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No. 23. THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1753.

It is with some degree of pride as well as pleasure that I see my correspondents multiply so fast, that the task I have undertaken is become almost a sinecure. For many weeks past it has been entirely so, allowing only for some little alterations, which I judged it necessary to make in two or three essays; a liberty which I shall never take without the greatest caution, and upon few other occasions than to give a general turn to what may be applied to a particular character. To all men of genius and good humour, who will favour me with their correspondence, I shall think myself both honoured and obliged.

The writer of the following letter will, I am sure, forgive me for the few liberties I have taken with him. The grievance he complains of is a very great one, and what I should imagine needs only to be mentioned to find redress.

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"To gratify the curiosity of a country friend, I accompanied him a few weeks ago to Bedlam; a place which I should not otherwise have visited, as the distresses of my fellow-creatures affect me too much to incline me to be a spectator of them. I was extremely moved at the variety of wretches, who appeared either sullen or outrageous, melancholy or cheerful, according to their different dispositions; and who seemed to retain, though in

consistently, the same passions and affections, as when in possession of their reason. In one cell, sat a wretch upon his straw, looking stedfastly upon the ground in silent despair. In another, the spirit of ambition flashed from the eyes of an emperor, who strutted the happy lord of the creation. Here a fearful miser, having in fancy converted his rags to gold, sat counting out his wealth, and trembling at all who saw him. There the prodigal was hurrying up and down his ward, and giving fortunes to thousands. On one side, a strawcrowned king was delivering laws to his people, and, on the other, a husband, mad indeed, was dictating to a wife that had undone him. Sudden fits of raving interrupted the solemn walk of the melancholy musician, and settled despair sat upon the pallid countenance of the love-sick maid.

"To those who have feeling minds, there is nothing so affecting as sights like these; nor can a better lesson be taught us in any part of the globe than in this school of misery. Here we may see the mighty reasoners of the earth, below even the insects that crawl upon it; and from so humbling a sight we may learn to moderate our pride, and to keep those passions within bounds, which, if too much indulged, would drive reason from her seat, and level us with the wretches of this unhappy mansion. But I am sorry to say it, curiosity and wantonness, more than a desire of instruction, carry the majority of spectators to this dismal place. It was in the Easter-week that I attended my friend there; when, to my great surprise, I found a hundred people at least, who, having paid their two-pence a-piece, were suffered unattended to run rioting up and down the wards, making sport and diversion of the miserable inhabitants; a cruelty which one would think human nature

hardly capable of! Surely if the utmost misery of mankind is to be made a sight of for gain, those who are the governors of this hospital should take care that proper persons are appointed to attend the spectators; and not suffer indecencies to be committed, which would shock the humanity of the savage Indians. I saw some of the poor wretches provoked by the insults of this holiday mob into furies of rage; and I saw the poorer wretches, the spectators, in a loud laugh of triumph at the ravings they had occasioned.

"In a country where Christianity is, at least, professed, it is strange that humanity should, in this instance, so totally have abandoned us: for, however trifling this may appear to some particular persons, I cannot help looking upon it as a reflection upon the nation, and worthy the consideration of all good men. I know it is a hard task to alter the wanton dispositions of mankind; but it is not hard for men in power to hinder people from venting those dispositions on the unhappy objects in question, of whom every governor is the guardian, and therefore bound to protect them from so cruel an outrage, which is not only injurious to the poor wretches themselves, but is also an insult upon human nature. I hope, therefore, that, for the future, the governors of this noble charity will think themselves obliged, in conscience and honour, to rectify an abuse which is so great a discredit to it; or, if they continue regardless of it, that you, Mr. Fitz-Adam, will pronounce every individual of them to be an accomplice in the barbarity.

"And now, Sir, that I am on the subject of madness, give me leave to hint to you an opinion which I have often entertained, and which my late visit to Bedlam has again revived, that the maddest

people in this kingdom are not in, but out of Bedlam. I have frequently compared in my own mind the actions of certain persons whom we daily meet with in the world, with those of the inhabitants of Bedlam, who, properly speaking, may be said to be out of it; and I know of no other difference between them, than that the former are mad with their reason about them, and the latter so from the misfortune of having lost it. But what is extraordinary in this age, when, to its honour be it spoken, charity is become fashionable, these unhappy wretches are suffered to run loose about the town, raising riots in public assemblies, beating constables, breaking lamps, damning parsons, affronting modesty, disturbing families, and destroying their own fortunes and constitutions: and all this without any provision being made for them, or the least attempt to cure them of this madness in their blood.

"The miserable objects I am speaking of, are divided into two classes; the Men of Spirit about Town, and the Bucks: The Men of Spirit have some glimmerings of understanding; the Bucks none; the former are demoniacs, or people possessed; the latter are uniformly and incurably mad. For the reception and confinement of both these classes, I would humbly propose that two very spacious buildings be erected, the one called the hospital for Men of Spirit, or demoniacs: and the other the hospital for Bucks, or incurables. Of these hospitals I would have the keepers of our Bridewells appointed governors, with full powers of constituting such deputies or sub-governors, as to their wisdom should seem meet. That after such hospitals are built, proper officers appointed, and doctors, surgeons, apothecaries and mad nurses provided, all young noblemen and others within

the bills of mortality, having common sense, who shall be found offending against the rules of decency, either in the cases above mentioned, or in others of a similar nature, shall immediately be conducted to the hospital for demoniacs, there to be exorcised, physicked, and disciplined into a proper use of their senses; and that full liberty be granted to all persons whatsoever to visit, laugh at, and make sport of these demoniacs, without lett or molestation from any of the keepers, according to the present custom of Bedlam. To the Buck hospital for incurables, I would have all such persons conveyed that are mad through folly, ignorance, or conceit; there to be shut up for life, not only to be prevented from doing mischief, but from exposing, in their own persons, the weaknesses and miseries of mankind. These incurables, on no pretence whatsoever, to be visited or ridiculed; as it would be altogether as inhuman to insult the unhappy wretches who never were possessed of their senses, as it is to make a jest of those who have unfortunately lost them.

"The building and endowing these hospitals I leave to the projectors of ways and means; contenting myself with having communicated a scheme, which, if carried into execution, will secure us from those swarms of madmen which are at present so much the dread and disturbance of all public places.

"I am, SIR,

"Your constant reader, and
"Most humble servant,

"P. P."

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