be rafts his load upon the bulk at the ale-house door. But thofe who have more leisure to study what they shall eat and drink, require fomething more in their food than what is barely wholefome or neceffary; their palates must be gratified with rich fauces and highfeafoned delicacies; and they frequently have recourfe to whetters and provo. catives, to anticipate the call of hunger, and to enable their stomachs to bear the load they lay on it. There are a fort of men whofe chief pride is a good tafte (as they call it) and a great ftomach: and the whole bufinefs of their lives is included in their breakfast, dinner, and fupper. Thefe people, of whatever rank and denomination, whether they regale on turtle, or devour thoulders of mutton and peck-loaves for wagers, whether a duke at White's, or a chairman at the Blue Pofts, are certainly of the number of thofe whom nature,' as Salluft tells us, has made like the

brutes, obedient to their bellies;' and, indeed, partake in fome measure of the fentence paffed on the Serpent, to be curfed above all cattle, and to go for ever on their bellies.'

There are many vices and follies which men endeavour to hide from the reft of the world: but this, above all others, they take a pride in proclaiming; and feem to run about with the cap and bells, as if they were ambitious to be ranked among the fons of Folly. Indeed, as the politeness of the French language has diftinguished every glutton by the title of Bon Vivant, and the courtefy of our own has honoured their beaftly gluttony by the name of Good Living, the epicure thinks to eat and drink himself into your good opinion, and recommend himfelf to your efteem by an exquifite bill of fare. However this may be, it is remarkable, that as the fox-hunter takes delight in relating the incidents of the chace, and kills the fox again over a bowl of punch at night, fo the Bon Vivant enjoys giving an account of a delicious dinner, and chews the cud of reflection on his exquifite entertainment.

I have been led into these thoughts by an acquaintance which I have lately made with a perfon whofe whole converfation is, literally fpeaking, Tabie. talk. His brain feems to be stuff-d with an hodge-podge of ideas, confifting of feveral difes, which he is perpetually

ferving up for the entertainment of the company. As it was faid of Longinus, that he was a Walking Library, in the fame manner I confider this gentleman as a Walking Larder: and as the orations of Demofthenes were faid to smell of the lamp, fo my friend's whole converfation favours of the kitchen. He even makes ufe of his ftomach as an artificial memory; and recollects every place he has been at, and every perfon he has feen, by fome circumstances relating to the entertainment he met with. If he calls to mind a particular inn, he adds, for there the cook spoiled a fine turbot. Another houfe is recollected, because the parfon took all the fat of the haunch of venifon:' he remembers a gentleman you mention, because he had the fmallett ftomach he ever knew;' or one lady, because the drank a great deal of wine at fupper;' and another, because he had the best receipt for making her pickled cucumbers • look green.'

His paflion for eating alfo influences all his actions, diversions, and studies. He is fond of hare-hunting, as he fays his purfuit is animated by the hopes of feeing pufs fmoking on the table: but he wonders how any man can venture his neck in a chace after a fox, which, when it is got, is not worth eating. He has had occafion, on account of the diforders which his ruling paffion has brought upon him, to visit the feveral Wells in the kingdom; but these he confiders, not as places where perfons go to drink the waters, but where they go to eat; and in this light he gives a character of them all. Bath,' lays he,

is one of the best markets in the world; at Tunbridge you have fine mutton, and moft exquifite wheat-ears: but at Cheltenham,pox take the place, you have nothing but cow- beef, fed veal, and white

bacon.' He looks upon every part of England in the fame light; and would as foon go to Chefhire for butter, and Suffolk for cheese, as mifs eating what each particular town or county is famous for having the most excellent in it's kind. He does not grudge to ride twenty miles to dine on a favourite dish: and it was but laft week that he appointed a friend in Buckinghamshire to meet him at Uxbridge, which, fays he in his letter, 'is the beft place we can settle our businefs at, on account of thofe excellent rolls we may have for breakfait, and 2 B 2

the

the delicious trout we are fure to have • at dinner.'

