know, that such conduct is highly indelicate; for why does a man relate an anecdote? why, but to entertain the company? And, certainly, no man can be very much gratified to hear, that all his efforts to please are ineffectual.

Again, some vastly good sorts of people will kindly put you right in your manner of telling a story; will stop your career to correct a date, er settle some point of chronology, or fix the exact limits of locality, and, when they have, entirely, destroyed the effect of your story, and made all it's raciness and spirit evaporate into insipidity and dulness, by their interruptions, will observe that you look grave, and thoughtful; as if, indirectly, calling a man a fool was not a sufficient cause for his being thoughtful and grave!

Or they will begin to tell the same story, immediately as, or before you have finished it; and endeavour to shew the company, that they are much better retailers of an anecdote than you are. Now this is very abominable; for what right have we to inflict cruelty on him, who attempts to contribute his portion of merriment or instruc

tion for the edification or amusement of the company; and what greater cruelty can be inflicted, than telling him, that he is such a booby, as not to be able to carry a tale, or a bon-mot from one house to another, without dropping all it's zest, and pungency by the way?

All this is very bad, and, yet, so utterly devoid of delicacy are almost all mankind, that it is practised every day; and, every day, in consequence of this brutal behaviour, thousands of human beings experience the anguish of wounded sensibility and of mortified pride. It is very indelicate not to appear to be pleased with those exertions, which are made entirely for the purpose of administering to our innocent gratifications.

And yet, nothing is more common than to tell those, who have been singing or playing, for our amusement, that we heard that very tune or song, played or sung by some one. else, in the most excellent style imaginable. What is this, but saying, that the person, who has exerted his talents for the sake of entertaining us, is a bad singer, or an indifferent performer?

I saw a lovely, young girl, about seventeen,

very much hurt, the other night, by some abominable beast of a Lawyer telling her that he had heard Storace sing a song in the "Cabinet," most divinely; now the girl, herself, had, but the moment before, finished the same song, and, indeed, had executed it very well.

This especial observation of the worthy bellower at the bar, threw such a damp upon all the company, that I despaired of being able to prevail on any one else to sing during the remainder of the evening. But, at length, a young gentleman was so kind as to favour me with that exquisite song in the "Cabinet," beginning thus:

"No more shall sorrow chase my heart, etc."

and sung it very admirably; but no sooner had he ceased, than that devil of a Barrister observed, that no one, who had heard Braham sing this song, could ever endure it's repetition, unless by Braham himself.

This very delicate and feeling remark, at once, destroyed all the cheerfulness and gaiety of the people assembled; and the polished pleader had the satisfaction of contemplating on the countenances of all present a gloomy

dreariness, which he, himself, had caused by sacrificing all the feelings of tenderness and humanity at the shrine of dulness, of audacity, and of ignorance.

ESSAY CXXX.

ON DELICACY.

An elderly Quaker-lady of my acquaintance, who would not very easily be prevailed upon to believe that she is not a gentlewoman in her manner, takes especial care to interrupt her daughter, even, in the midst of the most interesting narrative, by telling her to snuff the candle, to shut the door, to stir the fire; or by observing that her hair wants cutting, her cap new-modelling, or her gown an additional quantity of stiffening; but this good old lady, who values herself so much upon her attention to decorum, ought to know, that nothing can be more indelicate than such

interruptions; because it plainly evinces, that she thinks the most trifling and con temptible circumstances of more importance, than her daughter's conversation. Indeed, I find that this want. of attention, which is one of the strongest marks of indelicacy is very frequent. Let the most interesting anecdote be told, or the most important observations be made to any assemblage of, what are deemed, well-bred people, and scarcely one in ten shall pay the least heed to them; a silver buckle, a painted fan, a lap-dog, a monkey, a coxcomb, a flounced petticoat, a military epaulet, or any other trumpery, shall engross all the company's attention, and leave them no room to regard the observations, or listen to the anecdote.

Can a man be more grossly insulted, than to be made feel, that himself, and his conversation are lower in the scale of consequence than objects of the utmost insignificance? For the encouragement of these indifferent and indelicate animals, I will let them into a secret, of which, perhaps, they are not aware; namely, that their behaviour proceeds, altogether, from stupidity, and ig

VOL. IV.