city over every caitiff who aims at struction or entertainment.

almost every member of society has, is means, a vote in literary transit is no way surprising to find the leading the way here, as in other concerns of life; to see them ribing the numerous herd of voters r interest, or browbeating them by thority.

great man says, at his table, that book is no bad thing. Immeds the praise is carried off by five e to be dispersed at twelve diffecoffee-houses, from whence it circuimproving as it proceeds, through ge houses where cheaper liquors ; from thence it is carried away The honest tradesman to his own fire-, were the applause is eagerly caught Es wife and children, who have ang taught to regard his judgment standard of perfection. Thus, we have traced a wide-extended reputation up to its original source, * find it derived from some great who has perhaps received all his lation and English from a tutor of or a dancing master of Picardy. English are a people of good sense, am the more surprised to find them red in their opinions by men who from their very education are incomjudges. Men who, being always n affluence, see the world only on de, are surely improper judges of n nature. They may, indeed, deBe a ceremony, a pageant, or a ball; w can they pretend to dive into the of the human heart, who have been dup only in forms, and daily behold g but the same insipid adulation g upon every face? Few of them been bred in that best of schools, the el of adversity; and, by what I can , fewer still have been bred in any bel at all. From such a description one would ak that a droning duke, or a dowager hess, was not possessed of more just tensions to taste than persons of less ity; and yet whatever the one or the er may write or praise shall pass for fection, without farther examination.

A nobleman has but to take a pen, ink, and paper, write away through three large volumes, and then sign his name to the title-page; though the whole might have been before more disgusting than his own rent-roll, yet signing his name and title gives value to the deed, title being alone equivalent to taste, imagination, and genius.

As soon as a piece, therefore, is published, the first questions are, Who is the author? Does he keep a coach? Where lies his estate? What sort of a table does he keep? If he happens to be poor and unqualified for such a scrutiny, he and his works sink into irremediable obscurity, and too late he finds, that having fed upon turtle is a more ready way to fame, than having digested Tully.

The poor devil against whom fashion has set its face vainly alleges that he has been bred in every part of Europe where knowledge was to be sold; that he has grown pale in the study of nature and himself. His works may please upon the perusal, but his pretensions to fame are entirely disregarded. He is treated like a fiddler, whose music, though liked, is not much praised, because he lives by it; while a gentleman performer, though the most wretched scraper alive, throws the audience into raptures. The fiddler, indeed, may in such a case console himself by thinking, that while the other goes off with all the praise, he runs away with all the money. But here the parallel drops; for while the nobleman triumphs in unmerited applause, the author by profes sion steals off with-nothing.

The poor, therefore, here, who draw their pens auxiliary to the laws of their country, must think themselves very happy if they find, not fame, but forgiveness: and yet they are hardly treated; for as every country grows more polite, the press becomes more useful, and writers become more necessary as readers are supposed to increase. In a polished society, that man, though in rags, who has the power of enforcing virtue from the press, is of more real use than forty stupid brahmins, or bonzes, or guebres, though they preached never so often, never so loud, or never so long. That man, though in rags, who is

capable of deceiving even indolence into wisdom, and who professes amusement, while he aims at reformation, is more useful in refined society than twenty cardinals, with all their scarlet, and tricked out in all the fopperies of scholastic finery.

LETTER LVIII.

To the same.

As the Man in Black takes every opportunity of introducing me to such company as may serve to indulge my speculative temper, or gratify my curiosity, I was by his influence lately invited to a visitation dinner. To understand this term, you must know that it was formerly the custom here for the principal priests to go about the country once a year, and examine upon the spot whether those of subordinate orders did their duty, or were qualified for the task; whether their temples were kept in proper repair, or the laity pleased with their administration.

Though a visitation of this nature was very useful, yet it was found to be exceedingly troublesome, and for many reasons utterly inconvenient; for as the principal priests were obliged to attend at court, in order to solicit preferment, it was impossible they could at the same time attend in the country, which was quite out of the road to promotion. If we add to this the gout, which has been, time immemorial, a clerical disorder here, together with the bad wine and ill-dressed provisions that must infallibly be served up by the way, it was not strange that the custom has been long discontinued. At present, therefore, every head of the church, instead of going about to visit his priests, is satisfied if his priests come in a body once a year to visit him; by this means the duty of half a year is despatched in a day. When assembled, he asks each in turn how they have behaved, and are liked, upon which those who have neglected their duty, or are disagreeable to their congregation, no doubt accuse themselves, and tell him all their faults, for which he reprimands them most severely.

