"So deeply rooted is it in the fouls of thofe who poffefs it, that it is impoffible to move it by whimsey: neither can it be forgotten through carelessnefs, overturned by impetuofity, or counterfeited by audacity. For these reasons it can never be hidden but when the mind is intoxicated by paffion, the body with liquor, or when the foul is difturbed by corroding care.

"It abides with perfons in all fituations and circumftances: in the court it beholds the monarch without trembling, it's fuperiors without fervility, and looks upon its inferiors without contempt. In the pro fperity of perfons in common life, it meets it's beloved partner with the tenderest affection, it's children with a repeated pleasure, its relations with a dutiful regard, its friends with cordial looks and outftretched arms, its domeftics without pride, and its penfioners with compaffion; and beholds all men without offending vanity or difgufting contempt.

"The fame in adverfity. It fawns on no fuperior, nor ftoops to any meannefs. It's confolation is religion and philofophy, which are the fureft foundations whereon to build; an erection on that bafis will never fail, it cannot fall to the ground, but will remain as a monument of the builder's fidelity when time fhall be no more, when all things fhall be confumed, and when nothing fhall appear but virtue and goodness in their moft glorious colours, colours that will never fade, but continue through all eternity.

"The man who comes within the meaning of this politeness, is rectified in his pofture by the fencer, his steps are guided by the dancer, his ears are tuned by the mufician, by the philofopher his eyes are kept from roving, and his heart from wandering by the di vine.

"Such a perfon walks by rules of art, dictated by nature. He appears as if an imitation of him was no way unpracticable, and yet when attempted his copy is difficult to make."

In chapter the zd, the effayeft treats of the marks or principles of politeness. Of this chapter we cannot refrain from quoting the whole. "To be eafy yet elegant in our addrefs, fenfible and not pedantic, familiar and not rude, confcious of our importance and yet not affecting it; are the characteristics of a gentleman, though very dif ficult to acquire..

"It is generally the gift of nature improved by education, heightened by obfervation, preferved by keeping good company, fomented by honour, cherished by philofophy, and rendered fpontaneous and eafy by habit.

"It is generally found in the race of our crowned heads, of nobles, and of illustrious commoners, whofe exalted births, diftinguished titles, and heroic actions, naturally convey fuch principles of honour, mildness, generofity, and sympathetic feeling, which befpeak the gentleman.

"We ufually expect in the obfcure and almost illiterate plebeian, and fettered, bafe and ignominious flave, nothing but meanness, rudenefs, indelicacy, and fervility.

"In this we are however fometimes deceived, for the plebeian hath often shone with the principles and virtues of a nobleman, while the vices of the plebeian hath difgraced the honours of nobility. '". T

S 3

The obferving tutor cultivates this good breeding in his pupil, by gently and thoroughly eradicating evil humours out of the mind by ftrictly watching his bad habits, by relating the honourable deeds of his ancestors, by procuring him the best matters in all the sciences, by obferving every dip in language, in action, and fentiment, and by introducing him into the company of the most finished characters of both fexes.

"Thus he is prepared to be ufhered into the prefence of his king, and the fenate-houfe of the nation.

"This conftellation of virtues being difcovered, I proceed to state it's principles, which confit in a proper and decent refpect being paid to all ranks and conditions in an even, uniform, and easy behaviour in all companies, and a proper elegant and watchful regard to our expreffions, which characterize the polished perfon.

"The first of thefe principles I fhall call politeness, and the fecond and laft compiment, and here I will take the libe ty to refer my readers to the letters of a late illuftrious and learned peer, whofe direc tions, in respect to politeness, are fo much fuperior to any within the limits of my ideas, that I fhall exclude all attempts of that kind from this effay.

1.

1

"Politenefs fhould be easy and not burdenfome, more the refult of friendship, affection and refpect than any studied rules.

"Politenefs is that regulation of our conduct, which makes every thing decent, respectable, and becoming. It is easier felt than understood. It is easier to perceive and point it out in the characters of other people, than either to copy their pattern or describe its beauties.

It is an evennefs of foul unruffled by the tempeft of cares, unmoved by the tide of giddy pleafures, unexpofed to the bleak winds of envy and malignity, and unfhattered by the wrecks of calamity.

