vations on those who were too in- To the EDITOR of the di advantage of her mother, who "Hufh, huh! cried Mrs. Counter; huth Caroline! you must not fpeak of fuch things." Caroline, who thought he had done the best thing in the world to ferve her mother, looked abashed, and hung her head, after fhe came home, as if he was very much hurt at having been reproved by her mother, who was very fond of her, and forry to fee fuch a change in a girl naturally of a fprightly temper. "What's the matter, my dear," faid Mrs. Counter, "are you unwell?" LADY "Thou heapest coals of fire on h head.' SIR, Enevolence was certainly the B object St. Paul had in view when he gave this advice. Thi elegant metaphor is taken from the chemifts, from melting down meta by keeping fire on the head of the crucible. It means no more thar this, that by thy kind beneficence thou wilt foften his ferce difpofition into tenderness and love. Dr. Parnel, in his Hermit, makes use of this very phrafe : "Thus artifts melt the fullen ore and lead, To By heaping coals of fire upon its head." us. Active life is the sphere of virtue; it is there fhe fhines, like our fun in the meridian, diffufing light and warmth to all about it.— To comfort and relieve objects of real diftrefs, and, as an elegant writer (Dr. Blair) obferves, "If we cannot dry up the failing tear, to foothe at least the grieving heart, is what our divine inftructions command us to perform. To melt with coals of kindness thofe obdurate hearts which will not be foftened by any other means. Thefe are arts which every man ought to administer to man. These are cordials which, when taken in their proper time, will operate effectually. This is living up to the advice which St. Paul meant by this his expreffion. Every man, at the clofe of his life, I fhip must break down, or be interwho has perfevered in this path, will find, to his great fatisfaction, that he is not far from the king. dom of Heaven." To relieve the diftreffed widow or deferted orphan are acts which the fenfibility of the doer only can receive. He who is a ftranger to benevolence may polfels, but he cannot enjoy. Riches are by no means bleffings to a man, if he wants an beart to diftribute. I remain, fir, rupted. The manners of London, my dear, are fo different from those of any other place in the kingdom, that in very few refpects will they bear a comparifon, I mean as to the nature of them; but a preference as to their fuperior goodness or badness I doubt not has been given according to people's various tafles and difpofitions. One reafon why the manners of London differ from thofe of the reft of the kingdom is, that in the country you are one undivided, compact, and united fociety. Excepting certain differences of natural difpofition, you refemble one an REMARKS on the MANNERS and AMUSEMENTS of LON- other fo clofely that a foreigner would not greatly err were he to take the character of the whole people of England from that of any confiderable village in the country where he had long refided but then he would find that that character could by no means be applied to the people of whom, by the bye, I fhall, in my following letters call Londoners, and in that name include the inhabitants of London and Westminster, Your humble feryant, DON. In a Letter from a Gentleman in Town, to his Niece in the Country. Dear Eliza, LTHOUGH you ex ALTH Out Tittle from my communications, yet as you have obferved that epiftolary correfpondence is next to converfation, I fhall lofe no opportunity of converfing with you; and I dare fay you will think that that converfation must be very agreeable to a woman where he has it in her power to fay all, without any interruption, as you may when you answer me. You expect from me news, and remarks, and obfervations, and I know not what; but do not let your expectations rife too high; for although remarking on the manners of thofe around me has been a principal part of my employment fince I came here, yet I know not if I have the happy talent of communicating thefe remarks in fuch a manner is to do credit to myfelf or afford you much inftruction. But a truce with apolog es, for they place But he who fits down to, characterize the Londoners finds himfelf exceedingly bewildered, for they are the most heterogeneous mafs of people that any one part of the world contains.