reduced him to be a prifoner for debt in the King's Bench; and fo cruelly has Fortune exercifed her rigours upon him, that laft feffion of parliament he was examined before a committee of the Houfe of Commons on the ha dfhips to which the prifoners in that gaol had been fubject. Yet let not ill-nature make fport with thefe misfortunes! His majefty had nothing to blush at, nothing to palliate, in the recapitulation of his diftreffes. The debts on his civil lift were owing to no mifapplication, no improvidence of his own, no corruption of his minifters, no indulgence to favourites or miftreffes. His diet was philofophic, his palace humble, his robes decent: yet his butcher, his landlady, and his taylor, could not continue to fupply an establishment which had no demefnes to fupport it, no taxes to maintain it, no excifes, no lotteries to provide funds for it's deficiencies and emergencies.

A nation fo generous, fo renowned for the efforts it has always made in the common cause of liberty, can only want to be reminded of this diftreffed king, to grant him it's protection and compaffion. If political reafons forbid the open eipoufal of his caufe, pity comman is the affistance which private for tunes can lend him. I do not mean at prefent that our gallant youth fhould offer themfelves as volunteers in his fervice; nor do I expect to have a fmall feet fitted out at the expence of particular perfons to convey him and his hopes to Corfica. The intention of this papar is merely to warm the benevolence of my countrymen in behalf of this royal captive. I cannot think it would be beneath the dignity of majefty to accept of fuch a supply as might be offered to him by that honorary (and to this country peculiar) method of raising a free gift, a benefit play. The method is worthy of the Grecian age; nor would Afiatic monarchs have blufhed to receive a tribute from genius and art. Let it be faid, that the fame humane and polite age raised a monument to Shakefpeare, a fortune for Milten's granddaughter, and a fubfidy for a captive king, by dramatic performances! I have no doubt but the munificent managers of our theatres will gladly contribute their parts. That incomparable actor who fo exquifitely touches the paffions and diftreffes of felf-dethroned Lear, (a play which from fome fimilitude of cir

cumftances I fhould recommend for the benefit) will, I dare fay, willingly exert his irrefiftible talents in behalf of fallen majefty, and be a competitor with Louis le Grand for the fame which refults from the protection of exiled kings. How glorious will it be for him to have the King's Bench as renowned for Garrick's generofity to King Theodore, as the Savoy is for Edward the Third's treatment of King John of France!

In the mean time, not to confine this opportunity of benevolence to fo narrow a fphere as the theatre, I must acquaint my readers, that a fubfcription for a fubfidy for the ufe of his Corfican majefty is opened at Tully's Head in Pall Mall; where all the generous and the fair are defired to pay in their contributions to Robert Dodfley, who is appointed high treasurer and grand librarian of the island of Corfica for life-pofts which, give me leave to fay, Mr. Dodfley would have difdained to accept under any monarch of arbitrary principles.

A bookfeller of Rome, while Rome furviv'd, Would not have been lord -treas'rer to a king.

I am under fome apprehenfions that the intended fubfcription will not be fo univerfal as for the honour of iny country I with it. I forefee, that the parti zans of indefeasible hereditary right will with-hold their contributions. The number of them is indeed but small and inconfiderable: yet, as it becomes my character, as a citizen of the world, to neglect nothing for the amendment of the principles and morals of my fellow-creatures, I thail recommend one thort argument to their confideration; I think I may fay, to their own conviction. Let them but confider, that though Theodore had fuch a flaw, in their eftimation, in his title, as to have been elected by the whole body of the people, who had thrown off the yoke of their old tyrants; yet, as the Genoefe had been the fovereigns of Corfica, thefe gentlemen of monarchic principles will be obliged, if they condeinn King Theodore's caufe, to allow divine hereditary right in a republic; a problem in politics, which I leave to be folved by the difciples of the exploded Sir Robert Filmer: at the fame time declaring, by my cenforial authority, all perfons to be Jacobites who neglect to bring in their free gift for the ufe of his majesty of Corfica, And I particularly charge and

command

command all lovers of the glorious and immortal memory of King William, to fee my orders duly executed; and I recommend to them to fet an example of Jiberality in behalf of the popular momarch whofe cause I have espoused, and whofe deliverance I hope I have not attempted in vain.

N. B. Two pieces of King Theodore's

'I

coin, ftruck during his reign, are in the hands of the high treasurer aforefaid, and will be fhewn by the proper officers of the exchequer of Corfica, during the time the fubfcription continues open at Tully's Head above-mentioned. They are very great curiofities, and not to be met with in the most celebrated collections of this kingdom.

