or mind which approaches nearest to it, is always the moft agreeable to us, when we cannot enjoy it immediately.-Hence we read that many ancient nations used to recline up en beds or cushions, and to lean upon each other at their entertainments. This posture in eating was practifed by the Greeks, Romans, and Perfians,† nor was it uncommon among the Jews. But what proves, above all things, that reft and fleep are neceffary after eating, is, that digeftion has been lately proved to be carried on chiefly by fermentation, to which reft, every body knows, is fo effentially neceffary, that it cannot take place without it. Unless the body enjoys more or less of this after eating, there can be no perfect concoction of the food. This is what all muft confent to, who have been obliged to ride on horseback, or to ufe any violent exercife of body after a hearty dinner. The digestion, in fuch cafes, is fo difturbed, that perfons have complained of being indifpofed for feveral days after it. But methinks I hear fome objector fay, that eating a hearty fupper makes them reftlefs in the night, and prevents their fleeping. To fuch I would with joy. It is a proof that nature has not yet funk under the weight of two hearty meals a day; for I never heard any one make this complaint who did not likewife eat a hearty dinner. Leave off dining in your ufual manner, and, inftead of eating half a pound, or a pound of flesh, with vegetables proportioned to it, allay your appetite with a little bread and cheefe, a bowl of light foup, a cup of coffee or chocolate; or, after the French cuftom, with a few raifins, or an apple; and I am per N O T E S. The bed ufed for this purpose by the Romans was called, from the Greeks, Triclinium, from its containing only three peo ple. Juvenal, speaking of this pofture in eating, fays, marita." "Gremio jacet nova nupta Hence fome derive the origin of the expreffion, "bofom friends." + Efther and Haman lay upon the fame bed at the royal banquet given by the Queen to King Ahasuerus. We infer, that this practice was common among the Jews, from the cuftom of pulling off their fhoes before they began to eat; the defign of this being to preferve their beds clean. Our Saviour, we find, conformed to it. Unless we fuppofe this, we cannot explain in what manner Mary Magdalen ftood behind him while he was eating in the house of Simon, and, "washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head." At the laft feaft he had with his difciples, (which was a fupper) he admitted him who fat next to him to lean upon his bofom. fuaded you will feel no inconvenience from eating a moderate fupper. Here give me leave to remark to you, that the more of thefe light fubftances you take, during the day, the better; as they tend to leffen the fenfe of hunger, or the keenness of the appetite, which too often provokes us to intemperance. Sir Francis Bacon tells us a ftory of a very old man, whofe manner of living he inquired into, and found that he obferved no other rules than eating before he was hungry, and drinking before he was dry; for by thefe means, he faid, he was fure never to eat or drink too much at a time. If we appeal once more to the brute animals, they will furnish us with arguments in favour of this practice. Every analogy borrowed from them deserves to be attended to, as they have never yet subjected their inftincts to the tyranny of fashion. The cow and the horse, as also the sheep, when they range at large in a pafture, feed with little interruption all the day, and thus guard againft the intemperate rage of hunger. The horfe, it is true, fometimes fuffers from this caufe, but it is only when he is obliged to live as we do, that is, to divide his meals into three or four in a day, and to work immediately afterwards. It is univerfally agreed that people live much longer in warm than in cold,climates. May not one reafon of this be owing to the heat of fuch climates diminishing their appetites, and thus preventing their wearing out their conflitutions by excefs in eating?-I would have it remembered here, that in fpeaking of warm climates, I mean the improved parts of Afi and Africa only. The warm climates of America are as yet too little cultivated to allow us to extend the obfervation to that country.