Mr. Cramwell, for that is his name, is fo unfortunate as to want a purse adequate to his talte; fo that he is obliged to have recourfe to feveral artifices to gratify his appetite. For this purpofe he has with great pains conftituted a Club, confifting of perfons most likely to promote Good Living. This fociety is compofed of members who are all of fome trade that can furnish it with provifions, except one country fquire, who fupplies it with game; and they are obliged to fend in the beft of whatever their trade deals in, at prime coft: by which wife management the Club is fupplied with every delicacy the feason affords, at the most reafonable rates. Mr. Cramwell, on account of his extraordinary proficiency in the fcience of Eating, is honoured with the office of perpetual Caterer: and he has arrived to fuch a pitch of accuracy in the calculation of what is fufficient, that he feents to gage the ftomachs of the Club, as an excifeman does a cafk; fo that, when all the members are prefent, they feldom fend away three ounces of meat from the table. Upon any vacancy much care and deliberation is ufed in electing a new member. A candidate's being able to devour a whole turkey with an equal proportion of chine, or eat one haunch of venifon, with the fat of another as fauce to it, would be no recommendation: on the contrary, there never was more caution ufed at the death of a Pope, to elect a fucceffor who appears the most likely to be short-lived, than by this Society of Epicurean hogs, to admit nobody of a ftomach fuperior to their own. A Caprain of a fhip trading to the West Indies has been admitted an honorary member, having contrafed to bring over, as a prefent to them, a cargo of turtle every voyage; and a few days ago I met Crainwell in prodigious high spirits, when he told me, that he was the happiest man in the world. Now,' fays he, we shall have Ortolans as plenty as pigeons; for it was but yesterday that we ballotted into our fociety one of the Flanderkin Bird merchants.'

This affociation for the prefervation of elegant fare gratifies my friend Crain

well's luxury at a cheap rate; and that he may make as many good meals as poflible, he often contrives to introduce himself to the tables of perfons of quality. This he effects by fending my lord or her ladyfhip a prefent of a Bath Cheefe, or a Ruff or Land-rail from his friends in Lincolnshire or Somersetshire; which feldom fails to procure him an invitation to dinner. He then plays his part as luftily as if he had kept Lent, or were not to make a dinner again for a fortnight. He never fuffers the fmallett fidé-difh to escape him for one is fo exceeding good; another looks fo tempting; another is fo great a rarity; and though he declares he cannot touch a bit more, he will make a fhift to find room for this or that dainty, because he never tafted it in his life. Wherever he goes, he always takes care to fecure to himself the best share of every nicer dish, without the least regard to the rest of the company: he will help himself to a whole bird, though there are but a brace; and for fear any tid-bit fhould be fnapped up hefore him, he fnatches at it as greedily as an hungry Frenchman at an ordinary. It once happened, that dining with an' Alderman, his appetite fo far got the better of his good breeding, that he shaved off all the outfide of a plumb-pudding; and he has ever fince been talked of in the city by the name of Skin-pudding.

As all his joy and mifery conftantly arifes from his belly, he thinks it is the fame with others; and I heard him ask a perfect stranger to him, who complained that he was fick, whether he had over-eat himself. It is no wonder that Cramwell thould be fometimes troubled with the gout: I called upon him the other morning, and found him with his legs wrapped up in flannel, and a book lying open before him upon the table. On afking him what he was reading, he told me he was taking phyfic; and or enquiring whofe advice he had- Oh,' fays he, nobody can do me fo much good as Mrs. Hannah Glaffe. I am here going through a course of her Art of Cookery, in hopes to get a ftomach; for indeed, my dear friend,' added he, with tears in his eyes, my appetite is quite gone; and I am fure I fhall die if I do not find fomething in this book which I think I can eat.'

on

N°

H

HOE.

ORACE, in the paffage quoted at the head of my paper, tells us (after Ariftotle) of a man who used to fit in the empty theatre, and fancy that he faw real exhibitions on the stage. We have the like account, in another ancient author, of a person that used to wait with great folicitude the coming of fhips into the harbour, believing them to be his own property. The end of thefe madmen was alfo fimilar: they were both cured; and both complained, that they were deprived of the fatisfaction which they before enjoyed from a pleafing error of their minds.

That the happiness and mifery of the far greater part of mankind depends upon the fancy, need not be infifted on: Crede quod babes, et babes-Think that you have, and you have,' is a maxim not confined to those only within the walls of Bedlam. I remember an humourift, who would frequently divert himself in the fame manner with the madmen above-mentioned, and fupply his real wants by the force of his imagination. He would go round the markets, and fuppofe himself to be cheapeping the most dainty provisions; and when he came home to his feanty meal, by the fame ideal contrivance he would convert his trotters into turbot, and his fmall beer into the most delicious Burgundy. As he was a barber by trade, he would put on the air and manners of his customers while he combed out their

wigs with every bag he would conceive himfelf going to court or an affembly; and once, when he was fick, he got together three or four of the largelt tyes,' placed them upon blocks round his bedfide, and called them a confultation of phyficians.

