TH

HE ladies here are by no means fuch ardent gamefters as the women of Afia. In this refpect I must do the English juftice; for I love to praise where applaufe is juttly merited. No thing more common in China, than to fee two women of fashion continue gaming till one has won all the other's cloaths, and ftripped her quite naked; the winner thus marching off in a double fuit of finery, and the lofer fhrinking behind in the primitive fimplicity of na

ture.

No doubt you remember when Shang, our maiden aunt, played with a sharper. First her money went; then her trinkets were produced; her cloaths followed piece by piece foon after: when the had thus played herself quite naked, being a woman of fpirit, and willing to purfue ber orun, the ftaked her teeth. Fortune was against her even here, and her teeth followed her cloaths; at last she played for her left eye; and, oh, hard fate, this too the loft! However, the had the confolation of biting the fharper; for he never perceived that it was made of glafs till it became his own.

How happy, my friend, are the Englith ladies, who never rife to fach an inordinance of paffion! Though the fex here are naturally fond of games of chance, and are taught to manage games of skill from their infancy, yet they never purfue ill fortune with fuch amazing intrepidity. Indeed I may entirely acquit them of ever playing I mean of playing for their eyes or their teeth. It is true, they often take their fortune, their beauty, health, and reputations, at a gaming-table. It even fometimes happens, that they play their hufbands into jail; yet ftill they preferve a decorum unknown to our wives and daughters of China. I have been prefent at a route in this country, where

a woman of fashion, after lofing her money, has fat writhing in all the ago nies of bad luck; and yet, after all, never once attempted to strip a fingle petticoat, or cover the hoard, as her last ftake, with her head-cloaths.

However, though I praise their mo deration at play, I must not conceal their affiduity. In China, our women, except upon fome great days, are never. permitted to finger a dice-box; but here every day feems to be a feftival; and night itself, which gives others reft, only ferves to encrease the female gamefter's induftry. I have been told of an old lady in the country, who being given over by the phyficians, played with the curate of her parish to pass the time away: having won all his mony, the next propofed playing for her funeral charges; the propofal was accepted; but unfortunately the lady expired just as fhe had taken in her game.

There are fome paffions which, though differently purfued, are attend-, ed with equal confequences in every country: here they game with more perfeverance, there with greater fury; here they trip their families, there they ftrip themselves naked. A lady in China, who indulges a paffion for gaming, often becomes a drunkard; and by flourishing a dice-box in one hand, the generally comes. to brandish a dram-cup in the other. Far be it from me to lay there are any who drink drams in England; but it is natural to fuppofe, that when a lady has loft every thing elfe but her honour, the will be apt to tofs that into the bargain; and, grown infenfible of nicer feelings, behave like the Spaniard, who, when all his money was gone, endeavoured to borrow more, by offering to pawn his whisker. Adieu.

LETTER.

head to foot; they have their philofophical caps, and philofophical whiskers; their philofophical flippers, and philofophical fans; there is even a philofophical standard for measuring the nails; and yet, with all this feeming wildom, they are often found to be mere empty pretenders.

court was informed that he poffetfed great skill in attronomy; he was therefore fent for and examined. The established astronomers of state undertook this task; and made their report to the emperor, that his fkill was but very fuperficial, and no way comparable to their own. The miffionary, however, appealed from their judgment to experience, and challenged them to calculate an eclipfe of the moon that was to happen a few nights following. 'What,' faid fome, thall a Barbarian, without

A character of this kind generally receives company in his ftry, in all the penlive formality of flippers, nightgown, and easy-chair. The table is covered with a large book, which is always kept open, and never read; his folitary hours being dedicated to dǝzing, mending pens, feeling his pulle, peeping through the microfcope, and fometimes reading amusing books, which he condemns in company. His library is preferved with the inoft religious neatnefs; and is generally a repontory of fcarce books, which bear an high price, becaufe too dull or ufelefs to become common by the ordinary methods of publication.

Such men are generally candidates for admittance into literary clubs, acadenies, and inftitutions, where they regularly meet to give and receive a little inftruction and a great deal of praite. In converfation they never betray ignorance, because they never feem to receive information. Offer a new obfervation, they have heard it before; pinch them in an argument, and they reply with a fneer.

Yet, how trifling foever thefe little arts may appear, they answer one valuable purpose, of gaining the practifers the esteem they with for. The bounds of a man's knowledge are eafily concealer, if he has but prudence; but all can readily fee and admire a gilt brary, a fet of long nails, a silver itandih, or a well combed whisker, who are incapable of diftinguishing a dunce.

