of nonfenfe, more illuftrious than in high conteft about the manage. the prefent; nor did that noble fa- ment of their favourite amusement mily more fignally diftinguish it--the opera. felf in every occupation. In oratory, who are greater proficients than the progeny of non*fense? Witnefs many long and eloquent fpeeches delivered in St. Stephen's chapel, in Weftminfterhall, the affizes and quarter-feffions, at Clare-market, and the RobinHood. In philofophy, what marvellous things have not been proved by nonfenfe? the fome-time-profeffor of aftronomy at Gresham college fhewed Sir Ifaac Newton to be a mere afs, and wire-drawed the books of Mofes into a complete fyftem of natural philofophy: lifeguard-men have, with the utmost certainty of nonfenfe, foretold earthquakes; and others have penned curious effays on air-quakes, water-quakes, and comets. In politics, how fuccefsfully have the fons of nonsense bandied about the terms of court and country? how wifely have they debated upon taxes and with what amazing penetration did they but lately foresee an invafion? In religion, their domain is particularly extenfive: for, though nonfenfe is excluded, at leaft from the first part of the fervice in all regular churches, yet the often oc cupies the whole ceremony at the tabernacle and foundery in Moorfields, and the chapel at Longacre. But, for the credit of fo polite an age, be it known, that the children of nonfenfe, who are many of them people of fashion, are as often feen at the play-houfe as at church and, it is fomething ftrange, that the family of nonfenfe is now divided against itfelf, and The writer of the following letters was in England fome years ago: though a ranger and friendlefs, he was patronized and protected by the generous nobleman to whom bis firft letter is directed; bis noble patron recommended him to the late Duke of Cumberland, who fent him to the royal academy at Woolwich, where he continued a confiderable time, and was remarkable for the diligent attention The paid to his military Audies, He afterwards ferved as a volunteer in our army in Germany; behaved with great fpirit, and was much efteemed, as well by the Hanaverian and Heian as by the English generals; from thence he went by land, making Ria his way to Georgia, with an intention to make his military acquifitions ufeful to the celebrated prince Heraclius, whom he confidered as his Jovereign. Copy of the first letter of Emin to the then E. now D. of N- -d. I My Lord, Prefent you the fpecimen of my writing I promifed. It is too bold, I am afraid, to make myself the fubject, when I write for your lordship; but forgive, my lord, the language of a ftranger: I have been in too low condition to know how to write proper to your lordship; but you speak to me more kind and humble than mean people; fo I am encouraged. I have very good defigns, and I have fuffered very much hard. thips for them. I think your lordfhip will not defpife a perfon in a mean condition, for thinking of fomething more than livelihood; I have with a good will thrown behind me a very eafy live. lihood for this condition, mean as it is, and I am not troubled, if I can carry my point at laft. As long as I can remember my own family, and I remember my great grandfathers, they have been always foldiers, and always did remember Chrift, though they were torn out of their country of Armenia by Shaw Abbas, and planted in Hamadan. After their captivity they were foldiers likewife. Two of my uncles did fpill their blood in the fervice of Kouly Kan my father was his flave for many years; but he was at laft forced to fly into India, becaufe this tyrant had sharpened his battle-axe against his own army, more than upon his enemies. Soon after my father fent for me to Calcutta in Bengal, where he is a merchant. There I faw the fort of Europeans, and the fuldiers exercife, and the fhipping, and that they were dexterous and perfect in all things. Then I grieved within myfelf for my religion and my country, that we were in flavery and ignorance, like Jews, vagabonds over the earth; and I spoke to my father upon all this; because our fathers did not fight for their country; but I understood that the Armenians in the mountains were free, and handled arms from their childhood; and that thofe under Patriarch, who are fubject to the Turks and Perfians, did not want courage; but they are all igno rant, and fight only with a wild and natural fiercenefs, and fo they have no order, and do nothing but like robbers. And I refolved I would go to Europe to learn. art military, and other fciences to affift that art; and I was fure, that if I could go into Armenia, like European officer, I may be useful at lalt in fome degree to my country; but my father did not listen to me, for God did not give him understanding in these things. could not bear to live like a beaft, eating and drinking, without liberty or knowledge :-I went to captain. Fox, of the hip Walpole, and kiffed his feet hundred times, to let me work for my paffage to Europe, before he would bend to me; but he did at last admit me; and I came to England with much labour; but it did not grieve me when I thought of my country: I entered myfelf with my little money into Mr. Middleton's academy: I had the honour to tell your lordship fo before: I was first a fcholar, and, when my money was gone, I was a fervant there for my learning; but he was broke, and I loft eve. ry thing. I went into the street to work for my bread, for I could not bear to go about vaging a tail at people's doors for a bit of meat. I will not grieve your lordship with the mifery which I went through; I do not want to be pitied. I got fervice at last as a porter with one Mr. Robarts, a grocer in the city in this time I carried fometimes burthens of near two hundred weight upon my back and paid out of my wages to learn fome geometry, and to complete myfelf in writing, and just to begin a little French; but because : my, meet any great man who can pre vail upon governor Davis to allow me fomething out of the money he has only upon condition that I return to blindnefs once again that I may go through evolutions with the recruits, and learn gun my lord, I almost starved myself to pay for this, and carried burthens more than my ftrength, I hurted myfelf fo that I could not work any longer; fo that I was in defpair, and not care what be come of me: but a friend put me to write with one Mr. Webster, annery and fortification, and if there attorney in Cheapfide, which for is war, to go one year as a voluna little time got bread; but I was teer. If governor Davis writes, refolved, in defpair, to go again that I have great man here my to India, becaufe nobody would protector, my father, who looks": put out his hand to help me to upon me as a perfon run away