days. I was then an officer in the guards, and, though an acknowledged favourite of the ladies, un homme à bonnes fortunes. I was never infulted with law for my little gallantries. If a husband conceived himself aggrieved by his wife's conduct, he reproached her with it; and in fuch cafes I always thought it my duty to run him through the body, or to cane him, according to the rank he held in fociety: thus the peace of families was preferved, and the reputation of the lady fuffered nothing from her intercourfe with a man of honour. Thefe were indeed the days of chivalry. But now, as Mr. Burke fays, all the decent drapery of life is rudely torn off. The man who discovers the moft platonic affection between his wife and a gentleman, repairs to an attorney: Westminster Hall is immediately made acquainted with it, and the dear lady is undone, and her character is blafted for ever. is the true levelling fyftem; a gentleman and a feavenger are treated with no diftinction. Amphitryon behaved in a different manner, when Jupiter did him the honour to spend an evening at his houfe..

This

You may fay what you pleafe on the fubjects of liberty and property, but I never can believe that I am in a free country, when I am debarred the liberty of a little innocent chit chat with my friend's wife. My property, too, cannot be confidered in fafety, when every cuckold has a claim upon me for the fuppofed injury I have done him. No, Sir, thefe things are upon a better footing in France; and if they are not better arranged here, a reform in parliament at least, if not a revolution, will be neceffary. For what man of fashion will ftep forward to fupport a conftitution which restrains his enjoyments?

We hear no more of that flale maxim, that a virtuous woman is a treasure to her husband. If crim. con. continues to be fo coftly, I must abfolutely marry to recruit my circumftances, and pay the price of my own offences by the profits of my wife's tranfgreffions.

If

If my wife fhould be pretty, fhe will be to me a treafure at all ev nts. I may perhaps, through her means, acquire what my own merits have failed in obtainingthe colonelcy of my regiment.

Your humble Servant,

CLODIUS.

P. S. I find, by a late cafe, that even feduction is not allowable. Where the tyranny of Governmentwill ftop, in reftraints upon our natural liberty, it is difficult to fay.

STR,

To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle.
Ω τοῦ κρατίσου παῖ Ποσειδῶνος Θεοῦ
Χαίρε κ Αφροδίτης.

Αλλοι μὲν ἢ μακρὰν μὰς ἀπέχουσιν Θεοί,
Ἡ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ᾧτα,

Ἢ οὐκ εἰσὶν, ἢ οὐ προσέχουσιν ἡμῖν οὐδὲ ἔν,
Σὲ δὲ πασονθ ̓ ὁρῶμεν,

Οὐ ξύλινον, οὐδὲ λίθινον, ἀλλ ̓ ἀληθινόμε
Εὐχόμεσθα δή σου

Πρῶτον μὲν εἰρήνην ποίησον, φίλτατε,
Κύριος γὰρ εἴ ού.

ATHENAEUS, VI. P. 253. D.

WE E were difcourfing the other day on the fashion once fo prevalent in Rome of deifying those benefactors of mankind, the Emperors. A person in company obferved, that it was not original, or peculiar to Rome; that many inftances of it might be found in the Greek hiftory; at the fame time he mentioned Alexander the Great and Demetrius Poliorceta. The latter example not being quite fo well known as the other, he informed us, that the Athenians, befides paying other compliments to Demetrius, fang an hymn to him at his entrance into Athens, from which this gentleman repeated the verfes above quoted. Being requested by the unlearned part of the company to explain the verfes, he gave us the following translation: « Hail,

M 5

"Hail, O fon of the most powerful God Neptune, and of Venus !"

(N. B. Son of Neptune, in poetry, we know, fignifies a King with a mighty naval power; and Jon of Venus denotes that air of grace and dignity mixed, which is infeparable from royalty.)

For all other gods are either at a great distance from us, or have no ears, or exift not at all, or pay not the least attention to us: but thee we behold a prefent Deity, made neither of wood nor of ftone, but a real God. We therefore pray thee, first of all, to give peace in our time, O deareft; because thou only fightest for us."

