mous work in which he has but little share, and from which he can derive but little advantage.

EXTRAVAGANCE, on the other hand, is another, and a more alarming enemy to benevolence. Avarice and extravagance arife from the fame conduct an improper difpofition of the means, wherewith providence has entrusted us for the accomplishment of certain purposes. As avarice will not, fo extravagance cannot perform the duties of humanity. Extravagance, it is true, fometimes throws wealth into the lap of indigence, and bread into the mouth of the hungry; but then it as frequently happens, that he who thus profufely and adventitiously fcatters the bounty of providence, is prefently reduced to feek that affiftance which he might have bestowed on others, and to crave that compaffion to which his conduct is by no means entitled. And it terwere well if the evils of extravagance minated here; but alas! the innocent too often fhare the fate of the guilty: families are daily reduced to penury by the fuperfluous expences of individuals, without the exercise of one noble action, or the accomplishment of one humane duty.

FROM the influence of avarice on age, and of extravagance on youth, it appears that the number of those is confiderable who do not voluntarily contribute to the relief of the poor. But I trust the number of thee is much more confiderable who, actuated by the pure principles of benevolence, appropriate specific charities to the relief of the indigent and unfortunate, and, in this bitter season, reflect with commifferation on the state of fuch as are destitute not only of the comforts, but even the neceffaries of life.

It is not my intention here to appeal to the feelings of my readers, on a subject which furnishes the most extenfive field for exciting sympathetic emotion and tender fenfibility. Enough has been faid and written for that purpose, and I have already intimated that our fentimental writers have, in this refpect, done fome fervice. That benevolence which has been so repeatedly praised and recommended as graceful and excellent, it is my wish to enforce as a duty, neceffary to be performed, and for the omiffion of which no adequate reason can be affigned.

O pity human woe!

'Tis what the happy to the unhappy owe: was the language of Homer; and, "Give to him that afketh of thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away;" are the words of one that spake as never man spake!

THE moralift, the poet, and the divine never more forcibly affect fenfibility than in the relation of fome act of benevolence. There is something in generofity fo congenial to the human heart that a good action always meets with the applaufe even of the vicious. Thus an humane fentiment delivered with propriety on the stage, never fails to excite the inftantaneous approbation of the bad as well as of the good. The heart, how great a stranger foever to merit in itself, by the abuse of a selfish poffeffor, will, on all fuch occafions, affert its nature, and, deftitute of caufe to rejoice in its own excellence, will exult in that of another. That fympathetic feeling which nature has implanted in the breaft, and from which the greateft pleasures are derived, religion has commanded us to indulge, and rendered that our duty which encreases our felicity.

LET me then recommend to the attention of the opulent the annual custom of one of the greatest characters in this kingdom, who appropriates a certain, and no inconfiderable, fum for the relief of those indigent creatures whose induftry will scarcely fupply their wants, and who are unwilling to become burthenfome to the community. This clafs of people contains many worthy characters, who deferve every relief which benevolence can bestow, and it must afford the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND a fatisfaction which I am little able to describe, when he reflects that his humanity may have refcued from pining mifery many a diftreffed family, and faved from deftruction many a charming infant. Thus even after ages may reap the good effects of his Grace's bounty, and the name of PERCY will defcend to poflerity with additional luftre!

SIR,

To the NEW SPECTATOR.

You have applauded the playing and the drefs of Miss Farren in the new comedy-I mean dramatic hermaphrodite of Reparation. Permit me to enter an exception against each.

As to playing: if Mifs Farren would not stoop quite fo much, and fo continually, it would be all the better. She does well to avoid the contrary extreme of a drawing-room formality; but there is a medium in all things, and she may be eafy without stooping, and stately without stiffness.

As to drefs: the flounce trimmings are too numerous, too heavy, and too flat; and the múslin on the fleeves so disposed as to make the arms appear longer than could be wifhed. The headdrefs is by far the most excellent, and I know not any thing wherein a woman's tafte can be better displayed than in a head-dress.

THE

THE dress of Mifs Pope is of a piece with her performance-almoft unexceptionable; whilst that of Mrs. Brereton is in a contrary extreme. I am, Sir, Yours, &c.

CHARLOTTE CURIOUS.

I AM afraid Mifs Charlotte Curious is " more "nice than wife." However, I leave her and my deputy John Bull to fettle thefe points as well as they can. For own part, my I am not critical in drefs; but if I were asked which is the best dressed character in the new play, I fhould give my voice for Sir Gregory Glovetop!

POETRY.

I HAVE two reasons for presenting you with the following fonnet; firft, because it is fhort, and you, I know, have little room to fpare; and fecondly, because it merits a place in the NEW SPECTATOR.

SONNET,

On a formy Sea-prospect.

