the will of husbands that may naturally the promifed never to defert his colours be expected, when they bequeath for-- been able. Full of thefe reflections, and almost a convert to her own doctrine, Delia paid an evening vifit to a lady with whom the was acquainted, where, among others, the enjoyed the converfation of general M, a gallant officer, and colonel of a regiment. The widow was ftruck with the addrefs and gallant appearance of the foldier; and he, with that politenefs which is fo natural to the gentlemen of the fword, paid the moft affiduous attention to the lady. A few fucceffive meetings of the fame parties happened at the fame place, in the intervals of which, enquiries were reciprocally made into the circumftances of the hero and heroine of this history. We have lately been informed that a general of fixty made fuccefsful love to a young lady of twenty-four, even during her coverture with a fprightly youthful husband; we need not therefore be furprized that Delia fhould find a conqueror in a foldier of about her own age, though at equal rank with the fortunate hero we allude to. Our hero, like him, was a man of family, and his circumftances were in pretty good repair. He knew the extent of Delia's fortune, and the conditions on which the held it: he propofed a union with her for life, and recommended the very mode of conducting matters which the had long thought of, and had formed a refolution to adopt. "Subftance, exclaimed our hero, is preferable to ceremony I truft, madam, you know better how to difpofe of your fortune, than to fuffer it to be laid out in manfions or hofpitals for idiots fhould that happen to be the cafe, (and your good fenfe did not render it impoffible) you would certainly deferve to be admited a patient in a charity founded by yourself." : Delia yielded to the opinion and martial figure of the Conquering General he gave her his parol of honour, and the whole is an affair of honour! An Effay on Humour*. TH E celebrated St. Evremond gave the following advice to his friend count d'Olone, who had been banished from the court of Louis XIV. "The unfortunate ought never to read books which may give them occafion to be afflicted on account of the miseries of mankind; but rather thofe which may amufe them with their follies; prefer therefore Lucian, Petronius, and Don Quixote, to Seneca, Plutarch, and Montaigne." In the early part of my youth, I happened to meet with this paffage, and I have fince often reflected upon this great truth, that events apparently of very little importance have fometimes the greateft influence upon our happiness or unhappinefs during the courfe of our lives. The lively impreffion which the ad-' vice of St. Evremond made on my mind, induced me very clearly to follow it; and whenever I found myself too much afflicted by difappointments or misforN O T E. *Though it is generally believed, and though Congreve has been at great pains to prove, that the words Humour and Humourift are originally English, it is however certain, that they are derived from the Italian. We find the word umorifta in the comedies of Buonarotti, who wrote in the beginning of the fixteenth century, and it was employed alfo by feveral other writers of that period. According to the Dictionary Della Crufca, this word fignifies fome one che ha humore, perfona fantaftica ed incorftante. In the beginning of the laft century, there was a fociety or academy at Roine, called Societa de gli Humorifti. The French have no expreffion anfwering to Humour, in the fenfe in which it is here taken. Facetoifité is, perhaps, that which would approach nearest to it, could it be adopted. The Germans have Laune, and the Dutch Luim, which correfpond perfectly with the meaning of our English word. tunes, I had recourfe to his remedy, and England produces more characters of always with the happieft fuccefs. Re- this kind than any country in Europe, fearches refpecting the nature of that and the cause of this is attributed to powerful antidote againft melancholy, that liberty which diftinguishes the Enwill not therefore I hope difpleafe thofe glish government from all others. This who, tormented by its black vapours, opinion appears very probable: but I may have need of fuch affiftance. A fhould believe it to be better founded, celebrated phyfician of the mind, who were we to take the word Liberty in a with this remedy performed miraculous more extenfive fenfe, and to confider it cures, thall be my guide. The English not only as the abfence of arbitrary call this antidote humour, and its history power, and of all reftraint impofed by is as follows. It was found out among the laws, but