the party which attacks it is almoft always the most reasonable, and the party which defends it the most amiable.

If you meet an old man who does not rail strongly against fashion, boldly pronounce that he has never been its flave, and in that refpect has been always reasonable: if you adopt a different opinion in a contrary cafe, it will rarely happen that you will find yourself mistaken.

There are more old men than there are old women who speak impartially of the fashions. Almost all the latter feel an irrefiftible propenfity to hurl against it the anathema of their vexation. This is an inmediate confequence of what we have already obferved; for there are more women than men who are in love with fashions.

I faid the anathema of vexation, and in fact it is lefs the fentiment of violated tafte than the bitterness of regret, that dictates their cenfure. But even though their fatire be unjust, they do better to amuse themfelves in profcribing the fathions, in the way of confolation, than to render their decency fubject to its caprices. What can be a more ridiculous fpectacle than to behold the craziness of years heavily tottering after this light and fugitive idol-like the garrulity of old age diffufing itfelf over the transactions of paft

times?

In this laft whim, however, do we not find a text appropriate to our purpose? That Calchas who never dies that unrelenting pitilefs facrificer, Time-comes to demand his victim. Alas! let that victim crown itself with flowers, if that attire can furnish a confoling amufement, and a veil to conceal from its views the fcythe which is ready to ftrike it!

Fashion is frequently an injury to natural graces, and the effect of beauty, and is nearly always its moit dangerous

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dangerous enemy. Truth invented the graces, but vanity perverted the ufe of them.

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It is not enough to have the grace correfponding with the age-the grace of figure is alfo requifite. noble and fimple elegance becomes all features and all ages.

Elegance is to fashion what a fine woman without rouge is to a coquette who paints herfelf-elegance is linked with tafte, and fashion with enjoyment. The first pleafes generally, and the other ftill more; the one is only fuccefsful, the other is triumphant; but in fuch a way, that the fuccefs is durable, and the triumph no more than the extreme fuccefs of a mo

ment.

Elegance has the merit of reality, fashion has only that of circumftances and locality. The latter is arbitrary; elegance is elegance at all times and in all places.

The delicate arrangement of drefs and features, the art of following the fashion with tafte—that is to fav, only of ufing fo much of it as is becoming and pleafing, fo however that the infringement made upon it may not amount to a violation of its laws-that art, I fay, is to drefs what grace is to beauty.

Fashion and Reafon are two powers that feldom agree; now that the negotiations are ftript of their difficulties, are there no means of acceding to the following treaty? May we not, if I may fay fo, adapt fashion to reafon, and bring reafon into fashion?

1ft, From the prefent date hoftilities fhall ceafe, and all grievances be forgotten.

2d, Reafon fhall ceafe to declaim against Fashion, and Fashion to ridicule Reafon.

3d, Reafon fhall direct the caprices of Fafhion, and the latter fall correct the fermons of the former.

4th,

4th, Reafon fhall defend Fashion against the inceffantly renewed attacks of peevishnets and old

women.

5th, Fashion fhall make no changes without confulting Reafon.

6th, The troops of the one fhall affume the uniform of thofe of Fashion, and the troops of the other fhall be difciplined like thofe of Reafon.

7th, Reafon fhall furnish Fashion with the fabfidies neceffary for the support of its power, and Mode fhall fupply Reafon with the Graces, in the quality of auxiliary troops.

8th, In fine, Reafon fhall no longer be growling nor favage, and Fashion fhall break off all alliance with Bad Taste and Folly.

T. L.

FASHIONS CHANGE!

[From the fame.]

YES, Mr. Editor, Fashions do change, and in this refined age one naturally expects them to change for the better: but, except when former fashions, according to the ufual rotation, come round again, they feem continually to change for the worse.

The truth is, that Fashion has undergone a total revolution-and no wonder, fince revolutions have been all the fashion.-Formerly the two great conftituents of Fashion were, elegance of appearance, and urbanity of manners. My Lord Chesterfield particularly recommended fomething of this fort: but certain grave readers, confounding his Lordship's ideas of elegance, which were very correct, with his moral notions, which were certainly exceptionable-elegance itself fell into difrepute; and, left we fhould appear to be of the School of Chesterfield, the contrary extreme was adopted, and the Blackguard School preferred; for I

can give no other denomination to that which abolished what all the world acknowledged to be elegant, and introduced the dress of the table, and the flang of Bow Street. Ever fince that time, what a routine we have had of every thing difgufting, in the name of Fashion-flouched hats, jockey waiftcoats, halfboots, leather breeches, cropped heads, unpowdered hair-in fhort, every thing that can give an idea of a Ruffian-1 fay, a Ruffian; becaufe the drefs and manners which are now deemed fashionable, would, twenty years ago, have made a gallows impreffion on a jury at the Old Bailey.

I am ready to acknowledge, that, under the Chefterfield fyftem, elegance often degenerated into frivolity; and a man fometimes feemed little better than a monkey. This, however, could only happen among the middling and lower claffes, aping the drefs and manners of their fuperiors; and even thefe were infinitely preferable to the boorish, wolfish, and affectedly terrific exhibition of the prefent race of Bucks without blood, Beaux without tafie, and Gentlemen without manners!

I have been led into fuch egregious errors, and have committed fuch blunders, by miftaking-Dukes for Grooms, Earls for Poftillions, and 'Squires for Stableboys, that perhaps I may not exprefs myfelf with fufficient accuracy or candour on this fubject. But I cannot help taking the prefent fyftem to be confufion confounded; and therefore I hope, fince even Bonaparté requires Sans Culottes to be dreffed, that in this country, remarkable for good fenfe and propriety, we may again, and speedily, fee the

FASHIONS CHANGE!

VERBAL

I

MR. EDITOR,

VERBAL INVASION.

[From the fame.]

AM an old-fashioned mortal, known by the name of a true Englishman; a plain speaker, a lover of beef, and an abominator of foreigners and, foreign cuftoms. The invafion of the French men I value not a rush. We are ready! but I must confefs there is another fpecies of Invafion which vexes me exceedingly-I mean the confounded cuftom of introducing French Words into our language, which is arrived to fuch a height, that a plain country Gentleman can fcarcely underftand one word in ten of his mother tongue-it is fo frittered away-by what our failors call puppy lingo.

One man, at a lofs to explain himself, comes out with a "Je ne fcais quoi."

A fecond won't defcribe particulars, but praises the "tout enfemble."

A third drops in when dinner is ferving up, and declares he comes quite "à propos."

A fourth can't enter a crowded Theatre without exclaiming "What a coup-d'oeil !"

A fifth vows that Mrs. Maudlin is not handsome, but her face has a pleafing "tournure!" and

A fixth fagaciously doubts whether Minifter are " au fait."

I don't find fault with certain women being styled "Elegantés," fimpering Miffes "Belles," and effeminate fellows Beaux;" but I am tranfported with rage when I reflect that this unaccountable innovation has even crept into our army, as our foldiers are inftructed to "deployer" and fire a "feu de joye," whilft our Volunteer Affociations are univerfally called "Corps!"

Excufe my warmth, Mr. Editor, and allow your

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patriotic