Look at the Bench of B, the majority almost as lean as their predeceffors the Apoftles-nay, at the court of aldermen and common council. I remember the time when a common council-man dying in his bed would have been accounted as great a wonder as if he had died on the field. The accustomed notice then was, "died in his chair after eating a hearty dinner." Candidates for the fucceffion, then, were always obliged to be on the watch, and so to improve their intereft and popularity, as to be able to put up on the very fhorteft notice. What do we fee now? Members of the corporation dying of consumptions and lingering diforders!-Then, Sir, it was no uncommon thing for a candidate to eat his way through five or fix committees; his powers were thereby ascertained to an ounce; his appearance bespoke rank; you could at once diftinguish between the mazarine and the Scarlet, and could determine that fuch a man was within a few pounds of the gold

chain and collar of SS.

Paft are those happy days; and yet, does the evil rest there? Ask the faculty, and they will tell you what a falling off in their practice. The age of ftomachics is gone; appetifers are no longer wanted; and rhubarb is become a mere drug!

Such are the changes we have lived to fee in the make and frame of Englishmen-changes which I fhould have blufhed to enumerate, and been afraid to record (for I am no friend to riots), had not the injudicious appearance of Mr. Kemble tended to revive the memory of paft times in a light fo ftriking and picturefque, that filence would have been affectation.--I hope, however, he will hereafter confine himself to fubjects proportioned to his mighty grafp-to the enclofing of commons, the building of iron bridges, or the conftructing of wet docks, or tunnels under the Thames. These are subjects which might fatisfy his genius.

genius. It is evident that he would make nothing of a quartern loaf.

I am, Sir, your humble fervant,

ONE OF THE OLD SCHOOL.

SIR,

THE POINT AT ISSUE *.

[From the True Briton.]

Finsbury Square. ABOUT a week ago, between the hours of one and two in the morning, I was alarmed by a violent ringing at my door. Upon looking out at window, I perceived the conftable and watch, who told me that they came to apply to me in my quality of overfeer. A poor creature had fallen down in a fit at the other end of the parish, and they thought it their duty to wait upon me with the particulars: "Very well," faid I; "I take it for granted you called at the apothecary's in your way."-"No, Sir," faid the conftable, "I always like to go to the fountain-head in thefe forts of bufineffes; and you, Sir, being the chief perfon concerned"-"I am obliged to you," fays I; "but where is your patient? Have you brought him with you?" Patient!" faid the conftable, it's the poor man, Sir, I fuppofe you mean; how fhould we have brought him, and he not able to flir?""Well, then, you have left fomebody to take care of him?""Lord, Sir, who fhould we have left? Here are five of us come to wait upon you with the particulars; and if we had all staid taking care of him, we might have ftaid till this time, and your Honour never have known the fact of the cafe."" Indeed," said I,

* Published when the livery withdrew their petition refpecting the fcarcity, because his Majefly refused to receive it fitting on the throne.

It

"I do not fee what is to be done in the business, as you have managed it; however, if you have any thing more to fay, fend thefe people to do the best they can, and step up ftairs yourself, for I am catching cold with the window open: you fee the area door is left a-jar; if you will go down, and rap at the kitchen window, the fervant will let you in.""" And pray, Sir," faid he, "what is the reafon I cannot come in at the street door?" There is no reafon," fays I; " but the other is the shortest way, and the way you have been ufed to; befides, it is a rule with me, I never have the ftreet door opened after twelve."-" Indeed, Sir," faid the conftable," the prefent is a cafe of real diftrefs; if ever there was a cafe which required a street door to be opened, it is the prefent; there is not a moment to be loft. Befides, it's a mistake in you, Sir, fuppofing that I have ever been used to come in at the area. would be quite out of character for the conftable of a parish like this to come in at the area."--" What in the world would you have?" faid I: "if you are in a hurry, the neareft way is the beft."-"That is very true, Sir," faid he; but furely, if you have a heart for the feelings of humanity, you will let me in at the ftreet door. Here is a fellow-creature perhaps perithing at this moment. As for coming in at the area, I hope I fhall never be capable to demean myself to that degree. If I am not good enough for the street door, I am too good for the area, I thank God. What! does the gentleman think it's the pot-boy, or the dustman come to clear away the duft-heap, I wonder! Sure he inight have known what is belonging to a magiftrate. If he is a parifh-officer, why fo am I; I am in the discharge of my duty. Here I ftand in the fight of God and man, and I'll fee him and his area funk and d-ned before ever I go down a step of it. Why, a gentleman that had any compunction of humanity to a fellow-creature would have come down

