1774; whence I shall take the liberty of extracting a few passages. "I went to a friend's house in the country, to partake of some of those innocent pleasures that constitute a merry Christmas; I did not return till I had been present at drawing king and queen, and caten a slice of the twelfth cake. After tea, yesterday, a noble cake was produced, and two bowls containing the fortunate chances for the different sexes."

According to the twelfth day law, each party is to support their character till midnight."

Sometimes the characters have a poetical description, in the manner of the following, which are from the pens of a late fieldmarshal, and a dignified clergyman, now living; those written by the latter are distinguished by an asterisk. They have not before been printed.

King.

Cinder Wench.

Tho' from my business I may be

A little smutty, as you see,

Yet with the flames which I've bestow'd,
Full many a gentle swain has glow'd.
And since all mortals here below

Are dust and ashes, as we know;

Duchess or cinder-wench, 'tis all the same,
And Cinderella's only chang'd in name.

Dancing Master.

Of beaux and beauties I'm the cream;
Does not my air my trade proclaim? ́
If still my name you cannot hit,
Know, madam, I am call'd beau-kit.
I practice àla-mode de France,

I'll lead you ma'am, a charming dance;
And fear not when you marry me,
You'll have a num'rous family;
Talk with my misses at their ball,
You'll be the mother of them all.

Apple Woman.

Tho' I'm but a poor apple woman,
Pray let me be despis'd by no man;
Since we descend, as I believe,
In line direct from mother Eve;

For, as we all too well do know,

She was an apple woman too.

Then take me, sir, you'll have a power

Of golden pippins for your dower;

A nonpareil to, I'll be then,

To you my Adam, first of men.

Nabob

If 'tis your wish, my fair, to live,
Endow'd with all that wealth can give,
Accept a nabob's offer'd hand,

Who can all worldly pomp command;
Partake my splendor-but be wise,
And ask not whence these riches rise.

Cook Maid.*

Sir, you've a liquorish taste, I see,
Or you'd have ne'er selected me,
If you prove true, with daintiest fare

To suit your taste shall be my care;

But, if inconstant I should find you,

You'll have the dish-clout pinn'd behind you.

School Master.

If you a school-master refuse,
Lest he severities should use,
Dismiss your fears, attentive prove,

Learn one short task---the art of love.

Doctor.

I am a man of mighty knowledge,

Perhaps the wisest of the college;
Of blisters, purges, diureticks,

Of febrifuges, and emetics,

You'll have your choice, whene'er you will,

And therefore never can be ill;

So take me, madam, and you'll sec,

We'll not like doctors disagree.

Indian Lady.

From the far sultry Indian land,

I'm come, sir, to give you my hand;
Diamonds and pearls, I'll pour before you,

To shew how greatly I adore you.
But think not deary, when you die,
That I'll expire in flames, not I.
For such vile modes no taste I feel,
To be Gentoo, is not genteel;
And sure it's quite enough, my dear,
To burn for you while you are here.

The Coalman.*

Dear madam, lay your scorn aside,

Since now you're doom'd to be my bride;

What tho' the coalman's dirt and dust

Your delicacy may disgust;

Few ladies would their love withhold,

If this coal-sack were fill'd with gold.

Negro Girl.*

You sir, and I, now make a pair,
Tho' I scarce hop'd, I must declare,
That I, a negro girl, should meet,
A swain so fair, so nice, no neat.
Fortune and love alike are blind,
Therefore to me, dear sir, be kind;
Lillies and roses may be feign'd,
But honest black shall ne'er be stain'd.

ROMAN LETTERS.

ARISTIDES TO THALIA:

LETTER III.

