1754. Extract from Lord BOLINGBROKE. appears level and fmooth at a distance, To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, S readers, like bees, ought to fuck A from every flower the sweet and wholefome juices, and reject those that are bitter or peftiferous, the following quotation from lord Bolingbroke's third volume, p. 332, may deserve a place in your Magazine, because it will tend to correct the behaviour of two very oppofite forts of people, to wit, the zealous bigot, who impudently and uncharitably damns every man that is not of the fet which he has by chance or whim embraced; and the thoughtless libertine, who foolishly and vainly endeavours to bring religion itfelf into contempt. His lordthip, in treating of falfhoods that happen to be interwoven in a fyftem of government, obferves as follows: B E 225 Every one has an undoubted right to think freely; nay, it is the duty of every one to do fo, as far as he has the neceffary means and opportunities. This duty too is in no cafe fo incumbent on him, as in thofe that regard what I call, the first philofophy. They who have neither means nor opportunities of this fort, muft fubmit their opinions to authority And to what authority can they refign themfelves fo properly, and fo fafely as to that of the laws, and conftitution of their country? In general nothing can be more abfurd than to take opinions, of the greateft moment, and fuch as concern us the moft intimately, on truft. But there is no help against it in many particular cafes. Things the most abfurd in speculation become neceffary in practice. Such is the human conftitution, and reafon excufes them on the account of this neceffity. Reafon does even a little more; and it is all the can do. She gives the beft direction poffible to the abfurdity. Thus the directs thofe who must believe because they cannot know, to believe in the laws of their country, and conform their opinions and practice to thofe of their ancestors, to thofe of Coruncanius, of Scipio, of Scævola, not to thofe of Zeno, of Cleanthes, of Chryfippus But now the fame reafon that gives this direction to fuch men as thefe, will Dgive a very contrary direction to those who have the means, and opportunities the others want. Far from advifing them to fubmit to this mental bondage, the will advise them to employ their whole induftry, to exert the utmoft freedom of thought, and to reft on no authority but hers, that is their own. She will (peak to them in the language of the Soufys, a fect of philofophers in Perfia, that travellers have mentioned. "Doubt, fay these wife and honeft free-thinkers, is the key of knowledge. He who never doubts, never examines. He who never examines, difcovers nothing. He who difcovers nothing, is blind, and will remain fo. If you find no reason to doubt concerning the opiniFons of your fathers, keep to them, they will be fufficient for you. If you find any reafon to doubt concerning them, feek the truth quietly, but take care not to difturb the minds of other men." "There has been much noife made about free-thinking, and men have been animated, in the conteft, by a spirit that becomes neither the character of divines, nor that of good citizens; by an arbitrary tyrannical fpirit under the mask of religious zeal, and by a prefumptuous, factious fpirit under that of liberty. If the first could prevail, they would establish implicit belief and blind obcdience, and an inquifition to maintain this abject fervitude. To affert antipodes might become once more as heretical as Arianifin, or Pelagianifm: And men might be dragged to the jails of fome holy office, like Galilei, for faying they had feen what in fact they had feen, and what every one elfe that pleafed might fee. If the fecond could prevail, they would deftroy at once the general influence of religion, by fhaking G the foundations of it, which education had laid. Thefe are wide extremes. Is there no middle path in which a reasonable man and a good citizen may direct his steps? I think there is. • May, 1754. Let us proceed agreeably to these maxims. Let us feek truth, but feek it quietly as well as freely. Let us not imagine, like fome who are called free thinkers, that every man, who can think and judge for himfelf, as he has a right to do, has therefore a right of fpeaking, any more than of acting according to the full freedom of his thoughts. The freedom beFf longs *De Nat. Deor. 226 Advice from the EAST-INDIES. longs to him as a rational creature. He lics under the reftraint as a member of fociety." From the LONDON GAZETTE. Extract of a Letter from Major Stringer Lawrence, to the Court of Directors of the Eaft-India Company, dated at the Camp A60 near Trichenopoly. Sept. 15, 1753. (which it is fuppofed should be Sept. 25.) received by the Delawar, May 7, 1754. S B INCE my letter of the 14th instant, capt. Ridge joined me with a detachment of about 200 Europeans. This addition of force made me refolve to attack the enemy, as the Monsoon approached, and their fituation was tuch, that they cut off our provifions, which must have ended in the lofs of Trichenopoly: Accordingly, on the 19th, I made a motion in the night towards the left of the enemy's camp, for they had poffeffion of two large rocks, about a mile diftant from each other, and I found it