learn; and my uncle fent 60 pounds and forfaken, will make me an al to governor Davis to carry me lowance to learn. If I could clear back. I am afraid I am too trou- my own eyes, and ferve my couns blefome in my accounts to your try and my religion, that is trod lordship; but we people of Afia under the foot of Mufalman,' Is cannot fay little in a great deal, would go through all flavery and like fcholars. Now I met by danger with a glad heart; but if chance fome gentlemen who en- I muft return after four years couraged me, and gave me books flavery and mifery, to the fame to read, and advised me to kifs ignorance, without doing any colonel Dingley's hands, and fhew good, would break my heart, my my bufinefs to him. He was a lord, in the end. I beg pardon, brave foldier, took me by the I have experience of your lord. hand, fpoke to his own ferjeant, fhip's goodness, elfe I would not an honeft man, to teach me ma- fay fo much ; I would not receive, nual exercife, and gave me Bland's but return, and I want nothing Military Difcipline, and promifed but a little fpeaking from the au to help me to learn gunnery and thority of an Indian governor to fortification; but I was again un iny friends. I have always been fortuned; for, when light juft honeft. Those I have been flave' began to come to my eyes, he to will fay I am honeft. Mr. Grey died, and I was like before, ex- trufted me.** cept that I knew a little of mai nual exercife, and read fome of the Roman hiftory; could learn no more nor live. I was broke to pieces, and bowed my neck to governor Davis, to go over to my friends, without doing any of these things I fuffered for. I am ́ in this net at prefent; but I am happier than all mankind, if I can Here is a fort of story nothing but your lordship's good nature can make tolerable. I am much obliged to your lordship for you! patience, 1 fhall be very proud of giving your lordship all the proof in my power, how much I am, &c. Jofeph Ameen : My King, . ALL Again, having heard the fame of your majesty's brave conqueft, by which you have poffeffed the two ancient kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia, and that they are at prefent under your majefty's protection, being defirous, from the readinefs of my foul, to offer your majefty my service, which I hope you will make no difficulty to accept it, as money is far from the defire of your majefty's fervant, who wishes nothing but to ferve him who has the rule over his na tion; for, while I am here, I want. nothing I have a great friend here, and that great friend is my protector; and that protector is the fon of the king of England. If it pleafe your majefty to inftruct me of your will and pleasure, that I may petition to this great prince, in order to obtain leave to come and to ferve you as an European officer, according to my low abilities; and that I may teach your foldiers to fight like Europeans, who are very well known to your majefty, that with a few men they overcome many. Your majefty has heard of the German nation, who, with no more than twenty thousand men, are able to give battle to a hundred thoufand Mahometans or Turks, an enemy to the Christian nations. nations. I would alfo acquaint your majefty, how it is, or by what means, that the European nation are fuch conquerors, and fo brave warriors. It is a rule among them, that whoever is defirous to become a warrior, first, he is obliged to enter himself into the houfe of exercise, which they call it here, an academy to learn or to ftudy, four or five years, the art of war, that is to fay, to learn the art of building ftrong caftles, the like of which are not to be found in all Afia; and also the the art of managing great guns in fuch a manner, as none of our fortifications could ftand before them for three days; likewife, the manner of encamping with judgment, and the way of ranging of the foldiers, fo that they are like a wall of iron, not to be broken and, after having thoroughly com pleated his study in that art, leaves the place, goes and offers himself and his fervice to his prince or king, thereby becomes an officer, or fighter for his king and country; and by long experience perfects himself in that great art; for the art of war here is not to be understood easily; it contains many things difficult to be known, and very much preferable to the practice of Turks and Perfians. See, O mighty king, it is not by ftrength of arm, that thefe nations are called conquerors, but by wif. dom and art. Here every thing is by art and wifdom; for without wifdom the land is not land! and the nations that dwell therein are blind and unhappy. According to the Old Teftament, which faith, God made the heaven and the earth by his infinite wifdom; therefore God loveth wisdom for this reafon. I fay, whofoever followeth wisdom, he is dear, or beloved of God; for from wifdom proceedeth all manner of good. nefs; alfo, a man is not mighty without wifdom, nor wife without righteoufnefs. The ancient Romans, who were fo great, gave laws, and fubdued all nations of the world: this was by art and wifdom, before our Saviour, al though they were heathens and idolaters; but they were virtuous and lived in good morals, Another example, Peter the Great, of Ruf fia, who could not be so great a warrior, and his country could never have been fo blessed and flourished, had not he come over here to learn wisdom, who, when he was in Holland, ferved in a place of fhip-building, like one of the labourers, and humbled himself therein: whofoever hum. bleth himself shall be exalted, &c. And when he returned into his own country, he was full of all manner of wifdom, by which he made himfelf father, as well as lord and king, over his country. Thefe are things which have made the people of Europe to be con. querors, and to be esteemed more wife than all the nations upon the face of the earth; for amongst them are learned men, who study. the way in which God has made all things according to their na ture, by which they are able to do. things of great wonder and ufeful nefs. They fend likewife into every part of the world, at a great expence, for to learn all things that are produced upon or under the earth, by which they are increafed in wifdom and riches; their cities are very great, their people are very happy, not being afraid of famine or dangers, and: they are under excellent laws, by which no man is fuffered to do wrong to another, though he is weak or poor. But this nation, this great and mighty nation, O my king! where I live, is not only great and wife nation, but also deftroyers of the devourers of mankind. I am furprised to fee, that even the fheep in this country test in quietnefs without the least fear of wolves. May the great God grant your majesty's fubjects to follow their examples, to grow |