tivated productions of Nature, we are to examine the characteristic differences of climate and foil, fo in an estimate of the genius of the people, we muft look among the fons of unpolifhed rufticity. The vulgar English therefore may be eafily diftinguished from all the reft of the world, by fuperior pride, impatience, and a peculiar hardinefs of foul.

Perhaps no qualities in the world are more fufceptible of a fine polish than these; artificial complaifance and eafy deference being fuperinduced over thefe generally form a great character; fomething at once elegant and majeftic, affable yet fincere. Such in general are the better fort; but they who are left in primitive rudeness are the leaft difpofed for fociety with others, or comfort internally, of any people under the fun.

The poor indeed of every country are but little prone to treat each other with tenderness; their own miferies are too apt to engrofs all their pity; and perhaps too they give but little commiferation, as they find but little from others. But in England the poor treat each other upon every occafion with more than savage animofity, and as if they were in a ftate of open war by nature. In China, if two porters fhould meet in a narrow ftreet, they would lay down their burthens, make a thousand excuses to each other for the accidental interruption, and beg pardon on their knees; if two men of the fame occupation fhould meet here, they would first begin to fcold, and at laft to beat each other. One would think they had miferies enough refulting from penury and labour not to increase them by ill-nature among themselves, and fubjection to new penalties; but fuch confiderations never weigh with them.

But to recompence this ftrange abfurdity they are in the main generous, brave, and enterprifing. They feel the flightest injuries with a degree of ungoverned impatience,

impatience, but refift the greateft calamities with furprizing fortitude. Thofe miferies under which any other people in the world would fink, they have often fhewed they were capable of enduring; if accidentally caft upon fome defolate coaft, their perfeverance is beyond what any other nation is capable of fuftaining; if imprisoned for crimes, their efforts to escape are greater than among others. The peculiar ftrength of their prifons, when compared to those elsewhere, argues their hardinefs; even the ftrongest prisons I have ever seen in other countries would be very infufficient to confine the untameable fpirit of an Englishman. In short, what man dares do in circumstances of danger, an Englishman will. His virtues feem to fleep in the calm, and are called out only to combat the kindred ftorm.

But the greatest eulogy of this people is the generofity of their mifcreants; the tenderness in general of their robbers and highwaymen. Perhaps no people can produce inftances of the fame kind, where the defperate mix pity with injuftice; ftill fhew that they understand a diftinction in crimes, and even in acts of violence have ftill fome tincture of remaining virtue. In every other country robbery and murder go almoft always together; here it feldom happens, except upon ill-judged refiftance or purfuit. The banditti of other countries are unmerciful to a fupreme degree; the highwayman and robber here are generous at leaft in their intercourse among each other. Taking therefore my opinion of the English from the virtues and vices practifed among the vulgar, they at once prefent to a ftranger all their faults, and keep their virtues up only for the enquiring eye of a philofopher.

Foreigners are generally fhocked at their infolence upon first coming among them; they find themfelves ridiculed and infulted in every street; they meet with

none of those trifling civilities, fo frequent elfewhere, which are inftances of mutual good-will without previous acquaintance; they travel through the country either too ignorant or too obftinate to cultivate a clofer acquaintance, meet every moment fomething to excite their difguft, and return home to characterise this as the region of spleen, infolence, and ill-nature. In fhort, England would be the last place in the world I would travel to by way of amusement; but the firft for inftruction. I would chufe to have others for my acquaintance, but Englishmen for my friends.

THE mind is ever ingenious in making its own diftrefs. The wandering beggar, who has none to protect, to feed, or to fhelter him, fancies complete happiness in labour and a full meal; take him from rags and want, feed, cloath, and employ him, his wifhes now rife one step above his ftation; he could be happy were he poffeffed of raiment, food, and eafe. Suppofe his wifhes gratified even in thefe, his profpects widen as he afcends; he finds himself in affluence and tranquillity indeed, but indolence foon breeds anxiety, and he defires not only to be freed from pain, but to be poffeffed of pleafure; pleasure is granted him, and this but opens his foul to ambition, and ambition will be fure to taint his future happiness, either with jealoufy, disappointment, or fatigue.

But

But of all the arts of diftrefs found out by man for his own torment, perhaps, that of philofophic mifery is moft truly ridiculous, a paffion no where carried to fo extravagant an excefs as in the country where I now refide. It is not enough to engage all the compaffion of a philofopher here, that his own globe is harraffed with wars, peftilence, or barbarity, he fhall grieve for the inhabitants of the moon, if the fituation of her imaginary mountains happen to alter; and dread the extinction of the fun, if the fpots on his furface happen to increase: one fhould imagine, that philofophy was introduced to make men happy; but here it ferves to make hundreds miferable.

My landlady fome days ago brought me the diary of a philofopher of this defponding fort, who had lodged in the apartment before me. It contains the hiftory of a life, which feems to be one continued tiffue of forrow, apprehenfion, and diftrefs. A fingle week will ferve as a fpecimen of the whole.

Monday. In what a tranfient decaying fituation are we placed, and what various reafons does philofophy furnish to make mankind unhappy! A fingle grain of muftard fhall continue to produce its fimilitude through numberlefs fucceffions; yet what has been granted to this little feed has been denied to our planetary fyftem; the muftard-feed is ftill unaltered, but the fyftem is growing old, and muft quickly fall to decay. How terrible will it be, when the motions of all the planets have at laft become fo irregular as to need repairing, when the moon fhall fall into frightful paroxyfms of alteration, when the earth, deviating from its antient track, and with every other planet forgetting its circular revolutions, fhall become fo eccentric, that unconfined by the laws of fyftem, it fhall fly off into boundless space, to knock against fome diftant world, or fall in upon

the

the fun, either extinguishing his light, or burned up by his flames in a moment. Perhaps while I write, this dreadful change is begun. Shield me from univerfal ruin! Yet ideot man laughs, fings, and rejoices in the very face of the fun, and feems no way touched with his fituation.

Tuesday. Went to bed in great diftrefs, awaked and was comforted, by confidering that this change was to happen at fome indefinite time, and therefore, like death, the thoughts of it might easily be borne. But there is a revolution, a fixed determined revolution, which muft certainly come to pafs; yet which, by good fortune, I fhall never feel, except in my pofterity. The obliquity of the equator with the ecliptic is now twenty minutes lefs than when it was obferved two thoufand years ago by Piteas. If this be the cafe, in fix thoufand the obliquity will be still lefs by an whole degree. This being fuppofed, it is evident, that our earth, as Louville has clearly proved, has a motion, by which the climates muft neceffarily change place, and in the space of about one million of years, England fhall actually travel to the Antarctic pole. I thudder at the change! How fhall our unhappy grandchildren endure the hideous climate! A million of years will foon be accomplished: they are but a moment when compared to eternity; then fhall our charming country, as I may fay, in a moment of time, resemble the hideous wilderness of Nova Zembla.

Wednesday. To-night, by my calculation, the long predicted comet is to make its first appearance. Heavens, what terrors are impending over our little dim fpeck of earth! Dreadful vifitation! Are we to be fcorched in its fires, or only fmothered in the vapour of its tail? That is the queftion! Thoughtless

mortals,