a rate. Perish thofe riches which are acquired at the expence of my honour or my humanity! Let me quit,' faid I, a country where there are none but fuch as treat all others like flaves; and more detestable still in fuffering fuch treatment. I have feen enough of this nation to defire to fee more of others. Let me leave a people fufpicious to excefs; whofe morals are corrupted, and equally debafed by fuperftition and vice; where the fciences are left uncultivated; where the great are flaves to the prince, and tyrants to the people; where the women are chafte only when debarred of the power of tranfgreffion; where the true difciples of Confucius are not lefs perfecuted than thofe of Chriftianity: in a word, a country where men are forbidden to think, and confequently labour under the most miferable flavery, that of ⚫ mental fervitude.' Adieu,

THE misfortunes of the great, my

friend, 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: they have at once the comfort of admiration and pity.

Yet, where is the magnanimity of bearing misfortunes when the whole world is looking on? Men in fuch circumstances can act bravely even from motives of vanity. He only who, in the vale of obfcurity, can brave adverfity; who, without friends to encourage, acquaintances to pity, or even without hope to alleviate his diftreffes, can behave with tranquillity and indifference, is truly great: whether peafant or courtier, he deferves admiration, and Mould be held up for our imitation and respect.

The miferies of the poor are however entirely difregarded; though fome undergo more real hardships in one day, than the great in their whole lives. It is indeed inconceivable what difficulties the meanest English failor or foldier endures without murmuring or regret. Every day is to him a day of mifery,

and yet he bears his hard fate without

repining.

With what indignation do I hear the heroes of tragedy complain of misfortunes and hardships, whofe greateft calamity is founded in arrogance and pride! Their feverest distresses are pleafures, compared to what many of the adventuring poor every day fuftain without murmuring. Thefe may eat, drink, and fleep, have flaves to attend them, and are fure of fubfiftence for life; whilemany of their fellow-creatures are obliged to wander, without a friend to comfort or to affift them, find enmity in every law, and are too poor to obtain even justice.

I have been led into these reflections from accidentally meeting, fome days ago, a poor fellow begging at one of the outlets of this town, with a wooden leg; I was curious to learn what had reduced him to his prefent fituation; and after giving him what I thought proper, de fired to know the hiftory of his life and misfortunes, and the manner in which he was reduced to his prefent diftrefs. The difabled foldier, for fuch he was, with an intrepidity truly British, learing on his crutch, put himself into an at

titude to comply with my request, and gave me his hiftory as follows.

As for misfortunes, Sir, I cannot • pretend to have gone through more, than others. Except the lofs of my limb, and my being obliged to beg, I don't know any reafon, thank Hea-. ven, that I have to complain: there are fome who have loft both legs and an eye; but, thank Heaven, it is not quite fo bad with me.

My father was a labourer in the I country, and died when I was five years old; fo I was put upon the parifh. 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; till at last it was thought I belonged to no parifh at all. At length, however, they fixed me. I had fome difpofition to be a fcholar, and had actually learned, my letters; but the master of the workhouse put me to bufinefs as foon as I was able to handle a mallet.

Here I lived an eafy kind of a 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 ftir far from the house, for fear I fhould run away: but what of that? I had the liberty of the whole houfe, and the yard before the door, and that was enough for me.

I was next 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. Being then obliged to provide for my-. felf, was refolved to go and feck my <fortune. Thus I lived, and went from town to town, working when I • could get employment, and starving when I could get none; and might have lived fo fill: but, happening "one day to go through a field belonging to a magiltrate, I fpied a hare coffing the path just before me.

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lieve the devil put it into my head to fling my ftick at it: well, what will you have on it? I killed the hare; and was bringing it away in triumph, < when the juftice himself met me: he ⚫ called me a villain; and collaring me, 4 defired I would give an account of ⚫ myself. I began immediately to give

a full account of all that I knew of

my breed, feed, and generation: but, though I gave a very long account, the juft ce faid, I could give no account of myself; fo I was indicted, and found guilty of being poor; and fent to Newgate, in order to be tranf'ported to the Plantations.

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; but, alas! this kind of life was too good to laft for ever: I was taken out of prifon, after five months; put on board of a fhip, and fent off with two hundred more. Our paffage was but indifferent; for we were all con'fined in the hold, and died very fast, ⚫ for want of sweet air and provifions: but, for my part, I did not want meat, because I had a fever all the way. Providence was kind; when provifions grew fhort, it took away my defire of eating. When we came afhore, we were fold to the planters. I was bound for feven years; and as I was no fcholar, for I had forgot my letters, I was obliged to work among the negroes; and ferved out my time, as in duty bound to do.