By Mr. BAM P F Y L D E. How fearful 'tis to walk the founding shore,

When low'rs the fky, and winds are piping loud! And round the beech the tearful maidens croud, Scar'd at the fwelling furge and thunder's roar. High o'er the cliffs the screaming fea-mews foar,

Loft is the adventurous bark in flormy cloud,' The fhrill blaft whiftles thro' the fluttering fhroud; And, lo! the gallant crew, that erft before Secure rode tilting o'er the placid wave,

Scarce know to ftem the black and boiflerous main, And view, with eyes agaft, their watery grave. So fares it with the breaft of him, the Swain, Who quits Content for mad Ambition's lore, Short are his days, and distant far the shore!

To the NE W SPECTATOR. Friend SPEC!

WHILST you are amufing yourself with Plato, and Aristotle, and "the more illuftrious "dead;" I am amfing myself with the more illuftrious living. You are contemplating the wisdom, and I the follies of mankind. Our object, however, is the fame: you are willing to recommend their virtues, and I to expofe their vices. Your task is the more agreeable of the two; but mine is more likely to anfwer our purpose. Little children may be perfuaded to quit the path of danger; but grown-up children must be lashed ere they will leave their follies; they are too incorrigible to be laughed out of them, and there are some on whom even public fhame has no in

fluence. I am happy to think that in this metropolis, there are not many of the latter defcriptions, whilst Bulia,-ill fated city!—abounds in them.

BULIA.

THE following is abstracted from the translation of the Bulian pamphlet entitled

The SECOND tumble of Reynardam! 12mo.

"SUCH, however, was the difpofition of our hero, that the fcorn of his fovereign, and the contempt of all good men, affected not him-He well knew that amongst the Bulians, the number of the bad far exceeded that of the good; and he concluded that having the majority of the Etanes on his fide, Rexman would comply with their request, and take Reynardam into his fervice again. In this they were wofully deceived. Befides the antipathy which Rexman had to any fuch measure, he was warned against it by the fage dispenser of equity, the great Wolruth, a man whom the king loved, and the people regarded: whose counfels might be relied on, whose honour was unblemished, whofe integrity was inflexible, and who had the fingular character; fingular indeed amongst the Bulians-of being an equal friend to the king and to the people. To him Rexman listened with attention, and his counfels he determined to follow.

"REYNARDAM, aware of the influence of Wolruth, failed not to declaim against him in the Etanes, and to recommend himself to its attention by pretending that his difgrace affected the honour of the Etanes itself; and his arts fo far prevailed, that the greatest part of that body began to be of the fame opinion, and to espouse the cause of the defperate Reynardam.

"THE Retfinim, or chief fervant of the king, who had now the confidence of the fovereign, the good withes of the Reppu (in which Wolruth was a chief), and the friendifhp of the people, was Tipwill, a young man whose abilities had never been impaired by diffipation, and who added to them the virtue of integrity in his public and private dealings, and was at once an ornament to Bulia and to nature. The only fault that his enemics,—the most virtuous characters have always their oppofites, and confequently their enemiesThe only fault that his enemies could find in him was, that he had not acquired what they deemed the neceffary arts of a Retfinim; that he was not inrolled amongst thofe

Calm, thinking villains, whom no faith can fix, Of crooked counsels, and dark politics! No! Tipwill was of a nobler fchool. In his father he had beheld the lovelinefs of public as well as

of

of private virtue, and he determined not to tarnish the luftre of a name rendered immortal amongst the Bulians! Hence his conduct was diametrically oppofite to that of Reynardam, and he was at once the faithful fervant of Rexman and of his people.

"It is a principle in the Bulian government, that the Etanes fhall be removable at certain periods, and others appointed in their ftead, if the villages which fent them approve not of their conduct. Thus the Etanes were but the servants of the public at large; and Reynardam, during his popularity, always contended that their fenfe of legislative measures could never be collected but from their own mouths; that the fentiments of the Etanes and of the public might be widely dif ferent and that, in such case, the Etanes ought to conform to the public, and not the public to the Etanes. This opinion greatly endeared Reynardam to the people, and they regarded him as their chief friend; as a tower of strength against those who might be induced to trample on their liberties, and, as fuch, they chearfully supported him in all his attempts to gain power. But the patriots of Bulia, like thole of this country, on a change of fituation, could change fentiments too; and when Reynardam became Retfinim, and propofed his ftatute refpecting the balloon merchants of Aidni, which he well knew the people could not approve, then he vehemently contended that the Etanes spoke the fenfe of the people, or, that if they did not, the people knew nothing at all

about the matter!

