which men of reflection will add others. I hope you will join me in opinion, and endeavour to avert the mischief by procur ing the publication of the loose hints I have fubjoined.

One ftrong objection, in my mind, to the abolition of the practice of duelling, is that it favours too much of innovation. I acknowledge with every rational man, that the innovations of the prefent age have generally been favourable to the rights of man; that the Altar had become a Baflile, and the Bible, but a text book of fpiritual tyrants, were reasons fufficient to overturn the one, and to burn the other. But when we have arrived to our natural state of perfection, why urge we experiments, which it is demonftrable, will terminate in the chaos, from which we have juft escaped. This is making fociety the rock of Sysiphus, and tumbling it from the height, to which the wits have raised it. Our good, pious folks have been raging through their lives at innovation; and why fhould they now put the joke on us? When duelling is all the vogue, when challenges at Congress are as common as Messages, and even our Great Man would fupport it, (could he fight by proxy,) why fhould we tamely refign this privilege of men of honour fooner than the king would abandon the prerogative of making war and peace?

One great evil, which would immediately refult from the abolition of duelling, would be the licentioufnefs of flander. The mere sports of levity would at once be attacked with the fatire of Juvenal, and the bulls of our puritanic Popes. Gaming would be called the fwindling of polite life, the petty intrigues and revels of our young men would be damned, as the accursed effervefcence of unregenerate minds, and our Courts of Juftice would be converted into inquifitions upon lewdness. I am ready to allow there is, at present, but little of hypocritical fanctity in conversation; but if it were unreftrained by the fear of men of spirit, it would run out into a libel upon good manners. I am as willing to agree, that there is but little purity of life among us; but there are still anchorets enough to preach as Nathan did to David, if we give any indulgence to the cant and fnivellings of our good kind of folks. The confequence would be fuch a reftriction of conduct, as would deftroy felfgovernment. The dull reign of prefbyterian fourness would be

54

reftored, and the doors of our play-houses, taverns, and brothels, would be closed and fealed as the hatchways of the devil.

of

Another argument, which ought to be urged to the fober part of mankind, is the excefs, to which our revels and amours might impel us, were we free from this falutary restraint. At this day, in the wildeft orgies of our Bacchanals, decency, (I do not mean in the relation of intrigues, &c. &c. but towards each other,) gives an air of gentility to the liberality of indul"Mr. A." and "Mr. B." and "I beg your pardon,” gence. congees and "your humble fervant, Sir," and all the nameless politeness evidence the prevalence of fome good principle among us. Though the vulgar may impute it to cowardice, and fneer at his native decency, who is the echo of all the blasphemy and obfcenity of the town, we know it springs from a regard to the rigid rules of honour. In our amours too, it produces a regard to the refpective claims of parties, and operates as a fuccedaneum to the principle of justice. Not a favourite of our Creole Jezabel but will acknowledge the truth of this affertion, and who has not tested its influence by a relative propriety of de

meanor.

The difadvantage, under which we fhould faint in our intercourse with the world, and in defence of our rights, is another weighty objection against this measure. By our habits of life we are too much emaciated to bear a game at fifty-cuffs with the brawny deacons of the age. The good fellow, who has brimmed his glass till morn, and fleeps till noon, is no match for one of our early rifers, fed on Spartan black broth. Hence without the resource of duelling, we must abandon our importance, or our revels; and perhaps even in fober life, we should be compelled to yield to the doctrine of paffive obedience, and fweat in the crowd of the canaille, like Falstaff in a buckbasket.

Nor is the lofs of entertainment, which would accrue, a trifling reafon against the abolition of this heroic cuftom. Why do we run over the obituary with as much ardour, as an old maid over marriage-lifts, but to learn the fate of fome true sportsmen? How often have we chalked out, on our reeling board, the true distance, and stationed the combatants, and fought their battles over again, as deeply interested, as the antiquarian, who

runs to Afia to define the walls of Troy, or the Grecian camp; or as uncle Toby, when he raised his ramparts, while Trim fought his campaigns. Our fociety will also lofe all its charms, when an affair of honour is wanting for a fubject; as it is no fhame to confefs our dulness on topics of morality, which we have left to our parfons; or of science, which we have configned to the pedants. The clubroom itself would become as folemn, as a chriftening; and we might exclaim with Burke, in fober fadness," alas! the age of chivalry is gone!"

