other, the returning Sun, doubly prolific after the form, nurtured thofe flowers of wit and genius, which form no inconfiderable figure in the Annals of English literature. The fame effects from the fame caufes may be obferved to have taken place in the latter years of William's reign, and more particularly during that of Queen Anne, (defervedly esteemed the Auguftan age of Great-Britain;) and from that period, though perhaps the fame day has not feen the united excellencies of fo many diftinguithed men, our visible refinements on Luxury will be fufficient evidence of our progrefs in civilization, Innumerable are the conveniencies, nay, fuperfluities of life in this opulent kingdom, which in the beginning of this Century were totally unknown; and which, though they may feed Cynical spleen, or offend the feverity of a Stoic, if they tend to add one more link to the chain of fociety, to awaken one more liberal emotion in the heart, or to humanize, into a citizen of the world, one more malecontent, (as from their tendency we have evident reafon to fuppofe they do,) the temporal evil is by no means equivalant to the lafting good; and the man who advances civilization to its higheft polish, is the most beneficial member of the community. C No. XIV. OF THE MICROCOSM. A MONDAY, February 26, 1787. Locus eft et pluribus umbris.-HOR. WCCORDING to my promife made in a former paper, I fhall dedicate this to the favors of correfpondents. They will fee that I have been careful to abridge nothing, but what was neceffary to reduce their letters to a more convenient fize. TO THE MICROCOSMOPOLITAN. SIR, 'AN ingenious paper of your's, con ⚫taining fome acute and just observations on Epi taphs, induced me to offer for your inspection the following remarks on that fubject. • We need no other witnefs than our own con'fcience, to convict us of that inordinate love of Fame, fo predominant in all orders and ranks of men. If then in the prime of life, this paffion pre⚫vails over every other confideration, and out-ba⚫ lances all objections thrown into the opposite scale by virtue or religion; if thofe Moralifts are to ⚫ be credited, who contend, not without fome shadow of reafon, that the paffions operate on the human mind in a greater degree, as we draw nearer to our end; this, above all others, must confequently have greater influence at that awful period; fince its fole aim is to be the topic of praise ⚫ and admiration to its own and fucceeding gene'rations. Why do the "fhort and simple annals of "the poor," in the Country-Church-Yard, court 'the tribute of a tear from the fympathetic tra'veller? Why do we behold with wonder and afto'nishment, the monumental records of the rich and ⚫ noble in that vaft pile of antiquity, where the • Princes and Prelates, the Heroes and Poets of this ' land, lie mouldering together? For the fame rea'fon; that defire of being diftinguished, even after ' death, from the common herd of mortals, formed of the fame perishable materials as ourfelves. The unlettered Ruftic exults as much in his illfhaped fhaped rhimes, which afford matter of conver"fation to the humble tenants of his native Ham let, as the trophied General in the fuperb folly of a ftupendous Maufoleum; both feel a propor'tionable degree of happiness, if they die with the hopes that their name shall escape the cankerworm of oblivion. In the gradual rife therefore and progrefs of 'different states, we may obferve with what judge'ment the legiflators felected this paffion, as the hinge on on which many of their principal laws feem to turn; no incentive to virtue was found fo efficacious, as infcribing the actions of the dead on their monuments : thus inciting future heroes to fimilar exertions, by holding up to 'their eyes the laurels of their ancestors. The Lacedemonians indeed thoroughly under' stood the force and policy of this last tribute to 'the memory of the dead, and enacted a law, pro'hibiting all in their realm from making 'Epitaphs on any perfons except those who had ( furrendered up their lives for the fervice of their country; and in what did the bulwark and glory of Sparta confift? In military valour! which fhe ⚫ endeavoured to ftrengthen by a reward the most ' endearing 0 2 · endearing and grateful to the foul of man; a cer tainty, that his fame should furvive the frailty of human nature, When therefore we reflect on their utility, we ⚫ cannot but lament the paucity of good Epitaphs; ' tho' it is indeed a kind of writing fo generally cul'tivated in all nations, that certainly there must be fome in every country which redound as well to 'the honour of the author, as to the glory of 'those whom they immortalize. I wave menti oning many in our own language, which, tho' excellent, are obvious to every one; but cannot help claiming your attention to one not fo generally known, and at the fame time remarkable for its elegance and fimplicity. Drayton was a Poet, who lived in the fixteenth century. Doe pious marble, let thy readers know, Protect his memory and preferve his Storye, "His name, which cannot fade, fhall be • How |