as a neglect of thofe rules the Greeks by Ariftophanes; and after of conduct which are expreffed by the him Lucian, and other authors who fuc- words urbanity and politeness. Thefe ceeded, carried it to perfection. Plautus, laws are not written, and the execution Horace, and Petronius, among the anci- of them does not depend on the foveent Romans, employed it with advan reign power; but in the circle where tage; among the modern Latinifls, they are adopted, they are perhaps better Erafmus, Sir Thomas More, and Hol- obferved than thofe which, under the berg; among the Italians, Pulci Ariofto, fanétion of government, have been formCæfar Caporali, Pafferoni, Gozzi, and ed into a code. An entire freedom from Goldoni; among the Spaniards, Cer- fuch rules, is, if I miftake not, abfolutevantes, Quevedo, Hurdoto de Mendoza, ly neceffary for Humour. Fielding's Diego de Luna, Luis Velez de Guevera, and Father Ifla; among the French, Rabelais, Cyrano de Bergerac, Sorel, Moliere, Regnard, Dufrefnoy, La Fontaine, and Scarron in his Roman Comique; and among the English, Shakfpeare, Ben Johníon, Butler, Congreve, Shadwell, Swift, Addifon, Steele, Arbuthnot, Fielding, Smollet, and Sterne. Of the Germans I thall fay nothing; by naming no one in particular, none of my countrymen who have pretenfions to Humour, can reproach me with having treated them with neglect. N Τ E S. *Fielding, in his Covent Garden Journal, No. 55. The principal humorous writers among the Germans are, Henry Alcmar, who wrote an heroic-comic poem, Rollinghagen, whom they confider as their Kabelais, Lifcow, Wieland, Michaelis, I avater, &c. The Dutch have Van Moonen, Rufting, Weyerman, Doeyden, Dekker, Huygens, Langendyk and Fokenbrog, who is accounted the Dutch Scarron. To the English writers of this clafs mentioned by the author, we may join Garth, Philips, and Prior. Among the Italians we may reckon alfo Dolce, Aretin, and the Archbishop de la Cafa, au ofa work entitledCapitolo del Forno. an Squire Weitern, and Sir Andrew Freeport, in the Spectator, may ferve as examples. Politenefs and good-breeding tend indeed to extirpate all thofe feeds of Humour which nature has implanted in our fouls. To convince the reader of the juftnefs of this obfervation, I muft explain in what Humour confifts. Several authors have spoken of it as impenetrable myftery; but what is most extraordinary is, that others have given a very clear and juft definition of it, affuring us, at the fame time, that they did not know what it was. Congreve fays, in a letter to Dennis, "We cannot determine what Humour is;" and a little after, "there is a great difference between a comedy in which there are many humorous paffages, that is to fay, expreffed with gaiety; and thofe, the characters of which are fo conceived, that they ferve to diflinguilh in an effential manner the perfonages from one another. This Humour," continues he, "is a fingular and unavoidable manner of speaking and acting, peculiar and natural to one man only, by which his fpeech and actions are diftinguithed from thofe of other men. The relation of our Humour with ourfelves and our actions, refembles that of the accidents to a fubftance. This Humour is a colour and a talle, which is diffufed over the whole man. man. Whatever be the diverfity of our actions in their objects and forms, they are, as one may fay, all chips of the fame block." This definition of Congreve has been attacked by Home*. According to this author, a majeftic and commanding air, and juitnefs of expreffion, in converfation, ought alfo to be called Humour, if the opinion of Congreve be true; and he adds, that we cannot call Humour any thing that is juft or pro er, or any thing that we efteem and refpect in the actions, the converfation, or the character of men. Ben Johnfon, whom I fhall quote as one of the firft Humourifts of his nation, fays, in one of his comedies -Humour (as 'tis ens) we thus define To be a quality of air, or water, Pour water on this floor, 'twill wet and Thefe three explanations may enable us to give a fourth. Humour, then, in my opinion, is a strong impulfe of the foul towards a particular object, which a perfon judges to be of great impor tance, although it be not fo in reality, and which, by conitantly engaging his most ferious attention, makes him diftinguish himself from others in a ridiculous manner. er. If this explanation. be jut, as I hope it will be found, the reader will readily obferve, how much Humour muft offend against the rules of politenefs and good-breeding; fince both confift in the art of fuiting our conduct to certain regulations, tacitly adopted and generally followed by all