"THE measure respecting the balloon merchants having been rejected by the virtue of the Reppu, and by the particular exertions of Elpmet and Wolruth; and Reynardam having been discarded from the Retfinimfhip, and Tipwill appointed in his ftead, those of the Etanes who favoured the views of Reynardam were greatly exasperated, and determined to fupport him in regaining his power, and depriving Tipwill of the Retfinimfhip. But Reynardam, whofe fortunes were defperate, and who dreaded the rifing virtues and fplendid abilities of his opponent, rather than lofe all hopes of fuccefs, was prepofterous enough to propofe sharing the Retsinimfhip with Tipwill. Rexman could by no means approve of fuch an union, and Tipwill would not hurt his own feelings, nor diftrefs thofe of his mafter by having communion with a man so despicable in the eyes of the worthy and the difpaffionate part of the Bulians. This created great confufion in the Etanes, and many of the villages in Niatirb affembled their people, and framed letters to the king, in which

they requested him to continue Tipwill his chief fervant; fo that the people, who formerly fupported Reynardum, were now enraged againft him. Reynardam, however, had it propofed in the Etanes, that Tipwill should be removed from the king's prefence, and applied to his own villagers to meet and write to the king, requesting him to difmifs Tipwill. On the day appointed ten thousand air balloons were feen floating over the village, which was called Retfnimfew, and Reynardam took his ftation, furrounded by his friends, in a kind of forum, where justice was administered. Many friends of Tipwill were allo present. Here Reynardam intended to have har. rangued the people, but he had scarce began when the burfting of an air balloon, filled with a naufeous and fuffocating inflammable air, deprived him of utterance, and at the fame moment the ftage on which he was placed, like a mountebank, gave way, and down came Reynardam, amidit the fhouts and hiffes of the multitude; many fuperftitious people auguring from thence. that his political fame, like the explosion of the balloon, was "vanished into air, into thin air!"

THUS far from the tranflation of the Second tumble of Reynardam. I have selected the more ferious paffages in it, because the wit difplayed in the rest of the pamphlet is not fufficiently delicate for an English ear.

NAKED TRUTH.

THERE is nothing like obliging the Ladies; I therefore recommend to your SPECTATORSHIP to difmount your emblematical frontispiece retaining it only in your firft number. Truly, Sir, feveral gentlemen, as well as ladies, have been shocked at feeing naked Truth at the head of your paper. It is an object that few people are fond of. Let her figure, therefore, be banifhed; but let her facred influence pervade your writings, as it certainly fhall my obfervations.

MORNING PAPERS.

Faciunt na intelligendo, ut nihil intelligant.

TER.

While they pretend to know more than others they know nothing in reality.

PURSUANT to my promife in my last, I fhall now proceed to give a few inftructions to any gentleman, that may choose to become a profeffed writer for a news-paper.-In the first place, then, he must have no political principles of his own; he must in that respect be a kind of non-entity in the community; becaufe, though virtue and vice never change their natures, the Editor may mif

take

take the one for the other, as has lately been evinced by the conduct of feveral fagacious conductors of morning prints, who for fome years. past without a shadow of reason, perhaps, have been vehemently abufing characters, which they now discover to be little less than angelic! Excellent cafuifts!-In the next place, a writer for a news-paper, if he has the interest of his employer at heart, will make himself acquainted with the private concerns of families, and by intimating in a paragraph, that certain fecrets will be revealed, which probably he knows little of, induce the parties to bribe handfomely for the fuppreffion of that mixture of truth and fiction, which thefe hackers and hewers of reputation deal out fo lavishly on those who will not come down! -Another important branch in this traffic, is the Cyprian fiflerhood, who, when they can afford it, pay well for having those praifes bestowed on them, which are due only to illuftrious characters; thus doing the dirty work of a proftitute, and recommending vice to the admiration of young girls, and publicly contributing to the ruin of the rifing generation. It is fhocking to reflect that there are women who rejoice in being pofted for prostitutes, and men who facrifice what little talents they have in a fervice fo difgraceful to human nature!-In the third place, the writer must adopt fomething of the manner, or the ftile, es it is called, of the Editor, in whose paper he means to fhew his abilities. But here I fhall give him a few examples, by writing fuch paragraphs for each paper, as I fancy would well suit them.

For the DAILY ADVERTISER.

Yesterday two military gentlemen in a poft-chaise were robbed on Hounslow-heath, by a fingle highwayman well mounted. The gentlemen were armed, but unfortunately both their pistols miffed fire; the villain therefore got off with a confiderable booty.

The fnow having rendered the roads impaffable in several parts of the kingdom, the general poft letters were not delivered till late last night.

For the PUBLIC LEDGER.

It is impoffible to with-hold praise from Mr. Pitt: though perhaps his abilities are not fo tranfcendant as those of Mr. Fox. Refpecting prefent appearances in the political hemif phere, much is to be faid on both fides; and, after matters have been adjusted, we shall declare our principles, by efpoufing the cause of the prevailing party. At prefent the Public Ledger is "open to all parties; influenced by none!"

