How merciful, adds Bevorifkius, is heaven to his creatures! ILL fated Yorick! that the gravest of thy brethren should be able to write that to the world, which ftains thy face with crimson to copy even in thy study. BUT this is nothing to my travels-So I twice-twice beg pardon for it. CHA CHARACTER. VERSAILLES. A ND how do you find the French? faid the Count de B***, after he 'had given me the paffport. THE reader may suppose, that after fo obliging a proof of courtesy I could not be at a lofs to fay fomething handfome to the inquiry. Mais paffe, pour cela-Speak frankly, faid he; do you find all the urbanity in the French which the world give us the honour of?. I had found every thing, I faid, which confirms it-Vraiment, faid the Count Les François font polis-To an excess, replied I. THE Count took notice of the word excefs, and would have it I meant more than I faid. I defended myself a long time as well as I could against it-he infifted I had a referve, and that I would fpeak my opinion frankly. I BELIEVE, Monfieur le Count, faid I, that man has a certain compass, as well as an inftrument; and that the focial and other calls have occafion by turns for every key in him; fo that if you begin a note too high or too low, there must be a want either in the upper or under part, to fill up the system of harmony-The Count de B*** did not understand mufick, fo defired me to explain it fome other way. A polifhed nation, my dear Count, faid I, makes every one its debtor; and befides, urbanity itself, like the fair fex, has fo many charts, it goes against the heart to fay it can do ill: and yet, I believe, there is but a certain line of perfection, fection, that man, take him altogether, is impowered to arrive at-if he gets beyond, he rather exchanges qualities than gets them. I muft not presume to fay, how far this has affected the French in the subject we are speaking of-but fhould it ever be the cafe of the English, in the progrefs of their refinements, to arrive at the fame polish which diftinguishes the French, if we did not lose the politeffe de cœur, which inclines men more to humane actions than courteous ones→ we should at least lose that diftinct variety andoriginality of character, which diftinguishes them, not only from each other, but from all the world befides.. I HAD a few king William's fhillings, as fmooth as glass, in my pocket; and forefeeing they would be of ufe in the illuftration of my hypothefis, I had got. them into my hand, when I had proceeded fo far SEE, Monfieur le Count, faid I, rifing up, and laying them before him upon the table--by jingling and rubbing one against another for seventy years together. in one body's pocket or another's, they are become fo much alike, you can scarce diftinguish one fhilling from another. THE English, like ancient medals, kept. more a-part, and paffing but few people's hands, preserve the firft sharpness which the fine hand of nature has given themthey are not fo pleafant to feel-but in return, the legend is fo vifible, that " the first look you see whose image and fuperfcription they bear-But the French, Monfieur le Count, added I (wishing to foften what I had faid) have so many excellencies, they can the better fpare this -they are a loyal, a gallant, a generous,1 an ingenious, and good tempered people as is under heaven;-if they have a fault - they are too ferious Mon |