SIR,

THO

lutely refufed his confent; and, in the mott illiberal terms, accuted the young lady of amorous inclinations. Notwithstanding this, they carry on a private correfpondence, as I have good grounds to believe; and perhaps the next moon-light night may fee the young couple on their journey to Edinburgh. May this, I fay, be the cafe; ⚫ and may every father who follows the 'fteps of Medlicoat be rendered equally contemptible, and become equally dif appointed in his expectations.'

TO THE BABLER.

HOUGH there are few qualifications which afford us fo general a fatisfaction as an agreeable voice; yet there are few things which give us fo general a disgust as the univerfal propenfity which every body has to fing, without recollecting the judgment of their company, or confidering the fcope of their own abilities. This obfervation, Mr. Babler, I had but too much reason to make yesterday evening, at a meeting of fome friends, who had particularly affembled on purpose to pafs three or four hours with a degree of more than ordinary pleasure and feftivity. Our party, Sir, was carefully felected; and there was not a fingle man in the room but could hold a toaft, give his fentiment, or fit up all night with a country candidate at a contested election.

The Royal Family had fcarcely gone round, Mr. Babler, when Dick Thompfon was called upon for a fong, who ac cordingly prepared to oblige us; and in an inftant truck up the celebrated air in Arne's opera of Artaxerxes

Water parted from the Sea.

This, however, he executed in a manner to very execrable, that it was with the utmost difficulty the whole company could keep from laughing in his face: we all of us fat upon thorns till he had done; and either picked our notes, or bit our nails, till the complimentary bow at the conclufion happily releafed us from fo uneafy a fituation. Never

theless, every body honoured him with a plaudit; and Dick really affumed as much dignity in his look as if he had performed to a miracle.

The next perfon fingied out was Kitt Turner; a young fellow with a voice quite of a different cait from Mr. Thompfon's, and well enough adapted for the fofter fpecies of fongs, where there is no extraordinary number of fhakes or divifions. Kitt unhappily, regardless of the walk in which he could actually make a tolerable figure, attempted the School of Auacreon; and trained his little lungs to fo unconfcionable a degree, as rendered him utterly unable to give us any thing elfe the remainder of the evening.

When Kitt had concluded, he called upon Tom Nelfon; whooffered us the Soldier and the Sailor, provided we fuffered him to accompany this delightful com pofition with the mufic of a pewter dish. As Tom's principal motive was to entertain, nobody could be rude enough to diffent from his propofal, and a pewter difh was therefore ordered up ftairs, which Mr. Nelion kept spinning on the table ail the time of his fong, occafionally leffening or increafing the velocity of it's mo tion, according as the different movements of the tune rendered such a circumitance necessary.

Fired with the approbation which was bestowed upon the pewter dish, the moment it came to Will Webly's turn, he chalked the back of his hand in two or three places, and rubbing it in two or three other places with a piece of burnt cork, he got up, and placing his hand

against

against a particular part of the room, Foared out, An old Woman cloathed in Grey, working his fingers in fuch a manner as to raise fome faint idea of an antiquated face. This was confidered as a high ftroke of humour, and produced no lefs than a folo on the tongs, a concerto on a pair of bellows, and Handel's water-piece on the falt-box. The various performances, Mr. Babler, lafted a confiderable time, and every body feemed to be pleased; though, in fact, it was no way difficult to fee that every body was fecretly diffatisfied and difappointed. For my own part, I was never more uneafy in a company fince I knew what a company was, and took an opportunity of stealing away about two o'clock in the morning.

It is in reality not a little odd, Mr. Babler, that people, who are acquainted with their own deficiencies in point of voice, do not, when they are called upon among their friends, give fuch a fong as is most naturally fuited to their compafs. What bufinefs has a fllow, who can fcarcely get through a plain derry-down tune, to think of meddling with a difficult Italian air? Or what neceflity is there for a man, who never faw a gamut in his life, to aim at executing a piece of mufic which actually calls for a performer of the most capital abilities?