The thoughts of being introduced into pany of philosophers and learned

men (for as such I conceived them) me no small pleasure. I expected o tertainment would resemble those : mental banquets so finely describe Xenophon and Plato; I was hoping Socrates would be brought in fron door, in order to harangue upon c love: but as for eating and drinking, prepared myself to be disappointed it particular. I was apprised that fa and temperance were tenets strongl commended to the professors of tianity, and I had seen the frugality mortification of the priests of the Ea that I expected an entertainment ▾ we should have much reasoning and meat.

Upon being introduced, I conf found no great signs of mortificatio the faces or persons of the com However, I imputed their florid loo temperance, and their corpulency sedentary way of living. I saw se preparations, indeed, for dinner, but for philosophy. The company seem gaze upon the table with silent exp tion; but this I easily excused. wisdom, thought I, are ever slov speech; they deliver nothing unadvise "Silence," says Confucius, "is a fr that will never betray." They are probably inventing maxims or hard ings for their mutual instruction, w some one shall think proper to begin.

My curiosity was now wrought up te highest pitch. I impatiently looked ra to see if any were going to interrupt mighty pause, when at last one of company declared that there was a in his neighbourhood that farrowed fift pigs at a litter. This I thought a j preposterous beginning; but just as other was going to second the rem dinner was served, which interrupted. conversation for that time.

The appearance of dinner, which e sisted of a variety of dishes, seemed diffuse new cheerfulness upon every so that I now expected the philosoph conversation to begin, as they imp: in good humour. The principal ra however, opened his mouth with observing, that the venison had not b kept enough, though he had given sti

ers for having it killed ten days before. fear," continued he, "it will be found want the true heathy flavour; you ind nothing of the original wildness "A priest who sat next him having it it, and wiped his nose, "Ah, my dlord," cries he, "you are too modest; #perfectly fine: everybody knows that ely understands keeping venison with lordship.”—“Ay, and partridges, interrupted another; "I never find right anywhere else.' His lordship ping to reply, when a third took off attention of the company, by recomng the pig as inimitable. I fancy, word," continues he, "it has been hered in its own blood."-" If it has smothered in its blood," cried a tias member, helping himself, "we'll 1 other it in egg sauce." This poigpiece of humour produced a long augh, which the facetious brother , and now that he was in luck, to second his blow, assured the any he would tell them a good story that."As good a story," cries he, ting into a violent fit of laughter him"as ever you heard in your lives. Tre was a farmer in my parish who a to sup upon wild ducks and flumy; so this farmer--" "Doctor Lowfat," cries his lordship, intering him, "give me leave to drink health.' So being fond of wild s and flummery,- "Doctor," s a gentleman who sat next to him, me advise you to a wing of this key." So this farmer being fond "Hob and nob, Doctor; which you choose, white or red?" "So, ng fond of wild ducks and flummery; "Take care of your band, sir, it y dip in the gravy." The Doctor, now oking round, found not a single eye dissed to listen; wherefore, calling for a ass of wine, he gulped down the disapintment and the tale in a bumper. The conversation now began to be little more than a rhapsody of exclamations: as each had pretty well satisfied his own appetite, he now found sufficient time to press others. "Excellent! the very thing! let me recommend the pig. Do but taste the bacon! never ate a better thing in

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my life: exquisite! delicious!" edifying discourse continued through three courses, which lasted as many hours, till every one of the company was unable to swallow or utter anything more.

It is very natural for men who are abridged in one excess to break into some other. The clergy here, particularly those who are advanced in years, think, if they are abstemious with regard to women and wine, they may indulge their other appetites without censure. Thus some are found to rise in the morning only to a consultation with their cook about dinner, and, when that has been swallowed, make no other use of their faculties (if they have any) but to ruminate on the succeeding meal.

