quently put himself to enormous expences in getting up trash that is better calculated for Bartholomew fair, than a Theatre Royal;

THE POLITICAL GRACES.

The Duchefs of RUTLAND.

The Countess of CHATHAM.

The Countefs of TEMPLE.

I AM Credibly informed that these three amiable characters, having the welfare of this country, and the dread of a certain moneter, called Coalition before their eyes, a few days ago, affembled together, and being fo affembled, devoutly, on their knees, drank "Succefs to the prefent Miniftry! Of this I thought proper to inform your SPECTATORSHIP, notwithstanding your injunction to reject political obfervations in my mifcellany; in which injunction I humbly conceive you did not mean to include female politics. I therefore thought proper to make this report, and to affure you that the faid Three Graces have my hearty concurrence to affemble again, and devoutly, on their knees, to drink "Succefs to the NEW SPECTATOR "not forgetting the SubSpectatorial welfare of

Their truly devoted,

To other CORRESPONDENTS.

I AM obliged to poftpone the Art of conducting morning papers, befides confiderably curtailing the theatrical, and other obfervations of John Bull. The advice contained in the letter figned Sawney W. is not thrown away; the office of my Deputy is not, however, to be confined to important matters, but it is intended that his obfervations fhall extend to the "tittle-tattle" of the day; "for by the throwing up of a ftraw (fays an old author,) we may fee which way the wind fits."-The lines figned Cato fhould have been addreffed to Jeffrey Dunftan, and not to the Lord Chancellor. The letters figned A Whig, and a Revolution Whig, can have no place in the NEW SPECTATOR; they favour too much of the spirit of party; and though party is the bane of this kingdom, it fhall not be the ruin of this paper. The impudence of a morning paper of yesterday, in comparing Mrs. H. with a notorious prostitute, can be equalled only by the falfhood contained in the affertion that the former is now fecreted in Pall-mall. It has ufually been the fate of that paper to fleer on the wrong fide of the Poft!-The Ladies who called at the Printer's on Saturday, may reft affured that their request fhall be complied with.

JOHN BULL,

No. III.

I

Price Three-pence.

T is a difagreeable circumstance to a writer who wishes to render his labours fubfervient to humanity, that he is under the neceffity of expofing the vices, rather than of recommending the virtues of mankind; for fuch is the present state of morality amongst us, that the fear of punishment operates more strongly on the minds of men, than the hope of reward; hence fatire has been able to effect at least apparent amendment, where the united powers of reason and perfuafion have proved abortive. But the imperfection of human nature has in all ages juftly lamented. Prejudice and paffion, cuftom and caprice, have ever held the most tyrannical dominion over the minds of men. Slaves to the depravity of their nature, and, like flaves, accustomed, not only to obey, but to flatter the task-master, and encourage him to rivet their chains the faster, mankind have been, and still continue, the pupils of prejudice, rather than the followers of reason.

been

THE present is an age abounding in philosophy and literature; and Britain may juftly be esteemed

HORACE.

FRANCIS.

the Athens, and Rome of the eighteenth century. The receffes of philosophy were never more affiduously explored; the precepts of morality, were never more strongly inculcated; nor was the investigation of truth, ever more ardently purfued; yet when will the bulk of mankind grow wiser, and the multitude cease to do evil?

WE fee that in almost every science, truth has its opponents, but in none more than in the science of legislation. Were an angel visibly to descend from heaven, deputed by heaven itself, to govern mankind, faction and animofity would ftill retain their influence; for, whilft men are mortal, paffion will too often fuperfede reason; ambition will still contend for power, avarice for riches, folly for titles, and the multitude for the darling liberty of abufing authority, and violating laws with impunity.

So that, notwithstanding the world has been favoured with the promulgation of a religion, pure and undefiled, with luminaries of science, codes of laws, and fyftems of morality, we fee mankind ftill prejudiced in their fentiments,

narrow

narrow in their conceptions, imperfect in their conduct; always endeavouring to defend their opinions, and indulge their paffions, rather than to rectify their errors, and amend their lives.

Ir is an obfervation of the contemplative COWLEY, that "A learned age is always leaft devout;" an obfervation which, I am forry to fay, is, by the prefent times, but too fully juftified; for it must be confeffed that we abound more in learning than in devotion; in fpeculative divinity, than in practical piety; and this will always be the cafe, where men have the liberty of diffeminating their fentiments, publishing the conjectures of fancy, laying the foundations of hypothetical fyftems, and erecting the ftructures. of theory, as watch-towers to the benighted mariner, and as land-marks to the pious pilgrim; a liberty which is the peculiar bleffing of this country, and on which all other liberties depend.

