beral education. The phyfician, the lawyer, and the tradefiuan, will appear in company, though none of thofe occupations are the fubject of difcourfe; and the clergyman will grow morofe and fevere, who feldom or never converfes with the laity. If no particular profeflion claims this influence over us, fome darling paffion or amufement gives a colour to our thoughts and actions, and makes us odious, or at least ridiculous. Fine ladies for inftance, by defpiling the converfation of fenfible men, can talk of nothing but routs, balis, affemblies, birth-day fuits, and intrigues; and fine gentlemen, for the fame reafon, of almoft nothing at all. In like manner the furious partizan, who has not been weaned from a mad attachment to particular principles, is weak enough to imagine every man of a different way of thinking a fool and a fcoundrel; and the fetary or zealot devotes to eternal damnation all thofe who will not go to heaven in the fame road with himfelf, under the guidance of Whitefield, Wefley, or Count Zinzendorff. To the fame caufe we owe the rough country fquire, whofe ideas are wholly bent on guns, dogs, horses, and game; and who has every thing about him of a piece with his diverfions. His hall must be adorned with tags heads, instead of bufts and ftatues; and in the room of family-pictures, you will fee prints of the most famous ftallions and racehorfes all his doors open and fhut with foxes feet; and even the buttons of his cloaths are impreffed with the figures of dogs, foxes, tags, and hories.

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this abfurd practice of cultivating only one fet of ideas, and fhutting ourfelves out from any intercourfe with the rest of the world, is owing that narrownets of mind, which has infected the converfation of the polite world with infipidity, made roughness and brutality the characteristics of a mere country gentleman, and produced the moft fatal confequences in politics and religion.

But if this commerce with the generality of mankind is fo neceffary to remove any impreffions which we may be liable to receive from any particular employment or darling amufement, what precautions ought to be used in order to remedy the inconveniencies naturally incident to the different ages of life! It is not certain that a perfon will be en

gaged in any profeffion, or given up t any peculiar kind of pleafure; but the mind of every man is fubject to the inclinations arding from the feveral stages of his exilence, as well as his body to chronical ditempers. This, indeed, Mr. Town, is the principal caule of my writing to you: for it has often given me great concern to fee the prefent divifion between the young and the old; to obferve elderly men forming themselves into clubs and focieties, that they may be more fecurely feparated from youth; and to fee young men unning into diffipation and debauchery, rather than affociate with age. If each party would labour to conform to the "other, from fuch a coalition many advantages would accrue to both. Our youth would be inftructed by the experience of age, and lofe much of that levity which they retain too long; while

at the fame time the wrinkled brow of the aged would be finoothed by the fprightly chearfulness of youth; by which they might fupply the want of fpirits, forget the lots of old friends, and bear with eafe all their worldly miffortunes. It is remarkable, that thofe young men are the moft worthy and senfible, who have kept up any intercourfe with the old; and that thofe old men are of the most chearful and amiable dispofition, who have not been ashamed to converfe with the young.

I will not pretend to decide which party is moft blameable in neglecting this neceflary commerce with each other; which, if properly managed, would be at once fo beneficial and delightful: but it undoubtedly arifes from a certain selfifhnefs and obftinacy in both, which will not fuffer them to make a mutual allowance for the natural difference of their difpofitions. Their inclinations are, indeed, as different as their years; yet each expects the other to comply, though neither will make any advances. How rarely do we fee the leaft degree of fociety preferved between a father and a fon! a fhocking reflection, when we confider that nature has endeavoured to unite them by parental affection on one fide, and filial gratitude on the other. Yet a father and fon as feldom live together with any tolerable harmony, as an husband and wife; and chiefly for the fame reafon: for though they are both joined under the fame yoke, yet

they

they are each tugging a different way. A father might as well expect his fon to be as gouty and infirm as himself, as to have the difpofition which he has contracted from age; and a fon might as reasonably defire the vigour and vivacity of five and twenty, as his own love of gaiety and diverfions in his father. It is therefore evident, that a mutual endeavour to conform to each other is abfolutely requifite to keep together the cement of natural affection, which an untractable stubbornnefs fo frequently diffolves; or at least, if it does not disturb the affection, it conftantly deftroys the fociety between father and fon.

