feclufion, is apt to regard, perhaps with too much asperity, those occurrences which

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fink man below his station in nature, and diminish the intrinsic value of humanity.

OU tell me the people of Europe are wife; but where lies their wif\dom? You fay they are valiant too; yet I have fome reasons to doubt of their valour. They are engaged in war among each other, yet apply to the Ruffians, their neighbours and ours, for affiftance. Cultivating fuch an alliance argues at once imprudence and timidity. All fubfidies paid for fuch an aid is ftrengthening the Ruffians, already too powerful, and weakening the employers, already exhausted by inteftine commo

tions.

I cannot avoid beholding the Ruffian empire as the natural enemy of the more Weltern parts of Europe; as an enemy already poffeffed of great strength, and, from the nature of the government, every day threatening to become more powerful. This extenfive empire, which, both in Europe and Afia, occupies almost a third of the old world, was, about two centuries ago, divided into feparate kingdoms and dukedoms, and from fuch a divifion confequently feeble, Since the times, however, of Johan Bafilides, it has encreased in ftrength and extent; and thofe untrodden forefts, those innumerable favage animals which for merly covered the face of the country, are now removed, and colonies of mankind planted in their room. A kingdom thus enjoying peace internally, poffeffed of an unbounded extent of dominion, and learning the military art at the expence of others abroad, muft every day grow more powerful; and it is probable we shall hear Ruffia, in future times, as formerly, called the Officina Gentium.

It was long the wifh of Peter, their great monarch, to have a fort in some of the Western parts of Europe; many of his fchemes and treaties were directed to this end; but, happily for Europe, he failed in them all. A fort in the power of this people would be like the poffeffion of a flood-gate; and whenever

ambition, intereft, or neceffity, prompt ed, they might then be able to deluge the whole Western world with a bar. barous inundation.

Believe me, my friend, I cannot fufficiently contemn the politics of Europe, who thus make this powerful people arbitrators in their quarrel. The Ruffians are now at that period between refinement and barbarity, which feems most adapted to military atchievement; and if once they happen to get footing in the Western parts of Europe, it is not the feeble efforts of the fons of effeminacy and diffenfion that can ferve to remove them. The fertile valley and soft climate will ever be sufficient inducements to draw whole myriads from their native defarts, the trackless wild, or fnowy. mountain.

Hiftory, experience, reafon, nature, expand the book of wildom before the eyes of mankind, but they will not read. We have seen with terror a winged phalanx of famished locufts, each singly contemptible, but from multitude become hideous, cover, like clouds, the face of day, and threaten the whole world with ruin. We have seen them fettling on the fertile plains of India and Egypt, destroying in an inftant the labours and the hopes of nations; sparing neither the fruit of the earth nor the verdure of the fields, and changing into a frightful defart landfcapes of once luxuriant beauty. We have feen myriads of ants iffuing together from the Southern defart, like a torrent whofe fource was inexhaustible, fucceeding each other without end, and renewing their deftroyed forces with unwearied perfeverance, bringing defolation where ever they came, banishing men and ani mals, and when deftitute of all fubfiftence, in heaps infecting the wilderness which they had made! Like thefe have been the migrations of men. When as yet favage, and almoft refembling their brute partners in the foreft, fubject like

them

gazing at her own face in a neighbouring fountain.

Their ufual amufement in this folitude was fifhing: their mother had taught them all the fecrets of the art; the fhewed them which were the most likely places to throw out the line, what baits were most proper for the various feafons, and the best manner to draw up the finny prey, when they had hooked it. In this manner they spent their time, eafy and innocent; till one day, the princefs being indifpofed, defired them to go and catch her a turgeon or a hark for fupper, which the fancied might fit eafy on her ftomach. The daughters obeyed; and clapping on a gold fish, the ufual bait on thofe occahons, went and fat upon one of the rocks, letting the gilded hook glide down with the stream.

On the oppofite thore, farther down, at the mouth of the river, lived a Diver for pearls; a youth who, by long habit in his trade, was almoft grown amphibious; fo that he could remain whole hours at the bottom of the water without ever fetching breath. He happened to be at that very instant diving when the ladies were fishing with the gilded book. Seeing, therefore, the bait, which to him had the appearance of real gold, he was refolved to feize the prizes but both his hands being already filled with pearl oyflers, he found himself obliged to foap at it with his mouth. The confequence is eafily imagined; the hook, before unperceived, was infantly faftened in his jaw; nor could he, with all his efforts, or his floundering, get free.

Sifter,' cries the youngest princefs, I have certainly caught a monstrous fifh; I never perceived any thing ftruggle fo at the end of my line before; come, and help me to draw it in. They both now therefore affisted in fifhing up the Diver on fhore; but nothing could equal their furprize upon feeing him. Blefs my eyes!' cries the prude, what have we got here? This is a very odd fish to be fure! I never faw any thing in my life look fo queer! What eyes! what terrible claws! what a monstrous fnout! I have read of this monfter fomewhere before; it cer tainly must be a Tanlang, that eats won en; let us throw it back into the fea where we found it.'

The Diver in the mean time stood

upon the beach, at the end of the line, with the hook in his mouth, ufing every art that he thought could beft excite pity, and particularly looking extremely tender, which is ufual in fuch circumftances. The coquet, therefore, in fome meafure influenced by the innocence of his looks, ventured to contradit her companion. Upon my word, fifter,' fays he, I fee nothing in the animal fo very terrible as you are pleafed to apprehend; I think it may ferve well enough for a change. Always fharks, and sturgeons, and lobfters, and crawfish, make me quite fick. I fancy a flice of this nicely grilladed, and dressed up with shrimpfauce, would be very pretty eating, I fancy mamina would like a bit with pickles above all things in the world; and if it should not fit eafy on her ftomach, it will be time enough to • difcontinue it when found difagreeable, you know.'- Horrid!' cries the prude, would the girl be poisoned? I tell you it is a Tanlang; I have read of it in twenty places. It is every where defcribed as the most pernicions animal that ever infefted the ocean.. I am certain it is the most 'infidious, ravenous creature in the

world; and is certain deftruction if

taken internally. The youngest fifter was now therefore obliged to fubmit; both affifted in drawing the hook with fome violence from the Diver's jaw; and he, finding himself at liberty, bent his breaft against the broad wave, and difappeared in an inftant.

Juft at this juncture the mother came down to the beach, to know the caufe of her daughters delay; they told her every circumftance, defcribing the monfter they had caught. The old lady was one of the most discreet women in the world; the was called the Blackeyed Princefs, from two black eyes fhe had received in her youth, being a little addicted to boxing in her liquor. Alas, my children! cries fhe, what have you done? The fish you caught was a man-fish; one of the most tame do. meltic animals in the world. We could have let him run and play about the garden, and he would have been twenty times more entertaining than our fquirrel or monkey. If that be all, fays the young coquet,' we will fifh for him again. If that be all, I'll hold three tooth-picks to one

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