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After having fpoken thus freely (and I hope justly) of the French tongue, it would be a grofs affront to our own, should I draw any parallel between them. The Englifh profe, fuch I mean as is made ufe of in converfation, is admirably adapted to exprefs the fentiments of brave, fenfible, fincere people, in a refolute, determinate, and open manner. The pronunciation from a good voice is mufical and manly, and can yield to nothing in harmony, except the poetry of it. The English heroic verfe is an iambic measure of five feet, and in tragedy we have sometimes a perfect iambic of fix feet. As,

I fnatch'd the glorious golden opportunity.

The fame as,

Beatus ille qui procul negotiis.

The iambic, though used by the Latin tragedians, is too quick a measure for the purpofe. But the English tongue, abounding more with monofyllables and confonants, adds a weight and dignity to the fpirit of the measure; fo that, upon the whole, it is extremely animated and majestic.

Hail, Energeia! hail, my native tongue,

Concifely full, and mufically strong!

The effects of babitual mifery, exemplified in the life of a dijabled Joldier.

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O obfervation is more common, and at the fame time more true, than That one half of the world are ignorant how the other half lives. The misfortunes of the great are held up to engage our attention are enlarged upon in tones of declamation; and the world is called upon to gaze at the noble fufferers: the great, under the preffure of calamity, are confcious of feveral others fympathifing with their diftrefs; and have, at once, the comfort of admiration and pity.

There is nothing magnanimous in bearing misfortunes with fortitude when the whole world is

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While the flightest inconveniencies of the great are magnified into calamities: while tragedy mouths out their fufferings in all the strains of eloquence, the miferies of the 'poor are entirely difregarded; and yet fome of the lower rank of people undergo more real hard fhips in one day, than thofe of a 'more exalted station fuffer in their whole lives. It is inconceivable what difficulties the meanest of our common foldiers and failors en dure without murmuring or regret; without paffionately declaiming a gainst Providence, or calling their fellows to be gazers on their intrepidity. Every day is to them a day of mifery, and yet they entertain their hard fate without repining.

With what indignation do I hear 'an Ovid, a Cicero, or a Rabutin, complain of their misfortunes and hardships, whofe greateft calamity was that of being unable to vifit a 'certain fpot of earth, to which they had foolishly attached an idea of happiness. Their diftreffes were pleafures, compared to what many of the adventuring poor every day endure without murmuring. They ́eat, drank, and flept; they had flaves to attend them, and were fure of fubfiftence for life; while many of

their fellow-creatures are obliged to wander, without a friend to comfort or affift them, and even without a fhelter from the feverity of the feafon.

I have been led into these reflections from accidentally meeting, fome days ago, a poor fellow whom I knew when a boy, dressed in a failor's jacket, and begging at one of the outlets of the town, with a wooden leg. I knew him to be honeft and induftrious when in the country, and was curious to learn what had reduced him to his prefent fituation. Wherefore, after giving him what I thought proper, I defired to know the hiftory of his life and misfortunes, and the manner in which he was reduced to his prefent diftrefs. The difabled foldier, for fuch he was, though dreffed in a failor's habit, fcratching his head, and leaning on his cratch, put himself into an attitude to comply with my requeft, and gave me his history as follows:

"As for my misfortunes, mafter, I can't pretend to have gone thro' any more than other folks; for except the lofs of my limb, and my being obliged to beg, I don't know any reafon, thank Heaven, that I have to complain; there is Bill Tibbs, of our regiment, he has lott both his legs, and an eye to boot; but, thank Heaven, it is not fo bad with me yet.

"I was born in Shropshire, my father was a labourer, and died when I was five years old; fo I was put upon the parish. As he had been a wandering fort of a man, the parishioners were not able to tell to what parish I belonged, or where I was born, fo they fent me to another parish, and

that parish fent me to a third. I thought in my heart they kept fending me about fo long, that they would not let me be born in any parish at all; but, at last, however, they fixed me. I had fome difpofition to be a fcholar, and was refolved, at least, to know my letters; but the mafter of the workhoufe put me to bufinefs as foon as I was able to handle a mallet; and here I lived an eafy kind of life for five years. I only wrought ten hours in the day, and had my meat and drink provided for my labour. It is true, I was not fuffered to tir out of the houfe, for fear, as they faid, I fhould run away: but what of that? I had the Jiberty of the whole houfe, and the yard before the door, and that was enough for me, I was then bound out to a farmer, where I was up both early and late; but I eat and drank well, and liked my business well enough till he died, when I was obliged to provide for .myfelf: fo I was refolved to go and feek my fortune.

In this manner I went from town to town, worked when I could .get employment, and starved when I could get none: when happening one day to go through a field be. longing to a juftice of peace, I fpied a hare croffing the path juft before me; and 1 believe the devil put it in my head to fling my ftick at it:-well, what, will you have on't? I killed the hare, and was bringing it away in triumph, when the juftice himself met me: he called me a poacher and a villain; and collaring me, defired I would give an account of my felf: I fell upon my knees, begged his wor.fhip's pardon, and began to give a full account of all that I knew of

my breed, feed, and generation; but, though I gave a very good account, the juftice would not believe a fyllable I had to fay; fo I was indicted at feffions, found guilty of being poor, and fent up to London to Newgate, in order to be tranfported as a vagabond.

