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to the embroidered fuits and French peruques, but this anxiety to fupply any perfonal defect has fet the invention of artificers to work with fo much earneftness, that there is fcarce any external blemish which may not be removed or concealed: and however unkindly nature may have dealt with you, you may by their affistance be made a model for a ftatuary, or a pattern for a painter to study. If you want an inch in height, your fhoe maker can fupply it; and your hofier can furnish you with a pair of calves that may put an Irishman to the blush. An irregularity in your fhape can be made invifible by your taylor, or at least by the artist near the Haymarket, who daily gives notice that he makes steel stays for all thofe who are INCLINED to be crooked. There are various beautifying lotions and cofinetics, that will cure fpots and freckles in the complexion; and combs and unguents, that will change red hair to the fineft brown. Do you want an eye? Taylor will fill the vacant focket with as bright a piercer as the family of the Pentweazles can boast. Or is your mouth deficient for want of teeth? Paul Jullion (to ufe his own phrase) will rectify your head, and will fix a fet in your gums as even and as white as ever adorned the mouth of a chimney-fweeper. Thefe, and many other inventions no lefs curious and extraordinary, have been devifed; and there are no operations, however painful, which have not been fubmitted to with patience to conquer perfonal deformities. I know a gentleman who went through the agony of having his leg broken a fecond time, because it had been fet awry; and I remember a lady who died of a cancer in her breast, occafioned by the application of repelling plaifters to keep back her milk, that the beauty of her neck might not be destroyed. I most hear tily with the fame refolution was difcovered in improving the difpofition. Tully, in that part of his Offices where he fpeaks of Grace, tells us that it is destroyed by any violent perturbations either of the body or mind. It is a pity that mankind cannot be reconciled to this opinion; fince it is likely they would foare no pains in cultivating their minds, if it tended to adorn their perfons. Yet it is certain, that a man makes a worfe figure with an ignorant pate, than an powdered peruque: and that know

ledge is a greater ornament to the head than a bag or a fmart cocked hat; that anger fets like a blood-fhot in the eyes, while Good-nature lights them up with fimiles, and makes every feature in the face charming and agreeable.

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The difficulty of being convinced that we want this focial turn, is the grand reason that fo little pains are taken to acquire and perfect it. Would a man once be perfuaded of any irregularity in his temper, he would find the blemishes of the mind more eafily corrected and amended than the defects and deformities of the body: but, alas! every man is in his own opinion fenfible and goodhumoured. It is, indeed, poffible to convince us that we have a bad com plexion or an aukward deportment, which we endeavour to amend by washes and a dancing-mafter; but when the mind is accufed, felf-adulation, the molt fatal fpecies of flattery, makes us cajole ourselves into a belief, that the fault is not in our own disposition, but in that of our companions; as the mad inhabitants of Moorfields conclude all who come to vifit them out of their fenfes. This foolish flattery it is that makes us think ourselves inflexibly in the right, while we are obftinately wrong, and prevents our receiving or communicating any pleasure in fociety. A whimfical perfon complains of the fickleness of his acquaintance, and conftantly accuses them of fancy and caprice; and there never was an inttance of a pofitive untoward man, that did not continually rail at the perverfenefs and obstinacy of the rest of the world. A modern Buck damns you for a fullen fellow, if you refufe a pint bumper; and looks upon you as a fneaking fcoundrel, if you decline entering into any of his wild pranks, and do not chufe to lay all night in the roundhouse. The untractable humourift, while he disgusts all that are about him, conceives himself to be the perfon affronted, and laments that there is no harmony in the conversation, though he is himself the only one that plays out of tune. It is true, indeed, that the eye fees not itself: but when this blind partiality is carried fo far, as to induce us to believe thofe guilty of the folly who make us fenfible of it, it is furely as abfurd as to imagine that the hare hip or carbuncled nose a man fees in the glafs, belongs to the figure in the mir rour, and not to his own face.

Perfection

•Perfection is no more to be expected in the minds of men than in their perfons: natural defects and irregularities in both must be overlooked and excufed. But then equal attention fhould be paid to both; and we should not be anxious to clothe the perfon, and at the fame time let the mind go naked. We fhould be equally affiduous to obtain knowledge and virtue, as to put on lace and velvet; and when our minds are compleatly dreffed, we should take care that Goodnature and complacency influence and direct the whole; which will throw the fame grace over our virtues and good qualities, as fine cloaths receive from being cut according to the fashion. In order to acquire thefe good qualities, we fhould examine ourfelves impartially, and not erect ourfelves into judges, and treat all the rest of mankind like criminals. Would it not be highly ridicuious in a perfon of quality to go to court in a ruff, a cloak, a pair of trunk hose,

and the habit worn in the days of Queen Elizabeth; and while he ftrutted about in this antiquated garb, to accufe all the reft of the world of being out of the fafhion?

