not inclined me (if I may speak the language of traffic) to turn factor for my friends, and to trade by commission rather than to do business entirely on my own account. And in carrying on this commerce, I have consulted the satisfaction of my customers, as well as my own interest: for though I do not pretend to so much humility as absolutely to allow that any other trader can send such goods to market as my own, or, to drop the allusion, that there is a man now living who can write so wittily, so wisely, and so learnedly, as myself; yet the productions of many will probably have more variety than those of a single person, even though that single person should be myself. But I have still a stronger reason for giving place to correspondents; it is the strong propensity which I have always found in my nature to communicate happiness. Every body knows, at least every writer, with what infinite satisfaction a man sees himself in print. For my own part, I shall never forget the flutterings and heart-beatings I felt upon the honour that was done me many years ago by the author of the Gentleman's Magazine, in publishing a song to Calia, which was the first of my compositions. Indeed there was a small inconvenience attending the pleasure at that particular time; for as my finances were a little low, I almost ruined myself by the many repeated half-dozens which I bought of that magazine to distribute among my friends for their wonder and admiration. And hence, if I was in haste to set up an equipage, would arise another motive to the inserting the letters of correspondents; but as every pecuniary consideration is of small weight, when compared with the pleasure of communicating happiness, I have given it but little of my attention. One thing I must request of my readers before I have done entirely with this subject, which is, that if it should enter into their heads that

money; who borrows chairs, tables, and servants of her neighbours; who sweats under the fatigue of doing the honours of her house, and who is almost stifled to death by the mob she has invited; has no other gratification from her folly, than the idle boast of having brought together to her rout, all the Quality of Brentford.

But to take characters in the group, why is every ordinary mechanic, every pettifogging attorney, every clerk in an office, every painter, player, poet, and musician, or, in short, why is almost every man one knows making a show beyond his income, but from a desire of being ranked among the Quality of Brentford.

I shall conclude this paper with a short letter, which I received two days ago from a correspondent, who, if I can form any judgment of his rank by his manner of writing, must be one of the Quality of Brentford.

'MR. FITZ-ADAM,

'I am no enemy to humour and irony and all that, but I cannot help thinking that you must have spent the chief part of your time among low people; and this is not only my own opinion, but the opinion of most of the persons of quality with whom I converse. If you are really acquainted with the manners of upper life, be so good as to convince us of it, by copying its language, and drawing your future characters from that inexhaustible source of polite ness and entertainment. I am,

Your friend and well-wisher,

Z.

N° 49. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1753.

[Chesterfield]

THOUGH I am an old fellow, I am neither sour nor silly enough yet, to be a snarling laudator temporis acti, and to hate or despise the present age because it is the present. I cannot, like many of my contemporaries, rail at the wonderful degeneracy and corruption of these times, nor, by sneering compliments to the ingenious, the sagacious, moderns, intimate that they have not common sense. I really do not think that the present age is marked out by any new and distinguished vices and follies, unknown to former ages. On the contrary, I am apt to suspect that human nature was always very like what it is at this time vis day, and that men from the time of my great proever genitors down to this moment, have always had in the same.... them the same seeds of virtue and vice, wisdom and folly, of which only the modes have varied, from climate, education, and a thousand other conspiring

causes.

Perhaps this uncommon good-humour and indulgence of mine to my contemporaries may be owing to the natural benignity of my constitution, in which I can discover no particles of envy or ill-nature, even to my rivals both in fame and profit, the weekly writers; or perhaps to the superiority of my parts, which every body must acknowledge, and which places me infinitely above the mean sentiments of envy and jealousy. But whatever may be the true cause, which probably neither my readers nor I shall ever discover with precision, this at least is certain, that the present age has not only the honour and pleasure of being extremely well with me, but if I dare

say so, better than any that I have yet either heard or read of. Both vices and virtues are smoothed and softened by manners; and though they exist as they ever have done, yet the former are become less barbarous, and the latter less rough. Insomuch that I am as glad as Mr. Voltaire can be, that I have the good fortune to live in this age; independently of that interested consideration, that it is rather better to be still alive, than only to have lived.

This my benevolence to my countrymen and contemporaries ought to be esteemed still the more meritorious in me, when I shall make it appear that no man's merit has been less attended to or rewarded than mine and nothing produces ill-humour, rancour, and malevolence, so much as neglected and unrewarded merit.

The utility of my weekly labours is evident, and their effects wherever they are read, prodigious, they are equally calculated, I may say it without vanity, to form the heart, improve the understanding, and please the fancy. Notwithstanding all which, the ungrateful public does not take above three thousand of them a week. Though, according to Mr. Maitland's calculation of the number of the inhabitants in this great metropolis, they ought to take two hundred thousand of them, supposing only five persons, and one paper to each family; and allowing seven millions of souls in the rest of the kingdom, I may modestly say, that one million more of them ought be taken and circulated in the country. The profit arising from the sale of twelve hundred thousand papers, would be some encouragement to me to continue these my labours for the benefit of mankind.

I have not yet had the least intimation from the ministers, that they have any thoughts of calling me to their assistance, and giving me some considerable employment of honour and profit: and having had

no such intimations, I am justly apprehensive that They have no such intentions. Such intimations being always long previous to the performance, often to the intentions.

Nor have I been invited, as I confess I expected to be, by any considerable borough or county to represent them in the next parliament, and to defend their liberties and the Christian religion, against the ministers and the Jews. But I think I can account for this seeming slight, without mortification to my vanity and self-love; my name being a pentateuch name, which in these suspicious and doubtful times, savours too strongly of Judaism; though, upon the faith of a Christian, I have not the least tendency to it; and I must do Mrs. Fitz-Adam (who I own has some influence over me) the justice to say, that she has the utmost horror for those sanguinary rites and ceremonies.

Notwithstanding all this ill usage (for every man may be justly said to be ill used, who is not rewarded according to his own estimation of his own merit) which I feel and lament, I cannot however call the present age names, and brand it with degeneracy. Nature, as I have already observed, being always the same, modes only varying. With modes, the signification of words also varies, and in the course of those variations, convey ideas very different from those which they originally intended to express. I could give numberless instances of this kind, but at present I shall content myself with this single one.

The word honour, in its proper signification, doubtless implies, the united sentiments of virtue, truth, and justice, carried by a generous mind beyond these mere moral obligations which the laws require, or can punish the violation of. A true man of honour will not content himself with the literal discharge of the duties of a man and a citizen; he