thofe who live with us in fociety. Thus far have I fpoken of Humour as belonging to character: I fhall now confider that which is to be found in compofition. Singularity, and a certain air of ferioufnefs, indicate Humour in character, and they are alfo the marks. of Humour in writing. This fingularity and rifibility are found either in the invention or the ftylef. An Author poffeffes real humour, when, with an air of gravity, he paints objects in fuch colours as promote mirth and excite laughter; and in company, we often obs ferve the effect which this Humour produces on the mind. When, for example, two perfons amufe themselves in telling ludicrous tales, he who laughs before he begins to speak will neither intereft nor entertain the auditors half as much, as he who relates gravely and without the leaft appearance of a fmile. The reafon of this, perhaps, is the force that contraft has upon the mind. There are fome authors who treat ferious fubjects in a burlefque ftyle, as Taffoni in the Rape of the Bucket, and Scarron in his Typhon. Such authors, without doubt, excite mirth; but as they are different from real Humourifts, we cannot properly rank them in that clafs. They poffefs only the burlefque, which is very In their conftructions, all to run one diftinct from Humour . However, if Fielding, in his Differtation prefixto Jofeph Andrews, their works are good, they are no lefs deferving of praife. No kind of poetry is contemptible, from the epopea and tragedy to fairy tales and farces. Every thing confifis in treating a subject well; and the Devil let loofe* may be as good in one hand, as Zara is in another. Irony and Parody are great helps to authors who are Humourifts. Of this Lucian furnishes proofs without num ber. In this fpecies of writing, comic comparifons have a great effect, efpecially when one part is taken from morals and the other from nature. Of this, the firft chapter of Tom Jones may ferve as an example. The author there compares himself to a perfon who keeps a public ordinary; his work is the difhes provided for his guests, and the titles to the chapters are his bill of fare. The fingular character of Uncle Toby in Triftram Shandy, and many paffages in the Spectator and Tatler, are of the fame kind, and may all ferve as models of true Humour, In Dr. Johnfon's Idler, we find alfo a paffage of this kind, where the author proves, that the qualities requifite to converfation, are very exactly reprefented by a bowl of punch. "Punch," fays he, " is a liquor compounded of fpirit and acid juices, fugar the fentence in the following manner, fcarce had the Ambaffador finifhed his fpeech, when up was madam. No one will be aftonifhed at the Humour which reigns throughout the works of Fontaine, when we are told that this author afkęd an Ecclefiaftic one day, with much gravity, whether Rabelais or St. Auguftine had moft wit*. An Author who is a Humourift will do better to attack small foibles than great vices. As men fall into the former every hour without reflecting, they have more need to be reminded of them: while the laws take care to fupprefs the latter. The Archbishop of La Cafa was therefore right in faying, that he would be more obliged to one who fhould tell him the means of fecuring himfelf from the ftinging of infects, than to one who fhould teach him how to prevent his being hit by tygers or lions. Thefe are my obfervations refpecting this powerful antidote againft melancholy; and I advife all those who may be fubject to frequent fits of it, to read a few pages of Lucian, Don Quixote, Tom Jones, Triftram Shandy, or fome other work of the fame kind; the falutary effects of which I am certain they will foon experience. High Road to Suicide. FOPPERY f and water. The spirit, volatile and fie-OPPERY begat a spruce fhop-boy ; ry, is the proper emblem of vivacity and wit; the acidity of the lemon will very aptly figure pungency of raillery and acrimony of cenfure; fugar is the natural reprefentative of lufcious adulation, and gentle complaifance; and water is the proper hieroglyphic of eafy prattle, innocent and taftelefs." Authors who poffefs Humour in character, fhow it alfo in their writings: ftrokes of it even efcape involuntarily from them, when they wifh to treat a fubject in a grave and ferious manner. Sir Roger L'Etrange, in his tranflation of Jofephus, fpeaking of a Queen extremely violent and paffionate, who was fo much difpleafed with a propofition made to her by a certain Ambafiador, that fcarcely had the latter finished his fpeech, when the rofe up fuddenly and retired, tranflates the latter part of N 0 Τ E. A German Comedy fo called. half-boots;-a pair of