scene, they may not gape, and wonder, and ftare, and be utterly at a lofs how to behave and make a proper appearance in it.

It is inconceivable how much the welfare of all the country towns in the kingdom might be promoted, if you would use your charitable endeavours to raise in them a noble emulation of the manners and cuftoms of higher life.

For this purpose you should give a very clear and ample description of the whole fet of polite acquirements; a complete hiftory of forms, fafhions, frolicks, of routs, drums, hurricanes, balls, affemblies, ridottos, masquerades, auctions, plays, operas, puppet-fhows, and bear-gardens: of all thofe delights which profitably engage the attention of the most fublime characters, and by which they have brought to fuch amazing perfection the whole art and myftery of paffing day after day, week after week, and year after year, without the heavy affiftance of any one thing that formal creatures are pleased to cafl ufeful and neceffary.

In giving due instructions through what steps to attain this fummit of human excellence, you may add such irresistible arguments in its favour, as must convince numbers, who in other inftances do not feem to want natural understanding, of the unaccountable error of fuppofing they were fent into the world for any other purpose but to flutter, fport, and fhine. For, after all, nothing can be clearer than that an everlasting round of diverfion, and the more lively and hurrying the better, is the most important end of human life.

It is really prodigious, fo much as the world is improved, that there fhould in thefe days be perfons fo ignorant and stupid as to think it neceffary

to mispend their time, and trouble their heads about any thing else than pursuing the present fancy; for what elfe is worth living for?

It is time enough furely to think of confequences when they come; and as for the antiquated notions of duty, they are not to be met with in any French novel, or any book one ever looks into, but derived almost wholly from the writings of authors, who lived a vaft many ages ago, and who, as they were totally without any idea of thofe accomplishments which now characterise people of diftinction, have been for fome time finking apace into utter contempt. It does not appear that even their moft zealous admirers, for fome partifans of his own fort every writer will have, can pretend to fay they were ever at one ridotto.

In the important article of diverfions, the cere monial of vifits, the extatick delight of unfriendly intimacies and unmeaning civilities, they are abfolutely filent. Blunt truth, and downright honefty, plain clothes, ftaying at home, hard work, few words, and thofe unenlivened with cenfure or double meaning, are what they recommend as the ornaments and pleasures of life. Little oaths, polite diffimulation, tea-table scandal, delightful indolence, the glitter of finery, the triumph of precedence, the enchantments of flattery, they seem to have had no notion of, and I cannot but laugh to think what a figure they would have made in a drawing-room, and how frighted they would have looked at a gaming-table.

The noble zeal of patriotism that difdains authority, and tramples on laws for fport, was abfolutely the averfion of these tame wretches.

Indeed

Indeed one cannot discover any one thing they pretend to teach people, but to be wife, and good; acquirements infinitely below the confideration of perfons of taste and spirit, who know how to spend their time to fo much better purpose.

Among other admirable improvements, pray, Mr. Rambler, do not forget to enlarge on the very extenfive benefit of playing at cards on Sundays, a practice of fuch infinite úfe, that we may modeftly expect to fee it prevail universally in all parts of this kingdom.

To perfons of fashion, the advantage is obvious; because, as for fome ftrange reafon or other, which no fine gentleman or fine lady has yet been able to penetrate, there is neither play, nor masquerade, nor bottled conjurer, nor any other thing worth living for, to be had on a Sunday; if it were not for the charitable affistance of whift or bragg, the genteel part of mankind must, one day in feven, neceffarily fuffer a total extinction of being.

Nor are the perfons of high rank the only gainers by fo falutary a cuftom, which extends its good influence, in fome degree, to the lower orders of people; but were it quite general, how much better and happier would the world be than it is even

now.

'Tis hard upon poor creatures, be they ever fo mean, to deny them thofe enjoyments and liberties which are equally open for all. Yet if fervants. were taught to go to church on this day, fpend fome part of it in reading or receiving inftruction in a family way, and the reft in mere friendly converfation, the poor wretches would infallibly take it into their heads, that they were obliged to be N. 5 fober,

Lober, modeft, diligent, and faithful to their masters and miftreffes.

Now furely no one of common prudence or humanity would wish their domesticks infected with fuch ftrange and primitive notions, or laid under fuch unmerciful reftraints: All which may, in a great measure, be prevented by the prevalence of the good-humoured fashion that I would have you recommend. For when the lower kind of people fee their betters, with a truly laudable fpirit, infulting and flying in the face of those rude, ill-bred dictators, piety and the laws, they are thereby excited and admonished, as far as actions can admonish and excite, and taught that they too have an equal right of fetting them at defiance in fuch inftances as their particular neceffities and inclinations may require; and thus is the liberty of the whole human fpecies mightily improved and enlarged.

In fhort, Mr. Rambler, by a faithful reprefentation of the numberlefs benefits of a modifh life, you will have done your part in promoting what every body feems to confefs the true purpose of human existence, perpetual diffipation.

By encouraging people to employ their whole attention on trifles, and make amusement their fole ftudy, you will teach them how to avoid many very uneafy reflections.

All the foft feelings of humanity, the fympathies of friendship, all natural temptations to the care of a family, and folicitude about the good or ill of others, with the whole train of domestick and social affections, which create fuch daily anxieties and embarraffments, will be happily ftifled and fuppreffed in a round of perpetualdelights; and all ferious thoughts,

bur

but particularly that of hereafter, be banished out of the world; a most perplexing apprehenfion, but luckily a moft groundlefs one too, as it is fo very clear a cafe that nobody ever dies.

I am, &c.

CHARIESSA.

NUMB. IOI. TUESDAY, March 5, 1751.

Mella jubes. Hyblæa tibi vel Hymettia nafci,

Et thyma Cecropie Corfica ponis api.

MART.

Alas! dear Sir, you try in vain,

Impoffibilities to gain ;

No bee from Corfica's rank juice,

Hyblaan honey can produce.

SIR,

To the RAMBLER..

F. LEWIS

HAVING by feveral years of continual study treasured in my mind a great number of principles and ideas, and obtained by frequent exercise the power of applying them with propriety, and combining them with readiness, I refolved to quit the university, where I confidered myfe f as a gem hidden in the mine, and to mingle in the crowd of publick life. I was naturally attracted by the company of those who were of the fame age with myfelf, and finding that my academical gravity contributed very little to my reputation, applied. my faculties to jocularity and burlefque. Thus, in a fhort time, I had heated my imagination to fuch a state of activity and ebullition, that upon every occafion it fumed away in bursts of wit, and evaporations of gaiety. I became on a fudden

N 6.

the