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"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 mafter of the house fhall not be ❝ obliged to meet his guests, or conduct them out, "or keep them company; but though he is exempt "from all this, he is to find them chairs, candles, "liquors, and all other neceffaries that company may afk for: he is likewife to provide them with "cards, dice, and every neceffary for gaming.

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"IV. There fhall be no fixed hour for coming or going away; it is enough for a perfon to appear in the affembly.

"V. Every one fhall be free to fit, walk, or game "as he pleafes; nor fhall any one go about to hin"der him, or take exceptions at what he does, up

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on 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 diftinction, noblemen, fuperior "officers, merchants and tradesmen of note, head"workmen, efpecially 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 thofe of the houfe, that there may be room enough in the apartments defigned for the affembly.

VIII. No ladies are to get drunk upon any pretence whatfoever; nor fhall gentlemen be drunk "before nine.

IX. Ladies who play at forfeitures, queftions "and commands, &c. fhall not be riotous: no gen"tleman fhall attempt to force a kifs, and no perfon "fhall offer to ftrike a woman in the affembly, un"der pain of future exclufion."

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Such are the ftatutes upon this occafion, 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,

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Suppofed to be written by the Ordinary of Newgate.

MAN is a most frail being, incapable of directing his fteps, unacquainted with what is to happen in this life; and perhaps no man is a more manifeft inftance of the truth of this maxim, than Mr. The. Cibber, juft now gone out of the world. Such a variety of turns of fortune, yet fuch a perfevering uniformity of conduct, appears in all that happened in his short span, that the whole may be looked upon as one regular confufion: every action of his life was matter of wonder and furprize, and his death was an aftonishment.

This gentleman was born of creditable parents, who gave him a very good education, and a great deal of good learning, fo that he could read and write before he was fixteen. However he early dif covered an inclination to follow lewd courses; he refufed to take the advice of his parents, and purfued the bent of his inclination; he played at cards on fundays, called himself a gentleman; fell out with his mother and laundrefs; and even in these early days his father was frequently heard to obferve, that young The would be hanged.

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As he advanced in years, he grew more fond of pleafure; would eat an ortolan for dinner, though he begged the guinea that bought it; and was once known to give three pounds for a plate of green pease, which he had collected over-night as charity for a friend in diftrefs: he ran into debt with every body that would truft him, and none could build a fconce better than he fo that at laft, his creditors swore with one accord that The.-would be hanged.

But as getting into debt, by a man who had no vifible means but impudence for fubfiftence, is a thing that every reader is not acquainted with, I muft explain that point a little, and that to his fatisfaction.

There are three ways of getting into debt; first, by pushing a face; as thus: "You, Mr. Luteftring,

fend me home fix yards of that paduafoy, dam66 mee; but, harkee, don't think I ever intend to 66 pay you for it, dammee." At this the mercer laughs heartily; cuts off the paduafoy, and fends it home; nor is he, till too late, furprised to find the gentleman had said nothing but truth, and kept his word.

The fecond method of running into debt is called fineering; which is getting goods made up in fuch a fashion as to be unfit for every other purchaser; and, if the tradefman refufes to give them credit, then threaten to leave them upon his hands.

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But the third and beft method is called, Being "the good cuftomer." The gentleman first buys fome trifle, and pays for it in ready-money; he comes a few days after with nothing about him but bank bills, and buys, we will fuppofe, a fix-penny tweezer-cafe; the bills are too great to be clranged, fo he promises to return punctually the day after and pay for what he has bought. In this promife he is punctual, and this is repeated for eight or ten times,

till his face is well known, and he has got at last the character of a good cuftomer. By this means he gets credit for fomething confiderable, and then never pays for it.

In all this the young man, who is the unhappy fubject of our prefent reflections, was very expert; and could face, fineer, and bring custom to a fhop with any man in England: none of his companions could exceed him in this; and his very companions at laft faid that The-would be hanged.

As he grew old he grew never the better; he loved ortolans and green peafe as before; he drank gravy-foup when he could get it, and always thought his oyfters tafted beft when he got them for nothing, or which was just the fame, when he bought them upon tick thus the old man kept up the vices of the youth, and what he wanted in power, he made up by inclination; fo that all the world thought that old The.-would be hanged.

And now reader, I have brought him to his laft scene; afcene where perhaps my duty fhould have obliged me to aflift. You expect, perhaps, his dying words, and the tender farewell he took of his wife and children; you expect an account of his coffin and white gloves, his pious ejaculations, and the papers he left behind him. In this I cannot indulge your curiofity; for, oh ! the myfteries of Fate, The. -was drowned!

"Reader," as Hervey faith, "pause and ponder; "and ponder and paufe; who knows what thy own "end may be !"

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ESSAY IX.

I TAKE the liberty to communicate to the public a few loose thoughts upon a fubject, which, though often handled, has not yet in my opinion been fully difcuffed: I mean National Concord, Unanimity, which in this kingdom has been generally confidered as a bare poffibility, that exifted no where but in fpeculation. Such an union is

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perhaps neither to be expected nor wifhed for in a country, whofe liberty depends rather upon the genius of the people, than upon any precautions which they have taken in a conftitutional way for the guard and prefervation of this ineftimable bleffing.

There is a very honeft gentleman with whom I have been acquainted thefe thirty years, during which there has not been one fpeech uttered against the miniftry in parliament, nor ftruggle at an election for a burgess to ferve in the Houfe of Commons, nor a pamphlet published in oppofition to any measure of the Adminiftration, nor even a private cenfure paffed in his hearing upon the mifconduct of any perfon concerned in public affairs, but he is immediately alarmed, and loudly exclaims against fuch factious doings, in order to fet the people by the ears together at fuch a delicate juncture." At any other time (fays he) fuch oppofition might not be improper, and I don't queftion the facts that are alledged; but at this crifis, Sir, to inflame the nation!--the man deferves to be punifhed as a traitor to his country." In a word, according to this gentleman's opinion, the nation has been in a violent crifis at any time thefe thirty years; and were it poffible

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