-But to return! Methinks I hear others fay, if we make fupper our principal meal, we fhall overfet part of an old rule, which bids us, After dinner fit awhile, This adage, it is true, from its great antiquity, as well as from its being delivered in rhyme, comes armed with the ftrength of Sampion, but it does not require the skill of a Delilah to cut its locks. I might here mention, an hundred common fayings in feveral of the arts and feiences, as well as in cominon life, which are equally univerfal, and at the fame time equally falfe with the above. It is a vulgar error, and is repugnant both to experience and found philofophy. I conclude, therefore, that it is most agresable to the ufage of the moft civilized nations-to the practice of favages-to nature-and to common experience, to eat our chief meal at night, and that the feeming objections against it are of no weight. Utility of a well-timed cordial Laugh. R. Battie, was as good a PUNCH as twenty yards. Unfortunately, the gun ing loaded with coarfe damp common_po® der, the whole of it did not burn, and pr Dhe was a phyfician. At fchool, or at H. Let's face received a great many wh college, he was always in purfuit of what we call fun. Now, as it is agreed, that those who play at bowls must take rubbers, I cannot help ating a piece of funnery which befel the doctor himself at Uxbridge, the place where he firft opened his medical budget, and when his fellowship of King's college, Cambridge, and what little he could pick up in fees, were his whale fupport. Mr. T- -fle, a fellow of the fame college, and a fellow-funfler also, having rode from London one morning to vifit his old chum, arrived when the Dr. was out upon his vifits, and, as a little rain had wettted his vifitor's wig, he called upon William to bring him the Doctor's old grizzle, and to put a duft of powder into his. But before that operation was compleated, the Doctor appeared in his well-dreffed tye. As foon as the mutual civilities were over, "Zounds," faid Battie, "Ralph, what a curfed wig you have got on!" "It is true," faid T. (tak ing it off his head), "it is a bad one, and you will, as I have another, I will burn it." "By all means," faid the Doctor, "for, in truth, it is a very Caxon." Accordingly, the fry went to the fire. Now, in thoje days frugality was necessary, and the Doctor conftantly, upon returning home, uncovered his yarn under-flockings and edged off his tye, that a once-a-week combining might do and therefore, previous to his fkinning his legs, "Here, William," said he, "bring me my old wig, and put up my if had got it. Now, we may, clofe this account of an innocent piece of fun with the following additional anecdote to it. There was at King's college, a very goodtempered, handfome, fix-feet-high parfon, of the name of Lt. He was one of the college chaunters, and the conftant butt at commons, in the hall as well as in the parlour. Harry dreaded fo much the fight of a gun, or a cafe of piftols, that fuch of his friends as did not care for too much of his company, always kept-fire arms in their room. The relater of this article, then fcarce a man, was encouraged by the reverend the Fellows to place himself at the end of the chapel, with a gun loaded only with powder, and, as Harry went to pray ers, to shoot at him at the distance of about grains therein, and with fuch force as m remain in the skin. The fright, and a lit inflammation, put the poor chaunter to be We were all much alarmed; and, left t report fhould reach the Vice-chancellor ears, the good-tempered Lt wr prevailed upon to fink the cause of his difo der and to be only ill. Battie and Banks (th only two fellow-ftudents in phyfic) happene not to be of the booting party, and were therefore, called to the affiftance of the fict man. They found his face red, inflared » and fprinkled with black fpots! that hi pulle was high, and his fpirits low; and, af ter a ferious confultation on his cafe, they prefcribed: and then being examined by the impatient platters of this wicked deed, they pronounced it to be the black rajb. a never-to-be-forgotten roaft for the two medical students. And, if we may add to this, that, after the Doctor had juftly efla... blifhed a high reputation as a physician, he f.nt Mrs. Battie to Bath for a dropfy, and that he was cured by dropping a child at his door, it may give us a little infight into the practice of phyfic, and induce us to fay with the Poet, This was Bettter to fearch in fields for health unThan fee the Doctor for a nauseous draught. bought, The virtuous Revenge. A Tale, from the ~HERE once lived, in the city of Milan, T The paffion which Martino entertained for bis mistress was of a lefs ferious kind. His choice had happened to fall on a young woman to whom fortune had been as fparing as nature had been profufe. She was extremely pretty, but undiftinguished by birth or fortune. To fuch a match the parents of Mar ting could not be supposed to give their confent; and it is a queflion whether he himfelf was very folicitous to obtain it. His attachment to Rofma, which was her name, refembled more the thoughtless levity of caprice than the generous ardour of virtuous lave; at leaft, it was a fubject on which he had not interrogated his heart. Like his friend Lelio, however, he was obliged to be fecret in his vifits, on account of the relations of Rofina, who might have put fame embarraffing queffions concerning his intentions. Our two friends had communicated in confidence their amorous adventures to each other. Indifpenfable bufinefs