At a trial, some few years ago, a witness, being asked to explain what he meant by a "respectable man," replied, "He kept a horse and gig." Philosophers and other dictionary-makers may perhaps disapprove of his answer: what matters that? the world is for the horse and gig. In accordance with this view Jos. Webb, Esq., of Carshalton, Surrey, is a very respectable man, being in possession of a freehold estate, and keeping his open carriage, his pair of horses, and his livery-servant. In justice to the merits of Jos. Webb, Esq., I must inform the public by what means he has acquired this superlative respectability. Fifteen years ago Josiah Webb kept a little chandler's shop in the neighbourhood of Ratcliff-Highway. He was then a single man, close-living, steady, and very attentive to business. No one had ever seen Josiah drunk; no one could tell of any irregularity in his moral conduct. In truth, his was one of those self-concentrated natures which have no inclinations to lead them astray; and as his companionable qualities never produced him so much as a half-pint, he was never bribed to deviate from the straight path of duty. Thrice every Lord's day, after some little morning attention to his worldly interests such as improving the quality of his pepper by a liberal mixture of decayed mustard, or ground rice for the better sort, which made the pepper go much further; or bettering his tea by the addition of sloe leaves-was he a zealous attendant on the ministry of the godly Mr. Smith-not the boatswain -whose Sabbath evening was often finished with gin and water and prayers at Mr. Webb's. By these means, superadded to his excessive civility, Josiah secured the custom of the elect, who were delighted to encourage such a good young man. And he was so tender-conscienced, so over-honest in his dealings! True, a piece of butter might stick to the bottom of the scale; but this was quite accidental: nor was it his fault that he could only procure thick papers for his sugar, to be weighed therewith and sold at no more than sugarprice and if he did not wait the deliberate balancing of the scales, it was but the dispatch of business;-though his poor customers thereby obtained only thirteen ounces to the pound: or, perhaps, in the earnestness of his devout remarks upon last Sabbath's discourse, he might throw the tobacco rather forcibly in: What then? it was all in the fair way of trade; and I am free to confess that in my own business in the hardware line, I may sometimes have said what was not strictly correct respecting the worth of a coal-scuttle or frying-pan, and indeed I see not how Trade can be carried on without some little consciencious over-reaching or a few lies quite in the spirit of Christianity: I trust, therefore, it will not be thought that I am attacking the chandlers-from my own experience I know them to be as honest a set as any trade going:-but, to return. One unfortunate night-for so he used to speak of it-the house of Josiah Webb was discovered to be on fire. It was with difficulty that he saved himself: his property, even his books, was entirely consumed. Josiah was forced to take the benefit of the Act. A subscription was raised for him at the Chapel; and in three months he recommenced business, in a much larger way than before, as Tea-dealer and Grocer. There were some malicious neighbours who hinted at arson and concealment of property; but envious people are always captious. Be it as it may, the amount subscribed, though no trifle, certainly did not pay the outlay on the new premises; but some of it might have come from the hoards of a rich widow, who was moved in the most fortunate time to become Mrs. Webb, and exchange her gold for Josiah's super-abundant piety. In the same street was another grocer's—a saa, annoyance to Josiah, who had no notion of dividing the business; he therefore soon commenced active hostilities by under-selling his opponent. "No where in London could sugar be bought so cheap as at Webb's Golden Sugar-Hogshead:" and those who came for sugar would also purchase tea. This answered. At the other house, not having capital, they could not afford to sell at less than prime cost; and the rivai grocer soon became involved. Mr. Webb bought up his debts; and, by opportunely pressing him, was enabled to make him a bankrupt. The stock was sold at a very low rate to a friend of Josiah, and transferred to the Golden Sugar-Hogshead. Hitherto Josiah had been a consciencious dissenter from the government Church; but soon after this, on a division against a church-rate, he gave the casting vote in favour of the rate. His benefactors, the raisers of the subscription to which, he said, he owed all, accused him of being bribed. This time, however, his traducers were certainly wrong. The fact was, he was promised, and soon after obtained, the contract for supplying the parish workhouse with groceries. The overseer now dined with him occasionally; received occasional presents; and highly approved of Mr. Webb's samples and supplies. The first, indeed, were universally approved; and none grumbled at the latter, except the paupers:-but then, as the worthy overseer said, "what right had they to be born in a country where corn-laws and monopolies very properly prevented a fair share of food and other luxuries !" and, as Mr. Webb would very justly rejoin, "do they expect to live as well as respectable people?" -for, be it observed, Mr. Webb was about this time becoming respectable-by means of his private and workhouse business, and one or two lucky speculations in houses, &c.-lending money to men in difficulties, and compelling the disadvantageous sale of their property: advantageous to him, though, and consequently all fair in trade. Indeed, so fast was his progression, that he was soon able to give up business and retire to one of his victims' (I apply the word respectfully) houses, where he now lives in the utmost respectability. His rival in business, a very honest man, having been ruined by his bankruptcy, now wears the livery of Mr. Webb (who has quite forgotten him) and of course touches his hat whenever his respectable master looks upon him. Mr. Webb still retains an interest in the grocery Warehouse, but this is unmentionable in the very genteel society in which he moves. He regularly drives to church in his carriage-because it is fashionable, and to set a good example. He votes for the Tory candidate, partly from a reverence for wealth, and partly because the gentlemen of the neighbourhood are Tories. Young Jo. is a member of the legal profession: his father's only fear is that the over-scrupulousness of legal morality should prevent the full display of the young man's hereditary talents. His sole remaining care is to make his daughter "right honourable," having a great idea of ennobling his family. His own character remains the same. For my own part, I think his footman a better man, and more intelligent, though he goes to church on foot and has no vote; and I should prefer (so singular am I) his honest poverty to the gilded worthlessness of his master, Jos. Webb, Esq.