quainted with. In these days, young men are thrown into the world between fourteen and fifteen years of

age, from Eton or Westminster school, with their mind and manners equally unformed. A young man may now come in to a lady's assembly or ball-room, head or tail foremost, in a trot, a walk, or a canter-it is all the same; and if he behave ever so rude, it is only looked upon as a levity of youth. If a gentleman in these days has but a few guineas in his purse, and will walk directly up to the Faro-table, he will be the most welcome guest in the house: it is not necessary for him to speak, or even bow, to a single lady in the room, unless some unfortunate woman at the gaming-table ask him politely for the loan of a few guineas: then his answer need be but short-" No, Dolly, no; can't," for this ever will be received

as wit, though the unfortunate lady's bosom may be heaving, not from the tenderer passions, but with grief and despair at having lost the last farthing.

When I first came into the world there was no such thing as a Faro-table admited into the house of a woman of fashion: in those days they had too much pride to receive tribute * from the proprietor of such a machine. In former times there was no such thing in all London as gaming at a private house, although there was more deep play at the clubs at that time than ever was before or has been since. It is lamentable to see lovely woman destroying her health and beauty at six o'clock in the morning at a gaming-table. Can

* In some houses, in this age, the lady of the house is paid fifty guineas each night by the proprietor of the Faro-table.

any woman expect to give to her husband a vigorous and healthy offspring, whose mind, night after night, is thus distracted, and whose body is relaxed by anxiety and the fatigue of late hours? It is impossible. Besides, there is a greater evil attendant on such practices. Gaming and liquor have debauched more women than all the solicitations of the whole race of man. To appear in company, it was necessary to be full-dressed: no person wore a frock in the evening; a dresscoat, bag, and sword was constantly worn even at the playhouse; and no gentleman ever attempted to go into the side-boxes in boots. There were no impertinent box-lobby loungers in those days, to insult women as they pass, and disturb the performance. Every man then, though not full-dressed, but only

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in a plain frock, wore a sword. I have seen one or two impertinent fellows drawn upon immediately, and stuck up against the box-door. Now, every barber dresses as well as a gentleman: and · cards of address, every night almost, arc reciprocally exchanged at the playhouse between the apprentices of a muslin-seller and a man-milliner, who all wear cockades, and pass for officers.-As for myself, I was extremely extravagant in my dress. For one winter's dress-clothes only, it cost me nine hundred pounds. This extravagance is likely to astonish the reader but what, in my opinion, should strike him with more wonder, is, that I absolutely paid the tailor: this expence was only for dress-suits. I employed other tailors to furnish servants' clothes, and morning and hunting frocks, &c. for myself.

I was always handsomely dressed at every birth-day but for one in particular I put myself to a very great expence, having two suits for that day. My morning vestments cost me near eighty pounds, and those for the ball above one hun

dred and eighty. It was a satin coat brodé en plain et sur les coutures; and the first satin coat that had ever made its appearance in this country. Shortly after, satin-dress clothes became common amongst well-dressed men. Great officers of state are in honour compelled to appear in a handsome suit of clothes at the birthday of their king: it is but a small part of that gratitude and duty they owe to their sovereign, for the dignified situations he has given them, to attend on his person. I had no office of emolument, advantage, or trust about his Majesty's person, excepting an ensigncy in the first