obliged Lelio to be abfent for fome time. Nor was it without the moft evident demonftrations of concern that he conveyed this intelligence to Lauretta, which was the name of his adorable miftrefs. He had need himself of that confolation which he endeavoured to adminifter to her. His friend Martino,' he faid, would come privately to deliver his letters, and would likewife take the charge of her anfwers.' Lauretta, who was acquainted with their mutual friendship, was happy in this affurance; and with a charm ing franknefs the faid, that the fhould enjoy only two pleasures in his abfence-that of reading his letters, and converfing with Martino. Lelio, on leaving his miftrefs, haftened to Martino, and requested him to take charge of the correspondence between him and his dear Lauretta. He was the only perfon, he said, to whom he could intruft a commiflion of fuch moment to his happiness. He recommended her to his care, as the dearest object in the world. He faid, (for he was paffionately fond, and love naturally infpires paftoral ideas) that his Lauretta was like a favourite lamb whom he had placed under the crook of friendhip; and that he made him her thepherd. Such fhepherds are sometimes wolves. But not to anticipate events, Martino was profufe in his promises, and Lelio fet out on his journey. Martino confoled himfelf, in the company of his mistress, for the abfence of his friend, when he received from him a letter for Lauretta. He could not deliver the letter with out fpeaking to her: he could not speak without admiring her: he faw that he was beautiful; he discovered intellectual charms: he converfed with her with pleasure, and he left her with regret. Two days after, he returned to receive her letter. Their converfation was now longer; and Martino found Lauretta ftill mure amiable than at firit. By dint of talking love for his friend, he conceived the idea of making fome amorcus profeffions for himself: he had an inclination abfolutely to replace his friend. This, indeed, was carrying friendship rather too far. Perhaps, in endeavouring to make himfelf agreeable to Lauretta, he had no intention to deprive his friend of her, but merely to attach himself to her till his return. In fact,' faid he to himself, I fhall only have kept up the tender fentiment in Lauretta's bofom. It is ftill ferving my friend; and if, at his return, I reftore what he has confided to me, provided he is ignorant of it, I fhall have done him no injury.' With this curious reafoning he filenced his confcience, which certainly could not have been very fcrupulous nor very delicate. He continued his vifits; and what with delivering his friend's letters, and receiving Lauretta's anfwers, he had at length the prefumption to make a declaration in form. But Martino, thus loft to every fentiment of honour and fidelity, found Lauretta as virtuous as fhe was beautiful. She answered with fuch an air and voice of indignation, that Martino, who had fcarce time to finish his declaration, durft not venture to repeat it. Overwhelmed with fhame at the recollection of his difhonourable conduct, he earneftly befought her to forget the prefumption of which he had been guilty, and he implored her filence on the fubject. She could not fpeak of it, he faid, to Lelio, without embroiling them together, and fubjecting them both to the moft imminent danger. This laft reprefentation had great weight with Lauretta, who promised to forget what had paffed, and to conceal it from her lover. But the forbid hun to fee her again, if he ever prefumed to harbour such dishonourable fentiments. Martino protefted, that his veneration for her virtue had quite extinguished his guilty paffion: he threw himfeif at her feet: he extoiled her behaviour, which, perhaps, in his heart, he curfed: and when he thought he had atoned for his mifconduct by the moft humiliating expressions of repentance, he took his leave. He returned, a few days after, with fome letters from Lelio; but he now kept within those bounds of refpect which infulted virtue had taught him to obferve. Lelio, at length, returned to Milan. Martino no fooner heard of his friend's arrival, than he haftened to embrace him. The impatient lover, it may be fuppofed, delayed not a moment to enquire after his dear Lauretta. His friend answered, that she contimued as beautiful as ever, that her converfation had inceffantly turned upon her beloved Lelio. However, notwithstanding Lauretta's promife, he was apprehenfive that the would relate to Lelio what had paffed; and he thought, therefore, that it would be moft difcreet to mention it firft himself. He told Lelio then, that having been defirous of proving the fidelity of his mistress, he had ་ ventured to make a feigned declaration; but that he had difcovered, with extreme fatisfaction, that Lauretta's heart was a model of fidelity and tenderness, and that her virtue was equal to her