another time, knocked one of his fervants down for putting a grain of falt too much in his broth.

But, without going fo very far back for inftances of this extraordinary clafs of mankind, my old friend Frank Surly is

one of the most remarkable which it has ever produced. Frank and I were bred together at Westminster; and before he was twelve years of age, he was diftinguished from every other boy in the fchool by the uncommon morofenefs of his temper, and his contempt of thofe punifaments which the generality of his age and standing always held in the greateft dread. There were few lads in the whole school fuperior to Frank either in application or abilities; yet I have known him frequently inattentive and careless about his leffons, that we might fee with how much fortitude he could bear to be flogged. Nay, if any of his intimates had been guilty of any roguish prank which deferved the difcipline of the rod, he would often defire them to lay the blame on him, and fuffer, with all the composure in the world, a hearty flagellation in their ftead. Unhappily, however, upon one of these occafions, when Frank was going to be punished for fome petty crime, which he begged might be laid to his charge, the lad who was really guilty of the fact, ftruck with his behaviour, went up to the master, and without difguife related the affair, acknowledged the fault, and declared he would rather be cut to pieces than fee another fuffer for an action which he had committed himself. The lad's generofity had an effect upon the mafter; nor was he without fome furprize at the behaviour of Fank. He difmiffed them both to their feats; and, to the inexpreffible concern of the latter, never flogged him after. Frank finding he could have no opportunity of fhewing his ftoicifm any longer, through down right pride, paid an application to his tudies that in a little time made him the best scholar in the whole school; and refolving to be remarkable for the extremities of his behaviour, the moment the mafter had declared he would never gratify him with another whipping, he grew remarkably well behaved, and piqued himself upon keeping up a conSequence and dignity in his actions, to prove that the fear of punishment had nothing to do in the reformation of his manners.

The fame difpofition which diftinguished Frank in his earlier years, has all along rendered him confpicuous fince his reach to maturity. As he and I still hold up an intimacy, whenever I go down into Oxfordshire, I país a week at his house. The last time I was there, he was laid up with a very violent fit of the gout; and whenever the pain was at an extremity, he would converfe with unufual chearfulness, or divert himself with one of the fongs which were in vogue when he and I were younkers. If any body pitied him, he inftantly flew into a paffion; but if you feemed to make flight of bodily anguish and infirmity, he fhook you by the hand, and told you, you were a man of underftanding. About ten years ago, my old friend married a moft valuable wo man, of whom he was paffionately fond, and who returned his affection almost to madness. As their circumftances were affluent, this reciprocal regard, one would imagine, fhould have produced their mutual felicity-But far on the contrary-Frank was too proud to be happy; and as his love for Mrs. Surly was universally known to be exceffive, he was never fatisfied unless he treated her as the object of his hate. He only lived in her looks, and yet he has torn himself from her prefence for three whole weeks; and fo unaccountably headlong was he hurried by this ridicu lous ftoicifm, that, upon her death, which happened in childbed, though his foul was tortured with all the anguish of confummate pity and distracted love, he went to the affembly an hour after her decease, and fat up-(a tear now and then traying down his cheek)→→→ along with Colonel Tierce, Major Piquet, and Sir Oliver Ombre, at a party of whift.

A perfon fo apparently fteeled against the calamities of life, we should reafonably expect, would hold the little im pertinencies or interruptions of it in the greatest contempt: but this is far from being the cafe with my friend Frank; a plait more or lefs in his fhirt-fleeve will fet him raving for an hour; and I remember that he fhot a favourite dog one day, in the ftable-yard, for leaping accidentally up and dirtying the skirt of his coat. It is impoffible to enumerate the various inconfiftencies of my poor friend's character. I once knew him fet up a careless drunken fellow of a coachman

D

coachman, who overturned him in a ditch, in a very handfome inn, three weeks after; and at another time difcharge his footman, at a moment's warning, for wearing too little powder in his wig.

Were we to make an effay into human nature, and examine the lives of our modern philofophers with any degree of circumfpection, we fhould find the principal number approach fo very

near the ftandard of Frank Surly, that the account given of him will ferve as no improper defcription of them all. The ridiculous light in which one of the moft fenfible is fet, will, I hope, serve for as good an admonition as I can poffibly give to this tribe of very important beings; and I fhall think myself particularly happy if the foregoing picture is attended with any falutary effect.

