continues for half a century, I fuppofe the whole county of Middlesex will be covered with brick.

IT must be allowed, indeed, for the credit of the prefent age, that London and Westminster are much better paved and lighted than they were formerly. The new streets are spacious, regular, and airy, and the houfes generally convenient. The bridge at Blackfriars is a noble monument of taste and public spirit-I wonder how they stumbled upon a work of fuch magnificence and utility. But, notwithstanding these improvements, the capital is become an overgrown monster, which, like a dropfical head, will in time leave the body and extremities without nourishment and fupport. The abfurdity will appear in its full force, when we confider, that one-sixth part of the natives of this whole extenfive kingdom is crowded within the bills of mortality. What wonder that our villages are depopulated, and our farms in want of day-labourers! the abolition of small farms, is but one cause of the decrease of population. Indeed, the incredible increase of horses and black cattle, to anfwer the purposes of luxury, requires a prodigious quantity of hay and grafs, which are raifed and managed without much labour; but a number of hands will always be wanted for the different branches of agriculture, whether the farms be large or fmall-The tide of luxury has swept all the inhabitants from the open country-The pooreft fquire, as well as the richest peer, must have his house in town, and make a figure with an extraordinary number of domeftics. The plough boys, cow herds, and lower hinds, are debauched and feduced by the appearance and discourse of those coxcombs in livery, when they make their fummer excurfions. They defert their dirt and drudgery, and swarm up to London, in hopes of getting into fervice, where they can live luxurioufly, and wear fine cloaths, without being obliged to work; for idlenefs is natural to man-Great numbers of thefe, being disappointed in their expectation, become thieves and fharpers; and London being an immenfe wilderness, in which there is neither watch nor ward of any fignification, nor any order or police, affords them lurking places as well as prey.

THERE are many caufes that contribute to the daily increase of this enormous mafs; but they may be all refolved into the grand fource of luxury and corruption. About five-and-twenty years ago, very few even of the moft opulent citizens of London kept any equipage, or even any servants in livery. Their tables produced no thing but plain boiled and roafted, with a bottle of port and a tankard of beer. At prefent, every trader in any degree of credit, every broker and attorney, maintains a couple of footmen, a coachman, and poftillion. He has his town-house and his country-house, his coach, and his post-chaife. His wife and daughters appear in the richest stuffs, befpangled with diamonds. They frequent the court, the opera, the theatre, and the mafquerade. They hold affemblies at their own houfes; they make fumptuous entertainments, and treat with the richeft wines of Bourdeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. The substantial tradesman, who wont to pafs his evenings at the ale-houfe for fourpence halfpenny, now fpends three fhillings at the tavern, while his wife keeps card-tables at home; fhe muft alfo have fine cloaths, her chaife, or pad, with country lodgings, and go three times a-week to public diverfions. Every clerk, apprentice, and even waiter of a tavern or coffee-house, maintains a gelding by himself or in partnership, and affumes the air and apparel of a petit-maitre. The gayeft places of public entertainment are filled with fashionable figures, which, upon enquiry, will be found to be journeymen tailors, ferving-men, and Abigails, disguised like their betters.

IN fhort, there is no diftinction or fubordination left. The different departments of life are jumbled together The hod-carrier, the low mechanic, the tapfter, the publican, the shop-keeper, the pettifogger, the citizen, and courtier, all tread upon the kibes of one another; actuated by the dæmons of profligacy and licentiousness, they are feen every where, rambling, riding, rolling, rufhing, jostling, mixing, bouncing, cracking, and crafhing in one vile ferment of stupidity and corruption-All is tumult and hurry.-One would imagine they were impelled by fome diforder of the brain, that will not fuffer them to be at reft. The foot-paffengers run along VOL. VI. N

as if they were purfued by bailiffs. The porters and chairmen trot with their burdens. People, who keep their own equipages, drive through the ftreets at full fpeed. Even citizens, phyficians, and apothecaries glide in their chariots like lightning. The hackney coachmen make their horses smoke, and the pavement shakes under them; and I have actually seen a waggon pass thro' Piccadilly at the hand-gallop. In a word, the whole nation feems to be running out of their wits.

