thetoric he was master of, endeavoured to persuade his kinsman that his misfortune was entirely owing to a neglect of those excellent maxims which he had so often taught him. He concluded his harangue with a string of proverbs, mottos, and sentiments, of which he is so ridiculously fond, that there is no single action of his life that is not entirely governed by one or other of them. I have seen him in the gar den, in the midst of a most violent thunder-shower, walking a snail's pace towards the house, because his friend lord Onslow's motto is " festina lente ;" which words I have heard him repeat and explain so often, that I have them always in my head.

drowsiness and indulgence, and q Colded for

a

My aunt is truly one flesh with her husband. She approves of nothing but what is done after her own example, though she is unable to support her preju dices even by a proverb or a saying. As I am so unfortunate as to differ from her in almost all mỹ actions, we are extremely liable to quarrel. She gets up at six, because she cannot sleep; and I lie in bed till nine, because I cannot easily wake. When we meet at breakfast, I am sure to be scolded for mỹ at least dozen a times over, why I cannot do as she does, get up with the sun?" “Aye,” says my uncle, and go to rest with the lark, as the saying is. But alas! my aunt observes but part of the saying for long before the lark goes to roost, she will fi asleep in her chair, unless kept awake by cards: though her usual bed-time is not till nine o'clock. Now, Mr. Fitz-Adam, I would fain whether the hours between nine and twelve, provided you are quite awake, are not of equal use with those between six and nine, when you are half the the time asleep? My aunt says no; for that one hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon; which I cannot for the life of me comprehend. no gents

The old lady is one of those good sort of women who think every think beneath their notice but family affairs and house-keeping: for which reason, if ever she catches me reading a volume of the Spectator or World, she immediately asks me if the Art of Cookery, which she made me a present of, is mislaid or lost; to which she is sure to add, that for her part, she does not see what good can come of reading such heathenish book; and that had she given up her mind to nonsense and stuff, my uncle and his family must have been beggars, so they must.

Am I really to be governed by these old folks, or may I go on in my old way, and laugh at their absurdities? I read your paper every Friday when the post comes in, and shall be glad to see this letter inserted in your next, with your opinion of the matter, that I may know which is the wisest, my uncle, my aunt, or Mr. Fitz-Adam's

humble servant
and admirer,

C. P.

SIR, IF we pay a due regard to proverbial expressions, which are oftentimes founded in good sense and experience, the texture of the scull, particularly the extreme thickness or extreme thinness of it, contributes not a little to the stupidity or folly of our species. By a thick-sculled man we always mean a fool, and by a thin-sculled fellow, one without any discretion. May we not therefore suppose that the state of men, respecting their understandings is pretty much this: when their craniums are extremely solid, they are generally idiots; when in a medium, per sons of sense; when somewhat thinner, wits; and when extremely thin, madmen?

What has led me into these reflections, is the present practice among our ladies, of going bareheaded,

and a remarkable passage in Herodotus, concerning the effect of that practice among the Egyptians.

This ancient and curious historian and traveller tells us, that passing by Pelusium, where there had been, many years before, a bloody battle fought between the Persians and Egyptians, and the sculls of the slain on each side being still in different heaps, he found upon trial, that those of the Egyptians were so thick, they required a strong blow to break them; whereas those of the Persians were so thin and tender, they scarcely resisted the slightest stroke. Herodotus attributes the thinness and tenderness of the Persian sculls, to their wearing warm caps or tur bans; and the thickness and hardness of the Egyptians, to their going bareheaded, and thereby exposing their heads to heats and colds. Now if this! opinion of Herodotus, and the foregoing remarks be well founded, what rueful effects may the present: fashion of our ladies exposing their head to all weathers, especially in the present cold season, bel attended with! Instead of sensible, witty, and ins! genious women, for which this country has so long been famous, we may in a little time have only ac generation of triflers.

By what has happened to a neighbouring nation, we have the more reason to dread the like misfor tune among ourselves. And happy are those whoo take warning by the misfortunes of others. Former ly, when the Dutch kept their heads warm in furred caps, they were a wise and brave people, delivered themselves from slavery, and established a wealthy and formidable republic: but since they have left off this good old fashion, and taken to French toupees, whereby their heads are much exposed, they are become so thick-sculled, that is, so stupid and foolish, as to neglect almost every means of national benefit and preservation.

1

Though the ancient Greeks were some of the wisest and most acute people in the world, yet the Beotians were remarkably ignorant and dull. What can we ascribe this difference between them and their fellow Greeks to, but the different conformations of the seat of knowledge? I wish our society of antiquaries would endeavour to find out if this did not proceed from the Beotians following the Egyptian fashion above-mentioned.

Are we to suppose that the only motive of our eminent physicians and great lawyers for wearing such large periwigs as they generally do, is merely. to appear wiser than other people? Have they not experienced that these warm coverings of the head greatly contribute to render them really so? One apparent proof of their being wiser than most others is, that the former very rarely take any physic, and the latter never go to law when they can avoid it. However, we must for the sake of truth acknowledge, that too many of these gentlemen of both professions, seem to have carried the practice of keeping their heads warm to such an excess, as to occasion a kind of madness, which shows itself in so voracious an appetite for fees, as can hardly be satisfied But as we frequently see good proceed from evil, may it not be hoped that these extravagancies of physicians and lawyers will put people upon making as little work as possible for either, by substituting temperance in the room of physic, and arbitrations instead of law-suits?

Whether your female readers will take warning by the examples here set before them, or much esteem your advice or mine, I know not; but surely such of them at least as go to church, and there say their prayers, will pay a proper regard to St. Paul, who tells them that "every woman who prayeth with her head uncovered, dishonoureth her head."

In one of the islands in the Archipelago (I think it is Naxos) there was formerly a law that no woman should appear abroad in embroidered clothes, or with jewels, unless she were a professed courte zan; nor be attended, when she walked the streets, with more than one waiting-maid, except she was in liquor. Now what I would propose is, that you, Mr. Fitz-Adam, should issue out an edict, that none of the fair sex in our island shall for the future bé be seen in public without a cap, but such as are known to be ladies of pleasure; unless you shall be pleased to except those who are apt to tipple a little too much; and therefore go in this manner to cool their heads.

I am, sir,

Your most humble servant.

No. CCIX. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19.

THE public will no doubt be a good deal astonished, that instead of the great name of Adam Fitz-Adam to this paper, they now see it written by a poor, weak woman, its publisher, and dated from Alas! nothing but the Globe, in Pater-Noster-Row. my regard and veneration for that dear good man could have got the better of my modesty, and temp ted me to an undertaking that only himself was · equal to.

Before these lines can reach the press, that truly great and amiable gentleman will, in all probability, be no more. An event so sudden and unexpected, and in which the public are so deeply interested, cannot fail to excite the curiosity of every reader; I