Am that unfortunate man, Madam,' was the faying of a gentleman who stopped and made a low bow to a lady in the Park, as he was calling to her dog by the name of Cuckold.

What a deal of good might be expected from thefe eflays, if every man who fhould happen to read his own character in them, would as honeftly ac knowledge it as this gentleman! But it is the misfortune of general fatire, that few perfons will apply it to themfelves, while they have the comfort of thinking that it will fit others as well. It is therefore, I am afraid, only furnishing bad people with fcandal again't their neighbours; for every man flatters himself that he has the art of playing the fool or knave fo very fecretly, that, though he fees plainly how all elfe are employed, no mortal can have the cunning to find him out.

Thus a gentleman told me yesterday -That he was very glad to fee a particular acquaintance of his exposed in the third number of the WORLD. The

parfon who wrote that letter,' continued he, was determined to speak plainly; for the character of my friend was fo ftrongly marked, that it was ⚫ impoffible to mistake it.' He then proceeded to inform me that he had read Seneca, by obferving-That there should be no mixture of feverity and reproof in the obligations we confer; on the contrary, if there fhould be only occasion for the gentleft admonition, it ought to be deferred to another feafon; For men,' added he, are much more apt to re⚫inember injuries than benefits; and it is enough if they forgive an obligation that has the nature of an offence.'

My reader may poffibly be furprised, when I tell him, that the man who could commit to memory thofe maxims of Seneca, and whe could rejoice to fee fuch

a character expofed as the curate's friend in my third paper, is an old batchelor with an eftate of three thousand pounds a year, and fifty thoufand in ready money; who never was known to lend a guinea in his life, without making the borrower more miferable by the benefit than he had been before by his wants. But it is the peculiar talent of this gentleman to wound himfelf by proxy, or, in the fportfinan's phrafe, to knock himfelf down by the recoiling of his own gun. I remember he told me fome time ago, after having harangued very learnedly upon the deteftable in of avariceThat the common people of a certain county in England were the most covetous and brutal in the whole world. I will give you an inftance, fays he. About three years ago, by a very odd accident, I fell into a well in that county, and was abfolutely within a few minutes of perifhing, before I could prevail on an unconscionable dog of a labourer, who happened to be within hearing of my cries, to help. me out for half a crown. The fellow was fo rapacious as to infft upon a crown for above a quarter of an hour; and I verily believe he would not have abated me a fingle farthing, if he had 'not feen me at the laft gafp, and determined to die rather than fubmit to his extortion."

But to return to my fubject. If there are objections to general fatire, fomething may also be faid against perfonal abufe; which, though it is a kind of writing that requires a fmaller portion of parts, and is fure of having alinoit as many admirers as readers, is neverthelefs fubject to great difficulties; it being abfolutely neceffary, that the author who undertakes it should have no feeling of certain evils, common to humanity, which are known by the names of pain

and

and fhame. In other words, he must be infenfible to a good kicking, and have no memory of it afterwards. Now, though a great many authors have found it an eafy matter to arrive at this excellence, with me the talk would be attended with great labour and difficulty; as it is my misfortune to have contracted, either by the prejudice of education, or by fome other means, an invincible averfion to pain and difhonour. I am very fenfible that I may hurt myself as a writer by this confeflion; but it was never any pleasure of mine to raise expectations with a design to disappoint them: and, though it should lofe me the major part of my readers, I hereby declare, that I never will indulge them with any perfonal abule; nor will I fo much as attack any of thofe fine gentlemen, or fine ladies, who have the honour of being fingle, in any, one character, be it ever fo ridiculous.

But if I had every requifite for this kind of writing, there are certain people in town whom it would be ingratitude in me to attack. The matters of both the theatres are my good friends; for which reafon I forbear to fay, that half the comedies in their catalogue ought to be damned for wickedness and indecency. But I not only keep this to myself, but have also been at great trouble and pains to fuppreis a paffage bearing very hard againit them in a book, which will fpeedily be publifhed, called The Progref's of Wit. The author of this book, who, luckily for the theatres, happens to be a particular friend of mine, is a very great joker; and, as I often tell him, does a vaft deal of mifchief, without feeming to intend it. The paffage which I prevailed with him to fupprefs, ftood at the beginning of the thirteenth chapter of this book, and was exactly as follows

