88 Thoughts on Monopolizing, &c. The third part was ushered in by Mr. Sheridan's fpeaking Dryden's much admired ode on St. Cecilia's day, and a fecond fong by Mrs. Jewel; after which, he concluded the whole with the following addrefs to the ladies. He began, by telling them he had a fecret to communicate to them, that demanded their most ferious at tention; a fecret of such a nature, as would not only make them more amiable, but fecure to them a more abfolute dominion over the men: he at the fame time obferved, that though he had all the unfeeling and morofe part of our fex to encounter, yet in fo delightful a caufe, and under fuch fair champions, he had nothing to fear: he then explained to them this fecret, which was to recommend to them the frequent reading tranflations of the antients, and the best of our English modern authors, by which means their minds would be fo highly improved, as to be able to communicate fatisfactions, as yet almost unknown to our fex.--he obferved what a vulgar error it was to fuppose wo men had not as strong intellects and powers as the men; that, for his part, he thought they portefied more, having generally better memories, quicker conceptions, and a greater volubility of tongue; the laft, he faid, was too proverbial to need infifting on; why then fhould thefe faculties be buried in domestic drudgery? He concluded, by oblerving the good effect this prac tice would have on men, by making them afhamed of their own ignorance, and neceffarily exciting them to a laudable emulation.---Thus ended this new species of entertainment, which we have given without a comment, and as literally as we could, that the public may be their own judges. Thus much we muft, however, obferve, that Mr. Sheridan has taken a great deal of laudable pains, and fhewn an examplary generofity, in endeavouring to establish an inftitution, Feb. which all must allow to be of professed utility. Important Reflections, from An Enquiry into the Prices of Wheat, Mali, &c. as fold in England from the Year 1000, to the Year 1765. "Noxus, or difpofing of them at excufe, for withholding proexorbitant prices, it has too frequently been faid, that every man is at liberty to do as he likes with his own, or to make the best advantage he can of his property; if fo, this furely is a natural, not a civil liberty, as in this the benefit of mankind is not in the leaft confulted, but meerly and folely private intereft: it cannot then be faid to be the liberty of a citizen, or of one who lives under the protection of any community; it is rather the liberty of a favage; therefore he who avails himself thereof, deferves not that protection the power of fociety affords. A great and mifplaced bounty given to export corn, has made the profeffors of agriculture fo powerful, that they have profecuted every means, and employed every art to maintain themselves fo; even the land itself has notoriously been monopolized; as much as should find a comfortable maintenance for ten farmers families, has bee grasped into the hands of one. That there is and has been a scarcity, is by all allowed; but what fort of fcarcity mult that be? or where is the propriety to fay, exorbitant prices are become neceflary, to enable the farmer to pay his rent? when, befide the many barns full, and many ricks ftanding, corn of two and three years old, appear publickly for fale in markets. Monopoly is an epidemical diftemper, it has produced an infinite number of agents, corn-jobbers, meal-men, &c. &c. perfons who neither grew corn themfelves, nor in any mape manufactured it; but whofe whole study, and whole whole profits depended on employing every art to raife the price of it: nor did they ftop here, many of them became the proprietors of every conveyance to cities, towns, and markets; as a means to fupply, or ftarve them at pleasure, or as it beft fuited their lucrative views. The The fewer perfons there are, be tween the grower of provifions and the confumer, lefs profits will be requifite, and there will be fewer frauds; to this end markets were inftituted; the farmer's attendance there, is a material part of his duty; he fhould not be fuffered to fecrete or to difpofe of his goods elsewhere: what general good end the meal-man's bufinefs has anfwered, has hitherto been undifcovered; the bad effects thereof have frequently and publickly appeared. One profeffion is fufficient for one perfon, fuch as engage in more, incroach on their neighbours province: whatever excufe is brought, to palliate this, will not prevent its being the means to leffen the number of families in the kingdom; though it may be a private benefit, yet certainly it is a publick wrong." "The limits at which the bounty for exportation is granted, fhould not be determined by the price of corn at one or two ports, or markets only, as this might be fending abroad the provifions raifed in one part of the kingdom to the detriment of the other; London, Lincoln, Derby, York, Manchefter, Coventry, Gloucefter, Winchefter, and Exeter; fhould jointly, and at the fame time acknowledge the fitness and propriety of exportation. Markets fhould be appointed by patent, and all corn fhould be fold there openly, according to law; proper clerks or officers fhould attend, and fee what there is expofed to fale, whether corn, malt, or any other