in the world. You are not, ignorant, Madam, that the faireft half of mankind peculiarly pay their homage to you; that not a few are fo totally under your influence, as greatly deferving to bear your name, and that our aftronomers fpend whole nights in paying their court to you, like a Spanish inamorado under his miftrefs's bal. cony. If, notwithstanding this, Madam, we prefume to decline the honour of your prefence, it is from a motive which we perfuade ourselves will not give offence the compliment is by no means fo coarfe as it at first appears. You have been long fince obferved to avoid tumult, and the glare of day, appearing abroad only in the fhade or filence of the night. This difpofition could be but indifferently entertained at a festival, where the multitude of illuminations will turn night into day, and heaven and earth will ring with the thundering explofion of our artillery. Befides, the brightness of your beauty, if it railes admiration in fome, it excites no lefs envy in others, who apprehend that they fhall be totally eclipfed by it. Our vanity is for fhining a little, and we too well know, that it would be disappointed by your prefence among us. Indulge us for once in this trifling foible; your highness can never be at a lofs for diverfions elfewhere. If you are ftill of the fame mind, as ancient philofophers thought, you may amufe yourself in caufing the crawfifh to grow, in filling the bones with marrow, and imperceptibly gnawing ftones; or, according to the moderns, there is the more noble occupation of influencing the flowing and ebbing of the fea. We are not for fending you to prefide at fome birth; after that with which you have fo lately bleffed our eyes, it is by all means fit that you should have fome refpite. Formerly you were feen to ramble all over the world at the beck of a magician, you may return to that diverfion, or if you have done with incantations, there is your old trade of hunting, which you may be fuppofed not to have forgot, and much lefs the foft hours which

you

you spent with the handfome Endymion; you may give him a rendezvous for that night, and be affured, that fuch an act of complaifance to us, on this occafion, fhall not meet with misbecoming returns. We fhall not difturb you in your tete a tete, nor fo much as put an ill conftruction upon it; neither fhall we blaze abroad all the nocturnal thefts to which your rigid modefty condefcends to be privy. To do you the greater honour, ail the half-moons of our fortifications will turn into whole moons; our ftar-gazers fhall be prohibited from giving out that your face has fpots upon it; and though you affect to give us a fight only of one fide, we will take it for granted that the other is not inferior to it. Thus your highness fees that your favour will not be thrown away; and may we be permitted alfo to intimate to you, that it is not advifeable to put people out of humour at a time when your dominions begin to totter, left you should no longer be confulted about planting, fowing, and paring the nails; nay, who knows but that the numbers who have loft their wits, may call upon you for reftitution, being informed by Ariofio, that you have all the wit loft here below concealed in phials. After all, it is but a trifle that is requefted of you-it will even make for your glory; for it must be acknowledged, that the endeavour to difpenfe with your prefence favours of temerity, of which, however, you will foon be revenged, by the univerfal defire of feeing you the very next day: yet, Madam, if you are abfolutely determined to come, we pray, that at least it may be masked and incog. Deities are faid usually to wrap themselves up in a cloud, and with fuch an envelope, your prefence will not be objected against. We were in no fmall perplexity how to tranfmit this letter to you, but at length it was propofed to make ufe of a rocket, when the fhade of Cirans de Bergerue kindly came

*See a Voyage to the Moon, written by the fame author, recommended by the Earl of Cork, in his account of Dean Swift.

and

and offered us his fervice. As he has already made the voyage, and has the honour of being known to you, we are the more inclined to hope for fuccefs in this request. Wishing that a perpetual ferenity may dwell on your auguft countenance, and recommending ourfelves to your benign influence, we are, with profound respect,

Your lunatic highness's most humble, &c.

ORIGINAL BON MOT.

A lady and gentleman, a few evenings ago, were converfing upon the fcience of grammar-" Pray, madam," faid the gentleman, "what part of fpeech is a kifs?"" Aye, what is it?" replied the lady.— "A fubftantive, I believe, Madam."" Is it a noun proper, or common?" interrogated the lady.-Proper, madam."-"No," rejoined the, "I think its both proper and common."-The reader may guess what followed.