The generality of people, when they hear a fong in our theatres which hap-pens to hit their fancy, are conftantly endeavouring, to retail it among their acquaintance, without ever confidering -that, notwithstanding all the advantages of an exquifite voice, and a confummate mutical knowledge, the performer who fings it may icarcely be able to go through it with a fufficient fhare of dehcacy or judgment. A man, however,

N° XCI.

who would efcape ridicule, ought to confider that thofe fongs may be, to the laft degree, intolerable from him, which in Vernon would almost drag the theatre down with acclamations; and, next to the merit of making himself pleafing, he fhould remember, that the greatest proof of good fenfe is not to render himfelf difagreeable: on which account, therefore, thofe who have but plain voices, ought to ftick to plain fongs; fince, inftead of gaining any reputation by an attempt to foar beyond their proper powers, they will do nothing more than offend the ears of every company they go into, and draw an everlafting fmile of derifion upon themselves.

It would alfo be judicious in those ladies or gentlemen, who occafionally oblige their friends with a song, if, as well as taking care not to meddle with any difficult pieces of mufic, they likewife took care never to meddle with a fong where they were not perfectly acquainted with the words. How often have I heard a delicious morfel of poetry most barbaroufly mangled, through the inattention of a negligent finger; and every grammatical inftitute inhumanly butchered, through the want of a little recollection! Sorry am I to add, that I have molt generally observed thefe imperfections among the ladies; and have frequently conceived a difguft to a very paffable face, merely because the poffeffor was fo totally unacquainted with English.

At fome other opportunity, Mr. Babbler, perhaps I may again trouble you with a fcrawl: for the prefent, I believe, I have given you enough; and therefore fhall only add, that I am, &c.

S happiness is the purfait of every A body, it is not a little furpring that fo few of us arrive at this univerfal goal of human defire; and ftill more furprifing, that when we fee the various quicklands upon which the expectations of others have been (hipwrecked in fteering to this favourite point, we are not a little more cautious in the direction

CRITO.

Have often remarked, that one half profecuted by the generality of mankind, if changed in their appellations, and ranked under the denomination of labour, would be fhunned with as much affiduity as they are now followed, and rendered every whit as disgustful to the fancy, as they are now flattering and agreeable. Through fome unaccountable infatuation, we are ravifhed, in the literary fenfe of the expreffion, with the whiftling of a name; and infinitely fatigue ourselves more in the bare purfuit of our feveral amafements, than in the clofeft attention to the duties of our respective Vocations, though thefe evocations are the only means which we have of raifing a neceffary provifion for our families.

The truth of this pofition was never more evidently ascertained than in the character of poor Bob Beetle. Bob is engaged in a very extenfive way of bu finefs; and is at once the moft lazy and the most induftrious fellow alive: he is fatigued to death if he writes a few lines to a correfpondent; but he will ride after a pack of dogs for a dozen hours together, and call it glorious fport, when he has ventured his neck over a fcore or two of gates, and come home as dirty as a ducked pick-pocket from a forty miles chace in the middle of winter. When he is in town, he complains of it as a prodigious hardship if he rifes at ten o'clock in the morning, though in the country he makes no fcruple whatfoever to get up at three or four to drag a fish-pond; and will scarcely walk a ftreet's length to receive a hundred pounds in the way of his bufinefs, though he would trudge eight or ten miles with the greatest fatisfaction after a brace of partridges. I met Bob a few days ago in the city, and topping him on the privilege of an old acquaintance, demanded the reafon of his feeming out of temper-Seeming!" repeated he, Mr. Babler, it is more than feeming; I am half inclined to hang myself. Here, in fuch a roafting day as this, mut I trudge to Change, and broil for two whole hours under the intenfe heat of a perpendicular fun. Damn it, Sir, I lead the life of a galley-flave;

and it is better not to live at all, than be liable to fuch continual anxieties." I was ill-natured enough to smile at his diftrefs; but giving him a cordial fhake by the hand, I wifhed him a good morn. ing, and fo we parted, Next day, about twelve o'clock, going to dine at a relation's near Hammersmith, who should I fee, tripped and playing at cricket in a field near Kenfington, but Bob? Though the weather was rather warmer than when I met him the preceding day, he was engaged in that violent exercife with all the appearance of a molt exquifite fatisfaction, and fcoured after the ball with as much agility as he could poffibly ufe to get himself into a heat on a frofty morning.

