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account, greatly tended to shorten his days. It was his last requeft that I would make oyer to you the fortune of which you had been cruelly deprived, and I have from the time of his death earnestly with ed to carry his dying defires into execution; verbal ones, indeed, as he was in too weak a ftate to make any manual alterations in his will; but as I look upon fuch defires in fuch circumstances facred, I fhall with the fincereft fatisfaction - invest you with the fum which you should have enjoyed on your father's deceafe, and from which you have been fo long, fo unjustly deprived. Mrs. Simpson then stretching out her hand, with a smile, in order to affift the amiable beggar in rifing from his fear, and conducted him to her house, which was not at a great distance from that fpot, and by a feries of the most pleafing attention, gave his declining life all the feli. city of which it was capable. By those attentions he, was enabled to enjoy all the happiness to which his powers of enjoyment were equal, during his declining days, and when he found himself fast approaching "that bourne from which no traveller returns," defired the restoration of what he had received from the hands of Juftice, ftrongly required from him as a man of honour and as a Christian.

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poffeffor of the inftrument. mal up to it through the midst of performers, and dragging daughter Auguita after him, "Who can be fo proper to play it, as her to whom it belongs?"

To whom it belongs! faid Strum; it is no matter to w it belongs: fhe who plays beft on it, has the beft right; and I Seewell, to my knowledge, r mufic as fast as any body.

To this fpeech Mr. Dripping plied in the following manner a strong fneer." Reading has thing to do with the mufic, P ing it is, I think, the chief aff and my daughter fhall play thorou bafs with any body in the ki dom."

During this little altercati Mifs Seewell, under the protect of Mr. Strum, had brushed Mifs Dripping, and feated her at the piano, and began to frike keys in fo forcible a manner, w fo violent a preffure, that noth but the wood of which the inft ment was made, could be hea and the clatter founded more the tones produced by voeden fp and falt-boxes, than thofe wh arofe from wire melodized by mafterly hand.

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Mifs Dripping, dreadfully h at feeing herself deprived of pleasure of exhibiting her kno ledge in mufic, retired with a l of contempt at her rival, telli her father in a whitper, the v afraid Mifs Seewell would crack t piano, as fle banged it with fu violence.

Mr. Dripping then acquaint Mr. Hedges with his daughte apprehenfions, while he, rea to expire with mirth at the conce even aflured him that Mils Drippi thould play the next piece.

"La! cried that young lad will break it all to pieces in the ve in a tone expreffive of terror, 1 will break it all to pieces in the ve

The Matron.

first movement; befides, it must be quite out of tune."

My dear madam," replied Mr. Hedges, "What can I do? I invited every bedy, whom I knew to be mufical, hoping for nothing but harmony; I, therefore, muft leave it to yourselves to fertle thefe rice points. I wish, however, matters may be fo accommodated, that they may not end in difcord."

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themselves into motion, though every one of them affected to decline what they were dying with delire to do; and fo much time was by this means loft, that Mr. Hedges bade the young farmer begin and fet the ladies a good example. He chearfully ftood up, Mr. Scrapeill and Mr. Strum immediately arranged themselves on each fide of him, in order to accompany him: upon which he

not fing to the notes. "No, that
you will not, I'll answer for it,"
faid Mr. Gallipot: however they
bade him have courage, as they
would play foft, and would be of
great fervice to him. He then
began Poor Jack, which he would
have executed with much expref-
fion and fome tale, had not his
affiftants, by playing the fymphony
in the wrong place. fo confound-
ed him, that after having in vain
endeavoured to compose them, he
gave it up to the no fmall regret
of the company, who all began to
vociferate in a chorus. Upon this,
the clerk of the parish propofed
catches and glees.
"All in good

The Drippings being thus forced to give way, fat down in the ful-modeftly obferved, that he could lens, whilt the performers were fixing on the proper mufic. One could not play this piece, another detefted that; at laff one of Handel's overtures was begun. Mr. Scrapeill kept time by flamping furioully upon the floor, keeping h's eyes fixed upon the violencello, who kipped over more notes than he founded. The tenor was wholly out of tune; the bautboy fqueak ed in alt; the French born, whenever it was blown, brought them into a little order again; till a fine folo paffage in the piano, accompanied by Mr. Strum, with his fingers on the ftrings of his fiddle, put the lady fo much out, that he gallopped away, helter fkelter, over the keys, fo rapidly, that the threw the whole band into confufion. Mr. Scrapeill stopped on a fudden, declaring that nobody knew any thing about time, that it was impoffible to keep fuch players together, while the Aute-performer, who was a little deaf, continued his part, without knowing that any of the others had topped. The audience who had been talking in different parties, as fast as they could, of the different occurences of the village, ftarting at the ceffation of the found, afked if the concert was over. Mr. Hedges, ready to burft with laughter, which he ftrove to fupprefs, faid, with a pleasant fmile, that after the first piece, they fhould give us a fong. Immediately, all the miffes in the room

