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of fpending it in the purfuits of learning, and the liberal pleafures of retirement, too often languish in their purfuits, from neglecting to render them the fubjects of debate and converfation. It is the warmth of difcuffion in free and focial meetings which invigorates folitary ftudy, and fends the fcholar back to his books with fresh alacrity The hope of making a figure in a fubfequent meeting, the fear of a shameful expofure, and of appearing inferior to those who are, in a natural and civil view, our equals, will stimulate all our powers, and engage all our attention, while we fit in thofe very libraries, where we once nodded and flumbered over the page even of a Homer. Meetings fhould be established in all literary focieties for the communication of remarks, and the rehearsal of compofitions. But the ftricteft rules fhould be prescribed and obferved for the prefervation of decorum; or else a majority of Mafters of Arts would vote away the books, the pens and the ink, and all the moral, philofophical, and tafteful difcourfes, in order to introduce pipes and tobacco, Joe Miller, and the punch bowl.

It is right also, that contemplative men, however far removed from the neceffity of employment by the liberality of fortune, fhould communicate with mankind, not only in pleasures and amufements, but in real duties and active virtues, either conjugal, paternal, profeffional, official, or charitable. Something fhould be engaged in, with fuch obligations to performance, that an inclination to neglect fhould be over-ruled by legal compulfion, or the fear of certain lofs and fhame. The best method of avoiding the wretched ftate of not knowing what to do, is, to involve one's felf in fuch circumstances as fhall force one to do fomething. The natural indolence of the human heart is found to escape every restraint but the iron arm of neceffity. Such is our prefent condition, that we must be often chained down to our real happiness.and our beft enjoyments.

With refpect to the prevention of indolence in an academical life, it would certainly be a happy circumftance, if none were allowed to refide in an university above feven years, who were not actually engaged in the compofition

compofition of a learned work, or in fuperintending the education of youth as Tutors, Profeffors, and Heads of Colleges. A Senior Fellow, without thefe employments, is one of the unhappiest and least useful members of the community.

No. CXXXI. ON THE MANNERS OF A

METROPOLIS.

HATEVER may be the political advantages

W of a very populous capital, and I believe they

are of a very difputable nature, the moral and phyfical evils of it are evidently numerous, and destructive of the human race. This obfervation is, indeed, true of all cities, in which too great a proportion of the people is affembled; but I fhall confine my prefent obfervations to the capital of the British empire.

The junction of Weftminster with London, or of the Court with the City, is very juftly fuppofed to have a pernicious influence on both; on those who are engaged in the employments of commerce, and on those who are invited from their paternal manfions by the court and the fenate-house. The Courtier communicates to the Citizen a love of pleafure, of diffipation, of vanity; and the Citizen to the Courtier, an idolatrous veneration for opulence. The Courtier introduces the viciffitudes of tafte and fashion; the Citizen imitates them, and furnishes, in profufion, the means of their difplay and gratification. Thus are luxury, and all its confequent vices and miferies, advanced to as high a degree as they can reach, by the union of ingenuity to invent modes of indulgence, with wealth to fupply the materials.

Lovers of pleasure in excefs, are always lovers of themselves in the fame degree; and their love, with all the characteristical blindness of the paffion, commonly injures its object. We fhall therefore find felfishnefs prevailing in the metropolis, and producing all its natural effects of avarice, private gratifications, meanness, fervility, and inhofpitality. True patriotism and VOL. II. Κ

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public fpirit, though the very want of them will often cause the greatest pretenfions to them, will feldom be found in the more numerous claffes who inhabit the capital. Where money and pleasure are the fole objects of ardent purfuit, public virtue, and indeed all virtue, will be expofed to fale, whenever a purchaser can be found. to pay the price. "Money, Oye Citizens!" fays Horace, in a style of fatyrical irony," is firft to be fought; and it is time enough to think of virtue, when you "have fecured a fortune."

The inhabitants of a great city will often be inhofpitable and unneighbourly. Their attention is fixed on advancing and gratifying themselves, and they confider their neighbours as rivals, or at least as not worth cultivating, fince they can always buy amufement at the numerous places of public refort and diverfion. But in the country, mutual good offices take place, from a mutual defire and neceffity of a friendly intercourfe. The Londoner hardly knows the name of his next door neighbour; and, in accidents and diftrefs, would as foon think of fending to Rome, as to him, for comfort and affiftance. But in any emergency in a village, every hand is ready to afford relief. Hofpitality to trangers ftill lingers in the diftant country, but has long been banished from that region of avarice and felfifh profufion, an overgrown city. Pay a vifit in Suffex, in Devonshire, in Cornwall, in Wales, in the North, and compare your reception among ftrangers with_that which you meet with in London and Weftminster. Luxury, avarice, and vice, have, indeed, a natural-tendency to annihilate every generous principle, and to harden the heart against all connections which do not promise to terminate in fenfual pleasure, or in lucrative advantage.