As it was now clear to all people * of fashion that men had no fouls, the bufinefs of life was pleafure and amufe⚫ment; and he that could beft adminifter to these two was the most useful • member to fociety. From hence arofe thofe numerous places of refort and recreation, which men of narrow and fplenetic minds have called the pefts of the public. The moft confiderable of which places, and which are at this day in the highest reputation, were the Bagnios and the Theatres. The Bagnios were constantly under the di

rection of difcreet and venerable matrons, who had paffed their youths in the practice of thofe exercifes which they were now preaching to their daughters: while the management of the Theatres was the province of the men. The natural connection between thefe houfes made it convenient that they fhould be erected in the • neighbourhood of each other; and indeed the harmony fubfifting between them inclined many people to think that the profits of both were divided equally by each. But I have always confidered them as only playing into one another's hands, without any nearer affinity than that of the schools ' of Westminster and Eton to the univerfities of Oxford and Cambridge. At the Play-houfe, young gentlemen and ladies were inftructed by an Etheridge, a Wycherley, a Congreve, and a Vanbrugh, in the rudiments of that fcience which they were to perfect at the Bagnio, under a Needham, a Haywood, a Haddock, and a Ro'berts.'

Thus much had my friend, in his Progrefs of Wit,' thought proper to obferve upon the loofenefs of the stage. But as the whole paffage is fupprefled, the managers will have nothing to fear from the publication of that perform

ance.

It were to be wifhed, indeed, that thofe gentlemen would have done entirely both with tragedy and comedy, and refolve at once to entertain the town only with Pantomime. That great advantages would accrue from it, is beyond difpute; people of taste and fafhion having already given fufficient proof that they think it the highest entertainment the ftage is capable of affording: the most innocent, we are fure it is; for where nothing is faid, and nothing meant, very little harm can be done. Mr. Garrick, perhaps, may start a few objections to this propofal; but with thofe univerfal talents which he fo highly poffeffes, it is not to be doubted but he will, in time, be able to handle the wooden fword with as much dignity and dexterity as his brother Lun. He will alfo reap another advantage from this kind of acting; as he will have fewer enemies, by being the fineft Harlequin of the age, than he has at prefent by being the greatest Actor of any age or country.

TO

TO THE PUBLIC.

WHEREAS fome gentlemen have doubted whether the fubfcription for the ufe of King Theodore was really intended to be carried on, I am ordered to acquaint the public, that Mr. FitzAdam was not only in earnest in pro

T

moting fuch a contribution, but has already received fome noble benefactions for that purpofe; and he will take care to apply the fubsidy in the most uncorrupt manner to the uses for which it was defigned, and to the honour and dignity of the crown of Corfica. ROBERT DODSLEY.

HE great men who introduced the Reformation into thefe kingdoms, were fo fenfible of the neceflity of maintaining devotion in the minds of the vulgar by fome external objects, by fomewhat of ceremony and form, that they refrained from entirely ripping off all ornament from the drapery of religion. When they were purging the calendar of legions of vifionary faints, they took due care to defend the niches of real martyrs from profanation. They preferved the holy fettivals, which had been confecrated for many ages to the great luminaries of the Church; and at once paid proper obfervance to the memory of the good; and fell in with the popular humour, which loves to rejoice and mourn at the difcretion of the almanack.

In fo enlightened an age as the prefent, I fhall perhaps be ridiculed if I hint, as my opinion, that the obfervation of certain feftivals is fomething more than a mere political inftitution. I cannot, however, help thinking, that even nature itfelf concurs to confirm my fentiment. Philofophers and freethinkers tell us, that a general fyltem was laid down at firit, and that no deviations have been made to accommodate it to any fubfequent events, or to favour and authorize any human inftitutions. When the reformation of the calendar was in agitation, to the great dilguft of many worthy perfons, who urged how great the harmony was in the old eftablifhment, between the holidays and their attributes, (if I may call them fa) and what a confufion would follow if Michaelmas-day, for inftance, was not to be celebrated when ftubble-geefe ure in their highest perfection; it was replied, that fuch a propriety was merely imaginary, and would be loft of itfelf, even without any alteration of the calendar by authority: for if the errors in it were fuf

fered to go on, they would in a certain number of years produce fuch a variation, that we should be mourning for good King Charles on a faife thirteenth of January, at a time of the year when our ancestors ufed to be tumbling over head and heels in Greenwich Park in honour of Whitfuntide; and at length by chufing king and queen for Twelfthnight, when we ought to be admiring the London 'Prentice at Bartholomewfair.

