olecranon. He made long differtations on the nerves, mufcles, fibres, and defcended to the minuteft filaments. He multiplied the length of the muscles by their breadths, and the product of thefe by the fum of the fibres. From one calculation to another, he came to determine the strength of cach degree of tenfion, and by means of thefe determinations, made himfelf able to fix the ftrength of percuffion. Thus he weighed a cuff, and joining the strength of the fift to the fum of the blow of the hammer, he thewed you the exact weight, with which this percuffion was in equal proportion. Finally, to fum up his matters, and for the conveniency of the young carpenters, he reduced the whole into algebraic expreffions, and the bufinefs of the fhop then went on (as might be expected) in a very philofophical manner. So all the rhetorician's rules Teach nothing but to name his tools.” The Gamefters. HUDIERAS, AT a public fchool of the highest character and confequence in the kingdom, three youths, whom I thall diftinguish by the names of LoYenzo, Lycus, and Amintor, firft laid the foundation of their future intimacy. Their ages and attainments were nearly equal, and as the fame purfuits would naturally unite them in the fchool, a fimilarity of difpofitions continued and increased that union in their hours of relaxatian. Their profpects in the world, indeed, were by no means fimilar, but their friend hip commenced at that happy period when Lorenzo's future title and hereditary wealth were matters of the fame indifference to himself and his companions; their luftre never dazled him with a fancied fuperiority above the competent expectations of September, 1808. Lycus, or the ftill more humble profpects of Amintor. Lycus, on the other hand, could difcern no difference between Lorenzo and Amintor; and when the latter gave his fchoolfellows a preference to himself, it was not that he thought them richer, but he loved them better than himself; it was not a fervile adulation of their higher birth, but an amiable species of felf-gratification; it was not the tribute of an inferior, but the gift of an equal. Thus promifing, thus happy was the morning of ther lives! But I must not dwell, as I could with to do, on the profpect now before us; fuffice it to obferve in general, that nature had endowed them, refpectively, with very ample qualifi cations to juftify the fond indulgence of parental hope; and furely if the generous, however thoughtless, schoolboy could once be made fenfible of the honeft exultation, the tender transport of a parent's heart, on feeing him advancing duly in the path of knowledge, of honour, and integrity, no evil inclinations, no power of perfuafion, no force of ill example, could invite him to the barbarous and complicated facrifice of filial duty and parental happiness! in the prefent inftances, however, reflections of this nature had no influence, and probably no exiftence, when the poifon which embittered all their fu ture lives was fataily imbibed. Lorenzo and Amintor had unhappily difcovered and encouraged in each other a fimilar propenfity of the most alarming nature; it infenfibly betrayed itfelf, at first, in trivial and unguarded inftances: the ufual diverfions of their school fellows no longer had a charm for them, and were either difregarded entirely, or purfued for other purposes than that of healthy recreation; fome ftake muft be propofed, fome wager muft depend upon their iffue, to render them worth notice. The amufements which they once were fond of now ceafed to be 3 Z amufements, amufements, unless they were converted into fome fpecies of gaming. The hours which had hitherto been paffed in innocent and wholefome exercife, or ufefully employed in the private advancement of their ftudies, were now fecretly devoted to the pernicious purposes of cards and dice. Lycus, amongst others, had been eaily perfuaded to follow the example of his giddy friends, and what he had at firft engaged in from a fecial principle alone, was afterwards continued from a lefs commendable motive; till at length the failing of mifplaced good nature was drawn into a habit of deliberate vice. Thus dangerous, and infenfibly deftructive, are the first, the flighteft deviations from the line of innocence and moral duty! And however fondly we may hope in youth to palliate an improper ftep, by pleading the importunate folicitation of friends, on the powerful influence of exam ple, we always fhould be fure to manifeft more real friendship to ourfelves and others by ftedfafly withstanding thofe importunities, and daring to be virtuous in fpite of thofe examples. The limited refources of Amintor's pocket were prefently exhaufted.His father was a tradefman, whofe fortune was but little able to fupport even the common expences of a public education; but his affection for an only fon prevailed over