-the world-called Respectable.-One of the People. STANZAS ON THE BIRTH-DAY OF BURNS. This is the natal day of him, Who, born in want and poverty, Arose to tell the watching earth Burns! thou hast given us a name Before the proudest of the earth Inspired by thee, the lowly hind Robert Nicoll; One of the People. Legislating for posterity: (1688, &c.)-Puffendorf says, that we may divest ourselves of our liberty in favour of other men, in the same manner as we transfer our property from one to another by contracts and agreements. But this seems to be a very weak argument. For, in the first place, the property J alienate becomes quite foreign to me, nor can I suffer from the abuse of it; but it very nearly concerns me that my liberty is not abused; and I cannot without incurring in a great degree the guilt of what crimes I may be compelled to commit, expose myself to become the instrument of any. Besides, the right of property being only of human institution, men may dispose of what they possess just as they please: but it is not the same with the essential blessings of nature, such as life and liberty-it would be an offence at once against reason and nature to renounce them upon any account whatever. But, though it were in our power to transfer our liberty, as we do our property, yet there would be a wide difference with regard to our children, who enjoy our substance only by virtue of a cession of our right; whereas liberty being a gift frankly bestowed on them by nature, their parents have no right whatever to divest them of it. Hence, to establish slavery, it was evidently necessary to do violence to nature, and thus it became necessary to alter nature, in order to perpetuate such a right. In the meantime, the civilians, who have gravely determined that the child of a slave comes into the world a slave, have decided, in other words, that a man does not come into the world a man.-J. J. Rousseau; One of the People. THE GENTLEMAN. A Gentleman!-One, who shall handle well A plain, pure-minded man; self-poised; intent A PROPHECY. When shall that glorious day dawn on our land, Heaven's azure, by the varied Iris spann'd, THE SLANDERED. Greatest of Freedom's Martyrs-Robespierre! A pale and frost-bound flower that hath no peer. Life and life's hopes: Thou what the best most prize, To ransom the sore-driven; calm appealing And therefore, out of the deep Hell of Shame In the great day of Truth-whose beams are stealing Z.-One of the Peop.e. THE LIFE OF PAINE. THOMAS PAINE, the stay-maker's son, whose Common Sense has shaken King-craft and Priest-craft to their very base, was born at Thetford, in the county of Norfolk, on the 29th of January, 1737. His father was a quaker, but disowned by that sect on account of his marriage with a member of the established church. Paine was never baptized, though a pious aunt had him confirmed. However, he received a good moral education; and some little book-learning was acquired at the grammar-school of Thetford. At the age of thirteen he was taken into his father's shop, to learn the business of staymaking; which employment he left in disgust; but, after some little trial of a sea-faring life, resumed it; and in April, 1759, settled as a master stay-maker at Sandwich, in Kent. In the following September he married the daughter of an exciseman of that place; and soon after removed to Margate, where his wife died, within a year of their marriage. Paine then gave up his business; and the next year returned to his father's house to study for the Excise; into which he was admitted as a supernumerary, in 1764. In 1765 he was dismissed for some trivial offence; but promptly reinstated, on his petitioning, the following year. In the interim he was engaged as teacher in two schools; and also closely applied himself to scientific study. In 1771 he married his second wife, with whom he lived only three years: they then separated by mutual agreement. In the same year (1774) he was again dismissed from the Excise, under the pretext that his business (he kept a tobacconist's shop) was incompatible with his situation: the more likely reason was, that he had written a pamphlet exposing the abuses of the Excise. This was his first literary effort of any consequence. Almost at the same time the goods of his shop were sold to pay his debts. The close of the year saw Paine in America. He was provided by Franklin with letters of recommendation; and arrived in Philadelphia a few months before the commencement of the American war by the battle of Lexington, which took place in April, 1775. He was at first employed as editor of the Pennsylvanian Magazine. In January, 1776, in the midst of the debates on the conduct of the mother country, whilst America wavered between a desire for Independence and the poor hope of reconciliation, Common Sense was published, and decided the question. The demand for it was unprecedented. Paine gave up the copyright; a hundred thousand copies were quickly circulated; and on the 4th of the following July the Independence of America was proclaimed. In December, of the same year, appeared the first number of the Crisis, written to inspirit the Americans, who were then suffering under severe reverses: this work was continued at intervals, till the cessation of hostilities in 1783. In 1777 Paine was appointed Secretary for foreign affairs; and acted in that capacity till 1779. In 1781 he accompanied Colonel Laurens to France, to obtain a loan for the American service. In 1782 he published his Letter to the Abbé Raynal. In 1785 Congress granted him three thousand dollars, in consideration of his important services. He also received £500 from the state of Pennsylvania; and that of New York gave him an estate of three hundred acres, at New Rochelle, in the county of West-Chester. In 1787 he again visited France; and thence passed into England. During 1788 he resided at Rotherham, in Yorkshire, occupied in superintending the erection of an iron bridge of his own designing. In 1791 he published the first part of the Rights of Man, in the words of Hazlitt, "the only really powerful reply" to Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution, "and indeed so powerful and explicit, that the government undertook to crush it by an ex officio information, and by a declaration of war against France to still the ferment, and excite an odium against its admirers, as taking part with a foreign enemy against their prince and country." The second part of the Rights of Man appeared in 1792. In September of the same year he left England for France to take his seat in the National Convention, as representative of Calais. On the 18th of |