BUT as learned, particularly fpeculative men, feldom agree, fo, with all the rancour of difputation, and the animofity of party virulence, fyftem is oppofed to fyftem, theory to theory, and opinion to opinion; all pretending to instruct mankind, in the road to virtue and happiness, and, in the heat of debate, forgetting to practife the one, and totally loofing fight of the other; and a great part of the multitude, by no means addicted to thinking, choose rather to be deftitute of fixed principles, than to acquire them at the expence of fo much time and contemplation as their vocations will not permit, nor their inclinations indulge.

FROM hence we may, though with the figh of philofophy, fafely fubfcribe to the opinion of Cowley; fince the learned, by their impolitic cavils, not only abandon piety themselves, but lead the vulgar to conclude that religion is the offspring of fiction, the contrivance of cunning, the chimera of fancy, or fomething fo difficult to attain, that they fhall ftand excused, on the plea of ignorance, in the omiffion of duties, with which they are as well pleased to remain unacquainted. Hence they become more abandoned in their vices, more profligate in their manners; and nothing but the dread of temporal affliction can reftrain them from the indulgence of favage ferocity, and wanton barbarity: they would "cat the bread of wickednefs, and drink the wine of violence!"

THERE is another and happily the more numerous class of men, who are neither philofophical enough to frame fyftems, nor wicked enough to dethrone confcience; who firmly believe the existence of the deity, and diffent only in their modes of worship; and though fome modes

are certainly more confonant to reason than others, yet each of thefe has his leader in opinion, and is fo ftrongly fettered by prejudice, as not even to liften to arguments, that tend to the conviction of error in his leader, or impropriety in himself. Thus it is, that fimilarity of fentiment is the strongest cement of affection; though many will more readily embrace and efteem principles for the fake of men, than love men for the fake of principles. And this is no late prejudice; for even Cicero complains, that men regarded the perfon who fpoke, more than the thing that was spoken.

MUCH more might be added in illustration of Cowley's fentiment. It opens a large field for fpeculation; but in one thing, at least, I will imitate the poets: I will leave fomething to exercife the imagination of the reader.

SEVERAL thousand years ago, three beautiful damfels, named REASON, OPINION, and CURIOSITY, were wandering together in an extenfive forest, in search of a flower called TRUTH, which had long been fought for in vain. It was deemed sweeter than the rofe, more delicate than the lily, and had the fingular quality of retaining an eternal bloom. Repofing themfelves by the fide of a fountain, OPINION difcovered a purple violet, and infifted that she had found the prize. REASON Contended that it could never be the flower called TRUTH, for wherever it grew, it was as white as the mountain fnow, and, even in the night, might be difcovered like the glimmering of the evening ftar in the blue expanfe of heaven. But OPINION perfifted, and would not quit the conteft, till fhe could be affured of the fact, and requested it might be left to the decifion of the next person they should meet. Whilft CURIOSITY was attentively examining it, a traveller, who delighted in nothing fo much as rambling out of the common road, and had lost his way, came up to the damfels to enquire where he was, and to folicit their prefence at his dwelling, for he was ever pleased with the conversation of strangers. His name was CHANCE, and he no fooner beheld OPINION, than he conceived a violent affection for her. OPINION, with a wining. fmile, artfully proposed the question respecting the flower, and he, defirous of ingratiating himself with so fair a damfel, affured her it was the flower called TRUTH, on which OPINION faid she would proceed no further in quest of that which she had already found. So that REASON and CURIOSITY, never tired of walking, pursued their journey; and CHANCE taking OPINION home with him, publicly espoused her, and had a daughter named PREJUDICE; but her parents neglecting her education, she was deflowered

flowered by a man called CUSTOM, with whom The continued to live as his concubine, and by whom he had a numerous progeny of male and female children.

WHAT became of REASON, history does not inform us; but tradition fays fhe at length found out TRUTH, and being thirsty with rambling in the woods, directed her course to a cottage, near which a young maiden, called PHILOSOPHY, WAS drawing water out of a well. CURIOSITY prompted REASON to peep into the well, to see how deep it was, when she accidentally let the flower TRUTH drop into it. CURIOSITY was not at all concerned at the event; for having examined and smelled on the leaves, fhe was fatisfied; but REASON made great lamentation; and it is faid, that fhe and PHILOSOPHY have at times, ever fince, been vainly endeavouring to recover TRUTH out of the well!