-can you wonder at this, when I tell you that the real Londoners, that is thofe who were born in London, and whose parents were born there too, are generally fuppofed not to make above one third of the prefent inhabitants of the metropolis. Every county in England has furnished its thoufands to fupply London, every town its hundreds, and every paltry village its tens. Scotland has, from time to time, exported. above one third of the whole in. habitants of that kingdom, to fup. a bar between friends, which friend-ply the London market. The pro portion portion of Irish is alfo very con- | compofed a little village, or had a rot You know, my dear Eliza, tl I have refided here many years. attain the character of the peop was much an object with me, and, effect my purpose, I knew of better way than to mix with men all ranks into which I could poflib gin admittance. This I have bec able to do. I have joined in foci ties of all forts, from thofe of ver high, to thofe of the loweft, or a most the lowest, rank. I have joine in their amufements, their feaft their walks, their conversations their evening parties, and thei morning parties. I have converfe with many individuals, of all kind and degrees; and, in a word, having purfuits much leifure for fuch I have fought a knowledge of the people wherever I thought I coul find it, and never thought that indi vidual too infignificant, from whom I could glean fome small addition to my fund. Of these few, comparatively fpeaking, are birds of paffage, they do not come here to spend a little and return. They are not money, travellers from pleasure, idleness, or curiofity. They come here as to a place where, of all others, industry is most fure to make its way, where genius is encouraged, and where abilities properly directed are fure to have fair play. Of thefe firangers (in which name I include all who are not natives of London) many thoufands acquire comfortable fituations in trade, marry with the natives, and thus produce a mixed breed, that, if there be any thing like hereditary merit or demerit, confifts of the good and bad parts of all nations, kindreds, and tongues. Hence, for I am certain that it must be from this caufe-hence that infinite variety of odd and eccentric characters which we every day meet with; and hence over the whole mafs, there is an irregularity of character, which we cannot extricate from contradictions, and which we cannot reduce to any certain definitions, or traits. Many, I know, have attempted this, but they have merely defcribed their own fet, the people they live moftly with, and, indeed, what man fhall be capable of giving a decided character of eight hundred thousand people, not the hundredth part of which he ever converfed with. have been fometimes aftonished at the effrontery of fome people, who, Now I fpeak of foreigners, I may after refiding a few months in Lon-obferve, that they generally take from TOT And after all the pains I have taken, and the knowledge I have acquired, for I must fay I have acquired much, very much, I tremble to advance a decided opinion, to point out the diftinguishing features, or ftrong lineaments of the Londoners, far lefs to trace the finer touches and more minute colourings of na ture and education. After all, I repeat, I am doubtful whether I do know thefe circumflances, so as to be able to dafh my pencil hither and thither, as fome natives and fome foreigners have very wantonly done. To be capable of all this cannot be the acquifition of one man. It muft refult from a comparison of the accounts of various obfervers, founded on actual experience, and laid down with candour. for a very obvious reafon, because London is the only place where they rende.-But, London only, is not the place to learn the character of the English, becaufe, as I have obferved above, the manners of the Londoners are very different from the manners of the people in any other part of the kingdom. Do you doubt this?-Pick me Our two raw Yorkshire lads, let the one remain in Yorkshire, and let the other be fent to London; after three years compare the two together; in one you can difcover no perceptible alteration, but what three more years may have added to his perfon or his fenfe; but look at him who has been for that time in London, and no two human creatures will appear fo different; the latter, you will find, is a new man entirely, his drefs, his manners, his language, his fentiments, and his tafte are all different, and all fuch as the country lad can have no idea of. And why this change upon him who has refided in London, and is no older, nor wifer than the other? Because he has imbibed the character and habits of a Londoner. Then, fay you, what are thefe manners and habits? I can only anfwer, the two young men are before you. Compare them, and give the preference as you pleafe; but you fee a vaft difference between them, and that difference you must fee, for I cannot describe it. Don't ask me, Eliza, which has gained or loft most in thefe three years. This I cannot refolve, but I will fuppofe they have both retained their moral qualities, and yet the