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time," faid Mr. Hedges, winking àt me, we must give place to the ladies." He then brought forward Mifs Twang, who had difcovered great impatience to diftin. guifh herself upon an inftrument, not in the leaft common. Accord ingly the ftruck up an air in which Meffieurs Scrapeill and Strum would join, though totally unacquainted with the notes, which were read by the former, in a very bad manner, and of which the latter was extremely ignorant, fo that the lady declared they put her quite out, and begged to play it alone. They failed at her folly, but were obliged to listen to a tedious piece il compofe, and worfe played. As foon as that was ended, the clerk propofed Time A has not thinn'd my flowing bair.

Mr.

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Mr. Dripping exclaimed, daughter fings that there fong charmingly." Upon which the clapped herfelf down to the piano, and began to throw out her tones; but the clerk, who had been, when he was a boy, a choriler in a cathedral, had acquired fuch a rural mode of intonation, that he appeared more like chanter than a finger: and reminded us more of the refponfes in the Litany, than of the feitivity of a glee. The voice of our female was fo cracked, that in the high notes it was quite loft; the was, indeed, both out of time, and out of tune. The clerk, very much hurt, by being thus difappointed, as he could not exhibit his talents to advantage, feverely execiated the lady for preventing his fong: he, therefore, propofed Old Robin Grey; that fong, how ever, being deemed of too difmal a cait, glees were offered in its room. The male and female fingers immediately ranged themfelves round the piano. Mifs Dripping, however, kept her feat, though Mifs Seewell made feveral attempts to difplace her. Mr. Scrapeill took up a violin, and Mr. Strum his inftrument: the hautboy, flute, and french-horn all began to tune away, when the clerk propofed How merrily we live that foldiers be, fay Shepherds," cries out cries out Mr. Scrapeill; that was the original word." May be fo," replied the clerk, but that word is not in my book, and foldiers is certainly better, as we have fo many accompaniments. "I am fure it is no matter," faid Mr. Gallipot, "what the words are, for they are always hurried over in fuch a manner, that we cannot tell even the language, and I never know whether lady fings Italian or English." I prefume, then, fir," faid Mifs Twang, you have never been in London, nor heard the Mara."

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"No, indeed, madam, not I; but if he or fhe articulate no clearer than the general run of fingers, I would not give a farthing to hear them. Hay merrily we live, was then begun, and ended most deplorably; for every body was at a lofs, and, instead of keeping their own parts, fung that belonging to their companions. All the fingers and inftruments were truly in an uproar. My arch triend, Mr. Hedges laughed till he cried. Several pieces were then played, much in the fame ludicrous tyle with the reft. The clerk, who was a jolly old fellow, made a propofal, at last, that the concert fhould conclude with Old Rofe, and burn the Bellows, in which, he fail, they might all join, if they would keep to their refpective parts, and mind what they were about: but he began that joyous catch with fo much folem. nity, and proceeded fo much in the pfalm finging way, and roaring fonoroufly, that all the other voices in the room were drowned by his vocal exertions. No creature was heard diftinctly but himself, and Mr. Strum, who dropping in his notes not unlike a paffing-bell, gave a heavinefs to the whole perform ance, while the others, being thrown out of their line of melody, threw down their arms and exclaimed "enough, enough! no more, no more. Mr Hedges looking upon thefe exclamations as fignals for fupper, he flung open the doors of the great parlour, in which his friendly table was covered in the most hofpitable and plentiful manner. After fupper fome fingle fongs from the ladies, were attempted, but few of the performers, or indeed, any of the company, had patience fufficient to liften to them. Nothing, in truth, can be more tirefome than a tedious ballad, containing feveral verfes, articulated in a dull, drowfy tune, and that tune repeated till the car is

"

On the Ufe of Animal Food, and Sugar,

31

ire farfeited with the fame founds | Hortenfia, it was merely on the notion of its being the beat corrector of the acidities of human milk, and not with the view of bringing them up to be devourers of animal fubftances. No-the cruel neceffity which our wants impofe on us, to inflict that fate on other beings, which would be terrible to our felves, is an evil of fufficient weight, were the use of animal diet con fined within as moderate limits as t'e prefent ftate of things will admit. I can from my own experience affirm with Rouffeau, that the taste of flesh is not natural to the human palate, when not vitiated by carnivorous habits. Milk, fruit, eggs, and almost every kind of vegetable aliment, ought to be the principal part of the nourishment of children.

