foon over, and all becomes tranquil as before; they are habituated to fubordi nation, and men are taught to form no other defires than thofe which they are allowed to fatisfy.

The difadvantages of a government acting from the immediate influence of reafon, like that of England, are not lefs than thofe of the former. It is extremely difficult to induce a number of free beings to co-operate for their mutual benefit; every poffible advantage. will neceffarily be fought, and every at tempt to procure it must be attended with a new fermentation; various reafons will lead different ways, and equity

and advantage will often be out-ba lanced by a combination of clamour and prejudice. But though fuch a people may be thus in the wrong, they have been influenced by an happy delufion; their errors are feldom feen till they are felt; each man is himself the tyrant he has obeyed, and fuch a master he can eafily forgive. The disadvantages he feels may, in reality, be equal to what is felt in the most despotic government; but man will bear every calamity with patience, when he knows himself to be the author of his own misfortunes. Adieu.

Y long refidence here begins to fatigue me; as every object ceafes to be new, it no longer continues to be pleafing: fome minds are fo fond of variety, that pleasure itfelf, if permanent, would be infupportable; and we are thus obliged to folicit new happinefs even by courting diftrefs. I only therefore wait the arrival of my fon, to vary this trifling fcene, and borrow new pleasure from danger and fatigue. A life, I own, thus fpent in wandering from place to place, is at beft but empty diffipation. But to purfue trifles is the lot of humanity; and whether we buftle in a pantomime, or ftrut at a coronation; whether we shout at a bonfire, or harangue in a fenate-houfe; whatever object we follow, it will at laft furely conduct us to futility and disappointment. The wife bustle and laugh as they walk in the pageant, but fools bustle and are important; and this probably is all the difference between them.

This may be an apology for the le vity of my former correfpondence; I talked of trifles, and I knew that they were trifles to make the things of this life ridiculous, it was only fufficient to call them by their names.

In other refpects, I have omitted fevetal ftriking circumstances in the defcription of this country, as fuppofing them either already known to you, or as not being thoroughly known to myfelf. But there is one omiffion for which I expect no forgiveness; namely, my being to

tally filent upon their buildings, roads, rivers, and mountains, This is a branch of fcience on which all other travellers are fo very prolix, that my deficiency will appear the more glaring. With what pleafure, for inftance, do fome read of a traveller in Egypt meafuring a fallen column with his cane, and finding it exactly five feet nine inches long; of his creeping through the mouth of a catacomb, and coming out by a different hole from that he entered; of his ftealing the finger of an antique ftatue, in fpite of the janizary that watched him; or his adding a new conjecture to the hundred and fourteen conjectures already publifhed, upon the names of Oris and Ifis!

Methinks I hear fome of my friends in China demanding a fimilar account of London, and the adjacent villages and if I remain here much longer, it is probable I may gratify their curiofity. I intend, when fun dry on other topics, to take a ferious furvey of the city-wall to defcribe that beautiful building the Manfion-house; I will enumerate the magnificent fquares in which the nobility chiefly refide, and the royal palaces appointed for the reception of the English monarch; nor will I forget the beauties of Shoe Lane, in which I my felf have refided fince my arrival. You fill find me no way inferior to many of my brother-travellers in the arts of defcription. At prefent, however, as a fpecimen of this way of writing,

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my remarks upon my return: and this I would very willingly have done; but was prevented by a circumftance which, in truth, I had for fome time forefeen;

for night coming on, it was impoffible to take a proper survey of the country, as I was obliged to return home in the dark.' Adieu.

fully fatisfied. My fon, fo long expect ed, is arrived, at once by his prefence banishing my anxiety, and opening a new scene of unexpected pleafure. His improvements in mind and perfon have far furpaffed even the fanguine expect ations of a father. I left him a boy, but he is returned a man: pleafing in his perfon, hardened by travel, and polished by adverfity. His difappointment in love, however, had infufed an air of melancholy into his converfation, which feemed at intervals to interrupt our mutual fatisfaction. I expected that this could find a cure only from time; but Fortune, as if willing to load us with her favours, has in a moment repaid every uneafinefs with rapture.

Two days after his arrival, the man in black, with his beautiful niece, came to congratulate us upon this pleafing occafion: but, guefs our furprize, when my friend's lovely kinfwoman was found to be the very captive my fon had refcued from Perfia, and who had been wrecked on the Wolga, and was carried by the Ruffian peafants to the port of Archangel. Were I to hold the pen of a novelift, I might be prolix in defcribing their feelings at fo unexpected an interview; but you may conceive their joy without my affiftance; words were unable to exprefs their transports, then how can words defcribe it?