THE diverfions of the times are not ill-fuited to the genius of this incongruous monster, called the public.— Give it noife, confufion, glare, and glitter, it has no idea of elegance and propriety.-What are the amusements at Ranelagh? One half of the company are following one another's tails, in an eternal circle, like fo many blind affes in an olive-mill, where they can neither difcourfe, diftinguifh, nor be diftinguifhed; while the other half are drinking hot water, under the denomination of tea, till nine or ten o'clock at night, to keep them awake for the reft of the evening. As for the orcheftra, the vocal mufic efpecially, it is well for the performers that they cannot be heard distinctly.-Vauxhall is a compofition of baubles, overcharged with paltry ornaments, ill conceived, and poorly executed, without any unity of defign, or propriety of difpofition It is an unnatural affemblage of objects, fantastically illuminated in broken maffes, feemingly contrived to dazzle the eyes and divert the imagination of the vulgar. Here a wooden lion, there a ftone ftatue; in one place a range of things like coffee-houfe boxes covered a-top, in another a parcel of ale-houfe benches, in a third a puppet-fhew representation of a tin cascade, in a fourth a gloomy cave of a circular form, like a fepulchral vault half-lighted, in a fifth a scanty flip of grafs-plot, that would not afford pafture fufficient for an afs's colt. The walks, which Nature feems to have intended for folitude, fhade, and filence, are filled with crouds of noify people, fucking up the nocturnal rheums of an aguifh climate; and through these gay scenes a few lamps glimmer like fo many farthing candles.

WHEN I fee a number of well-dreffed people, of both fexes, fitting on the covered benches, expofed to the

eyes of the mob, and, which is worse, to the cold, raw, night air, devouring fliced beef, and swilling port, and punch, and cyder, I can't help compaffionating their temerity, while I despise their want of taste and decorum; but, when they courfe along thofe damp and gloomy walks, or croud together upon the wet gravel, without any other cover than the cope of heaven, listening to a fong, which one half of them cannot poffibly hear, how can I help supposing they are actually poffeffed by a spirit more abfurd and pernicious than any thing we meet with in the precincts of Bedlam? In all probability, the proprietors of this, and other public gardens of inferior note, in the skirts of the metropolis, are, in fome shape, connected with the faculty of phyfic, and the company of undertakers; for, confidering that eagernefs in the pursuit of what is called pleasure, which now predominates through every rank and denomination of life, I am perfuaded that more gouts, rheumatifms, catarrhs, and confumptions are caught in these nocturnal pastimes, sub dio, than from all the risks and accidents to which a life of toil and danger is expofed.

THESE, and other obfervations which I have made in this excurfion, will fhorten my stay in London, and fend me back with a double relish to my folitude and mountains; but I fhall return by a different route from that which brought me to town. I have feen fome old friends, who conftantly refided in this virtuous metropolis, but they are fo changed in manners and difpofition, that we hardly know or care for one another.-In our journey from Bath, my fifter Tabby provoked me into a tranfport of paffion; during which, like a man who has drank himself pot-valiant, I talked to her in fuch a stile of authority and refolution, as produced a moft bleffed effect. She and her dog have been remarkably quiet and orderly ever fince this expoftulation. How long this agreeable calm will last, Heaven above knows.-I flatter myself the exercise of travelling has been of fervice to my health; a circumstance which encourages me to proceed in my projected expedition to the north. But I must, in the mean time, for the benefit and amusement of my pupils, explore the depth of this chaos, this mis

shapen and monstrous capital, without head or tail, members or proportion.

THOMAS was fo infolent to my fifter on the road, that I was obliged to turn him off abruptly, betwixt Chippenham and Marlborough, where our coach was overturned. The fellow was always fullen and selfish; but if he should return to the country, you may give him a character for honefty and fobriety; and, provided he behaves with proper respect to the family, let him have a couple of guineas in the name of

London, May 29.

Yours always,

MATT. BRAMBLE.

To Mifs LETITIA WILLIS, at Gloucester.

MY DEAR LETTY,

NEXPRESSIBLE was the pleasure I received from yours

of the 25th, which was last night put into my hands by Mrs Brentwood, the milliner, from Gloucester.I rejoice to hear that my worthy governefs is in good health, and, ftill more, that fhe no longer retains any displeasure towards her poor Liddy, I am forry you have loft the fociety of the agreeable Mifs Vaughan; but, I hope, you won't have caufe much longer to regret the departure of your school-companions, as I make no doubt but your parents will, in a little time, bring you into the world, where you are fo well qualified to make a distinguished figure. When that is the case, I flatter myself you and I fhall meet again, and be happy together, and even improve the friendship which we contracted in our tender years. This at least I can promife, it shall not be for the want of my utmost endeavours, if our intimacy does not continue for life.

ABOUT five days ago we arrived in London, after an eafy journey from Bath; during which, however, we were overturned, and met with fome other little incidents, which had like to have occafioned a mifunderstanding betwixt my uncle and aunt; but now, thank