The fecrecy with which crimes can be committed in a crowd, is a powerful temptation. The Londoner may be involved in debauchery, and engaged in fraud, without being fufpected at home, or in his neighbourhood. In the country, the fear of fhame, and a principle of pride, often operate, when virtue, honour, and confcience, would ceafe to reftrain; for no one can there be guilty of an action remarkably dishoneft or immoral without detection. A gentleman who should devote himself

to

to the arts of the fwindler, or the practices of the profligate debauchee, in a village or country town, would foon be compelled, by the hiffes of infamy, to defert the place, or to live there in folitude. But in a city, even men adorned with the robes of magiftracy may proceed, with little notice, in the most scandalous conduct.

Weakness of body and weakness of understanding are often found to characterize the inhabitant of the capital. Luxury, want of air, want of fleep, excefs in food, and in fenfual indulgence, have a natural tendency to debilitate. And if there were not continual fupplies from the north, I know not whether the city would not exhibit the human race in a moft lamentable condition of imbecility, folly, distortion, and deformity. Compare the limbs of the volunteer foldiers in the metropolis with thofe of the ruftic militia, or regulars; compare the conduct and understanding of him who was born within the found of Bow-bell, with thofe of the hardy native of Yorkshire or Scotland.

The extremes of irreligion and enthusiasm mark the manners of the capital. Thefe, indeed, are the natural confequences of fome among the many bad difpofitions already enumerated. Sunday is confidered by the thrifty trader as a holiday, on which he may indulge without imprudence. It is therefore diftinguished by many from the reft of the week, folely by excefs, and by vicious indulgences. The parish churches are neglected; nor is there a great concourfe to any place of worship, except where fome enthufiait or hypocrite has opened a receptacle for those who labour under the symptoms of idiotifm or infanity. The symptoms are often confirmed under this injudicious courfe, till they arrive at a degree of madness, real and moft melancholy.

I have pointed out fome peculiar evils in the manners of the metropolis with two intentions. One is, to prevent, in fome degree, the prevailing practice of emigrating from the country, from the feats of health and comparative innocence, to that fink of fin; and that grave of the human race, a city too crowded with people, and overrun with every abomination. The other is, to fuggeft a hint which may alleviate that part of the evil which admits a remedy. The love of money, of diftinction,

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diftinction, of pleafure, will probably fruftrate the former purpose ; but the latter, in a day of national diftrefs, or under other circumftances favourable to virtue, may poffibly be accomplished.

To promote a reformation of manners, additional authority and efficiency muft be given to the clergy and magiftrates of London. Both of them are at this time looked upon by the vulgar, both high and low, with fovereign contempt. The churches are left to curates, or poor incumbents, who, in a place where riches are idolized, hold a rank fcarcely equal to the keeper of an ale-house or an oil-fhop. The juftices of Middlesex have long been the ftanding objects of hatred and derifion. Are the London clergy, who labour ftrenuously in their vocation, and on whom fo much of the fate of morals and chriftianity depends, particularly countenanced by the miniftry or the bishops? It is parliamentary intereft which procures mitres, and stalls, and livings; and though a city curate, or incumbent, hould convert millions from the error of their ways, he would fill be fuffered to elbow his way along Cheapfide in his thread-bare coat and tattered gown; pointed out and laughed at by every apprentice. The common people will not difcriminate. They will defpife religion and morals when they fee the teachers of them poor, mean, and neglected.

Is it not a difgrace to the Defenders of the Faith, &c. that a London clergyman, who has promoted every charity, and probably reformed great numbers, during thirty or forty years, fhall be fuffered to live and die with nothing but a curacy and a beggarly lectureship? and that, in the mean time, he who is related to a Lord, or connected with Members of Parliament, though he never preached, and can hardly read, fhall be loaded with dignities and pluralities? He who would reform the capital, I repeat, muft render the clergy refpectable in the eyes of the vulgar, and the magiftrates formidable.

No.

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