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NUMB. 84. SATURDAY, August 25, 1753.

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T has been observed, I think, by Sir William Temple, and after him by alinoft every other writer, that England affords a greater variety of characters than the rest of the world. This is afcribed to the liberty prevailing amongst us, which gives every man the privilege of being wife or foolish his own way, and preferves him from the neceffity of hypocrify or the fervility of imitation.

That the pofition itself is true, I am not completely fatisfied. To be nearly acquainted with the people of different countries can happen to very few; and in life, as in every thing elfe beheld at a dif tance, there appears an even uniformity: the petty difcriminations which diverfify the natural character, are not discoverable but by a clofe inspection; we, therefore, find them moft at home, because there we have moft opportunities of remarking them. Much lefs am I convinced, that this peculiar diverfification,

if it be real, is the confequence of peculiar liberty; for where is the government to be found that fuperintends individuals with fo much vigilance, as not to leave their private conduct without restraint? Can it enter into a reasonable mind to imagine, that men of every other nation are not equally mafters of their own time or houses with ourselves, and equally at liberty to be parfimonious or profufe, frolick or fullen, abftinent or luxurious? Liberty is certainly neceffary to the full play of predominant humours; but such liberty is to be found alike under the government of the many or the few, in monarchies or in commonwealths.

How readily the predominant paffion fnatches an interval of liberty, and how faft it expands itself when the weight of reftraint is taken away, I had lately an opportunity to discover, as I took a journey into the country in a ftage-coach; which, as every journey is a kind of adventure, may be very properly related to you, though I can difplay no fuch extraordinary affembly as Cervantes has collected at Don Quixote's inn.

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In a ftage-coach the paffengers are for the most part wholly unknown to one another, and without expectation of ever meeting again when their journey is at an end; one should therefore imagine, that it was of little importance to any of them, what conjectures the reft fhould form concerning him. Yet fo it is, that as all think themfelves fecure from detection, all affume that character of which they are most defirous, and on no occafion is the general ambition of fuperiority more apparently indulged.

On

On the day of our departure, in the twilight of the morning, I afcended the vehicle with three men and two women, my fellow-travellers. It was eafy to obferve the affected elevation of mien with which every one entered, and the fupercilious civility with which they paid their compliments to each other. When the first ceremony was difpatched, we fat filent for a long time, all employed in collecting importance into our faces, and endeavouring to ftrike reverence and fubmiffion into our companions.

It is always obfervable that filence propagates itfelf, and that the longer talk has been fufpended, the more difficult it is to find any thing to say. We began now to wifh for converfation; but no one feemed inclined to defcend from his dignity, or first propofe a topick of difcourfe. At laft a corpulent gentleman, who had equipped himself for this expedition, with a fcarlet furtout and a large hat with a broad lace, drew out his watch, looked on it in filence, and then held it dangling at his finger. This was, I fuppofe, understood by all the company as an invitation to ask the time of the day, but nobody appeared to heed his overture: and his defire to be talking fo far overcame his refentment, that he let us know of his own accord that it was paft five, and that in two hours we fhould be at breakfaft.

His condefcenfion was thrown away; we continued all obdurate; the ladies held up their heads; I amufed myself with watching their behaviour; and of the other two, one feemed to employ himfelf in counting the trees as we drove by them, the other

other drew his hat over his eyes and counterfeited a flumber. The man of benevolence, to fhew that he was not depreffed by our neglect, hummed a tune and beat time upon his fnuff-box.

Thus univerfally difpleafed with one another, and not much delighted with ourselves, we came at laft to the little inn appointed for our repaft; and all began at once to recompenfe themfelves for the conftraint of filence, by innumerable queftions and orders to the people that attended us. At last, what every one had called for was got, or declared impoffible to be got at that time, and we were perfuaded to fit round the fame table; when the gentleman in the red furtout looked again upon his watch, told us that we had half an hour to fpare, but he was forry to fee fo little merriment among us; that all fellow-travellers were for the time upon the level, and that it was always his way to make himfcif one of the company. "I remember," fays he, "it was on just "fuch a morning as this, that I and my Lord Mumble "and the Duke of Tenterden were out upon a ramble: we called at a little houfe as it might be this; and my landlady, I warrant you, not fufpecting to whom "fhe was talking, was fo jocular and facetious, and "made so many merry answers to our queftions, that

we were all ready to burft with laughter. At last "the good woman happening to overhear me whisper "the duke and call him by his title, was so surprised "and confounded, that we could fcarcely get a word "from her; and the duke never met me from that "day to this, but he talks of the little house, and " quarrels with me for terrifying the landlady."

VOL. III.

He

He had fcarcely time to congratulate himself on the veneration which this narrative muft have procured him from the company, when one of the ladies having reached out for a plate on a distant part of the table, began to remark," the inconveniences of travelling, "and the difficulty which they who never fat at home "without a great number of attendants, found in performing for themfelves fuch offices as the road required; but that people of quality often travelled in difguife, and might be generally known from the "vulgar by their condefcenfion to poor inn-keepers, and "the allowance which they made for any defect in "their entertainment; that for her part, while people "were civil and meant well, it was never her custom "to find fault, for one was not to expect upon a "journey all that one enjoyed at one's own houfe."

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A general emulation feemed now to be excited. One of the men, who had hitherto faid nothing, called for the laft news-paper; and having perused it a while with deep penfiveness, "It is impoffible," fays he," for any man to guefs how to act with regard "to the flocks; laft week it was the general opinion "that they would fall; and I fold out twenty thoufand

pounds in order to a purchase: they have now rifen "unexpectedly; and I make no doubt but at my re"turn to London I fhall rifk thirty thoufand pounds among them again."

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A young man, who had hitherto diftinguished himfelf only by the vivacity of his looks, and a frequent diverfion of his eyes from one object to another, upon this clofed his fnuff-box, and told us that " he had a "hundred times talked with the chancellor and the

"judges

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