could here find ample room for declamation; but alas! I have been a fool myfelf; and why should I be angry with them for being fomething fo natural to every child of humanity?

Fatigued with this fociety, I was introduced, the following night, to a club of fashion. On taking my place, I found the converfation fufficiently easy, and tolerably geod-natured; for my Lord and Sir Paul were not yet arrived. I now thought myself completely fitted, and, refolving to feek no farther, determined to take up my refidence here for the winter; while my temper be gan to open infenfibly to the cheerfulnefs I faw diffused on every face in the room; but the delusion foon vanifhed, when the waiter came to ap prize us, that his Lordship and Sir Paul were juft arrived.

:

From this moment all our felicity was at an end; our new guests buftled into the room, and took their feats at the head of the table. Adieu now all confidence every creature ftrove who fhould most recommend himfelf to our members of distinction. Each feemed quite regardless of pleafing any but our new guests; and, what before wore the appearance of friendship, was now turned into rivalry.

Yet I could not obferve, that, amidst all this flattery and obfequious attention, our great men took any notice of the rest of the company. Their whole difcourfe was addressed to each other. Sir Paul told his Lordship a long ftory of Moravia the Jew; and his Lordship gave Sir Paul a very long account of his new method of managing filk-worms: he led him, and confequently the rest of the com

pany,

pany, through all the ftages of feeding, funning, and hatching; with an epifode on mulberry-trees, a digreffion upon grass-feeds, and a long parenthesis about his new poftillion. In this manner we travelled on, wishing every story to be the last; but all in vain,

"Hills over hills, and Alps on Alps arofe."

The last club in which I was inrolled a member, was a fociety of moral philofophers, as they called themselves, who affembled twice a-week, in order to fhow the abfurdity of the present mode of religion, and establish a new one in its ftead.

I found the members very warmly difputing when I arrived; not indeed about religion or ethics, but about who had neglected to lay down his preliminary fixpence upon entering the room. The prefident fwore that he had laid his own down, and fo fwore all the company.

During this conteft, I had an opportunity of obferving the laws, and alfo the members of the fociety. The prefident, who had been, as I was tald, lately a bankrupt, was a tall-pale figure, with a long black wig: the next to him was dreffed in a large white wig and a black cravat; a third, by the brownnefs of his complexion, seemed a native of Jamaica; and a fourth, by his hue, appeared to be a blacksmith. But their rules will give the moft juft idea of their learning and principles.

.

I. We being a laudable fociety of moral philo fophers, intends to difpute twice a-week about religion and prieftcraft; leaving behind us old wives B 5

tales,

tales, and following good learning and and if fo be, that any other perfons ha be of the fociety, they fhall be entitle upon paying the fum of three fhillings, by the company in punch.

II. That no member get drunk be the clock, upon pain of forfeiting thre be spent by the company in punch.

III. That, as members are fometim away without paying, every person fh pence upon his entering the room; and fhall be fettled by a majority; and all be paid in punch.

IV. That fix-pence shall be every to the prefident, in order to buy books for the good of the fociety: the prefid ready put himself to a good deal of buying books for the club; particularly of Tully, Socrates and Cicero, which h read to the fociety.

V. All them who brings a new argum religion, and who, being a philofopher, of learning, as the rest of us is, fhall b to the freedom of the fociety, upon p pence only, to be spent in punch.

VI. Whenever we are to have an ext meeting, it fhall be advertised by fome name in the newspapers.

SAUNDERS MAC-WILD,

ANTHONY BLEWIT, vice-p

his mark.

WILLIAM TURPIN, fecret

Worldly Friendship. No Man can mend bis Condition by being pitied.

IT is ufually faid by grammarians, that the use

of language is to exprefs our wants and defires; but men who know the world, hold, and I think with fome fhew of reason, that he who best knows how to keep his neceffities private, is the moft likely perfon to have them redreffed; and that the true ufe of fpeech is not fo much to exprefs our wants, as to conceal them.

When we reflect on the manner in which mankind generally confer their favours, there appears fomething fo attractive in riches, that the large heap generally collects from the smaller and the poor find as much pleasure in increafing the enormous mafs of the rich, as the mifer, who owns it, fees happiness in its increase. Nor is there in this any thing repugnant to the laws of morality. Seneca himself allows, that in conferring benefits, the prefent fhould always, be fuited to the dignity of the receiver, Thus, the rich receive large prefents, and are thanked for accepting them. Men of middling ftations are obliged to be content with prefents, fomething lefs; while the beggar, who may be truly faid to want indeed, is well paid if a farthing reward his warmest folicitations.

Every man who has feen the world, and has had his ups and downs in life, as the expreffion is, muft have frequently experienced the truth of this doctrine,

B 6

doctrine, and must know, that to have much, or to feem to have it is the only way to have more. Ovid finely compares a man of broken fortune to a falling column; the lower it finks, the greater is that weight it is obliged to fuftain. Thus when a man's circumstances are fuch that he has no occa. fion to borrow, he finds numbers willing to lend him; but, fhould his wants be fuch that he fues for a trifle, it is two to one whether he may be trufted with the fmalleft fum.

A certain young fellow whom I knew, whenever he had occafion to afk his friend for a guinea, used to prelude his request as if he wanted two hundreds and talked fo familiarly of large fums, that none could ever think he wanted a fmall one. The fame gentleman, whenever he wanted credit for a fuit of clothes, always made the proposal in a laced coat; for he found by experience, that if he appeared fhabby on these occafions, his taylor had taken an oath against trusting; or what was every whit as bad, his foreman was out of the way, and would not be at home for fome time.

There can be no inducements to reveal our wants, except to find pity, and by this means rclief; but before a poor man opens his mind in fuch circumstances, he fhould firft confider whether he is contented to lose the esteem of the perfon he folicits, and whether he is willing to give up friendship to excite compaffion. Pity and friendfhip are paffions incompatible with each other; and it is impoffible that both can refide in any breaft, for the smallest space, without impairing

each