te of the Mufes, I affure you, Sir, I fing very freely in my cage; fometimes indeed in the plaintive notes "of the nightingale; but, at others, in the cheerful "ftrains of the lark."

In another letter he obferves, that he ranges from one fubject to another, without confining himself to any particular task; and that he was employed one week upon one attempt, and the next upon another.

Surely the fortitude of this man deferves, at least, to be mentioned with applause; and, whatever faults may be imputed to him, the virtue of fuffering well cannot be denied him. The two powers which, in the opinion of Epictetus, conftituted a wife man, are thofe of bearing and forbearing, which it cannot indeed be affirmed to have been equally poffeffed by Savage; and indeed the want of one obliged him very frequently to practise the other.

He was treated by Mr. Dagg, the keeper of the prison, with great humanity; was fupported by him at his own table without any certainty of recompence; had a room to himself, to which he could at any time. retire from all disturbance; was allowed to ftand at the door of the prifon, and fometimes taken out into the fields; fo that he fuffered fewer hardships in prifon than he had been accuftonied to undergo in the greatest part of his life.

The keeper did not confine his benevolence to a gentle execution of his office, but made fome overtures to the creditor for his releafe, though without effect; and continued, during the whole time of his unprifonment, to treat him with the utmoft tendernels, and civility.

Virtue is undoubtedly most laudable in that ftate which makes it most difficult; and therefore the humanity of a gaoler certainly deferves this public attef tation; and the man, whofe heart has not been hardened by fuch an employment, may be justly proposed as a pattern of benevolence. If an infcription was once engraved "to the honeft toll-gatherer," less honours ought not be paid " to the tender gaoler."

Mr. Savage very frequently received vifits, and fometimes presents from his acquaintances; but they did not amount to a fubfiftence, for the greater part of which he was indebted to the generofity of this keeper; but these favours, however they might endear to him the particular perfons from whom he received them, were very far from impreffing upon his mind any advantageous ideas of the people of Bristol, and therefore he thought he could not more properly employ himself in prison, than in writing the following poem :

LONDON and BRISTOL delineated *.

Two fea-port cities mark Britannia's fame,
And thefe from Commerce different honours claim.
What different honours fhall the Mufes pay,
While one infpires, and one untunes the lay?
Now filver Ifis brightening flows along,
Echoing from Oxford's fhore each claffic fong;
Then weds with Tame: and thefe, O London, fee
Swelling with naval pride, the pride of thee!
Wide deep untullied Thames meandering glides,
And bears thy wealth on mild majestic tides.

Thy fhips, with gilded palaces that vie,

In glittering pomp, ftrike wondering China's eye;

*The Author preferred this title to that of "London and Bristol "compared;" which, when he began the piece, he intended to prefix to it. Orig. Edit.

And

And thence returning bear, in fplendid ftate,
To Britain's merchants, India's Eastern freight.
India, her treasures from her Western shores,
Due at thy feet, a willing tribute pours;
Thy warring navies diftant nations awe,
And bid the world obey thy righteous law.
Thus fhine thy manly fons of liberal mind;
Thy Change deep-bufied, yet as courts refin'd;
Councils, like fenates that enforce debate
With fluent eloquence and reafon's weight;
Whofe patriot virtue lawless power controuls;
Their British emulating Roman fouls.
Of these the worthieft ftill felected ftand,
Still lead the fenate, and ftill fave the land.
Social, not felfish, here, O Learning, trace
Thy friends, the lovers of all human race!

In a dark bottom funk, O Bristol, now,
With native malice, lift thy lowering brow!
Then as fome Hell-born fprite, in mortal guife,
Borrows the fhape of goodness and belies,
All fair, all fimug to yon proud hall invite,
To feast all strangers ape an air polite !

From Cambria drain'd, or England's Western coast,
Not elegant yet coftly banquets boaft!

Revere, or feem the ftranger to revere;

Praife, fawn, profefs, be all things but fincere;

Infidious now, our bofom fecrets steal,

And these with fly farcaftic fneer reveal.

Prefent we meet thy fneaking treacherous smiles :

The harmless abfent ftill thy fneer reviles;

Such as in thee all patts fuperior find ;

The fneer that marks the fool and knave combin'd.

When melting pity would afford relief,

The ruthlefs fneer that infult adds to grief.

What friendship canft thou boaft? what honours claim?

To thee each ftranger owes an injur'd name.

What fmiles thy fons muft in their foes excite,
Thy fons to whom all difcord is delight;
From whom eternal mutual railing flows;
Who in each other's crimes their own expofe;
Thy fons, though crafty, deaf to Wisdom's call;
Defpifing all men, and defpis'd by all;

Sons, while thy cliffs a ditch-like river laves,
Rude as thy rocks, and muddy as thy waves;
Of thoughts as narrow as of words immense;
As full of turbulence as void of fenfe ;
Thee, Thee what fenatorial fouls adorn?
Thy natives fure would prove a fenate's fcorn.

Do strangers deign to ferve Thee? what their praise?
Their generous fervices thy murmurs raise.
What fiend malign, that o'er thy air prefides,
Around from breast to breast inherent glides,
And, as he glides, there fcatters in a trice
The lurking feeds of every rank device?
Let foreign youths to thy indentures run!
Each, each will prove, in thy adopted fon,
Proud, pert, and dull-though brilliant once from schools
Will fcorn all Learning's, as all Virtue's rules;
And, though by nature friendly, honeft, brave,
Turn a fly, felfish, fimpering, fharping knave;
Boaft petty-courts, where 'ftead of fluent ease;
Of cited precedents and learned pleas;
'Stead of fage council in the dubious caufe,
Attornies chattering wild, burlesque the laws.
So thameless quacks, who doctors' rights invade,
Of jargon and of poifon form a trade.

So canting coblers, while from tubs they teach,
Buffoon the Gospel they pretend to preach;
Boast petty-courts, whence rules new rigour draw,
Unknown to Nature's and to statute law;
Quirks that explain all faving rights away,
To give th' Attorney and the Catch-poll prey.

Is there where Law too rigorous may defcend?
Or Charity her kindly hand extend?
Thy courts, that shut when pity would redrefs,
Spontaneous open to inflict diftress.

Try misdemeanors! all thy wiles employ,
Not to chastise th' offender, but destroy;
Bid the large lawless fine his fate foretell;

Bid it beyond his crime and fortune fwell.
Cut off from fervice due to kindred blood,
To private welfare and to public good,
Pity'd by all but thee, he sentenc'd lies,
Imprison'd languishes, imprison'd dies;

Boast swarming veffels, whose plebeian state
Owes not to merchants but mechanics freight.
Boaft nought but pedlar fleets-In war's alarms,
Unknown to glory, as unknown to arms.
Boaft thy base Tolfey*, and thy turn-spit dogs;
Thy halliers' + horfes, and thy human hogs;
Upftarts and moshrooms, proud, relentlets hearts;
Thou blank of fciences! thou dearth of arts!
Such foes as Learning once was doorn'd to fee;
Huns, Goths, and Vandals, were but types of thee.
Proceed, great Bristol, in all righteous ways,
And let one juftice heighten yet thy praise;
Still fpare the Catamite and swinge the whore,
And be whate'er Gomorrah was before.

* A place where the merchants used to meet to tranfact their affairs before the Exchange was erected. See Gentleman's Magazine, vol. XIII. p. 496. Orig. Edit.

+ Halliers are the perfons who drive or own the fledges, which are here used instead of carts. Orig. Edit.

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