violation by writing his name in it, and telling the world it was Captain Tobias Shandy, the dearest of my flock and friends, whofe philanthropy I never think of at this long distance from his death-but my eyes gush out with tears. For his fake, I have a predilection for the whole corps of veterans; and fo I ftrode over the two back rows of benches, and placed myself befide him.

The officer was reading attentively a small pamphlet, It might be the book of the opera, with a large pair of fpectacles. As foon as I fat down, he took his Spectacles off, and putting them into a fhagreen cafe, returned them and the book into his pocket together. I half rose up, and made him a bow.

Tranflate this into any civilized language in the world-the fense is this:

"Here's a poor ftranger come into the box-he "feems as if he knew nobody; and is never likely, "were he to be feven years in Paris, if every man he

tr

comes near keeps his fpectacles upon his nose-'tis "fhutting the door of converfation abfolutely in his "face-and ufing him worse than a German."

The French officer might as well have faid it all aloud; and if he had, I should in course have put the bow I made him into French too, and told him, “I 66 was fenfible of his attention, and return'd him a "thousand thanks for it."

There is not a fecret fo aiding to the progrefs of fociality, as to get mafter of this Jhort band, and be quick in rendering the feveral turns of looks and

limbs, with all their inflections and delineations, into plain words. For my own part, by long habitude, I do it fo mechanically, that when I walk the streets of London, I go tranflating all the way; and have more than once ftood behind in the circle, where not three words have been said, and have brought off twenty different dialogues with me, which I could fairly have wrote. down and fworn to.

I was going one evening to Martini's concert at Milan, and was just entering the door of the hall, when the Marquifina di E*** was coming out in a fort of a hurry-fhe was almost upon me before I faw her; so I gave a spring to one fide to ler her pass -She had done the fame, and on the same fide too : fo we ran our heads together: fhe inftantly got to the other fide to get out; I was just as unfortunate as fhe had been; for I had fprung to that fide and oppofed her paffage again-We both few together to the other fide, and then back-and so on- it was rediculous; we both blush'd intolerably; fo I did at laft the thing I fhould have done at first-I ftood ftock ftill, and the Marquifina had no more difficulty. I had no power to go into the room, till I had made her fo much reparation as to wait and follow her with my eye to the end of the paffage-She look'd back twice, and walk'd along it rather fideways, as if the would make room for any one coming up stairs to pafs her-No, faid I-that's a vile tranflation: the Marquifina has a right to the best apology I can make her ; and that opening is left for me to do it in-so I ran

and begg'd pardon for the embarrassment I had given her, faying it was my intention to have made her way! She answered, fhe was guided by the fame intention towards me-fo we reciprocally thank'd each other She was at the top of the stairs; and feeing no chichefbée near her, I begg'd to hand her to her coach-fo we went down the stairs, stopping at every third step to talk of the concert and of the adventure.Upon my word, Madame, said I, when I had handed her in, I made fix different efforts to let you go out-And I made fix efforts, replied fhe, to let you enter-I wish to heaven you would make a seventh, faid I-With all my heart, faid the, making room-Life is too fhort to be long about the forms of it-fo I inftantly stepp'd in, and she carried me home with her-And what became of the concert, St. Cecilia, who I fuppofe was at it, knows more than I.

I will only add, that the connection which arofe out of the translation, gave me more pleasure than any one I had the honour to make in Italy.

SENT. JOURNEY, P. 106.

T

ENMITY.

HERE is no fmall degree of malicious craft in fixing upon a feafon to give a mark of enmity and ill-wilt; a word-a look, which at one time

would make no impreffion—at another time wounds the heart; and like a fhaft flying with the wind, pierces deep, which, with its own natural force, would scarce have reached the object aimed at.

SERM, XVI. P. 23.

SHAME AND DISGRACE.

THEY who have confidered our nature, affirm,

THEY

that shame and difgrace are two of the moft infupportable evils of human life: the courage and fpirits of many have mastered other misfortunes, and borne themselves up against them; but the wifest and beft of fouls have not been a match for these ; and we have many a tragical instance on record, what greater evils have been run into, merely to avoid this

one.

Without this tax of infamy, poverty, with all the burdens it lays upon our flesh-fo long as it is virtuous, could never break the spirits of a man; all its hunger, and pain, and nakednefs are nothing to it, they have fome counterpoise of good; and befides, they are directed by Providence, and must be fubmitted to: but thofe are afflictions not from the hand of God or nature-" for they do come forth of the DUST, and most properly may be faid to Spring out of the GROUND, and this is the reason they lay fuch

ftrefs upon our patience,—and in the end creates fuch a diftruft of the world, as makes us look up-and pray, Let me fall into thy hands, O God! but let me not fall into the hands of men."

SERM. XVI. P. 29..

TH

CURIOSITY.

THE love of variety, or curiofity of feeing new things, which is the fame, or at least a fifter paffion to it,-feems wove into the frame of every fon and daughter of Adam; we usually speak of it as one of nature's levities, though planted within us for the folid purposes of carrying forwards the mind to fresh inquiry and knowledge: ftrip us of it, the mind (I fear) would dofe for ever over the prefent page, and we should all of us reft at eafe with fuch objects as prefented themselves in the parish or province where we firft drew breath.

It is to this fpur, which is ever in our fides, that we owe the impatience of this defire for travelling: the paffion is no way bad, but as others are, -in its mifmanagement or excefs;-order it rightly, the advantages are worth the purfuit; the chief of which are to learn the languages, the laws and cuftoms, and understand the government and interest of other nations, to acquire an urbanity and confidence of