"It is a temper of mind that fubdues all things, that pours oil upon the flinty rocks, and vinegar upon the frozen mountains, and that tames the favage breaft, foftens the most inflexible, and wins the most obdurate.

"It is a difpofition of foul, which like charity, fuffereth long, is kind, envieth not, vaunteth not itfeif, is not puffed up, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things.

"It makes every motion graceful, every look tender, every expreffion elegant, and every action generous. It renders inftruction pleafant, takes off the edge of reproof, gives a fanétion to it's fentiments, reflects a luftre on the virtues of the perfons who poffefs it, and makes them better men, better chriftians, and better philofophers.

"These are it's principles by which it is known.

It fpeaks evil of no man, it revileth not again when it is reviled, nor anfwereth uncivilly, behaveth fupercilioufly, or querieth impertinently.

"It payeth honour to whom honour, and tribute to whom tribute is due.

"It beholdeth kings with a facred reverence, nobles with veneration, commoners with a patriotic efleem, magiftrates with obedience

to their authority, friends with affection, fuperiors with deference, equals with a becoming eafe, and inferiors without forgetting, difgusting or diftreffing them.

"It difcourfes without affectation, and writes with freedom, ease, and native elegance.

"It never raises the tincture of vermilion on the cheek of modesty, or abashed the humbly distressed.

"It never offends the man of party, or him whofe religion is dif ferent from his own.. It difputes not with the authority, cavils with words, or fwears even in foftened terms.

"Compliments are fuch polite and elegant phrafes, that please the company, and offend no perfons delicacy or good fente.

Compliments are either general or particular.

General compliments are common expreflions which avoid every thing of a difagreeable tendency, proceed from good nature, and though unstudied adorn converfation, foften the harfhnefs of a fubject and mollify a rifing paffion.

"Particular compliments are polite repartees and short encomiums on the abilities of others, or fomething deferving notice.

"It is very improper and impolite to praife a lady for her perfonal accomplishments, the mafter of a houfe for his furniture, &c. a learned man for his talents, or a merchant for his riches.

"Compliments fhould fpring fpontaneous from, the mind, divested of all trite expreffions, entirely extemporaneous, uncommon in their nature, and striking and forcible in their allufions.

"The language of a compliment should be plain and easy, neither fymbolical or metaphorical, but appear the fame as our common language refined.

They should not defcend into flattery, or be spoiled by fancy, used as a pun, or dealt out on every occafion. They should never be again repeated either by the perfon who (pake them, or him to whom they were addressed. The firft difcovers pride, and the latter vanity.

Compliments fhould be ufed with difcretion in inftructions, with greater plentry in polite circles, but should rarely creep into the letters and converfations of friends, though they should not entirely be

omitted.

"I fhall conclude this chapter with the words of a lady, at whose request I compofed this effay.

"Ceremony," (fays fhe) "fhould be shut out from friends, free"dom and fincerity fhould ever reign between them; (not that I would difcard politenefs, fince all degrees of people are, I think, "entitled to it) yet I would not make it an outer garment, as the "French do. It being the fashion of that country for every perfon

to wear it, and compliments are their infeparable companions, it is so easy and familiar with them that every thing is disguised under that thin garb.

"I cannot admire their affected politeness, but we have it genuine

❝ in England.

"It feldom appears but that it fprings from the heart; it fhews

itself in an eafy free carriage, a kind and obliging deportment.

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In

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"In converfation not difagreeable by loading you with comph ments, or faying any thing that might hurt or offend your delicacy; but delivers it's fentiments foftened with politeness.'

Chapter the third treats of the benefits of Politenefs; at the clofe of which, we are told:

"Happy are we who in this age; an age when the most polite, the most learned and the most exalted in rank and dignity esteem it an additional honour to their characters to be denominated christians; when the father and mother of their people go before them in every act of virtue and religion, when we hear ingenious and learned discourses from the pulpit, when the clergy do honour to their function, when fuperftition hides it's head, and enthusiasm does not defpife Politeness."-Really, if our author did not declare himself a young man, and feem to be of a moft complacent difpofition, we fhould almoft fufpect him here of farcafm and irony. Certain it is, if he be not here ironical, he is not much "hackneyed in the ways of men."

In Chapter the fourth, are laid down general directions for acquiring Politenefs; in which, among other inftructions, he recom mends the perufal of proper authors; which he enumerates; paying fome not inelegant compliments to certain Court Ladies, remarkable their politeness.

