every political pamphlet the E- To tell you the truth, my dearly beloved brethren, you are all a pack of wavering, unsteady, thoughtless, unprincipled blockheads. I tell you. ye have no principle in any thing ye do, take ye either as a community, or as individuals. You all act by fashion and prejudice. Every wind alters your weather-cock opinions. As individuals, let us examine your dress, your health, and your morals. For drefs we must apply to the females, who are obliged to fuit their external ornaments to your taste and fancies. These are altered at least once a month, from high to low, from big to little, from decent to faucy, and from modeft to immodeft. No fashion, tho' ever fo ridiculous, is discarded, if there be but one madcap to fet the example; fo that the whole business of female economy, at prefent, is to afk, What is the fashion now? and then directly to repair to new regulate the drefs of the fucceeding day. This fets the whole kingdom in an uproar. And many a difpute arifes when two ladies meet differently dreffed, which is the newest fashion. Then examine the men themselves running from one taylor to another, for the neweft cut; from one fhoe-maker to another; from one barber to another; so that I verily believe not one man in ten, who is at all converfant in the modern world, can produce any one tradefman that he can employ in the article of dress, for three years fucceffively. Nor is it different in other refpects, of furniture or ornament. One fhop is feldom in fashion above a year or two, and then lo no-body buys any thing there now. The wine merchant has juft the fame chance; and the best claret is never to to be found in the fame cellar two seasons together. In refpect of health, the fame scene of folly is discovered. Inftead of employing regular bred phyficians, or men of experience and credit, the first lady in the land, fhould the be too free with the debauchee, will not scruple to go muffled up to the back-door of an advertising quack; and after having experienced the dreadful effects of folly, ignorance, and impudence, with one of these general pretenders, fhe boldly ventures on a fecond and third with the fame fuccefs, till be-doctor'd, or rather be-quack'd, to death, fhe facrifices her youth, her beauty, and her health, to the marvellous puffs of a worthless rafcal, who has found out the art of deceiving under the skreen of royal authority. Nor is the noble peer lefs guilty of this credulous uncertainty, who to remove the well-earn'd pangs of gouty indolence and luxury, will fend from shop to fhop, heap pill upon pill, decoction upon decoction, powder upon powder, balfam upon balfam, effence upon effence, tincture upon tincture, panacea upon panacea, till he has exhaufted his fpirits, his patience, and his life, in fearch of a medicine, which he wifely concludes is in the hand of an ignorant mercenary, where it dropt by chance, and which was not to be discovered by those who had spent a long life in a regular search after the proper medicines for the diforders of mankind. Nay, it is well known that even a family medicine, the noftrum of an old beldam, a plaister spread on a pair of bellows, and boiled in a pipkin by fome fuperannuated nurfe, who knows not her right hand from her left, is held in more eftimation by many, who would be ashamed to own it, than the application of a man of fenfe, who is thought a cheat, because, having spent his life and his fortune in the fervice of the fick, he endeavours to live in a decent and reputable manner. Add to thefe inftances the amazing changes in diet and drinking. A year ago, punch was the most heavenly liquor upon earth; and the grateful acidity in that mixture, a fine antifcorbutic, an agreeable cooler, and what not. Now, nobody must touch acids, that most deftructive pernicious falt, that corrofive poison which preys on the vitals of the strongest, and spares neither age nor complexion. Sometimes new malt liquors are as bad as a julep, and old beer is in high efteem; fometimes ftale beer is the bafis of all human diforders, and new are a bland, mild, and faponaceous fluid, capable of renovating the decays of time, and adding a blooming plumpness even in the laft ftages of nature. In refpect to religion also we may trace the fame follies, the fame credulity, the fame diffidence and uncertainty. Though we brag in public of the molt reasonable, the moft pure, the most scripture-like establishment, yet look among us and fee how we are broken and divided. What has the liberty which we glory in produced? Such diverfities of opinions, that out of one proteftant church we have fpun out a thousand cavilling fectari fts, who are daily by fome new-fangled jargon, leading afide the weak brethren from their reasonable fervice. Though Chrift has commanded the little children to be brought unto him, Of the ASSEMBLIES of RUSSIA. HEN Catharina Alexowna of bondage, but fhe undertook to introduce mixed affemblies, as in other parts of Europe: fhe altered the womens dress by fubftituting the fafhions of England; instead of furs, fhe brought in the ufe of taffeta and damask, and cornets and commodes inftead of caps of fable. The women now found themselves no longer fhut up in feparate apartments, but faw company, vifited each other, and were prefent at every entertainment. Affem But as the laws to this effect were directed to a favage people, it is amusing enough, the manner in which the ordinances run. blies were quite unknown among them, the Czarina was fatisfied with introducing them, for the found it impoffible to render them polite. An ordinance was therefore publifhed according to their notions of breeding, which as it is a curiofity, and has never before been printed that we know of, we fhall give our readers. I. The perfon, at whose house the affembly is to be kept, shall fignify the fame by hanging out a bill, or by giving fome other public notice, by way of advertifement, fexes. to perfons of both II. The affembly fhall not be open fooner than four or five o'clock in the afternoon, nor continue longer than ten at night. III. The master of the house shall not be obliged to meet his guests, or conduct them out, or to keep them company; but, though he is exempt from all this, he is to find the chairs, candles, liquors, and all other neceffaries the company may ask for; he is likewife to provide them with cards, dice, and every W was made emprefs of Ruffia, neceffary of gaming. the women were in an actual ftate IV. IV. There shall be no fixed hour for coming or going away; it is enough for a perfon to appear in the affembly. V. Every one shall be free to fit, walk, or game, as he pleases; nor fhall any one go about to hinder him, or take exceptions at what he does, upon pain of emptying the great eagle (a pint bowl full of brandy): It fhall likewife be fufficient, at entering, or retiring, to falute the company. VI. Perfons of distinction, noblemen, fuperior officers, merchants, and tradefmen of note, head workmen, especially carpenters, and perfons employed in chancery, are to have liberty to enter the affemblies; as likewife their wives and children. VII. A particular place fhall be affigned the footmen, except those nine. IX. Ladies, who play at forfeitures, queftions and commands, &c. fhall hot be noify or riotous; no gentleman shall attempt to force a kifs, and no perfon fhall offer to ftrike a woman in the affembly, under pain of future exclufion. Such are the statutes upon this accafion, which, in their very appearance, carry an air of ridicule and fatire. But politenefs muft enter every country by degrees, and these rules resemble the breeding of a clown, aukward, but fincere. POETRY. The ACTOR, a Poetical Epistle to Bonnell Thornton, Efq; A CTING, dear Bonnell, its perfection draws From no obfervance of mechanic laws. No fettled maxims of a fav'rite Stage, If 'mongst the humble hearers of the Pit, |