ter one another, in competition with what we enjoy, in viewing a fucceffion of fhips, with all their fails expanded to the winds, bounding over the waves before us.

AND here I cannot pafs by another obfervation on the deplorable want of tafte in our enjoyments, which we fhew by almost totally neglecting the purfuit of what feems to me the highest degree of amufement: this is, the failing ourfelves in little veffels of our own, contrived only for our eafe and accommodation, to which fuch fituations of our villas, as I have recommended, would be fo convenient and even neceffary.

THIS amufement, I confefs, if enjoyed in any perfection, would be of the expenfive kind; but fuch expence would not exceed the reach of a moderate fortune, and would fall very fhort of the prices which are daily paid for pleasures of a far inferior rate. The

E

truth,

truth, I believe, is, that failing in the manner I have juft mentioned, is a pleasure rather unknown, or unthought of, than rejected by those who have experienced it; unless, perhaps, the apprehenfion of danger, or fea-fickness, may be fuppofed, by the timorous and delicate, to make too large deductions; infifting, that all their enjoyments fhall come to them pure and unmixed, and being ever ready to cry out,

--Nocet emptâ dolore voluptas.

THIS, however, was my prefent cafe; for the ease and lightness which I felt from my tapping, the gaiety of the morning, the pleafant failing with wind and tide, and the many agreeable objects with which I was conftantly entertained during the whole way, were all fuppreffed and overcome by the fingle confideration of my wife's pain, which continued inceffantly to torment her till we came to an anchor, when I difpatched a meffenger in great haste, for the best reputed operator in Gravef

end.

end. A furgeon of fome eminence now appeared, who did not decline tooth-drawing, tho' he certainly would have been offended with the appellation of tooth-drawer, no less than his brethren, the members of that venerable body, would be with that of barber, fince the late feparation between thofe long united companies, by which, if the furgeons have gained much, the barbers are fupposed to have loft very little.

THIS able and careful perfon (for fo I fincerely believe he is) after examining the guilty tooth, declared, that it was fuch a rotten fhell, and fo placed at the very remoteft end of the jaw, where it was, in a manner, covered and fecured by a large, fine, firm tooth, that he defpaired of his power of drawing it.

upper

HE faid, indeed, more to my wife, and used more rhetoric to diffuade her from having it drawn, than is generally E 2 employed

employed to perfuade young ladies, to prefer a pain of three moments to one of three months continuance; especially, if those young ladies happen to be past forty or fifty years of age, when, by fubmitting to fupport a racking torment, the only good circumftance attending which is, 'tis fo fhort, that fcarce one in a thousand can cry out, I feel it, they are to do a violence to their charms, and lofe one of those beautiful holders, with which alone Sir Courtly Nice declares, a lady can ever lay hold of his heart.

HE faid at last so much, and feemed to reason so justly, that I came over to his fide, and affifted him in prevailing on my wife (for it was no easy matter) to refolve on keeping her tooth a little longer, and to apply to palliatives only for relief. These were opium applied to the tooth, and blifters behind the

ears.

WHILST we were at dinner this day, in the cabin, on a fudden the window

on

on one fide was beat into the room, with a crash, as if a twenty-pounder had been discharged among us. We

were all alarmed at the fuddennefs of the accident, for which, however, we were foon able to account: for the fash, which was shivered all to pieces, was pursued into the middle of the cabin by the boltfprit of a little ship, called a cod-fmack, the mafter of which made us amends for running (carelefly at beft) against us, and injuring the fhip, in the fea way; that is to fay, by damning us all to hell, and uttering several pious wishes that it had done us much more mifchief. All which were anfwered in their own kind and phrafe by our men; between whom, and the other crew, a dialogue of oaths and fcurrility was carried on, as long as they continued in each other's hearing.

IT is difficult, I think, to affign a fatisfactory reason why failors in general fhould, of all others, think themfelves entirely discharged from the comE 3

mon