is the most perfect ftate of civil liberty, of which we can form any idea; here we fee a greater number of laws than in any other country, while the people at the fame time obey only fuch as are immediately conducive to the interefts of fociety; feveral are unnoticed, many unknown; fome kept to be revived and enforced upon proper occafions, others left to grow obfolete, even without the neceffity of abrogation. There is fcarcely an Englishman who does not almoft every day of his life offend with impunity against fome exprefs law, and for which in a cer tain conjuncture of circumftances he would not receive punishment. Gaming houses, preaching at prohibited places, affembled crowds, nocturnal amufements, public fhows, and an hundred other instances are forbid and frequented. These prohi bitions are useful; though it be prudent in their magiftrates, and happy for their people, that they are not enforced, and none but the venal or merce nary attempt to enforce them. The law in this cafe, like an indulgent parent, ftill keeps the rod, though the child is feldom corrected. Were thofe pardoned offences to rife into enormity, were they likely to obftruct the happiness of fociety, or endanger the state, it is then that juftice would refume her terrors, and punish those faults fhe had so often overlooked with indulgence. It is to this ductility of the laws that an Englishman owes the freedom he enjoys fuperior to others in a more popular government; every ftep therefore the conftitution takes towards a democratic form, every diminution of the legal authority is, in fact, a diminution of the fubjects' freedom; but every attempt to render the government more popular, not only impairs natural liberty, but even will at last diffolve the political conftitution. 0 2 Every Every popular government feems calculated to laft only for a time, it grows rigid with age, new laws are multiplying, and the old continue in force, the fubjects are oppreffed, burthened with a multiplicity of legal injunctions, there are none from whom to expect redrefs, and nothing but a ftrong convulfion in the ftate can vindicate them into former liberty: thus the people of Rome, a few great ones excepted, found more real freedom under their emperors though tyrants, than they had experienced in the old age of the common-wealth, in which their laws were become numerous and painful, in which new laws were every day enacting, and the old ones executed with rigour. They even refused to be reinftated in their former prerogatives, upon an offer made them to this purpose; for they actually found emperors the only means of foftening the rigours of their conftitution. The conftitution of England is at prefent poffeffed of the strength of its native oak, and the flexibility of the bending tamarifk; but fhould the people at any time, with a mistaken zeal, pant after an imaginary freedom, and fancy that abridging monarchy was increafing their privileges, they would be very much mistaken, fince every jewel plucked from the crown of majesty would only be made ufe of as a bribe to corruption; it might enrich the few who fhared it among them, but would in fact impoverish the publick. As the Roman fenators by flow and imperceptible degrees became mafters of the people, yet ftill flattered them with a fhow of freedom, while themselves only were free; fo is it poffible for a body of men, while they ftand up for privileges, to grow into an exuberance of power themfelves, and the publick become actually dependent, while fome of its individuals only governed. If then, my friend, there fhould in this country ever be on the throne a king who through goodnature or age, fhould give up the fmalleft part of his prerogative to the people, if there fhould come a minister of merit and popularity-but I have room for no more. Adieu. LETTER L. TO THE SAME. As I was yesterday seated at breakfast over a penfive difh of tea, my meditations were interrupted by my old friend and companion, who introduced a ftranger, dreffed pretty much like himself. The gentleman made feveral apologies for his vifit, begged of me to impute his intrufion to the fincerity of his refpect, and the warmth of his curiofity. As I am very fufpicious of my company, when I find them very civil without any apparent reafon, I anfwered the ftranger's careffes at firft with referve; which my friend perceiving, inftantly let me into my vifitant's trade and character, afking Mr. Fudge, whether he had lately published any thing new? I now conjectured that my gueft was no other than a bookfeller, and his anfwer confirmed my fufpicions. "Excufe me, Sir," fays he, "it is not the fea"fon; books have their time as well as cucumbers. "I would no more bring out a new work in fummer, "than I would fell pork in the dog-days. Nothing "in my way goes off in fummer, except very light goods indeed. A review, a magazine, or a fef"fions paper may amufe a fummer reader; but all 66 our ftock of value we referve for a spring and win 66 "ter trade." I must confefs, Sir, fays I, a curiofity to know what you call a valuable flock, which can only bear a winter perufal. "Sir," replied the bookfeller, "it is not my way to cry up my own goods; but "without exaggeration I will venture to fhow with "any of the trade; my books at least have the pe"culiar advantage of being always new; and it is my way to clear off my old to the trunk-makers every feafon. I have ten new title pages now "about me, which only want books to be added "to make them the finest things in Nature. Others may pretend to direct the vulgar; but that is not "my way; I always let the vulgar direct me; "wherever popular clamour arifes, I always echo "the million. For inftance, fhould the people in general fay that fuch a man is a rogue, I inftantly 66 66 give orders to fet him down in print a villain; "thus every man buys the book, not to learn new "fentiments, but to have the pleasure of feeing his "own reflected." But Sir, interrupted I, you speak as if yourself wrote the books you publish; may I be fo bold as to ask a fight of fome of those intend d publications which are fhortly to furprize the world? "As 66 to that, Sir," replied the talkative bookfeller, "I only draw out the plans myfelf; and though I "am very cautious of communicating them to any, yet, as in the end I have a favour to afk, you 66 fhall fee a few of them. Here, Sir, here they "are, diamonds of the firft water, I affure you. "Imprimis, a tranflation of feveral medical pre"cepts for the ufe of fuch phyficians as do not un"derstand Latin. Item, the young clergyman's art "of placing patches regularly, with a differtation "on the different manner of fmiling without dif"torting the face. Item, the whole art of love "made perfectly eafy by a broker of 'Change Alley. Item, the proper manner of cutting black "lead 66 "lead pencils, and making crayons; by the Right "Hon. the Earl of ***. Item, the mufter-mastergeneral, or the review of reviews-" Sir, cried I, interrupting him, my curiofity with regard to titlepages is fatisfied, I should be glad to fee fome longer manufcript, an history, or an epic poem. Blefs me, cries the man of induftry, "now you fpeak of an epic poem, you shall fee an excellent farce. Here "it is; dip into it where you will, it will be found "replete with true modern humour. Strokes, Sir; it is filled with ftrokes of wit and fatire in every "line." Do you call thefe dafhes of the pen strokes, replied I, for I must confefs I can fee no other? "And 66 66 pray Sir," returned he, "what do you call them? "Do you fee any thing good now-a-days that is not "filled with ftrokes-and dafhes?Sir, a wellplaced dash makes half the wit of our writers of "modern humour *. I bought last season a piece "that had no other merit upon earth than nine hun"dred and ninety-five breaks, feventy-two ha ha's, "three good things, and a garter. And yet it "played off, and bounced, and cracked, and made "more fport than a fire-work." I fancy then, Sir, you were a confiderable gainer? "It must be owned "the piece did pay; but upon the whole I cannot "much boaft of laft winter's fuccefs; I gained by "two murders, but then I loft by an ill-timed "charity-fermon. I was a confiderable fufferer by 66 my Direct Road to an Estate, but the Infernal "Guide brought me up again. Ah, Sir, that was "a piece touched off by the hands of a master, *This idea is well ridiculed by our late excellent poet Cowper, who in his Table Talk has given the following admirable defcription of "A Prologue interdash'd with many a stroke, "Not in the words-but in the gap between." "filled 0 4 |