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vifitors at your Majefty's court, are yet much more attached to Wisdom. Pure nonfenfe, the real effence, as your Majefty knows, of Opera, I found means to make pafs current in the house devoted to myfelf: but wifhing for a footing in the manfion of Mrs. Comedy, I allowed a piece dictated by her to take my name; and fhe, in return, allows hers to my pieces, containing as much as any of your Majefty's favourite operas; and alfo admits real opera, that is, fheer nonfense, to her own, houfe. Witnefs, my liege, Artaxerxes; witnefs Coeur de Lion, in which an English army paffes through Germany in difguife. I have, befides, often prevailed on Mrs. Comedy to lend her name to the works of my much-respected friend Miss Farce: works which contain as much nonfenfe as any of my beft operas. Your Majefty's candour will admit, that, if we weigh the nonfenfe of modern comedies against the fenfe that has crept once or twice into operas, the balance is greatly in favour of nonfénfe.”

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"I admit your apology," faid Queen Folly; " but abstain as much as poffible from lending your name to fuch perfons as Sherry.

"Pleafe your Majefty, nobody like him has lately afked for it. None at prefent are engaged in operas, but our own Fools."

"Since the Old Beggar," faid the Queen, "I was never fo angry with any of your operas as with that Duenna,"

"I fhall in my beft obey your Majefty," faid Opera, and if I cannot altogether confine my name to our own productions in other places, your Majefty may be affured that nothing that has a fingle grain of fenfe fhall ever defile the virgin purity of my own boufe.

One circumftance, pleafe your Majefty, often obftructs our operas: certain ladies talk fo loud, that there is no hearing us."

" Do

"Do thefe ladies," faid Queen Folly, " acknow ledge my authority?"

"They promote it ftrenuously," answered Opera. "Then we muft indulge them. If they interrupt your nonfenfe, I fuppofe they bring as good of their own in its place."

ON THE AFFECTATION OF INFERIORITY, OR INVERTED AMBITION.

SIR,

[From the Sentimental Magazine.]

AFFECTATION is of many kinds, but that which is proper and legitimate affectation is very nearly allied to pride. It is the affectation of fuperior merit, virtue, or talents. But there is another kind, the very reverfe of this, which confits in affecting to be inferior to the rest of the world in fome qualification, either bodily or mental. Firft, bodily: how many very amiable young men have of late affected to be very near-fighted, if not totally blind! Whence this blindness came, whether it arofe from fome new and noxious principle in the atmosphere, or from fome. thing in our diet, or whether it be come upon us like an Egyptian plague, I cannot take upon me to determine; but it is certain that the manufacture of fpec tacles and opera-glaffes is of late years amazingly extended, and what is blindness in one part of his Majefty's fubjects, gives bread to the other. It is remarkable, that this defire of being blind, affects us moft when we are going to any place where the perfect ufe of fight would be moft convenient, at the theatres, for instance. The approach of a distinguished actress, or the opening of a new fcene, operates like the word of command, and a thousand glaffes are applied "in the twinkling of an eye." In my younger days, I remember that blindnefs was accounted a very great misfortune,

misfortune, and mentioned with tenderness and deli-, cacy. Thofe who were afflicted with it, concealed the diforder with as much care as poffible, pretending to fee where they did not. But now, nothing is fo genteel as to complain of a defect in thofe valuable orbs; and the production of a glafs is fuppofed to add more grace and dignity to the perfon, than total blindnefs could poffibly take away..

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Talking the other day to an old friend upon this. fubject, he repeated the proverb, "that there are none fo blind as thofe who will not fee;" and added, that this blindnefs of modern times was not merely an affectation, as I was pleafed to think it, but a political fcheme, which anfwered certain wife and important purposes; many more, Mr. Oldftyle," continued he," than you and I can difcover; for now, when one wishes to avoid a difagreeable perfon, fuch as a creditor, a poor relation, or any other bore, it is but pleading the weakness of your eyes, and you come off with a tolerably good grace: formerly one would have faid, Such a great man is too proud to acknowledge his poor friends; but it very much foftens the matter, when you fay he is only too blind to fee them." I am inclined to think, Mr. Editor, that there is fome truth' in my friend's obfervations, although, as he is fomewhat of a cynic, 1 would not allow the full extent of his conclufions.

When once we have begun to part with the ufe of one valuable organ, there is no faying where we may ftop; and I obferve that the ears are lately become nearly as defective as the eyes. It is wonderful how many deaf people one meets with among the young and healthieft part of the creation; but here I am nearly as much disposed to be fufpicious as my friend is with refpect to the eyes; for I think I have more than once obferved that the communication between the ears and the inclination has lately been much

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more intimate than agrees with the anatomy of the former; in other words, a man feems to hear exactly what fuits him, and no more. But in order to effect this, a very ingenious contrivance has been fallen upon. I am forry I do not know who was the inventor, that I might do ample juftice to his merit. Some fay he was a minifter of ftate, and others a judge; but as this is little better than conjecture, I do not mean to infer any thing from it. The invention itfelf is this: a communication is made from the external part of one ear all the way to the external part of the other, by which means any thing that paffes in at one car, paffes out at the other without the leaft hindrance, or topping by the way; and I understand, that, as it would be very improper that this fhould always be the cafe (for then hearing would be of no fervice), there are certain artificial valves, by means of which any thing may be retained that the perfon pleafes; these are moved by the will, and, it is faid, will last a man's lifetime.

Befide blindnefs and deafnefs, which are great calamities, there are others of lefs confequence, which are very much affected by perfons of a certain defcription. A defect in fpeech is confidered as very ornamental; fo much, indeed, that the converfation of many perfons occafions a concert of founds not much. unlike the chattering of monkies, and good old English is clipped and deformed fo as fcarcely to be known. It is certainly a very great improvement in tafte, when ftammering, lifping, and an unintelligible rapidity of tongue, are confidered as genteel. I might alfo mention certain bodily deformities and protuberances, which were very lately counted graceful; but as they have almoft totally difappeared, I hope, never to return, I fhall pafs to a fecond clafs of affectations, which are, perhaps, lefs pardonable than what I have mentioned;

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and as these are corporeal, thofe I am now to confider are mental.

The most remarkable of thefe, which I think muft proceed from an excefs of humility, is the affectation of being far more wicked than nature or inclination enables, or difpofes one to be. I have known a man boaft of drinking more wine at a fitting, than he could carry on his back; and another talking very freely of his amours with ladies of diftinction, who had not impudence enough to attack a milk-maid. Sonie would make you believe that after, a great debauch they went home perfectly fober, when it is well known that the leaft excefs would kill them; and others will endeavour to perfuade you of their having joined the neighbouring hunt, who are fearful to mount a horse in a riding-school. A young fellow amufed a company lately by an account of his having ruined his laundrefs's daughter, and of her now being on the town; his friends fmiled, for they all knew the extreme tendernefs of his heart, and that he would have been the "verieft miferable wretch" upon earth, had he even in the moft diftant degree aflifted, or even connived at villany. It was but the other day, I reprefented the diftrefs of an unhappy family to a party of my acquaintances, and informed them, that I propofed to raife a fmall fun for their immediate relief, until fomething more fubftantial could be provided for them. Moft of the company gave me a contribution, but Ned Careless declared with an oath, that he would give nothing; fuch applications were endless; as for the woman and her brats, there was the parish workhaufe. "I wonder, Mr. Oldilyle, that you would difturb the conviviality of a company of gentlemen by fuch ftuff." I did not refent Ned's language. We all knew his foible, and before parting he took an opportunity to flip into my hand a fum equal to all that I had gathered, accompanying it with a fqueeze

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