kind, but the profeffed enemies of all religion, publish unmolested the most virulent invectives against the religion of their country?

Yet one would imagine, from fome outcries of perfecution, that a fecond Duke of Alva was coming with his cut-throats, to establish the inquifition; or that the Sicilian Vefpers, or the maffacre of Saint Bartholomew, were going to be repeated in old England; where, however, ઃઃ every man fits under his own vine and his

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own fig-tree," or rather under the fign of "the bunch of grapes," or "the barley-mow;" and fecurely smokes his pipe and talks treason; and having harangued, till he is tired, on liberty and the "Rights of Man," goes home, and acts the tyrant in his family; perhaps without any regard to the "Rights of Women;" or to the duties of an husband, of a father, or of a mafter; to his wife, his children, or his domefticks.

25th March, 1792.

THE

THE REVERIES

OF

SOLITUDE.

ON HEREDITARY TITLES.

Εγκώμιον Νοθέτικον.

THE natural equality of mankind, whether real or

imaginary, and the great inequality of their condition in fociety, has been the subject of complaint and of surprise, to superficial observers, in all ages of the world. That one man should abound in wealth, and riot at ease in all the luxuries of life, whilft others, with equal merit perhaps, are doomed to earn a scanty subfiftence by conftant labour, has been thought to impeach the goodness, and even the justice of Providence. B 3

In

In like manner, the unequal ranks, and especially the hereditary honours, which have fubfifted in most civilized nations, have been deemed liable to the fame objections. That a set of men, by the merit of their ancestors, should be distinguished by pompous titles and peculiar privileges, and claim the homage of those who are their fuperiors perhaps in virtue, fenfe, or learning, has appeared equally unjust and abfurd.

A little reflection, however, will foon clear up these difficulties; and fhew the neceffity in the one inftance, and, I trust, the expediency at least in the other, that it fhould be fo. Not to mention, in the former cafe, the various talents and capacities with which men are born; the industry, sobriety and frugality of some men compared with the idleness, intemperance, and extravagance of others, fufficiently account for the affluence of the former, and for the unavoidable indigence of the latter. And what a man acquires by his labour, or faves by his œconomy, (and perhaps by denying himself many enjoyments to which he was entitled) he has certainly a right to bequeath to his defcendants.

For a fimilar reason, if a man, by his extraordinary exertions, by his courage or his wife conduct, and perhaps by facrificing his health, his ease, and the common enjoyments of life, has eminently ferved his coun

try,

try, and, as a reward for fuch tranfcendent merit, has been honoured with an illuftrious title; it would certainly be the highest injustice, as well as a discouragement to the like exertions in others, to deprive his family of thofe honours, for whofe fake alone perhaps he accepted of fo unsubstantial a recompence.*

In the case of an hereditary fortune, indeed, we too often see the heir squander away, in vice and extravagance, the fruits of his father's industry and frugality: and if he prefers a life of poverty and shame to one of credit and affluence: it is his own affair; he is his own master; and who has a right to controul him?

The fame is applicable, it should seem, to hereditary titles. If the defcendant, by his worthless conduct, is determined to disgrace his noble ancestors, he renders himself doubly wicked and contemptible; both by fwerving from fuch bright examples, and by his profligacy exhibiting fo fhameful a contrast to their patrio

The ingenious Mrs.Woolftonecroft [Rights of Women, paffim] is equally an enemy to hereditary wealth and hereditary titles: but if a man by his honest industry acquires a fortune, to whom is he to leave it ;-to his own children, or to some family who by idleness or extravagance are reduced to poverty? When she afcribes the corrupt ftate of fociety to the unequal ranks into which it is distinguished, she mistakes the cause for the effectas the vices of fome and the virtues of others will always produce that inequality.

tick virtues. Yet there does not seem to exift any power competent, in an equitable view, to deprive another generation of those honours of which they may be more worthy, and even be excited, by their very titles, to act nobly and retrieve the credit of their family.

"Yes: the National Affembly, in a neighbouring country, has not only done thus, but has abolished all diftinctions of this kind for ever." Nay, to fecure their liberty, fo little regard has been fhewn to property of any kind, that they have deprived the very provinces of the names which they have fo long enjoyed; and inftead of Dauphiny or Languedoc, which convey to the imagination of a foreigner the romantick ideas of vineclad hills and beautiful forefts, we hear of nothing but arithmetical divifions, diftricts, fections, and municipalities, which convey no idea at all.*

Every Englishman must rejoice, that twenty millions of his fellow creatures are emancipated from a system of defpotism, which was become abfolutely intolerable; and must honour that Affembly which abolished lettres

de

* As for titles of refpect, they seem to have adopted the ludicrous part of quakerism, without their piety or virtue. Mr. Prefident must laugh at being called Citizen Prefident; as my man John would, if I should say, Citizen John, bring me a glass of wine!