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He grasp'd the mane with both his hands, And eke with all his might.

His horse, which never in that sort
Had handled been before,
What thing upon his back had got
Did wonder more and more.

Away went Gilpin, neck or nought;
Away went hat and wig;

He little dreamt when he set out
Of running such a rig.

The wind did blow, the cloak did fly,
Like streamer long and gay,
Till, loop and button failing both,
At last it flew away.

Then might all people well discern
The bottles he had slung;

A bottle swinging at each side,

As hath been said or sung.

The dogs did bark, the children scream'd,

Up flew the windows all;

And every soul cried out, Well done!
As loud as he could bawl.

Away went Gilpin-who but he?
His fame soon spread around;
He carries weight! he rides a race!
'Tis for a thousand pound!

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HAVE often imagined to myself, that different talents in discourse might be shadowed out by different kinds of music; and that the several conversable parts of mankind in this great city might be cast into proper characters and divisions, as they resemble several instruments that are used among the masters of harmony. Of these, therefore, in their order; and first of the

Drum.

Your Drums are the blusterers in conversation, that, with a loud laugh, and a torrent of noise, domineer in public assemblies; overbear men of sense; stun their companions; and fill the place they are in with a rattling sound. I need not observe, that the emptiness of the Drum very much contributes to its noise.

The Lute is a character directly opposite to the Drum, that sounds finely by itself, or in a very small consort. Its notes are exquisitely sweet, and very low, easily drown in a multitude of instruments, and even lost among a few. The Lutenists therefore are men of a fine genius, uncommon reflection, great affability, and esteemed chiefly by persons of a good taste, who are the only proper judges of so delightful and soft a melody.

S

The Trumpet is an instrument that has in it no compass of music or variety of sound, but is very agreeable so long as it keeps within its pitch. It has not above four or five notes, which are, however, very pleasing, and capable of exquisite turns and modulations. The gentlemen, who fall under this denomination, are your men of the most fashionable education and refined manners, who have learned a certain smoothness of discourse and sprightliness of air, from the polite company they have kept; but have shallow parts, weak judgments, and a short reach of understanding. The Trumpet, however, is a proper enlivener of a consort, though of no great harmony by itself. Violins are the lively, forward, importunate wits, that distinguish themselves by the flourishes of imagination, sharpness of repartee, glances of satire, and bear away the upper part in every consort. cannot but observe, that when a man is not disposed to hear music, there is not a more disagreeable sound in harmony than that of a Violin.

I

There is another musical instrument, which is more frequent in this nation than any other. I mean the Bass-viol, which grumbles in the bottom of the consort, and with a surly, masculine sound strengthens the harmony and tempers the sweetness of the several instruments that play along with it. The Bass-viol is an instrument of a quite different nature to the Trumpet, and may signify men of rough. sense and unpolished parts, who do not love to hear themselves talk, but sometimes break out with an agreeable bluntness, unexpected wit, and surly pleasantries, to the no small diversion of their companions. In short, I look upon every sensible, true-born Briton to be naturally a Bass-viol.

I must not here omit the Bagpipe species, that will entertain you from morning to night with the repetition of a few notes, which are played over and over with the perpetual humming of a drone running underneath them. These are your dull, heavy, tedious story-tellers, the load and burden of conversations, that set up for men of importance, by knowing secret history and giving an account of transactions,

that whether they ever passed in the world or not doth not signify a halfpenny to its instruction or its welfare.

That we may draw something for our advantage out of the foregoing discourse, I must entreat my reader, upon having any company,

to examine himself whether he has behaved himself in it like a Drum or a Trumpet, a Violin or a Bass-viol, and accordingly endeavour to mend his music for the future. For my own part, I must confess I was a Drum for many years; until, having polished myself a little in good company, I threw as much of the Trumpet into my conversation as was possible for a man of an impetuous temper, by which mixture of different musics I look upon myself, during the course of many years, to have resembled a Tabor and Pipe. I have since endeavoured at the sweetness of the Lute; but in spite of my resolutions, I must confess, with great confusion, that I find myself daily degenerating into a Bagpipe: whether it be the effect of my old age, or of the company I keep, I know not. All that I can do is to keep watch over my conversation, and to silence the drone as soon as I find it begin to hum in my discourse, being determined rather to hear the notes of others, than to play out of time, and encroach upon their parts in the consort by the noise of so tiresome an instrument.

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Polonius.

(Shakspeare.)

Give thy thoughts no tongue,

Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,

Bear't that the opposer may beware of thee.

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;

For the apparel oft proclaims the man.

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

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