at any time, of the degree of his diflike; and confequently, his expreffion and conwerfation is without a clue or standard. It is clear, that prophane fwearing is one of the moft likely methods to fubvert a language, render it unmeaning and barbarous, and injure it at the very root, by confounding those ideas which are intended to be mutually conveyed by it. A late converfation of which I overheard a part, fuggefted to me what I have now faid.-Who could imagine that a man of learning and capacity fhould be capable of uttering the following exclamation: "May heaven's heaviest vengeance light upon me, if my taylor, a d---d infamous bungling hellfire scoundrel, as he is, has not cut my coat at least an inch of a fide too large, fo help me Ch---ft, G---d---n my blood!" If the gentleman had wanted to convince his friend of fome truth, wherein his own life, or the whole felicity of it had depended, we should then have thought the imprecation exceffively prophane, although the importance of the cafe would have palliated the honour of it. But when you find the matter fo pimping, fo trivial, what an impeachment of his good fenfe? What a contraft to his learning? What a flur upon his delicacy? What a fovenly clownish patch of dirt upon his politeness? How it detracts from all his qualifications, and at once levels him with the carman and the scavenger; nay, does it not fink him as much below them, as the deformity becomes more confpicuous? For we may be affured, that genteel folks can never render vice refpectable, although they may favour it with their adoption, and decorate it with an air. Thirdly, The practice of fwearing muft give pain to any man of delicacy you converfe with; for the fwearer muft believe that the perfon he talks to, doubts his ve racity; at leaft, his affeverations ftrongly imply that he believed fo, which will be troublesome, and embarraffing in converfation. But this is, indeed, fo much ap age of diffipation, that it is become the vogue to talk for an hour together, without any idea at all, which, by giving our difcourfes a kind of happy infignificancy, fomewhat remedies the laft-mentioned evil. The Spectator (if I remember right, for I have not read his paper on the fubject thefe several years) humorously fupplies the fwearers of his time with a fet of inno cent expletives, which he supposes may anfwer their purpose, and give them entire fatisfaction; but there are numbers of fwearers in our days, who, having a large ftock of ideas, together with a copious and fluent faculty of expreffions, cannot poffibly stand in need of any expletives at all: they can talk with cogency and weight, without even an od's boddikins, or an od's my life; and yet they will fwear--and why? O! Sir--common language is too cold, too heavy; all their fpeeches must be energy and fire; and ra'ther than their speeches shall want energy and fire, they, with great freedom, call down heaven, and ranfack hell to furnish them; and what about? Why, the taylor has cut a coat too large---the fhoe-black has left an inch of the heel untouched--the chairman has made them stay five seconds longer from the ball; they dislike the comedy of the Jealous Wife; or there is a drop of candle tallow on their stockings. I have often thought, and have fomewhere seen the thought expreffed, nay, can confirm the truth of it from a little degree of experience, that a fenfible determination, a few calm and ftrong, but suitable expreffions, with a due exercife of fubftantial authority, are fully adequate to the purpofes of regulation, amongst our soldiery, and in our ships: for the cuftom of Twearing and curling is now grown fo ftale, and all that can poffibly be meant by the moft boisterous and tremendous oaths, known fo well, that they are become very little more than a vox et preterça nibil. I have feen a foldier, after having been fworn over half an hour, turn flily about, put his tongue in his check, and imitate a f--t with his mouth; nor can I doubt, but the greater number of foldiers and feamen, after they have been a little accustomed to the fwearing difcipline, do all this in their hearts, if not outwardly. But to conclude feriously, with one word more on the foundation of my firit argument. As a vain, unmeaning, filly repetition of words and phrafes, without any determinate ideas, will, by long habit, confufe and unfettle thofe ideas that we had. been wont to annex to fuch words and phrafes, by degrees leffening our notions of their importance, and rendering us hardened and unthinking; fo this vain, unmeaning, filly repetition, frequently springs from a hard unthinking mind, as fruit from from a tree. Thus it is fometimes the cause, and sometimes the effects of a diabolical and infenfible temper of mind ; and thus the cause and effect are often refolved into one another: to exemplify, if I hear a man jeft very facetiously about fornication, or adultery, or talk ludicrous ly of heaven or hell, I immediately conclude, that he either is, or will be, if his temper of mind meets with no alteration, a debauchee or a fceptic; and that, either his jefts are the genuine product of a heart already debauched, or that he is endeavouring, by treating fuch topics, in fo cavalier a manner, to conquer and abolish his own falutary prejudices, and native ideas of things, which he finds vexatioufly stepping in between him and the gratification of his paffions. Í shall conclude, with expreffing my with, that these few rough drawn paragraphs may be found to have weight enough to deter, at least some, from a practice fo very contemptible in itself, and fo disagreeable in its confequences; from which no pleasure, without doing violence to language, can be faid to refult to the fenfes, nor profit to the purse, and which, therefore, can admit of very little excufe, or palliation. Plymouth, August 16th, 1761. The TRIPLE MARRIAGE. A Novel. GENTLEMEN, To the Authors of the BRITISH MAgazine. MEN frequently exact from others a forward call by the name of Leonora) mu conduct, which they make no scruple of violating themselves, tho' nothing can be more unreasonable than to make an exception in our own favour, and exclude others from the privileges we affume ourfelves. The tranfaction which I am going to lay before you, is a remarkable inftance of this unaccountable difpofition. Mr. Wilful (for I must beg leave to conceal his