When my time was expired, I worked my paffage home; and glad I was to fee old England again, because I loved my country. O liberty! liberty! liberty! that is the property of every Englishman, and I will die in • it's defence! I was afraid, however, that I fhould be indicted for a vagabond once more, fo did not much care to go into the country, but kept about town, and did little jobs when I could get them. I was very happy in this manner for foine time; till one evening, coming home from work, tivo men kuacked me down, and then defired me to stand ftill. They belonged to a prefs-gang: I was carried before the justice; and, as I could give no account of myself, (that was the thing that already hobbied me) 1 had my choice left, whether to go on board a man of war, or lift for à foldier. I chofe to be a foldier: and in this poft of a gentleman I ferved two campaigns; was at the battles in Flanders; and received but one wound through the breaft, which is troublefome to this day.

• When the peace came on, I was • difcharged;

⚫ discharged; and as I could not work, becaufe my wound was fometinies • painful, I litted for a landman in the Eaft India Company's fervice. I here fought the French in fix pitched battles; and verily believe, that if I could read or write, our captain would have given me promotion, and made me a corporal. But that was not my good fortune; I foon fell fick; and when I ⚫ became good for nothing, got leave to return home again, with forty pounds. in my pocket, which I faved in the fervice. This was at the beginning ⚫ of the prefent war; fo I hoped to be fet on fhore, and to have the pleasure of spending my money; but the government wanted, men, and I was preffed again, before ever I could fet foot on fhore.

The boatswain found me, as he said, ⚫ an obstinate fellow: he fwore that I understood my business perfectly well, but that I pretended sickness merely. to be idle. God knows, I knew nothing of fea-business: he beat me without confidering what he was about. But ftill my forty pounds was fome comfort to me under every beating; the money was my comfort; and the money I might have had to this day; but that our, fhip was taken by the French, and so I loft it all!

Our crew was carried into a French prifon, and many of them died, becaufe they were not used to live in a jail, but, for my part, it was nothing to me, for I was feafoned. One night, ⚫ however, as I was fleeping on the bed of boards, with a warm blanket about • me, (for I always loved to lie well)

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I was awaked by the boatfwain, who had a dark lantborn in his hand. "Jack," fays he to me, "will you "knock the French centry's « brains?”—“ I don't care," fays I, ftriving to keep myself awake, "if I "lend a hand."" Then follow me," fays he," and I hope we shall do bu"finefs." So up I got, and tied my blanket, which was all the cloaths I had, about my middle, and went with him to fight the Frenchmen. We

had no arms; but one Englishman is able to beat five French at any time; fo we went down to the door, where both the centries were pofted, and 'rushing upon them, feized their arms in a moment, and knocked them down. From thence, nine of us ran together to the key, and feizing the ⚫firit boat we met, got out of the har →bour, and put to fea: we had not been. • here three days before we were taken up by an English privateer, who was glad of fo many good hands; and we confented to run our chance. However, we had not fo much luck as we expected. In three days we fell in with a French man of war, of forty guns, while we had but twenty-three; fo to it we went. The fight lafted for three hours, and I verily believe we 'fhould have taken the Frenchman, but 'unfortunately, we loft almost all our

men, just as we were going to get the victory. I was once more in the power of the French, and I believe it would have gone bard with me, had I been brought back to my old jail in Breft: but, by good fortune, we were re-taken, and carried to England once more.

I had almoft forgot to tell you, that in this last engagement I was wounded in two places; I loft four fingers: of the left-hand, and my leg was shot off. Had I the good fortune to have loft my leg and ufe of my hand on board a king's fhip, and not a privateer, I should have been entitled to cloathing and maintenance during the rest of my life; but that was not my chance: one man is born with a filver fpoon in his mouth, and another with a wooden ladle. However, bleffed be God, I enjoy good health, and have no enemy in this world that I know. of, but the French, and the Justice of Peace.'

Thus faying, he limped off, leaving my friend and me in admiration of his. intrepidity and content; nor could we avoid acknowledging, that an habitual acquaintance with mifery is the trueft fchool of fortitude and philofophy. Adieu.

LETTER

TH

HE titles of European princes are rather more numerous than those of Aka, but by no means fo fublime. The king of Vifapour or Pegu, not fatisfied with claiming the globe, and all it's appurtenances, to him and his heirs, afferts a property even in the firmament, and extends his orders to the milky way. The monarchs of Europe, with more modefty, confine their titles to earth, but make up by number what is wanting in their fublimity. Such is their paffion for a long lift of these splendid trifles, that I have known a German prince with more titles than fubjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than fhirts

Contrary to this-The English monarchs, fays a writer of the last century, difdain to accept of fuch titles, which tend only to encrease their pride, without improving their glory; they are above depending on the fee⚫ble helps of heraldry for refpect, per⚫fectly fatisfied with the conscioufness of acknowledged power. At prefent, however, these maxims are laid aide; the English monarchs have of late affumed new titles, and have impreffed their coins with the names and arms of obfcure dukedoms, petty ftates, and fubordinate employments. Their de fign in this, I make no doubt, was laudably to add new luftre to the British throne, but in reality paltry claims only ferve to diminish that refpect they are defigned to fecure.

