haps an oddity of this fort, although found in a civilized nation, had its first origin when it was barbarous. As civilization makes all nations uniform, fo the want of it may produce a fameness of character between people remote from each other. It is in the early ftages of fociety that fuch whimfies make their firft appearance. But this fubject makes part of another which I have before treated at large.*

*In the Four Ages.

Late.

Y3

Late.

THE manners of the present age may be characterized by one fhort word, Late. Whatever hour is fixed for an engagement of any fort, it is never kept. If you invite your guests at five, they come at fix-if a public entertainment begins at feven, you leave your houfe at eight. This practice is inconvenient even in trifles, but in things of confequence, it is thoroughly reprehenfible. It was no less truly than wittily faid, by Lord Chefterfield, of the old Duke of Newcastle"His Grace loses an hour in the morning, and is looking for it all the rest of the day."

Perhaps the real fource of our want of fuccefs with a vigilant and punctual ene

my,

my, is protracting the time for action— not confidering, that according to the proverb, it stays for no man, and that if we are too late, it fignifies not whether it be by a minute or a year.

In the American war many wife and brilliant plans were adopted, which had no other fault than being too late-we had the victory to gain, when we ought to have been enjoying the fruits of it. The last public inftance of this destructive principle (at the time of writing this) was in the failing of the Channel fleet, which, by lofing a fortnight, moft probably will occafion a train of misfortune which distant ages may not recover. Whatever virtues the prefent Ministry may poffefs, they are more than balanced by this pernicious mon fyllable; and as there is not the leaft reafon for fuppofing that the members of oppofition have more punctuality, we should gain nothing by an exchange.

The following anecdote would be ridiculous, if the cause of it did not make part of all our concerns, either in private or public life. An appointment was made with an aftronomer to be at his obfervatory to fee an eclipfe. The good company confidering cœleftial and terrestrial engagements in the fame light, attended the philofopher, and after chatting for fome time, at laft recollected their bufinefs, and begged to see the eclipse—I am forry, fays the Doctor, that I could not prevail on the fun and moon to wait for you-the eclipfe was ended long before your arrival

The

The Ufe of Accumulation.

HASSAN ASSAN of Shiraz poffeffing wealth, which he rafhly deemed inexhaustible, became the flave of pleasure. Tartarian females were employed by turns in fanning him through the night, and, at times, fprinkling his skin with rofewater. Ice-fruits and coftly comfitures were his morning regale, which being ended, he bathed in polished basons of white marble, and inhaled the breeze of fragrance from the Jasmins of Arabia. Borne by his fervants in a stately litter to the Bazar, he paffed flowly before the fhops of the artificers, looking with a languid, but curious eye, on their various productions of ingenuity; endeavouring to find a want, or to create a wish-but his wants and withes had been too often

fupplied