I readily prevailed on my old acquaintance to give me a copy of this diary, on my promifing to tranfmit it to you. It was with more difficulty I drew from him, that his neighbour Fuz never from that day bought any more tobacco at his fhop; and that, two days afterwards, he received a letter by poft, from his Effex cuftomer, threatening him with an action for affaulting his fervant, and ordering him to furnish his bill immediately; that the Club had fent him to Coventry, and that he had loft Deputy Dripping's intereft for the office of Churchwarden, to which he then afpired. BESIDES that flock of individual vanity which every man uses for home confumption, there feems to be a inore general ftock, which we are difpofed to preferve and to increase for the benefit of the community at large, on condition, however, that we may be permitted to draw from it, to fupply certain urgent occations. Thus, when I obferve one man vaunting of his extraordinary prowefs, fkill, or cunning, I confider him as negotiating his own private ftock of vanity; but when I obferve another, or perhaps the felf-fame gentleman, launching forth in high praises of the dignity of human nature, and the fuperior wifdom, refinement, and liberality of the prefent age, I immediately conclude, that, in default of private stock, he is now drawing largely on the general bank of human vanity. In truth, Sir, I am inclined to think that we very often draw upon this general fund, without our claims being juft or acknowledged. In other words, we are very willing to contribute largely to the fame and celebrity of the age in which we live, without adding much to our own wifdom, or ever confidering ourfelves as parts of that great whole. If this were not the cafe, thould we find fo many men, reputed wife, who act foolishly, and who have all the wifdom of the world in theory, but fcarcely any in practice? I have been led into thefe reflections, from confidering the prevalence of whims, or those caprices, often ridiculous, often foolish, and fometimes offensive and hurtful, from which very few wife men are free, and from which the world in general do not feem to wish to be free. I obferve, Sir, that whenever a foible, or habit of foibles, becomes general, it becomes its own excufe. Thus, when a man is cenfured for any offenfive whim, the reply almost always is, "True, but you know he is a whimsical man." This excufe, however, is not one whit more valid than if I were to apologize for a man who had picked my pocket, by obferving that he was a thief. There would be no proof here that I knew logic, or had any very diftinct ideas of juftice. Yet Tom Dingy, who affects the utmost flovenliness of apparel, is excused in all companies where he enters, as a man who is fond of fuch whims. And his hopeful heir, who always dreffes in the garb of a jockey, obtains a free pardon, on his declaring that he does it for a whim. Skinner, the etymologift, derives the word whim from "fomething that turns round;" a definition probably as good as can be found, but not good enough to give us diftinct apprehenfions on the fubject. Indeed, the very uncertainty we are in refpecting the definition of the word, is an indirect cenfure of the thing itself. It seems to be proper that a thing that is wholly unaccountable, fhould pafs by a name that is wholly unintelligible. A crowded A crowded metropolis is the true fcene of action for men of whim. In the country the circle is too small. They might prove offentive, and would foon be left to folitude; but the free and unconstrained manners of a city, where a man may do what he pleases, and no perfon call him to an account, are favourable to the growth of whims. Hence the most humorous accounts of whims have been almost always dated from the metropolis; and hence men who have devoted their time to whim-hunting, have considered London as the place for true fport. Almost every coffee-house or public-houfe has one or more guefts, who amuse the reft with their whims. Will Steady has occupied the fame box in the Chapter coffee-house for the last twenty years at a particular hour, and his perfon and that box are fo connected by the affociation of ideas, that if I were to find them separate, I thould first suspect that the room had undergone an alteration. Old Tefty, of Lincoln's Inn, Efq. is another whimfical fellow. He vifits the chop-houfe precifely at three, calls for a single chop, which he devours with apparent appetite. His half pint of wine is then laid before him, which he divides into fuch minute and equal portions, that, with the affiftance of a newfpaper, it lafts till five o'clock; at that hour, according to the exacteft admeasurement of time, he calls for the bill of fare, looks out "fomething nice," and fits down again to the fecond courfe, if I may fo call it. After this he converfes with his neighbours, leifurely drinks another half pint of wine, and precisely at eight o'clock takes his "flow folemn leave." From the best authority I can procure, he has not deviated from this practice for thirty years. On Sundays, indeed, he as uniformly walks to an ordinary at Highgate, and difcuffes the business of his dinner with certain ceremonies different from those of other days, but which never alter. Mr. Timothy Morofe was, in my younger days, a whim of the first magnitude. He was inflexibly honeft and upright in all his dealings. But to this he added qualities of a lefs pleafing kind. He was never known to exchange even a word of friendship with any man living, nor did any man living know where he lodged. Every evening he fupped at a coffee-houfe near the 'Change at the hour of eight o'clock, and departed at half past nine precifely; nor could any profpects of the greatest advantage have induced him to remain one moment longer. He would talk to any person who fat next him; but if a reply was made, he was filent for the rest of his time. He was never known to give above three pofitive opinions in his life. One was, that " money was money;" the fecond, that “ many people were dd fools;" and the third, that " bankrupts could not be expected to pay much." But thefe he could dilate into long fpeeches, which were listened to, because every hody "knew his whim."—At length, “One ev'n I miss'd him on the 'custom'd feat; Nor up the room, nor at the bar was he." He concluded his whims with hanging himself at his lodgings, which were then, for the first time, dif covered. It may be observed of whims, whether of the harmlefs or hurtful kind, that, however eafily fhaken off at first, they foon take a deep root in the habit, and are nourished with uncommon obftinacy. They afford a proof too, how very tenacious we are apt to be of little things, and how much more relaxed and pliable our conduct is in matters of greater moment, and of real importance. It is reported of Elwes, the famous mifer, that he dined upon a hard-boiled egg, and a little spring-water, while risking many thousand pounds upon upon the fwiftnefs of a horfe, or, what happens oftener, the integrity of a riding jockey. One would imagine that we were created with wonderful powers over trifles, or wonderful love for whims, while the fuperior duties of life are left to chance or accidents. Something of this kind is visible in men of angry difpofitions. Nat Teazle will break out in the moft unmannerly paffion, if his daughter happen to fnuff the candle out; but when a forgery to a great amount was committed upon him, he had not paffion enough. to fue the culprit at law. If his horfe ftumbles, he is fure to fwear at him; but when his fon fought a duel with a common gambler, he only hoped there had been fair play." It ftrikes me, Sir, that in our moral government we might very profitably follow a direction given us with respect to money matters; "Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves." I am perfuaded, that if we could guard against little foibles, whims, and unevennefs of temper in matters of trifling concern, we might be better fitted to act a becoming and manly part when important occafions call for the exertion of our wifdom. "Little things," fays the poet, are great to little men ;" and nothing fhould be retained in our characters which, by rendering us lefs agreeable to the world, may prevent our ufefulness as members of fociety. I am, Sir, |