There is in the honours affumed by kings, as in the decorations of architecture, a majestic fimplicity, which beft conduces to infpire our reverence and respect numerous and trifling ornaments in either are strong indications of meanness in the defigner, or of concealed deformity thould, for inftance, the Einperor of China, among other titles, affume that of Deputy Mandarin of Maccau; or the Monarch of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defire to be acknowledged as Duke of Brentford, Lunenburg, or Lincoln, the obferver sevolts at this mixture of important and

paltry claims, and forgets the Emperor in his familiarity with the Duke or the Deputy.

I remember a fimilar instance of this inverted ambition in the illustrious King of Manacabo, upon his first treaty with the Portuguese. Among the prefents that were made him by the ambas fador of that nation, was a fword, with a brass hilt, which he seemed to fet a peculiar value upon. This he thought too great an acquifition to his glory to be forgotten among the number of his titles. He therefore gave orders, that his fubjects should style him for the future, Talipot, the immortal Potentate of Manacabo, Meffenger of Morning, Enlightener of the Sun, Poffeffor of the whole Earth, and nighty Monarch of the brass-handled Sword.”

This method of mixing majestic and paltry titles, of quartering the arms of a great empire, and an obicure province, upon the fome medal here, had it's rife in the virtuous partiality of their late monarchs. Willing to testify an affection to their native country, they gave it's name and enfigns a place upon their coins, and thus in fome measure en-nobled it's obfcurity. It was indeed but juft, that a people which had given England up their king, fhould receive fome honorary equivalent in return: but at prefent these motives are no more; Eng land has now a monarch wholly British, and it has fome reafon to hope for Bri tih titles upon British coins.

However, were the money of England defigned to circulate in Germany, there would be no flagrant impropriety in impreffing it with German names and arms; but though this might have been fo upon former occafions, I am told there is no danger of it for the future as ' England, therefore, designs to keep back it's gold, I candidly think Lunenburg, Oldenburg, and the reft of them, may very well keep back their titles.

It is a miftaken prejudice in princes to think that a number of loud founding names can give new claims to respect. The truly great have ever difdained

them.

them. When Timur the Lame had conquered Afia, an orator by profession came to compliment him upon the occa fion. He began his harangue, by styling him the moft omnipotent, and the moft glorious object of the creation. The emperor feemed difpleafed with his paltry adulation; yet ftill he went on, complimenting him, as the most mighty, the most valiant, and the most perfect of beings. Hold there, my friend,' cries the lame emperor; hold there, till I have got another leg.' In fact, the feeble, or the defpotic alone, find pleature in multiplying these pageants of vanity; but strength and freedom have nobler

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aims, and often find the finest adulation in majestic simplicity.

The young monarch of this country has already teftified a proper contempt for feveral unmeaning appendages on royalty; cooks and fcullions have been obliged to quit their fires; gentlemens gentlemen, and the whole tribe of necef fary people, who did nothing, have been difmiffed from further fervices. A youth, who can thus bring back fimplicity and frugality to a court, will foon probably have a true refpect for his own glory, and while he has difmiffed all ufelefs employments, may disdain to accept of empty or degrading titles. Adieu.

HENEVER I attempt to characterize the English in general, fome unforeseen difficulties conftantly occur to difconcert my defign; I hefitate between cenfure and praife: when I confider them as reafoning, philofophical people, they have my applaute; but when I reverfe the medal, and obferve their inconftancy and irrefolution, I can scarcely perfuade myself that I am obferving the fame people.

Yet, upon examination, this very in conftancy, fo remarkable here, flows from no other fource than their love of reafoning. The man who examines a complicated fubject on every fide, and calls in reafon to his affiftance, will frequently change; will find himself difracted by oppofing probabilities, and contending proofs: every alteration of place will diverfify the profpect; will give fome latent argument new force, and contribute to maintain an anarchy in the mind.

On the contrary, they who never examine with their own reafon act with hore fimplicity. Ignorance is pofitive, inftinct perfeveres, and the human he ing moves in fafety within the narrow circle of brutal uniformity. What is true with regard to individuals, is not lefs fo when applied to flates. A reafoning government like this is in continual fluctuation, while thofe kingdoms where men afe taught not to controvert, but obey, continue always the fame. In Afia, for instance, where the monarch's

authority is fupported by force, and acknowledged through fear, a change of government is entirely unknown. All the inhabitants feem to wear the fame mental complexion, and remain contented with hereditary oppreffion. The fovereign's pleasure is the ultimate rulé of duty; every branch of the adminiftration is a perfect epitome of the whole; and if one tyrant is deposed, another itarts up in his room to govern as his predeceffor. The English, on the contrary, inttead of being led by power, endeavour to guide themselves by rea fon; instead of appealing to the pleasure of the prince, appeal to the original rights of mankind. What one rank of men affert is denied by others, as the reasons on oppofite fides happen to come home with greater or lefs conviction. The people of Afia are directed by precedent; which never alters; the English by rea fon, which is ever changing it's appear