BY my last advices from Mosco, I find the caravan has not yet departed from China: I still continue to write, expecting that you may receive a large number of my letters at once. In them you will find rather a minute detail of English peculiarities, than a general picture of their manners or disposition. Happy it were for mankind if all travellers would thus, instead of characterising a people in general terms, lead us into a detail of those minute circumstances which first influenced their opinion: the genius of a country should be investigated with a kind of experimental enquiry; by this means we should have more precise and just notions of foreign nations, and detect travellers themselves when they happened to form wrong conclusions. My friend and I repeated our visit to the club of authors; where, upon our entrance, we found the members all assembled and engaged in a loud debate. The poet, in shabby finery, holding a manuscript in his hand, was earnestly endeavouring to persuade the company to hear him read the first book of an heroic poem, which he had composed the day before. But against this all the members very warmly objected. They knew no reason why any member of the club should be indulged with a particular hearing, when many of them had published whole volumes which had never been looked-in. They insisted that the law should be observed, where reading in company was expressly noticed. It was in vain that the poet pleaded the peculiar merit of of his piece he spoke to an assembly insensible to all his remonstrances; the book of laws was opened, and read by the secretary, where it was expressly enacted, That whatsoever poet, speech-maker, "critic or historian should presume to engage "the company by reading his own works, he was "to lay down sixpence previous to opening the "manuscript, and should be charged one shilling "an hour while he continued reading: the said shilling to be equally distributed among the com"pany as a recompence for their trouble." 66 Our poet seemed at first to shrink at the penalty, hesitating for some time whether he should deposit the fine, or shut up the poem; but looking round, and perceiving two strangers in the room, his love of fame outweighed his prudence, and laying down the sum by law established, he insisted on his prerogative. A profound silence ensuing, he began by explaining his design. "Gentlemen," says he," the pre"sent piece is not one of your common epic poems, "which come from the press like paper-kites in "summer: there are none of your Turnus's or "Dido's in it; it is an heroical description of Na"ture. I only beg you'll endeavour to make your "souls unison with mine, and hear with the same "enthusiasm with which I have written. The poem begins with the description of an author's "bed"chamber: the picture was sketched in my own apartment for you must know, gentlemen, that "I am myself the hero." Then putting himself into the attitude of an orator, with all the emphasis of voice and action, he proceeded : 66 66 "Where the Red Lion flaring o'er the way, "Where Calvert's butt, and Parson's black champagne, "The muse found Scroggen stretch'd beneath a rug, "A win "A window patch'd with paper lent a ray, “With beer and milk arrears the frieze was scor'd, With this last line he seemed so much elated, that he was unable to proceed. "There gentlemen," cries he, "there is a description for you; Rabe"lais's bed chamber is but a fool to it. "A cap by night-a stocking all the day! "there is sound and sense, and truth, and nature "in the trifling compass of ten syllables." He was too much employed in self-admiration to observe the company; who by nods, winks, shrugs, and stifled laughter testified every mark of contempt. He turned severally to each for their opinion, and found all however ready to applaud. One swore it was inimitable; another said it was damn'd fine; and a third cried out in a rapture Carissimo. At last_addressing himself to the president, "and pray Mr. Squint," says he, “let us "have your opinion." Mine," answered the president, (taking the manuscript out of the author's hand) "may this glass suffocate me, but I think "it equal to any thing I have seen; and I fancy," (continued he, doubling up the poem and forcing it into the author's pocket) "that you will get great honour when it comes out; so I shall "beg leave to put it in. We will not intrude upon 'your good-nature, in desiring to hear more of it 66 66 66 " at "at present; ex ungue Herculem, we are satisfied, "perfectly satisfied." The author made two or three attempts to pull it out a second time, and the president made as many to prevent him. Thus, though with reluctance he was at last obliged to sit down, contented with the commendations for which he had paid. *66 When this tempest of poetry and praise was blown over, one of the company changed the subject, by wondering how any man could be so dull as to write poetry at present, since prose itself would hardly pay, would you think it, gentlemen," continued he, " I have actually written last week "sixteen prayers, twelve bawdy jests, and three "sermons, all at the rate of six-pence a-piece; and "what is still more extraordinary, the bookseller has "lost by the bargain. Such sermons would once "have gained me a prebend's stall: but now, alas, "we have neither piety, taste, nor humour among us. Positively if this season does not turn out "better than it has begun, unless the ministry "commit some blunders to furnish us with a new "topic of abuse, I shall resume my old business of "working at the press, instead of finding it employment." The whole club seemed to join in condemning the season, as one of the worst that had come for some time; a gentleman particularly observed that the nobility were never known to subscribe worse than at present. "I know not how it happens," said he, though I follow them up as close as possible, yet "I can hardly get a single subscription in a week. "The houses of the great are as inaccessible as a "frontier garrison at midnight. I never see a no"bleman's door half-opened that some surly porter "footman does not stand full in the breach. I "was yesterday to wait with a subscription-pro"posal 66 "posal upon my Lord Squash the Creolin. I had "posted myself at his door the whole morning, and just as he was getting into his coach, thrust my "proposal snug into his hand folded up in the "form of a letter from myself. He just glanced "at the superscription, and not knowing the hand, consigned it to his valet-de-chambre; this re"spectable personage treated it as his master, and "put it into the hands of the porter; the porter "grasped my proposal frowning; and measuring my figure from top to toe, put it back into my "own hands unopened." "To the devil I pitch all the nobility," cries a little man, in a peculiar accent: "I am sure they "have of late used me most scurvily. You must "know, gentlemen, some time ago, upon the ar"rival of a certain noble duke from his travels, I "set myself down, and vamped up a fine flaunting "poetical panegyric, which I had written in such "a strain, that I fancied it would have evenwheedled "milk from a mouse. In this I represented the "whole kingdom welcoming his grace to his native "soil, not forgetting the loss France and Italy would "sustain in their arts by his departure. I expected "to touch for a bank-bill at least; so folding up 66 66 my verses in gilt paper, I gave my last half-crown "to a genteel servant to be the bearer. My letter "was safely conveyed to his grace, and the servant "after four hours absence, during which time I led "the life of a fiend, returned with a letter four times "as big as mine. Guess my extacy at the prospect "of so fine a return. I eagerly took the pacquet "into my hands that trembled to receive it. I "kept it some time unopened before me, brooding "over the expected treasure it contained; when "opening it, as I hope to be saved, gentlemen, "his grace had sent me in payment for my poem ❝ no |