Here I am afraid I shall Secondly, to EATING. have fewer perfons to agree with me than when I recommended the water fyftem: but the fubject is of more importance, and I am not afraid to encounter the prejudices of the appetite. It is certain that the appetite was given for the nourishment and strength of the body, and that for many 'centuries, men, with very few exceptions, took no more than was abfolutely neceffary for that purpose. In procefs of time, however, matters degenerated ftrangely. Corporations and cabinets introduced dinners, where the indulgence of the appetite was rather a queftion of power than of neceffity. Thefe have increased, are increafing, and ought to be diminished. We have long loft the standard of nature: we have long ceased to demand what the wants; yet how applicable to a meal are thofe beautiful lines of the poet "Man wants but little here below, Now, Sir, as it is my purpose to recall your readers and the public at large to what I account the primitive and natural way of gratifying the appetite, permit me to say how happy I am that we are not deprived of the knowledge of this way, that it is frequently mentioned in books, and has frequently been exemplified in the lives of fome perfons, even of diftinction, among us. If we wish to know exactly what nature demands, and no more, have we not the example of Mifs ELIZABETH CANNING, a young lady of great notoriety, who lived a whole month on a gallon of water and a few mouldy crufts? Have we not the more recent inftances of an ELWES, a DANCER, a TAYLOR, and many others, men' who lived to great age, and yet at lefs expenfe than the meaneft pauper in a workhoufe? And fhall we, af ter the confideration of thefe examples, hefitate in facrificing the fuperfluities of our table, to preferve our property and our religion? Granting that this were difficult, mortification is a religious duty, and how can religion be better preferved than by its own. duties? Befides this, Sir, let any one ftudy the hiftory of Shipwrecks and inftances of famine, and he will fee how many articles may be used as food, which we now reject, or throw away. Need I inftance rats, mice, and old fhoes-nay, dead bodies? for I need not tell you that a city in a ftate of famine presents the idea of a fort of tontine, of which the furvivors, as in all other tontines, have the benefit. These examples, Sir, will ferve to thow, that, instead of our having retrenched our expenfes already, in confequence of the paft demands of the Minifter, we are in fact but beginning. Our refources are pofitively untouched in this way, which I am fure the Minister means, when he fays they are untouched; any other way he can have no meaning at all. When I mentioned the inftance of a city fuffering famine, I alluded, at the fame time, to its being beficged, and the comparifon comes pat to our cafe. Our conftitution is befieged, our property is befieged, our focial order is belieged, and our religion is befieged. Until the fiege is raised we can have no more provifions. The Governor, therefore, as all governors do in fuch cafes, refolves to put us on fhort allowance, hoping that our provifions will laft our time. Here is the whole myftery which occafions the prefent clamour, and which would occafion much lefs clamour, if we would fludy fome of the inftances of famine found in books, or in gaols, and accommodate our eating expenfes accordingly. I have now, I hope, Sir, convinced you that by reducing ourselves to, fuppofe twopennyworth of provifions visions per day, we thall foon accumulate a fum fufficient to pay the triple affeffment and all other taxes. You may, perhaps, think this a worfe plan than the Minifter's; you may fuppofe twopennyworth of food per day is not fufficient. Hark ye, Sir, the difference is this; a man may exift upon my plan, but he mult farve upon the other. I am, Sir, yours, CONTENTUS PARVO. BULLETIN EXTRAORDINARY. CITIZEN, [From the True Briton.] Head quarters, C, Floreal 13. I HAVE the honour to acquaint you, that this morning, at half past eight, I made an alerte, and by a masterly movement reached the General's before the drum had beat to breakfast. After driving in his advanced pofts, forcing the hall, and ftorming the ftaircafe, I commenced a well-directed attack upon the library, where the breakfast forage was depofited. After a spirited defence by Marshal Jowler and General Pompey, who had been commiffioned to act during the abfence of the commander in chief, I carried the place cane in hand. It is with incredible fatisfaction I inform you, that in less than eleven minutes I was in poffeffion of five plates of muffins, fifteen buttered buns, four-and-twenty crumpets, three pyramids of dry toast, fix manchets (three of them not rafped), a hot cake, feveral canifters of fugar (as per margin), two fixpenny loaves, a white and a brown one, together with various other flores. I then fecured the military (tea, cheft, fpiked three eggs, after firft unloading them, feized the Coffee redoubt, and made a confiderable E 4 fiderable impreffion on Fort Chocolate. All this was effected without the lofs of a fingle tooth; and I feel much pleasure in being able to fay that my ftomach and bowels are in excellent health and fpirits. I am under infinite obligations to Lieutenant-general Foot and Colonel Leg, whofe eminent exertions on this and other occafions demand my warmeft gratitude; they were particularly ferviceable to me during the rapid march I made from C― I alfo beg leave to recommend to your notice two very deferving officers, Major Foretooth and Captain Grinder, but for whose penetration and unremitted exertions in the laborious poft they occupied, I fhould have been ill able to accomplish this undertaking: nor ought I to pafs over in filence the activity and intrepidity of Adjutants Thumb and Finger, who were extremely active on the occafion; and I indulge a fanguine hope that they will meet with that diftinétion to which their long and faithful fervices entitle them. Health and fraternity! DESCRIPTION OF AN ANCIENT CHAPEL. BY VITRUVIUS JUNIOR. [From the Morning Chronicle.] THIS HIS chapel was originally built by King Stephen, and dedicated to his namefake Saint Stephen. It was afterwards new built by King Edward III. in 1347, for thirty-eight perfons to ferve God. He also built a belfry, and put up bells. "Of thefe bells," fays Stowe, men fabled that their ringing foured all the drink in the town." But this does not appear to be so much of a fable as that learned antiquary fuppofes. Of late years it has been remarked that they have produced a very wonderful effect upon the drink in the town." In the Monafticon we find King Edward's charter for this chapel; and by patent, dated the 22d of his reign, he gave it to his great house in Lombard Street. There are still feveral great houfes in Lombard Street which belong to it, and one very large one in Threadneedle Street. It is a fpacious chapel, wainscoted up to the ceiling, accommodated with galleries, fupported by flender iron pillars, adorned with Corinthian capitals and fconces. building is very curious. Gothic work about it, moftly in the modern ftyle. The fconcing work of this There was formerly much but the improvements are It was firft ufed as a place of worship in the prefent way, in the time of Edward VI. The revenues then were not lefs than 10851. a year, a great fum for those days, yet literally nothing, when compared with the revenues it draws in our days, which in one year have exceeded forty millions. In order to account for this, it must be observed that every parish in the kingdom is tributary to it, and that the perfons who officiate here have lately demanded their tithes with great flrictnefs. Notwithstanding this influx of wealth, they are frequently compelled to borrow money to provide for dilapidations, repairs, &c. on their eftates, as alfo to fend miffionaries abroad, to convert the French and other heathen nations.. The number of perfons who officiate in this chapel is very great, although not above a third regularly attend. What is fingular, they are mostly lay-preachers, and fome of them men of confiderable eloquence. Their difcourfes are frequently very long and defultory; for although they choose a text, like others, it is very rarely they ftick to it. There are fome regular clergy appointed by them, and thofe of the highest rank in the church, but they always do duty in a place adjoining, which is a chapel of cafe to this, where the fervice is performed in a more orderly and decent 5 manner, |