of their fellow-creatures ftarving in every prifon, forfaken by thofe whofe duty it was to protect them, labouring with difeafe, and without cloaths to keep off the feverity of the feafon. National benevolence prevailed over national animofity; their prifoners were indeed enemies, but they were enemies in diftrefs; they ceafed to be hateful, when they no longer continued to be formidable: forgetting, therefore, their national hatred, the men who were brave enough to conquer, were generous enough to forgive; and they, whom all the world feemed to have disclaimed, at last found pity and redress from those they attempted to fubdue. A fubfcription was opened, ample charities collected, proper neceffaries procured, and the poor gay fons of a merry nation were once more taught to refume their former gaiety.

When I caft my eye over the lift of thofe who contributed on this occafion, I find the names almoft entirely English; fcarcely one foreigner appears among the number. It was for Englishmen alone to be capable of fuch exalted virtue. I own, I cannot look over this catalogue of good men and philofophers without thinking better of myfelf, because it makes me entertain a more favourable opinion of mankind. I am particularly ftruck with one who writes thefe words upon the paper that enclofed his benefaction: The mite of an Englishman, a citizen of the world, to Frenchmen, prisoners of war, and naked. I only wish that he may find as much pleasure from his virtues, as I have done in reflecting upon them; that alone will amply reward him. Such an one, my friend, is an honour to human nature; he makes no private diftinctions of party; all that are ftamped with the divine image of their Creator are friends to him; he is a native of the world; and the emperor of China may be proud that he has fuch a countryman.

Το

To rejoice at the deftruction of our enemies is a foible grafted upon human nature, and we must be permitted to indulge it: the true way of atoning for fuch an ill-founded pleasure, is thus to turn our triumph into an act of benevolence, and to teftify our own joy by endeavouring to banish anxiety from others.

Hamti, the best and wifeft emperor that ever filled the throne, after having gained three fignal victories over the Tartars, who had invaded his dominions, returned to Nankin in order to enjoy the glory of his conqueft. After he had refted for fome days, the people, who are naturally fond of proceffions, impatiently expected the triumphant entry, which emperors upon fuch occafions were accuftomed to make their murmurs came to the emperor's ear; he loved his people, and was willing to do all in his power to fatisfy their juft defires. He therefore asfured them, that he intended, upon the next feast of the Lanthorns, to exhibit one of the moft glorious triumphs that had ever been seen in China.

The people were in raptures at his condefcenfion; and on the appointed day, affembled at the gates of the palace with the moft eager expectations. Here they waited for fome time without feeing any of those preparations which usually precede a pageant. The lanthorn, with ten thousand tapers, was not yet brought forth; the fire-works, which ufually covered the city walls, were not yet lighted; the people once more began to murmur at this delay; when in the midft of their impatience, the palace-gates flew open, and the emperor himself appeared; not in fplendour or magnificence, but in an ordinary habit, followed by the blind, the maimed, and the ftrangers of the city, all in new cloaths, and each carrying in his hand money enough to fupply his neceffities for the year. The people were at firft amazed, but

VOL. III.

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foon

foon perceived the wisdom of their king, who taught them, that to make one man happy, was more truly great than having ten thoufand captives groaning at the wheels of his chariot. Adieu.

WHATEVER may be the merits of the English in other fciences, they feem peculiarly excellent in the art of healing. There is fcarcely a diforder incident to humanity, against which they are not poffeffed with a moft infallible antidote. The profeffors of other arts confefs the inevitable intricacy. of things; talk with doubt, and decide with hefitation; but doubting is entirely unknown in medicine; the advertising profeffors here delight in cafes of difficulty: be the diforder never fo defperate or radical, you will find numbers in every ftreet, who, by leveling a pill at the part affected, promife a certain cure without lofs of time, knowledge of a bedfellow, or hindrance of bufinefs.

When I confider the affiduity of this profeffion, their benevolence amazes me. They not only in general give their medicines for half value, but use the most perfuafive remonftrances to induce the fick to come and be cured. Sure there moft be fomething ftrangely obftinate in an English patient, who refules fo much health upon fuch eafy terms: does he take a pride in being bloated with a dropfy? does he find pleasure in the alternations of an intermittent fever? or feel as much fatisfaction in nurfing up

his gout, as he found pleasure in acquiring it? He muft, otherwife he would never reject fuch repeated affurances of inftant relief. What can be more convincing than the manner in which the fick are invited to be well? The doctor firft begs the most earnest attention of the publick to what he is going to propofe; he folemnly affirms the pill was never found to want fuccefs; he produces a lift of those who have been refcued from the grave by taking it. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there are many here who now and then think proper to be fick. Only fick, did I fay? there are fome who even think proper to die! Yes, by the head of Confucius ! they die; though they might have purchased the health-reftoring fpecific for half-a-crown at every

corner.

I am amazed, my dear Fum Hoam, that these doctors, who know what an obitinate fet of people they have to deal with, have never thought of attempting to revive the dead. When the living are found to reject their prefcriptions, they ought in confcience, to apply to the dead, from whom they can expect no fuch mortifying repulfes; they would find in the dead the moft complying patients imaginable; and what gratitude might they not expect from the patient's fon, now no longer an heir, and his wife, now no longer a widow !

Think not, my friend, that there is any thing chimerical in fuch an attempt; they already perform cures equally ftrange. What can be more truly aftonishing than to fee old age reftored to youth, and vigour to the moft feeble conftitutions; yet this is performed here every day; a fimple electuary effects these wonders, even without the bungling ceremonies of having the patient boiled up in a kettle, or ground down in a mill.

Few phyficians here go through the ordinary courfes of education, but receive all their know

ledge of medicine by immediate infpiration from Heaven. Some are thus infpired even in the womb; and what is very remarkable, understand their profeffion as well at three years old as at threescore. Others have spent a great part of their lives unconfcious of any latent excellence, till a bankruptcy, or a refidence in gaol, have called their miraculous powers into exertion. And others ftill there are indebted to their fuperlative ignorance alone for fuccefs the more ignorant the practitioner, the lefs capable is he thought of deceiving. The people here judge as they do in the Eait; where it is thought abfolutely requifite that a man fhould be an ideot before he pretend to be either a conjuror or a doctor.

When a phyfician by infpiration is fent for, he never perplexes the patient by previous examination; he afks very few questions, and thofe only for form fake. He knows every diforder by intuition; he adminifters the pill or drop for every diftemper; nor is more inquifitive than the farrier while he drenches an horfe. If the patient lives, then has he one more to add to the furviving lift; if he dies, then it may be juftly faid of the patient's diforder, that as it was not cured, the diforder was incurable.

I WAS fome days ago in company with a politician, who very pathetically declaimed upon the miferable fituation of his country: he affured me, that the whole political machine was moving in a wrong

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