quated, and, I hope I may say it without offence, a jog-trot-plan, without any compliance with the changes that have taken place within a century in our manners and habits, and without once considering, or indeed appearing to be in the least degree sensible, that there exists a WORLD of FASHION, whose times and seasons are not to be regulated by the heavenly bodies, but by other bodies duly constituted for the purpose, and which move in eccentric orbs, and describe circles of which the great Master Lilly, or his successor Merlin, could have no idea.

I was led to consider this important subject a few nights ago, when I received the annual present of Rider's British Merlin from my stationer, a man who, I will do him the justice to say, knows the value of a present to a poor Projector, although he has lately dropt some hints about the advanced price of the article, and the propriety of abolishing vails. On looking over this new edition of my old friend Mr. Cardanus Rider, I saw, as it were in a moment, the inutility of going on in the way, and giving a great deal of information to the publick on matters in which they are now little concerned, while a profound silence

old

is preserved respecting the many important subjects which engage universal attention.

The principal error, I soon discovered, of those gentlemen, Mr. Rider, Mr. Moore, Mr. Wing, and others, "who compile for their coun try's benefit," has been their taking the word country in a sense too limited for modern times, and consequently understanding thereby that part of his Majesty's dominions only which is "off the stones," to the utter exclusion of that other and more important district which lies within the Bills of mortality, or, to speak with more precision, between Hyde-park Corner and Whitechapel Church. In a word, they have neglected to make the proper distinction between town and country, and have devoted their astronomical labours entirely to the latter, as if the town had any thing in common with the country.

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Of this mistake, and its fatal consequences, may be necessary to offer a few proofs before I proceed to lay open my plan of improvement. And here I shall first observe a very prominent source of error. While they continue to divide the year into four quarters, or, as some call them, seasons, they do not seem to have the least idea of the proper beginning or ending of

any of these seasons. For example, that antient gentleman, Mr. Cardanus Rider, states, with more gravity than we can preserve in reading it, that the winter-quarter begins De cember 22, at 36 minutes past 5 o'clock. I shall not quarrel with him about the minutes; but I should be glad to know if any person living in the WORLD, properly so called, ever heard of winter beginning before the Queen's birth-day; that is to say, before the town is full? And I leave it to my readers to deter mine, whether it be not extremely absurd to compute Winter by a certain quantity of snow or frost, the price of coals, the appearance of mince-pies, or the death of turkies?

This error, however, being once established, let us contemplate the series of blunders which are in its train. The Spring is said to begin on March 21, which is the very middle of the Winter season; and the Summer is said to begin at June 22, whereas every child knows that the Summer is a moveable season, and depends entirely on the prorogation of Parlia ment, and the visitation of the watering-places. Autumn, by the same mistake, is made to begin September 23; but this may be pardoned as harmless at least, since no such season is known in the metropolis, it being a place

which is at that time very unwholesome to every person that can afford to leave it.

These are some of the sources of error, which our Almanack-makers have increased, from a want of attention and conformity to the manners of modern times and seasons. It is notorious that these are as different from what our ancestors were used to, as the climate of England is from that of Lapland, and indeed much more so, since the length of night in Lapland seems calculated for a much more genteel and refined class of society than is to be found in that country. Why our astrologers should fill up their lucubrations with so much information about the sun is truly astonishing; at least it is a proof that they sacrifice the interests of the town to those of the country. What purpose can their information respecting sun-rising answer, except it be a hint to break up company? The progress of the sun, it is well known, is a matter of no consequence in London, the inhabitants of which (I mean those who live in the WORLD) have the least personal acquaintance of all people on earth with that luminary, and are in a great measure independent of either his light or heat. The age of the moon, indeed, may still be retained; it may be occasionally useful in visits round the metropolis;

and some players are said to fix their benefits when it is at the full, from a notion that all the world does not travel by torch-light. I would also retain some slight mention of this luminary, from the influence it is supposed to have in many of the arrangements of fashionable life—at least such is the opinion of Dr. Willis, and other gentlemen of the faculty with whom I have had the honour of conversing on this subject.

My new plan then is, briefly, to omit all those calculations which respect the sun, and insert in their room some of the particulars which are hereafter to be mentioned. I would likewise

propose to omit all that sage advice respecting agriculture and physick, which Mr. Cardanus Rider has for so many years "compiled for his country's good," but which can be of no kind of use in the metropolis. For example, he thus gives counsel in January: "In this month uncover the roots of trees, and cover with dung the roots of new-planted trees, to prevent the frost from injuring them," &c. And with respect to physick, he says, "Let not blood, and use no physick, unless there be a necessity. Eat often, and avoid too much sleep." The latter part of this caution, every one must see, is superfluous; and as to using no physick,