G. H.

A

THE REFLECTOR.

[No. III.]

"This fellow is wife enough to play the fool."

SHAKESPEARE,

MIDST the general frivolity of the age, perhaps there is no fcience fo little underftood as the fcience of Folly; nor do I remember to have seen a single treatise on the Wisdom of being a Fool. Yet is there much to be learnt from this fource, and many falutary effects to be derived from fo trivial an art.

For one, I have long thought, that half of our difappointments in ordinary life are the confequences of an over-ftrained wisdom. The fupercilious dignity of the pedant, and the prudifh feverity of the demirep; the fanctimonious fcrupulofity of the bigot, and the in

flexible

flexible regulations of honour, are alike the offsprings of imaginary greatnefs. To acquire the reputation of fenfe, it is not neceffary to be fenfible, any more than it is to be pious in order to wear the femblance of pictv but, to unite fenfe with condefcenfion, and the effentials of piety with thofe of politenefs, is a perfection not eafily acquired. We rarely fee them combined. Virtue is too often repulfive, and vice feldom uninviting. Vice, to become alluring, invefts herself with the appearance of virtue; while virtue is ever defeating her own lovelinefs by wearing the afperities of vice. These are fubjects for ferious regret. They fhew, it is true, the beauty of virtue, but they fhew alfo the efficiency of vice.

Pleafure is the enchantrefs of man. Our very pains are the skeletons of pleasure. But for this, it is probable that evil would never have gained an empire in the world for nothing but the promife of pleasure can feduce us from the path of rectitude. Some peculiar gratification which we have chofen as the vehicle of happiness (for pleasure is moftly ideal) propofes itself to our view, and we risk every thing to obtain what we regard as important to our peace: this expofes us to contentions; and difappointment but irritates defire : hence the broils and affaffinations which deform our private walks, and the bloodshed which hath inundated worlds.

:

But we propofed a lefs weighty difcourfe and, if we have extended our fubject by tracing the influence of hypocrify, fo intimately connected with it; and the compofition of pleafure as exerted on the actions of man; let us refume our lighter intentions.

Let any one look about in the world, and he will find ample caufe to regret that wisdom is not more dignified with folly. I fay, more dignified with folly; for folly should be to wifdom as a handfome frame to an excellent picture. It is for want of this admirable union, that wisdom looks fo unamiable. How, in the

name

name of reafon, are fociety to be reformed by his inftructions, who thinks them too foolish for inftruction? Often have I feen thofe who were difpofed to learn, and who fought, with the moft lamb-like fubmiffion, fome information from a literary character, repelled by this owlet of fcience; whofe mifled eyes were importantly turned from the child of vacant fimplicity: What a contraft in the accomplished Marcius :-he, though verfed in the best systems of natural, moral, and hiftorical philofophy, is ever ready to give information, even to those who are leaft willing to cultivate his kindnefs; and, fo fearful is he to offend the feelings of his auditors, by a feeming oftentation or pride, that, when he has had questions repeated from those who could not clearly attend to his inftructions, I have seen him more diftreffed than the most ignorant of men. Why fo few of the literati like a Marcius? I know a person whose auftere Christianity has made feven infidels of his children; and a woman whofe fqueamish morality hurried her daughter to the paths of feduction! Chriftianity and morality, however, have better fupporters, though they have not more deftructive enemies than are to be found amongst the number of their profeffors. Whenever Felix calls his little family to the devotions of the day, I fee thofe who are in love with religion, from the amiable conduct of him who acts up to its divine injunctions. His family are the willing copies of fo benevolent a friend. Elmira, for these many years, has been the only preceptor of her Emma; and that Emma is the fprightly child of innocence, for the never knew the voice of reproof, when reproof was inconfiftent with truth. During the laft winter I vifited this happy mother, for happiness is the order of her house; and, to oblige her Emma, faw her mingle in the youthful dance with all the cheerfulness and much of the vigour of those with whom the mingled.

In that great eftimate of the late Lord Chatham, the author fays "The ordinary feelings, which make life amiable and indolent, were unknown to him. No do

meftic