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CONTENTS.

The Picture of Human Life, from the G

of Cebes

A Dissertation upon the Greek Comedy

General Conclusion to Brumoy's G

Theatre

Miscellaneous Observations on the Trag

of Macbeth: with Remarks on

Thomas Hanmer's Edition of Sha

speare

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abist

IT is observed in the sage Gil Blas, that an exasperated author is not easily pacified. I have, therefore, very little hope of making my peace with the writer of the Eight Days Journey: indeed so little, that I have long deliberated whether I should not rather sit silently down under his displeasure, than aggravate my misfortune by a defence of which my heart forebodes the ill success. Deliberation is often useless. I am afraid that I have at last made the wrong choice; and that I might better have resigned my cause, without a struggle, to time and fortune, since I shall run the hazard of a new offence, by the necessity of asking hm why he is angry.

Distress and terror often discover to us those faults with which we should never have reproached ourselves in a happy state. Yet, dejected as I

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REPLY TO A PAPIR

and this writer, I cannot find that I have ficient in reverence. When his book printed, he hints that I procured a sight fore it was published. How the sight of procured I do not now very exactly ren but if my curiosity was greater than my pi if I laid rash hands on the fatal volume, surely suffered like him who burst the be which evil rushed into the world.

I took it, however, and inspected it as tl of an author not higher than myself; and w firmed in my opinion, when I found that the ters were not written to be printed. I con however, that though not written to be printe were printed to be read, and inserted one o in the collection of November last. Not days after I received a note, informing me, ought to have waited for a more correct e This injunction was obeyed. The editio peared, and I supposed myself at liberty my thoughts upon it, as upon any other upon a royal manifesto, or an act of parlia But see the fate of ignorant temerity! find, but find too late, that instead of a whose only power is in his pen, I have irrita important member of an important corporati man who, as he tells us in his letters, puts to his chariot.

It was allowed to the disputant of old to up the controversy with little resistance to master of forty legions. Those who know weakly naked truth can defend her advo

ve been de

was first

at of it be

of it was

-emember;

prudence, e, I have box from

the work

was conthese let. oncluded, inted, they of them ot many e, that I

edition. tion apto tell r book, liament.

I now a writer cated an tion; a horses

o yield to the

IN THE GAZETTEER.

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sciousness of my own rectitude of intention incites me to ask once again, how I have offended.

There are only three subjects upon which my unlucky pen has happened to venture. Tea; the author of the Journal; and the Foundling Hospital.

Of Tea what have I said? That I have drank it twenty years without hurt, and therefore believe it not to be poison: that if it dries the fibres, it cannot soften them; that if it constringes, it cannot relax. I have modestly doubted whether it has diminished the strength of our men, or the beauty of our women; and whether it much hinders the progress of our woollen or iron manufactures; but I allowed it to be a barren superfluity, neither medicinal nor nutricious, that neither supplied strength nor cheerfulness, neither relieved weariness, nor exhilerated sorrow: I inserted, without charge or suspicion of falsehood, the sums exported to purchase it; and proposed a law to prohibit it for ever.

Of the author I unfortunately said, that his injunction was somewhat too magisterial. This I said before I knew that he was a Governor of the Foundlings; but he seems inclined to punish this failure of respect, as the czar of Muscovy made war upon Sweden, because he was not treated with sufficient honours when he passed through the country in disguise. Yet was not this irreverence without extenuation. Something was said of the merit of meaning well, and the Journalist

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human merit; praise that would have n satisfied Titus or Augustus, but which own to be inadequate and penurious, wher to the member of an important corporatio

I am asked whether I meant to satirize or criticise the writer, when I say that be only perhaps because he has inclination to b that the English and Dutch consume more Tear vast empire of China? Between the writer man I did not at that time consider the dist The writer I found not of more than morta and I did not immediately recollect that put horses to his chariot. But I did n wholly without consideration. I knew b causes of belief, evidence and inclination. evidence the Journalist could have of the consumption of Tea, I was not able to d The officers of the East India Company cluded, they best know why, from the tou the country of China; they are treated as gypsies and vagrants, and obliged to retin night to their own hovel. What intelligen travellers may bring is of no great impo And though the missionaries boast of havin penetrated further, I think they have neve lated the Tea drank by the Chinese. Ther thus no evidence for his opinion, to what ascribe it but to inclination?

I am yet charged more heavily for havin that he has no intention to find any thing r home. I believe every reader restrained this tation to the subject which produced it, an