my own coach, and as I was fenfible his circumftances would very well afford it, he must pardon me if I infifted on a performance of his agreement.

I appeal to you, Mr. Idler, whether any thing could be more civil, more complaifant, than this? And would you believe it, the creature in return, a few days after, accofted me in an offended tone, with, "Madam, I can now tell you your coach is "ready; and fince you are fo paffionately fond of "one, I intend you the honour of keeping a pair of horfes. You infifted upon having an article of

pin-money, and horfes are no part of my agree"ment." Bafe, defigning wretch!-I beg your pardon, Mr. Idler, the very recital of fuch mean, ungentleman-like behaviour fires my blood, and lights up a flame within me. But hence, thou worst of monfters, ill-timed rage, and let me not fpoil my caufe for want of temper.

Now though I am convinced I might make a worfe ufe of part of the pin-money, than by exe tending my bounty towards the fupport of fo useful a part of the brute creation; yet, like a true-born Englishwoman, I am fo tenacious of my rights and privileges, and moreover fo good a friend to the gentlemen of the law, that I proteft, Mr. Idler, fooner than tamely give up the point, and be quibbled out of my right, I will receive my pinmoney, as it were, with one hand, and pay it to them with the other; provided they will give me, or, which is the fame thing, my trustees, encouragement to commence a fuit against this dear frugal hufband of mine.

And of this I can't have the leaft fhadow of doubt, inasmuch as I have been told by very good authority, it is some way or other laid down as a rule, «* That whenever the law doth give any thing to one, it giveth impliedly whatever is ne"ceffary for the taking and enjoying the fame." Now I would gladly know what enjoyment I, or any lady in the kingdom, can have of a coach without horfes? The answer is obvious-None at all! For as Serj. Catlyne very wifely obferves, "Though a coach has wheels, to the end it may

thereby and by virtue thereof be enabled to "move, yet in point of utility it may as well have "none, if they are not put in motion by means of "its vital parts, that is, the horses."

And therefore, Sir, I humbly hope you and the learned in the law will be of opinion, that two cer tain animals, or quadruped creatures, commonly called or known by the name of horses, ought to be annexed to, and go along with the coach.

SUKEY SAVECHARGES,

Coke on Littleton.

NUMB. 55. SATURDAY, May 5, 1759.

Mr. IDLER,

To the IDLER,

HAVE taken the liberty of laying before you my complaint, and of defiring advice or confolation with the greater confidence, because I believe many other writers have fuffered the fame indignities with myfelf, and hope my quarrel will be regarded by you and your readers as the common cause of literature.

Having been long a ftudent, I thought myfelf qualified in time to become. an author. My en÷ quiries have been much diverfified and far extended, and not finding my genius directing me by irrefiftible impulfe to any particular fubject, I deliberated three years which part of knowledge to illuftrate by my labours, Choice is more often determined by accident than by reafon: I walked abroad one morning with a curious lady, and by her enquiries and obfervations was incited to write the natural history of the county in which I refide.

Natural history is no work for one that loves his chair or his bed. Speculation may be purfued on a foft couch, but nature must be obferved in the open air. I have collected materials with indefatigable pertinacity. I have gathered glow-worms in the evening, and fnails in the morning; I have feen the daify clofe and open, I have heard the owl

fhriek at midnight, and hunted infects in the heat of

noon.

Seven years I was employed in collecting animals and vegetables, and then found that my defign was yet imperfect. The fubterranean treafures of the place had been paffed unobserved, and another year was to be spent in mines and coal-pits. What I had already done supplied a fufficient motive to do more. I acquainted myself with the black inhabitants of metallic caverns, and, in defiance of damps and floods, wandered through the gloomy laby rinths, and gathered fofils from every fiffure.

At laft I began to write, and as I finished any fection of my book, read it to fuch of my friends as were most skilful in the matter which it treated. None of them were fatisfied; one difliked the difpofition of the parts, another the colours of the ftyle; one advised me to enlarge, another to abridge. I refolved to read no more, but to take my own way and write on, for by confultation I only perplexed my thoughts and retarded my work.

The book was at laft finished, and I did not doubt but my labour would be repaid by profit, and my ambition fatisfied with honours. I confidered that natural history is neither temporary nor local, and that though I limited my enquiries to my own county, yet every part of the earth has productions common to all the reft. Civil history may be par-¡ tially studied, the revolutions of one nation may be neglected by another, but after that in which all have an interest, all must be inquifitive. No man can have funk fo far into ftupidity as not to confider the properties of the ground on which he

walks,

walks, of the plants on which he feeds, or the animals that delight his ear or amuse his eye, and therefore I computed that univerfal curiofity would call for many editions of my book, and that in five years I should gain fifteen thousand pounds by the fale of thirty thousand copies.

When I began to write I insured the house, and fuffered the utmoft folicitude when I entrusted my book to the carrier, though I had fecured it against mifchances by lodging two tranfcripts in different places. At my arrival, I expected that the patrons of learning would contend for the honour of a dedication, and refolved to maintain the dignity of letters, by a haughty contempt of pecuniary folicita

tions.

I took lodgings near the house of the royal fociety, and expected every morning a vifit from the prefident. I walked in the Park, and wondered that I overheard no mention of the great naturalist. At laft I visited a noble earl, and told him of my work; he answered, that he was under an engagement never to fubfcribe. I was angry to have that refufed which I did not mean to ask, and concealed my defign of making him immortal. I went next day to another, and, in refentment of my late af front, offered to prefix his name to my new book. He faid, coldly, that he did not understand those things; another thought there were too many books; and another would talk with me when the rates were over.

Being amazed to find a man of learning so indecently flighted, I refolved to indulge the philofophical pride of retirement and independence. I then fent to fome of the principal booksellers the

plan