and for that reafon may deserve to be difmiffed, I cannot help having a confideration for one, that has in past times been the handmaid of beauty, and therefore as merit has taken modesty into her service, I would recommend to ignorance to put bashfulness into full pay and employment.

Politeness is a charming propenfity, and I would wish the fine ladies to indulge it, if it were only by way of contraft between themselves and the fine gentlemen they confort with. I do not think it is altogether becoming for a lady to plant herself in the center of a circle with her back to the fire, and expect every body to be warmed by the contemplation of her figure or the reflection of her countenance; at the fame time I am free to confefs it an attitude, by which the man of high breeding is confpicuoufly diftinguished, and is charming to behold, when fet off with the proper accompaniments of leather breeches, tight boots and a jockey waistcoat. I will not deny however but I have feen this practifed by ladies, who have acquitted themselves with great spirit on the occafion; but then it cannot be done without certain male accoutrements, and prefuppofes a flouched hat, half-boots, fhort waiftcoat and riding dress, not to omit broad metal buttons with great letters

engraved

engraved upon them, or the fignature of fome hunt, with the indifpenfable appendage of two long dangling watch-chains, which ferve to mark the double value people of fashion put upon their time, and alfo fhew the encouragement they beftow upon the arts: With these implements the work may be done even by a female artist, but it is an art I wish no young lady to ftudy, and I hope the prefent profeffors will take no more pupils, whilft the academies of Humphries and Mendoza are kept open for accomplishments, which I think upon the whole are altogether as becoming. Politenefs, as I conceive, confifts in putting people at their eafe in your company, and being at your cafe in their's; modern practice I am afraid is apt to mifplace this process, for I obferve every body in fashionable life polite enough to study their own eafe, but I do not fee much attention paid to that part of the rule, which ought to be firft obferved: It is well calculated for thofe, who are adepts in it, but if ever fuch an out-of-theway thing as a modeft perfon comes within it's reach, the awkward novice is fure to be diftreffed, and whilft every body about him feems repofing on a bed of down, he alone is picketted upon a feat of thorns: Till this fhall be reformed by the ladies, who profefs to understand VOL. IV. X politeness,

politeness, I fhall turn back to my red-book of forty years ago, to fee what relicts of the old court are yet amongst us, and take the mothers for my models in preference to their daughters.

N° CXXV.

W

HAT good do you expect to do by your Obfervers?" faid a certain perfon to me t'other day: As I knew the man to be a notorious damper, I parried his question, as I have often parried other plump questions, by answering nothing, without appearing to be mortified or offended: To fay the truth I do not well know what anfwer I could have given, had I been difpofed to attempt it: I fhall speak very ingenuously upon the fubject to my candid readers, of whofe indulgence I have had too many proofs to hefitate at committing to them all that is in my heart relative to our paft or future intercourfe and connection.

When I first devoted myself to this work, I

took

took it up at a time of leifure and a time of life, when I conceived myself in a capacity for the undertaking; I flattered myself I had talents and materials fufficient to furnish a collection of mifcellaneous effays, which through a variety of amufing matter fhould convey instruction to fome, entertainment to most and disgust to none of my readers. To effect thefe purposes I studied in the first place to simplify and familiarize my ftile by all means fhort of inelegance, taking care to avoid all pedantry and affectation, and never fuffering myself to be led aftray by the vanity of florid periods and laboured declamation: At the fame time I resolved not to give my morals an auftere complexion, nor convey reproof in a magifterial tone, for I did not hold it neceffary to be angry in order to perfuade the world that I was in earneft: As I am not the age's Cenfor either by office or profeffion, nor am poffeffed of any fuch fuperiorities over other men as might justify me in affuming a task to which nobody has invited me, I was fenfible I had no claim upon the public for their attention but what I could earn by zeal and diligence, nor any title to their candour and complacency but upon the evidence of thofe qualities on my own part. As I have never made particular injuries a cause for general complaints, I

am by no means out of humour with the world, and it has been my conftant aim throughout the progrefs of these papers to recommend and inftil a principle of univerfal benevolence; I have to the best of my power endeavoured to fupport the Chriftian character by occafional remarks upon the evidences and benefits of Revealed Religion; and as the fale and circulation of thefe volumes have exceeded my most fanguine hopes, I am encouraged to believe that my endeavours are accepted, and if so, I trust there is no arrogance in prefuming fome good may have refulted from

them.

I wish I could contribute to render men mild and merciful towards each other, tolerating every peaceable member, who mixes in our community without annoying it's eftablished church: I wish I could in pire an ardent attachment to our beloved country, qualified however with the gentleft manners and a beaming charity towards the world at large: I wish I could perfuade contemporaries to live together as friends and fellow travellers, emulating each other without acrimony and chearing even rivals in the fame purfuit with that liberal fpirit of patriotism, which takes a generous interest in the success of every art and fcience, that embellish or exalt the age and nation we belong to: I wish I

could