beauty. This confidence, notwithstanding the eulogy that feafoned it, was not much relifhed by Lelio; and if he could have had the power to forbear Speaking on the fubject, his countenance, nevertheless, would have betrayed the sentiments of his heart. Although the attempt had terminated fo much to the honour of Lauretta, he could not but tremble in hearing his recital. Such perils are alarming, even when they are over; and fuch a confeffion must appear very fufpicious to a lover. Lelio anfwered, that he had taken much more trouble upon himself than friendship had impofed upon him; that he had not injoined him to put to proof the fidelity of his miftrefs; and that he ought not to have indulged fuch an unbecoming curio fity. You have been unsuccessful, continued he, and this you tell me in confidence! And fuppofe Laura had confented, would youOh my friend,' interrupted Martino, can you fuppofe, I fuppofe nothing,' returned Lelio: but, to be frank with you, I do not perceive what advantage I could poffibly derive from fuch a trial. I never doubted her heart; and all the change of which fuch an attempt could be productive, was the lofing of her for ever 12 The more Lelic theaght of this adventure, the more he was convinced of Martino's guilt, and he could no longer doubt it, when, ou the first interview with his miftreis, he extorted the truth from her. From that moment he forbore to mention the fubject to Martino; but he swore very cordially that he would be revenged; and as he was impatient for the opportunity, it was not long before it occurred. The reader will recollect, no doubt, that Martino alfo had a mistress. But with more levity in his amours, or lefs amorous than 1 elio, he feemed to have no other view in inning her heart, than to employ fome oments in an agreeable amusement. Rofina, who was not only beautiful but irtuous, was formed to engage the efteem, :s well as the love of a man of fenfe; and otwith.ftanding the difparity of their fortunes and of their fituation in lite, fhe was 00 capable of contributing to the real hapjiaels of Martino, to be confidered merely e an object of occafional amusement. With espect to Lelio, the reader may perhaps conjecture, that his object was to feduce Refina, in order to be revenged of Martino in the fane way in which he had been himfelf infulted. By no means nothing was further from the intentions of Lelio; and it : will appear, in the fequel, that in the mode he had adopted to punish Martino, he was folicitous to perform an act of juftice, while he indulged himself in the pleasure of revenge. As he had ceased to speak to Martino of what had paffed, the latter entertained no fufpicion, and continued, as before, to communicate his fecrets to him. Lelio, therefore, was acquainted with the time and place of interview between his friend and the beautiful Rofina. One evening, when he knew they were together, he haftened to her relations, communicated this circumftance to them, and advised them to surprise the two lovers, and to oblige the young man, by force, if necessary, to repair their honour. They inftantly followed this advice. They went armed to the place of interview, and offered to Martino the choice of marriage or of death. However terrifying marriage was in the eyes of Martino, death appeared ftil worfe. He left no effort untried to evade the alternative; for, within a few days, he had come to the refolution of making propofals to Rofina of a different nature from those which virtue would dictate; and the charining girl was to have been devoted by caprice and libertinifm to all the anguish of difappointed love. But the relations of Rofina were inflexible, and compelled the reluctant lover to confent. A notary, who was at the door, entered inftantly to draw up the contract, and witness the signatures. The relations of Rofina, who were on the very point of affaffination, now loaded Martino with careffes, and he retired quite confused, and married. In his way home he met Lelio, who enquired whence he came. Martino related to him, that, in spite of himself, he had been juft compelled to efpoufe Rofina. Lelio, with great coolnefs, anfwered: 'I knew it. Embrace me,' continued he; it is I who have married you.'