him with all your natural and fpiritual, inward and outward gifts and abilities, and then he that is faithful (and cannot lie) hath promised to honour them that honour him; he will give you that inward peace of foul, and true joy of heart, which till you have, you fhall never reft, and which, when you have, you. fhall never be fhaken, and which you can never attain to any other way than this that I have fhewed you.

I know your lordfhip may fay to yourself; and object to me, this is but a vapour of melancholy, and the ftyle of a prifoner, and that I was far enough from it, when I lived in the world as you do now, and may be so again, when my fetters be taken from me. I anfwer, though your lordship fhould think fo, yet cannot I diftruft the goodnefs of my God, that his mercy will fail me, or his grace forfake me; I have fo deeply engaged myself, that I fhould be one of the moft miferable apoftates that ever was; I have fo avowed my profeffion, and called fo many, from time to time, to witness it, and to be watchmen over me, that I should be the holloweft hypocrite that ever was born: but though I fhould perish in my own fin, and draw upon myfelf my own damnation, should not you take hold of the grace and mercy of God, which is offered unto you, and make your profit of my fearful, and wretched example? I was longer a flave and fervant to the world, and the corruption of it, than you have been, and therefore could hardly be drawn from it. I had many calls, and answered some of them flowly, thinking a soft pace faft enough to come to Christ, and myself forward

enough when I faw the end of my jour ney, though I arrived not at it; and therefore I have been by God's providence, violently pulled, halled, and dragged to the marriage feaft, as the world hath feen. It was juft with God to afflict me in this world that he might give me joy in another. I had too much knowledge when I performed too little obedience, and was therefore to

be beaten with double ftripes: God grant your lordship may feel the comfort I now enjoy in my unfeigned converfion, but that you never feel the torments I have fuffered for my too long delaying it. I had none but divines to call upon me, to whom I faid, if my ambition could have entered into their narrow hearts, they would not have been fo humble; or if my delights had been tafted by them, they could not have been fo precife: But your lordfhip hath one to call upon you, that knows what it is you now enjoy, and what the greatest fruit and end is of all the contentments that this world can afford. Think, therefore dear earl, that I have staked and buoyed all the ways of pleafure to you, and left them as fea marks for you to keep the channel of religious virtue; for fhut your eyes never fo long, they must be open at laft; and then you must fay with me, there is no peace to the wicked.

I will make a covenant with my foul, not to fuffer my eyes to sleep in the night, nor my thoughts to attend the first bufinefs of the day, till I have pray'd to my God, that your lordship may believe and make profit of this plain, but faithful admonition; and then I know your country and friends fhall be happy in you, and yourself fuccefsful in all you take in hand; which shall be an unfpeakable comfort to

Your lordship's cousin and true

Friend, whom no worldly
Cause can divide from you,

rambles, I accidentally fell into the company of half a dozen gentlemen,who were engaged in a warm difpute about fome political affairs; the decifion of which, as they were equally divided in their fentiments, they thought proper to refer to me, which naturally drew me in for a fhare of the converfation.

Amongst a multiplicity of other topics, we took occation to talk of the different characters of the feveral nations of Europe; when one of the gentlemen, cocking his hat, and affuming fuch an air of importance as if he had poffeffed all the merit of the English nation in his own perfon, declared that the Dutch were a parcel of avaricious wretches; the French a fet of flattering fycophants; that the Germans were drunken fots, and beaftly gluttons; and the Spaniards proud, haughty, and furly tyrants: but that in bravery, generofity, clemency, and in every other virtue, the English excelled all the world. This very learned and judicious remark was received with a general smile of approbation by all the company-all, I mean but your humble fervant; who, endeavouring to keep my gravity as well as I could, and reclining my head upon my arm, continued for fome time in a posture of affected thoughtfulnefs, as if I had been mufing on fomething elfe, and did not feem to attend to the fubject of converfation; hoping, by this means, to avoid the difagreeable neceffity of explaining myself, and thereby depriving the gentleman of his imaginary hap, pinefs.