But of all others, there are none, perhaps, who are more obliged to the imagination for their ideal happiness, than the fraternity of which I am an unworthy member. There is no fet of people who are more ambitious to appear grand in the world, and yet have leis means, than thofe gentlemen whom the world has filed Authors. Wit and pride as of en go hand in hand together, as wit and poverty: but though the generality of writers are by the frowns of fortune debarred from poffeffing a profufe share of the good things of this world, they are abundantly recompenfed by enjoying them in fpeculation. They indulge in golden dreams, at the time that they have not fixpence in their pockets; and conjure up all the luxuries of Pontac's before them, though they are at a lofs perhaps where to get a dinner. Thus a critic, by a kind of magic, will tranfport himself to the theatres in an imaginary chariot, and be feated at once in the front-boxes; when in reality he has waited for two hours in Vinegar Yard before the opening of the doors, to fecure to himself a corner in the twelve

penny gallery. Hence it alfo happens

to

to moft Authors, that though their way of life be ever fo mean, their writings favour of the most unbounded magnificence; and as they have nothing to beftow, a molt furprifing generosity always accompanies every action of the quill. A Novelist, for example, is remarkably lavish of his cath on all occafions; and fpares no expences in carrying on the defigns of his perfonages through ever fo many volumes. Nothing, indeed, is more ealy than to be very profufe upon paper: an author, when he is about it, may erect his airy cafles to what height he pleafes, and with the wave of his pen may command the mines of Peru: and as he deals about his money without once untying his purfe-ftrings, it will coft him the fame whether he throws away a mite or a million; and another dip of ink, by the addition of two or three gratis cyphers, may in an infiant convert a fingle ten into as many thoufands.

But it must be confeffed, that we Ef fay-writers, as we are the greatest Egotits, are confequently moft vain and oftentatious. As we frequently find occafion to prate about ourfelves, we take abundant care to put the reader conftantly in mind of our importance. It is very well known, that we keep the beft company, are prefent at the most expenfive places of diverfion, and can talk as familiarly of White's, as if we had been admitted to the honour of lofing an estate there. Though the neceffaries, as well as the luxuries of life, may perhaps be denied us, we readily make up for the want of them by the creative power of the imagination. Thus, for inftance, I remember a brother Effayift, who took a particular pride in dating his lucubrations From my own Apartment;' which he reprefented as abounding with every convenience: though at the fame time he was working three ftories from the ground, and was often forced, for want of other paper, to fcribble upon wrappers of tobacco. As to myself, I make no doubt But the reader has long ago difcovered, without my telling him, that I loll at my ease in a crimion velvet chair, reft my elbow on the polished furface of a mahogany table, write my effays upon gilt paper, and dip my pen into a filver ftandish.

Indeed, though I have taken upon

me the title of Connoiffeur, I fhall not prefume to boast, that I am poffeffed of a Mufæum, like Sloane's, or a Library equal to Mead's. But as Pliny, and after him our countryman Mr. Pope, have left us a description of their elegant Villas, I hope it will not be thought arrogance in me, after what I have faid, if I fet before the reader an account of my own Study. This is a little edifice fituated at fome distance from the rest of the house, for the fake of privacy and retirement. It is an ancient pile of building, and hangs over a fmall rivulet; and as the entrance into it is fhaded by a thick hedge of evergreens, which caft a kind of awful gloom about it, fome learned Antiquarians have been led to conjecture, that it was formerly a Temple, or rather Chapel of Eafe,dedicated to one of the heathen Goddeffes. This Goddels, they inform me, was worshipped by the Romans, and was probably held in no less veneration by the Egyptians, Chaldees, Syrians, and other nations. However this be, the walls on the infide are decorated with various infcriptions alluding to the religious rites performed there, and hung round with the rude rhymes of ancient bards.

To this Study I retire conftantly every morning after breakfast, and at other parts of the day, as occafion calls. Here I am at liberty to indulge my meditations uninterrupted, as I fuffer no one to break in upon my privacy: and (what will perhaps furprise my readers) I find in my felf the greatest inclination to vifit it after an hearty meal. In this place I made a very rapid progrefs in literature, and have gone through feveral very learned volumes, which otherwife I fhould never have looked into. I have here travelled leaf by leaf through the works of many worthy, but neglected ancient divines, critics, and politicians; and have turned over many a modern pamphlet or poem with equal fatisfaction. I mut not forget to mention, that (like the fcrupulous Mahometans) I have often picked up the fragments of feveral learned writers, which have come from the chandlers, and lodged them among others no lefs valuable, in my Study.

I may fafely boaft, that I am indebted for inany of my beft thoughts in the courfe of thele papers, to the reflections