and over again. A chorus then propofed, and nothing, nly, could be fo proper as dave great George our King, in which we all joined, with our ices and our hearts. With this res our harmonic meeting was luded. The houfe was then ard of the guests: while I was ing to my apartment, "Ma"faid my friend Hedges "did tell you that I would divert with a concert? Pray publish account of it in your ufual manand I devoutly with that the cordant tones and tunes of this ning may prevent every little man from having his daughter to mifpend thofe hours hich ought to be much better ployed, than in tinkling an inment, and in tormenting the I would not feed them with flesh of all who are fo unfortunate above three times a week, and that an be within the hearing of her. well roasted and boiled. The fwaltta be alfo a leffon to thofe in the lowing blood, almost in its natural gheft rank of life, that they may ftate, fills a delicate mind with horer attempt to play or fing, when ror. It is a diet only fit for favages; hey have no genius or power for and must naturally tend to weaken palical expreffion, for they alfo that fympathy which nature has hay amuse themfelves more advan- given to man, as the best guard geously, and make themfelves against the abufe of the extenfive thufeful and agreeable by pur-power with which she has entrusted ting only thofe arts and fciences for him. hich they have a real taste, and which their powers are naturally arted. Mufic is a most enchantgfcience, and productive of the igheft entertainment, when thofe have fine voices, correct ears, ftrong feelings, are engaged in e study of it; but the majority amateurs, and indeed fome prors too, in their musical puris, only mistake their talents, pend their time, and render themsegregioully ridiculous.

the Use of Animal Food, and ar. By Mrs. C. M. GRAHAM. THEN I recommended the ufe of gravy for fucking infants,

It is, I believe, generally agreed by all the medical profethion, that the flesh of well-grown animals, is cahier of digeftion than the flesh of young ones; and it affords a more generous nourishment; a fmaller quantity of the one, will anfwer the fame purposes as a larger quantity of the other. It will then be proper for the tutor to take especial care that the flesh of young animals be banished from the table of his pupils. Their conftitution will receive advantage from it; and the tatte they will thus acquire be more agreeable to the principles of benevolence, in forbearing to destroy life, almost in the first moments of exilence.

Sugar,

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Sugar, From its acid qualities, and the oppreffion which any large quantity of it gives to a ftomach not ufed by continual habit to this aliment, has lately been very generally banished out of the diet of children. Sugar plumbs, fweet cakes, and other enticing viands of the fame kind, with which we used to engage the affections, of the little gluttons, are now prohibited, asinjurious ways of carrying our points with them; and a variety of other means are fallen upon to en. gage the infantine imagination. But though I am entirely of Mr. Locke's opinion, that we ought not to infame the natural propenfity of children to gluttony, into an habitual vice, by pleafing their palates as a reward to their obedience; yet I am far from thinking that fugar fhould be entirely left out of the diet of children. Sugar has very valuable medical properties. It is antiputrefcent in a high degree, and will agree with all ftomachs when they are used to it. It has fufficient warmth to correct the coldnes of raw fruit, and it has a fufficient limulating quality to make up for the ufe of fermented liquors, which never ought to be given to children; befides, every taste that is fo general as the love which children have to fweet viands, fhould be attended as the dictate of nature for fome ufeful end.

Let them he fed then once a day with fruit of fome kind, dreffed with fugar only; let care be taken that they eat a good deal of bread with this meal, and that their mouths be well washed after it with cold water; and thus the taste will be gratified, and every mifchief avoided which can reasonably be expected from fuch an indulgence.

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others; they fhould not hour in forming their taft manners, and their mind; fo ever they are, to a certain at eighteen, they will be r lefs all the rest of their lives. Though juftice is not cofts a great deal, and one very rich to obtain it.

A man greater than his tunes, fhews he was not de of them:

Ceremony is the affectat good breeding, as cunning ape of wisdom.

ORIGINAL LET of the SPECTATOR

A

SIR,

MONG fome papers of tleman of great literary lately deceased, I found the t ing, which is in the Spectator iv. No. 274. It is there faid verbatim a copy of a letter v by thofe infamous wretches, procurefies, to a noble lord. is not a literal copy, for the fp is corrected and fome part alter you may perceive, by comp this with the printed copy.

I thought it might be acce to you to enrich your Magazin a literal copy of this elegant ceau, with the original fpelling the name of the writer, which bably the Spectator might not it proper, at that time, to pub

"My Lord,

I haveing a great esteem for bonnor, and a better opinon of then of any of the quilit, mak acquaint you of an affaire that I will oblige you to know, I h neece yt came to towen about a night agoe, her parrants being dead he came to me exceping found me in for good a condifbion

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