Y Virtue of an Act, made in 1751, for Alteration of the Style

B Beginning

March to the ift of January, which Change took Place on the It of Fanuary, 1752.

In Confequence of the fame A&t of Parliament, the Ufe of the Julian Account, or Old Style, heretofore followed in this Courtry, cealed on the fecond of September of the fame Year 1752; and by dropping or leaving out cleven nominal Days, and calling the next, which would have been the third, the fourteenth, the New Style took Place: And from thence, by the faid Act, is difaidas, is rected to be used for all Time to come, in all his Majesty's Dominions fubject to the Crown of Great Britain. By this Altera tion, the feveral Fixed or Immoveable Feafts, as they are ordered to be placed in the New Calendar upon the fame nominal Days of the refpective Months as they were placed upon in the Old, will come in Days earlier than they would otherwife have done, and thereby make all Things depending on them, fuch as the Opening or Inclofing of Common Fields and Paftures, the Hold ing of Fairs and Marts, the Payments of Rents and Annuities, and the Commencement or Extinction of many, private Rights and Matters of Property, do the fame: To prevent therefore any Inconvenience arifing therefrom, the Act provides and directs, That the Opening or Enclofing of Paftures, the Payments of Rents, Annuities, and all other Things depending on the Fixed or Immoveable Feafts, fhall not by this Means be accelerated or forwarded, but that the Days of Opening or Shutting fuch Paftures, of Paying fuch Rents or Annuities, and of doing all fuch other Matters and Things formerly to be done and performed on the faid Feafts, fhall be Kept, Obferved, and Performed, on the fame natural Days of the Year on which the faid Feafts would have fallen, if this Act had not been made. For this Reafou the 5th of April is called Old Lady Day, and the 10th of OЯober Old Michaelmas Day, and fo of the reft, as being the refpective Days on which all fuch Rents and Payments become due, fuch Rights take Place, and fuch Matters and Things ought be done, and not before. All that is here faid relates to the feveral Things abovementioned, depending on Fixed or Inmoveable Feafts; but all fuch as depend on moveable Feafts, or on Days depending on them, are to take Place, and, be reckoned according to the New Calendar, in Pursuance of an Act of Parliament of the Year 1752, for amending, the former Act of the Year 1751

N. B. That all Dates of Births, Deaths, or other remarkable Events, in the Regal or Chronological Tables, prior to, or upon the fecond of September 1752, are to be understood according to the Julian Account, or Old Style; but after that Time, the an nual Returns of them are placed in the Calendar Part of the Almanack, according to the New Style, Eleven nominal Days later.

ES it was; I very well remember it. It was Chriftmas

for fome Reaton or other awaked me. Upon what Occafion I fuppofe is not very material to my Readers. The Morn was ferene, and the Bells in the furrounding Villages gave Intelligence of the Arrival of the Anniverfary of Chriftian Festivity. Bleffed Day, faid I, in which cæleftial Harmony accompanied the Choir of Heaven, while Angels of Light chanted forth to those who lay in Darkness-Peace on Earth; good - Will-towards Men.

But how (faid) must I behave, to make myself worthy of this divine Favour, which I anon fhall feriously commemorate in the facred Temple.-Why.-To obtain Peace, I must practice it: If I would have the Efteem and good Will of others; I mut put away all Rancour and Malice from my own Heart. My own Intereft must go Hand in Hand with that of the Publick's; and the only Way never to receive an Injury is never to with to offer one,

Hey! Bucks and Bloods what a rattle is yonder" Sure Hell's broke loofe, and the Devils roar abroad."-No, faid I, upon fecond Thoughts, this is the wild Rant and fenfeless Frolick of unlettered Hinds, who, trained to ill Culloms, and unmatured by Years thus in wild Uproar wake the lumbering Morn, and thank the Gods amifs.

Well; a few more ripening Years, and a Bed of Sickness, will teach them better. Let me purfue my Subject.

How, in the next Place, can I beft fhew my good Will to my fellow Creatures-Shall I turn Preacher? No. Let the legal Difpenfers of the Word do their best, and there will be no Oc-, cafion for Supernumeraries: I then thought upon another Expedient, fo after calculating how much I eat and drank in a Year, I found the best Thing I could do for the World would be to hang myfelf out of it, and fo leave my fellow Mortals Heirs to all fhould ever eat and drink in future. But then, thought I, if I fet an ill Example; how fhall I anfwer for the Confequences. Perhaps, fome future Day, there may arife evil Minifters, corrupt Judges, Placemen may become Members of Parliament; if moreover there fhould happen to be any difhoneft Lawyers or drunken Parfons: Why, we fhall have the Head of the Nation dropping one after another with a Pain in the Neck. But then, what is of more Confequence, fhould the Rage of Suicide once reach the Populace; it will fink the Rate of loufes, and raife the Price of Hemp. I laid afide my Scheme with Abhorrence. Another Scheme came into my Head.-I will do that, faid I-Did you ever read the Golden Verfes of Pythagoras? If not; I will prefent them to you for a New Year's Gift; turn over, and fee the finest Piece of Morality that Ever Heathen wrote.

C

And

read.

