1 laft waistcoat; the next I must atone for my errors upon bread and water. Themiftocles had many towns to furnish his table, and a whole city had the charge of his meals: in fome respects I am like him; for I am fed by the labours of a multitude. A wig has kept me two days; the trimming of a waistcoat as long; a ruffled thirt has paid my washerwoman; a pair of velvet breeches difcharged my lodging; my coat I allow by degrees-the fleeves I breakfafted on for three days; the body, fkirts, &c. ferved me as long, and two pair of men's pumps enabled me to finoke feveral pipes. You would be furprized to think how my appetite, barometer like, rifes in proportion as my neceffities make their terrible advances. I could here fay fomething droll about a good stomach, but 'tis ill fighting. with edged tools; and I am fure that is the fharpeft thing about me. You may perhaps think I am loft, to own fo much of my condition; that whilft I am thus wretched, I fhould offer at ridicules; but, Sir, people conftitutioned like me, with a difproportionate levity of fpirits, åre always moft merry when most miserable, and quicken, like the eyes of the confumptive, which are always brightest the nearer the patient is to his latter end. But to fhew you I am not loft to any reflection, I here think myself poor enough to want a favour, and humble enough to afk it.. Here, Sir, I could draw an encomium on your good. good fenfe, humanity, &c. but I cannot pay fo bad a compliment to your understanding, as to endeavour,, by a parade of phrafe, to win it over to my intereft. If at the concert you could make a fmall gathering for me, it would be a means of obtaining my liberty. You know, Sir, the firft people of rank abroad perform the moft friendly offices for the fick; be not therefore offended at the requeft of the unfortunate GEORGE ALEXANDER STEVENS.. Nottingham Gaol, March 27, 1761. A RUINED A RUINED NATION. SIR, T is the peculiar advantage of your paper, and IT what I have ever valued it for, that in the most confufed of times, you give us a little of fomething to amufe us. I am fure, if it were not for this, a man would lofe his fenfes amidft the din of Parliamentary Debates, Common Halls, Palace Yards, and Copenhagen Houses. One can scarcely eat a morfel, or drink a drop, that does not finell of politics; which we old fellows, Sir, paft the hey-day of life, cannot relish as we used to do. Alas! Sir, the time has been, when I could--but no matter-for, as my friend John Wilkes fays, "Every dog has his day.' To be fure, now and then one can't help talking a little in the old way about the ruin of the nation, and fuch like fubjects, as ferved to amufe us in our youth. I have lived, Sir, to fee this country ruined more than half a dozen times. I remember we were ruined in 1756, when we went to war with France. Well, Sir, when we got out of that war in 1763, I thought all was fafe; but it fo happened that we made a peace which ruined the nation again. Then, Sir, came the glorious days of Wilkes and Liberty. It would do your heart good, to think how we were ruined then. When the Tea-act paffed, which threw America into a flame, we were completely ruined again—and, I do not know how it happened, but the fact is, that when that act was repealed, fome very fenfible people faid we were quite ruined. However, we made a fhift to hobble on pretty well till the year 1775, and then we went to war with America; from which time, all wife and long-headed politicians faid this country might date its ruin. Away we went, however, and ruined ourselves into a peace, and were told that the “fun of Great Britain was fet for ever." Scarcely had this ruin been out of our mouths, (and I don't think it was any A any where elfe) when the Coalition ruined us againbut Mr. Pitt came into power, and during his time the account current runs thus Bills to punish Treafon and Se- dition I am, Mr. Baldwin, your's, [St. James's Chronicle. I OLD STILE. CREEDS TO CHOOSE. Firft, or Tory Creed. BELIEVE in the infallibility of all crowned I believe in the infallibility of the Minister for the time being. "I believe in William Pitt as the maker of all good men. "I believe in the perfection and inviolability of the English conftitution, as now adminiftered; and I think it a damnable heresy to believe that it can be amended. "I believe in the charity, religion, and virtues of the church, as eftablished by law. , I believe in the holinefs of all Bishops-in the neceffities of pluralities-in the advantages of tythesand in all good things dependent upon High Church Government. "I believe in the falvation of Teft Acts. "I believe in the virtue of corruption, without which there can be no regeneration. "I believe in the faving grace conferred by penfions and finecure places. "I believe in the virtue of riches, and vice of poverty--and I believe that all men who do not believe as as I believe, will, or ought to be, damned in fecula feculorum. Amen. "A CAVALIER OF THE OLD COURT CUT." Second, or Jacobine Creed. "I do not believe in any thing that is ancient, fixed, ftable, or permanent. "I believe only in the virtues of change and expe riment. "I believe that all crowned heads are tygers, prowling for prey. I believe that all Ministers are jackals, purveying for fuch tygers. "I believe that the English conftitution is bad, will be worse, and ought to be deftroyed. "I believe that it is wifer to rufh into any evils that may await change, than to attempt to amend what is amifs, because life is not long enough to wait the flow progress of reform. "I believe that all good governments are made only for the exifting members, and that they have nothing to do with pofterity. "I believe that the next world has nothing to do with us, and confequently that we have nothing to do with the next world.. "I believe that every rich man is a rogue, and ought to be poor. "I believe in the Rights of Man, as far as they ferve to give me a right to live independent of all controul, as a man ought to do. "I believe that the only fit men to frame a government for free men, are thofe who have always lived independent of any government whatever, as they only can know what freedom is. "I believe in Tom Paine as the faviour of this world. Amen. A REPUBLICAN OF THE NEWEST CUT.” Third,, Third, or my own Creed. "I believe that every conftitution is not adapted to every country. "I believe that a limited monarchy is beft adapted to produce peace, plenty, profperity, and protectionin Great Britain. "I believe that the conftitution of England, as originally framed, is the wifeft idea of a free government that ever entered into the imagination of man. "I believe that no human inftitution ever was, or will be, perfect; but if it is fufceptible of amendment, may always be approaching nearer to perfection. "I believe that, being of human inftitution, the English conftitution is fubject to abuses and to decay. "I believe that many abuses have crept into the Adminiftration, that many decays have begun to appear in the English conftitution. "I believe that no man is infallible, either as a King or as a Minister. "I believe it to be the interest of every Minifter to encourage abuses in the Administration, and to hide decays in the constitution. "I believe that all the abuses in the Administration, and all the decays in the conftitution, are practical evils, and admir of eafy and practical cures." LINES Written to a Lady, who had a loofe Tooth extracted, and fastened in again by drilling a hole through it, and paffing two ligatures, by which it was tied to the tooth on each fide. EAR Madam, tell an anxious friend, DE What terms you live on with your tooth, I hope your jars are at an end; But ftill I wish to know the truth; 'Tis well you were alarm'd in time, And took the hint, and look'd about; He |