ordinary of letter-prefs, or three beautiful prints curiously coloured from nature.

1

THUS, then, though I cannot promife as much entertainment, or as much elegance as others have done, yet the reader may be affured he shall have as much of both as I can. He shall, at leaft, find me alive while I ftudy his entertainment; for I folemnly affure him, I was never yet. poffelfed of the fecret of writing and fleeping.

DURING the courfe of this paper, therefore, all the wit and learning I have, are heartily at his fervice; which if, after fo candid a confeffion, he should, notwithstanding, ftill find intolerably dull, or low, or fad stuff, this I proteft is more than I know. I have a clear confcience,, and am entirely out of the fecret..

YET I would not have him, upon the perufal of a fingle paper, pronounce me incorrigible; he may try a fecond, which, as there is a fudied difference in fubject and style, may be more fuited to his tafte; if this alfo fails, 1 muft refer him to a third, or even a fourth, in case of extremity if he fhould ftill continue refractory, and find me dull to the last, I must inform him, with Bays in the Rehearsal, that I think him a very odd kind of a fellow, and defire no more of his acquaintance. But ftill if my readers impute the general tenor of my subject to me as a fault, I must beg leave to tell them a story.

A TRAVELLER, in his way to Italy, found himself in a country where the inhabitants had each a large excrefcence depending from the

chin &

chin a deformity which, as it was endemick, and the people little used to ftrangers, it had been the custom, time immemorial, to look upon them as the greatest beauty. Ladies grew toafts from the fize of their chins, and no men were beaux whofe faces were not broadest at the bottom. It was Sunday; a country church was at hand; and our traveller was willing to perform the duties of the day. Upon his first appearance at the church-door, the eyes of all were naturally fixed upon the ftranger: but what was their amazement, when they found that he actually wanted that emblem of beauty, a purfed chin? Stified bursts of laughter, winks, and whifpers, circulated from visage to visage: the prifmatick figure of the Atranger's face was a fund of infinite gaiety. Our traveller could no longer patiently continue an object of deformity to point at. "Good folks," faid he, " I per

ceive that I am a very ridiculous figure here; "but I affure you, I am reckoned no way de«formed at HOME,"

ESSAY

1

ATHENS, long after the decline of the Roman empire, ftill continued the feat of learning, politenefs, and wifdom. Theodoric, the Oftrogoth, repaired the fchools which barbarity was fuffering to fall into decay, and continued thofe penfions to men of learning, which avaricious governors had monopolized.

In this city, and about this period, Alcander and Septimius were fellow-ftudents together.. The one, the most subtle reasoner of all the Lyceum; the other, the most eloquent speaker in the academick grove. Mutual admiration foon: begot a friendship. Their fortunes were nearly equal, and they were natives of the two moft ce lebrated cities in the world; for Alcander was of Athens, Septimius came from Rome..

In this ftate of harmony they lived for fome time together, when Alcander, after paffing the firit part of youth in the indolence of philofophy, thought at length of entering into the bufy world; and, as a step previous to this, placed his affections on Hypatia, a lady of exquifite beauty. The day of their intended nuptials was fixed; the previous ceremonies were performed; and nothing now remained but her being conducted in triumph to the apartment of the intended bridegroom.

ALCANDER'S exultation in his own happiness, or being unable to enjoy any fatisfaction without making his friend Septimius a partner, prevailed upon him to introduce Hypatia to his fellow ftudent; which he did with all the gaiety of a man who found himfelf equally happy in friendship and love. But this was an interview fatal to the future peace of both; for Septimius no fooner faw her, but he was fmitten with an involuntary paffion; and, though he ufed every effort to fupprefs defires at once fo imprudent and unjust, the emotions of his mind in a short time became fo ftrong, that they brought. on a fever, which the phyficians judged incur. able.

DURING this illnefs, Alcander watched him with all the anxiety of fondnefs, and brought his miftrefs to join in those amiable offices of friendhip. The fagacity of the phyficians, by these means, foon difcovered, that the caufe of their patient's diforder was love; and Alcander being apprized of their discovery, at length extorted a confeffion from the reluctant dying lover.

Ir would but delay the narrative to defcribe the conflict between love and friendship in the breaft of Alcander on this occafion; it is enough to fay, that the Athenians were at that time arrived at fuch refinement in morals, that every virtue was carried to excefs. In fhort, forgetful of his own felicity, he gave up his intended bride, in all her charms, to the young Roman. They were married privately by his connivance, and this unlooked-for change of fortune wrought as unexpected a change in the conftitution of the now happy Septimius. In a few days he was perfectly recovered, and fet out with his fair partner for Rome. Here, by an exertion of those talents which he was fo eminently poffeffed of, Septimius, in a few years, arrived at the higheft dignities of the ftate, and was conftituted the city judge, or prætor.

In the mean time, Alcander not only felt the pain of being feparated from his friend and his miftrefs, but a profecution was alfo commenced against him by the relations of Hypatia, for having bafely given up his bride, as was fuggefted,. for money. His innocence of the crime laid to his charge, and even his eloquence in his own defence, were not able to withstand the influence of a powerful party. He was caft, and condemned to pay an enormous fine. However, being unable to raife fo large a fum at the time appointed, his poffeffions were confifcated, he himfelf was ftripped of the habit of freedom, expofed as a flave in the market-place, and fold to the highest bidder..

A MERCHANT of Thrace becoming his pur chafer, Alcander, with fome other companions of

diftrefs