Did myself the pleasure, a few even

old friend, with whom I have been intimate these thirty years, and for whom I have infinitely more than a common respect. An affair of arbitration had, however, called him abroad; and I found nobody at home but Mils Maria, his younger daughter, who is now the moft lively picture of innocence and beauty which I ever faw, and clofely bordering upon twenty-one. As I al ways avoid ftiffening my conversation with the ftarch of antiquity, and conftantly endeavour at appearing more ready to be inftructed than to inftruct, the young people are very fond of admit. ting me into their company; and there is fcarcely a day that I have not an invi tation or two from fome of the most fprightly tea-tables in town; which is more. I fancy, than can be faid by any other old fellow of fixty within the weekly bills.

On my enquiring for her papa, Mifs Maria stepped out of the parlour, and feizing one of my hands, cried-'0 Mr.

Babler, is it you? I infift upon your coming in. Few entreaties are neceflary to make a man do what he likes. I immediately affented, fat down, and paffed two of the most agreeable hours I ever experienced in my whole life.

Our conversation, after turning upon a variety of topics, at laft fell upon that divine part of our church-worship, in which the congregation fing praifes to the Moft High. If it is proper,' fays Maria, for a perfon of my years to fpeak of fo important a fubject as re ligion, and not too prefumptuous for the petticoats to comment upon the worthip of the church, I should think, • Mr. Babler, that this part of our li

turgy might be very much improved. Great complaints have been often made, that fo small a number of the congregation join in the finging of pfalms; and though I admit the neglect is highly unpardonable, and the - cenfure extremely juft, yet reformation would, in my opinion, be infinitely fuperior to reprehenfion; and I think every room for complaint might be removed by a proper fuppreffion of the caule.

The end of poetry and mufic, if I am right in my information, is to actuate upon the paffions; and, in all religious compofition, to raise the mind to an elevated de fire of acknowledging the wonderful mercy and goodness of the divine Being. How far the hymns ⚫ufed in the established church for this purpose are from antwering fo falu. tary an end, it is no lefs painful than ⚫ unneceffary to obferve: in the verfifi'cation of the very beft pfa ms, all the

rapture of the original text is loft, and in that the mufic fhould be no way fu'perior to the poetry; there is hardly any one tune which can create the least emotion but fleep. In fact, Sir, the moft trifling compofitions, which are formed for the bufinefs of amusement, have twenty times more merit than -thofe fet apart for the fervice of religion; and infinitely greater pains are taken in the writing or fetting of a Ranelagh ballad, than in a hymn to the honour of the living God.

From what I have faid, Mr. Bab. ler, I would by no means infer, that either the poetical or mufical part of our hymns fhould be light, trifling or airy; but furely, Sir, the fpirit of ⚫ devotion would breathe confiderably ftronger in thefe pieces, and have à

' much

much greater effect, if an author of reputation fhould give us a fine verfi'fication of the pfalms, and a master of eminence should receive proper encou ragement to fee them exquifitely fet. We have a number of tunes, plaintive, ⚫ folemn, and enchanting, to a mirac e; which are nevertheless as familiar as they are charming, and calculated to bewitch the carelefs and inattentive to a fenfe, to a paffion for that duty which they now treat with a lifelefs indifference, or an infupportable neglect. Religion, Sir, by this means,' would become fashionable; and it would be deemed no longer inelegant for a fine lady, or a fine gentleman, to I join in the praifes of their God.

Lord, Mr. Babler, how can you have patience to hear me chatter fo much! but I fhall not trefpafs on your patience much longer. Mr. Wellworth (who, you know, visits us every day) and I were talking on this very • subject a few evenings ago; and as he has really a fweet tafte for poetry, I ⚫ took the liberty of requesting he would

Some how or other my eye encountered with Mifs Maria's at the end of this fpeech; the feemed conscious; and on my obferving that Mr. Wellworth was an excellent young man, fhe reddened exceffively, and feemed at a stand for words. As I would not confufe her by any means, I fhifted the converfation; but the refumed it immediately, and faid- Well, Mr. Babler, you

must give me your fentiments on this little production; here it is,' conti nued the, taking it out of her pocketbook-and here—no, not here, but in the next number, I fhall prefent it, with fomething elfe of confequence which it occafioned, to my readers.

I
N my last I promised my readers a

be worse than my word, or delay their expectations, I give it without further introduction.

HYMN.