neceffary to gain one of them. The whole day of the 20th was fpent in cannonading; and the better to conceal our defign, I had ordered out an 18 pounder from the fort, that they might think we had no other view than that of disturbing them in their camp with our fhot. This lulled them into a fecurity, and at four o'clock in the morning of the 21ft, our Europeans being difpofed in three lines, with the Seapoys D on our flanks, and the horfe in our rear, we attacked the rock on the left, called the Golden Rock, and gained it without any lofs, the enemy retiring after a faint refiftance and leaving behind them two pieces of cannon. This earnest of fuccefs encouraged the men greatly, and determined me to push on the main body; fo, E that no time might be loft, I difabled the two guns, and advanced towards the Sugar. Loaf Rock, just as the day began to break. The enemy were drawn up close to the rock, and had fortified themfelves with breaft-works, fo it was neceffary to gain their Black camp, that we might fall upon them in the rear: This was effected with little trouble, and our foldiers marched thro' a constant fire from nine pieces of cannon, attacked a line of men, which greatly out numbered themfelves, and in ten or twelve minutes drove the enemy out of their lines. They however rallied, and made fome faint refiftance afterwards, fupported by the Morattas, who rode up very defperately: But as thefe could not fuftain a galling fire, which fell upon them from all quarters, they at length run away, and left us compleat mafters of the field of battle, their whole camp, baggage and ammunition, and ten pieces of non. The remains of their army retreat May ed, fome towards Altoora and Syring- From the CONNOISSEUR, May 9. A the Stamp office acquaints me, that the revenue arifi g from the duty on cards and dice continues to increase every year, and that it now brings in near fix times more than it did at first. This will not appear very wonderful, when we confider that gaming is now become rather the bufinefs than amufement of our perfons of quality; that their whole attention is employed in this important article, and that they are more concerned about the tranfactions of the two clubs at White's than the proceedings of both houses of parliament. Thus it happens, that estates are now almost as frequently made over by whift and hazard as by deeds and fettlements; and the chariots of many of our nobility may be faid (like count Baffet's in the play) "to roll upon four aces.' This love of gaming has taken fuch G 1754. Monstrous Excess of GAMING, &c. now be as abfurd to pretend to gather any fuch intelligence from White's, as to fend to Batfon's for a lawyer, or to the Rolls coffee-house for a man-midwife. The gentlemen who now frequent this place profefs a kind of univerfal fcepticifm; and as they look upon every thing as dubious, put the iffue upon a wager. A There is nothing, however trivial or ridiculous, which is not capable of producing a bet. Many pounds have been lost upon the colour of a coach-horfe, an article in the news, or the change of the weather. The birth of a child has brought great advantages to perfons not in the leaft related to the family it was born in; and the breaking off a match has affected many in their fortunes, befides the parties immediately concerned. B 227 comte de Stair ambaffadeur d'Angleterre paria, felon le genie de fa nation, que le roi ne patferoit pas le mois de Septembre." "The king, fays he, was taken ill about the middle of Auguft; when lord Stair, the ambaffador from England betted, according to the genius of his nation, that the king would not live beyond September." I am in fome pain left this custom fhould get among the ladies. They are at prefent very deep in cards and dice; and while my lord is gaming abroad, her ladyship has her rout at home. I am inclined to fufpe& that our women of fashion will alto learn to divert themselves with this polite practice of laying wagers. A birth-day fuit, the age of a beauty, who invented a particular fashion, or who were fuppofed to be together at the laft mafquerade, would frequently give occafion for bets. This would alfo afford them a new method for the ready propagation of fcandal, as the truth of feveral ftories which are continually flying about the town would naturally be brought to the fame teft. Should they proceed further to take the lives of their acquaintance against each other, they would doubtlefs bet with the fame fearlefs fpirit as they are known to do at brag; one husband perhaps would be pitted againft another, or a woman of the town against a maid of honour. In a word, if D this once becomes fashionable among the ladies, we thall foon fee the time, when an allowance for bet-money will be ftipulated in the marriage articles. But the most extraordinary part of this fashionable practice is what in the gaming dialect is called, pitting one man againft another; that is, in plain English, wagering which of the two will live longeft. In this manner people of the moft oppofite C characters make up the fubject of a bet. A player perhaps is pitted against a duke, an alderman against a bishop, or a pimp with a privy-counfellor. There is fcarce one remarkable perfon, upon whofe life there are not many thousand pounds depending, or one