And fo lighting a Match from the Tinder-Box which flood by the Bed-Side, I communicated the Flame to the Snuff of a Farthing Candle. Bounce goes I from my Bed to my BeauThis is it, quoth I.-First to the Gods thy humble.→→ No Faith-this is not it.-Nor where I have laid it I cannot tell now for the Blood of me. Upon my Word, but this is an excellent Marketing Table, and fo I pray now take it while you may, or it is Five to One but I fole this before the next Publication:

By the Day.

A TABLE of Expences or Wages.

By the Week. By the Month. By the Year!

1.

d. 1. S. d.

S.

72

7

8

8

16

12

14 O

15

8

moooo oo ooo oo

10

оооо

16

16

219

11

12

13 4

14

15

16

17

19 20

17

18

And what is this pinn'd to it? A very useful Table, indeed; here the Buyer and Seller are equally obliged, and eased of many a troubleTom Calculation. Certainly it was in a very pious Humour when I pinn'd thefe together to a future Age (thought I) these two Ta bles may be of Ufe, and looked upon as the valuable Remains of Antiquity.-Light lie the Turt upon the Head of him who firft calculated them, and I think myself happy (gentle Reader) that for thy Ufe and Profit, I have fo luckily alighted upon them.

ATABLE tor buying or telling any Commodity by the Great Hundred, which is 112. Pounds.

d. q.L. s. e[d. q. L. s. a. d. q. £. s. a. d.q. £. s.

70 33 30 3 5 19.0 3
94703 5 44306

13 78 16 3 8

8104

2

8 12 8 8 15 C

1419 0

8 17 4

18 19 8

26 60

29 2 C

39 44

18 8 8 0 3 14 814 0 6

10 820 0 6

9

199

2

66

6

15 4

29 11

3

6

17

8

39 13

O 021

0 9 16

то

1 10 4

4

17

2 4 1 9 8

4 8

32 13 81 35 98 3 8 -5 8 311 1 8 2.16 012 012 018 0 8 8 0 24 011 4 C

60

EXAMPLES.

At 31. 29. a-Pound, what is the Price of the Great Hundred Lock in the left hand Column for 3d. 24. and juft against it in the very next Column towards the right, you will find it to he il. 12. 8d. Again, fuppose a Pound of North Clay Hips to he old for 154 39. What is the Pice of an Hundred Weight? Lock in the fi'th Co.umn for 15 31 and over against it, in the fixth, you will find, 71. 7$ the Price of the Great Hundred Weight required.

Or. if you buy any Parcel of Goods or Merchandize at the Rate 71 14s. the Mandred; and would know how much that is a Pound: Look in the 6th Colun above, and against it in the fifth Column to the Left, and you will find 16s. 29. the Prie of One Pound, &C.

Note. For every Farthing that a fingle Pound softs, reckon as. 4d, for the Price of the Great Hundred.

27 14 0

3 7 16.4

17 0 7 18 823

18 O

28 34

I now got eafily into Bed again; I fear I rather disturbed my dear Lady. I continued my Reflections as follows:

But now, faid I, beftir thyfelf, brilliant Fancy, upon the Bufinefs on which I first began.

My Wife, who had just heard one B after another in conftant Succeffion, thus fpoke:

Bafe Betrayer, Bufy Blockhead, Bold Beggar, Brimstone Blender, Body Bender, Bug-fomewhat he was going to fay, when the God of Sleep ftretched his leaden Sceptre across her Eyes. She fighed, and faid no more.

Gently did I lay my Arm over her decent Limbs, and thus bespoke her:

"

"Huth, my Dear, lie ftill and lumber,"

Lo thy Husband guards thy Bed.

Lord, whofe Pow'rs no Art can number,
Still her Tongue, and cool her Head.

Ah! Hufbands, here is a calm Leffon for you. But now, unhappily for me; the has fill'd my Head fo full of B's, that I could think of nothing but what began with a B.-The first Thing which ftruck my Fancy was a Balloon. Although I muft acknowledge, fo careless am I about my Subjects; that it matters not a Farthing to me whether it be a Palace or a PigCourt; a Balloon or an Apple-Dumpling.

My good and worthy Friend, Mr. Moore, in his laft Year's Almanack (vide Obferv. for July,) has referr'd those who have too much Wit for an Aftrologer to a Perufal of my Performance, for which Favour I humbly thank him, and look upon it as a Mark of Esteem. And now I beg Leave to continue my Balloon Story.

:

How do Inventions at different Periods flip into the World. From what apparent Chance, or small Rife, had they their Be ginning to what Heights are fome arrived, and how far they may fi'l be carried, is to the prefent Age unknown.-Who knows how far the afpiring Balloon may aid the future Botanist, when the adventurous Artift. fhall ranfack Worlds to us unknown, and rain down from Heaven showers of Spice, Gigantic Grapes, Floods of Flow'rs, and Cabbages cæleftial.

How far may this affitt the ftudious Geographer in obferving the Scites of the most noted Places, the Boundaries of Nations, the Courses of Rivers, and the inmoft Receffes of Woods and Deferts to us impenetrable. Geometry too will foon take higher Flights, and aid even Aftronomy herself by 'her additional Improvements. For what may not be done, when, instead of bringing the Stars down to us by the Help of Telescopes; we have nothing to do but bounce into a Balloon, and mount im mediately up to them

Mafick