contrast between them fliall be as great as ever. The Londoners certainly may pride themfelves on making fuch changes on us country folks. They confider us in a humane and favourable light; they laugh at us at fift, call us bumpkins, and, for a time, VOL. XXII. are diverted with the antics of creatures juft caught, as their phrafe is. But their kindnefs and hospita lity fhine through all their harmless merriment, and they foon adopt us as their own. They confider us as rough diamonds-I mean the best of us, Eliza, and they polith us to their own luftre and brightness; every flaw is removed, and this polish conflitutes a Londoner. Human nature, indeed, is the fame every where in this refpect, every man that breathes is our brother, whether on the banks of the Thames or the Ganges; whether fhivering in Greenland's winter, or parched with Tranfatlantic heat; in all, nature is the fame.-O! that education were fo, that all men were taught the value of themfelves in the great fcale of life, that they early conceived a love of virtue, and enjoyed a freedom from debafing fervitude! But no digreffions !-In London, Eliza, you fuppofe there are idlers, and your fuppofition is just; but the verieft London idler is a bufy being when compared to an idler in the country. Idlenefs with you literally means doing nothing. Now in London, al! men are bufy; for I fhall for a moment, banish the dif tinction between idleness and business. I fay all men here are bufy-An idler, the greatest idler you can pick out, is bufy from morning to night, and goes to bed as much fatigued · and as ready to partake of ficep, as any plowman or day-labourer. We call them ide because we have no other word, but the original meaning of the word idle, is fo far forgot, that we frequently speak of an idle employment, or an idle bufinefs, which according to the true meaning of the word, would be a contradiction in terms. What then are the employments of an idler? A thoufand-The man that is difpofed to be idle, has G a thou a thousand inviting objects before him, all tempting him, and fome-A third Letter from a Father t Daughter on Relative Duties. times fo equally that he remains fufpended in the middle, like Mahomet's tomb, or (he comparifon is more to my purpofe), like the afs in the fable, who peritled between two bundles of hay, or want of refolution to attack either. Your friend, Not fo, our idler, however; he may remain in doubt for a while, but his great enemy time joggs him on the elbow, and he makes his choice, among coffee-houfes, auctions, exhibitions, entertainments, plays, operas, concerts, balls, and many other things, in the conftant purfuit of which I am fure the fatigue that must be experienced is as great as any labourer or tradefman can boat, for it wearies and jades the fpirits, as well as exhaulis the body. In all this, my dear, 1 confider an idler as free from moral turpitude. He is a pure idler, but no rake. If he joins profligacy to the rest of his amufements, his butinefs is great indeed, and will speedily be brought to an end. no Have you then, Eliza, any nefs like this in the country? No, your idle hours or days are periodi. cal-a few plays, a race, or corporation ball, a wedding, &c. compofe your whole flock of pleafures. The reft you must feek for yourfelves; you must make amutement; here you have it ready made, and drelled every day in all various ways, to fuit all appetites. Your duty to your neighbour, is to love him as yourself, and to do to every one, as you would they fhould do unto you; not to injure the reidle-putation of any one, by flander or evil fpeaking, or to hurt them either by word or deed; and to fuffer malice or hatred to lurk in the fecret receffes of your heart. It is a duty incumbent on you, to act with kindnefs and benevolence to all around you, to comfort the troubled mind, to heal the broken heart, and bind up the wounds of your fellow-creatures under affliction; and chari. tably affift the fatherless, and the poor and needy, as far as your abilities will admit. "A new com. mandment," fays our blefled Saviour, "I give unto you, that ye love one another; by this fhall all But it is time for the prefent, to .conclude-In my next you shall have a continuation of my remarks general they must bcandid they full-and as true, if poffible, as the affection I bear to you, or the fin cerity with which I ubfcribe my-men know that you are my difciples, felf if ye love one another." Never rafhly cenfure or judge the actions of any one, and be always ready to forgive, as you hope to be forgiven, and be econ And uncle, My dear Child, TN a former letter, I treated C. briefly confider thofe relative dut 66 |
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