⚫ chofe to be a foldier; and in this poft of a gentleman I ferved two campaigns, was at the battles in Flanders, and received but one wound through the breaft, which is troublefome to this day.

When the peace came on, I was discharged; and as I could not work, because my wound was 'fometimes painful, I lifted for a landman in the Eaft India Company's fervice. I here fought the French in fix pitched battles; and verily believe, that if I could read or write, our captain would have given me promotion, and made me a corpo'ral. But that was not my good fortune, I foon fell 'fick, and when I became good for nothing, got ' leave to return home again with forty pounds in my pocket, which I faved in the fervice. This was at the beginning of the prefent war, fo I hoped 'to be fet on fhore, and to have the pleasure of spending my money; but the government wanted men, and I was preffed again, before ever I could 'fet foot on shore.

The boatswain found me, as he said, an obstinate fellow he fwore that I understood my bufi' nefs perfectly well, but that I pretended fickness merely to be idle: God knows, I knew nothing of fea-bufinefs; he beat me without confidering what ' he was about. But ftill my forty pounds was fome ⚫ comfort to me under every beating; the money was my comfort, and the money I might have had to this day; but that our fhip was taken by the French, and fo I loft it all!

Our crew was carried into a French prison, and many of them died, because they were not used to live in a gaol; but for my part it was nothing to me, for I was feafoned. One night, however, as 'I was fleeping on the bed of boards, with a warm ⚫ blanket about me (for I always loved to lie well), I was awaked by the boatswain, who had a dark

'lantern

⚫ lantern in his hand. Jack,' fays he to me, will you knock out the French fentry's brains?'

my

don't care,' fays I, ftriving to keep myself awake, • if I lend a hand.' Then follow me,' fays he, and I hope we shall do bufinefs.' So up I got, and tied my blanket, which was all the cloaths I had, about middle, and went with him to fight the Frenchmen: we had no arms; but one Englishman is able to beat five French at any time; fo we went down to the door, where both the fentries were pofted, ⚫ and rushing upon them, feized their arms in a moment, and knocked them down. From thence, nine of us ran together to the key, and feizing the firft 'boat we met, got out of the harbour, and put to fea: we had not been here three days before we were taken up by an English privateer, who was glad of fo many good hands; and we consented to ⚫ run our chance. However, we had not so much luck as we expected. In three days we fell-in • with a French man of war, of forty guns, while we had but twenty-three; fo to it we went. The

fight lafted for three hours, and I verily believe we 'fhould have taken the Frenchman, but unfortunately, we loft almost all our men, juft as we were going to get the victory. I was once more in the power of the French, and I believe it would "have gone hard with me, had I been brought 'back to my old gaol in Breft: but by good fortune, we were re-taken, and carried to England

once more.

I had almost forgot to tell you, that in this laft engagement I was wounded in two places; I lost four fingers of the left hand, and my leg was fhot ⚫ off. Had I the good fortune to have loft my leg and ufe of my hand on-board a king's fhip, and not a privateer, I fhould have been entitled to cloathing and maintenance during the reft of my • life,

༤

life, but that was not my chance; one man is born ⚫ with a filver spoon in his mouth, and another with a wooden ladle. However, bleffed be God, I enjoy good health, and have no enemy in this world that I know of, but the French, and the Justice ' of Peace.'

Thus faying, he limped off, leaving my friend and me in admiration of his intrepidity and content; nor could we avoid acknowledging, that an habitual acquaintance with mifery, is the trueft school of fortitude and philofophy. Adieu,

LETTER CXIX.

FROM THE SAME.

THE titles of European princes are rather more numerous than ours of Afia, but by no means so sublime. The king of Vifapour or Pegu, not fatisfied with claiming the globe and all its appurtenances to him and his heirs, afferts a property even in the firmament, and extends his orders to the milky way. The monarchs of Europe, with more modefty, confine their titles to earth, but make up by number, what is wanting in their fublimity. Such is their paffion for a long lift of thefe fplendid trifles, that I have known a German prince with more titles than fubjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than fhirts.

Contrary to this, "the English monarchs," fays' a writer of the laft century, difdain to accept of "fuch titles, which tend only to increase their

pride, without improving their glory; they are "above depending on the feeble helps of heraldry "for respect, perfectly satisfied with the confciouf"nefs of acknowledged power." At prefent, however, these maxims are laid afide; the English monarchs have of late affumed new titles, and have impreffed their coins with the names and arms of obfcure dukedoms, petty ftates, and fubordinate employments. Their defign in this, I make no doubt, was laudably to add new luftre to the British throne, but in reality paltry claims only ferve to diminish that respect they are defigned to fecure.

There is in the honours affumed by Kings, as in the decorations of architecture, a majestic fimplicity, which beft conduces to infpire our reverence and refpect; numerous and trifling ornaments in either, are ftrong indications of meannefs in the defigner, or of concealed deformity: fhould, for inftance, the Emperor of China, among other titles, affume that of Deputy Mandarin of Maccau, or the Monarch of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defire to be acknowledged as Duke of Brentford, Lunenburg, or Lincoln, the observer revolts at this mixture of important and paltry claims, and forgets the Emperor in his familiarity with the Duke or the Deputy.

I remember a fimilar inftance of this inverted ambition, in the illuftrious King of Manacabo, upon his first treaty with the Portuguese. Among the prefents that were made him by the ambaffador of that nation, was a fword, with a brafs hilt, on which he seemed to fet a peculiar value. This he thought too great an acquifition to his glory, to be forgotten among the number of his titles. He therefore gave orders, that his fubjects fhould ftyle him for the future, Talipot, the immortal Potentate of Manacabo,

nacabo, Meffenger of Morning, Enlightner of the Sun, Poffeffor of the whole Earth, and mighty Monarch of the brass-handled Sword.

This method of mixing majestic and paltry titles, of quartering the arms of a great empire, and an obfcure province, upon the fame medal here, had its rife in the virtuous partiality of their late monarchs. Willing to teftify an affection to their native country, they gave its name and enfigns a place upon their coins, and thius in fome measure ennobled its obfcurity. It was indeed but just, that a people which had given England up their king, fhould receive fome honorary equivalent in return; but at present these motives are no more; England has now a monarch wholly British, and has some reason to hope for British titles upon British coins.

However, were the money of England defigned to circulate in Germany, there would be no flagrant impropriety in impreffing it with German names and arms; but though this might have been fo upon former occafions, I am told there is no danger of it for the future; as England therefore defigns to keep back its gold, I candidly think Lunenburg, Oldenburg, and the rest of them, may very well keep back their titles.

It is a mistaken prejudice in princes to think that a number of loud founding names can give new claims to refpect. The truly great have ever difdained them: When Timur the Lame had conquered Afia, an orator by profeffion came to compliment him upon the occafion. He began his harangue, by ftyling him the most omnipotent, and the most glorious object of the creation. The emperor feemed difpleafed with his paltry adulation, yet ftill he went on, complimenting him, as the moft mighty, the moft valiant, and the moft perfect of beings. Hold there, my friend, cries the lame emperor; hold there, VOL. III. Нн

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