-Martino was dumb with furprife, when Lelio proceeded to relate to him all the fteps he had taken to accomplish it. It is but juft,' added Lelio, with a finile, that I fhould obey the dictates of gratitude. Your happiness and Rofina's ought certainly to be as dear to me as mine and Lauretta's was, fo very lately, to you. But I have been the most fortunate of the two. You have only prevented me from having the leaft fufpicion of my Lauretta's heart; but I have fecured to you for ever the poffeffion of your Rofina.' Lelio had now a fine field open for farcaftic reproaches, but he had accomplished his plan of revenge, and he was too generous to proceed further. He confidered that Martino was not devoid of good principles, although in the thoughtlefs levity of youth, they had been fuffered lie dormant; and he he thought that a woman endued with the charms and excellencies of Rofina, might yet call them into action. He, therefore, feriously expoftulated with his friend on the impropriety of his paft conduct; he expatiated on the felicity of poffeffing fuch a heart as Rofina's, and being entitled to all its gratitude and love, to the pungent refections that muft have arifen, from the confcioufnefs of having abandoned, if not betrayed her. The path to happiness, he faid, was now open to him, and it would be his fault, if, with fuch a companion as Rofina, he should miss it. These arguments were not loft upon Martino: he not only allowed the juftice, but the extreme generofity of that revenge which his friend had accom plished: he atoned for the reluctance which he had fhewn to efpoufe Rofina by the uniform tenderness of an affection which her charming behaviour to him augmented every day; and he confelled to Lelio, that the tranfports of virtuous love far furpaffed all the pleasures of thoughtless levity and infipid paffion. With refpect to Lelio, the author of fo much felicity, he had the happiness, some months after, to be able to remove the family obftacles that had impeded his union with the faithful Lauretta. Their nuptials were not long delayed. Rofina and Lauretta participated in the friendship of their hufbands (the friendship now of principle and affection), and enjoyed the fatisfaction of seeing them mentioned, for many years after, as the most perfect examples in their country of conjugal virtue and felicity. Life and Amusements of Ifaac Bickerflaffe, Junior. My friend Ifaac was, in his way, a caricaturift of the first order. You would have been delighted with his descriptions of coun try fairs, hunting parties, parish clerks, quack doctors, and old women. Since I have feen fuch works as you have favoured the public with, I have doubly regretted the death of Ifaac; because I am deprived of half the gratification those works would have afforded me, could I contemplate the eccentricities of your pencil in company with one to whom Gent. Mag. March, 1787. they would have afforded fuch inexpreffible pleafure. Ah, Sir, what a great pity it is, that you never faw my friend Ifaac !-He would long fince have cut a confpicuous figure in all the print-fhops in London.-When I come to give a defcription of his person—as I shall do before I recount his amorous adventures— how fhall I wish for your happy pencil, to exprefs what I fhall find fo difficult to exprefs in words!-Geoffrey Gambado is, to be fure, a moft beautiful figure: but Ifaac-O Ifaac ! when fhall I forget thy fuperlative graces of perfon, and happy peculiarity of manner? Sir, my friend Ifaac had a very happy knack at ridicule; and it was conftantly his cuftom to deal much in a certain article called irony: but, Sir, his irony was like yours it was never ill-natured. He laughed himfelf, and not only made other people laugh, but he made them wifer and better at the fame time. The parfon of the parish allowed Ifaac's jokes to be better than the best fermons, and to have much more effect on, at leaft, four parishioners out of fix. Ifaac had very attentively ftudied Swift's Advice to Servants; and, indeed, passed many hours-not the most happy in his life with the celebrated author; and he, infenfibly, as it were, got into a fimilar mode of expreffing himfelf. To exercife his talents the more, and to keep them in play, Ifaac was always willing to exchange fervants with fuch of his friends as happened to have thofe who were remarkable for their ftupidity. He would prefently anatomize a when he knew the nature and extent of thefe, man's mind, and find out his docile qualities; his mode of cure was infallible-he did not, as many unskilful masters do, make his fervant a butt of ridicule to fhew his own wit, but he made the man a butt to himself-and in three months he generally laughed himfelf into fome rationality, unless he were a precious ftnpid fellow indeed! Those who beft know mankind, know that ridicule, though by no means the teft of truth, is the moft probable means of curing folly, and expofing abfurdity. You, Sir, are to be ranked in the firft clafs of those who contribute to the public good by humorous expofitions of predominant foibles; your lef fons have their due weight-They ftrike the moft ignorant, and make them feel and underftand. By ridiculing impropriety, how happily you recommend its oppofite!-A fingle ftroke of your pencil works an imme diate reformation: if Circe could transform men into brutes, you transform brutes into men!-Go on, excellent enchanter! convert our petits maitres into men; our fashionable dames, alias dolls, into women,-You have opened an Academy for grown horsemen, infinitely fuperior to all other academies of R fimili |