wirtue of their ancestors, and begin to rival each other in imitating the mincing ftep, and lifping voice, of a French dancing-master. "As this affectation of the Graces is a new diforder, I shall take the liberty, with fubmiffion to the College of Phyficians, to give it a new name, and call it the CHARITOMANIA. The following is an effay on the caufe, fymptoms, and cure, of this alarming difeafe; which, I hope, will obtain at least equal attention with the medical cafes which are fo often prefented to the public by each felf-important modern Hippocrates, A young man, apprentice to a mercer in the city of London, caught the Charitomania, by reading in a magazine a few letters of Lord Chesterfield concerning the art of pleafing. Before this accident he was known to have fpoken in a manly voice, and to have dreffed with a decent plainnefs. But now he conftantly wears his head powdered and perfumed, and his coat cut in the extreme of the fashion, fpeaks with a foft womanish accent, affects gallantry with his female cuftomers, particularly married women, and affumes all the grimaces, attitudes, and airs, which form the complete petit maitre. Upon confidering his cafe, I prefcribed a grain of common fenfe to be used in reflecting, that a behaviour, which might become an Envoy Extraor dinary at the court of Drefden, was ridiculous behind a counter in Cheapfide. A young divine was fo terribly infected with the contagion, that from being perfectly plain in his external parts, on a fudden his fingers were covered with carbuncles, his hair changed colour, and fmelt ftrongly, his legs turned to a dead white, the exterior covering of his head was contracted to a nut-fhell, and his whole appearance fo wonderfully metamorphofed, that he neither knew nor was known by any of his former acquaintance. The diforder was attended with an ufual fymptom, an invincible Pauperophobia, which made him day and night feek the company of the rich and great, and fly from a poor christian brother as from a plague. In the pulpit, he was unable to turn his eyes upwards, but felt an irrefiftible inclination to ogle the female part of his congregation. I recommended to him, but I fear without effect, a little cool meditation every night when he went to bed, to be spent in ruminating, whether or not the beauty of holiness would not be a more becoming grace, than any of those inculcated by a graceless lordling. The two famous univerfities of this land are over-run with the infection. It is attended with a BIBLIOPHOBIA, which not only prevents the difeafed perfons from attending to the porter-like language of Homer's gods, but compels them to convert their libraries into dreffingrooms, to be confulting the looking-glafs when they should be confulting the lexicon, and learning the art of pleafing fome pretty mar ried woman, when they should be reading the art of logic with their tutors. I have given a hint to all the patients who have come froni thofe places to confult me, to confider that the Graces feldom chufe to remain after the Mules are entirely difmiffed. "A certain "A certain honeft tradefinan, who had followed the vocation of a tallow-chandler from the age of fourteen to forty, being on a fudden enriched by a large legacy from a diftant relation, who had not vouchfafed to know him while alive, was immediately feized with a most violent Charitomania. His body no longer emitted the odoriferous effluvia of tallow, but fent forth fmells of perfume, which had never happened to him before in his life. The covering of his head, which was before a creditable periwig with a double row of curls be hind, fuddenly. dropt off, and was fucceeded by a boyish head of hair with a tail thicker and longer than the thickeft and longest of his candles. He was foon over-run with a tribe of vermin called dancing mafters, French mafters, and perruquiers. His diforder was attended with a lofs of memory, and he entirely forgot all his acquaintance who used to meet at the porter-club once a week. Inftead of thefe, whom he no longer knew, he fought the company of wits and beaux in the fashionable coffee-houses at the west end of the town. But what is remarkable in his cafe is, that though the fymptoms were fo violent and alarming, yet instead of being received with condolence and fympathy, he was every where treated with contempt and laughter. After frequent prefcriptions, which failed on account of the inveteracy of the difeafe, I gave him up as incurable. "Were 1 to enumerate all the cafes of this diforder, which have fallen under my notice, I verily believe my work would confift of many volumes, folio. I fhall therefore reft