This unhappy and unnatural divifion is often the fubject of complaint in perfons of both ages; but is still unremedied, because neither reflect on the cause whence it proceeds. Old men are perpetually commenting on the extreme levity of the times, and blaming the young because they do not admire and court their company: which, indeed, is no wonder, fince they generally treat their youthful companions as mere children, and expect fuch a flavish deference to their years, as deftroys that equality by which chearfulnefs and fociety fubfifts. Young men do not like to be chid by a proverb, or reproved by a wrinkle: but though they do not chufe to be corrected by their grave feniors like fchoolboys, they would be proud to confult them as friends: which the injudicious feverity of old age feldom will permit, not deigning to indulge them with fo great a degree of freedom and familiarity. Youth, on the other hand, fhun the company of age, complaining of the fmall regard and refpect paid to them, though they often act with fo little referve and fuch unbecoming confidence,

as not to deferve it. Suppofe the old were pleafed with the natural flow of fpirits and lively converfation of youth, ftill fome refpect may be challenged as due to them; nor fhould the decency and fobriety of their characters ever be infulted by any improper or immodest converfation.

I am an old man myfelf, Mr. Town; and I have an only boy, whose behaviour to me is unexceptionable: permit me, therefore, to dwell a moment longer on my favourite fubje&t, and I will conclude. With what harmony might all parents and children live together, if the father would ftrive to foften the rigour of age, and remember that his fon muft naturally poffefs thofe qualities which ever accompany youth; and if the fon' would in return endeavour to fuit himself to thofe infirmities which his father received from old age! If they would reciprocally ftudy to be agreeable to each other, the father would infenfibly fubftitute affection in the room of authority, and lofe the churlifh severity and peevishness incident to his years: while the fon would curb the unbecoming impetuofity of his youth, change his reluctance to obey into a conftant attention to please, and remit much of his extreme gaiety in conformity to the gravity of his father. Wherever fuch a turn of mind is encouraged, there must be happiness and agreeable fociety: and the contrary qualities of youth and age, thus blended, compofe the fureft cement. of affection; as colours of the most oppofite tints, by a skilful mixture, each giving and receiving certain fhades, will form a picture the moft heightened and exquifite in it's colouring. I am, Sir, your most humble fervant,

JOHN BEVIL.

HOR.

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MR. VILLAGE TO MR, TOWN.

DEAR COUSIN,

Have been very much diverted with your obfervations on the honeft tradetimen who make weekly excurfions into the villages about town; and I agree with you, that the generality of your citizens feldom dare truft themfelves out of the fight of London fmoke, or extend their travels further than with their wives and children in the Wandf worth double poit-chaife, or the Hampton long coach. But we may now and then pick up a ftray citizen, whom bufinefs had dragged beyond the bills of mortality; as it happened to myfelf the other day, about forty miles from London: and as I was mightily pleafed with his behaviour and converfation, I have taken the liberty to fend you an account of it.'

Being caught in a fhower upon the road, I was glad to take fhelter at the fift inn I came to which, if it had not been called the New Inn, I fhould have thought, from it's antique appearance, Had been an houfe of entertainment in the time of our great grandfathers. I had fearce alighted, when a ftrange figure (driven thither, as I fuppofed, on the fame account with myfelf) came foberly jogging into the yard, dripping wet. As he waited for the tteps before he would venture to get off his horie, I had the opportunity of furveying his whole appearance. He was wrapped up in an old thread-bare weather-beaten furtout, which I believe had once been fearlet; the cape was pulled over his head, and Huttoned up clofe round his face; and his hat was flapped down on each fide, and fattened about his ears with a litt garter, tied under his chin. He wore upon his legs fomething that refembled spatterdashers, which (as I afterwards

learned) were cut out of an old pair of boots; but his right fhoe was confiderably larger than the other, and had feveral flits in the upper-leather. He had fpurs on, indeed, but without rowels ; and by way of whip, a worm-eaten cane, with a bone head ftudded with brafs pins, hung from his wrift by a ftring of greafy black leather.

I foon found I was Nobody; for the Gentleman, it feems, took up the whole attention of the maid, miftrefs, and hoftler, who all of them got round him, and with much difficulty, by the affiftance of the fteps, helped him down. My landlady, before it was poffible for her to fee any part of him but his nofe, told him, he looked brave and jolly; and when he had led hin into the kitchen, the fetched a large glass of what the called her own water, which (she faid) would drive the cold out of his ftomach. All hands were now bufied in drawing off his furtout, which difcovered underneath a full-trimmed white coat, and a black velvet waiftcoat with a broad gold lace very much tarnished. The furtout was hung to dry by the fire as well as his coat, the place of which was fupplied by a long riding-hood of my landlady; and as the gentleman complained of having fuffered by lofs of leather, the maid was ditpatched to the doctor's for foine diachylon. The ufual question now fucceeded, concerning dinner; and as he obferved I was all alone, he very courteoufly afked me to join company, which I as readily agreed to.

