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should predominate over body; that the honours of the turtle and the haunch should give place to the feast of wit, and that for a redundant flow of wine the flow of soul should be substituted. Of a table thus constituted, with such a host and such guests, who would not wish to participate?

To enumerate all the eulogies which have been made on our author, would exceed the -limits that I have prescribed to myself in this short narrative; but I ought not to omit the testimony borne to his worth by Dr. Johnson, who declared him to be "the most invulnerable man he knew; whom, if he should quarrel with him, he should find the most difficulty how to abuse." Johnson's well-known and rigid adherence to truth on all occasions, gives this encomium great additional value.

He has, however, one claim to praise,

56 Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson;-Dedication.

which I think it my duty particularly to mention, because otherwise his merit in this respect might perhaps be unknown to future ages; I mean, the praise to which he is entitled for the rectitude of his judgement concerning those pernicious doctrines, that were made the basis of that Revolution which took place in France not long before his death. Before the publication of Mr. Burke's REFLECTIONS on that subject," he had been favoured with a perusal of that incomparable work, and was lavish in his encomiums upon it. He was indeed never weary of expressing his admiration of the profound sagacity which saw, in their embryb state, all the evils with which this country was threatened by that tremendous convulsion; he well knew how eagerly all the wild and erroneous principles of government attempted to be established by the pretended philosophers of France, would be

57 October, 1790.

cherished and enforced by those turbulent and unruly spirits among us, whom no King could govern, nor no GOD could please;58 and long before that book was written, frequently avowed his contempt of those "Adamwits," who set at nought the accumulated wisdom of ages, and on all occasions are desirous of beginning the world anew. Не did not live to see the accomplishment of almost every one of the predictions of the phetick and philosophical work alluded to; happily for himself he did not live to partici

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38 How justly may we apply the immediately following lines of the same great Poet, to those demagogués among us, who since the era above mentioned, have not only on all occasions gratuitously pleaded the cause of the enemies of their country with the zeal of fee'd advocates, but by every other mode incessantly endeavoured to debase and assimilate this free and happy country to the model of the ferocious and enslaved Republick of France! "These Adam-wits, too fortunately free,

66

Began to dream they wanted liberty;

"And when no rule, no precedent was found

"Of MEN, by laws less circumscribed and bound,

66

They led their wild desires to woods and caves,

"And thought that all but SAVAGES were slaves."

pate of the gloom which now saddens every virtuous bosom, in consequence of all the civilized States of Europe being shaken to their foundations by those "troublers of the poor world's peace," whom Divine Providence has been pleased to make the scourge of human kind. Gloomy as our prospect is (on this account alone,") and great as is the danger with which we are threatened, (I mean internally, for as to external violence, we are fully equal to any force which our

59 I say, on this acount alone: because in all other respects England is at present in an unparalleled state of wealth and prosperity, though there is a temporary distress occasioned by want of the ordinary circulating medium of commerce. It appears from authentick and indisputable documents, that the trade of England from 1784 to the present time, has doubled; and that our Exports in the year 1796 amounted to THIRTY MILLIONS; and it is well known that the rate of the purchase of land, contrary to the experience of all former wars, continues nearly as high as it was in the time of the most profound peace. These FACTS ought to be sounded from one end of England to the other, and furnish a complete answer to all the SEDITIOUS DECLAMATIONS that have been, or shall be, made on the subject.

assailants can bring against us,) I still cherish a hope that the cloud which hangs over us will be dispersed, and that we have stamina sufficiently strong to resist the pestilential contagion suspended in our atmosphere; and my confidence is founded on the good sense and firmness of my countrymen; of whom far the greater part, justly valuing the blessings which they enjoy, will not lightly hazard their loss; and rather than suffer the smallest part of their inestimable Constitution to be changed, or any one of those detestable principles to take root in this soil, which our domestick and foreign enemies with such mischevious industry have endeavoured to propagate, will, I trust, risk every thing that is most dear to man. To be fully apprised of our danger, and to show that we are resolved firmly to meet it, may prove our best security. If, however, at last we must fall, let us fall beneath the ruins of that fabrick, which has been erected by the wisdom