club in his hand, staggered round the corner of a street just before us. I started at his uncouth figure

"Stand by, and let him pafs," faid the genius, "he is a buck of quality; he has ftaid at the tavern till he is intoxicated, and is now fallied forth to demolish with halfpence the windows of the fleeping fober cits; and alfo, to achieve his capital exploit, the breaking a watchman's head: he will, as ufual, be taken to the roundhoufe, and after he is liberated will, with the return of night, pursue the fame career."-" Strange amusement!" exclaimed I; "I wonder that he is not confined either in a prifon or a mad-house.”—“ He has ten thousand a year," replied my conductor; "if he were without a thilling, he would certainly be treated in the manner which you recommend.'

About noon my guardian propofed an excurfion to a coffee-houfe, frequented by many eminent literary characters; "We fhall there fee," faid he, "a larger collection of characters than is to be met at any other place." We fet out, and in a few minutes arrived at the place of our deftination; the room was filled with different groupes of perfons; we feated ourselves in a box, and called for refreshments, which were inftantly brought we were foon joined by two perfons, who entered into converfation with us. One of them gave us a complete analyfis and review of every book which had appeared for a confiderable period: he decided, in the most authoritative manner, upon their ftyle, arrangement, and matter, but he was much more liberal of his cenfure than of his praife; the arrangement of one was perplexed, of another the ftyle was corrupt, and of a third the matter was barren and uninterefting: not one production met with any thing in the fmalleft degree approaching to unmixed praife, and an immenfe number were condemned, as unworthy of the Дghtest notice. His companion gave us an account of the views and politics of all the fovereigns of the lunar world, and

of

of their confequence and refources: he enlarged very much upon the prefent ftate of the kingdom of Ibolan, upon the talents and faults of its rulers, and upon the changes that would shortly take place in its cabinet: he cenfured fome measures very freely, and recommended others, which he declared, if purfued, would not fail to raife the Ibolans to the highest degree of confequence in the fcale of nations. After having converfed with us for a confiderable time, they departed." I could have wifhed,' faid I, "to have found men of fuch amazing knowledge more candid; they were, I think, unneceffarily fevere upon many books and measures which they mentioned. You conceive them then to be perfons of wonderful fagacity and erudition?" replied the genius." Moft certainly: can I doubt it?" exclaimed I, rather surprised at the ironical tone with which he spoke.

"You will, I truft, believe me," anfwered he, "when I tell you that the one has never read, even one of all the many books mentioned by him; and that the other, fo far from understanding the interefts and intrigues either of his own, or the furrounding ftates, is entirely ignorant of the real caufes which actuate their flightest movements; their fuperficial knowledge is derived from the printed papers which are fpread upon the tables before us-the political ones are published every morning and evening, and the literary ones every month. These productions are eagerly read by thofe perfons who wish to appear learned, but whofe understandings are too confined to comprehend either books or measures upon an extensive and noble scale: but I will now develope to you the pursuits and rank of fome of the perfons around us; you have doubtlefs noticed, that almost every perfon in the room has one or more feathers of different colours placed in his cap, of which he feems particularly proud. The fe feathers are a certain paffport to fuccefs; the names of them (for each has a different name) are, in every work he publishes, pompously inferted after his fignature by their poffeffor. N 2

I do

I do not tell you that men of genius always gain them; I do not wish to deceive you by fuch a falfehood; to attain them depends not fo much upon merit as upon intereft the unfupported man of genius may toil all his life without obtaining one folitary feather of the meanest colour as a reward for his exertions. Obferve, in the second box, that arrogant-looking man who has fuch a number in his cap; mark with what difdain he eyes thofe who have not fo many as himfelf: you may perhaps imagine that his works have informed the minds, or meliorated the fituation of the Ibolans; that he has combated against infidelity, or unmasked and expofed to fhame the minions of treafon. No-this is not the path he has purfued; he has written feveral diffuse volumes, to prove that a circle is an older figure than a fquare; that a perfon cannot be in two places at the fame time; and that darkness proceeds from a privation of light. The thin meagre man in the box oppofite, who is treated by the whole company with fuch contempt, is a man of the moft powerful genius; but not being in poffeffion of a fingle feather, he has been unable to obtain the notice of the world. He has published several elegant, learned, and correct works, but they have never been read; for his powerful and inveterate rivals made full use of thofe means, which malice and envy are never at a lofs for, to depreciate their value in the eyes of the people. When he fhall have ceafed to exift, his writings will be fought after with the utmoft avidity, and his name wili be mentioned with admiration by those who affifted to hunt him out of existence.