I cannot conclude better than with a paffage from Swift's Tale of a Tub, where the ftrict analogy between the cloathing of the mind and the body is humourously pointed out. 'Man,' fays he,

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is a Micro-Coat. As to his body there can be no doubt; but examine even the acquirements of his mind, you will find them all contribute in their order towards furnishing out an exact drefs. To inftance no more; is not Religion a Cloak, Honefty a pair ⚫ of Shoes worn out in the dirt, Selflove a Surtout, Vanity a Shirt, and Confcience a pair of Breeches, which, though a cover for lewdnefs as well as naftiness, is eafily flipt down for the fervice of both?'

N° LXXVL THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1755.

VOMERIS HUC ET FALCIS HONOS, HUC OMNIS ARATRI
'CESSIT AMOR: RECOQUUNT PATRIOS FORNACIBUS ENSES:
CLASSICA JAMQUE SONANT: IT BELLO TESSERA SIGNUM.

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VIRG.

THE SCYTHE NEGLECTED, AND FORGOT THE PLOUGH,
THE RUSTIC KNITS HIS POLITICIAN BROW:
HIS GRANDSIRE'S RUSTY SWORD HE LONGS TO WIELD,
WHILE GUNS, DRUMS, TRUMPETS, CALL HIM TO THE FIELD.

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the fame fea, that rolled it's canvass bil

THE Britime Lion, who has paffive lows in Pantomime at the beginning of

couchant beaft, or at most been heard to growl and grumble, now begins to roar again. His tremendous voice has roufed the whole nation, and the meaneft of the people breathe nothing but war and revenge. The encroachments of the French on our colonies are the general topic of converfation, and the popular ery now runs New England for ever! Peace or war has been the fubject of bets at White's, as well as the debates at the Robin Hood; and a fleet roafting, new world's new drefs, the colonies in a rope,' &c. were, laft Sunday, the subjects of a prayer and lecture at the Oratory in Clare Market. The theatres also, before they closed the feafon, entertained us with feveral warlike dramas: the Prefs-gang was exhibited at Covent Garden; and at Drury Lane

the feafon to carry Harlequin to China, was again put in motion to transport our failors to North America. At prefent the streets ring with the martial trains of our ballad- fingers, who are. endeavouring, like Tyrtæus of old, to rouse their fellow countrymen to battle; while all the polite world are hurrying to Portsmouth to fee mock-fights, and be regaled with pickled pork and feabifcuit on board the Admiral.

This pofture of affairs has occafioned politics, which have been long neglect. er, as ttudies ufelefs and impertinent, to become once more fashionable. Religion and politics, though they naturally demand our conftant attention, are only cultivated in England by fits. Chrif tianity fleeps among us, unless roufed by the apprehenfions of a plague, an earthquake,

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earthquake, or a Jew Bill: and we are alarmed for a while at the fudden news of an invalion or a rebellion; but, as foon as the danger is over, the Englishman, like the foldier recovered from his fright occasioned by Queen Mab's drummimg in his ear, wears a prayer or two, and fleeps again. To preach up public fpirit is at fome feafons only blowing a dead coal; but at others, an accidental blaft kindles the embers, and they mount into flame in an inftant. The reign of politics feems at prefent to be re-commencing. Our news-papers contain dark hints and threwd conjectures from the Hague, Paris, and Madrid; and the lye of the day is artfully contrived to influence the rife and fall of the money-barometer in Change Alley. This is the prefent itate of politics within the bills of mortality; of which Ihall now take no further notice, but fubmit to the perufal of my readers the following letter from my Coufin Village on the fame important fubject.

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WAR, though it has not laid our fields wafle or made our cities defolate, engroffes almost all the attention of this place. Every farm-houfe fwarms with politicians, who lay their wife heads together for the good of the nation; and at every petty chandier's fhop in town, while the half quarterns of tea are weighed out, the balance of Europe is adjusted. The preparations now making by fea and land are as popular fubjects as the price of corn or the Broadwheel-act. Succefs to our noble admirals, and a speedy War, are alfo as common toasts over a mug of ale as God Speed the plough, or a good harvest: though it must be owned, that fome felfith country fquires, who have not an equal share of public spirit and love of their country with their fellow ruftics, are fomewhat apprehenfive of the influence which a war may have upon the Land-tax.

