But fuch a day as this, fo fiercely hot!

1

No nerves of steel can bide the flaming ray: Life's every function is at once forgot,

And poor faint human nature melts away.
Oh! for a feather from the zephyr's wing,
That playful flutter'd in the vernal breeze;
Oh! for a plunge in fome deep central fpring,
That rolls its waters to th' Antipodes!

Talk not of Afric's ever-burning plain,
Her woodlefs defert, or her streamless fand:
No equinoctial negro could fuftain

The fultry horrors of this northern land,

O happy Laplander! thine arctic fnow,

Thy polar ice, how dearly wouldst thou prize; Didft thou, blefs'd blue-lipp'd favage! only know Th' infufferable pangs of roafting fkies...

THE COTTAGE.

[From the Oracle.]

N many a novel I have seen,

And learn'd from many a grave romance,

That ruftics on the meadows green

For ever laugh, and fing, and dance.

The poets too confirm the tale,

The country's charms with rapture trace;

Their gay defcriptions never fail

In fylvan fcenes true joy to place.

When our great bards defcribe a grove,
The nightingales for ever fing,
Their warbling notes are tun'd to love,
With love the echoing woodlands ring.

Their garden too difplays its charms;
Soft murm'ring streams, and rofy how'rs;
Where, free from care and all alarms,
Fond shepherd-lovers pass their hours.

Their

Their Cottage lifts its humble head
'Midft rural landscapes, flow'ry fields;
The feast of joy is ever spread,

And pure delight the country yields.

Their handfome, gay, accomplish'd fwains,
With merry pipe or flute fo fweet,
Pour melting mufic o'er the plains,
Their raptur'd fair-ones' ears to greet.
Their nymphs adorn'd with ev'ry grace,
Of fimple nature, void of art;
The lovely blush which paints their face,
With pow'r refiftlefs wins the heart.
I left the town for joys like these,
'Midft rural scenes fix'd my abode:
My farm was planted well with trees,
And round my cot a streamlet flow'd.,
I fallied forth in penfive mood,

To hear the feather'd fongfters' notes;
No fougfter warbled in the wood,

But rooks and ravens ftrain'd their throats.

By moonlight next I went to hear
The plaintive fong of Philomel:
No Philomela met my ear;

I heard the dismal Screech-owl's yell.

A jack-afs then began to bray,

Moft odious difcords fill'd the plain:
Quick from the fcene I hafte away;
Such rural mufic gives me pain.

Returning homeward by my brook,
Again I difappointment found:
In vain for filver trout I look,
Where only eels and frogs abound.

All night the watchful maftiff howls;
My reft's disturb'd by grunting fwine:
While ducks and turkies, geefe and owls,
In ferenading concert join,

VOL. X.

And

Ι

And is it then on joys like these
That fancy fondly loves to dwell?
Let poets take them, if they please;
The joys of town please me as well.

The fwarthy maid 's a country belle,
The fhepherd fwain 's an arrant clown:
Clowns, milk-maids, turkies, pigs, farewell;
I fly from you, and feek the town.

AM happy to hear that the clause which enjoined drilling on Sundays is to be given up. This is a popular, and, what is better, a wife meafure; for there are many more arguments against Sunday drilling than for it. But, as I am none of those politicians who oppose measures without finding a fubftitute, I flatter myself that I can fuggeft a fubftitute for Sunday, against which there cannot be the shadow of an objection-a day on which the Training Bill may be put in force without the smallest interruption to bufinefs of any defcription among that clafs of men who have business on other days a day, Sir, on which, beyond all others, that commandment is strictly obeyed, which enjoins, "In it thou fhalt do no manner of work.”

That there is fuch a day in our calendar may have efcaped the notice of our legiflators, few of whom have much connexion with the active pursuits of life; but every manufacturer, every mafter of workmen, in this or other cities, knows it well, and knows how impoffible it is by any reward to induce their journeymen to break this day by any kind of employment. I have been a master of fervants many years, and when very urgent demands have obliged me to require their affiftance on this day, I have been obliged to tempt

thei

them with extraordinary offers; but this being the cafe, it may be thought with them a point of confcience, and, indeed, from their extreme repugnance against working on the day to which I allude, has all that appearance; and I frequently hear them declare, that they had rather be d-d than come to bufinefs in contempt of their patron Saint. But, Sir, I apprehend that if there can be fuppofed a cafe in which confcience fhould yield to neceffity and the calls of patriotifm, this appears to be that cafe; and I have, therefore, no hesitation in fuggefting to the gentlemen who are to carry the Training Act into execution, that one of the days appropriated for this purpose fhould be St. Monday!

I am, Sir, your humble Servant,

FABER-ERARIUS,

V

THE MINISTRY AND THE WEATHER.

[From the Morning Chronicle.]

MR. EDITOR,

ALTHOUGH you have very ably vindicated the Miniftry in your paper of Monday Jaft, from fome accufations brought against them by the Oppofition, yet there are other points of attack which, you have certainly paffed over with a fufpicious filence. I hope, however, your well-known impartiality will permit me to remark, that the Oppofition writers are extremely right in afferting, that, the Miniftry permitted the whole Seffion of Parliament (long as it was) to expire, without having propofed any measures, with refpect to the weather. This I must think a very cul pable negligence; and I wonder, at the fame, time, that the Oppofition writers, who blame Ministers chiefly for not performing impoffibilities, have not infifted at greater length on the confufed ftate in which

292 EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM BRIGHTON. the weather has been left, efpecially as, in all proba bility, fome months will elapfe before Parliament can be called together. I have made inquiries at feveral of the Public Offices, and have procured interviews with foine of His Majefty's Minifters, but without being able to discover in whofe department it is to give out fuch a proportion of dry weather as may facilitate the bufinefs of the harveft. This is a matter which I humbly think ought to have been arranged while the Members were in town, that Minifters might have availed themfelves of the local knowledge of those who have the honour to represent the corn counties: For want, however, of fuch neceffary precaution, it must be that thefe late ftorms took an opportunity to lay our corn in the country and fill our cellars in town, with an article which, I will venture to fay, the laft Miniftry would have thought extremely improper for a cellar. I have only to add, that while the Oppofition writers confine their attacks to fuch inftances of negligence as thefe, they will act much more in character, than by reviving the memory of their own blunders and disgrace.

August 2.

I am, Sir, yours,

PARTRIDGE.

EXTRACT FROM BRIGHTON, AUGUST 18.

[From the Morning Post,]

AS the correfpondents of feveral public prints in

London do not feem to be minute enough in their information of what is paffing at this place, I doubt not that your readers will be highly gratified by the communication of more important particulars.-A grand fupper was given on Thursday laft by Mrs. Fitzherbert. A diftinguithed character drank no more than three glaties of Port. He took two pinches of fnuff in the courfe of half an hour. The first pinch was taken

from