bramble lacerate, and no ferpent wind round my ankle?-T is a cafe in point. "If, in steering my pathlefs way over this dreadful ocean which extends itself before my window, I unwittingly wander among the rocks and fands off the North Foreland, endanger my life, and escape only with a very hard ftruggle; if this misfortune befalls me, fhall I not in my next voyage bear far off it, as from a hoftile fhore? Or fhall I, to avoid the fands on my right hand, plunge into those on the left, after the example of those good folks who are now walking in my view-If I do, I deferve to be drowned, indeed.This alfo is a cafe in point. "Fashion!" I ftill went on, "this is all your fault. It is owing to you that these poor people have fweated themselves down hither from the metropolis; it is owing to you that many of them know not for what purpose they are come; and many are come for no purpose at all ! "Yet, I am not surprised. King Cloten was unhappily fubject to various difeafes. He was once feized with the yellow jaundice: the rapidity with which this disease became fashionable was astonishing. In a trice, not a perfon was seen at court without the yellow jaundice. King Cloten was next seized with the palfy: the palfy was equally destructive among his courtiers. You could not turn a corner without feeing a paralytic wretch, fhaking, nodding, and enfeebled. The court was like the court of Disease, and the poor king stood in the midst of his courtiers like the king of Death! "There was no end of this fickly fashion; as usual with the other fafhions, it defcended from the court to the commonalty; and the king had the melancholy reflection to make, that he had infected his whole kingdom with difeafes.-It is impoffible to tell where this would have ended, had not the king published a declaration, declaration, commanding all his fubjects to be well again, on pain of his ufing them ill: and he at the fame time threatened, that the first of his fubjects who fhould report himself to be ailing with any of the fafhionable difeafes, fhould be fent for to court, and be bled, blistered, and purged into good health again in his own prefence. "What folly!" continued I, ftill moralizing," what madness! that we fhould be the flaves of this fame whimsical goddess, Fashion!-that we should wear her ever-changing livery, and fuffer her to make what things of us the pleases!-that we should have reason, yet use it not!-that we should have taste, yet gratify it not!-that we fhould be affiduous to please others, rather than ourselves. "Having thus difplayed the power of Fashion, what wonder is it that the fhakes her fceptre over the good company who vifit Margate, led by their whimsical and thriftless imaginations! But let us hear them speak for themselves." I left my window, and walked down among the crowd. It was a young lady whom I first addreffed. -"Fair lady," said I, gently, "why cameft thou hither?" She replied, "That it was in confequence of reading a receipt in the family medicine book, which affured her that falt water was good for whitening the teeth." Having fuch bad fuccefs with the young, I tried the old." Reverend lady," said I to one who has remained at her fortieth year fince 1780, "I wish to know the purpose of your journey to Margate." "You do!" replied the, toffing her gray head in my face. "Why, what do you think it fhould be, but to dance ?" I left her. "Who is yon briik gentleman, that fails up the walk, fo placid and fo fmirking? Blefs me!--can it be?It is by all that's witty, it is himself! 4 Ah! Ah!-my fincere and excellent friend, comment vous va? Surprised-you at Margate !The laft perfon in the world-Why, I left you but Sunday evening in Richmond Gardens! In the name of the Mufes, what are you doing here fo unexpectedly?" "I am come to get a character." "A character! -You aftonifh me, Mr. -'T is but a month You have not long wanted one, fure !" "Not very longPfhaw!" added the bard; "you do not know what I mean. The character I want is for my new comedyan original character-and the company having evacuated the metropolis, I have followed them hither, to pick up one among the crowd." "Oh! now I understand you. And, methinks, fince you are on the spot, it would not be amifs to carry home fome falt also for the seasoning of it; as it is faid that your comedies have been wonderfully infipid and Lasteless fince you left I thought it was now time to finish my experiments. -Three perfons were examined; the first visited Margate to get white teeth, the fecond to dance, and the third to pick up an original character! Z. THE MATRIMONIAL CREED. WHOEVER will be married, before all things it is neceffary that he hold the conjugal faith; and the conjugal faith is this:-That there were two rational beings created, both equal, yet one superior to the other; and the inferior fhall bear rule over the fuperior: which faith, except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he thall be fcolded evérlaftingly. The man is fuperior to the woman, and the woman is is inferior to the man; yet both are equal, and the woman fhall govern the man. The woman is commanded to obey the man, and the man ought to obey the woman: and yet there are not two obedients, but one obedient. For there is one dominion nominal of the husband, and another dominion real of the wife: and yet there are not two dominions, but one dominion. For like as we are compelled by the Chriftian verity to acknowledge, that wives muft fubmit themselves to their husbands, and be fubject to them in all things; fo are we forbidden by the conjugal faith to fay, that they should be at all influenced by their wills, or pay any regard to their commands. The man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man; yet the man shall be the flave of the woman, and the woman the tyrant of the man: fo that in all things, as is aforefaid, the fubjection of the fuperior to the inferior is to be believed. He, therefore, that will be married, muft thus think of the woman and the man. Furthermore, it is neceffary to fubmiffive matrimony, that he alfo believe rightly the infallibility of the wife; for the right faith is, that we believe and confefs that the wife is fallible and infallible: perfectly fallible and perfectly infallible, of an erring foul and an unerring mind fubfifting; fallible as touching her human nature, and infallible as touching her female fex; who although the be fallible and infallible, yet she is not two but one woman, who fubmitted to lawful marriage to acquire unlawful dominion; and promifed religiously to obey, that fhe might rule in all things. This is the conjugal faith. L. III. AN AN IMPROMPTU, ON A MRS. TROUT BEING DELIVERED OF A SON, WHO WAS AFTERWARDS NAMED JONAS. [From the Morning Post.] THREE days and nights, afferts the facred tale, A greater wonder now by far's come out, EPIGRAMS. [From the Morning Chronicle.] AYS William to John, in fplenetic fit, SAY Being ftung by a pun, "Are you Jetting up wit?" "No, faith," quoth a wag, "John has clearly difplay'd That his stock 's very small, and he's leaving off trade!" “WHY, Tom, od zooks! He fhook his head : "Oh, no! She's out of danger." M. J. THE PIOUS PAINTER : A CATHOLIC STORY. [From the Morning Poft.] HERE once was a painter in Catholic days, THER Like Job, who efchewed all evil; Still on his Madonnas the curious may gaze With applause and amazement, but chiefly his praise And delight was in painting the devil. They |