perfon of quality whofe death will not leave feveral kinds of mortgages upon his eftate. The various changes in the health of one, who is the fubject of many bets occafions very ferious reflections in those who have ventured large fums on his life and death. Those who would be gainers by his decease, upon every flight indifpofition, watch all the ftages of his illness, and are as impatient for his death, as E the undertaker who expects to have the care of his funeral; while the other fide are very follicitous about his recovery, fend every hour to know how he does, and take as much care of him, as a clergyman's wife does of her husband who has no other fortune than his living. I remember a man with the conftitution p of a porter, upon whofe life very great odds were laid; but when the perfon he was pitted againft was expected to die every week, this man unexpectedly shot himself thro' the head, and the knowing ones were taken in. Tho' most of our follies are imported from France, this has had its rife and progr fs entirely in England. In the G daft illness of Louis XIV. lord Stair laid a wager on his death; and we may guess what the French thought of it, from the manner in which Voltaire mentions it in his Sidole de Louis xiv. "Le roi fut attaquè vers le milieu du mois d'Août. Le As the vices and follics of perfons of diftinction are very apt to fpread, I am much afraid left this branch of gaming fhould defcend to the common people. Indeed it feems already to have got among them. We have frequent accounts of tradesmen riding, walking, eating and drinking for a wager. The contefted election in the city has occafioned several extraordinary bets: I know a butcher in Leadenhall-market, who laid an ox to a fhin of beef on the fuccefs of Sir John Barnard against the field; and have been told of a publican in Thames-ftreet, who ventured an hogfhead of intire butt on the candidate who ferves him with beer. We may obferve that the fpirit of gaming difplays itself with as much variety among the lowest as the highest order of people. It is the fame thing whether the dice rattle in an orange barrow or at the hazard table. A couple of chairmen in a night-cellar are as eager at putt or allfours, as a party at St. James's at a rubber of whift; and the E. O. table is but an higher fort of merry go-round, where you may get fix halfpence for one, fix pence for one, and fix twopences for one. Ffa A 228 A NEW SONG. The fool that is wealthy Is fure of a bride, For riches like fig-leaves Their nakedness hide. The flave that is poor Muftftarve all his life, In bachelor's bed Without miftrefs or wi a 2. In the good days of yore, They ne'er troubled their heads, In fettling of jointures, Or making of deeds; But Adam and Eve, When firit enter'd courfe, L'en took one another, For better for worfc. ༣. Then prithee, dead Chloe, Who have all thofe charms, And I fhall be rich, When I've you in my arms. Were merely introductions to the play, But modern times and British rules are fuch, Our bards beforehand must not tell too much; Nor dare we, like the neighb`ring French, admit Ev'n confidantes, who might inftruct the pit, By afking queftions of the leading few, And bearing fecrets, which before they knew. Yet what we can to help this antique piece We will attempt. Our feene to-night is Greece. And by the magic of the poet's rod, This flage the temple of the Delphic god! Where kings, and chief, and fages came of old, Like modern fools to have their fortunes told; And monarchs quere entiron'd, or nations freed, As an Ad prieft or wither'd maid decreed. Yet think not all were equally deceiv'd, Sume knew, more doubted, many more believ'd. In short, thefe pracles, and witcbing rhimes Vere but the picus frauds of antient times; fely contriv'd to keep mankind in awr, When faith was wonder and religion law! Thus much prenis'd, to every feeling breaft We leave the fcenes themfalues to tell the rest. -Yet fomething fure was to the critics faid, Hbich I forget,-jome invocation made ! Ye critic bands, like jealous guardians plac'd [rafie, To watch the encroachments on the realms of From you our author would two boons obtain, Not wholly diffident, nor wholly vain : Two things be afks; 'tis modeft fure, from you, Who can do all things, to requeft but two: Firft to bis fcenes a kind attention pay, Then judge! with candour judge--and we obey. EPILOGUE. Spoken by Miss HAUGHTON, who acted the PYTHAI. T length I'm freed from tragical parade, A No more a Pythian priejics, tho maid; At once refigning, with my facred dwelling, My wreaths, my wand, my arts of fortunetelling. Yet fuperftitious folks, no doubt, are beres. Who fill regard me with a kind of fear, Left to their fecret thoughts thefe prying eyes Should boldly pafs, and take them by furprize. Nay, tho' I difavow the whole deceit, And fairly own my fcience all a cheat, Should I declare, in spite of ears eyes, The beaus were handjome, or the critics wife, They'd all belive it, and with dear delight Say to themfelves at least, "The girl bas tafle ;' right." and • the woman's in the Or, fhould I tell the ladies, fo difpos'd, They'd get good matches, ere the feafon clos'd, They'd mile, perhaps, with feeming difcontent, And, freering, wonder what the creature meant; But avbifper to their friends, with beating |