But my pfuedo-patriot had no mind to let me efcape fo eafily: not fatisfied that his opinion fhould pafs without contradiction, he was determined to have it ratified by the fuffrage of every one in the company; for which purpose, addreffing himself to me with an air of inexpreffible confidence, he asked me if I was not of the fame way of thinking.

As I am never very forward in giving my opinion, especially when I have reafon to believe that it will not

be agreeable; fo, when I am obliged to give it, I always hold it for a maxim to fpeak my real fentiments. I therefore told him, that, for my own part, I fhould not have ventured to talk in fuch a peremptory strain, unless I had made the tour of Europe, and examined the manners of these feveral nations with great care and accuracy: that, perhaps, a more impartial judge would not fcruple to affirm, that the Dutch were more frugal and induftrious, the French more temperate and polite, the Germans more hardy and patient of labour and fatigue,and the Spaniards more ftayed and fedate, than the English; who,tho' undoubtedly brave and generous, were at the fame time rash, headftrong, and impetuous, too apt to be elated with profperity, and to defpond in advertity. I could eafily perceive, that all the company began to regard me with a jealous eye before I had finished my answer; which I had no fooner done, than the patriotic gentleman obferved, with a contemptuous fneer, that he was greatly furprised how fome people could have the confcience to live in a country which they did not love, and to enjoy the protection of a goverment to which in their hearts they were inveterate enemies. Finding that, by this modeft declaration of my fentiments, I had forfeited the good opinion of my companions, and given them occafion to call my political principles in queftion, and well knowing that it was in vain to argue with men who were fo very full of themselves, I threw down my reckoning, and retired to my own lodgings, reflecting on the abfurd. and rediculous nature of national prejudice and prepoffeffion.

Among all the famous fayings of antiquity, there is none that does greater honour to the author, or affords greater pleasure to the reader, (at least if he be a perfon of a generous and benevolent heart) than that of the philofopher, who, being asked what countryman he was, replied, that he was a citizen of the world. How few are there to be E 2

found

found in modern times who can fay the fame, or whofe conduct is confiftent with fuch a profeffion? We are now become fo much Englishmen, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Spaniards, or Germans, that we are no longer citizens of the world: fo much the natives of one particular spot, or members of one petty fociety, that we no longer confider ourfelves as the general inhabitants of the globe,or members of that grand fociety which comprehends the whole human kind.

Did these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people, perhaps they might be excufed, as they have few, if any, opportunities of correcting them by reading, travelling, or converfing with foreigners; but the mifortune is, that they infect the minds, and influence the conduct of our gentlemen; of those, I mean, who have every title to this appeliation but an exemption from prejudice, which, however, in my opinion, ought to be regarded as the characteriftical mark of a gentleman: for let a man's birth be ever fo high, his ftation ever fo exalted, or his fortune ever fo large, yet, if he is not free from national, and all other prejudices, I fhould make bold to tell him, that he had a low and vulgar mind, and had no just claim to the character of a gentleman. And in fact, you will always find, that thofe are moit apt to boast of national merit, who have little or no merit of their own to depend on, than which, to be fure, nothing is more natural: the flender vine twifts around the fturdy oak, for no other reafon in the world, but because it has not fufficient ftrength to fupport itself.

Should it be alleged in defence of national prejudice, that it is the natural and neceffary growth of love to our country, and that therefore the former cannot be destroyed without hurting the latter; I answer, that this is a grofs fallacy, and delufion. That it is the growth of love to our country, I will allow; but that it is the natural and neceffary growth of it, I abfolutely

deny. Superftition and enthusiasm too are the growth of religion; but who ever took it in his head to affirm, that they are the neceffary growth of this noble principle? They are, if you will, the baftard fprouts of this hea venly plant; but not its natural and genuine branches, and may safely enough be lopt off, without doing any harm to the parent ftock: nay, perhaps, till once they are lopt off, this goodly tree can never flourish in perfect health and vigour.

