chariot appeared in the air, drawn by two fnails; and he was just going to step in, when the prince reflected, that now or never was the time to be poffeffed of the white moufe; and quite forgetting his lawful princefs Nanhoa, fal!ing on his knees, he implored forgivenefs for having rafhly rejected fo much beauty. This well-timed compliment inftantly appeafed the angry fairy. She affected an hideous leer of approbation; and, taking the young prince by the hand, conducted him to a neighbouring church, where they were married together in a moment. As foon as the ceremony was performed, the prince, who was to the last degree defirous of feeing his favourite moufe, reminded the bride of her promife. To confefs a truth, my prince, cried the, I myself am that very white moufe you faw on your wedding night in the royal apart ment. I now therefore give you the choice, whether you would have me a moufe by day and a woman by night, or a moufe by night and a woman by ' day.' Though the prince was an excellent cafuift, he was quite at a lof's how to determine, but at last thought it mot prudent to have recourse to a blue cat that had followed him from his own dominions, and frequently amufed him with it's converfation, and affifted him with it's advice; in fact this cat was no other than the faithful princefs Nanhoa berfelf, who had fhared with him all his hardships in this disguife.

By her inftructions, he was determined in his choice; and returning to the old fairy, prudently obferved, that as the must have been fenfible he had married her only for the fake of what the bad, and not for her perfonal qualifications, he thought it would, for feveral reafons, be most convenient, if the continued a woman by day, and appeared a moufe by night.

The old fairy was a good deal mortified at her husband's want of gallantry, though he was reluctantly obliged to comply; the day was therefore spent in the most polite amufements; the gentlemen talked finut; the ladies laughed,

and were angry. At laft the happy night drew near; the blue cat ftill stuck by the fide of it's mafter, and even followed him to the bridal apartment. Barbacela entered the chamber, wearing a train fifteen yards long, fupported by porcupines, and all over befet with jewels, which ferved to render her more derettable. She was just ftepping into bed to the prince, forgetting her promife, when he infifted upon feeing her in the fhape of a moufe. She had promised, and no fairy can break her word; wherefore affuming the figure of the most beautiful moufe in the world, the skipped and played about with an infinity of amusement. The prince, in an agony of rapture, was defirous of feeing his pretty playfellow move a flow dance about the floor to his own finging; he began to fing, and the moufe immediately to perform with the most perfect knowledge of time, and the finest grace and greatest gravity imaginable: it only began, for Nanhoa, who had long waited for the opportunity in the fhape of a cat, flew upon it instantly without remorfe, and eating it up in the hundredth part of a moment, broke the charm, and then resumed her natural figure.

The prince now found that he had all along been under the power of enchantment; that his paffion for the white moufe was entirely fictitious, and not the genuine complexion of his foul; he now faw that his earnestnefs after mice was an illiberal amufement, and much more becoming a rat-catcher than a prince. All his meanneffes now ftared him in the face, he begged the dif creet princess's pardon an hundred times. The princefs very readily forgave him; and both returning to their palace in Bonbobbin, lived very happily together, and reigned many years with all that wifdom which, by the story, they appear to have been poffeffed of; perfectly convinced, by their former adventures, that They who place their affect ons

on trifles at first for amusement, will find those trifles at laft become their moft ferious concern.' Adieu.

LETTER

the world enjoys moft freedom, and he immediately anfwers, his own. Afk him in what that freedom principally confifts, and he is inftantly filent. This happy pre-eminence does not arife from the people's enjoying a lager fhare in legiflation than elfewhere; for in this particular, feveral states in Europe excel them; nor does it arife from a greater exemption from taxes, for few countries pay more; it does not proceed from their being reftrained by fewer laws, for no people are burthened with fo many; nor does it particularly confist in the fecurity of their property, for property is pretty well fecured in every polite ftate of Europe.

How then are the English more free, (for more free they certainly are) than the people of any other country,' or under any other form of government whatever? Their freedom confifts in their enjoying all the advantages of democracy with this fuperior prerogative borrowed from monarchy, that the feverity of their laws may be relaxed without endangering the conftitution.' In a monarchical ftate, in which the conftitution is ftrongeft, the laws may be relaxed without danger; for though the people fhould be unanimous in the breach of any one in particular, yet ftill there is an effective power fuperior to the people, capable of enforcing obedience, whenever it may be proper to inculcate the law either towards the fup. port or welfare of the community.