When two young perfons are fincerely enamoured of each other, nothing can give me fuch pleasure as feeing them married whether I know the parties or not, I am happy at thus binding one link more in the univerfal chain. Nature has, in fome meafure, formed me for a match-maker, and given me a foul to fympathize with every mode of human felicity. I inftantly, therefore, confulted the man in black, whether we might not crown their mutual withes by marriage: his foul feems formed of

appointed for the folemnization of their nuptials.

All the acquaintances which I had made fince my arrival, were prefent at this gay folemnity. The little beau was conftituted mafter of the ceremonies; and his wife, Mrs. Tibbs, conducted the entertainment with proper decorum The man in black, and the pawn-broker's widow, were very fprightly and tender upon this occafion. The widow was dreffed up under the direction of Mrs. Tibbs; and as for her lover, his face was fet off by the affiftance of a pig-tail wig, which was lent by the little beau, to fit him for making love with proper formality. The whole company eafily perceived that it would be a dou ble wedding before all was over; and, indeed, my friend and the widow feemed to make no fecret of their paffion: he even called me afide, in order to know my candid opinion, whether I did not think him a little too old to be mar

ried. As for my own part,' continu ed he, I know I am going to play the fool; but all my friends will praife my wifdom, and produce me as the very pattern of difcretion to others..

At dinner, every thing feemed to run on with good-humour, harmony, and fatisfaction. Every creature in comi pany thought themselves pretty, and every jelt was laughed at: the man in black fat next his mistress, helped her plate, chimed her glafs, and jogging her knees and her elbow, he whispered fomething arch in her ear, on which the patted his cheek; never was antiquated paffion fo playful, fo harmlefs, and amufing, as between this reverend couple.

The fecond courfe was now called for; and, among a variety of other dishes, a fine turkey was placed before the widow. The Europeans, you know, carve as they eat; my friend, therefore, begged his mistress to help him to a part of 2 C 2

the

ner,

the turkey. The widow, pleafed with an opportunity of showing her skill in carving, (an art upon which it seems the piqued herself) began to cut it up by firft taking off the leg. Madam, cries my friend, if I might be permitted to advife, I would begin by cutting off the wing, and then the leg will come off more eafily. Sir,' replies the widow, give me leave to understand cutting up a fowl, I always begin with the leg. Yes, Madam, replies, the lover; but if the wing be the most convenient manI would begin with the wing. " Sir, interrupts the lady, when you have fowls of your own, begin with the wing if you pleafe; but give me leave to take off the leg; I hope I am not to be taught at this time of day. Madam, interrupts he, we are never too old to be inftructed.' Old, Sir! interrupts the other, who is old, Sir? When I die of age, I know of fome that will quake for fear: if the leg does not come off, take the turkey to yourfelf. Madam,' replied the man in black, I do not care a farthing whether the leg or the wing comes off; if you are for the leg firft, why, you fhall have the argument, even though it be as I fay.

As for the matter of that,' cries the widow, I do not care a fig, whether you are for the leg off or on; and, friend, for the future keep your distance. O, replied the other, that is easily done, it is only removing

to the other end of the table; and so, Madam, your most obedient humble ⚫ fervant.'

Thus was this courtship of an age deftroyed in one moment; for this dialogue effectually broke off the match between this refpectable couple that had been but just concluded. The smallest accidents difappoint the most important treaties: however, though it in fome meafure interrupted the general fatisfaction, it no ways letfened the happiness of the youthful couple; and by the young lady's looks I could perceive the was not entirely displeased with this interruption.

In a few hours the whole tranfaction feemed entirely forgotten; and we have all fince enjoyed thofe fatisfactions which refult from a confcioufness of making each other happy. My fon and his fair partner are fixed here for life; the man in black has given them up a small eftate in the country, which, added to what I was able to bestow, will be capable of fupplying all the real, but not the fictitious, demands of happiness. As for myfelf, the world being but one city to me, I do not much care in which of the streets I happen to refide: I fhall therefore fpend the remainder of my life in examining the manners of different countries, and have prevailed, upon the man in black to be my companion,

They must often change, fays Confucius, who would be conftant in hap, pinefs or wildom,' Adieu.