SIR,

To the NEW SPECTAtor.

I trust the cause of Humanity will always find an advocate in the NEW SPECTATOR. As a friend to Humanity, I wish to see the following Poem in your collection. It was written by the late Rev. Dr. LANGHORNE, whose poetical merit is well known amongst poetical readers, and whofe letters of Theodofius and Conftantia have deservedly rendered him a favourite writer with the world in general, and our sex in particular. I am truly astonished that fo excellent a compofition as that which I now fend you, is not more generally known. I am, Sir,

O God! their moving forrow fee!
Support them, fweet HUMANITY!

Life, fill'd with grief's distressful train,
For ever afks the tear humane.
Behold in yon unconscious grove
The victims of ill-fated love!
Heard you that agonizing throe?
Sure this is not romantic woe!
The golden day of joy is o'er;

And now they part---to meet no more.
Affift them, hearts from anguish free!
Affift them, fweet HUMANITY!

Parent of virtue, if thine ear

Attend not now to forrow's cry;

If now the pity-streaming tear

Should haply on thy cheek be dry, Indulge my votive ftrain, O fweet HUMANITY!

To the NEW SPECTATOR. Dear SPEC!

IN the name of a church folio, what is to be done? I find you leave out fome of the most choice of my opinions, and temporary remarks, for want of room! My opinion of coloured garters, and my remarks on gold-laced ftockings, with the romantic ftory of the Windfor Widow, and the memoris of Mrs. Abington, all laid afide, for want of room! But, my dear SPEC, confider that if you cannot find space enough for my mifcellanies, I fhall never write down half the abuses I am witneffing daily, and people will think I know no more than a dumb fortune-teller, or a Piccadilly conjurer. Remedy this evil, my good friend, if you even publish twice a week, and, for the love of the virtues, do not be sparing of a little paper, to expose the vices!-But I proceed in my memorabilia.

Your faithful Deputy elect!
JOHN BULL.

FEMALE DRESS.

THE most provoking circumftance attending the life of a lady of tafte, is, the impudence of the vulgar in prefuming to adopt her drefs, and render it common before fhe has fhewn it to half the town. I have fometimes been amazed, that those patronesses of tafte and fashion in female dress, the Duchefses of Devonshire and Rutland, never procured his Majefty's Royal Letters Patent, for the exclufive privilege of wearing, appearing in, and expofing to admiration certain dreffes, by them the faid Ducheffes first invented, formed,

fafhioned, and worn; for in fuch words, or in words fimilar to thofe, doubtlefs faid Patent would run.

LADIES of diftinction, have, at last, however, procured a drefs, which cannot cafily be adopted by their inferiors; it is too expenfive, and indeed too ftately for daily exhibition. The body confifts of black velvet, the train of white crape, and the petticoat of pink fattin. The head is adorned not only with feathers, but with crimp feathers, and it is a happy circumstance, in these times of fcarcity, that a lady of fashion may procure a cap, fit to be feen in, at the reasonable price of four guineas!

BALLOON hats now adorn the heads of fuch of

the parading impures, as can afford them; whilst the more inferior tribe, have invented a hat which is, not improperly, called the Baftard balloon!-being a humble imitation of the greenbox balloon, and deftitute of feathers. These balloon fashions, I believe, are about their zenith, and must soon burst, and be forgotten!

I AM forry to observe, that the Safh has its retainers, even in the depth of winter; but some ladies think they never can appear too airy, and perhaps deem the Safh a neceffary appendage to the balloon hat. Be that as it may, I cannot but look on the Safh, now, as no bad resemblance of a label to a phial of phyfic, containing directions how to take it. Indeed if any thing were to be infcribed on the fafhes of those ladies who now wear them, furely nothing could be more apofite than the words, To be lett to the best bidder. But I believe the fign is pretty generally understood, without the inscription!

BULIA.

I HAVE already acquainted your SPECTATORSHIP, that when my friend and I, in our air balloon, first arrived in this curious country, the people were involved in politics, and talked and thought of nothing elfe; and as I wished to give. you a faithful relation of every thing we should learn there, I deemed it neceffary, like all other travellers, to give fome account of the form of government and the ftate of the political affairs as well as of the manners,and customs, fashions, and amusements of the world which we thus accidentally vifited. I will, however, for the prefent, bid adieu to their politics, and give you fome account of the general character of the people.

THE Bulians are represented by their ancient hiftorians, to have been at once warlike and hofpitable. It was late before science made any progress amongst them; but as she advanced, their ferocity