awe, fo well fuited to his contemplative mind. In the words of the poet, he could have faid,

"Thefe that exalt the foul to folemn thought, "And heavenly mufing!"

Our filence had now continued for about a quarter of an hour; and an unusual ftillness prevailed around us, interrupted only by the tread of our horfes, which, returning at stated intervals, affifted by the echo of the mountains, formed a hollow found, which increased Mr. Johnson, the folemnity of the scene. tiring of this filence, and not having the leaft comprehenfion of its caufe, all at once, and without warning, lifted up his voice, and began the fong of Push about the foram." Mr. Fleetwood's foul was then wound up to its utnoft height. At the found of Mr. Johnson's voice he started, and viewed him with a look of horror, mixed with contempt. During the reft of our journey, I could hardly prevail on my friend to be civil to him; and though he is, in every refpect, a worthy and a good-na

tured

tured man, and though Mr. Fleetwood and he have often met fince, the former has never been able to look upon him without disgust.

. Mr. Fleetwood's entertainment in this fhort tour has produced, in my mind, many reflections, in which I doubt not I fhall be antici pated by my readers.

There are few fituations in life, from which a man, who has confined his turn for enjoyment within the bounds pointed out by nature, will not receive fatisfaction; but, if we once tranfgrefs thofe bounds, and, feeking after too much refinement, indulge a falfe and miftaken delicacy, there is hardly a fituation in which we will not be expofed to disappointment and difguft.

Had it not been for this falfe, this dangereus delicacy, Mr. Fleetwood, inftead of uneafinefs, would have received pleasure from every vifit we made, from every incident we met with.

At the first houfe to which we went, it was not neceffary that he should have preferred the bottle to the enjoyment of a fine evening in the country; but that not being the fentiments of the company, had he, without repin

E 3

ing,

ing, given up his tafte to theirs, inftead of feeling difguft at what appeared to him coarfe in their enjoyments, he would have felt pleafure at the mirth and good-humour which prevailed around him; and the very reflection, that different employments gave amufement to different men, would have afforded a lively and philanthropical fatisfaction.

It was fcarcely to be expected, that the barrennefs and drynefs of the conversation at our fecond vifit, could fill up, or entirely fatisfy the delicate and improved mind of Mr. Fleet wood; but, had he not laid it down almost as a rule, not to be pleafed with any thing, except what fuited his own idea of enjoyment, he might, and ought to have received pleafure from the fight of a worthy family, fpending their time innocently, happily, and usefully; usefully, both to themselves and to their country.

It was owing to the fame falfe fenfibility, that he was fo much chagrined in the family of Mr. Selby. The fond indulgence of the parents did, perhaps, carry their attention to their children beyond the rules of propriety; but, had it not been for this finicalnefs of mind in Mr. Fleetwood, had he given the natu

ral

ral benevolence of his heart its play, he would have received a pleasure from witneffing the happiness of two virtuous parents in their rif ing offspring, that would have much overbalanced any uneafinefs arifing from the errors in their conduct.

Neither, but for this exceffive refinement, would Mr. Fleetwood have been hurt by the behaviour of Mr. Johnson. Though he might not have confidered him as a man of taste, he would, nevertheless, have regarded him as a' good and inoffenfive man; and he would have received pleasure from the reflection, that neither goodness nor happiness are confined to thofe minds which are fitted for feeling and enjoying all the pleasures of nature or of art.

A

N° 11.

SIN

TUESDAY, March 2, 1779.

INCE the commencement of the late levies, understand that not only drill ferjeants have had daily access to the lobbies and parlours of many decent and peaceable houses in this metropolis, but that profeffors of the noble fcience of defence have been fo conftantly occupied in attending grown gentlemen, and ungrown officers, that their former fcholars have found great difficulty in procuring mafters to push with them, and have frequently been obliged to have recourse to the lefs edifying oppofition of one another.

The purpofe of the ferjeant's inftructions, every lover of his country muft approve. The laft-mentioned art, that of fencing, I formerly took great delight in myself, and still account one of the healthieft of all house-exercifes, infomuch that, when I am in the country, where I make it a rule to spend a certain part of every day in exercise of fome kind, I generally take up my foil in rainy mornings, and push with great fuccefs against the figure of Herod, in a piece of old arras that was taken