But all thofe governments, where laws derive their fanction from the people alone, tranfgreffions cannot be overlooked without bringing the conftitution into danger. They who tranfgrefs the law in fuch a cafe, are thofe who prefcribe it; by which means it lofes not only it's influence, but it's fanction. In every republic the laws must be strong, because the conftitution is feeble; they must refemble an Afiatic husband, who is juftly jealous, becaule he knows himfelf impotent. Thus in Holland, Switzerland, and Genoa, new laws are not

In

obferved with unremitting feverity. fuch republics therefore the people are flaves to laws of their own making, little less than in unmixed monarchies, where they are flaves to the will of one fubject to frailties like themselves.

In England, from a variety of happy accidents, their conftitution is just strong enough, or, if you will, monarchical enough, to permit a relaxation of the feverity of laws, and yet those laws ftill to remain fufficiently trong to govern the people. This is the most perfect state of civil liberty, of which we can form any idea; here we fee a greater number of laws than in any other country, while the people at the fame time obey only such as are immediately conducive to the intercits of fociety; feveral are unnoticed, many unknown; fome kept to be revived and enforced upon proper occafions, others left to grow obfolete, even without the neceffity of abrogation.

Scarce an Englishman who does not, almost every day of his life, offend with impunity against fome express law, and for which, in a certain conjuncture of circumftances, he would not receive punifhment. Gaming-houfes, preaching at prohibited places, affembled crowds, nocturnal amufements, public fhows, and an hundred other inftances, are forbid, and frequented. Thefe prohibitions are useful; though it be prudent in their magiftrates, and happy for their people, that they are not enforced; and none but the venal or mercenary attempt to enforce them.

The law, in this cafe, like an indulgent parent, ftill keeps the rod, though the child is feldom corrected. Were thofe pardoned offences to rife into enor mity, were they likely to obstruct the happinefs of fociety, or endanger the ftate, it is then that Justice would refume her terrors, and punish thofe faults the had fo often overlooked with indulgence. It is to this ductility of the laws that an Enginan owes the freedom he enjoys fuperior to others in a more popular government;

vernment; every step therefore the conftitution takes towards a Democratic form, every diminution of the legal authority is, in fact, a diminution of the fubjects freedom; but every attempt to render the government more popular, not only impairs natural liberty, but even will, at laft, diffolve the political conftitution.

Every popular government feems calculated to last only for a time; it grows rigid with age; new laws are multiplying, and the old continue in force; the fubjects are oppreffed, burthened with a multiplicity of legal injunctions; there are none from whom to expect redrefs, and nothing but a ftrong convulfion in the ftate can vindicate them into former liberty: thus the people of Rome, a few great ones excepted, found more real freedom under their emperors, though tyrants, than they had experienced in the old age of the commonwealth, in which their laws were become numerous and painful; in which new laws were every day enacting, and the old ones executed with rigour. They even refufed to be reinftated in their former prerogatives, upon an offer made them to this purpofe; for they actually found emperors the only means of foftening the rigours of their conftitution.

The constitution of England is at prefent pofleffed of the strength of it's native oak, and the flexibility of the bending tamarisk; but should the people at any time, with a mistaken zeal, pant after an imaginary freedom, and fancy that abridging monarchy was encreafing their privileges, they would be very much mistaken, fince every jewel plucked from the crown of majesty, would only be made ufe of as a bribe to corruption; it might enrich the few who fhared it among them, but would, in fat, impoverish the public.

As the Roman fenators by flow and imperceptible degrees became masters of the people, yet ftill flattered them with a fhew of freedom, while themselves only were free; fo is it poffible for a body of men, while they ftand up for privileges, to grow into an exuberance of power themfelves, and the public become actually dependent, while fome of it's individuals only governed.

If then, my friend, there fhould in this country ever be on the throne a king, who through good-nature or age fhould give up the fmalleft part of his prerogative to the people; if there should come a minister of merit and popularity But I have room for no more. Adieu.

SI was yesterday feated at breakfaft over a penfive dish of tea, my meditations were interrupted by my old friend and companion, who introduced a ftranger, dreffed pretty much like himfelf. The gentleman made feveral apologies for his visit, begged of me to impute his intrufion to the fincerity of his refpect, and the warmth of his curiofity.

not the feafon; books have their time as well as cucumbers. I would no more bring out a new work in fummer, than I would fell pork in the dog-days. Nothing in my way goes off in fummer, except very light goods indeed. A review, a magazine, or a feffions paper, may amufe a fummer reader; but all our ftock of value we referve for a fpring and winter trade.' - I must confefs, Sir,' fays I, 'a curiofity to know what you call a valu able. ftock, which can only bear a winter perufal.'- Sir,' replied the bookfeller, it is not my way to cry up my own goods; but without exag

Excufe me, Sir,' fays he, it is

C any of the trade; my books at least have the peculiar advantage of being always new; and it is my way to clear off my old to the trunk-makers every

⚫ season.