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THE

RAMBLER.

NUMBER C.

LONDON, Saturday, March 2. 1751.

Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico
Tangit, et admiffus circum præcordia ludit.

PERSIUS.

T

SIR,

To the RAMBLER.

S very many well-difpofed perfons, by the

A unavoidable neceflity of their affairs, are fo

unfortunate as to be totally buried in the country, where they labour under the most deplorable ignorance of what is tranfacting among the VOL. IV.

Y

polite

polite part of mankind; I cannot help thinking, that, as a public writer, you should take the cafe of these truly compaffionable objects under your confideration.

Thefe unhappy languishers in obfcurity, should be furnished with fuch accounts of the employments of people of the world, as may engage them, in their feveral remote corners, to a laudable imitation; or, at least, fo far inform and prepare them, that if, by any joyful change of fituation, they fhould be fuddenly tranfported into the gay fcene, they may not gape, and wonder, and ftare, and be utterly at a lofs how to behave, and make a proper appearance in it.

It is inconceivable how much the welfare of all the country-towns in the kingdom might be promoted, if you would ufe your charitable endeavours to raise in them a noble emulation of the manners and customs of higher life.

For this purpofe you fhould give a very clear and ample description of the whole fet of polite acquirements; a compleat hiftory of forms, fafhions, frolics; of routs, drums, hurricanes, balls, affemblies, ridottoes, masquerades, auctions, plays, operas, puppet-fhows, and bear-gardens; of all thofe delights which profitably engage the attention of the most fublime characters; and by which they have brought to fuch amazing perfection the whole art and mystery of paffing day after day, week after week, and year after year, without the heavy affiftance of any one thing that formal creatures are pleased to call useful and neceffary.

In giving due inftructions through what steps to attain this fummit of human excellence, you may add fuch irrefiftible arguments in its favour, as must convince numbers, who in other instances do not seem to want natural understanding, of the unaccountable error of supposing they were fent into the world for any other purpose, but to flutter, fport, and fhine. For, after all, nothing can be clearer, than that an everlasting round of diverfion, and the more lively and hurrying the better, is the most important end of human life.

It is really prodigious, fo much as the world is improved, that there fhould, in these days, be perfons fo ignorant and ftupid, as to think it neceffary to mifpend their time, and trouble their heads, about any thing else than purfuing the prefent fancy; for what elfe is worth living for? It is time enough furely to think of confequences when they come. And as for the antiquated notions of duty, they are not to be met with in any French novel, or any book one ever looks into; but derived almost wholly from the writings of authors, who -lived a vaft many ages ago, and who, as they were totally without any idea of thofe accomplishments which now characterise people of distinction, have been for fome time finking apace into utter contempt. It does not appear, that even their most zealous admirers, for fome partifans of his own fort every writer will have, can pretend to fay they were ever at one ridotto.

In the important article of diverfions, the cere monial of vifits, the ecftatic delight of unfriendly intimacies and unmeaning civilities, they are abfolutely filent. Blunt truth and downright hone Y 2

fty,

fty, plain cloaths, ftaying at home, hard work, few words, and those unenlivened with cenfure or double meaning, are what they recommend as the ornaments and pleafures of life. Little oaths, polite diffimulation, tea-table scandal, delightful indolence, the glitter of finery, the triumph of precedence, the enchantments of flattery, they feem to have had no notion of; and I cannot but laugh to think what a figure they would have made in a drawing-room, and how frighted they would have looked at a gaming-table.

The noble zeal of patriotism, that disdains authority, and tramples on laws for fport, was abfolutely the averfion of these tame wretches. Indeed one cannot discover any one thing they pretend to teach people, but to be wife and good; acquirements infinitely below the confideration of perfons of taste and spirit, who know how to spend their time to fo much better purpose.

Among other admirable improvements, pray, Mr RAMBLER, do not forget to enlarge on the very extenfive benefit of playing at cards on Sundays; a practice of fuch infinite ufe, that we may modeftly expect to fee it prevail universally in all parts of this free kingdom. To perfons of fafhion, the advantage is obvious; because, as, for fome ftrange reafon or other, which no fine gentleman or fine lady has yet been able to penetrate, there is neither play, nor masquerade, nor bottled conjurer, nor any other thing worth living for, to be had on a Sunday, if it were not for the charitable affiftance of Whift and Bragg, the genteel part of mankind muft, one day in feven, neceffarily fuffer a total extinction of being.

Nor

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