he is fenfible he wants, fo is he proud to own that they fometimes condescend to afford him.

For many faults, that at firft seem small, yet create unpardonable errors. The number of the verfe turns> upon the harshness of a fyllable; and the laying a stress upon improper words will make the moft correct piece ridiculous. Falfe concord, tenfes, and grammar, nonfenfe, impropriety, and confufion, may go down with fome perfons; but it fhould not be in the power of a Bookfeller to lampoon an Author, and tell him, “ You "did write all this: I have got it; and you shall stand “to the scandal, and I will have the benefit." Yet this is the prefent cafe, notwithstanding there are above threefcore faults of this nature; verses transposed, fome added, others altered, or rather that should have been altered, and near forty omitted. The Author does not value himself upon the whole; but, if he fhews his efteem for Horace, and can by any means provoke perfons to read fo useful a treatife; if he fhews his averfion to the introduction of luxury, which may tend to the corruption of manners, and declares his love to the old British hofpitality, charity, and valour, when the arms of the family, the old pikes, mufkets, and halberts, hung up in the hall over the long table, and the marrow-bones lay on the floor, and "Chevy Chace" and "The old Courtier of the Queen's" were placed over the carved mantle-piece, and the beef and brown bread were carried every day to the poor; he defires little farther, than that the Reader would for the future give all fuch Bookfellers as are before spoken of no manner of encouragement.

LETTERS

THE happiness of hearing now and then from you

extremely delights me; for, I must confefs, most of my other friends are fo much taken-up with politicks or fpeculations, that either their hopes or fears give them little leisure to perufe fuch parts of Learning as lay remote, and are fit only for the clofets of the Curious. How bleft are you at London, where you have new Books of all forts! whilft we at a greater distance, being destitute of fuch improvements, must content ourfelves with the old store, and thumb the Clafficks as if we were never to get higher than our Tully or our Virgil.

You tantalize me only, when you tell me of the Edition of a Book by the ingenious Dr. Lifter, which you fay is a Treatife De Condimentis & Opfoniis Veterum,

"Of

Of the Sauces and Soups of the Ancients," as I take it. Give me leave to ufe an expreffion, which, though vulgar, yet upon this occafion is just and proper: You have made my mouth water, but have not fent me wherewithal to fatisfy my appetite.

I have raised a thousand notions to myself, only from the title. Where could fuch a treasure lay hid? What . Manufcripts have been collated? Under what Emperor was it written? Might it not have been in the reign of Heliogabalus, who, though vicious and in fome things fantastical, yet was not incurious in the grand affair of eating?

Confider, dear Sir, in what uncertainties we must remain at prefent. You know my neighbour Mr. Greatrix is a learned Antiquary. I fhewed him your Letter; which threw him into fuch a dubiousness, and indeed perplexity of mind, that the next day he durft not put any catchup in his fib-fauce, nor have his beloved pepper, oil, and lemon, with his partridge, left, before he had feen Dr. Lifter's Book, he might tranfgrefs in ufing fomething not common to the Ancients.

Difpatch it, therefore, to us with all fpeed; for I expect wonders from it. Let me tell you; I hope, in the first place, it will, in fome measure, remove the barbarity of our prefent education: for what hopes can there be of any progrefs in Learning, whilft our Gentlemen fuffer their fons, at Westminster, Eaton, and Winchester, to eat nothing but falt with their mution, and vinegar with their roaft-beef, upon holidays? what extenfiveness can there be in their fouls; efpecially

when,

when, upon their going thence to the Univerfity, their knowledge in culinary matters is feldom enlarged, and their diet continues very much the fame; and as to fauces, they are in profound ignorance ?

It were to be wished, therefore, that every family had a French tutor; for, befides his being Groom, Gardener, Butler, and Valet, you would fee that he is endued with a greater accomplishment; for, according to our ancient Author, Quot Galli, totidem Coqui, “ As "many Frenchmen as you have, so many Cooks you

66

may depend upon;" which is very useful, where there is a numerous iffue. And I doubt not but, with fuch tutors, and good house-keepers to provide cake and fweet-meats, together with the tender care of an indulgent mother, to fee that the children eat and drink every thing that they call for; I doubt not, I fay, but we may have a warlike and frugal Gentry, a temperate and auftere Clergy; and fuch Perfons of Quality, in all stations, as may best undergo the fatigues of our fleet and armies.

Pardon me, Sir, if I break-off abruptly; for I am going to Monfieur D'Avaux, a perfon famous for eafing the tooth-ach by avulfion. He has promised to shew me how to strike a lancet into the jugular of a carp, fo as the blood may iffue thence with the greatest effufion, and then will inftantly perform the operation of ftewing it in its own blood, in the prefence of myself and feveral more Virtuofi. But, let him ufe what claret he will in the performance, I will fecure enough to drink your health and the rest of your friends. I remain, Sir, &c.

LETTER

I

SIR,

SHALL make bold to claim your promife, in your last obliging letter, to obtain the happiness of my correfpondence with Dr. Lifter; and to that end have fent you the inclofed, to be communicated to him, if you think convenient.

SIR,

LETTER

III.

To Dr. LISTER, prefent.

IAM a plain man, and therefore never ufe compli

ments; but I must tell you, that I have a great ambition to hold a correfpondence with you, especially that I may beg you to communicate your remarks from the Ancients concerning dentifcalps, vulgarly called toothpicks. I take the use of them to have been of great. antiquity, and the original to come from the inftinct of Nature, which is the best mistress upon all occafions. The Egyptians were a people excellent for their Philofophical and Mathematical observations: they fearched into all the springs of action; and, though I muft condemn their fuperftition, I cannot but applaud their invention. This people had a vaft diftrict that worshiped

the