never to folicit an erratick gratification from the menial fair, if I could obtain a reciprocation of delight* with the miftrefs, unless I believed the hand-maid poffeffed of greater powers to kindle the ardour of enterprize, fet difficulties at defiance, ftimulate perfeverance, and prevent the remiffion of vigour, when ftanding in procintu, on the point of obtaining the recompencet. "The ceremonial perplexities attending the conjuration, being finally adjusted, I entered into converfe with an Hibernian of fignal erudition, who fate tranquilly puffing the fumigations of the Calumet in an angle of the fuliginous hexagonal apartment. While we were univerfally engaged in the vivacious loquacity of our evening compotations, he requested me to ejaculate a fentimental effufion. I bibulated the falubrity of our most amiable fovereign, the fafe parturition of his tranfcendental confort, and the happy increase of * Ramb. 101. +Ramb. No. 207. A cant word of the fame fort is put in Lexiphanes's mouth, by Lucian, on much the fame occafion. See his Lexiphanes. I muft own, however, that I do not remember my hero has ufed it. the fons and daughters of Britannick royaltys. With difficulty my learned friend repreffed his rifible powers at this compli cated fimplicity of my fentimental lore. But he dignified my unimportance, and corrected my inaccuracies. For when it came to his turn, he effufed the moft venerable and refpectable monofyllable, the American belligerant, the fedulous domestick damfel, the lamb-resembling fair one, the Book-binder's confort, and the Mendicant's benediction. "But the perfpicacity of my intellectual powers, grafped not by intuition the recondite sense of those sentimental allegories. Wonder is a pause of reason, a sudden ceffation of the mental progrefs. I difentangled not complications, nor invigorated my confidence by conquefts over difficulty. but flept in the gloomy acquiefcence of astonishment, without efforts to animate enquiry, or difpel obfcurity. Therefore I contented myself with the gaze of folly, and refigned the pleasure of rational contemplation to more pertinacious study, and § Raffelas, Vol. 1. p. 2. || Ramb. No. 139. more more active faculties*. For all my fcientifical acquifitions are at laft concatenated into arguments or compacted into systems, and nothing henceforth can be to me fo odious as oppofition, fo infolent as doubt, or fo dangerous as novelty†. "In the fequel of our evening compotions, the fentimental Hibernian, with a torpid rifibility, spontaneity of production, and inflation of fpirit, bursting into abfurdity‡, exhibited a variety of other allegories, infinitely more complicated than the former, but of all which he gave fuch explications, that he raifed the eafy facetioufnefs and flowing hilarity of our fellow compotators to the highest pinnacle of exaltation. Burfts of merriment, and flashes of tranfport broke forth like corufcations of lightening, and we difturbed the neighbourhood with the vociferations of our applause. *Ram. No. 137. Ram. No. 151. I am inclined to believe, that in this fentence, Lexiphanes has unknowingly drawn his own character. Ramb. No. 124, 131, 195. "As we had now attained the fublimeft pinnacle of merriment, it was all of a fudden intercepted*, our gaiety darkened, and a totality of confufion introduced by the exhibition of a violent altercation between a Grocer of fignal celebrity, corpulency, and opulency in Cheapfide, and a raw-boned hard-faced, high-cheeked Caledonian, who had arrived thus far in his erratick progrefs from his native barren heaths, to the fertilized meadows circumjacent about this metropolis, in the inveftigation of preferment. We were all holding our fides, totally convulfed with univerfal laughter, when the Grocer emitted a thundering roar of pofterior vociferation. The convivial affociates were ftartled as at the fudden and unexpected explosion of ordnance; and the Caledonian fcratching his head, and appall'd gazing the corpulent prefence † over his left fhoulder, addreffed him thus in the vulgar dialect of His provincial barbarifm. Are thae the * Raffelas. Appall'd, I gaz'd the godlike prefence. Pleas of imagination, B. 2. 1, 237. manners manners of you braw London fok? giff it be fae, I wifs I was e'en at my ain hame agen. The Grocer vouchfafed not a reply, manifested not the leaft fignal of villatick bafhfulness, but elevating his left leg with all the compofure of calm deliberation, exhibited a fecond vociferation, louder and more fonorous than the former. At the fame time, though it had neither efcaped our auditory, nor our olfactory nerves, he clenched his fift, gave the bench before him a collifion, eyed the Caledonian with an emphatical fignificance of gaze, and being a true born Englishman, as well as a fignal patriot, cried out, with a blast of eructation, Lord B The Caledonian became now the object of undiftinguished merriment. The fierce illapfe of paffion roufed the whole fabrick of his mind*, and his native ferocity being highly exacerbated, he vented not his wrath in a reciprocation of reproaches, but having inftantaneous recurrence to fiftical ratiocination bestowed a violent percuffion on the cor *Pleafures of Imagination. C 5 pulent |