Cogent as these reasons may seem, yet I think I can confute them from the teftimony of a standing miracle, which not having fubmitted to the fallible authority of an act of parliament, may well be fail to put a fupernatural negative on the wifdom of this world. My readers, no doubt, are already aware that I have in my eye the wonderful Thorn of Glaftonbury, which, though hitherto regarded as a trunk of Popin impotture, has notably exerted itself as the most Proteftant plant in the universe. It is well known that the correction of tão calendar was enacted by Pope Gregay the Thirteenth, and that the reford churches have with a proper fpit of oppofition adhered to the old calculation of the Emperor Julius Cæfar, who was by no means a Papift. Near two years ago the Popish calendar was brought in; (I hope by perfons well affected!) certain it is, that the Glaftonbury Thorn has preferved it's inflexibility, and obferved it's old anniverfary. Many thoufand fpectators vifited it on the parliamentary Christmas day-Not a bud was there to be feen! On the true Nativity it was covered with bloffoms. One must be an infidel indeed to spurn at fuch authority. Had I been confulted, (and mathematical studies have not been the mott inconfiderable of my fpeculations) instead of turning the calendar topfy-turvy, by fantastic calcu

lations,

lations, I should have propofed to regulate the year by the infallible Somerietfhire Thorn, and to have reckoned the months from Christmas-day, which fhould always have been kept as the Glastonbury Thorn fhould blow.

Many inconveniencies, to be fure, would follow from this fyftem; but as holy things ought to be the first confideration of a religious nation, the inconveniencies fhould be overlooked. The thorn can never blow but on the true Christmas-day; and confequently the apprehenfion of the year's becoming inverted by flicking to the Julian account can never hold. If the courfe of the fun varies, aftronomers may find out fome way to adjust that: but it is pre. pofterous, not to fay prefumptuous, to be celebrating Christmas-day, when the Glastonbury Thorn, which certainly muit know times and feafons better than an almanack-maker, declares it to be herefy.

Nor is Christmas-day the only jubilee which will be morally disturbed by this innovation. There is another anniverfary of no less celebrity among Englishmen, equally marked by a marvellous concomitance of circumftances, and which I venture to prognofticate will not attend the erroneous calculation of the prefect fitem. The day I mean is the first of April. The oldelt tradition affirms, that fuch an infatuation attends the first day of that nonth, as no forefight can efcape, no vigilance can defeat. Deceit is fuccefsful on that day out of the mouths of babes and fucklings. Grave citizens have been bit upon it; ufurers have lent their money on bad fecurity; experienced matrons have married very difappointing young fellows; mathematicians have milled the longitude, alchymifts the philofopher's ftone; and politicians preferment, on that day.

What confufion will not follow, if the great body of the nation are difappointed of their peculiar holiday! This country was formerly disturbed with very fatal quarrels about the celebration of Easter; and no wife man will tell me that it is not as reasonable to fall out for the obfervance of April-fool-day. Can any benefits arifing from a regular calendar make amends for any occafion of new fects? How many warm men may refent an attempt to play them off on a falfe first of April, who would

have fubmitted to the custom of being made fools on the old computation! If our clergy come to be divided about Folly's anniverfary, we may well expect all the mischiefs attendant on religious wars; and we fhall have reafon to with that the Glaftonbury Thorn would declare as remarkably in favour of the true April-fool-day, as it has in behalf of the genuine Christmas.

There are many other inconveniencies which I might lament very emphatically, but none of weight enough to be compared with thofe I have mentioned. I fhall only hint at a whole fyftem overturned by this revolution in the calendar, and no provifion, that I have heard of, made by the legislature to remedy it. Yet, in a nation which beflows fuch ample rewards on new-year and birthday odes, it is aftonishing that the late act of parliament fhould have overlooked that ufeful branch of our poetry, which confifts in couplets, faws, and proverbs, peculiar to certain days and feafons. Why was not a new fet of diftichs provided by the late reformers? Or at leaft a claufe inferted in the act, enjoining the poet-laureat, or fome beneficial genius, to prepare and new caft the eftablifhed rhimes for public ufe? Were our aftronomers fo ignorant as to think that the old proverbs would ferve for their new-fangled calendar? Could they imagine that St. Swithin would accommodate his rainy planet to the convenience of their calculation? Who that hears the following verfes, but muft grieve for the fhepherd and husbandman, who may have all their prognostics confounded, and be at a lofs to know beforehand the fate of their markets? Ancient fages fung

If St. Paul be fair and clear,
Then will betide a happy year;
But if it either fnow or rain,
Then will be dear all kind of grain:
And if the wind doth blow aloft,
Then wars will vex the realm full oft.