the Lord Chancellor, and the Speaker of the House of Commons.

"The domeftic officers of the house are, a principal librarian, to whom all the others are fubject; the keeper of the natural curiofities, and his deputy; the keeper of the printed books, and his deputy; the keeper of the antiquities, and his deputy; the keeper of the reading room; the meffenger, and his deputy; with the porter and housekeeper, under which there are feveral women fervants, to do the neceffary bufinefs of the house.

"As this foundation is altogether for the use of the public, and the only one in London free for their reception, without any expence, we fhall next lay before our readers the form of admiffion.

"Those who come to fee the curiofities, are obliged to give in their names to the porter, who enters them in a book, which is given to the principal librarian, who strikes them off, and orders the tickets to be given in the following manner:-During the months of May, June, July, and August, forty-five are admitted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, viz. fifteen at nine in the forenoon, fifteen at eleven, and fifteen at one in the afternoon. On Mondays and Fridays, fifteen are admitted at four o'clock in the afternoon, and fifteen at fix. The other eight months in the year, forty-five are admitted in three different companies, on Mon

days,

days, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, at nine, eleven, and one o'clock. Those who defire to walk in the gardens are admitted by tickets, which laft one year, with this difference, that they are all dated from the first of January, although the person should not apply for them till September.

"This is certainly one of the most valuable inftitutions for promoting literary knowledge in the universe, and the vaft number of valuable manuscripts has already thrown great light on the hiftory of England. But when we confider the vast number of idle, people, who come to view the curiofities, and who by their ignorance can never relifh their beauties, we cannot help applying to it the following words of the Poet:

"Tis ftrange the mifer should his cares employ To gain those riches he can ne'er enjoy : Is it lefs ftrange the prodigal should wafte His wealth, to purchase what he ne'er can taste ? Not for himself he fees, or hears, or eats; Artifts muft chufe him masters, mufic, meats. He buys for Topham drawings and defigns, For Pembroke ftatues, and for Curio coins; Old Monkish manuscripts for Hearne alone, And books for Mead, and rarities for Sloane. Think you these things are for himself? no more Than his fine wife (my lord) or finer whore."

POPE's Epifle to the Earl of BURLINGTON.

"There

<<< There are but few people, even in this age, who can relish all, or even any of the beauties of thofe curiofities in the British Museum. Idle girls, or, which is still worse, idle men and women, may go there and admire, for a few minutes, the colour of a fnake, or the enormous jaws of a crocodile! but they will return neither wifer nor better; the image will foon be effaced from their minds, their understandings being as much darkened as their memories are unre$entive.

"With respect to the house itself, it is one of the largest in or near London, and different from Powis-houfe, its near neighbour; the back is fuitable to the front. It has this additional advantage, that the gardens behind, although not laid out with tafte or elegance, yet have fomething in them extremely agreeable. The architecture of the house is extremely noble and spacious, although too much in the Dutch taste, being heavy and difagreeable; but were it ever fo beautiful, the whole is fhut up in the front from public view, by a heavy dead brick wall. Were it laid open to public view, with a fine iron rail placed before it, many people might refort to fee its outfide from motives of curiofity; whereas at present it appears as a priLon before, and a palace behind."

LETTER

*****

LETTER IX.

The 'SQUIRE to his FAMILY.

A groupe of Gamblers-The 'Squire's reflectionsThe Story of feveral Rakes, Bloods, and Blacklegs, well known upon the town-Various night fcenes and midnight enterprizes at both ends of

I

the town.

Laft night took a peep at a

GAMING-HOUSE.

and I believe I fhall aftonish you, good, honeft, plain-dealing country-folks, when I come to thew off fome of the characters, fchemes, and practices of this infernal place, which, without any more previous and unnecessary ceremonies, I fhall proceed to do, promifing, as before, to confine myself to facts.

Mr. Smart took me (as I had complied fufficiently with the ridiculous customs of the town, by dreffing like a monkey) into a very genteel houfe of gambling, fituated in the polite part of

the

the town.-We went into a very spacious, fplendid, and well-lighted room. It was almost filled with well-dreffed people, all men, and about eight parties were feated at card-tables; others were rattling the dice, and every one feemed intent upon cheating one another. How vigilant was every eye? how buy was every hand in this glorious bufinefs? As I walked to and fro in the room, my cousin addressed me in a foft, under voice to the following effect: The place, faid he, where you are now in, contains at this very moment as ftrange a medley of beings as ever were crouded together in one room at one time. Here the Duke and the Highwayman, his Lordship and his Jockeyship, Princes of the Blood and Shoemakers in embroidery, meet together to deceive and to be deceived, to win and to lose, to laugh and to be laughed

at.

A gaming-house, my dear coufin, is like the grave, which confounds all ranks, and reduces all to a level. Villainy, fcoundrelism, knavery, and cunning, provided they have the honours in their hands, fhall infift upon their lead, though all the ftars and garters of the realm were to ftare them in the face. See how they all mix together-no difference, no fubordination, no diftinctions!

When my coufin had ended his remarks, I walked nearer to the tables, and made my own

obfervations