Befides the pleafure of talking, we fhould also lofe the dearer pleasure of being talked of by this barbarous innovation. What is more elating, than to be pointed at, like Georgian Jackson, as a dreadnought? The girls prefer a man of spirit to a milkfop, and are charmed, like Defdemona, at the recital of hair-breadth escapes from fhot and fword. But we then must exclaim, "Othello's occupation is gone;" and for the heroism of the Captain, we muft fubftitute the frippery of Fribble, as our stars deftine us to be fools, or fops.

I can here urge an objection, which will be repeated by many, that the abolition of duelling would deprive me of half of the fruits of my education. I have practifed the art of shooting, till I can fplit my bullet on a razor; and have ftudied the philofophy of colours fo much, as to know that BLACK is the fafeft dress to be shot at. My whole knowledge of the tactics of a gentleman would lie on hand, like the lumber of German divinity, and its display prove as ridiculous, as the helmet of Don Quixotte. It would leave me as poor a bankrupt in the world, as Robinson Crufoe with his gold, on the desert island. Who then can fuppofe, that we shall patiently submit to a revolution, which not only takes away our patent of nobility, but our whole intellectual domains, and leaves us, like a hero in a tower, with only the fullen remembrance of former greatness?

I fay nothing of the horrid chafm the abolishing of duels would make in our theatrical entertainments; of the pride and pleasure resulting from the tender anxiety of our friends, left we should commit fome act of rashness; of the amusement we

fhould lofe in the ftupid filence of our preachers, or the injury they would fuffer from the want of a favourite theme. When these, and other confequences, that might follow, are confidered, it appears to me one of the boldest experiments of the age. Prophecy cannot ken the extent of its evil; and it forebodes, to the eye of fancy, more than Sidrophel forefaw in the Lantern of the Kite.

With these ideas, I rejoiced, when I faw your genius engaged in maturing fome plan for the fupport and continuance of a custom, venerable by antiquity, and honourable by defcent. Your projet however favours a little too much of harmless sport. I propofe the following amendment, which I think will not excite much ferment in the public mind, and which was fuggefted by the rules of war, established by Meffrs. Swartout and Clinton; and that is, that no gentleman fhall take aim above his antagonist's knees; and then, only at the calf-of the leg. I am thus particular, left fome quibbling punster might confider the last clause as contradictory to the first, and including the whole body. Under this restriction the parties may fire, and we shall then have the voice, as well as face of war. Befides, from the delicacy of our frames, this expofes us but to little danger, and even should an amputation, or a hitch in the gait be the confequence, it would ticket us to fame. This expedient has another recommendation, as it has been often reforted to; and in our Oxford Campaign one of my brother officers cheerfully loft a great toe to gain the title of a bravo. With gratitude for your paft fervices, and a hope of pardon for my prefumption, I remain your humble fervant,

HUGH TREVOR.

P.S. Another prudential confideration fully maintains the propriety of continuing the practice of duelling, even to the extent of fashion, which is, that by this mean many of those, who are too much engaged in amusements for enterprise, or industry, will thus be honourably provided for, before they are a great burden to friends, or become a town charge.

H.T.

Strictures on the Literary Exhibitions of the Students in Harvard College.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY.

SIR,

HAPPENING not long fince to attend an Exhibition at Har

vard University, I was highly gratified with the ingenious, correct, and manly performances of feveral ftudents. Their elocution was appropriate and graceful, confidering they have there no established Profeffer of Oratory. Their compofitions were, for the most part, neat and elegant, neither overloaded with ornament, nor deficient in imagination. They greatly exceeded the style of writing in any other American college, with which I am acquainted. In most other places it is ufual to abound in figurative language, and in attempts at wit. Here there were no unnatural efforts after the latter; and the former was managed with accuracy and tafte. The writers appeared to confider imagery as the ornament, and not the effence of compofition. Indeed from the fpecimens exhibited, I was not unwilling to acknowledge, that this University bears the first rank in refpectability, as well as age, among her fifter feminaries in this

country.

But I cannot forbear to remark, that there was one trait in the performances, which excited difguft. The orator and poet feemed to confpire, which should moft ingeniously ridicule the want of genius. As far as fuch language is calculated to expofe the neglect or abuse of talents, it cannot be justly condemned. But, when it equally tends to pour contempt on thofe, who are industrious, though unsuccessful in their literary purfuits, it argues both confummate pride, and unfeeling cruelty. It is proud; because the speaker implicitly glories in his own confcious fuperiority. It is cruel; because he wantonly sports with the feelings of thofe, whom he esteems his inferiors.

But what appeared to me the most exceptionable was, the contracted notions they entertained of genius. They would allow none to poffefs it, who had not precifely the fame taste with themselves. Hence let a ftudent make eyer fo great proficiency Vol. I. No. 2.

H