grain, that it be wholefome, well manufactured, and of fit ufe for the publick; the ftatutes relative to the uniformity of weights and measures, and thofe regulating the business and conduct of millers, or mealmen, fhould be ftrictly complied with, and it might be neceffary to regifter the feveral prices, the buyers and fellers names, and for what intent purchased." Of the proper Management of young Chil. dren. From A Compendium of Phyfic and Surgery, lately published. WHE HEN a child is born, and neither cries, or breathes, proper means fhould be made ufe of, to give the air a free paffage to the mg; and this is fometimes prevent ed by too clofe an adhesion of the root Feb. 1769. of the tongue to the palate: care fhould be taken to deprefs it, by introducing a finger, or fpatula, into the mouth for that purpose: if this method fucceed not, the air fhould be blown for fome time, by a by-stander, into the mouth of the child: pinching its nole clofe at the fame time, to prevent its return thereby, instead of inflating the lungs this method is in general fo fuccefsful, where there are any remains of life, that it is feldom any others are of ufe, if this method does not fucceed: as it is fimple alfo, it is in the power of any one to put it in execution. The drefs of a new-born child cannot be too fimple, or the bandages too flack, if they barely prefs the body. It is a barbarous custom, to make living mummies of them, the moment they are born, by clofely confining their legs and arms, and depriving them even of that liberty, which they enjoyed in the womb: whoever has seen a child undreffed, and delivered from fuch barbarous incumbrances, muft with pleasure have fympathifed with it, in the full enjoyment of its natural powers thus unreftrained, and at ease. But befides the mifchief arifing from the weight, and heat of the usual fwadling clothes, which all together are almost equal to the child's own weight; the bowels are injured by their preffure; the circulation reftrained by the compreffion of any one part, produces unnatural fwellings in fome other; and doubtlefs, the many dif tortions, and deformities we with fo frequently, are owing to this caufe. Nature, exact nature, has not produced her chief work, a human creature, fo carelessly unfinished, to want fuch idle aid, as thefe, to make her perfect. meet The following drefs would be fuffi. cient. A little flannel wailtcoat without fleeves, made fit to the body, and tied loosely behind; to which there fhould be a petticoat fewed, and over this a kind of gown of the fame material, or any other, that is light, thin, and flimfey. The petticoat fhould not be quite fo long as the child, the gown a few inches longer, with one cap only on the head, which may be made double, if it be thought not warm enough. Shoes and stockings are needlefs incumbrances, befides, they M keep 1 PROPER MANAGEMENT 90 keep the legs wet and nafty, and often cramp and hurt the feet, nor can be neceffary, 'till the child is able to run in the dirt. There should be a thin flannel shirt for the night, which ought to be every way quite loofe. In fuch a fimple, pleafant drefs, which may eafily be put on and off, children would find themselves perfectly eafy and happy, enjoying the free ufe of their limbs and faculties, when thus left at liberty: this drefs might be contrived to be tied on, fo that a fingle pin need not be made use of. In order to ftrengthen, and invigorate the bodies of young children, they should be washed, fome few days after their birth, with cold water, in the ftate it is brought from the fpring; and to confirm this habit, they thould be regularly washed every day, in every feafon, and every fort of weather; and in the fine warm feafon, they should be plunged into a large tub of water, as is the practice in many countries. We should be careful not to cram them too much, nor conclude that all their cries are the effect of hunger: those who overload them with victuals, are guilty of great error; happily for the child, one half of it is frequently rejected, the ftomach not being able to bear the oppreffive load; hence the obfervation of nurses, that the puking child thrives beft; i. e. because it has lefs to digeft. The fto mach, when over-diftended, fuffers in its force and functions, and becomes lefs liable to digeft properly: the excels of the food laft received, impairs the concoction of the quantity, that was really neceffary; which, being badly digefted, is fo far from yielding any nourishment to the infant, that it weakens it, and proves a fource of difeales, and concurs to produce ob. structions, rickets, &c. by fending erude chyle into the blood. The food of a child fhould be plain, fimple and fresh made; for the first three months, it thould be light, and eafy of digeftion; prepared chiefly of good bread, fea bifcuit boiled in water; to which fresh milk may be added, (when the child don't fuck) but not boiled; for by boiling the finer parts of the milk are evaporated, and the remainder left vifcid, and lefs fit for digeftion. Neither fugar, Spice, or wing, Feb. fhould be added to this fimple mess; nor heating feeds, or leaves, under a notion of breaking the wind; they are what luxury only has introduced, to the deftruction of the health of mankind. After three months, the child's diet fhould