his road unentertaining; but a poor devil of an author must go on with the utmost caution, - looking backwards, and forwards, and fideways, and endways - and hath business enough on his hands, to keep every thing tight together, that his work doth not tumble to pieces. - He is in truth, only the reader's pioneer, to clear all obstructions, open his views, and render his way cheerful. As every advantage seems to be thrown on the reader's side, I must, as an author, contend, that there are some indulgences due to us. I do not presume to hint, that we have the privilege of taking a nap, because our reader hath; on the contrary, it is incumbent on us to keep his eyes open as long as possible, as his fleep may be death to us;-but furely, while we 8 we are bufied in entertaining him, we may be allowed a little recreation ourselves, and if a delicious meadow, or a tempting piece of greenfward, lies by the road-fide, what literary code is there, to prohibit our taking a eanter over it, though it lie out of the straight line of our journey?-For my own part, whenever the old horse I ride hath a mind for a frifk, either to the right, or the left, I feel that I muft, and will, indulge his humour, in spite of all the canons of criticism. - As long as it is natural, they may fire and welcome.-- Now straight lines are, and ever were, my aversion; - my writingmafter could never tempt me when a child, to use them; they may ferve admirably well for rulers - walkingsticks-mafts-or may-poles, but the line of beauty disavows them.The FRENCH, it is true, lay out their roads by them, because their notions of liberty and property, allow them to cut through any thing, but ours in this country, being more delicate on the subject, it is by many curves -and windings and pleasant turnings, that we get from town to town. -In short, straight lines are now abfolutely exploded, they are not found to lead to the preferments of the world;-nor do hereditary virtues, or fortunes, run any longer in them! - Every road from BERWICK upon TWEED to PENZANCE, is zig-zagevery modern walk and plantation, zig-zag, every avenue about court, zig-zag, and fo too are all our ideas; - nay, and what is much to be lamented, so are all our lives too. -And -And this is that which frets their reverences so much; and will, to the end of time, furnish us with new volumes of fermons. a -However disgusting to the eye the straight line may appear, yet any digreffion from it, which, after a little curve, reverts into it; becomes pleasing form; - and should digrefsions interfect the straight line on the other fide also, the whole united, takes nearly the figure of MERCURY'S Caduceus, which is indifputably the true ferpentine, and the finest model to write by;-and besides, being perfectly antique, you had better go to bed, be you who you will, than open your mouth against it. : ---Having faid thus much in support of an author's privilege, and at the fame time, in favor of occafional digressions, not only in my own work,but in any work, - or in every work, - I beseech the reader, should he chance to fee me fet off on a fudden, that he would not halloo after me, but that he will conclude, I am in pursuit of fomething for his service,and confider that every writer knows, or should know, his way home, and is bound to take care of his own. neck.- -And now, COURTEOUS READER, let us fet forward once more together. -If thou really hast a claim to the appellation I have given thee, thou art just the perfon I am looking for, whenever I fet pen to paper:--but if, on the contrary, thou hast refined away thy power of being pleased; if thou canst facrifice thy feelings to rules, and be out of humour at every |