THE lark, now high foaring in air,

Salutes the firft blush of the moin, And the rofes new incenfe prepare, To breathe on the dew-dropping thorn; Fresh feelings instinctively foring

In the fteer, as he turns up the clod;
And creation itself feems to fing,

In the honour and glory of GoD.
II.

In what fenfual mazes with-held,

Is man now unhappily loft!
In the rage of what paffion impell'd,

On the fea of what vice is he toft?
O! inftantly let him proclaim,

What the herbage all tells on the fod; And if gratitude cannot, let shame, Awake to the praises of God.

Ali fwift as the lightning's keen blaze,
Let him humble before the dread rod,
Nor join fo unhallow'd in praise,

To the honour and glory of GoD
IV.

Some law does he madly defy,

Which the BEING OF BEINGS Commands? The bolt ready lifted on high,

Shall dash him to duft as he ftands: In thunder Omnipotence breaks,

Fall proftrate, O wretch! at his nod See earth to her center deep thakes,

All difmay'd at the voice of her GOD!

V.

Life's road let me cautiously view,

And no longer difdain to be wife; But redden fuch paths to pursue,

As my reafon should hate or defpife: To crown both my age and my youth, Let me mark where religion has trod; Since nothing bot virtue and truth

Can reach to the throne of my GOD.

When I had done reading, Mifs Maria demanded my opinion of this performance, which I could not but praise very much. I told her, however, that the thought of concluding every ftanza with the name of the Deity was borDa rowed

rowed from Eve's Hymn in the Death of Abel; though I could not think of making any comparison, pretty as that hymn was, with this of Mr. Wellworth's. The young lady seemed vaftly delighted at my commendation; and was beginning to make a verbal acknowledgment of her fatisfaction, when her father's rap was heard at the door My old friend entered the parlour with an air of mingled anger and dejection; and, instead of taking any notice of me, began at once upon his daughter So, Madam, this is fine information I have received!-What, you are under an engagement to Mr. Wellworth, are you? O Maria! Maria!'

I had brought him to fome degree of good-humour, I took an opportunity of turning the converfation, and read him the foregoing hymn. He was charmed with it, and asked me if I knew the author. Yes,' fays I, Mr. Wellworth.'-'Fore God!' returned he, though I do not approve of his connection with my daughter, I am mightily taken with his works." This was all I wanted And pray, my good 'Sir,' answered I, which is it more for ⚫ your credit and your child's happiness, to bettow her on a deferving young man, whom she loves, and you cannot but admire, or to run the precarious iffue of matching her with one, who, though he may have twice Mr. Wellworth's • fortune, either may not have sense or inclination to reward either her merit, or your goodness, as he ought? You can fettle them both, if not fplendidly, at least elegantly, in the world; and, my life for it, in a year or two, you would not change your fon-inlaw for the Indies.' I faw my old friend was ftruck with the justice of the cafe; yet still he seemed defirous of being perfuaded to act as he knew be ought-I indulged him; and Saturday last he and I obtained a special licence; and, to the inexpreffible happiness of the young folks, got them married that morning.

SIR,

TO THE BABLER.

SI find it fo very customary for

give a sketch of their lives, and to pubith any particular inftances of folly, or extraordinary turns of fortune, to the world; I take the liberty of fending you a portrait of myself; in which, abftracted from it's being a ftriking likeness, I fhall claim no merit, unless it be allow ed a general one. v.

I am the only fon of a tradefman, who died about five years ago in the city, Mr. Babler, and left me in very handfome circumftances. My father had a common-council fort of pride about him, which afpired at bringing up his fon a gentleman, and an ambition of making him carry an air of profufion, while the moft rigid economy

was obferved in his expence. I have been tricked out, Sir, in the very pink of city linery, a laced waiftcoat and a

at time that I was (carcely

allowed a fufficiency to pay my club at the Horseshoe and Magpie; and talked about tavern bills and fupper, when half a guinea has been the extent of my finances for a whole week.

Upon the death of old Squaretoes, Mr. Babler, I found myself poffeffed of ten thousand pounds; and fcarcely got a wink of fleep, during a whole month, my imagination was fo perpetually haunted by the recollection of the fum. Habituated, however, to the fight of the money, I foon began to entertain a notion of laying a few hundreds elegantly out. With this view a carriage was inftantly befpoke, an everlasting leave taken of all the streets between Temple

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