stand foaking in the open street, from morning to night, till they become fo many boxes of wet leather, for the benefit of the gouty and rheumatic, who are transported in them from place to place. Indeed, this is a fhocking inconvenience that extends over the whole city; and I am perfuaded it produces infinite mischief to the delicate and infirm: Even the close chairs, contrived for the fick, by ftanding in the open air, have their frize linings impregnated, like fo many fponges, with the moisture of the atmosphere; and thofe cafes of cold vapour must give a charming check to the perspiration of a patient, piping hot from the bath, with all his pores wide open.

BUT, to return to the Circus: It is inconvenient from its fituation, at fo great a distance from all the markets, baths, and places of public entertainment.The only entrance to it, through Gay-ftreet, is fo difficult, fteep, and flippery, that, in wet weather, it must be exceedingly dangerous, both for thofe that ride in carriages, and thofe that walk a-foot; and when the ftreet is covered with fnow, as it was for fifteen days fucceffively this very winter, I don't fee how any individual could go either up or down, without the most imminent hazard of broken bones. In blowing weather, I am told, most of the houses on this hill are smothered with fmoke, forced down the chimneys by the gufts of wind reverberated from the hill behind, which (I apprehend likewife) muft render the atmosphere here more humid and unwholesome than it is in the square below; for the clouds, formed by the conftant evaporation from the baths and rivers in the bottom, will, in their afcent this way, be first attracted and detained by the hill that rifes close behind the Circus, and load the air with a perpetual fucceffion of vapours: This point, however, may be eafily afcertained by means of an hygrometer, or a paper of falt of tartar exposed to the action of the atmosphere. The fame artist who planned the Circus, has likewife projected a crefcent; when that is finished, we fhall probably have a ftar; and thofe who are living thirty years hence, may, perhaps, fee all the figns of the Zodiac exhibited in architecture at Bath. Thefe, however fantastical, are ftill defigns

that denote fome ingenuity and knowledge in the architect; but the rage of building has laid hold on fuch a number of adventurers, that one fees new houses starting up in every outlet and every corner of Bath; contrived without judgment, executed without folidity, and stuck together with fo little regard to plan and propriety, that the different lines of the new rows and buildings interfere with and interfect one another in every different angle of conjunction. They look like the wreck of streets and fquares disjointed by an earthquake, which hath broken the ground into a variety of holes and hillocks; or, as if fome gothic devil had stuffed them altogether in a bag, and left them to stand higgledy piggledy, juft as chance directed. What fort of a monfter Bath will become in a few years, with those growing excrefcences, may be eafily conceived: But the want of beauty and proportion is not the worst effect of these new manfions; they are built fo flight, with the foft crumbling ftone found in this neighbourhood, that I should never fleep quietly in one of them, when it blowed (as the failors fay) a cap-full of wind; and I am perfuaded, that my hind, Roger Williams, or any man of equal ftrength, would be able to push his foot through the strongest part of their walls, without any great exertion of his muscles. All these abfurdities arife from the general tide of luxury, which hath overfpead the nation, and fwept away all, even the very dregs of the people. Every upftart of fortune, harneffed in the trappings of the mode, prefents himself at Bath, as in the very focus of obfervation-Clerks and factors from the Eaft Indies, loaded with the spoil of plundered provinces; planters, negro-drivers, and hucksters, from our American plantations, enriched they know not how; agents, commiffaries, and contractors, who have fattened, in two fucceffive wars, on the blood of the nation; usurers, brokers, and jobbers of every kind; men of low birth, and no breeding, have found themfelves fuddenly tranflated into a state of affluence, unknown to former ages; and no wonder that their brains fhould be intoxicated with pride, vanity, and prefumption. Knowing no other criterion of greatnefs, but the oftentation of wealth, they discharge

their affluence without tafte or conduct, through every channel of the most abfurd extravagance; and all of them hurry to Bath, because here, without any farther qualification, they can mingle with the princes and nobles of the land. Even the wives and daughters of low tradefmen, who, like fhovel-nofed fharks, prey upon the blubber of those uncouth whales of fortune, are infected with the fame rage of difplaying their importance; and the flightest indifpofition ferves them for a pretext to infift upon being conveyed to Bath, where they may hobble country dances and cotillions among lordlings, fquires, counfellors, and clergy. Thefe delicate creatures from Bedfordbury, Butcher-row, Crutched Friers, and Botolph-lane, cannot breathe in the grofs air of the lower town, or conform to the vulgar rules of a common lodging houfe; the husband, therefore, must provide an entire houfe, or elegant apartments in the new buildings. Such is the compofition of what is cal led the fashionable company at Bath; where a very inconfiderable proportion of genteel people are loft in a mob of impudent plebeians, who have neither understanding nor judgment, nor the leaft idea of propriety and decorum; and feem to enjoy nothing fo much as an opportunity of infulting their betters.

