ham obferves, in venomous infects, as the fling or law of a walp, the is fometimes wonderfully induftrious. Now when the hath thus compleatly armed her hero, to carry on a war with man, fhe never fails of furnifhing that innocent lambkin with fome means of knowing his enemy, and foreseeing his defigns. Thus fhe hath been ob'ferved to act in the cafe of a rattle-fnake, which-never meditates a human prey without giving warning of his approach.

This obfervation will, I am convinced, hold most true, if applied to the most venomous individuals of human infects. A tyrant, a trickster, and a bully, generally wear the marks of their feveral difpofitions in their countenances; fo do the vixen, the fhrew, the fcold, and all other females of the like kind. But, perhaps, nature had never afforded a ftronger example of all this, than in the cafe of Mrs. Humphrys. She was a hort, fquat woman; her head was closely joined to her fhoulders, where it was fixed fomewhat awry; every feature of her countenance was fharp and pointed; her face was furrowed with the fmall- -pox; and her complexion, which feemed to be able to turn milk to curds, not a little resembled in colour fuch milk as had already undergone that operation. She appeared indeed to have many symptoms of a deep jaundice in her look; but the ftrength and firmness of her voice over-balanced them all the tone of this was a fharp treble at a distance; for, I feldom heard it on the fame floor; but was ufually waked with it in the morning, and entertained with it almost continually through the whole day. Though vocal be usually put in oppofition to

inftrumental mufic, I question whether this might not be thought to partake of the nature of both; for the played on two inftruments, which the feemed to keep for no other ufe from morning till night; these were two maids, or rather fcolding stocks, who, I fuppofe, by fome means or other, earned their board, and the gave them their lodging gratis, or for no other fervice than to keep her lungs in conftant exercise.

She differed, as I have faid, in every parti cular from her husband; but very remarkably in this, that as it was impoffible to please her; and as no art could remove a smile from his countenance, fo could no art carry it into hers. If her bills were remonftrated againft, fhe was offended with the cenfure of her fair-dealing; if they were not, the feemed to regard it as a tacit farcafm on her folly, which might have fet down larger prices with the fame fuccefs. On this latter hint fhe did indeed improve; for the daily raised fome of her articles. A pennywotth of fire was to-day rated at a fhilling, to-morrow at eighteen-pence; and if the dreft us two dishes for two fhillings on Saturday, we paid half a crown for the cookery of one on the Sunday; and wherever he was paid, fhe never left the room without lamenting the fmall amount of her bill; faying, the knew not how it was that others got their money by gentle folks, but, for her part, he had not the art of it. When the was afked why the complained, when the was paid all the demanded, the answered, the could not deny that, nor did the know the omitted any thing, but that it was but a poor bill for gentlefolks to pay.

I accounted for all this by her having heard,

that it is a maxim with the principal inn-holders on the continent, to levy confiderable fums on their guests, who travel with many horfes and fervants, though fuch guests fhould eat little or nothing in their houfes; the method being, I believe, in fuch cafes, to lay a capitation on the horfes, and not on their masters. But he did not confider, that in molt of thefe inns a very great degree of hunger, without any degree of delicacy, may be fatisfied; and that in all fuch inns there is fome appearance, at least, of provifion, as well as of a man cook to drefs it, one of the hoftlers being always furnished with a cook's cap, waistcoat and apron, ready to attend gentlemen and ladies on their fummons; that the cafe therefore of such inns differed from hers, where there was nothing to eat or to drink; and in reality no houfe to inhabit, no chair to fit upon, nor any bed to lie in; that one third or fourth part therefore of the levy imposed at inns was, in truth, a higher tax than the whole was when laid on in the other, where, in order to raise a small fum, a man is obliged to fubmit to pay as many various ways for the fame thing as he doth a taylor's bill, fuch are the articles of bread and beer, firing, eating, and dreffing

dinner.

The foregoing is a very imperfect sketch of this extraordinary couple; for every thing is here lowered, inftead of being heightened. Thofe who would fee them fet forth in more lively colours, and with the proper ornaments, may read the defcriptions of the furies in fome of the claffical poets, or of the ftoic philofophers in the works of Lucian.

Monday, July 20. This day nothing remarkable paffed; Mrs. Humphrys levied a tax of fourteen fhillings for the Sunday. We regaled ourfelves at dinner with venifon and good claret of our own; and, in the afternoon, the women, attended by the captain, walked to fee a delightful fcene two miles diftant, with the beauties of which they declared themselves moft highly a charmed, at their return, as well as with the goodness of the lady of the manfion, who had flipt out of the way, that my wife and her com-: pany might refresh themfelves with the flowers. and fruits with which her garden abounded.

Tuesday, July 21. This day, having paid. our taxes of yesterday, we were permitted to regale ourselves with more venifon. Some of this we would willingly have exchanged for mute, ton; but no fuch flesh was to be had nearer than Portsmouth, from whence it would have coft more to convey a joint to us, than the freight of a Portugal ham from Lisbon to London amounts 10; for though the water-carriage be fomewhat cheaper here than at Deal, yet can you find no,. waterman who will go on board his boat, unless by two or three hours rowing he can get drunk for the refidue of the week..

And here I have an opportunity, which poffibly may not offer again, of publishing fome obfervations on that political economy of this nation, which, as it concerns only the regulation of the mob, is below the notice of our great men ; though, on the due regulation of this order depend many emoluments which the great men themfelves, or, at least, many who tread clofe on their heels, may enjoy, as well as fome dan-.. gers, which may fome time or other arife from

introducing a pure ftate of anarchy among them. I will represent the cafe as it appears to me, very fairly and impartially, between the mob and their

betters.

The whole mischief which infects this part of our economy, arifes from the vague and uncertain use of a word called Liberty, of which, as fcarce any two men with whom I have ever converfed, feem to have one and the fame idea, I am inclined to doubt whether there be any fimple univerfal notion reprefented by this word, or whether it conveys any clearer or more determinate idea, than fome of thofe old Punic compɔfitions of fyllables, preferved in one of the comedies of Plautus, but at prefent, as I conceive, not fuppofed to be understood by any one.

By liberty, however, I apprehend, is commonly underflood the power of doing what we pleafe: not abfolutely; for then it would be inconfiftent with law, by whofe controul the li berty of the freeft people, except only the Hottentots and wild Indians, muit always be re

-trained.

But, indeed, however largely we extend, or however moderately we confine the fenfe of the word, no politician will, I prefume, contend that it is to pervade in an equal degree, and be with the fame extent enjoyed by every member of fociety; no fuch polity having been ever found, unless among thofe vile people juit before commemorated. Among the Greeks and Romans, the fervile and free conditions were oppofed to each other; and no man who had the miffortune to be enrolled under the former, could lay any claim to liberty, 'till the right was con

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