If we take but ever fo flight a furvey of mankind, we fhall find that most people are actually pretty much in the fame manner with my friend Bob Beetle. Looking upon that as an infupportable toil which is moft conducive to their intereft, they abfolutely find a pleasure in fatigue, and run into downright labour, in hopes of enjoying a little recreation. I would by no means be understood as an arguer against a moderate fhare of manly exercife or rational amusement: on the contrary, I look upon fuch relaxations to be effentially neceffary, both because they add confiderably to our health, and give us a freth inclination of returning to the bufinefs of our various employments. What I am offended at is, to fee men of excellent understandings, in total oppofition to the dictates of their good fenfe, applying themselves wholly to the profecution of their pleafures, and creating a number of imaginary difficulties, to embitter every moment which they fet apart for the management of their molt necessary employments.

Were temporal concerns, however, the only ones which we facrifice to our idleft, nay, to our most culpable amofements, fomething ftill might be faid in our defence; but our happiness hereafter, as well as our intereits here, are obliged to give way to the meaneft diffipations; and a fox-chace or a cricketball, a hunting match or a dice-box, are not only able to stifle every impulse

of

of regard which we ought to entertain for our families, but every sentiment of adoration which we ought to entertain for our God. The duties of religion, like our domeftic concerns, are utterly neglected; and even the awful bufinefs of eternity is thrown afide for a contemptible game at whift, or a defpicable pack of hounds.

The parallel between the neglect of our temporal and fpiritual concerns will be found confiderably ftronger, when we recollect, that where unavoidable neceffity compels a momentary attention to either, we enter upon them with an equal degree of reluctance and ill-will. But in the confequence, however, there is the wideft difference: our difinclination does not often interrupt the business of our callings, while we continue in oppofition to the natural bent of our tempers to carry it on. Many a man, though he hates his profeffion, nevertheless, by fubduing his antipathy to it, and managing his affairs with difcretion, makes a good fortune;

C

but let us be ever fo diligent in the difcharge of our religious obligations, yet, if our hearts are not actually engaged in the fervice of our Creator, all our per→ fonal attendance on his worship will be fo far from availing us, that it will rather encrease the enormity of our guilt, and expofe us more inevitably to the thunders of his hand. Reluctance is an aggravation of our crime; and we become lefs and lefs excufable, the more we appear in his temple, unless we approach it with the moft exalted fervency of inclination. Let us be careful, there fore, whenever we steal an hour from the elyfium of our amusements, and condefcend to enter a church, that we do not fuffer fo precious a part of our time to be loft. Let us take the greateft pains we are able to prevent that hour from being an evidence against us at the dreadful day of judgment; and confider, in the language of the poet

That, unless we defift from our crimes,
'Tis blafphemy furely to pray.

ONVERSING yesterday with an old acquaintance on the vanity of human wishes, we fell infenfibly into a long difcourfe about the abfurdities of mankind, even in their best actions; and particularly dwelt upon the infolence of their very devotion, when, though they affect to fubmit themselves entirely to the refignation of Providence, they neverthelefs prefume to point out immediate objects for the exercife of the Divine Benignity, without once recollecting that the nature of their request may be totally oppofite both to the greatness of it's wildom, and the justice of it's laws.

The fubject of converfation poffeffed me so very much upon my going to bed, that it continued to employ my imagination; and I dreamed how Jupiter took me up to the fkies, as he was faid to have formerly done by Menippus the philofopher, in order that I might be convinced the accufations fo generally C brought against the equity of Providence were totally without foundation; and that the great Author of the universe, potwithstanding the impious murmurs of his creatures, was perfectly juft and tonfiftent in the minutest of his decrees.

1

Having taken my station, as I fan cied, at the feet of the deity, the crystal gates of the celeftial region were thrown wide open; and by a particular order of Jupiter, the fofteft whisper addressed to him from earth was fo diftin&tly heard, that during the continuance of the various fupplications I never iniffed a single fyllable.

The first who offered up his prayers to Olympus, was a man who had been ruined by being a fecurity in a large fum of money for a very intimate friend.

This, fays Jupiter, turning to me, is a fellow of unquestionable worth and integrity; through the whole courfe of his life he has paid to inflex⚫ible an attention to the dictates of virtue, that I do not believe I have any thing to charge him with befides a human infirmity. He thinks it hard, therefore, that I fhonld fuffer him to be plunged into diftrefs, though this ⚫ diftrefs is nothing more than the natural confequence of his own indifcretion; for, inftead of building his effeem upon the honefty of the man by whose means he is thus unhappily ftripped of his all, he founded his regard entirely ⚫ upon

T 2