fatisfied with having given fuch a fhort history of this terrible pettilence, as may tend in fome measure to elucidate its cause, nature, and effects; and I fhall, with a public fpirit unknown to my brother quacks, communicate the following invaluable noftrum, which, taken in time, is a fovereign remedy. "Let' the patient administer to himself a small dofe confifting of a few grains of common fenfe, and a fcruple of modetty, which will not fail to purge away all tumours arifing from vanity". or if the patient has not courage enough to be his own phyfician, let his friends apply a blister to the morbid part, made up of cauftic ridicule." From this fpecimen the critical reader will difcern that our Effayift appears to have taken the writings of Steele and Addifon for his model, Thefe little tracts, indeed, feem to have been calculated for the mode of publication, under which the Spectators and Tatlers firft appeared in the world and we doubt not, if they had fo made their appearance, they would have met with a like favourable reception. Effay the third treats of the complaints peculiar to men of learning. "Some have afferted, that happiness, however various in kind, is alike in degree thorugh all the human fpecies. In confequence of this opinion, the con plaints of the ftudent are thought to be no better founded than thofe of the mechanic. Mankind are indeed, it is a.lowed more frequently reminded of the evils of the poet and the man of science, than of the misfortunes of the merchant and the ma nufacturer. It is not, however, thought to be the fuperior number or weight of the calamities of the former which brings them to the ears of the public, but their practice of committing all their thoughts and actions to writing. The tradefiman has a fever, or lofes a part of his family, or his fortune; he sheds a tear in fecret, and the world fees not his affliction: while a Quintilian, as if the events were uncom mon, tranfmits the lofs of a wife and child to eternity *. A malefac tor is banished to fome diftant shore, and no more is heard of him but an Ovid, exiled for a criminal amour, endeavours to excite the tear of pity in the most diftant ages. "Notwithstanding the plaufibility of these remarks, an impartial ob ferver will be obliged to confefs, that if the evils of men of letters be not greater than thofe of others, yet the fenfe of them is commonly more acute. The fame delicacy of feeling which renders them particularly fufceptible of intellectual beauty, makes them feel more fen fibly the common diftreffes of human life. Men of letters are, for the most part, in a state of intense thought while they, who are engaged in lefs refined purfuits, are frequently, (however fome may doubt the total inactivity of the mind) in a ftate of mental infenfibility; and if happiness is only in the mind, every little accident must destroy his tranquillity who is ever in meditation. The pleasures of men of literature, are those which arife from the contemplation of greatnefs, novelty, and beauty; pleafures of the pureft and most exalted nature. Perhaps, no itate is more truly happy than that of a man of genius, at the time he is clofely engaged in furveying either of these three ources of imaginative enjoyment; but the very purity and excellence of thefe pleasures, are ultimately the occafion of mitery to their votaries. Our prefent condition will not permit mere mental gratifications to engrofs our whole care and attention; and when the mind reverts from its ideal blits to the occupations which its union with a body neceffarily enjoins, the tranfition from f preme delight to infipidity and vexation, becomes the occation of à degree of mifery proportionate to the degree of loft happinefs. 66 Genius has always perfection for its object; but perfection is not to be found in human affairs. Genius is, therefore, disgusted with the impoffibility of obtaining that which is conftantly in its view. This it fuffers in the receffes of study: but upon entrance into the tranfactions and employments of bufy life, the perfection which it aims at, is much more rarely visible. Objects, which to the com mon mind are pleating or inditterent, appear to the mind of genius de formed and dilgufting; because they fall fhort of that image of perfection, formed in the fancy, to which, as a standard, every thing is bfually referred and compared. Thus acuteness of difcernment ferves to difcaver concealed blemishes, as the microfcope fees a fpot where the paked eye beheld nothing but beauty. Pofterity would certainly have been a better word. Rev. "The The man of study is generally engaged in ferious employments, He lives (adaws, as the Greeks call it) conftantly attentive to fome end. The rest of the world devote the greatest share of their time to cafe, merriment, and diverfion. The man of study is drawn fometimes from his clofet, in compliance with cuftom, or follicited by importunity, to partake of the ordinary amufements of common life. He goes with reluctance and timidity, for he cannot fhine in company, and he looks upon every avocation as an obstacle to the accomplishment of his chief end and wishes; and he returns with chagrin, becaufe in the hour of convivial gaiety or of feftal levity, he has found his merits pafs unnoticed, and his authority treated with neglect. The feveral caufes which have been thus far affigned for the que Fulaus difpofition of literary men, cannot reflect on them any difgrace; but there are other caufes equally probable, and more dishonourable. They who are conftantly endeavouring to add to their attain ments, mean at the fame time to increase their value and acquire reputation. Every step of progreffive advancement fills the breaft of he proficient with a higher opinion of his own merit, and confirms his confcioufnefs of felf-dignity. But the world is not privy to every new acquifition which the ftudent makes in his clofet. He therefore increases his exactions of respect, before his companions are fenfible of an increase of merit. To claim refpect, and not to have the claim allowed, is peculiarly mortifying to a votary of literary fame. From pride, therefore, the cultivator of the fciences derives no fmall part of his uneafinefs. "Every end that is worth pursuit, has a great number of purfaers, Competitors naturally look upon cach other as enemies, mutually op pofing their feveral withes. This jealoufy is no where to be found more frequent, or more violent, than among the purfuers of literary honours. The ftudent is therefore envious; and than cwvy *, as the fatirift remarks, no Sicilian tyrant ever invented a greater torture. "Whether thefe are the true caufes of the complaints and wretchedpefs of the learned, is not very material f. Certain it is, that they who are furnished with the means of the greatest happiness, are fre-, quently the most miferable. One inference of extenfive utility may be drawn from thefe reflections: They to whom the fire of genius and the fruits of learning are denied, may congratulate themselves that if they want the advantages of genius and learning, they are alfo free from their inconveniencies, and that their inconveniences commonly ex, feed their advantages," An aukward tranfpofition of words, too common with this ingenious writer; notwithstanding his language is in general eafy and his periods, harmonious. Rev. This fort fentence is alfo aukwardly put together. It would have been better if the last part had been fit, beginning with the imperfona, A nominative cafe, made up of fourteen words in a fentence, confifting enly of eighteen, is by no means elegant. Rev. Satisfied Satisfied as we are with our Effayift's illuftration of his fub ject; we can by no means fubfcribe to the conclufion, which he draws from it. It is, to be fure, an excellent piece of con folation for the dunces: but, if the dunces have really the adyantage, what need have they for confolation? The author of Epiftles to Lorenzo draws a different conclufion from a fimilar comparison. After expatiating on the negative advantages of ignorance, he apoftrophizes thus: Bleft ignorance of cares fo free! To quacks, when fick, would truft my cure; Opprefs me Heav'n with every woe, The truth is, that neither happiness nor mifery are dependant on mental abilities or qualifications; providence having fo conftituted the world and its enjoyments, that in every ftate, the pains and pleafures of life compenfate each other. Our Effayift, indeed, in his reflections on patience, fays, "That Mifery is more general than happiness, has been long perceived even by those who have only taken a fuperficial view of human life. But although the evils which openly appear, which lour on the brows and melt in the eye, are numerous; yet is the melancholy catalogue, which none but the fufferer reads, written in his own heart, infinitely more crouded with wretchedness and woe." We do, indeed, agree with this writer that they "who have only taken a fuperficial view of human life, may have perceived (or rather conceived) that mifery is more general than happiness." But we deny that they, who have taken a more penetrating and profound view of it, have perceived any fuch thing. Nay, we doubt whether this writer himself hata not taken up this notion on truft, from the lamentable lucu brations |