feet of philosophy. Often had he been known to say, that a wise man was always independent of a thing so fleeting, so instrinsically insignificant; yet no man more accurately than himself exacted, and paid the full measure of consideration which it demanded. Born a man of quality, though born also for something better, he gave a consequence in the world to a thousand things, which in his closet he said were of no consequence at all. To be quizzed, much more to be what is called cut by any one, never, indeed, entered his contemplation; but had it so happened, though by a duke, or royalty itself, it would have been a crime læsæ majestatis, never to be forgiven.

With this disposition, he was not unobservant of that tyrannous power which certain sprigs of fashion, and certain men of wit, in the fashionable clubs, exercise over every body else, in all the points that are deemed legitimate objects of quizzing. Their despotism is so great, that not even he stopt to ascertain its real nature, or how it came to be acquired. It was enough that all bowed, or seemed to bow to it; and he had himself sat sufficiently often in the window at White's, to conceive almost as high an idea of its power, as a judge has of the dignity of the bench.

His detractors (for he had them) went, indeed, so far as to say, the only man for whom he ever shewed

any real deference was a certain beau, who, spite of all his wants of birth, fortune, and connection, had, by the force of a masterly genius, acquired such an ascendancy over the dandies, as to be called their sovereign.

It is certain this beau had not spared Tremaine, who, he said, with all his claims to reputation (which on the whole he was disposed to allow), had yet an original defect in his education, in having studied the law. It was observed that Tremaine not only forgave this piece of temerity, but conceived a high respect for the genius, abilities, and powers of him who was guilty of it, and there was a sort of fashionable alliance between them ever afterwards.

From all this, he was curious to hear the doctor's answer to his question, how he would bear quizzing at. White's

They had now reached the lawn, and had fallen into a sort of lounging pace.

"I think," said the Doctor, with dry gravity, looking at his boots, and switching them with his whip, "I think I'm pretty well, even now, though an oldish sort of a person; and if I were this moment to pass through St. James's Street, I really don't see the right which my Lord A. or B. would have to laugh at me; at least I might, with some exertion of philosophy, bear it-perhaps even laugh at them."

"Oh! you are perfectly well," said Tremaine, "and with your dignitary's hat, might even command respect."

"I'm afraid you flatter; but give me leave to ask, what would be the effect if I were to appear in a grenadier's cap?"

"You would be-not quizzed, but hooted."

"And why more than Lord A. himself, who wears his in the same place every time he is on guard ?"

"He is in his place," replied Tremaine; "you

would be out of it."

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Exactly so; and you see, therefore, it is the being in and out of one's place, and not this or that appearance, that exposes one to be legitimately quizzed."

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Legitimately quizzed?" exclaimed Tremaine.

"Yes! you see I give the subject all scientific dignity; and, in truth, it is quite important enough to rank among the sciences."

"Im afraid you are now quizzing me," said Tremaine."

"Far from it: I only wished to give due honour to what seemed to you of such importance. Το proceed then. I hinted that, for quizzing to take effect, there must be two parties, the agent and patient, the quizzer and quizzee."

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Scientific, indeed!" replied Tremaine.

1

"But," continued Evelyn, "there must also be yet something inherent in both parties for the success of the enterprize; something like wit, or at least some personal, or seemingly personal superiority in the quizzer, and some pre-disposition, or rather pre-adaption in the quizzee, to allow that he is quizzed.”

"I admire your precision," said Tremaine.

"Well then," proceeded Evelyn, "what if the quizzee (wrapt in his virtue and a good surtout) not only deny to himself the assumed superiority of the quizzer, but feel himself the superior of the two ???

"Give me an illustration," said Tremaine.

"The gay courtier in King Charles the First's time," answered Evelyn; "he who piqued himself so much upon his fine clothes; and because he had a better tailor, thought himself a better man than Oliver Cromwell."

"You mean Sir Philip Warwick," said Tremaine, " and I remember the passage: but what has it to do with quizzing?"

'

"A great deal," replied Evelyn; "for, in the place I allude to, he was the quizzer, and Oliver the quizzee. We courtiers,' he says, valued ourselves much upon our good clothes; and when I first saw Oliver, he seemed a gentleman very ordinarily clad, in a plain suit, made, as it should seem,

by an ill country tailor; his linen not very clean, his hat without a hatband, and his sword stuck on awkwardly.' Sir Philip says of himself, that he then vainly thought himself a courtly young gentleman, and was here evidently quizzing the man who afterwards became his master; for I remember he goes on to say, And yet I lived to see this very person (having had a better tailor), and when I was his prisoner at Whitehall, appear in my eyes of a very comely presence.' Notwithstanding this quiz of him, Oliver, according to the quizzer himself, was very much hearkened to, and, as I humbly conceive, did not care one pinch of snuff for the sneers of Sir Philip at his country tailor."

"You have a strange way of bringing in your reading!" said Tremaine. "But I should like to have something still more practical. You were going to tell me how you felt when you thought yourself quizzed. Come, let us have the time, place, and parties. As to the fairness of the account, that I think I can depend on."

"I have no interest in giving any other," said Evelyn. "As to time, then, it was twenty years ago; as to place, the very spot we have just been talking of; and the parties were the very people you quote as so redoubtable."

"Well! your feelings? for at five-and-twenty, I do not apprehend they were the same as now."