Yesterday a gentleman had his pocket picked near Charingcrofs, of a gold watch. It were to be wished that gentlemen would keep a stricter watch over their gold!

The late coalition is beyond example! We may next expect to fee the Guildhall giants dancing the hays on Temple-bar! For the GENERAL ADVERTISER.

Mr. Fox is the greatest orator, and the most upright character of the prefent age: witnefs his India bill, and his fpeeches thereon!

Nothing can equal the abilities and the honesty of Mr. Fox. The falvation of this county depends on his having the fway in the cabinet. It is true, we deferted him when he refigned; but we are fince convinced that it was not only a prudential, but an honourable measure, and Mr. Fox was always a man of honour.

Mr. Fox's India bill was a mafter-piece, and had it been carried into execution, would have produced the most happy effects both abroad and at home.

We recommend it to the afpiring fon of Chatham to read the story of Phaeton with the attention it deferves.

Yesterday it was reported that a poor woman fell out of a two pair of ftairs window, and was killed on the spot. The coroner's inqueft fat on the body laft night, and brought in their verdict, manslaughter.

For the GAZETTEER.

Mr. Fox is the greatest orator, and the most upright character of the prefent age. Witnefs his India bill, and his fpeeches thereon!-Though we have for feveral years condufted our paper on principles nearly impartial, we have at length found the abilities of Mr. Fox fo peculiarly excellent, that we cannot but wish he were at the head of affairs, and that the union of his talents, with those of his right honourable and coalefcing friend, might be rendered fubfervient to the most falutary purposes.

Tuesday, a whole barrow of oranges belonging to a woman in Water-lane, were taken by a fudden guft of wind into the Thames; the poor woman, in attempting to recover some of them, difcovered a dead corpfe near the fhore, which proved to be her own fon, who had been miffing fome days. The fituation of the poor woman may be better conceived than defcribed.

ERRATUM in our yesterday's paper: for the bonefty of Mr. Pitt; read the bonefty of Mr. Fox.

For the MORNING, alias the MIDNIGHT CHRONICLE. Mr. Fox is the greatest orator, and the most upright character of the prefent age: witnefs his India bill, and his fpeeches thereon!

After feveral years clofe attendance in, or rather on Par liament; and after having repeatedly expreffed ourselves inimical to the above opinion, we have now the ampleft reason to fubfcribe to it, and fhall feize every opportunity of evincing its truth, by giving the fpeeches of Mr. Fox in as full a manner as poffible.

It is impoffible for us to give more than a Hafty fketeb of yesterday's business; we will therefore content ourfelves with cutting the matter fhort, and prefent our readers with only fifteen columns of a debate which employed the attention of the House nearly as many hours.

In prefumption, at least, young Pitt is a chip of the old block;" but alas! his abilities, compared with those of Mr. Fox, are very flender indeed.

Yesterday a Court of Aldermen was held, at which nothing material was tranfacted.

For the MORNING POST.

Mr. Fox is the greateft orator, and the most upright character of the prefent age. Witness his India bill, and his fpeeches thereon!

Though we have for no less than twelve years been of an opinion diametrically oppofite to the above, yet we are happy in this golden opportunity of subscribing our affent to it.

The voice of the people is with Mr. Fox, and it will be in vain for the friends of the beardlefs Pitt to think of retaining him in his prefent fituation.

The

Or L'Eroe Cinefe thus much may be said that it is more abundant in good fongs than any opera which has been performed this year. Pacchierotti's first air was beautiful; but that in which he added peculiar brilliancy to a divine pathos was his Referena il vago ciglio; and of his Trio, with Lufini and Franchi too much cannot be faid.

THE Compofer Rauzzini is worthy of the laurel. There is not a fingle fong in this opera which has not fomething to recommend it. A rare circumstance indeed!

CRAMER, Tacet, Baumgarten difplayed a spirit and a taste well becoming the first theatric band in the kingdom. Veftris improves daily, whilst Slingsby and Theodore reign the king and queen of English hearts!

JOHN BULL.

To other CORRESPONDENTS.

THE Poem, as the author has mifcalled it, on Lady Westmoreland, has neither rhime nor reafon to recommend it.-J. B. A. will find a small parcel left for him at Mr. Swift's —The fiheme mentioned by Hint cannot, for obvious reafons, be adopted: it would be well if it could.-If Benjamin Sarcasm converts his invectives against affectation into a rational effay, it fhall have a place in the NEW SPECTATOR. The gentleman who figns himself a Young widow, will find the poems of Mr. Pope, &c. in any Bookfeller's fhop in London.-A Gentlewoman from Jerico may depend on being treated as fhe deferves.-Sawney W.'s friend feems to be as crack-brained as himself, and their respective epifles have fuffered martyrdom in the flames.

་