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power of her eyes. She tells of the knight in "gold lace, who died with a fingle frown, and never rofe again till-he was married to his maid; "of the fquire, who being cruelly denied, in a rage, flew to the window, and lifting up the "fafh, threw himself in an agony-into his arm "chair; of the parfon, who croffed in love, refolutely fwallowed opium, which banished the "ftings of defpifed love by-making him fleep. "In fhort, fhe talks over her former loffes with "pleasure, and like fome tradefmen, finds confo"lation in the many bankruptcies fhe has fuffered.

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"For this reafon, whenever I fee a fuperannuated "beauty ftill unmarried, I tacitly accufe her either "of pride, avarice, coquetry, or affectation. There's "Mifs Jenny Tinderbox, I once remember her to "have had fome beauty, and a moderate fortune. "Her elder fifter happened to marry a man of “lity, and this seemed as a statute of virginity against poor Jane. Because there was one lucky hit in the "family, he was refolved not to difgrace it by in"troducing a tradefman. By thus rejecting her "equals, and neglected or defpifed by her fupe"riors, the now acts in the capacity of tutorefs to "her fifter's children, and undergoes the drudgery "of three fervants, without receiving the wages " of one.

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"Mifs Squeeze was a pawnbroker's daughter; her father had early taught her that money was a very "good thing, and left her a moderate fortune at his "death. She was fo perfectly fenfible of the value "of what she had got, that the was refolved never to part with a farthing without an equality on the part of her fuitor: fhe thus refufed feveral offers made her by people who wanted to better themfelves, as the faying is; and grew old and ill-na"tured, without ever confidering that the fhould have made an abatement in her pretenfions, from

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.. her

"her face being pale, and marked with the small66 pox.

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Lady Betty Tempeft on the contrary had "beauty, with fortune and family. But fond of "conqueft, fhe paffed from triumph to triumph; "fhe had read plays and romances, and there had "learned that a plain man of common fense was "no better than a fool: fuch fhe refused, and fighed only for the gay, giddy, inconftant, and "thoughtlefs; after he had thus rejected hun"dreds who liked her, and fighed for hundreds "who despised her, the found herself infenfibly de"ferted: at present she is company only for her "aunts and coufins, and fometimes makes one in a country-dance, with only one of the chairs for "a partner, cafts off round a joint-ftool, and fets to a corner cupboard. In a word, fhe is treated "with civil contempt from every quarter, and placed, like a piece of old-fashioned lumber, merely to fill up a corner.

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"But Sophronia, the fagacious Sophronia, how "fhall I mention her? She was taught to love "Greek, and hate the men from her very infancy: "The has rejected fine gentlemen because they were "not pedants, and pedants because they were not "fine gentlemen; her exquifite fenfibility has "taught her to difcover every fault in every lover, "and her inflexible juftice has prevented her pardoning them thus the rejected feveral offers, "till the wrinkles of age had overtaken her; and now, without one good feature in her face, fhe "talks inceffantly of the beauties of the mind."

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Farewell.

LETTER

WERE we to eftimate the learning of the English by the number of books that are every day published among them, perhaps no country, not even China itfelf, could equal them in this particular. I have reckoned not lefs than twenty-three new books publifhed in one day; which upon computation, makes eight thousand three hundred and ninety-five in one year. Moft of thefe are not confined to one fingle fcience, but embrace the whole circle. Hiftory, politics, poetry, mathematics, metaphyfics, and the philofophy of Nature are all comprized in a manual not larger than that in which our children are taught. the letters. If then we fuppofe the learned of England to read but an eighth part of the works which daily come from the prefs (and furely none can pretend to learning upon lefs eafy terms) at this rate every scholar will read a thousand books in one year. From fuch a calculation you may conjecture what an amazing fund of literature a man must be poffeffed of, who thus reads three new books every day, not one of which but contains all the good things that ever were faid or written.

And yet I know not how it happens, but the English are not in reality fo learned as would feem from this calculation. We meet but few who know all arts and sciences to perfection; whether it is that the generality are incapable of fuch extensive knowledge, or that the authors of those books are not adequate inftructors. In China the emperor

himself takes cognifance of all the doctors in the

kingdom

kingdom who profefs authorship. In England every man may be an author that can write; for they have by law a liberty not only of faying what they please, but of being alfo as dull as they pleafe.

Yesterday I teftified my furprize to the man in black, where writers could be found in fufficient number to throw off the books I daily faw crowding from the prefs. I at firft imagined that their learned feminaries might take this method of inftructing the world. But to obviate this objection, my companion affured me, that the doctors of colleges never wrote, and that some of them had actually forgot their reading; but if you defire, continued he, to fee a collection of authors, I fancy I can introduce you this evening to a club, which affembles every Saturday at feven, at the fign of the Broom near Iflington, to talk over the bufinefs of the laft, and the entertainment of the week enfuing. I accepted his invitation, we walked together, and entered the houfe fome time before the ufual hour for the company affembling.

My friend took this opportunity of letting me into the characters of the principal members of the club, not even the hoft excepted; who, it feems, was once an author himself, but preferred by a bookfeller to this fituation as a reward for his former fervices.

The firft perfon, faid he, of our fociety, is doctor Non-entity, a metaphyfician. a metaphyfician. Moft people think him a profound fcholar; but as he feldom Ipeaks, I cannot be pofitive in that particular: he generally fpreads himfelf before the fire, fucks his pipe, talks little, drinks much, and is reckoned very good company. I'm told he writes indexes to perfection, he makes effays on the origin of evil, philofophical enquiries upon any fubject, and draws up an answer to any book upon twenty-four hours warning. You may diftinguifh him from the reft

of

of the company by his long grey wig, and the bluę handkerchief round his neck.

The next to him in merit and efteem is Tim Syllabub, a droll creature; he fometimes fhines as a ftar of the firft magnitude among the choice fpirits of the age: he is reckoned equally excellent at a rebus, a riddle, a bawdy fong, and an hymn for the tabernacle. You will know him by his fhabby finery, his powdered wig, dirty fhirt, and broken filk-stockings.

After him fucceeds Mr. Tibs, a very useful hand; he writes receipts for the bite of a mad dog, and throws off an eaftern tale to perfection; he underftands the business of an author as well as any man, for no bookfeller alive can cheat him. You may diftinguish him by the peculiar clumfinefs of his figure, and the coarfeness of his coat: however, though it be coarfe, (as he frequently tells the company) he has paid for it.

Lawyer Squint is the politician of the fociety; he makes fpeeches for parliament, writes addreffes to his fellow-fubjects, and letters to noble commanders; he gives the hiftory of every new play, and finds feasonable thoughts upon every occafion. My companion was proceeding in his description, when the hoft came running-in with terror on his countenance to tell us, that the door was befet with bailiffs. If that be the cafe then, fays my companion, we had as good be going; for I am pofitive we fhall not fee one of the company this night. Wherefore difappointed we were both obliged to return home, he to enjoy the oddities which compofe his character alone, and I to write as ufual to my friend the occurrences of the day. Adieu.

LETTER