all other confiderations, and he cheerfully fubmitted to a temporary retrenchment in his own expences, from a generous anxiety to forward to the utmost the welfare of his darling child. Little did he think, poor man! how cruelly his much-loved object would foon requite his tenderness, and terminate his fondeft hopes in forrow and difgrace! It was eafy to forefee, indeed, the inevitable confequence of Amintor's imprudence; diftrefs rapidly advancing, belieged, alfaulted, and overthrew his principles; undermined, infenfibly ey and the grave, the young and the d, the bufy and the idle, people of fhion, and people of no fathion, e flying off in all directions, like e bright fparks from a knife-grind's wheel, brilliant, indeed, on their rft eccentric departure, but foon exnguished by the refervoir, or waterg-place! where all that is left of em, is to return to their narrow nes and forfaken counters, with eir purfes empty, and their heads all of nonfenfe and frivolity. From e enthusiastic fervour with which › many thousands push down to the ater, a stranger would fuppofe them › be Mahometans who had lost their at, and were therefore obliged to erform their ablutions before they ould be re admitted among the faith ul; were he to fee them, indeed, vhen arrived at these marine hofitals, he could only fuppofe that anine madnefs had become as prevaent as vaccination, with this difference only, that although many might ul to the fea to feek a cure for the former, yet the incipient prognoftics of the latter, fuch as budding horns, &c. might be dated by the fober cit, from the time when his deary firf emigrated to thofe whirlpools of fafhion. Really, my dear,' fays the jolly dame, it is time to take a little pleasure now, I am fure we have had none fince we were married.'Silence on the part of Benedict, is conftrued into confent; away run madam and miss to their band-boxes, whift the happy husband trots to his banker's, well knowing that it is impoffible for the flying fquadrons to take the field, without the neceffary fubfidies. Fashion and Fancy are now preffed into the fervice, to decorate the groupe, whilft economy and profufion, like the buckets in a well, are alternately predominant. At length the bustling morning arrives, madam and mifs, and mafter Jacky, and the doll, and the lap-dog, and the good man, are all embarked on board the hoy, which, like Noah's ark, is crammed with Jew and Chriftian, the clean and the unclean, two and two. In awful majesty, madam takes her feat, whilst the maiden fifter, who is left in charge of the houfe, reiterates her fond adieus, Good bye, and God bless you; and have you got the ham, and the cheese, and the chicken, and the tongue, and the cordial, and the-' Aye! there they are all fafe on board; a profperous voyage to you all, and God fend you a fafe deliverance !— A ftiff breeze and a ftrong ebb foon waft them along. They who go to fea in hips will fee the wonders of the deep,' but they who go to fea in hoys, may fee ten thoufand wonders which king David, or even king Solomon in ali his wifdom and glory, could never have dreamt of; but the happy moment arrives and the hoy hails round the pier end, where crowds are affembled to look at the new comers. If it was like Noah's ark on the paffage, we may now compare it to the tower of Babel; the flapping of the fails, the bluftering of the failors, the rattling of trunks, and the clattering of tongues, form a motley fcene of confufion-- Hand up my dreffing cafe-pray take care of my new bonnet-give me the bottle-have you got the bafket, and the box, and the bag, and the umbrella,-Pray take care of the lady-mind how you tread the plank, madam.-There you are fafely landed-how do you do, and how is Jack, and Dick, and Tom, and Bill, and mifs Sally, and mifs Dinal, and mifs Molly, and mifs-,' 'Lord be praifed, all purely, all the better of the water-Ainfi va le Monde !and fuch are the delights which the citizen finds in his retreat from the din of the city to country retirement ! There fecins an univerfal attachment in all men, for the charms of country retirement; indeed, we believe it will be allowed that the plea fui es fures arifing from rural scenery, and from ruftic occupations, are the most natural to the human mind. From early affociation the very word country conveys the ideas of health, innocence, peace, and contentment, and fo ftrong is the impreffion even on thofe, who from the confinement of a town life have never yet experienced them, that it is impoffible to deftroy the connection. Like many other profpects, however, they charm moft at a diftance, and thofe who have languished most for them, are often the first to be feized with ennui and difgurt, particularly debarred of the enjoyment of them, till that period of life when the habits become fired, and the mind has acquired a certain bias. The