The important bufinefs of dinner being fettled, we adjourned into a private room, when my fellow-guest told me of his own mere act and motion, that he lived in London; that for thefe twenty years he had always come to the town we were now in, once a year, to receive money, and take orders for goods; and

that he had always put up at this houfe. He then run on in the praifes of the landlady; and tipping me a wink-Ay, fays he, he has has been a clever woman in her time, before the bore children.' He added, that for his part he did not like your great inns; for that they never locked upon any thing under a coach and fix. He further informed me, that he was married to his prefent avife in the first mayoralty of Alderman Parfons, and in the very waistcoat he had on: · But, fays he, I now wear it only on a journey; because, you know, a bit of lace commands refpect upon the road.' On enquiring about his family, I found he had three boys; one of whom was bound prentice to himself; the other was fent to fea, because he was a wild one; and the youngest he defigned to make a parfon, because he was grave, and his play-fellows at Poule's fchool used to call him Bishop.

All this while he had fat in my landlady's riding hood, with a linen nightcap on his head tied on the top with a piece of black ribband, which he told e) he always rode in, because it was cooler than a wig. But the faddle-bags were now ordered in; and out of one of them he drew a large flowing grizzle, carefully buckled, which he combed out himself, borrowing fome flour from the kitchen drudger. His patterdafhers were next taken off, and his shoes wiped with a wifp of hay; when being affured by the landlady herself, that his coat was dry enough to put on, he compleatly equipped himself, in order to wait on feveral tradefinen with whom he had dealings, after dinner. As this was not quite ready, we took a walk to the tables to fee his mare: and though the beaft feemed as lean and harmlefs as Sancho's afs, he, affured me he had much ado to ride her, the was fo frisky, for the had not run in the chaife thefe two Sundays paft.

Being fummoned to dinner, we fat down to a repast of mutton chops and fheeps hearts, which last he declared to be the wholfomet eating in the world. He objected to wise, because there was not a drop good for any thing to be got upon the road; but he vaftly recommended my landlady's home-brew'd, which he affirmed to be better than Hogfden ale, or the thatch beer at If. Aington. Our meal being ended, my

companion took his pipe; and we laid our heads together for the good of the nation, when we mawled the French terribly both by land and fea. At last, among other talk, he happened to afk me, if I lived in the city? As I was defirous of hearing his remarks, I anfwered, that I had never feen London. Never feen it?' fays he. • Then you have never feen one of the finest fights in the whole world. Paris is but a dog hole to it.' There luckily hang a large Map of London over the chimney-piece, which he immediately made me get from my chair to look at. There,' fays he, there's London for you. You fee it is bigger than the Map of all England. He then led me about, with the end of his pipe, through all the principal kreets from Hyde Park to Whitechapel. That,' fays he, is the River Thames-There's London Bridge-There my Lord Mayor lives-That's Poule's-There the Monument ftands: and now, if you was but on the top of it, you might fee all the houses and churches ' in London.' Iexpreffed my aftonishment at every particular: but I could hardly refrain laughing, when pointing out to me Lincoln's Inn Fields

There,' faid he, there all the noblemen live. At last, after having tranfported me all over the town, he fet me down in Cheapfide, which, he said, was the biggeft ftreet in the city. And now,' fays he, I'll fhew you where I live.

That's Bow Church-and thereabouts -where my pipe is-there-jutt there my shop ftands.' He concluded with a kind invitation to me to come and fee him; and pulling out a book of patterns from his coat pocket, affured me, that if I wanted any thing in his way, he could afford to let me have a bargain.

I promised to call upon him; and the weather now clearing up, after fettling the balance of our reckoning with the landlady, we took leave of each other: but just as I had mounted my horfe, and was going to fet forward, my new acquaintance came up to me, and fhaking me by the hand-Harkye,' fays he, "if you will be in town by the twentyfifth of this inftant July, I will introduce you to the Cockney's Feaft; where, I affure you, you'll be mighty merry, and hear a great many good 'fongs,'

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I am, dear Coufin, yours, &c. 22

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