I am at prefent on a vifit to Sir Politic Hearty, who is one of thofe country gentlemen, who fo much prefer the public wrifare to their own private interest, that they are more anxious about the affairs of the nation than the care of their own nettates. Sir Politic is miserable three days in the week for want of instelligence; but his fpirits revive at the

found of the post-horn, when the mail brings him the London Evening Post, and a long letter of news from his nephew at the Temple. These Sir Politic himself reads after dinner to me, the curate of the parish, and the town-apothecary, whom he indulges with the run of his table for their deep infight into the proceedings of the government. He makes many threwd remarks on every paragraph, and frequently takes the opinion of the two Doctors (for he honours both the curate and apothecary with that title) on the afterifks, dafhes, and italics. Nothing at firft puzzled the honest baronet, and his privy council, so much as the new feat of war. They very well knew the fituation of Bruffels, Ghent, Antwerp, and other fcenes of action in Flanders; but Virginia, the Ohio, Ofwego, &c. (to ufe a common phrase) were quite out of their latitude. this difficulty is at length furmounted by the Templar's having tranfmitted to his uncle one of D'Anville's maps; by the help of which the baronet fometimes delineates the progrefs of the French up the Ohio, in meanders of port winding along the table, and fometimes demolifhes the forts lately raifed by the ene my in different parts, of our colonies. At prefent writing I am but just withdrawn from the taking of Crown Point, represented by a cork, and ftormed by Sir Politic at the head of an army of cherry-ftones.

But

Sir Politic has, indeed, studied Monfieur D'Anville thoroughly: he has alfo been very much taken up of late with the perufal of the Hiftory of the Six Na. tions; fo that he has scarce one idea in his head, that does not bear fome relation to the Weft Indies. We had fome boiled beef the other day for dinner, when the good knight obferved, that he fhould be glad to partake of a buttock, boiled in the War-kettle; and he had no fooner lighted his pipe, than the first puff of the tobacco threw him into fome reflections on the danger of Virginia, By the bye,' faid the Baronet, I am a great admirer of the Indian oratory; and I dare fay old Hendrick the Sachem would have made a good figure in the House of Commons. There is fomething very elegant in the Covenant-Belt, but pray what a pox are thofe damned Strings of Wampum? I cannot find any account of them in Chambers's Dictionary. He then entered

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entered into a differtation on the Warbocp; and turning to the apothecary Doctor,' faid he, what do you think of Scalping? The Doctor replied, that for his part he imagined it to be fomewhat in the nature of an Epifpaftic or Blister. Ay,' faid the other reverend Doctor, thaking his head, it is a very barbarous cuftom indeed: though it is no wonder, fince they have only had a few Jefuits among them; fo that they have very little notion of • Chriftianity."

War never fails of producing groundlefs and contradictory reports: and if Fame is a lying jade in town, fhe is the

SIR,

id ft goflip that ever spoke in the country. We have gained feveral victories in Virginia, and taken feveral forts, but loft them all back again the next poit. At one time we burnt, funk, took, and deftroyed the whole French fleet, though it had not ftirred out of Breft harbour; and but lat week we thot off poor Bofcawen's legs, and made him fight, like Withergon, on his ftumps; till a letter from Sir Politic's nephew confuted this report, and fet the admiral on his legs again.

T

I am, dear Coufin, yours, &c,

N° LXXVII. THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1755.

CUM PULCHRIS TUNIC16 SUMET NOVA CONSILIA ET SPES

WISDOM WITH PERIWTGS, WITH CASSOCKS GRACE,
COURAGE WITH SWORDS, GENTILITY WITH LACE.

TO MR. TOWN.

Read your late paper, fhewing the clofe analogy which cloathing the bidy bears to adorning the mind; and an thoroughly perfuaded that the generaity of mankind would be as glad to erbellish their minds as to fet off their pe fons, if they could procure knowlege, virtue, and good-nature, with the fame eafe that they can furnish thanfelves with the ornaments of the bly. The clown'in rug or duffel can, at a moment's warning, be furnished win a compleat fuit of lace or embroidery from Monmouth Street, his long lank greasy hair may be exchanged in MiddkRow for a fmart bag or a jemmy fertch; and his clouted shoes with the rough hobnails in the heel and fole clumping at every step, may be tranf-, fomed into a pair of dancing pumps at the Yorkshire Warehouse, or the Old Cripin in Cranbourn Alley. The draggid ftreet-walker can rig herself with a clan fmock, a linen gown, and an hat fmartly cocked up behind and before, ir Broad St. Giles's; or if the can afford it, every pawnbroker will let out a gold watch with coronets, a tiffue or wrocaded fack, and all the parapher. talia of a countefs. But where, Mr. rown, can thefe people go to clothe

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HOR.

their minds, or at what shops are retailed fenfe and virtue? Honour and honefty are not to be purchased in Monhouth Street; knowledge is not infufed into the head through the powder puff; and, as good wine needs no bush, fenfe is not derived from the full-bottomed pariwig, The woman of the town, vamped up for fhew with paint, patches, plumpers, and every external ornament that art can adminifter, knows no method to beautify her mind. She cannot for any price buy chastity in Broad St. Giles's, or hire honefty from the pawnbroker's.

