took his leave at laft, completely rewarded for his patience and good-humour.

I cannot finish, without confeffing my envy of the modern reader, who, like the Aftomi or people without mouths, that Indian nation of whom Pliny tells us that they lived upon the fmell of meats, can alfo content himfelf with the Ambrofia of language, without caring for any folider nourishment, or demanding that milky chyle of real know ledge which enriches and invigorates the foul.

N° 30.

N° 30.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER I.

Sed, mebercule, mi Pœte, extra jocum, moneo te, quod pertinere ad beatè · vivendum arbitror ; ut cum viris bonis, jucundis, amantibus tui vivas. Nibil aptius vita, mihil ad beatè vivendum accommodatius. Nec id ad voluptatem refero: fed ad communitatem vitæ, atque victus, remiffionemque animorum; quæ maximè fermone efficitur familiari, qui eft in conviviis dulciffimus; ut fapientius noftri, quam Græci; illi ouμwoosa aut ourdes@va, id eft compotationes, aut concænationes ; . nos convivia; quod tum maximè fimul vivitur.

CreERO, Epift. L. 9. Ep. 24.

But, indeed, my dear Pætus, jesting apart, I exhort you, for I know that it will conduce to your happiness, to court the society of good,-agreeable, and friendly company; for nothing is so suitable to the ends of our being, and so effential to the comforts of life, as an intercourse of this kind. An union that has mere pleasure and indulgence for its objects, is not what I have in my contemplation; my thoughts are bent on that delicious commerce of minds, and relaxation from cares, which are found in the free converfation of friends, and which, in those moments when true conviviality reigns, are carried to their full perfection. Of this idea our own language fupplies a word much more expreffive than that of the Greeks: συμποσια or συνδειπνα refer us only to the grofs gratifications of eating and drinking; our own convivia implies, that then we truly feaft, when we live together with fuch harmony as refults from a benevolent interchange of minds.

LAST

night our Society had what we denominate a maiden meeting: not a single forfeit was paid; and a general feeling of emulation had set every man so much upon his guard, that the wrath › of the Echo was never excited, and fenfe and

reason were fignally triumphant. Once indeed I thought I heard a gentle murmur whisper along the cupola; and the Genius of the place feemed to figh, when Mr. Farthingale, the gentleman so remarkable for his aberration of thought, made his excuses to Mr. Blunt for having sent him a young foundling defigned for the poor-house, instead of a roasting-pig, which he had dispatched with his compliments to the church-warden. Mr. Barnaby, who had profited by the mistake, affured him that he had done his duty by the little orphan, and felt fo grateful for the prefent, that he was heartily forry for the statute against toasts, which denied him the pleasure of drinking a health to the abfent members of our club.

As I faw how matters went, and that this general zeal promised a fair trial of the efficacy of our fyftem, I collected my mind to examine at leisure whether the interefts of argument and conversation really loft any thing of vigour and difcuffion by this fpirit of controul, which diftinguished our inftitutions. I had here a remarkable opportunity of convincing myself that to expand the fenfibilities of the foul, and open its fources of intelligence, there was no need of raifing any commotion of the spirits;

that all the purposes of impreffion and perfuafion might be answered without the aid of noise and vehemence; and that true force of expreffion and language does not depend upon exaltation of tones, and turbulence of manner, but on a certain judicious balance and proportion in the terms and phrases we adopt, on a nice and masterly poife of words, and on fine and appropriate diftinctions in our emphafes, figures, and allufions. It is thus the experienced racer fets out with fober vigour, and husbands his mettle, till the contest becomes urgent, and his fpirits hurry towards the goal.

I could not but obferve that Mr. Allworth took a leading part in the conversation of that evening, and was pleased at remarking the triumph of meeknefs in the great afcendancy his manner and deportment had procured him over the forwardest members of our Society. When he fhewed a difpofition to speak to any point, the most respectful filence awaited him, and he fat like another Timoleon among his people, to whom he had given happiness and laws, and tempered freedom.

Since I laft opened the affairs of our Club to my readers, we have had one very unpromising

addition in a little Baronet, Sir Gabriel Grim stone, who from certain habitudes of life had fallen into a hostile practice of perpetual contradiction.. As we had at this time nearly as much upon our hands as we could well perform in the correction. and discipline of Mr. Farthingale; after fome counsel and deliberation on the dilemma, we determined that very fummary and potent methods were to be taken, or fome anarchy might be introduced into our little republic. It happily occurred to Mr. Shapely, (of whom refpectable mention has been made in my 24th Number, as being the judge in all offences against decorum and de-, licacy) that a man of absence, and a man of contradiction, might be fo oppofed to each other, as to become a mutual corrective, like acid and alkali; that the apathy of the one would disappoint the spleen of the other, while the repeated attacks and challenges of the gainfayer would force the attention of the wanderer, and bring home his truant contemplations. As this plan had a manifeft tendency to lighten our labours, we adopted it without hesitation; and to improve a little upon it, we refolved not only to place them invariably together, but to infulate them for a time,

by