neither firmnefs to deny their paffions, nor courage to gratify them, they murmur at their own enjoyments, and poifon the bowl of pleasure by reflection on the coft.

Among these men there is often the vociferation of merriment, but very feldom the tranquillity of cheerfulness; they inflame their imaginations to a kind of momentary jollity, by the help of wine and riot, and confider it as the firft bufinefs of the night to ftupify recollection, and lay that reafon afleep which disturbs their gaiety, and calls upon them to retreat from ruin.

But this poor broken fatisfaction is of fhort continuance, and must be expiated by a long feries of mifery and regret. In a fhort time the creditor grows impatient, the laft acre is fold, the paffions and appetites still continue their tyranny, with inceffant calls for their ufual gratifications, and the remainder of life paffes away in vain repentance, or impotent defire.

obfervation is more common, and at the fame

time more true, than, That one half of the world are ignorant how the other half lives. The misfortunes of the great are held up to engage our attention; are enlarged upon in tones of declamation; and the world is called upon to gaze at the noble fufferers: The great, under the preffure of calamity, are conscious of feveral others fympathizing with their diftrefs; and have at once the comfort of admiration and of pity..

There is nothing magnanimous in bearing misfortunes with fortitude, when the whole world is looking on: Men in such circumftances will act bravely, even from motives of vanity; but he who, in the vale of obfcurity, can brave adverfity; who, without friends to pity, or even without hope to alleviate, his misfortunes, can behave with tranquillity and indifference, is truly great; whether peafant or courtier, he deferves admiration, and fhould be held up for our imitation and respect. While

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While the flightest inconveniencies of the great are magnified into calamities, while tragedy mouths out their fufferings in all the strains of eloquence, the miferies of the poor are entirely difregarded; and yet fome of the lower ranks of people undergo more real hardships in one day, than those of a more exalted ftation fuffer in their whole lives. It is inconceivable what difficulties the meaneft of our common failors and foldiers endure, without murmuring or regret; without paffionately declaiming against Providence, or calling their fellows to be gazers on their intrepidity. Every day is to them a day of mifery, and yet they endure their hard fate without repining.

With what indignation do I hear an Ovid, a Cicero, or a Rabutin, complain of their misfortunes and hardfhips, whofe greatest calamity was that of being unable to vifit a certain spot of earth, to which they had foolifhly attached an idea of happiness. Their diftreffes were pleasures, compared to what many of the adventuring poor every day endure without murmuring.They ate, drank, and flept; they had flaves to attend them, and were fure of fubfiftence for life: While many of their fellow-creatures are obliged to wander without a friend to comfort or affift them, and even without shelter from the severity of the seafon.

I have been led into thefe reflections from accidentally meeting, fome days ago, a poor fellow, whom I knew when a boy, dreffed in a failor's jacket, and begging at one of the outlets of the town with a wooden leg. I knew him to have been honeft and industrious when in the country, and was curious to learn what had reduced him to his prefent fituation. Wherefore, after having given him what I thought proper, I defired to know the history of his life and misfortunes, and the manner in which he was reduced to his present diftrefs. The difabled foldier, for fuch he was, though dreffed in a failor's habit, fcratching his head and leaning on his crutch, put himself into an attitude to comply with my request, and gave me his history, as follows:"As

As for my misfortunes, mafter, I can't pretend to have gone through any more than other folks; for, except the loss of my limb, and my being obliged to beg, I don't know any reason, thank Heaven, that I have to complain: There is Bill Tibbs, of our regiment, he has loft both his legs, and an eye to boot; but, thank Heaven, it is not so bad with me yet.

"I was born in Shropshire; my father was a labourer, and died when I was five years old; fo I was put upon the parish. As he had been a wandering fort of a man, the parishioners were not able to tell to what' parish I belonged, or where I was born, fo they fent me to another parish, and that parish fent me to a third. I thought in my heart, they kept fending me about fo long, that they would not let me be born in any parish at all; but at last, however, they fixed me. I had fome difpofition to be a fcholar, and was refolved, at least, to know my letters; but the master of the workhouse put me to business as foon as I was able to handle a mallet; and here I lived an eafy kind of life for five years. I only wrought ten hours in the day, and had my meat and drink provided for my labour. It is true, I was not fuffered to stir out of the house, for fear, as they faid, I should run away; but what of that? I had the liberty of the whole house, and the yard before the door, and that was enough for me. I was then bound out to a farmer, where I was up both early and late; but I ate and drank well, and liked my business well enough, till he died, when I was obliged to provide for myself; fo I was refolved to go feek my fortune.

"In this manner I went from town to town, worked ́ when I could get employment, and ftarved when I could get none: When happening one day to go through a field belonging to a juftice of the peace, I fpy'd a hare croffing the path juft before me; and I believe the devil put it in my head to fling my stick at it :-Well, what will you have on't? I killed the hare, and was bringing it away, when the justice himself met me; he called me a poacher and a villain; and, collaring me, defired I would

would give account of myself. I fell upon my knees, begged his worship's pardon, and began to give a full account of all that I knew of my breed, feed, and generation; but, though I gave a very true account, the jus tice faid I could give no account; fo I was indicted at the feffions, found guilty of being poor, and fent up to London to Newgate, in order to be transported as a vagabond.

"People may fay this and that of being in jail, but, for my part, I found Newgate as agreeable a place as ever I was in, in all my life. I had my belly-full to eat and drink, and did no work at all. This kind of life was too good to last for ever, so I was taken out of prison, after five months, put on board a fhip, and fent off, with two hundred more, to the plantations. We had but an indifferent paffage, for, being all confined in the hold, more than a hundred of our people died for want of fweet air; and thofe that remained were fickly enough, God knows. When we came a-fhore, we were fold to the planters, and I was bound for seven years more. As I was no scholar, for I did not know my letters, I was obliged to work among the negroes; and I served out my time, as in duty bound to do.

"When my time was expired, I worked my paffage home, and glad was I to fee Old England again, because I loved my country. I was afraid, however, that I fhould be indicted for a vagabond once more, fo did not much care to go down into the country, but kept about the town, and did little jobs when I could get them.

"I was very happy in this manner for fome time, till one evening, coming home from work, two men knocked me down, and then defired me to ftand. They belonged to a prefs-gang: I was carried before the juftice, and, as I could give no account of myself, I had my choice left, whether to go on board a man of war, or lift for a foldier: I chofe the latter; and, in this poft of a gentleman, I ferved two campaigns in Flanders, was at the battles of Val and Fontenoy, and received but

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