VOL. IV.

F

and

and opened the street door in his fhirt, and never made a piece of work about the matter. I have been let in at street doors in better houses than this before now, and been let in by as good gentlemen as he, every bit. O Lord! to fee the vanity and wickedness of this world; for one that should be the overfeer, to look after the poor, difneglecting his duty, out of nothing but a piece of pride, because he won't let the parifh-officers in at the street door! Well, if there is harm comes, I wash my hands of it. Let the blame fall where it likes; I'm no party concerned; I ftand here till fuch time as the gentleman pleases to let me in in a becoming manner. I come here with a lawful fummons, and I have a right to be heard."-Here the rafcal began to fall to work with the knocker, till I was forced to expoftulate, and he went on in answer:

"Very true, Sir; to be fure it is all very true, Sir, as you fay. Every man's houfe is his caftle, to do as he pleases. You are free to let me in at the street door, if you please, without offence to any body-and I am free to stay here, if I pleafe, without going down into the area. No offence to you, Sir, nor to any other gentleman, if I prefer to stay here. I'm agreeable to any thing, when a gentleman behaves as a gentleman-Sir, you understand me-only not to be put upon; and not to go down into the area-because, why it is a thing that 's beneath me; I look upon it that my mind's above it. Now, Sir, if you've a mind only just to argue over the matter as it were. What is the cafe at prefent? The cafe at prefent is, that I want to come in at the ftreet door, to relieve a fellowcreature for whom my heart is bleeding, I'm fure. Now, will your Honour answer me one question? Did not I call upon your Honour laft Wednesday was three weeks ago? and did not I come in at the treet door? Answer me that, your Honour. Was not it the street door, or no, that I came in at, that very time? Very

well

well then, does not it ftand to reason, being only three weeks last Wednesday, that I ought now to go down into the area, being come relative to parifh bufinefs, and for the fake of humanity, the poor man being in a fit?" Finding by this time, what I might have guefied before, that the fellow had got too much beer, I rung for my fervant, a tall powerful fellow, who is employed to fleep below stairs, and takes care of the plate, and directed him to deliver the conftable into the custody of the watch, who, in their phrafe, informed him that their leader was, as I had fufpected, concerned in liquor. The fick man, it was found, had got up and walked away; and I fhould, perhaps, never have thought of the business again, if the fpeech of our worthy chief magistrate, at the common hall, had not forcibly reminded me of the arguments of my friend the conftable. I am, yours, &c.

J. CHOLICK.

LINES

WRITTEN IN A BOWER OF MR. SWAINSON'S BOTANICAL
GARDEN, AT TWICKENHAM.

By the elder Captain Morris.
[Original.]
HERE, to enjoy the filent and the cool,

Sat one unknown among the proud or gay:
Too wife was he to prove Ambition's fool;
Too dull to learn to trifle life away.

Now in the manfion, now this fecret bower,
Ten days of quiet did the Mufes fpend;
There, Swainfon's mirth beguil'd the tedious hour,
Here, little Robin was his guest and friend.

Perch'd on his book, and perking in his face,
The guilelefs redbreaft feem'd to watch his thought t
Alas! he knew not man's perfidious race,

By whofe allurements fimple birds are caught.