nors shall abandon himself or them⚫ felves to the unbridled pursuit of the ⚫ wildest pleasures or defires, unable to ' reftrain any paffion, but poffeffed with an infatiable bad difeafe, if fuch fhall attempt to govern, and at the same ⚫ time to trample on all laws, there can be no means of preservation left for the wretched people.' Plato de Leg. lib 4. P. 713.6.714. edit. Serrani.

Ir is true that Plato is here treating of the highest or fovereign power in a ftate; but it is as true, that his obfervations are general, and may be applied to all inferior powers: and, indeed, every fubordinate degree is immediately derived from the higheft; and as it is equally protected by the fame force, and fanctified by the fame authority, is alike dangerous to the well-being of the subject.

Or all powers, perhaps, there is none fo fanctified and protected, as this which is under our prefent confideratiE 6

'

on.

on. So numerous, indeed, and strong are the fanctions given to it by many acts of parliament, that having once eftablished the laws of customs on merchandize, it seems to have been the fole view of the legiflature to strengthen the hands, and to protect the perfons of the officers, who became established by thofe laws; many of whom are fo far from bearing any refemblance to the Saturnian inftitution, and to be chofen from a degree of beings fuperior to the rest of human race, that they sometimes feem industrioufly picked out of the lowest and vileft orders of mankind.

THERE is, indeed, nothing fo useful to man in general, nor fo beneficial to particular focieties and individuals, as trade. This is that alma mater, at whofe plentiful breaft all mankind are nourished. It is true, like other parents, the is not always equally indulgent to all her children; but tho' fhe gives to her favourites a vaft proportion of redundancy and fuperfluity, there

are

are very few whom the refuses to fupply with the conveniencies, and none

with the neceffaries of life."

SUCH a benefactrefs as this must naturally be beloved by mankind in general; it would be wonderful, therefore, if her intereft was not confidered by them, and protected from the fraud and violence of fome of her rebellious offspring, who coveting more than their fhare, or more than the thinks proper to allow them, are daily employed in meditating mischief against her, and in endeavouring to fteal from their brethren those shares which this great alma mater had allowed them.

Ar length our Governor came on board, and about fix in the evening we weighed anchor, and fell down to the Nore, whither our paffage was extremely pleasant, the evening being very delightful, the moon juft paft the full, and both wind and tide favourable

to us.

Tuesday,

Tuesday, July 2. THIS morning we again fet fail, under all the advantages we had enjoy'd the evening before: this day we left the fhore of Effex, and coafted along Kent, paffing by the pleafant island of Thanet, which is an island, and that of Sheppy, which is not an island; and about three o'clock, the wind being now full in our teeth, we came to an anchor in the Downs, within two miles of Deal. My wife, having fuffered intolerable pain from her tooth, again renewed her resoluti¬ on of having it drawn, and another furgeon was fent for from Deal, but with no better fuccefs than the former. He likewife declined the operation, for the fame reafon which had been affigned by the former: however, fuch was her refolution, backed with pain, that he was obliged to make the attempt, which concluded more in honour of his judgment, than of his operation; for after having put my poor wife to inexpreffible torment, he was obliged to leave

her

her tooth in ftatu quo; and she had now the comfortable profpect of a long fit of pain, which might have lafted her her whole voyage, without any poffibility of relief.

In these pleasing sensations, of which I had my juft fhare, nature, overcome with fatigue, about eight in the evening refign'd her to reft; a circumftance which would have given me fome happiness, could I have known how to employ thofe fpirits which were raifed by it; but unfortunately for me, I was left in a difpofition of enjoying an agreeable hour, without the affiftance of a companion, which has always appeared to me neceffary to such enjoyment; my daughter and her companion were both retired fea-fick to bed; the other paffengers were a rude schoolboy of fourteen years old, and an illiterate Portuguese friar, who understood no language but his own, in which I had, not the leaft fmattering. The captain was the only perfon left, in whose converfation