fhall one day ceafe to be fo. Let the Stoic philofophers fay what they will, a wife man who has ferieufly confidered death, cannot help fearing it; and we seldom fee a man of spirit and refolution put an end to his life. No character is in higher efteem than that of a man of courage. A man who voluntarily expofes himfelf to the greatest dangers, and braves them with intrepidity, appears to defpife death; and this contempt of death is doubtless fome. thing admirable: this, however, is common in the prefent age, and has been fo in ages paft. Innumerable perfons celebrated in hiftory, and many of whom it makes no mention, have diftinguished themfelves by illuftrious actions of this

courage, than of avarice and an inordinate defire of glory. They are not fo properly brave, as felfinterested and ambitious: and it is evident that they are in reality void of the refolution and intrepidity which they fo much value themselves upon, fince death, which they braved through ambition in the field, appears fo terrible to them when it comes divefted of the glory or emoluments which attend it. To die muft indeed be dreadful, fince even men of acknowledged. valour fear it in certain circumftances: it is not therefore easy to determine in what light death fhould be confidered by men. We should, however, fometimes reflect upon it as a thing certain, and perhaps not far off. We ought to live and act like beings who are fure of dying: and without entering into the dif cuffion of those mysterious questions which revelation alone can resolve, we fhould in misfortunes confole ourselves with the hopes of death, which will terminate them fooner or later; and in profperity we should moderate our tranfports by thinking on death, which will bring us to a level with the wretched.

Need not inform perfons of your fagacity and penetration, that there are grievances and vexations which, though confiderable in themfelves, never meet with compaffion from the bulk of mankind, becaufe common experience does not fuggeft an idea of them. Such are the croffes and difappointments which

them. I fhall confine myself to those which none but authors are obnoxious to; most of which are, in my opinion, owing to that fatal revolution whereby writing is converted to a mechanic trade; and bookfellers, inftead of the great, become the patrons and paymasters of men of genius. To pafs by the tendency of this connexion between authors and tradesmen to bring literature into contempt, can any thing more cramp and deprefs true genius, than to write under the direction of one whofe learning does not extend beyond the multiplication-table and the London Eveningpoft? Here I muft, however, make an exception in favour of fuch bookfellers and printers as have diftinguished themselves by their literary talents: thefe I honour, and fhall always look upon as gentlemen, though they have the misfortune of keeping fhop. Some fuch I have known, of fo truly poetical a genius, that they fufficiently refute the maxim of Cicero ;

Nibil ingenuum poteft habere officina.

The mention of poetry awakens all my grief afresh. You must understand, gentlemen, that I was born a poet: this, I think, I may fay without vanity; yet, when I commenced author, I received the fame anfwer from every bookfeller to whom I offered my service in the poetical way. "Poetry does not fell, Sir," was the tune with them. all. I was therefore obliged to check my poetical fire, and bring myself down to politicks and criticim. The former of thefe fubjects was always my averfion; the latter, indeed, in fome measure fuited my taste; for every poet is a critick of

confequence: and yet, in the dif charge of my critical function, I have been exposed to many mortifications. I have feen my Remarks attacked in public, and in private, without daring to justify my own judgment. I have often been obliged to fay what I knew to be falfe, in order to promote the fale of a book in which my publisher was concerned; and fometimes to recant what I was convinced was true, for fear fome rival critick should retaliate. Thus did I, at the age of twenty-five, meet with the fame difgrace which the great Galileo underwent at fourfcore, when he was compelled by the Inquifition to retract his opinion concerning the earth's motion.

Another grievance, of which, like Monf. Bayle, I must say, animus meniniffe horret, is that practice of book. fellers, who, among other invafions of the prerogative of us authors, affume a right to dub a book with a title of their own invention. Would you think it, gentlemen, I have wrote, God knows how many, choice, performances, to which a puppy of a publifhter has prefixed fuch titles and mottoes, that I have been quite afhamed, upon feeing them in print. This is not all: these fellows fometimes carry their infolence fo far, as to presume to alter words and expreffions in what a gentleman has taken the utmost care to polish and bring to perfection. This is an abuse altogether infupportable; and this, with the reft, has often tempted me to bid. adieu to the painful preheminence of inftructing mankind: but still I write on, having a fecret impulfe which tells me, that I was born to bring about a reformation in the

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Republic of Letters, and to introduce into this my native country that univerfal tafte fpoken of by Monf. de Voltaire; whom, by the bye, I refemble in every refpect, except being poffeffed of an ample fortune but this circumftance I look upon as a trifle, fince the true poet is (to use the words of an eminent poet) fupremely bleft in his Mufe, and, like the true adept, enjoys all things, without having any thing.

You cannot but be fenfible, gentlemen, that a reformation in literature was never more neceffary than at the prefent juncture, when

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wit is fold by the yard, and a journeyman-author paid like a journeyman-taylor. I fhall do my best to promote any measure that may contribute to bring this about, and reftore a golden age in the learned world, not inferior to the brilliant reign of queen Anne, which was rendered illuftrious by the never-tobe too much admired Pope, Swift, Addifon, Rowe, Congreve, Steel, Prior, cum multis aliis.

Gentlemen, I have the honour of fubfcribing myself your most obedient humble fervant and reader, Vinegar-yard, Ap. 14, 1761.

JOHN TRIPLET.

Erhaps there has not been a fubject more univerfally treated of, and lefs understood, than the Providence of God, and his fuperintendance over the creation. It has been the theme of philofophers and poets ever fince they knew to write, or even to think, as being an inquiry which highly concerned men, and defervedly engaged their attention. But whatever noble ideas the more ancient writers might entertain of the being and attributes of God in general, it is certain their notions of his providence were too contracted, and must contradict the reason and obfervation of him who could carry his researches into the general laws of nature, and take the whole system of the world at once into his view. How fondly did they receive, and how tenaciously did they retain, the opinion of rewards and punishments, happiness and mifery, purfuing the heel of the just and unjust, even in this life; and this, notwithstanding common

experience frequently extorted from them plaintive confeflions of the contrary; and thus were they obliged to mufter up all the reafon they were mafters of, in fupport of what that experience would not countenance. But their arguments in defence of this (as well as all other errors) will by no means stand the test of a strict examination; which plainly expofes to view the weak foundations on which they stood. To inftance, in one of the most plausible; " If the providence of God (fays Simplicius) takes care of the whole creation, it neceffarily extends to the parts of it alfo; for if they are neglected, the whole will fall to ruin." This argument, at first fight, feems to have fome fhew of reafon in it, as well as ingenuity; but it ferves rather to amufe the inattentive than fatisfy the curious: for a little reflection will inform us, that the fame confined notions which suggested their ideas of Providence, conducted Sim

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