"should you confine yourself to the narrow limits "of Eastern knowledge, and be perfectly simple, "and perfectly natural, he has then the strongest "reason to exclaim. He may with a sneer send you "back to China for readers. He may observe, that "after the first or second letter the iteration of the "same simplicity is insupportably tedious; but the "worst of all is, the public in such a case will anticipate his censures, and leave you with all your un"instructive simplicity to be mauled at discretion." Yes, cried I, but, in order to avoid his indignation, and what I should fear more, that of the public, I would in such a case write with all the knowledge I was master of. As I am not possessed of much learning, at least I would not suppress what little I had; nor would I appear more stupid than Nature made me. "Here then," cries the bookseller, "we should "have you entirely in our power; unnatural, un"eastern; quite out of character; erroneously sen"sible would be the whole cry; Sir, we should then "hunt you down like a rat.' Head of my father! said I, sure there are but the two ways; the door must either be shut, or it must be open. I must either be natural or unnatural. "Be what you will, we "shall criticise you," returned the bookseller, "and prove you a dunce in spite of your teeth. But, "Sir, it is time that I should come to business. I "have just now in the press an history of China; " and if you will but put your name to it as the au"thor, I shall repay the obligation with gratitude." What, Sir, replied I, put my name to a work which I have not written! Never while I retain a proper respect for the public and myself. The bluntness of my reply quite abated the ardour of the bookseller's conversation; and, after about half an hour's disagreeable reserve, he with some ceremony took his leave and withdrew. 66 Adieu. LETTER ede pizarled as a badge of overty, and those whgemist at home, and glote over their thousands in event, estaduction, are generally found to do it in plom cloutes, The decruity of thinking from the rest of the world which prevans here, I was first at a loss to account for; but am since informed that it was introduced by an intercourse between them and their heighbours the French; who, whenever they came in order to pay these islanders a visit, were generally very well dressed, and very poor, daubed with lace, but all the gilding on the outside. By this means Juced elonths have been brought so much into comtempt, that at present even their mandarines are shamed of finery. I must own myself'a convert to English simpli city: I am no more for ostentation of wealth than of learning: the person who in company should protend to be wiser than others, I am apt to regard Acilliterate and all bed; the person whose cloaths we extremely nines I am too apt to consider as not Armu prospered of any superiority of fortune, but Awatasarą). Bow Lvas who are found to wear all tha pyần thay have in the worse, in a bột at the nose. I was lately introduced into a company of the best-dressed men I have seen since my arrival, Upon entering the room, I was struck with awe at the grandeur of the different dresses. That personage, thought I, in blue and gold, must be soine emperor's son; that in green and silver a prince of the blood; he in embroidered scarlet a prime minister, all first rate noblemen, I suppose, and well looking noblemen too. I sate for some time with that uneasiness which conscious inferiority produces in the ingenuous mind, all attention to their discourse. However, I found their conversation more vulgar than I could have expected from personages of such distinction: if these, thought I to myself, be princes, they are the most stupid princes I have ever conversed with: yet still I continued to venerate their dress; for dress has a kind of mechanical influence on the mind. My friend in black, indeed, did not behave with the same deference, but contradicted the finest of them all in the most peremptory tones of contempt. But I had scarcely time to wonder at the imprudence of his conduct, when I found occasion to be equally surprized at the absurdity of theirs; for upon the entry of a middle-aged man, dressed in a cap, dirty shirt and boots, the whole circle seemed diminished of their former importance, and contended who should be first to pay their obeisance to the stranger. They somewhat resembled a circle of Kalmucs offering incense to a bear. Eager to know the cause of so much seeming contradiction, I whispered my friend out of the room, and found that the august company consisted of no other than a dancing-master, two fiddlers, and a third-rate actor, all assembled in order to make a set at country dances; as the middle-aged gentleman whom I saw enter was a squire from the country, and desirous of learning the new manner of footing, footing, and smoothing up the rudiments of his rural minuet. I was no longer surprized at the authority which my friend assumed among them, nay, was even displeased (pardon my Eastern education) that he had not kicked every creature of them down stairs. "What," said I, "shall a set of such paltry fel"lows dress themselves up like sons of kings, and "claim even the transitory respect of half an hour! "There should be some law to restrain so manifest a "breach of privilege; they should go from house "to house, as in China, with the instruments of "their profession strung round their necks; by this "means we might be able to distinguish and treat "them in a style of becoming contempt." Hold, my friend, replied my companion, were your reformation to take place, as dancing-masters and fiddlers now mimic gentlemen in appearance, we should then find our fine gentlemen conforming to theirs. A beau might be introduced to a lady of fashion with a fiddle-case hanging at his neck by a red ribbon; and, instead of a cane, might carry a fiddlestick. Though to be as dull as a first-rate dancingmaster might be used with proverbial justice; yet, dull as he is, many a fine gentleman sets him up as the proper standard of politeness, copies not only the pert vivacity of his air, but the flat insipidity of his conversation. In short, if you make a law against dancing-masters imitating the fine gentleman, you should with as much reason enact, that no fine gentleman shall imitate the dancing-master. After I had left my friend, I made toward home, reflecting as I went upon the difficulty of distinguishing men by their appearance. Invited, however, by the freshness of the evening, I did not return directly, but went to ruminate on what had passed in a public garden belonging to the city. Here, as I sat upon one of the benches, and felt the pleasing sympathy which Nature in bloom inspires, a disconsolated figure, who sate on the other end of the seat, seemed no way to enjoy the serenity of the season. His dress was miserable beyond description; a thread-bare coat of the rudest materials; a shirt, though clean, yet extremely coarse; hair that seemed to have been long unconscious of the comb; and all the rest of his equipage impressed with the marks of genuine poverty. As he continued to sigh, and testify every symptom of despair, I was naturally led, from a motive of humanity, to offer comfort and assistance. You know my heart; and that all who are miserable may claim a place there. The pensive stranger at first declined my conversation; but at last perceiving a peculiarity in my accent and manner of thinking, he began to unfold himself by degrees. I now found that he was not so very miserable as he at first appeared; upon my offering him a small piece of money, he refused my favour, yet without appearing displeased at my intended generosity. It is true he sometimes interrupted the conversation with a sigh, and talked pathetically of neglected merit; still I could perceive a serenity in his countenance, that upon a closer inspection bespoke inward content. Upon a pause in the conversation I was going to take my leave, when he begged I would favour him with my company home to supper. I was surprized at such a demand from a person of his appearance, but willing to indulge curiosity, I accepted his invitation; and though I felt some repugnance at being seen with one who appeared so very wretched, went along with seeming alacrity. Still as he approached nearer home, his goodhumour proportionably seemed to increase. At last he |