People may fay this and that of being in jail; but, for my part, I found Newgate as agreeable a place as ever I was in all my life. I had my belly- full to eat and drink, and did no work at all. This kind of life was too good to laft for ever; fo I was taken out of prifon, after five months, put on board a fhip, and fent off, with two hundred more, to the Plantations. We had but an indifferent paffage; for, being all confined in the hold, more than a hundred of our people died for want of sweet air; and thofe that remained were fickly enough, God knows. When we came afhore, we were fold to the planters, and I was bound for feven years more. As I was no fcholar, for I did not know my letters, I was obliged to work among the negroes; and I ferved out my time, as in duty bound to do.

When my time was expired, I worked my paffage home, and glad I was to fee Old England again, because I loved my country. I was afraid, however, that I fhould be indicted for a vagabond once more, fo did not much care to go down into the country, but kept about the town, and did little jobs when I could get them.

"I was very happy in this manner for fome time, till one evening coming home from work, two men knocked me down, and then defired me to ftand. They be

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longed to a prefs-gang; I was car. ried before the juftice, and as I could give no account of myself, I had my choice left, whether to go on board a man of war, or lift for a foldier. I chose the latter; and in this poft of a gentleman, I ferved two campaigns in Flanders, was at the battles of Val and Fontenoy, and received but one wound, through the breaft here; but the doctor of our regiment foon made me well again.

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"When the peace came on, was discharged; and, as I could not work, becaufe my wound was fometimes troublesome, I lifted for a landman in the Eaft-India company's fervice. I here fought the French in fix pitched battles; and I verily believe, that, if I could read or write, our Captain would have made me a corporal. But it was not my good fortune to have any promotion; for I foon fell fick, and fo got leave to return home again with 401, in my pocket. This was at the beginning of the late war, and I hoped to be set on fhore, and to have the pleasure of Spending my money; but the government wanted men, and so I was preffed for a failor before ever I could fet foot on shore.

"The boatswain found me, as he faid, an obftinate fellow; he fwore he knew that I understood my bufinefs well, but that I fhammed Abraham, merely to be idle; but God knows, I knew nothing of sea-bpfiness, and he beat me, with out confidering what he was about. I had fill, however, my forty pounds, and that was fome comfort to me under every beating; and the money I might have had to this day, but that our fhip was

taken by the French, and fo I lost all.

"Our crew was carried into Breft, and many of them died, because they were not used to live in a jail; but, for my part, it was nothing to me, for I was feafoned. One night, as I was fleeping on the bed of boards, with a warm blanket about me, (for I always loved to lie well) I was awakened by the boatswain, who had a dark lanthorn in his hand: 66

Jack," fays he to me, "Will you knock out the French centry's brains?" I don't care, fays I, ftriving to keep myself awake, if I lend a hand. "Then follow me," fays he, " and I hope we shall do bufinefs." So up I got, and tied my blanket, which was all the cloaths I had, about my middle, and went with him to fight the Frenchmen. I hate the French, because they are all flaves, and wear wooden fhoes.

Though we had no arms, one Englishman is able to beat five French at any time: fo we went down to the door, where both centries were pofted, and rushing upon them, feized their arms in a moment, and knocked them down, From thence nine of us ran together to the quay, and feizing the first boat we met, got out of the harbour and put to fea. We had not been here three days, before we were taken up by the Dorlet privateer, who were glad of fo many good hands; and we confented to run our chance. However, we had not as much luck as we expected. In three days we fell in with the Pompadour privateer, of forty guns, while we had but twenty-three; fo to it we went, yard arm and yard. arm.

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The fight lafted for three hours, and I verily believe we should have taken the Frenchman, had we but had fome more men left behind; but unfortunately, we loft all our men, juft as we were going to get the victory.

"I was once more in the power of the French, and I believe it would have gone hard with me, had I been brought back to Brett; but, by good fortune, we were retaken by the Viper. I had almost forgot to tell you, that, in that engagement, I was wounded in two places: I loft four fingers of the left hand, and my leg was fhot off. If I had had the good fortune to have loft my leg, and ufe of my hand, on board a King's hip, and not aboard a privateer, I should have been intitled to cloathing and maintenance, during the rest of my life; but that was not my chance: one man is born with a filver spoon in his mouth, and another with a wooden ladle. However, bleffed be God, I enjoy good health, and will for ever love liberty and Old England. Liberty, property, and Old England, for ever, huzza!"

Thus faying, he limped off, leaving me in admiration at his intrepidity and content nor could I avoid acknowledging, that an habitual acquaintance with mifery ferves better than philofophy to teach us to defpife it.

Copy of a letter from the Duchefs of Cleveland, to King Charles II. taken from an hiftorical and critifal account of the life of Charles II.

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Paris, Tuefday the 28.-78. Was never fo furprised in my holle life time as I was at my coming hither, to find my Lady Suffex gone from my houfe and monaftery, where I left her, and this letter from her, which I here fend you the copy of. I never in my holle life time heard of fuch government of herfelf as the has had, fince I went into England. She has never been in the monaflery two days together, but every day gone out with the ambaffador, and has often lain four days toge ther at my houfe, and fent for her meat to the ambaffador, he being always with her till five o'clock in the morning, they two fhut up together alone, and would not let my maistre d'hotel wait, nor any of my fervants, only the ambaffador's. This has made so great a noife at Paris, that he is now the holle difcourfe. I am fo much afficted, that I can hardly write this for crying, to fee a child that I doted on, as I did on her, should make me fo ill a return, and join with the worft of men to ruin me. For fure never malice was like the ambaffador's, that only because I would not anfwer to his love, and the importunities he made to me, was refolved to ruin me. I hope your majefty will yet have that juice and confideration for me, that though I have done a foolish action, you will not let me be ruined by this most abominable man. I do confefs to you, that I

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