Seeing, therefore, at one view, the difficulty in obtaining the accomplish. ments of the mind, and the exact analogy they bear to drefs, I have been labouring this week paft to remedy that inconvenience, and have at length devifed à fcheme, which will fully answer that purpofe. In a word, then, I fhail next winter open a fhop or warehouse in the most public part of the town, under the name of a MIND-AND-BODYCLOTHIER: two trades which, though never yet united, are fo far from being incompatible, that they are in their nature infeparable. I fhall not only fupply my friends with a fuit or a fimgle virtue, but furnish them with compleat habits of mind and body from head to foot: and by a certain fecret art in the

form

form and texture of the things fold, the required virtues fhall be as inheren in them as the materials of which they are compofed. That fuch virtues may be transfufed by cloaths is evident from experience. In the narrow extent of my reading, Mr. Town, I remember to have met with an account of Fotunatus's Withing Cap, by which he could tranfport himself in an inftant from one place to another: it is also well known, hat the famous Jack the Giant-kille poffeffed a Sword of Sharpneis, Shoes of Swiftnefs, and a Coat of Invifibility. Why then may not I fell a furtout & patriotism, or a fword of honour, and retail modefty and chastity to fine lades in tuckers and aprons?

No one who duly confiders the natural influence which cloaths commonly have upon their wearers, will object to my fcheme as utterly impracticable. That a perfon can put on or throw off the internal habits of his mind together with his coat or periwig, is plain in very numerous inftances. The young counfel. lor, who every morning in term-time takes the measure of Westminster Hall with the importance of a judge upon the circuit, at once divests himself of his gravity with the ftarched band and long robe, and refumes the fpirit of a Buck together with the fword and bag-wig. In the fame manner the orthodox vicar once a week wraps himself up in piety and virtue with his canonicals; which qualities are as easily caft off again as his furplice; and for the reft of the week he wears the drefs as well as the manners of his fox-hunting patron. We may learn the difpolition of a man by his apparel, as we know the trade of a carpenter by his leathern apron, or a foldier by his red coat. When we fee a fnuff-coloured fuit of ditta with bolus buttons, a metal-headed cane, and an enormous bushy grizzle, we as readily know the wearer to be a difpenfer of life and death, as if we had feen him pounding a mortar or brandishing a clyfter pipe. The different affections of the mind have been diftinguished by different co-Jours; as fcarlet has been made to reprefent valour, yellow to denote jealoufy, and true blue to fignify integrity. Thus we may likewife difcover all the virtues and vices lurking in the different parts of the apparel. When at a city feaft I fee the guests tucking their nap kins into their fhirt-collars, as if they

were all of them going to be fhaved, I very well know that their thoughts wear a different drefs than in the Alley; and when the antiquated toaft is laying on her complexion at the toilet, and repairing the ruins of beauty, what is the doing but patching her mind with pride and conceit? In a word, I can difcover impudence ftaring from the bold cock of a Kevenhuller, parfimony fkulking in a darned ftocking, coquetry spread out in a hoop-petticoat, and foppery, dangling from a fhoulder-knot. I often pleafe myfelf with thus remarking the various dreffes of the mind; and by the clue you have already given us, I have been able to unfold the inmoft linings of the heart, and difcover the very ftuff of the thoughts."

It must, however, be owned, that in thefe matters the niceft penetration may be impofed on; fince, in the prefent random method of dreffing, many perfons appear in mafquerade. This inconvenience, among others, will be re medied by my project; for, as whoever deals with me will at once clothe his mind and his body, the whole town will be dreffed in character. Thus if a chimney-fweeper or a plough-boy put on a fuit of embroidery, a fword, bagwig, &c. they will at the fame time inveft themfelves with the internal dign ty of a perfon of quality: my lady's youngeft fon may buy courage with his regimentals, and orthodoxy may be parchased at the fame time with a gown and caflock by the young fmarts from the univerfities. My fcheme alfo furter recommends itfelf, by laying open the only path to virtue and knowledge that the world will chufe to follow; for, as my cloaths will always be cut according to the newest and most elegant manier, thefe qualifications of the mind, inherent in them, must neceffarily come intofafhion. Thus our fine gentlemen vill learn morality under their valet de chambre; and a young lady of fathon will acquire new accomplishments vith every new ribband, and become vituous as well as beautiful at her toilete. I depend on your readiness to promote my fcheme: but what I most earnelly intreat of you, Mr. Town, is to fe your utmost intereft with the polte world, but efpecially with the ladies not to difcard cloaths entirely; as b fuch a refolution my scheme must be de feated; and, indeed, it will not be ii

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