word retirement, however, has now completely loft its original fignification; the time was, (when the feafons kept their regular places in the almanack, and winter was over, rather before the birth-day) that in the early part of the fummaer, the peer, the knight of the thire, and the country gentleman of moderate fortune, left the metropolis to return to their estates, to promote their political interell amongst their friends in the country, to fuperintend the improvements of their lands, and the comforts of their tenantry, to encourage induftry, to promote conviviality, and to enliven the ancient halls, and gloomy towers of their forefathers; but now when the country gentleman leaves town, it is for the race-courfe; or if he turns a thought upon agriculture, it evaporates at a fheep-fhearing or at a ploughing match on any body's eftate but his own. In thefe fceues of modern improvement, we fee the defcendant of the ancient haughty baron, mixing with graziers, gamblers, jews and jockies; we fee the lord or vaft do. mains, the proprietor of caftles which ftand nearly upon as much ground as the paltry fishing village he inhabits, cooped up in apartments, which at home he would hardly think larg enough for his pointers, and what? why to be ftared at by thos who inhabiting one end of the town. have a wonderful deference for thck who lived at the other; happy they can joftle a countefs, or trip down a crowded ball-room in a mo of peers and baronets. The country itself too is altered, notwithflanding all the rural delights fung by our paitoral poets, we no longer meet with native fimplicity as formerly, though the mere cit expects to find it as foca as he elcapes from the fmoke of the city; were we to truft to the poets, indeed, we fhould expect to find vice and folly diminish as the numbers increafe on the mile flones, and be able to discover ruftic innocence behind every hedge and hay-cock. But it is not here that we are now to look for the interefting fhepherd, or the downcaft Phillis; the city is gone into the country, and the country has come up fo often to the city, that the only difference is the aukwardnels with which city cloaths, and city vices, fit upon the unpolithed bumpkin. Notwithstanding all this is known, yet fuch is the force of habit, that we cannot readily lay afide antiquated notions of ruftic manners, but imagine that we muft fill meet with the fimplicity of the paftoral arcadia. Whether the manners of the country were lefs vicious, when they were in greater fimplicity, is a queftion, perhaps, difficult to decide, but they certainly were lefs barefaced; and it is muft certainly to the frequent and speedy intercourfe between the country and town, that this rapid change is to be traced.— Every fummer tourist who starts off for the land's end, or the lakes, nay any commercial traveller with whom the country is fwarming, leaves fome fmall portion of city manners in each retired village, whilft every ruftic who can fpare time from the plough for a trip of two hundred miles on the top of of a coach, returns to the country a Watering Places.. A fashionable 'MY master, fir, is at a water. ing place, and won't be home these three weeks,' fays the pert footman of my attorney, the other day, when I called at his houfe on bufinefs that required the fpeedieft attention. I; my A Watering place!' exclaimed and pray what has he done with affairs? 'Pon my word, fir, can't fay.' What in the name of common fenfe has he to do with wateringplaces, when bufinefs of the utmost moment to his clients, requires his prefence in town? Is he unwell ? 'Oh no, fir? master's very well; he's only gone to take a little recretion at this time of the year.-Every body wants a little fea air this hot month," • Recretion and fea air! 'Sblood! ? Where's Where are my papers his clerk?' His clerk, fir! Oh, mr. Thomas you mean, fir-Why, fir, he's gone on a fhooting party, I expect him in town in a week or two. This account of the folicitor and his clerk, in whofe hands I had de-. pofited papers of the most serious confequences to the peace and interefts of my family, made me defperate. I puthed away into the office, and, to my utter aftonishment, found the defk loaded with papers tumbled together. Letters lying expofed to every eye, and, amongst others, feveral of my own, containing my fentiments as to the manner in which my fuit in chancery was to be conducted; and looking further, I aetually found the deeds upon which my rights were founded lying loofe on the common heap. I made very little ceremony in this bufinefs; but bundling the whole together, I wrote him a fhort note, which, following the practice of the houfe, I left open on the table, intimating, that I never would again employ that man as an attorney who went to take a little recretion at Bray, and whofe clerk went a fheating. Having |