A debauch of wine is even more pardonable than this, since one glass insensibly leads on to another, and, instead of sating, whets the appetite. The progressive steps to it are cheerful and seducing; the grave are animated, the melancholy relieved, and there is even classic authority to countenance the excess. But in eating, after nature is once satisfied, every additional morsel brings stupidity and distempers with it, and, as one of their own poets expresses it,

The soul subsides, and wickedly inclines
To scem but mortal, e'en in sound divines.

Let me suppose, after such a meal as this I have been describing, while all the company are sitting in lethargic silence round the table, groaning under a load of soup, pig, pork, and bacon; let me suppose, I say, some hungry beggar, with looks of want, peeping through one of the windows, and thus addressing the assembly: "Prithee, pluck those napkins from your chins; after nature is satisfied, all that you eat extraordinary is my property, and I claim it as mine. It was given you in order to relieve me, and not to oppress yourselves. How can they comfort or instruct others, who can scarce feel their own existence, except from the unsavoury returns of an ill-digested meal? But though neither you nor the cushions you sit upon will hear me, yet the world regards the excesses of its teachers with a prying eye, and notes their conduct with

double severity." I know no other answer any one of the company could make to such an expostulation but this: "Friend, you talk of our losing a character, and being disliked by the world; well, and supposing all this to be true, what then!! who cares for the world? We'll preach for the world, and the world shall pay us for preaching, whether we like each other or not."

LETTER LIX.

From Hingpo to Lien Chi Altangi, by the way of Moscow.

You will probably be pleased to see my letter dated from Terki, a city which lies beyond the bounds of the Persian empire: here, blessed with security, with all that is dear, I double my raptures by communicating them to you: the mind sympathising with the freedom of the body, my whole soul is dilated in gratitude, love, and praise.

Yet, were my own happiness all that inspired my present joy, my raptures might justly merit the imputation of self-interest; but when I think that the beautiful Zelis is also free, forgive my triumph when I boast of having rescued from captivity the most deserving object upon earth.

You remember the reluctance she testified at being obliged to marry the tyrant she hated. Her compliance at last was only feigned, in order to gain time to try some future means of escape. During the interval between her promise and the intended performance of it she came, undiscovered, one evening to the place where I generally retired after the fatigues of the day: her appearance was like that of an aerial genius, when it descends to minister comfort to undeserved distress; the mild lustre of her eye served to banish my timidity; her accents were sweeter than the echo of some distant symphony. "Unhappy stranger," said she, in the Persian language, you here perceive one more wretched than thyself! All this solemnity of preparation, this elegance of dress, and the number of my attendants, serve but to increase my miseries: if you have courage to rescue an unhappy woman from approaching ruin, and our detested tyrant,

you may depend upon my future g tude." I bowed to the ground, and left me filled with rapture and asto ment. Night brought me no rest, nor e the ensuing morning calm the anxieti my mind. I projected a thousand met for her delivery; but each, when str examined, appeared impracticable: in uncertainty the evening again arrived, I placed myself on my former station hopes of a repeated visit. After some s expectation, the bright perfection a appeared: I bowed, as before, to ground; when, raising me up, she obser that the time was not to be spent in use ceremony; she observed that the day lowing was appointed for the celebra of her nuptials, and that something to be done that very night for our mu deliverance. I offered with the uta humility to pursue whatever scheme should direct: upon which she propo that instant to scale the garden wall, add that she had prevailed upon a female sla who was now waiting at the appoin place, to assist her with a ladder.

Pursuant to this information, I led 1 trembling to the place appointed; b instead of the slave we expected to s Mostadad himself was there awaiting o arrival: the wretch in whom we had co fided, 'it seems, had betrayed our dest to her master, and he now saw the m convincing proofs of her information. was just going to draw his sabre, when principle of avarice repressed his fur and he resolved, after a severe chasus ment, to dispose of me to another master in the meantime he ordered me to be com fined in the strictest manner, and the re day to receive a hundred blows on th soles of my feet.

When the morning came, I was led on in order to receive the punishment, whic from the severity with which it is generall inflicted upon slaves, is worse even tha death.

A trumpet was to be the signal for th solemnization of the nuptials of Zelis, an for the infliction of my punishment. Eac ceremony, to me equally dreadful, was jus going to begin, when we were informe that a large body of Circassian Tar had invaded the town, and were laying all