be partly animal; as a to al vegetable one of milk and bread, or bifcuit, is apt to produce acidities in their ftomachs and bowels; a thin light broth, or beef tea, therefore, may be given once a day with bread, or rice boiled in it, (which laft is not so acescent as any other meal or flour) and once with the milk prepared as above. No paftry, custards, puddings, &c. prepared with unfermented flour, and eggs, fhould be given to infants; much lefs fhould animal food of any kind, 'till they have teeth to chew it: though about the age of fix months, many injudiciously indulge them with minced chicken, and other light animal food; which they ought not to touch, 'till nature has given them teeth to chew it. A due regard fhould be had to their bread, that it be not fophifticated with alum, or other tricks of the haker; for the falubrity of this neceffary and common viand depends on the breaking, and attenuating the tenacious particles of the flour, by a due fermentation with the yeaft: for which reafon, rouls may be preferred to houfhold bread. As the general caufe of most dif eafes of infants, is manifeftly from the acefcent quality of their food; fo when acidity prevails, milk, bread, and every thing vegetable, except rice-gruel, fhould be abftained from; and fea bifcuit, fmall animal broths, beef tea, decoctions, and jellies of hartfhorn, should be fubftituted in their room. Children thould be daily rubbed, and exercifed as much as they can bear, after they are fome weeks old, that fort of motion they receive afterwards in go-carts, or other vehicles contrived for their ufe, is more beneficial to them, than what they have from their nurie's arms, because they are in a better attitude in the former, and it heats them lefs in fummer, which is a circumftance of no imali importance to them; confiderable heat and fweat difpoting them to be ricketty. Infants 1769. OF YOUNG CHILDREN. Infants are by no means more fubject to death and difeafe than grown perfons; on the contrary, they bear pain, and distempers, much better; their blood and juices are sweeter, and lefs contaminated of course; they are naturally warmer, as appears by the thermometer, and would bear the cold of a winter's night much better than any adult perfon whatever. There are many inftances, both antient and modern, of infants expofed and deferted, that have lived feveral days; which ought to convince us, that nature has made children able to bear even great hardships, before they are made weak and fickly by their miftaken nurses. In all other productions of nature, we fee the greateft vigour, and luxuriancy of health, the nearer they are to the egg, or bud; they are indeed the most lenfible of injuries, and it is injury only that destroys them. When was there a lamb, a bird, or a tree that died because it was young? Thefe are under the immediate nurting of unerring nature, and they thrive accordingly. Let it therefore be our care to protect the human nurflings from irjury; let us treat them with the fimplicity of nature; and let not our officious fervices be the greatest injuries the helpless creatures can fuffer. Among the lower clafs of mankind, especially in the country, health and pofterity are the portion of the laborious peafant and his offspring: the want of fuperfluity confines them within the limits of nature: hence they enjoy bleffings they feel not, and are ignorant of their caufe. The mother who has only a few rags to cover her child loofely, and little more than her own breaft to feed it, fees it healthy and ftrong, and very foon able to fhift for ittelf while the puny infect, the heir, and hope of a rich family, lies languishing under a load of finery, that overpowers his limbs; abhorring and rejecting the dainties he is crammed with, 'till he dies a victim to the mistaken care and tenderness of his fond mother." To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, Feb. 4, 1769. 91 To the Rev. Dr. N—— I of Od. taken the liberty to ftyle K. Charles Na late performance you have the Firit, the beft of kings: not confidering, I fuppofe, that by giving him this character you detract from your own, and by thus magnifying him, leffen yourself. For thus you, in effect," declare, that you are unacquainted with the hiftory of his reign-or elfe are a friend to arbitrary and defpotick principles and meafures, and have not yet learned to diftinguish between kings and tyrants. Of the juftness and truth of the character, thofe will judge, who perufe the account of his conduct given by faithful hiftorians, and obferve how the man behaved in his regal capacity. I can be allowed here but a few brief hints, which may fuffice. And was he indeed the best of kings? Who, that he might have a helpmeet in governing a proteflant nation, chofe to marry a bigotted papift, by whom he was abfolutely governed; "who (fays Lord Clarendon) obtained a plenitude of power over him ; who had her in perfect adoration, and would do nothing without her; but was inexorable to every thing he promifed her.".." Who (lays another hiftorian) was full of that fpirit, which warms the blood of abfolute monarchs, and as fuch looked on a limited authority, as no better than fervitude, and therefore made the utmoft efforts to refcue the king her husband from under all restriction of laws, oaths, &c." Was be the