conftitution, and to abridge their life to a duration more suitable to the ufe which they make of it.

In this attempt, however, they are not always fufficiently expeditious; and, at any rate, it is always extremely unpleafant; moft men of fafhion, like most other men, however disagreeable or useless they may find their lives, not chufing to die as long as they can eafily avoid it. It would therefore be more acceptable, if it were poffible to fupply them with fome means of paffing more tolerably the thirteen or fourteen, hours which they cannot lofe in fleeping.

Here to be fure a moralift might affume a high tone of declamation, and call on thofe gentlemen to remember the duties which their country requires. He might tell them, that the eyes of mankind were directed to their conduct, and expected, from their station and fortune, examples of active and difinterested patriotifm. He might tell them, that if they were unwilling to take a fhare in the legislature, or if the happy feafon of peace gave them no opportunity to display their martial talents and gallantry in the field, yet they could not be at a lofs for occafions to display their activity and enterprife, by employing their wealth and influence to diffufe civilization and comfort, industry and good morals, among all ranks of their fellow-citizens. He might tell them, that

from

from fuch occupations they would derive the most honourable, heartfelt, and lafting pleasures, and be followed with the gratitude, the bleffings of thousands. He might likewife entreat them to confider the opportunities which their riches and leifure afforded them of extending their researches into science, and encourage them with the profpect of utility and reputation united with the moft interefting and endlefs amusement. He might alfo point out the delightful relaxation from their labours and folace to their cares which literature would afford them; he might tell them how much it would contribute at once to polish and elevate the character, and how admirably it would fuperfede thofe frivolous or pernicious entertainments in which they wafte their hours.

But it would be cruel to harass the poor gentlemen with thefe fchool-declamations. The employments here pointed out require not only temporary exertions, but also continued industry, which we can scarcely expect from them. All that can be attempted with any reasonable hope of fuccefs, is to find fome occupations which are more innocent, but which require no greater labour than the bottle or the gaming-table, than low profligacy or treacherous intrigue.

Now, I have known feveral idle perfons who contrived to amufe the vacant intervals between breakfast and dinner, and between dinner and L 3 fupper,

fupper, in a very inoffenfive manner. According as the weather and feafon permitted, they employed all the first part of the day either in angling, fhooting, hunting, or fkaiting. When they could not go abroad with comfort, they always contrived work at home; fuch as weaving nets, plaiting lines, dreffing fishing-flies, cleaning guns, looking after the horses, and playing on the fiddle. In this manner, with the help of the newspaper, dreffing for dinner, and now and then a game at whift or back-gammon for a trifle in the evening, I have known fome perfons of no great fortune, who spent their time in the country from year's end to year's end, without much extraordinary fleeping, without much extraordinary yawning, without much extraordinary drinking, without doing any harm, and even without thinking on the amufements of the town.

I fhould therefore imagine, that the men of fashion, confidering the accurate attention which it is proper for them to pay to their dress, and the fuperior advantages which they enjoy from the amusements of the town, excurfions to wateringplaces, and trips to the Continent, might contrive to occupy their time without hanging out their melancholy faces at coffee-houfe doors or confectioners shops, without expofing their own fortunes to be pilfered, or trying to pilfer others, at the gaming-table, without weakening their

confti

conftitutions, or injuring their fellow-creatures. It is true, their occupations would frequently be rather more infipid and lefs refpectable than might be wifhed. But fince by fome unaccountable irregularity in Nature, the lives of men of fashion, although they have so much less to do than other men, are prolonged to fifty or fixty years; they might unquestionably contrive, by a fucceffion of thefe little occupations, to pafs through this long term far lefs uncomfortably, than by dividing their time between downright idlenefs, intemperance, and vice.

N° 60. SATURDAY, March 25, 1786.

AS

To the AUTHOR of the LOUNGER.

SIR,

In

S far as I can judge of myself, I am a man well entitled to your protection. My mind has been fo much employed in projecting schemes for the benefit of mankind, and especially of my fellow-fubjects, that I have been totally indifferent to my own affairs. At prefent I am poor and ftudious, and yet content that a long life has not paffed in altogether an useless manner. the year one thousand seven hundred and fortyfour, the year in which Dean Swift died, I had the honour to present to a great man a lift, confifting of three hundred and nineteen new taxes, the greater part of which I perceive have been adopted. I have in manufcript a number of treatises, which might be a load to an ordinaryfized porter, written in a fmall character, on a variety of fubjects, with abundance of ease and fpirit. Having a great part of my life reflected, that only three great Epic Poems have appeared in fix thousand years, I employed the whole force

of