THUS the number of people and the number of houfes continue to increase; and this will ever be the cafe, till the streams that fwell this irrefiftible torrent of folly and extravagance, fhall either be exhausted, or turned into other channels, by incidents and events. which I do not pretend to forefee. This, I own, is a fubject on which I cannot write with any degree of patience; for the mob is a monster I never could abide, either in its head, tail, midriff, or members: I deteft the whole of it, as a mafs of ignorance, prefumption, malice, and brutality; and, in this term of reprobation, I include, without refpect of rank, station, or quality, all thofe of both sexes, who affect its manners, and court its fociety.

BUT I have written till my fingers are crampt; and my naufea begins to return-By your advice, I fent to London a few days ago for half a pound of Gengzeng; though I doubt much whether that which comes from

America is equally efficacious with what is brought from the East Indies. Some years ago, a friend of mine paid fixteen guineas for two ounces of it; and, in fix months after, it was fold in the fame shop for five fhillings the pound. In fhort, we live in a vile world of fraud and fophiftication; fo that I know nothing of equal value with the genuine friendship of a fenfible man; a rare jewel! which I cannot help thinking myfelf in poffeffion of, while I repeat the old declaration, that I am, as ufual,

Dear Lewis,

Your affectionate

M. BRAMBLE.

After having been agitated in a fhort hurricane, on my first arrival, I have taken a fmall houfe in Milfhamftreet, where I am tolerably well lodged, for five guineas a-week. I was yesterday at the pump-room, and drank about a pint of the water, which feems to agree with my ftomach; and to-morrow morning I fhall bathe for the first time; fo that, in a few posts, you may expect farther trouble. Meanwhile, I am glad to find that the inoculation has fucceeded fo well with poor Joyce, and that her face will be but little marked-If my friend Sir Thomas was a fingle man, I would not truft fuch a handfome wench in his family; but as I have recommended her, in a particular manner, to the protection of Lady G who is one of the best women in the world, fhe may go thither without hesitation, as foon as fhe is quite recovered, and fit for fervice-Let her mother have money to provide her with neceffaries, and fhe may ride behind her brother on Bucks; but you must lay ftrong injunctions on Jack, to take particular care of the trufty old veteran, who has faithfully earned his prefent eafe by his past fervices.

To Mifs WILLIS, at Gloucefter.

MY DEAREST COMPANION,

TH

Bath, April 26.

HE pleasure I received from yours, which came to hand yesterday, is not to be expreffed. Love and friendship are, without doubt, charming paffions; which abfence ferves only to heighten and improve.Your kind present of the garnet bracelets I fhall keep as carefully as I preferve my own life; and I beg you will accept, in return, of my heart-housewife, with the tortoife-fhell memorandum book, as a trifling pledge of my unalterable affection..

BATH is to me a new world—All is gaiety, good humour, and diverfion. The eye is continually entertained with the fplendour of drefs and equipage, and the ear with the found of coaches, chaifes, chairs, and other carriages. The merry bells ring round, from morn till night. Then we are welcomed by the city waits in our own lodgings: We have mufic in the pump-room every morning, cotillions every forenoon in the rooms, balls twice a-week, and concerts every other night, befides private affemblies, and parties without number.-As foon as we were fettled in lodgings, we were vifited by the Master of the Ceremonies; a pretty little gentleman, fo sweet, fo fine, fo civil, and polite, that in our country he might pafs for the Prince of Wales; then he talks fo charmingly, both in verfe and profe, that you would be delighted to hear him discourse; for you must know he is a great writer, and has got five tragedies ready for the ftage. He did us the favour to dine with us, by my uncle's invitation; and next day fquired my aunt and me to every part of Bath, which to be fure is an earthly paradife. The Square, the Circus, and the Parades, put you in mind of the fumptuous palaces represented in prints and pictures; and the new buildings, fuch as Prince's Row, Harlequin's Row, Bladud's Row, and twenty other rows, look like fo many enchanted caftles, raised on hanging terraces.