It is now near thirty years fince a youth of unrivalled powers ftrove to gain the patronage of the Ibolans; he first applied to greatness, but greatnefs turned away from him unexpectedly: he appealed to the world

it was deaf to him: he called forth all the varied energies of his genius, but unfan&tioned by the voice of popular favour-unfupported by the fplendour

of

of a name, they were received with cold, and mortifying indifference. Nobly confcious of his own worth, his feeling foul, ftung by the ingratitude of this world, fought for refuge in a better: his afhes were fcarcely depofited in the earth before the Ibolans faw the value of the gem they had given to deftruction-unnumbered tears were fhed for his untimely fate-unnumbered wreaths were hung around his tomb-but the blow was ftruck, and thofe honours which while he was living might have infpired him to the noblest efforts, were lavifhed in vain upon his early grave. "And this is the reward of genius!" exclaimed I fighing." It is fo," replied my celeftial friend; "but let us proceed on our obfervations: that groupe of men on the oppofite fide of the room is compofed of antiquarians; they are poring over a fragment which has been lately dug from a ruin. What would you fuppofe their labours tended to?" To the afcertaining fome date, or fome fact of confequence in the hiftory of their country," replied I. No, indeed," rejoined the genius, "they are in high difpute upon the important queftion, whether a mark on the stone under examination, was originally intended for the arm of a man, or a distaff; both the parties are fo firmly convinced of the truth of their respective conjectures, that they will feparate without receding a tittle from their belief; and the principal men on both fides will each write a long differtation to expose the fallacy of his antagonist's reafonings.-Turn your eyes to the man in the next box to the antiquarian, who appears fo overjoyed-he is not a literary man; he is a man of immenfe property and very fond of litigation: he has this morning had a caufe decided in his favour, which had been depending eight years; he is congratulating himself that he has gained it at the expence of only twelve thoufand pounds, while his adverfary has fpent twenty-five thousand pounds in oppofing him. But it is now time to leave the coffee-houfe; we have furveyed all the characters here worthy notice, and will

66

N 3

vifit

vifit fome other lace, which will afford equal matter for obfervation. I will conduct you to one of the many focieties in this metropolis where different questions are difcuffed.

66

We quitted the coffee-house, and as I paffed along I was very much furprifed to fee feveral men, drawing along with great velocity, and with much apparent fatisfaction, a carriage containing one man. I looked up to the genius for an explanation. "This," faid he, " is a popular man' '—" A popular man," repeated I; "he is, I fuppofe, fome patriot who has faved the liberties of his country from deftruction, or fome general or admiral who has hazarded his life to maintain its glory."- "Those certainly," anfwered the genius, may appear to you to be the only paths to popularity, but the popular men of this country obtain their title in an easier manner; it is only neceffary in every inftance to oppofe with the utmost inveteracy the ruling powers; to be bold in advancing affertions, and steady in fupporting them, however untrue they may be; and inceffantly to vociferate in the ears of the Ibolans, that they are utterly and irreparably ruined. The individual who purfues this plan, however profligate his manners, however despicable his private conduct may be, is certain of being a popular man.” We had scarcely advanced ten paces when we met a crowd confifting of near an hundred perfons; every one of them was engaged in making fport of an individual, who feemed to be very much embarraffed by his fituation. Upon afking one of the mob for what reafon they followed him; Why don't you see (answered he furlily) “that he wears two ftrings in each fhoe, and that we wear but one; and that his coat is near a quarter of an inch fhorter than any of ours?" As I could not perceive the sufficiency of the reason, and would not venture to ask any more questions, I retired. "You seem to wonder," (faid the genius, fmiling as he fpoke;) "you will perhaps wonder ftill more when I tell you, that fome centuries ago, fuch an appearance would have been fuffi