half-boots begat a little ftick;a little ftick and the halfboots begat ambition;-ambition begat credit;credit begat a fhop;-a fhop begat a horfe;-a horfe begat a chaife; a chaife begat a curricle-a curricle begat expence;-expence begat a hazard table:-a hazard table begat loffes;→ loffes begat a bankruptcy;-a bankruptcy begat a gaol;-a gaol begat want and mifery;-want and mifery begat a difregard for life; and a difregard for life begat /uicide-fic tranfit gloria mundi! N T E. The Natural Hiftory of the different Serpents in the Eaft Indies. From the Effays of Monf. d'Obfinville, tranflated by T. Holcroft. THES HESE animals, which as they wind and twift themselves, advance filently by a progreflive undulation; and when they fleep or reft, form their bodies into a number of circles, of which the head is the centre; which, after they have caft their fkins, appear all at once with a renovated brilliancy: thefe animals, fo dangerous if they are irritated, were the fymbols of wifdom, prudence, and immortality, among the ancient philofophers. They are divided into a multitude of fpecies, that differ by the intenfity of their poifon, the fize of their bodies, the colours with which their fkins are fpotted; and, though moft common in marfhy grounds, are found alfo in the fea, on rocky mountains, and in barren places. They are all carnivorous, and there are fpecies that devour the others. I fhall fpeak particularly of fome of thofe only that are leaft known in Europe, and which I have had opportunities of obferving with confiderable at tention. Serpent Marin, or fea-ferpent.-The approach of the coafts of India is almoft always known by these ferpents, which are met at from twenty to thirty leagues diftance. Their bite may be mortal, if not timely counteracted by fome of the fpecifics hereafter mentioned. Thefe reptiles appeared to me to me to be from three to four feet long; I do not know if there are any larger. I do not believe they are precifely amphibious, that is to fay, that they have the power alfo of living on land. I have often feen them on the shore, but they have always been thrown there by the furges, and were either dead or dying. Serpent couronné. The crowned or hooded ferpent. This fpecies extends from five to fix feet in length; the fkin is divided in fmall regular compartments, which being contrafted and feparated, more or lefs, with green, yellow, and brown, have a tolerably beautiful effect. It is called hooded from the Hib. Mag, August, 1792. Portuguese word capels, becaufe it has a loofe fkin under its head, which can be extended to both fides, and when it is fo, forms a fort of hood, on which is drawn the resemblance almoft of a pair of fpectacles. This loofe fkin never takes that form but when the animal rears itfelf, agitated by fear, rage, or aftonishment; in a word, by fome object that affects it forcibly. In which cafe, it raifes the fore part of its body to nearly a third of its length; its head is then almoft in continual action, it seems to look all around, but remains in the fame place, or creeps flowly on its hind parts. Whence this fpecies is in India, more than any other, the emblem of prudence; but when it eats, fleeps, or is purfued, its hood is not extended, because the mufcles are then either relaxed, or differently employed. This ferpent is an object of fuperftitious veneration among the Gentoo Indians, founded on fome traits of legendary mythology: they feldom name it without adding fome epithet, fuch as the royal, the good, the holy. Some of them are happy to fee it go and come in their houfes: whence many have received irreparable injuries: for it is very poffible to hurt it unintentionally, without feeing it, or during fleep, and it immediately avenges itelf with fury. bite is fometimes mortal in two or three hours, efpecially if the poifon has penetrated the larger veffels or mufcles. This reptile more than any other, is attentive to the found of a fort of flageolet or pipe. The Indian jugglers play a certain monotonous air, flow and unharmonious, which at first feems to create aftonifhment, prefently it advances, ftops, rears itfelf, and extends its hood; fometimes it will remain an hour in that pofition, and then, by gentle inclinations of the head, indicate that thefe founds imprefs a fenfe of pleasure on its organs. Of this I have several times been convinced, by proofs made on this kind of ferpents, which have never been trained to that exercife, and particularly upon one I caught in my garden. I do not, however, deny, that fome are trained to this exercife; the jugglers, when called to clear a house of them, will fome times artfully drop P |