When Father Matthew, the first European miffionary, entered China, the

aftronomy, who have made it the fady of their lives; with men who know half the knowable characters of words, who wear fcientifical caps and fppers, and who have gone through every literary deg.ee with, applaufe?" They accepted the challenge, confident of fucceis. The echpfe began: the Chinete produced a most splendid apparatus, and were fifteen minutes wrong; the millionary, with a fingle intrument, was exact to a fecond. This was convincing; but the court altronomers were not to be convinced; instead of acknowledging their error, they affured the emperor that their calculations were cer ainly exact, but that the franger without nails had actually bewitched the moon.

Well, then,' cries the good emperor, finiling at their ignorance, you shall still continue to be fervants of the moon ; but I conftitute this man her controuter.'

China is thus replete with men, whofe only pretentions to knowledge arife from external circumitances; and in Europe every country abounds, with them in proportion to it's ignorance. Spain and Flanders, who are behind the relt of Europe in learning, at least three centuries, have twenty literary titles and marks of dutinction unknown in France or England: they have their Clariffimi and Preclarifini, their Accuratifimi and Mikutiffimi: a round cap entitles one student to argue, and a fquare cap permits another to teach; while a cap with a taffel almoft fanétifies the head it happens to cover. But where true knowledge is cultivated, thefe formalities begin to difappear; the ermined cowl, the folemn heard, and sweeping train, are laid afide; philofophers drefs, and talk, and think, like other men; and lamb fkin dreffers, and cap-mak

ers, and tail-carriers, now deplore a literary.

For my own part, my friend, I have feen enough of prefuming ignorance, never to venerate wifdom but where it

actually appears. I have received lite rary titles and diftinétions myself; and, by the quantity of my own wisdom, know how very little wifdom they can confer. Adieu.

THE time for the young king's co

and the little world look forward with impatience. A knight from the country, who has brought up his family to fee and be feen on this occafion, has taken all the lower part of the houfe where I lodge. His wife is laying in a large quantity of filks, which the mercer tells her are to be fashionable next feafon; and Mifs, her daughter, has actually had her cars bored previous to the ceremony. In all this bustle of preparation I am confidered as mere lumber, and have been shoved up two ftories higher to make room for others my landlady feems perfectly convinced are my betters; but whom, before me, the is contented with only calling very good company.

The little beau, who has now forced himfelf into my intimacy, was yesterday giving me a molt minute detail of the intended procetion. All men are eloquent upon their favourite topic; and this feemed peculiarly adapted to the fize and turn of his understanding. His whole mind was blazoned over with a variety of glittering images; coronets, efcutcheons, lace, fringe, tafels, itunes, bugles, and ipun glais. Here,' cried he, Garter is, to walk; and there Rouge Dragon marches with the ⚫efcutcheons on his back. Here Clarencieux moves forward; and there Blue Mantle dildains to be left be'hind. Here the Aldermen march two and two; and there the undaunt⚫ed Champion of England, no way terrified at the very numerous appear⚫ance of gentlemen and ladies, rides forward in compleat armour, and with an intrepid air throws down his glove. Ah,'" continued he, fhould any be fo hardy as to take up that fatal glove, and fo accept the challenge,

we should see fine sport; the champion would fhew him no mercy; he would foon teach him all his paffes, with a witnels. However, I am afraid we 'fhall have none willing to try it with

him upon the approaching occafion, for two reafons; firft, because his antagonist would stand a chance of being killed in the fingle combat; and, fecondly, because if he escapes the champion's arm, he would certainly be hanged for treafon. No, no, I fancy none will be fo hardy as to difpute it with a champion like him in- \ ured to arms; and we.fhall probably fee him prancing unmolefted away, holding his bridle thus in one hand, and brandishing his dram-cup in the ' other.'

Some men have a manner of defcribing which only wraps the fubject in more than former obfcurity: thus I was unable, with all my companion's volu bility, to form a diftinct idea of the intended proceffion. I was certain that the inauguration of a king thould be conducted with folemnity and religious. awe; and I could not be perfuaded that there was much folemnity in this defcription. If this be true,' cried I to myfelf, the people of Europe furely have a ftrange manner of mixing folemn and fantastic images together; pictures at once replete with burlesque and the fublime. At a time when the king enters into the most folemn compact with his people, nothing furely fhould be admitted to diminish from the real majeity of the ceremo→ ny. A iudicrous image brought in at fuch a time throws an air of ridicule up in the whole. It fome way ⚫ refembles a picture I have feen, defigned by Albert Durer; where, amidit all the folemnity of that awful fcene, a Deity judging, and a tremb

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