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a visit; or the ps in his praise; actress, Venus, the

Love, and the naked Graces hey must be herself a godset-but you shall have

e of these poems, which may con

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rozar, ne Vine natress their lays,
rehe ya ʼn sny praise,

E I SA Cirn svine,

ter al-ermiminding shine?

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Los sen down each shining face.

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transport e'er compar'

Zipman groves the queen of Love
paint address'd the listening Jove,

v, au caules diisses all around,
wess trgot their hardness at the sound
rst, it last e'en Jove was taken in,
other charms, without disguise, within

ayer think not, my friend, that I have any ar animosity against the champions who are e head of the present commotion; on the conI could find pleasure in their music, if served proper intervals; if I heard it only on proper sins, and not about it wherever I go. In fact, ud patronize them both; and as an instance of endescension in this particular, they may come ve me a song at my lodging, on any evening I am at leisure, provided they keep a becomstance, and stand, while they continue to enun me, with decent humility at the door. You perceive I have not read the seventeen books anese ceremonies to no purpose. I know the

proper

proper share of respect due to every rank in society. Stage-players, fire-eaters, singing women, dancingdogs, wild beasts, and wire-walkers, as their efforts are exerted for our amusement, ought not entirely to be despised. The laws of every country should allow them to play their tricks at least with impurity. They should not be branded with the ignominious appellation of vagabonds; at least they deserve a rank in society equal to the mystery of barbers, or undertakers, and could my influence extend so far, they should be allowed to earn even forty or fifty pounds a year, if eminent in their profession.

I am sensible however that you will censure me for profusion in this respect, bred up as you are in the narrow prejudices of Eastern frugality. You will undoubtedly assert, that such a stipend is too great. for so useless an employment. Yet how will your surprize increase, when told, that though the law holds them as vagabonds, many of them earn more than a thousand a year. You are amazed. There is cause for amazement. A vagabond with a thousand a yearis indeed a curiosity in Nature; a wonder far surpassing the flying fish, petrified crab, or travelling lobster. However, from my great love to the profession, I would willingly have them divested of part of their contempt, and part of their finery; the law should kindly take them under the wing of protection, fix them into a corporation, like that of the barbers, and abridge their ignominy and their pensions. As to their abilities in other respects, I would leave that entirely to the public, who are certainly in this case the properest judges-whether they despise them or no.

Yes, my Fum, I would abridge their pensions. A theatrical warrior, who conducts the battles of the stage, should be cooped up with the same caution

a razne fangantity of see and ... mayers should in the atened; they should be eau, but not to eat the peoagain; and, instead of being stresses, in conscience they y with two.

vers thus brought into bounds, .......nd their admirers less sanguine, .............ess ridiculous in patronizing them.

er he struck with the absurdity of e people, whose valour makes such a ustrophizing in the praise of a boun, and wrangling in the defence of a Actress at home.

de my letter with the sensible admote the philosopher. "You love harhe," and are charmed with music.

e you for hearing a fine voice, when your closet with a lovely parterre eve, or in the night-time, while perhaps fuses her silver rays. But is a man to Passion so far as to let a company of musicians, and singers grow rich upon usted fortune? If so, he resembles one cad bodies, whose brains the embalmer ed out through its ears.'

Adieu.

LETTER

LETTER LXXXV.

FROM THE SAME.

Of all the places of amusement where gentlemen and ladies are entertained, I have not been yet to visit Newmarket. This, I am told, is a large field; where upon certain occasions three or four horses are brought together, then set a running, and that horse which runs fastest wins the wager.

This is reckoned a very polite and fashionable amusement here, much more followed by the nobility than partridge fighting at Java, or paper kites in Madagascar ; several of the great here, I am told, understand as much of farriery as their grooms; and a horse, with any share of merit, can never want a patron among the nobility.

We have a description of this entertainment almost every day in some of the gazettes, as for instance: "On such a day the Give and Take Plate was run "for between his Grace's Crab, his Lordship's Pe"riwinkle, and 'Squire Smackem's Slamerkin. All "rode their own horses. There was the greatest "concourse of nobility that has been known here "for several seasons. The odds were in favour of "Crab in the beginning, but Slamerkin, after the "first heat, seemed to have the match hollow; how"ever, it was soon seen that Periwinkle improved "in wind, which, at last, turned out accordingly; "Crab was run to a stand-still, Slamerkin was "knocked up, and Periwinkle was brought in with "universal applause." Thus you see Periwinkle received universal applause, and no doubt his lordship came in for some share of that praise which was so liberally

of China! in his cap and his mouth, and at the shouts of -bred Dukes, and

as a Bantum cock that is kept for '
one of those animals is taken fro
hill, we retrench it both in the qui
the number of its seraglio: 1
same manner be fed, not fatt
permitted to get their bread
ple's bread into the bargai
permitted to keep four mis
should be contented only
Were stage-players
perhaps we should find
and consequently less ·
We should no longe
seeing the same per
figure abroad, apos
cing blockhead,
copper-tailed an
I shall conel

princely amusement, e great veneration I principal promoters, look upon an horse-race pre-disposed as I am by a ich I have lately been a I happened to have an opnt at a Cart-race. tion between three carts of promoted by a subscription r whether the grand jury, in id gloriously combined to enrit, I cannot take upon me to ain it is, the whole was conmost regularity and decorum, which made a brilliant appearsally of opinion, that the sport ning fine, and the riders influ

the road from London to a village u, between a turnip-cart, a dust-cart, : each of the owners condescending his own driver. The odds at startgainst dung five to four; but after ing, the knowing ones found theme wrong side, and it was turnip against sto silver.

ver the contest became more doubtful; ...d kept the way, but it was perceived ad better bottom. The road re-echoed outs of the spectators; Dung against Tur

nip;