THE Ides of March are come; and so said Cæsar to Spurinna; but I have passed the Ides differently from Cæsar, for M. Metellus 'insisted upon my accompanying him to the banks of the Tiber, to witness the amusements of the commonality:-as we were walking thither, he explained the cause of this festival. The Romans, said he, are a most grateful people, for no one makes a will in their favour, or contributes to their comfort, but is reverenced with more than even proper regard; the present instance is, however, an exception to this, and the gratitude of the multitude is an important stimulus to others. In a period of great famine, when the crops in Sicily had failed, and the people were reduced to the most deplorable extremities, an old lady, of immense wealth, undertook to supply the Roman citizens from her own granaries: in honour of this patriotic action, the Romans have instituted this festival.

As he concluded, we turned into a street which led us near the Theatre of Macellus, and the Temple of Fortune, and making an angle to the left, passing over the palatine bridge, we beheld a number of booths, surrounded by a multitude of men and women, who expressed, by gestures and acclamations, the pleasure they derived. from the exhilarating scene; drinking largely, and, with friendly nods and smiles, wishing each other to live as many years as on that day they drank cups.*

*

I cannot explain the cause to your satisfaction, but there is always something in the noisy gaiety of the populace which makes me melancholy; not that I dislike seeing them happy, but their mode of happiness is so totally different from my own, that I am glad to escape from their turbulence as soon as possible. The joys of a man of any refinement are silent, and swell the soul to an altitude which precludes utterance.

As we returned, we deviated from the direct line to pay a visit to Pompey's theatre. The theatres were merely temporary before Pompey conceived a design of building one that should be permanent, in imitation of those he had seen in Greece; the architecture of this building will not bear description for the perusal of one who every day sees those of Athens. The most celebrated one of the old plan was built by M. Scaurus;t the scenes were divided into

Ovid. Fasti. v. 523.

+ Pliny---Casalius' de Urb. Rom. Spendore, lib. 2. c. 5. Rom. Antiq. p. 44.

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three compartments; the first consisting of one hundred and twenty marble pillars, the next of the same number of glass, and the top, decorated with gilded tablets, between which stood three thousand statues, some composed of clay, some of marble, and some likewise of brass. This had an uncommon brilliancy of effect, and excited a regret that it should be made of such perishable materials. Its size was so immense, that its area was capable of containing eighty thousand persons.

Augustus certainly possesses the art of making himself feared, respected, and beloved, To such a height is the public enthusiasm carried, that they have erected a statue of brass to Antonius Musa*, his physician, as a token of gratitude, for maintaining him in good health. My friend, Metellus, has interrupted me with the intelligence of the wilful death of Publius Cornelius Gallus, to whom the government of Egypt was entrusted, after the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. The conduct of Gallus, however, by no means justified the partiality with which he was regarded by Cicero †, Pollio, and Augustus himself; for, soon after his appointment, he gave evident symptoms of possessing an inordinate ambition, and a passionate desire of fame; he erected statues to himself throughout Egypt, caused his military exploits to be engraven on the pyramids, and indulged himself in such unseasonable discourse over his cups, that his once intimate friend, Valerius Largus, hoping, I suppose, to ingratiate himself into the favour of Augustus, accused him of treason. The ingratitude of this man caused the Prince of the Senate, as Augustus politicly styles himself, to suspend him from his office, recal him, and deliver him over to the senate; though the shame of a disgraceful execution, or an ignominious exile, drove him to put a miserable period to his wretched existence. Upon receiving intelligence of his death, the emperor burst into tears, and lamented that he could not be angry with his friends as his necessities required.

This Cornelius Gallus was an elegiac poet, and wrote four books in praise of the accomplished Lycoris, who, disregarding his passion, followed the luxurious Anthony|| in his excursion through the various cities of Italy;-" perque nives, perque horrida castra secuta est."¶ This circumstance occasioned Virgil, whose fame has long since filled all Greece, to compose an eclogue, the extreme beauty of which will plead my excuse in transcribing it for you; and if you perceive Sueton. in Vit. C. Aug. lib. 1. c. 59.

+ Vide Cicero Familiar Ep. literæ, 10. 31. 32.
Diodorus, 1. 53.

Pliny, 1. 8, c. 16.

Virgil Ecl. x. 1. 23.