Chapter the fifth and laft, contains a reply to fome objections that may be made to his fyftem; in which the authors politeness appears to go hand in hand with his piety. On the whole, we cannot recom mend this fenfible and pleafing Effay too warmly to the reader's perùfal.

ART. XXII. A Letter to John Sawbridge, Efq. on popular Oppofition By Tribunus. 4to. Is. 6d. Wheble.

to Government.

We have here (introduced by a fpecious pretence to moderation and candour) a party perfuafive to that, which, in times like thefe, might be construed into rebellion. It is thus the writer recapitulates the political hiftory of the prefent reign, and reprefents our prefent intolerable fituation.

"An uniform plan of politics, purfued in an invariable line of conduct throughout a whole reign, repugnant to former principles of administration, and quite of a new caft and character, gives it the ftamp of adoption and defign; marks it with fyftem; and affords data even for demonftration. Time that has worn out our patience in expectation of better things, has ferved to difcover the plan, and put it out of dubt what is defigned, and what is now become our duty. To recapitulate the violations of the conftitution, to recite the feveral inftances wherein liberty has been impiously wounded, or openly defired, and trampled upon, and the people treated with contempt upon conftitutional complaints, would be an infult to you, Sir, and to then. It would fuppofe them to be, what the worst of men, who aim to

deprive

deprive them of their liberties, wish them to be-paffive fools, and ignoble flaves. Lives there a man, however low in rank or coadition, whom the tyranny has not reached, in the diftreffes he feels in confequence of increafing taxes, raifed upon people to corrupt their reprefentatives, in order to approve thofe pernicious measures which feemed planned with no other design but to establish defpotiin; to erect imaginary claims of prerogative upon the ruins of the laws and constitution; and to refign the liberties of the people into the hands of the crown? not content with domestic spoils, and the ruin of their countrymen at home, they cross the Atlantic, and endeavour to raise a revenue by the most iniquitous acts that ever difgraced not only parliaments, but human nature. When these acts were remonstrated againft, they were deaf as an adder to all intreaty; rejected every plan of accommodation, as if fubjects had no rights left, and themfelves no wisdom or mercy. At length they draw the fword, and murder thofe who would not fuffer them to plunder their provinces; plunging their country into all the horrors of a civil war to raile a revenue to fupply their avarice; and fill a treafury, exhaufted by fuch infamous profufion, that they dare not account to the public for the expenditure. By these means they have betrayed their prince into diftreffes, not lefs formidable than thofe that preceded the deftruction of tyrants whofe names difgrace our hiftory. They have brought parliaments into contempt by acts infamous as unconftitutional; making, as a great statesman says, "thofe records which ought to be the eternal monuments of truth, the vouchers of impofture and calumny."Mitto cætera intolerabilia; the recital would ftain the page, and the catalogue of wrongs light up a flame perhaps on this fide the Atlantic.

The people, Sir, have nothing left out of themfelves; conftitutional redress they have none. In vain have they addreffed the throne-repulfes and indignity have been the only anfwers received. The crown has taken a decitive part against the people; the form only of the conftitution remains: the fpirit is either totally loft, or at prefent done away. The great boundaries are broken down, the whole mafs of power and authority devolved to the crown, and prerogative now comprehends all the efficient operations of government. Men employed in the administration are mere tools in the hands of the proximate minifters of the throne; they are ufed, difmiffed, difgraced, or abandoned, as beft may ferve the prefent exigencies of Affairs; and the gains of office, when in place, deemed a fufficient reward for the most abandoned proftitution, and facrifice of principle and confcience. It was a favourite, as it was the leading maxim, when this prefent fyftem was adopted (and adopted, fir, it was when the nation hardly looked forward either with aufpicious hope, or ominous fears, in the minority of our moft gracious fovereign); facrifice Men but not meafures. The maxim befpeaks the fyftem; it is the comprehenfive principle of defpotifm. It prevailed at the court of Prince Titus; and Prince Titus, or his pedagogue, taught it to his fon; and his fon has invariably revered and practifed the document *.

Tarquin taught his fon Lucius to fecure his tyranny by ftriking off the heads of thofe poppies in his garden which grew higher than their fellows-his fon foon

under