Another obferved, that there was fomething in the general spirit of this addrefs extremely like a late compofition that had been much handed about in manufcript. The poem was read, of which I fend you a copy, if it can be of any use to your paper. We all agreed, however, that the author had, with great judgment, avoided the pacific conclufion of the Greek verfes, which fhews that the Athenians were forry cravens, in comparison with true British Hearts of Oak. T. STERNHOLD.

HYMN TO THE CREATOR.

BY A NEW-MADE PEER.

HAIL, gracious Sire! to thee belong.
My morning pray'r, my even fong;
My heart and foul are thine:
Infpire me, while I chant thy praise,
In zealous, though in feeble lays
And fhew thy pow'r divine!
Late while I lay a fenfelefs mafs,
As dull as peafant, ox, or aís,
Unworthy note and name,
Methought thy fiat reach'd mine ear-
"Let Mr. SCRUB become a Peer!"
And Scrub a Peer became.

Of

Of fuch a change in Nature's laws
What pow'r could be th' efficient caufe,
Inferior to a God?

All public virtue, private worth,
Confpicuous talents, fplendid birth,
Attend the Sov'reign's nod *.

I'm now a Member of that Court
That fettles, in the last resort,
The bufinefs of the nation;
Where, fince I'm kick'd up stairs by thee,
I'll clearly prove my pedigree

As old as the creation †.
But not omnipotence alone
Adorns the owner of a throne;
His attributes pass counting :
Of juftice, when he hangs poor knaves,
Of mercy, when rich rogues he faves,
He's rightly call'd the fountain..
In part of payment for thy favours,
I tender thee my beft endeavours,
If haply thou shalt need 'em :
Nor fhall I grudge thy fhirt to air,
For all the Bed-room Lords declare
Thy fervice perfect freedom.

The Devils of old, as Milton fings,
Were angry with the King of Kings,
And thought he 'd reign'd too long;
Of late the herd of Gallic fwine
Dar'd to deny the right divine
Of Kings, to govern wrong.
"Go," said the Lord, 66
This factious diabolic crew,
And on them pour my ire:

my fon, purfue

In hell, then let them count their gains,
There dwell in adamantine chains,

And roaft in penal fire !”

*In Latin numen.

+ Clown. You were beft fay these robes are not gentlemen born. Give me the lie, do; and try whether i am not now a gentleman born. Autolicus. I know you are now, Sir, a gentleman born.

Clown. Ay, and have been fo any time thefe four hours. WINTER'S TALE, A&t V. Sc. II.

M. 6

So

Yield never to fuch fiends accurs'd;
Fight on, and bid them do their worft;
And, if thy Commons still

Shall vote thee cafh to fubfidize
Our trufty, firm, fincere allies,
We'll not reject the bill.

Thefe truths when first we rife to fpeak,
With voice irrefolute and weak,

As is the mode, we utter;
But, in the progrefs of th' oration,
Inflam'd with lordlike indignation,
At Jacobins I fputter:-

"My Luds, you 've heard a noble Lud
Wifely advife to fhed more blood;
For who that wears a star,
While honour in this Houfe furvives,
Values a rush plebeian lives?
I therefore vote for war.

"What! leave Religion in the lurch!
No:-fink our commerce-fave the church;
Nor fpare men, money, nor fhip;
Fresh millions after millions fling-
For, if we lofe our Church and King,
What will be left to worship?

"My Luds, the Reverend Peers in lawn
Have laid their precious fouls in pawn
Upon the war's fuccefs ;
These wizards know a curious fpell,
Which rightly us'd, will Heaven compel
The British arms to blefs.

"Let ev'ry foul forbear to treat
His hungry maw with drink or meat,
On We'n'day next till e'en;

The grumbling of our famifh'd inwards
(So 'tis decreed by holy fynods)
Cures God Almighty's ipleen."

But