best of kings?" Whofe whole reign (lays an eminent writer) was one continued act against the laws---who diffolved his first parliament for prefuming to enquire into his father's death. Who entered at the fame time into a war with France and Spain upon the private piques of Buckingham, and managed them to the eternal difhonour and reproach of the English nation: Witnefs the ridiculous enterprizes upon Cadiz and the ifle of Rhee." The beft of kings "Who delivered Pennington's fleet into the French hands, betrayed the Rochellers, and futfered the proteftant intereft in France to be quite extirpated. Who raised and condu& money, tonnage and poundage, knighthood and hip-money without authority BE fo good as to give a fresh proof loans and excife, coat of your impartiality, by inferting in your valuable collection the following letter. M 2 of 92 A JUST REBUKE of parliament. Who impofed new oaths on the fubjects to difcover the value of their eftates, imprisoned great numbers of the most confiderable gentry and merchants for not paying his arbitrary taxes; fending fome beyond fea, and preffing the poorer fort for foldiers, whom he kept on free quarters, and executed martial law!" The best of kings!" Who granted monopolies without number, and broke. the bounds of the forefis. Who created arbitrary courts and inlarged others, as the bigh commiffion-court, far-chamber court, court of honour, court of requeft, &c. wherein unspeakable oppreflions were committed. Who commanded the earl of Bristol and bishop of Lincoln not to come to parliament: committed and profecuted a great many of the most eminent members of the boufe of commens for what they did there; fome for no caufe at all; and would not let them have the benefit of the babeas corpus: fufpended and confined Archbishop Abbot, because he would not licenfe a fermon that afferted defpotick power. Who fupported all his arbitrary minifters against the parliament; telling them, he wondered at the foolish impudence of any one, to think he would part with the meanefi of bis fervants upon their account: And indeed in his fpeeches, or rather menaces, treated them like his fontmen, calling them undutiful, feditious, and wipers." The best of kings !--- Who incouraged, by his example, and by his authority commanded, revels and plays, and all. manner of recreations and fports on the Lord's day; and filenced, deprived, and subjected to extreme fufferings, hundreds of pious minifters for not publishing from their pulpits this command of the king, to break the command of God. Who brought unheard-of innovations into the church, preferred men of defpotick principles and inclinable to popery. Who difpenfed with the laws against papists, and both encouraged and preferred them. Who called no parliament for twelve years together, and in that time governed as arbitrarily as the grand fignor. Who abetted the Irish majacre, as appeared by their producing a commiffion under the great teal of Scotland; by the letter of Charles I. in favour of the mar quis of Antrim; by stopping the fuccouls which the parliament fent to Feb reduce the rebels, fix months under the walls of Chetter; by his entring into a treaty with them after he had engaged his faith to the parliament to the contrary, and bringing over many thousands of them to fight against his people." The best of kings!-- Who, in 1617, fent over 30000l. to raise 3000 German horfe to force his illegal taxes. Who, in the 15th year of his reign, gave a commiflion to Stratford to raise 8000 Irish to be brought into England, where he foon after raised an army to oppofe the Scots (in arms for the like oppreffions) and tampered with them to march to London, and diffolve the parliament. Who went to Scotland and endeavoured to prevail with them to invade England. Who, when he returned to London, picked 3 or 400 diffolute fellows out of the taverns, gaming and brothel houses, kept a table for them, and with this goodly guard all armed, entered the House of Commons, fat down in the speaker's chair, demanding the delivery of five. members; which fo enraged the house, that they chofe a guard to defend themfelves against future infults." I fall add no more...-It is endless (lays the writer before-mentioned) to enumerate all the oppreflions of his reign: bis reign, which (lays Biop Burnet) "both in peace and war was a continual feries of errors." But, notwithstanding all, he was, it seems, the best of kings!Who could have thought it, if you, reverend fir, had not affirmed it? It is quite incomprehenfible! It is as incredible almost as tranfubftantiation itself! It is ftrange to the last degree! that so good a king, the very beft of kings, fhould, through a long courfe of years, act fo,unrigh teous and tyrannical a part as he manifeftly did! But, are you fure (good doctor) that he was fo incomparably excellent as you reprefent him? Poffibly you are mistaken. Many of our readers, I doubt not, will think you are; and that you have paffed a coarse compliment on all other crowned heads, if none of them are as good as he. They may be apt to think too that it is not a harmless miftake, but may be productive of much mifchief, and attended with very pernicious confe quence. For how certain foever it is, that our prefent moft gracious fovereign (whom God long preferve) cannot be influenced |