"no Bank bills, but fix copies of verse, each "longer than mine, addreffed to him upon the "fame occafion."

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"A nobleman,” cries a member, who had hitherto been filent, "is created as much for the con"fufion of us authors as the catch-pole. I'll tell "you a ftory, gentlemen, which is as true as that "this pipe is made of clay. When I was delivered "of my first book, I owed my taylor for a fuit of "cloaths, but that is nothing new, you know, and may be any man's cafe as well as mine. Well, "owing him for a fuit of cloaths, and hearing that my book took very well, he sent for his money, " and infifted upon being paid immediately; though "I was at that time rich in fame, for my book run "like wild-fire, yet I was very short in money, "and being unable to fatisfy his demand, prudently "refolved to keep my chamber, preferring a prifon "of my own chufing at home, to one of my tay"lor's chufing abroad.. In vain the bailiffs ufed all "their arts to decoy me from my citadel, in vain they sent to let me know that a gentleman wanted to speak with me at the next tavern, in vain they came with an urgent meffage from my aunt in the country; in vain I was told that a particular friend. "" was at the point of death, and defired to take his "laft farewell; I was deaf, infenfible, rock, adamant, the bailiffs could make no impreffion on "my hard heart, for I effectually kept my liberty. by never ftirring out of the room.

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This was very well for a fortnight; when one "morning I received a moft fplendid meffage from "the Earl of Doomsday, importing that he had "read my book, and was in raptures with every "line of it; he impatiently longed to fee the author, and had fome defigns which might turn out "greatly to my advantage. I paufed upon the con"tents of this meffage, and found there could be VOL. III.

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"no deceit, for the card was guilt at the edges, "and the bearer, I was told, had quite the looks of "a gentleman. Witnefs ye powers, how my heart triumphed at my own importance; I faw a long "perfpective of felicity before me, I applauded the "tafte of the times which never faw genius forfaken "I had prepared a fet introductory speech for the "occafion, five glaring compliments for his lord

fhip, and two more modeft for myself. The next morning, therefore, in order to be punc"tual to my appointment, I took coach, and or"dered the fellow to drive to the ftreet and house " mentioned in his lordship's addrefs. I had the precaution to pull up the window as I went along "to keep off the bufy part of mankind, and, big "with expectation, fancied the coach never went "faft enough. At length, however, the wifhed"for moment of its stopping arrived, this for fome "time I impatiently expected, and letting down "the door in a tranfport, in order to take a pre"vious view of his lordship's magnificent palace "and fituation, I found, poifon to my fight! I "found myself, not in an elegant ftreet, but a "paltry lane, not at a nobleman's door, but the "door of a fpunging-house; I found the coach

man had all this while been juft driving me to "jail, and I faw the bailiff with a devil's face, "coming out to fecure me."

To a philofopher no circumftance however trifling is too minute; he finds inftruction and entertainment in occurrences, which are paffed over by the rest of mankind as low, 'trite, and indifferent; it is from the number of these particulars, which, to many, appear infignificant, that he is at laft enabled to form general conclufions; this, therefore, must be my excufe for fending fo far as China accounts of manners and follies, which, though minute in their own nature, ferve more truly

to characterife this people than hiftories of their public treaties, courts, minifters, negotiations, and ambaffadors.

Adieu.

LETTER XXX.

FROM THE SAME.

THE English have not yet brought the art of gardening to the fame perfection with the Chinese, but have lately begun to imitate them; Nature is now followed with greater affiduity than formerly; the trees are fuffered to fhoot out into the utmost luxuriance; the ftreams no longer forced from their native beds, are permitted to wind along the vallies: fpontaneous flowers take place of the finished parterre, and the enamelled meadow of the fhaven green.

Yet ftill the English are far behind us in this charming art; their defigners have not yet attained a power of uniting inftruction with beauty. An European will scarcely conceive my meaning, when I say that there is fcarcely a garden in China which does not contain fome fine moral, couched under the general defign, where one is not taught wisdom as he walks, and feels the force of fome noble truth, or delicate precept refulting from the difpofition of the groves, ftreams or grottos. Permit me to illuftrate what I mean by a defcription of my gardens at Quamfi. My heart ftill hovers round thofe fcenes of former happiness with pleasure; and I find a fatisfaction in enjoying them at this diftance, though but in imagination.

You defcended from the houfe between two

groves of trees, planted in fuch a manner, that they were impenetrable to the eye; while on each hand the way was adorned with all that was beautiful in porcelaine, ftatuary, and painting. This paffage from the house opened into an area furrounded with rocks, flowers, trees and fhrubs, but all fo difpofed as if each was the fpontaneous production of Nature. As you proceeded forward on this lawn, to your right and left hand were two gates, oppofite each other, of very different architecture and defign; and before you lay a temple built rather with minute elegance than oftentation.

The right hand gate was planned with the utmost fimplicity, or rather rudenefs; ivy clafped round the pillars, the baleful cyprus hung over it; time feemed to have deftroyed all the fmoothness and regularity of the ftone: two champions with lifted clubs appeared in the act of guarding its accefs; dragons and ferpents were seen in the most hideous attitudes, to deter the fpectator from approaching; and the perspective view that lay behind, feemed dark and gloomy to the last degree; the ftranger was tempted to enter only from the motto: PERVIA VIRTUTI.

The oppofite gate was formed in a very different manner; the architecture was light, elegant, and inviting; flowers hung in wreaths round the pillars; all was finished in the most exact and masterly manner; the very ftone of which it was built, ftill preferved its polish; nymphs, wrought by the hand of a mafter, in the most alluring attitudes, beckoned the ftranger to approach; while all that lay behind, as far as the eye could reach, feemed gay, luxuriant, and capable of affording endless pleasure. The motto itself contributed to invite him; for over the gate were written thefe words, FACILIS DESCENSUS.

By this time I fancy you begin to perceive that the gloomy gate was defigned to reprefent the road

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to Virtue; the oppofite, the more agreeable paffage to Vice. It is but natural to fuppofe, that the fpectator was always tempted to enter by the gate which offered him so many allurements. I always in these cafes left him to his choice; but generally found that he took to the left, which promifed most entertainment.

Immediately upon his entering the gate of Vice, the trees and flowers were difpofed in fuch a manner as to make the moft pleafing impreffion; but as he walked farther on, he infenfibly found the garden affume the air of a wilderness, the landscapes began to darken, the paths grew more intricate, he appeared to go downwards, frightful rocks feemed to hang over his head, gloomy caverns, unexpected precipices, awful ruins, heaps of unburied bones, and terrifying founds, caufed by unfeen waters, began to take place of what at first appeared fo lovely; it was in vain to attempt returning, the labyrinth was too much perplexed for any but myfelf to find the way back. In fhort, when fufficiently impreffed with the horrors of what he faw, and the imprudence of his choice, I brought him by an hidden door a fhorter way back into the area from whence at first he had ftrayed.

The gloomy gate now prefented itfelf before the ftranger; and though there feemed little in its appearance to tempt his curiofity, yet encouraged by the motto, he generally proceeded. The darkness of the entrance, the frightful figures that seemed to obftruct his way, the trees of a mournful green, conspired at first to difguft him: as he went forward, however, all began to open and wear a more pleafing appearance, beautiful cafcades, beds of flowers, trees loaded with fruit or bloffoms, and unexpected brooks, improved the fcene; he now found that he was afcending, and, as he proceeded, all Nature grew more beautiful, the profpect wi

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dened.