Is it not very poffible that I may love my own country, without hating the natives of other countries? That I may exert the most heroic bravery, the moft undaunted refolution, in defending its laws and liberties, without defpifing all the reft of the world as cowards and poltrouns? moft certainly it is. And if it were not- -but what need I fuppofe what is abfolutely impoffible?- -but if it were not, I must own I should perfer the title of the an cient philofopher, viz. a citizen of the world, to that of an Englishman, a Frenchman, an European, or to any other appellation whatever.

I am,

&c.

An account of the Manners, Genius, Hofpitality, &c. of the native Irish Peafantry.

HAVE obferved that the gentlemen

of fortune and education, in all the different countries through which I have paffed, are pretty much the fame, scarce differing in any thing but their language, and, perhaps, fome small variation in the fashion of their cloaths; but the peasants of every country have ten thousand cuftoms peculiar to themfelves: thefe are the loofe wildneffes of nature; the other, the confined re gularities of art. Hence it is, and from a peculiar delight I take in obfervations of this nature, that, during the refidence of a whole fummer in the remote country parts of Ireland, where the lower rank have as yet received

fcarce

fcarce

any tincture of the manners, habit, customs, or languages, of Britain, my principal amufement was, to remark the particular bent and genius of that clafs of people, who are mostly illiterate and uninstructed, having nonght but honest instinct for their guide. To me their manners feem to be as much original as their language; and, as you are a professed lover of fimplicity and nature, fome little account of them may not, perhaps, be dilagreeable to you. From the air of fimilitude that runs through their perfons, and their features, we may probably conclude, that they are an unmixed, original race of people. They are generally tall, wellbuilt, patient of hunger, thirst, and hardship, to admiration; and are ́remarkable for the finest teeth, and the most wholsome, ruddy complexions that, perhaps, any country produces. This, probably, is owing to their vegetable diet, their poverty obliging them to a continual abftinence from all kinds of meats. They are a fingular exception to the ancient rule, Sine Cerere & Bacche friget Venus: for they are remarkable amorous upon a diet of potatoes and milk, or many times potatoes only, with a little falt, and a draught from the next clear ftream. Whether this proceeds from any peculiar ingredient in the original frame of the conftitution of that people, from the climate, or from the nature of their food, I know not; But I think the laft the moft probable conjecture. In that part of the country in which I have been, that is, the western province, the peafants have lived, time immemorial, upon potatoes; and yet there is not a ftronger, luftier, healthier, people in the world. The fcurvy is a diforder unknown among them; nor are they ever infected with any of the nafty cutaneous diseases which are frequent, and almoft habitual, to the peafants of other countries, whofe general diet is coarfe bread of barley or oats. From this efablished and long-tried experiment, we may very justly conclude, that the

potatoe is the finest and best root, for the use of man, that any country can produce.

From the amorous difpofition of these people's tempers, which breaks out, upon all occafions, in an excess of aukward complaifance to their females (who are generally handsome, if not a little too mafculine and indelicate in their limbs,) may probably proceed the univerfal paffion that prevails among them for poetry, mufic, and dancing, after their own ruftic fashion. Here one may meet thepherds finging paftorals, of their own compofition, to fome real, not imaginary miftrefs. Every village has a bag-piper, who every fine evening, after working hours, collects all the young men and maids in the village about him, where they dance noft cheerfully; and it is really a very pleasing entertainment, to fee the expreffive, though aukward, attempts of nature, to recommend themfeives to the oppofite fex. I have often diverted myself with finding out, from their fignificant looks and geftures, a prude or a coquette amongst the girls, and a coxcomb or a fop among the young fellows: and to fee all the affectation of the drawingroom practised by these uncouth ruftics on the green.

When a matrimonial compact is agreed to, a cow and two sheep are ge nerally the portion of the maid, and a little hut, and a potatoe garden, all the riches of the man. Here the woman always retains her maiden name, and never affumes the firname of her hufband, as is generally practised in other countries. I have been informed, that this is owing to a custom they had among them, in ancient times, of marrying for a year only, at the expiration of which term the couple might lawfully part, and engage themfelves elfewhere, unless they should chufe to renew their agreement for another year: by this means, if there was any mutual liking at meeting, both parties were continually upon their guard to oblige each other, that an inclination of liv