real name under that fictitious appellation) had at the age of five and twenty, married a young lady contrary to his father's confent; yet when arrived at the age of fifty, he exerted himself in the moft tyrannical manner imaginable, to force a wife upon his son, and a husband upon his daughter, for whom they both had the utmost averfion, and not without reason. The spouse which old Mr. Wilful proposed to his fon, was a rich widow, advanced in years, who had but one eye; the husband he intended for his daughter, was ten years older than himself; but he was of opinion that his great riches could not fail of making his daughter happy, notwithstanding the disparity of their ages; yet he himself had formerly married for love, a young woman, who brought him no acceffion of fortune; fo great are the changes that the different periods of life produce in the fame perfon. Young Wilful and his fifter (whom I shall hence tually condoled with each other on the perplexity of their fituation, which was greatly aggravated by the affections of both being already fixed upon other objects. Leonora had for fome time conceived a paffion for a young officer, who in perfon and accomplishments had few rivals, though his fortune was not answerable to her's, which she knew would be an infurmountable objection with her father. The beautiful Rofalinda had captivated the heart of young Wilful, but the smallness of her portion had made him fearful of difclofing his paffion to his father, even before he had propofed to him the abovementioned disagreeable match. Nothing could furpass the uneafinefs they felt, at finding themselves not only without hopes of being united to the objects of their love, but daily pressed and importuned to marry the objects of their hatred. They both, however, resolutely declared their refolutions never to give their hands where they could not give their hearts; and their father being at length tired out with their conftancy, defifted from urging as before. Thus was one of their grievances removed, but ftill they could not be happy, whilft they faw no hopes of arriving at the completion of their wishes. Their conversation, when alone together, confifted entirely in lamenting the cruelty of their fate, and endeavouring by mutual confolations to alleviate each others diftrefs. They could not, however, long bear this restraint upon their inclinations; Leonora was foon after privately married to the captain, and Rofalinda to young Wilful. They all formed a refolution to keep their union fecret till the death of old Wilful; and as they found means to have frequent interviews in private, perhaps tafted the pleasures of conjugal love in a more exquifite manner, as it by that means had a refemblance to unlawful. This diffimulation was not, however, neceffary for a long time; an accident (which I shall mention hereafter) produced an entire change in the behaviour of old Mr. Wilful. From the moft defpotic of fathers, he all on a fudden became one of the most indulgent. Young Wilful and his fifter observing this, formed the defign to discover their being married to the old gentleman, and implore his forgivenefs. This they did, and the latter after feme hesitation granted it; but, added he, it is upon condition that you in your turn, bear with my frailties and imper fections. You must know my children that I have married privately myself; behave well to your mother-in-law, and you shall never have any reason to complain of me. Both young Wilful and his fifter were tranfported at receiving this information, and affured their father in the moft emphatical terms, that they would behave in the fame dutiful and affectionate manner to their mother-in-law, that they had done to their mother. Thus were all parties fatisfied at last; though old Mr. Wilful found himfelf expofed to the raillery of his acquaintances, for having fallen a victim to love in his old age; and by marrying a young woman without a portion, violated thofe prudential maxims to which he had for many years fo ftrictly adhered. Some time after, he died, leaving his estate to his fon, and a confiderable jointure to his widow, who fhewed her great affliction at his lofs, by marrying a colonel of dragoons before the year was expired. I am, Gentlemen, yours, &c. A Genealogical Account of Pelham Holles, Duke of Newcastle. PElham, the original furname of his Grace's ancestors, was derived from the lordship of Pelham, where there was formerly a castle, in Hertfordshire; and where, according to Doomsday-book, Ralph held, of the bishop of London, two hides and an half, the poffeffion of two thanes in the reign of Edward the Confeffor, one under the protection of Anfehil Waras, and the other of Godwine Benefell. Another Ralph de Pelham, his fucceffor, in the days of Henry II. held of the bishop of London, a knight's fee in the fame county, which his fon Jordan de Pelham poffeffed in the reign of king John. The proprietor of Pelham, in the 49th of Henry III. was fined 401. for not attending an inqueft, ordered to be taken concerning a trefpafs of the Mint. The aforefaid fordship was, in 1292, the 21ft of Edward I. part of the estate of Walter de Pelham, he then dying feized of the manor of Cottenham in Kent, and of Twinsted in Effex. He was fucceeded by his eldest fon William, who, with his wife Margery, deliverSeptember, 176. ed C. L. feifin of 40 acres of land, and three of meadow, of 14d. rent, and two parts of a meffuage in Wellinghale, and Rokele, to John de Plefingho. This William dying without issue, his poffeffions devolved to his only brother Walter de Pelham, to whom William le Hupere, on the 3d of August, 1300, gave a confirmation-grant of one meffuage, with gardens, pafture, &c. in the parish of Heylefham in Suffex, one meffuage at Efcetune, with lands, &c. extending from Heyle ham to Horfye; alfo the lands of the Eagle, Stony-land, Hedge-grove, and the parcels of land called Weft-field, Stoke, and Hamme, to be held in capite by him, his heirs and affigns, at the yearly rent of fifteen pence half-penny, which the former occupiers of the faid lands had feverally paid. Thomas de Pelham, his fon and heir, lived in the time of Edward II. in the 14th year of whofe reign, a complaint was made to parliament, by Humphry Stracy, of one John Pelham, for not accounting for divers of the king's goods, &c. which he had received. The |